Velvet Rope
Apothia (2005)

There’s some juniper along with the grapefruit on top to create a kinda/sorta martini accord—gin, not vodka—but it’s fleeting, and the rest is anything but dry. If your idea of a martini is cheap vanilla liqueur and vermouth with a white flower drowning in it, this might be for you. But, also, you don’t know what a martini is; and as for Apothia: Worst. Bartender. Ever.

You’d need a velvet rope to keep people from *leaving* this club. Awful.

This one is sometimes lovely and sometimes not. I'm not sure if it's the season or what, but one day I got a lovely citrus tea with vanilla that developed a spicy fruit, warm coconut element and ended in spicy fruit with faint leather in a very pleasing combination. The next time I tried it the citrus was too sharp, the warm undertones were absent and the florals were bare and stranded. I guess try before seeking out a full bottle.

An aromatic, spicy trip down a road of pleasure. I love this blend of juniper, grapefruit, jasmine, and rose! I love the finish of cypress, white musk, patchouli, and a vanilla that is divine. This one of my favorite styles of perfume. Can't get enough of this stuff...

Weird mentholated eucalyptus that smells quite a bit like Carmex lip balm mixed with hyper-sweet fake fruit over a pink pepper/patchouli/marshmallow base. It really clashes badly for an hour or two before settling into something that smells like a mix of original "plain" chapstick and cherry chapstick.

I see what this is trying for - attempting to use the minty woods to lend depth to a sweet fruity floral, but the end result smells like a mess to me. That being said, Velvet Rope has a quirky "manic pixie" quality (like a cute weird girl in a movie) that I could imagine would be appealing to some. But alas, not me...

Velvet Rope is interesting. It's not unpleasant, but on me it becomes sickly sweet. At first it smells like a Gin & Tonic that somebody spiked with vanilla liqueur and topped off with a few mint springs. After about an hour it smells like a whiff of cold air when you're skiing while chewing peppermint gum, and wearing cherry chapstick on your lips. Then it smells Juicy-Fruit gummy and musky-sweet, and very slightly powdery. I don't get any tobacco, smoke, or sex from this one. It's a fruity-vanilla musk with an initial unusual note that smells minty. This fragrance is okay, but I get tired of it really quickly on my skin. It loses its initial spark in the way the gum loses its initial flavor, and then just tastes sweet.

Color me weird - I loved this mixed-up frag. Got a half-filled sample from Apothia and used it all up in one fell swoop. First I got a burst of grapefruit with a green rosiness that quickly segued into a creamy and sophisticated vanilla musk with a hint of - yes - tobacco, and that sweaty, "private parts" smell that turns some people off with the grapefruit still hanging in there.