Velvet

My goth little heart loves this fragrance so much! It's one of my all-time favorites. I was so sad when Commodity shut down a couple years ago, and so glad when the brand was revived. As others have said, Velvet successfully captures the look and feel of its namesake in scent form. And the color of that velvet is DARK: perhaps the deepest blood red, or dark emerald, or even pitch black. At the same time that it feels dark and sensuous (the black amber, smoke and clove notes), it's also sweet and comforting (the vanilla, rose, almond, coconut and heliotrope). So it's got that quality of velvet where it gives off vampy, witchy, and edgy vibes, but it's also soft and luxe. The combo of the smoky and the sweet notes lends it an incense-y feel, which only contributes to the overall "mood" of the fragrance; Velvet smells like something you'd wear to cast spells. The rose note in this is perhaps the most interesting element here. Rose can easily overpower other notes, but here it was used deftly, in moderation, so it blends beautifully while still being identifiable. The almond note does the same thing; it does not eclipse the rest of the notes at all but instead kind of "cuddles" with them. Although the rose note in Velvet sets it apart, it is indeed very similar to MM By the Fireplace, and I find that they actually layer well together - I'm wearing both right now! It's a cooler day where I am, and I was eager to wear some fall/winter fragrances. This is my favorite in the Commodity line, and I'm excited to try Velvet (+) Bold, the more intense version of this. I will probably have to reserve that one for even colder weather, as I do get the feeling that Velvet would become cloying if worn in any kind of heat, even the less intense version, Velvet (-) Personal. I will also say that this is probably not a safe blind buy, as smoky notes tend to be polarizing, and those notes are on the heavier side in Velvet's opening. They do calm down after a bit though. If you're on the fence, I'd say find a way to sample it first, maybe buy one of Commodity's discovery kits. Duration and sillage are both slightly above average for this one. I wish it had more staying power - not because it doesn't last a good while (7+ hours on skin and clothing), but because I love the smell so damn much and I'm sad when it wears off.

Opens with a super smoky impression that beautifully opens up with a delicate sprinkling of dried rose petals into a burnt creamy nutty coconut. I love the promise of rose in fragrance as I like the smell of roses but I have hated most obvious rose forward notes in perfumes. Thankfully this is far from the pissy, sharp or headache inducing use of rose that I am used to. In its appearance here it just adds to the sensuality of this fragrance. If there was ever a date night smell, to me this is it. I think it begs to be held closer. The performance of this could be stronger, the smell is amazing when your nose is right against it but you really do have to be close to catch it BUT if you were to be caught in a gust of wind, it does travel! the perfume sits for around 5-6 hours on skin and it's strange how saturated it does smell on skin considering it doesn't travel far but I think this isn't such a flaw for a perfume that I find conjures such romantic imagery. This is a smell to be enjoyed in intimacy... For those desiring intertwined fingers walking in the evening over autumn leaves, the person anxiously fiddling as the person they made eyes with in the club comes their way and in a flash they imagine a vignette of their potential love... If perfume is about fantasy and storytelling (it is) than I cannot fault the projection when it makes so much sense here to perform as it does. I have a 100ml of this and am about halfway, I definitely would buy this again maybe just as a 30ml (or a 50 if commodity had one) as it is very nightime and for the colder months so the wearability doesn't demand the size for me as I build my collection. Also I have to say I HATE the spray nozzle cap (atomiser*) commodity use , the perfume sprays out with too much pressure and not in much of a mist which makes spraying this an aiming challenge. Finally I do sometimes get the sour pickle smell lol but I think I usually catch whatever bad impression people note in perfumes but usually only in a brief moment then not again. And I don't smell the by the fireplace comparison.

Commodity's Velvet is a rich, spiced rose and vanilla amber scent; it truly smells like supple, luxurious maroon velvet. I sprayed this at Sephora and instantly fell in love. Velvet opens strongly with cloves and heavily toasted almonds; I can see where the comparison to By the Fireplace comes from, as both fragrances open with a strong smoky note. However, Velvet dries down to a beautifully expressive and deep realistic rose petal note that works wonderfully with the emerging notes of vanilla and amber. On my skin, the dry down is just incredible. It is a slightly spicy vanilla with notes of almost candied rose petals and amber. Around the 2 hour mark, the woody notes started to shine through for me, which compliments the fragrances spices and animalic amber notes. The projection is good, but I would recommend the Velvet+ version if you are looking for strong projection. This fragrance is very unisex, but is best suited for nightime wear during colder seasons. An excellently blended spiced rose fragrance, 9/10 overall.

Smoky turkish delight is my immediate first impression. I can detect the rose and almond immediately, sweetness. Maybe the almonds are roasted and smoked. That smoke haze is divine. Sure it could be related to By the Fireplace, but the first relative I thought of was Lune Feline. Hear me out - I have all 3 of these perfumes and I love them all. I am not saying they smell identical, they don’t. Lune Feline has quality par excellence and any vanilla fan needs to own it, it is a rich vanilla smoky orgasm. By the Fireplace is toasting marshmallows by the fire and is sweeet. Velvet has the rose and almond which makes it quite different and I love turkish delight, but while that edible smoke is present in all 3, I feel that it is better balanced in Velvet than BTF and supremely balanced in Lune Feline. They are all wonderful in their own right and different enough to appreciate individually. Absolutely thrilled to have this one join the ranks.

This is the holidays in a bottle. It's not at all "Christmassy," but has the feeling of sitting around the winter fire, sipping mulled wine with loved ones long after the children have gone to bed. I don't think I have a particularly discerning nose, but I was able to identify nearly every note. It's nuts, spices, rose, and the coconut lends it a certain milkiness. It's heavy - almost cloyingly so - but not quite. It needs to be sprayed with a light hand. I think the distinctiveness of its notes - the fact that it isn't seamlessly blended - is one of its strengths. I don't particularly get "velvet" from this - the clove, in particular, is too sharp and spicy for that - but it's a gorgeous and perfectly unisex winter fragrance. I love many Commodity fragrances, but this is by far one of its highlights, and one of the few that is probably assertive enough on its own to not benefit from their suggested fragrance layering.