Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery

Mr. Whiskers Beard Balms by Laurie Stern for Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery

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Post by Poodle

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I received a lovely bunch of samples from the Fragments 2015 show. The little burlap bag from Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery was one of my favorite discoveries. Inside were samples of Honey which I reviewed last time and Mr. Whiskers Beard Balm which I had to try just because of the fabulous name. Laurie Stern is the perfumer behind the brand which is named in honor of her two cat’s. She uses natural ingredients and the products are made in small batches. They are also cruelty free. I’ve enjoyed sampling her perfumes so I was hopeful I’d like the beard balms.

Mr. Whiskers Beard Balms by Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery

Mr. Whiskers Beard Balms by Laurie Stern

Juniper & Cypress Forest, Piñon Desert, and Vetiver Breeze

Mr. Whisker’s Beard Balm! Velvet & Sweet Pea’s PurrfumeryPhoto Stolen Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery

Ingredients – organic oils of jojoba, avocado, rose hip seed, organic cocoa butter, beeswax from their own bees, virgin oil de coco creme, essential oils

Let’s clarify one thing. I don’t have a beard so I’m sure you’re wondering what on earth I’d want with a beard balm. Well, I have dry hair and lately I have a head full of frizz. I’ll try just about anything to calm it down. Why not beard balm? Hair is hair.

The first one I tried was Juniper & Cypress Forest Beard Balm with notes of, you guessed it, juniper and cypress. Compared to most of the fruity and flowery hair products out there this is a refreshing change. It smells forest-like and clean. Piney, but not like a Christmas tree. It reminds me of a cabin in the woods.

Vetiver Breeze is great for vetiver lovers. It’s fresh and earthy. I enjoyed catching a faint whiff of this one in my hair.

Next up was Piñon Desert with notes of piñon pine and sandalwood. This was my favorite of the three. It’s woody, but not sharp and synthetic. It hints at being in a lumberyard. There’s a warmth and a softness to it as well.

Mr. Whisker’s Beard Balm! Hipster Ryan Ruppe FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

These scents are not going to overpower. They’re linear and light but it’s beard oil not perfume so that’s fine. I can’t imagine anyone wanting a strong scented product to use around their mouth area anyway. They’re somewhat solid in the container but melt on contact with warm hands. They’re oily but they are not heavy feeling and would probably work well as a body oil in winter. I didn’t use much and they did calm down my frizz and give my hair a decent bit of shine without silicones. For me, Beard Balms seem to soften and smooth my hair and skin pretty well so I imagine they’d work great when used on beards as intended. I’m curious to see what hubby says when he sees beard oil on my Christmas list.

Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery has $22/10ml

Guys, do you use a beard oil? Do any of you use hair oils? What’s your holy grail dry hair remedy?

Poodle xxx

Honey by Laurie Stern for Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery 2007

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Post by Poodle

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There was a time when perfumers didn’t need to say their products were all natural. Perfumes back in the day used natural ingredients because we didn’t have all the aroma chemicals we do today. If a perfume smelled of roses it was because it contained rose. Today’s natural perfumers carry on that tradition and some, I must say, do it better than others. I usually don’t gravitate towards naturals for a variety of reasons but once in a while one catches my attention.

Honey by Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery 2007

Honey by Laurie Stern

honey-perfume Velvet & Sweet Pea's PurrfumeryPhoto Stolen Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery

Notes: orange blossom, Moroccan rose, Bulgarian rose, vetiver, Madagascar vanilla, honey, beeswax, sandalwood, clove, pomegranate, pink grapefruit

I recently received a sample of Honey and was pleasantly surprised it. It has decent longevity and is sweet and a little skanky. Perfumer Laurie Stern of Velvet and Sweet Pea Purrfumery has created one of those really good natural perfumes and a classic, sexy scent with Honey.

Honey is a perfume that conjures up vintage perfumes in my mind. When I first tried it it reminded me of something I imagine one of the ladies on Downton Abbey would wear. It smells full and rich. While I wouldn’t say it smells old fashioned I think you’d have to appreciate perfumes along the lines of Bal a Versailles to appreciate Honey. In one of the episodes of the Downton Abbey Lady Mary spills perfume on her bedroom rug. She describes the end result as smelling like a tart’s boudoir. That’s Honey to me. It smells pretty but there’s that underlying impression that this pretty girl may have a naughty side.

honey-eau-de-parfum Velvet & Sweet Pea's PurrfumeryPhoto Stolen Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery

A lot of natural fragrances have a rough, unfinished feel to them with little development. Honey doesn’t smell like that to me. While I can detect orange blossom and spices the rest of the notes meld together to create a full, plush bouquet. The roses here are not sour or metallic but more like those big fluffy, old fashioned roses. Opulent comes to mind. The honey note along with pink grapefruit gives it a sexy little twist.

I only had a few drops to test but I could imagine this one packs a punch if sprayed lavishly. You don’t need much and I think a little would go a long way with Honey. As the sweetness of the orange blossom, honey, and vanilla fades the warm, cuddly sandalwood and cloves wrap their arms around you.

Honey Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery Honey After Las Meninas (1957) cea+ FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

I think this leans rather feminine. It may be a bit much for the office. I had the husband give it a sniff and he said at first it reminded him of a woman in church (whatever that means) but then he said on second sniff it reminds him of Rubj which he calls my dirty girl perfume. So that basically falls in line with my impression too of the pretty girl with a naughty side.

Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery has a range of Honey options starting at $50

What perfumes do you think have a naughty side to them?

Until next time,
Hugs
Poodle