Aged Vetiver, Chocolate & White Sandalwood

[zankoku_zen]

No additional scent description.

[lookingglass]

There is something about earthy gourmonds that really do it for me: grounding, slightly edible, and sophisticated; I feel ready for anything in them! Who needs top notes?

 

(sniff)...What. A. Managé! I'm so glad I picked this up and I'm gonna need a back up!

 

I imagine cacoa beans drying in the hot sun. it gives me a similar deep, brown, tropical feel, though the notes are different, to Goblin (whole coconuts with patchouli); AVCWS is drier and hot with the white sandalwood, where Goblin is more warm & creamy (with the benzoin).

 

I also envision AVCWS as a sauna dusted with cocoa power, or made of cocoa wood (does that even have a scent? In my fantasy it does!), or lying there with a cocoa face mask, or tiny eye bags filled with cacao (like the ones filled with rice/herbs presented in some yoga classes...I don't know if cacao versions of these are a thing, but how else does cocoa function so well in a sauna?! I'm open to other suggestions...). It's such a HOT scent it's nearly anamalic...like I've been enveloped in the finest cocoa incense. It's SO. GOOD! 

 

I can't wait to try wearing the White Rider (white sandalwood & leather) in the morning and putting AVCWS on in the evening.

 

If you love Velvet but want to go even deeper, get this beauty. If you love Death Adder, but want chocolate instead of vanilla sometimes, getcha some of this! If you love Boomslang, but want something drier...try Aged Vetiver, Chocolate & White Sandalwood.

 

Thank you, thank you, Beth! She's brilliant! 

 

 

[Seajewel]

I can't follow up such a beautiful, perfect review in any proper way, but I wanted to add my thoughts as I have tested this menage three times since I got it last Friday. The Lab's chocolate/cacao notes often go wrong on me--there's just something that reminds me of funky dirty feet, especially in the wet stage. This one, unfortunately, suffers from that issue too, and a slight funk lingers for quite some time after applying. And yet there is something deeply alluring about the scent. I really do see the cacao beans drying in the hot sun image that @lookingglass described in their review. It's a dry, earthy gourmand and I want to love it so very much even though I can't quite get there. After several hours pass, the funk is entirely gone and a beautiful dry hint of sophisticated vetiver with a tiny edge of sweetness remains. It's mesmerizing. But it's not really in my wheelhouse and I'm struggling to resist the urge to upgrade just to keep trying it until my nose disassociates chocolate with funk, it's that good. If you get along better than I do with the Lab's chocolate note, and you are not afraid of vetiver, this is a must-try! 

Edited September 9, 2020 by Seajewel

[zankoku_zen]

I mainly get a gorgeous slightly smoky sandalwood with a whiff of chocolate sweetness, but its mainly sandalwood. Medium throw and wear length.

[puellacaerulea]

In the decant, it's dry, subtly sweet cocoa and sandalwood, not unlike Velvet. However. The second I put it on, the vetiver speaks up loudly and basically sucks all the air out of the room. So. Much. Vetiver. I still get a hint of the sandalwood/cocoa combo underneath, but this is primarily a deep, brown, earthy and slightly smoky vetiver. This one also has serious throw and staying power -- 8 hours later, I'm still drowning in clouds of vetiver. Not one to slather. I need to keep testing this and maybe try it in a scent locket to fully ascertain how I feel about it, but right now I'm vetiver'd out.

[Almond Blossom]

This scent is pure perfection for vetiver lovers, I'm surprised it doesn't have more reviews! Vetiver and chocolate is a match made in heaven, and they blend together so beautifully. Can't detect much sandalwood, but I guess it's adding to the overall impression. It's so well blended and smooooth, like it's already been aged for quite a few years - definitely "aged" vetiver! As the reviewer above said, the throw and staying power are serious indeed, and I too am drowning in clouds of vetiver for hours after applying it - which for me is heaven! If it's one of your hate notes I'd stay away, but if you're ok with vetiver, give it a go. It's gorgeous.

[aphrodisms]

Like crumbly gnarly chocolate - the sandalwood and vetiver are mostly lending texture to the chocolate, which is the main scent.

[Tamarinda]

This is all white sandalwood on my skin. I have discovered that my skin seems to amp anything "white" to a noxious pitch. Too bad, as this smells so nice in the imp. I once tried slathering a bit of Gelt first, to help the chocolate compete with the sandalwood.  It worked, but took way too much Gelt to offset a very little AVC&WS. After many tries, I decided to make it into room spray and it's really nice for that. You get a whiff of chocolate and some nice sandalwood, as opposed to SANDALWOOD all caps. I don't get any vetivert, which is a bummer.