Velvet +

what. the. heck. this is to incense what teint le neige is to powder........... thank you so much for creating this gem!! 💖⛓️ it is perfect. i l̶o̶v̶e̶ like this very much and if anyone is looking for a straightforward incense perfume which will have you smelling like a candle for several hours, this is it. i need the personal, bold and expressive for certain. smokey incense through and through. instant love. it's also great for layering but you don't get a little slice of incense, you're brushing the other fragrance under a rug and you'll be the only one who possesses knowledge of the other contender because the rug is incense and smokey enough to blacken your nostrils. this i like. i took a peek at the others, moss+, gold+ and paper- to be specific.. and they also stand out among the rows of perfumes lined up at sephora, with moss+ smelling like what would be a gourmet tea, carefully blended with a citrusy cleaning product and gold+ smelling like love don't be shy's timid and less experienced 3rd cousin (it's not really similar and actually its own wonderful creation but it is somewhat of a gourmand and every gourmand fragrance gets compared to ldbs these days). paper- really was minus on paper and i kept sniffing the blotting card only to be let down each time, but i know it has those pesky musky notes that you have to let develop on your skin so it can decide whether or not it likes you. there's a perfume that has black tea listed in the notes, i didn't try it but i'm sure it smells like a bohemian episode or whateva... real hippie vibe you get me... you guys need to check out these commodity fragrances before the prices spike up to $1000 a bottle.

Of all of the "Bold" fragrances that are part of Commodity's "Scent Space" concept, Velvet + does the best job of preserving the spirit of the original "Expressive" fragrance. (Many of the other "Bold" versions, while being well-composed, great fragrances, stray too far and end up smelling like they are only distant relatives of the "Expressives" they are based on.) Velvet's signature notes of smoky rose, almond, and amber remain as prominent characters, bolstered and given gravitas by the addition of earthy patchouli and weighty labdanum. Velvet + is heavier, darker, smokier, and sexier than its predecessor, and to my nose, it's also a bit sweeter. Personally, I enjoy it more than the original. The original is amazing, but Velvet + takes the mysterious, spell-binding elements I like about Velvet and supercharges them. If Velvet is a "witchy" fragrance, then Velvet + is an entire coven.

My first impressions of Velvet+: She’s sexy and mature. I almost get TF Black Orchid vibes out of this one, mainly because it has a “grown up goth” feel to it. It isn’t a punch in the face for being bold, which I prefer, but it still has arm’s length sillage to it. Velvet+ is resinous, a little powdery like a tea accord would be (maybe it’s the almond), and sweetly smoky. If we’re comparing it to a church, it’s a church hidden in the deepest forest visited by only the most devout witches. Incense burning on an altar, dried rose petals tucked between the pages of a grimoire. This isn’t your grandma’s Baptist church we’re talking about here. When I smell it I think of the colors black and purple if that makes sense. Night time. Soft lace and combat boots. I’m so comforted by this scent and will wear it all winter long.

This + set is great and I did enjoy them all however I will say with the exception of Moss and Book, they all smell quite similar. I think if you enjoy this DNA of fragrance you'd be pretty safe with Gold, Milk, Paper and Velvet tbh. Initial spritz; smells amazing, so yummy and rich. getting vague BR540 vibes again (the rich amber-y blend I think). this one is the slightly more floral of the bunch without being overpowering and ruining the smooth/creamy nature. Dry down; lovely, amber-y vanilla, hints of rose, labdanum and musk. On the first wear I did detect something around 4-5 hours that soured it slightly, vaguely metallic and not great but it disappeared quite quickly and I didn't get it on the second try so who knows? maybe my least favourite compared to the others in the set but still nice!

Lorddddt do not be fooled by the Rose note in this!! Normally I hate rose scents with a passion, but this is not your typical rose note. This fragrance is everything to me - smoky, deep, mysterious, a teensy bit sweet from the almond and rose. Velvety like its name. The patchouli in it definitely isn’t there enough to give it “dirty hippie” vibes, and there is a certain spicyness from the Labdanum that lingers in the background. This stuff lasts for hell and ever too - I sprayed it at like 5:30PM and I’m still smelling it at 10PM. Every time I wave my arm around I get a most delectable whiff. I sniffed it in Sephora and it was an instant buy for me!

I don't understand the negativity here. When applied to my skin, it reveals a smoky skin scent reminiscent of Hypnotizing Fire, albeit slightly more synthetic. Personally, I prefer it over By The Fireplace, as it is too intense for my liking. This fragrance doesn't cater to a specific demographic and serves as a solid, uncomplicated niche scent.

I don’t think anybody else would agree with me on this but my first impression of this is my dearly loved Black Cashmere by Donna Karan. Yes BC and V are not alike but I feel those of us who love the Original BC would like this as well.

Very reminiscent of the opening of By The Fireplace without the vanilla progression. Smells like smoky vetiver and a dark patchouli, and I could kind of smell the almonds peeking through. Didn't get much rose, but did get the musk.

Love the evolution of this fragrance on my skin. Mysterious oriental, interesting and with a longevity of more than 10hrs. It's a keeper. Velvet - is really good too. For some reason Velvet doesn't stay too long on my skin.

Smokey wood and syrupy roses make for an intoxicating and heady opening. Leans towards vanilla frosted pastries before settling into almond incense. Can’t stop smelling myself.

Smells like a spicy (hint of almond) candle just got blown out, wood wick smoke mixing with the scent.

If the David Lynch’s movie « twin peaks : fire walk with me » was a perfume it would be velvet +

I don’t get the rose, instead I get oud, sandal and saffron. Bold and rich captivating scent.

Velvet+ is my final Commodity scent to try from my discovery set, ending things on a good note. Like the others, it is quite synthetic, but is both more pleasant and complex than the likes of Book- or Paper-. The name is less on-the-nose than other Commodities, but it is apt - Velvet+ is a amber-rose scent, rich and smooth, dark and velvety. It isn't anything groundbreaking, but it is pleasant and nicely-composed. The amber-rose accord is evident from initial spray; dark, sweet and smooth, permeating this scent throughout. The rose is jammy up top. The amber is richly sweet, almost honeyed, melding beautifully with the rose. The almond note is an inspired addition - adding a hint of smooth nuttiness to the background. As it develops, it becomes slightly musky, with a nice earthy patchouli note coming to the fore, complementing the rose nicely. There is a leather nuance at the later stages as the labdanum joins, melding seamlessly with the sweet amber accord. It is fairly linear, with not much further development as it dries down, remaining a sweet, musky amber-rose scent until final fade. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is an autumn/winter scent, a unisex example of rose, and is best worn in the evening. The amber accord is initially delicious, and is nicely-rendered overall, never harsh, but it becomes a little cloying, even headache-inducing after a time. However, it is a decent scent overall. I wonder how the other sillage versions compare. 3/5.

A dark, amber-heavy, resinous rose. Still deliciously sweet and candied for all that, as if the rose petals were rimed with crisp white sugar. I actually think I prefer this to the Velvet Expressive, simply because (to my nose at least) it’s significantly less smoky; there’s a hint in the background, but that’s where it stays. I also don’t think it’s any stronger, projection wise, so it’s not as overwhelming as I thought it might be. The Velvets I would say have the best longevity of Commodity’s entire line, all of them lasting a good 8-12 hours. The Bold is, of course, no exception. I didn’t think Velvet would be a scent I would fall for, not being the greatest lover of rose, but here I am considering adding a bottle to my collection all the same! Definitely worth a try if you’re on the fence.

This is very similar to the other versions of Velvet. A spicy, slightly smoky rose reminiscent of church incense. It’s a deep, dark, and rich scent that feels appropriate for cooler weather and evenings. Of the 3 versions of Velvet this one leans a little more masculine with the leatheriness from the saffron. It’s definitely stronger than the personal and expressive versions, which is the point. All 3 are similar enough that I don’t think you need more than one unless you truly need a quieter and louder version. I’d choose this version to get the most bang for my buck.

The first thing that appears to me is: rose! Yes, a lot of roses!! And also something smoky. It smells like rose incense! It does remind me of a church. This perfume takes me exactly to a place of adoration. And it is peaceful and holy there. I really love it. Unfortunately for me, the roses disappear too fast and projection is not tremendous, it’s almost a skin scent in my skin. But it’s gorgeous. I also like the other Velvets, to be honest I even prefer the personal one, which ia lighter and perfect for a cozy night.

Velvet range from Commodity is definately smoky. Even though it says that the bold version was amplified with saffron and sweet vanila notes (info from the website), I don't get them that much. They are more prominent in the Expressive version of this scent which I gravitate towards the most. The bold version has patchouli in its base what makes this fragrance muted on sweetness. Patchouli adds a pinch if greenness (but just a pinch) to it. Breakdown of notes is different on the brand's website.

I love velvet expressive, so I was excited to smell Bold. It smells surprisingly different in a few ways! The patchouli is very strong as well as a smokiness to it. It still has a sweetness and woodiness that reminds me of a jazz club at night with a sweet drink, yet it leans more masculine with the strong added notes and definitely becomes more Bold. Definitely still an amazing scent but expressive is still my go to!

There is something about the mix of rose, amber and labdanum that creates a lush, inky note for me. I've never smelled Squid by Zoologist but people always remark about the ink note, and in my imagination there's a sweet liquidy ballpoint ink note in here that I honestly love. It's very unique and somehow sensual and mysterious. In my mind this fragrance is indigo-violet colored.

A peppery, tart, night-dark rose sweetened with musk and stalked by shadows of singed tobacco and antique leather. As it ages, the smokiness slowly laps everything up, until there’s nothing left but smouldering embers. Dark, seductive, and dangerous, perfect for the bad boys and girls of the world. Pair with smudged eyeliner and a tragic backstory.

To me this is similar to Kayali’s pink diamond perfume but less sweet and not as powerful. It does have a leather scent on my skin but the rose helps soften it. Overall I really like it on the days when I went something to stand out but not too much. Layering with Lord of Misrule by lush or a vanilla scent has been very nice.

The dried rose petal, musky vanillin Velvet on steroids - heavy on the patchouli. I think the other versions have labdanum also but this one seems to also have more of a resinous quality. A bit piercing, there’s too much going on in here and while I like it, I feel like I’d lean towards the original or light.

Velvet+ has a smokiness to it (I’ll assume from the Labdanum or black amber) that the original didn’t have. It gives it that richer, more seductive, night time quality. No almond (on my skin) at all. Sweet and synthetic, but really pretty. (Add: less sweet, less rose after 2hrs, more incense/smoky)

comforting tobacco (or smoke + spices according to the notes / other reviews). stronger than tobacco vanille but lighter than akro smoke.

first test - smoky, spice seems like nutmeg though not shown in the notes. i like it but i might prefer the expressive version.

Gave me flash backs to going to a roman catholic school growing up and the smells inside of the church straight up

This layers so well with JHAG Lady Vengeance 🤩

Rich, warm, and spicy. Like others have said, it reminds me of a old church, incense clinging to the wood and the carpet after so many years of use. I am reminded of great-grandmothers I knew in my childhood for some reason, a scent like this embedded in their coats and scarves. The combination of rose and dark amber is heady and thick. At the beginning, I did find the rose a bit overpowering, but I personally dislike rose in general. On my skin, "smoke" was prominent from beginning, and lasted for about an hour; I didn't mind it, but did come across as a bit "dirty" somehow. I wonder if that was partially due to the use of toasted almond. Once it mellowed out, the patchouli was noticeable, but still taking a backseat to the amber and vanilla, which softened considerably. This fragrance doesn't work for me, but I do find it very interesting, and I can see how it could be quite a comforting scent for some.

This is too much patchouli for my taste I think, too strong and heavy compared to the expressive version. It's more masculine though, so if you're looking for a more masculine version of that, you will like this. As much as I like that one, I don't think I would wear this. I can't smell the rose much, and instead of being mainly woody, like the expressive Velvet, it's more incense-y and somewhat earthy. I really didn't like the opening, but the dry down has that earthiness that is making me sniff my arm a lot. So, who knows, maybe I will like this as well, I didn't spend enough time with it yet to tell, but I think Velvet expressive is still the best.

Out of the three scent spaces, I prefer this one the most, then the personal, and the expressive the last. The reason why I don't like the expressive is because the performance was sub par even compared to the personal on my skin. The + is a stronger version of the expressive and I find the personal to be the most different. Ignoring all the notes listed here, the entire line velvet line is woody amber dominant. The rose/patchouli are dark, so this is definitely not a fresh/young scent. I'm usually a fan of Jérôme Epinette but I will pass on this one.

Ok, So i got this as part of the exploration kit, and on paper it was beautiful, almost nostalgic rose and amber. I was excited to try it on the skin, but then after the 10 seconds of rose comes in this intense burning wood smell, like being beside a bonfire which was quite overwhelming. Im sure its just my skin chemistry but it was a shame as I was sure this was the one id get in a full size! Longevity is a few hours, not sure its a safe blind buy to be honest.

smells very very similar to by the fireplace, however velvet+ has a nice rose touch. and i do not like rose at all. but the rose in velvet is beautiful. it’s like burnt, sweet, dried rose petals. i love this fragrance tbh, and i was not expecting to at all. but i literally can’t stop reapplying it and smelling it, it’s amazing. definitely worth it. feels like a fitting fragrance to wear to an underground concert. idk why tho

i'm surprised cloves aren't in the notes list for Velvet+ when they are in Velvet, because i can definitely smell cloves! it's smoky and heavy, definitely 'Bold'. it's mostly smoky spice and musk, with some rose and almond in the background. an interesting scent though I don't think it suits me. the projection and longevity is worse than some of the other 'Bold' scents, though.

this smells like being wrapped in my grandma’s coat during a presbyterian church service. but also somehow more masculine and woody on my skin. on the sample paper it is headache inducing but it was fine on me. my friend described it as wet dog and as a boy dabbling in cologne. so take that how you will.

Very dark and smooth, good perfume to layer on top of as it more curls around the edges than getting all in your face. Hard to separate and pinpoint the exact notes, on me it just smells vaguely rich-woody-smooth with hints of rose.

Spicy rose! Reminds me of something Penhaligons would make. Sexy and mysterious, this scent’s labdanum note makes it a total jazz club scent. Smoky and yummy.

idk why but this smells kinda like gun powder to me 🤔

a woody amber with green, it smells like incense

Given how Commodity is doing the whole personal (-), expressive, and bold (+) thing, it makes sense to compare them side by side and provide one review for all three. While I prefer to test blind it's hard not to notice the names, but I haven't looked up the suggested notes or read any of their literature. With VELVET I'm hoping for something musky, sexy, late at night. So, I'm disappointed to get watery tobacco? The minus reminds me of TF Vanilla Tobacco (watered down), while the plus is more ashy (watered down). The expressive not surprisingly in between (watered down). They are eaten up by my skin, or have shorter than expected longevity, so it took multiple wearings to get a feel for them. I don't get much difference in their sillage either. The plus seems as intimate as the minus. Whatever is mixed in with the (assumed) tobacco note seems to take away, rather than add to. So, you can imagine my surprise looking at the notes that there's no tobacco there. Rose, musk, almond, amber, labdanum, ok, yes, the rose is far more apparent now, and I get a better feel, but it takes a moderate amount of convincing. Testing blind the vibe is a weak musky tobacco that you want more "velvet" out of. So, is this a case of an "ehh" fragrance, or "ehh" branding/name? I'll let you decide.

Lemme tell yall sm, people say good things about velvet bold, like its a more spicy version of expressive but to me, on everything I love, it smells like changing diapers LMAO I work at a daycare and it reminds me of diapers. It doesnt smell like literal dookie like that perfume, sombre or whatever, but with my scent pathology, it smells like a 2yo ahhcheeks. It smells extremely leathery compared to the expressive and is way different. Definitely very masculine. I find it cloying in an alcohol way, even after i let it dry, it's super olfactory and vro this shi attacks my nostrils. I detect none of the sweetness and comfort from regular velvet at all. Maybe its just my skin chemistry. Ppl also say it smells like church incense and luh bro WHAT? It does not. Don't try to be nonchalant and blind buy it, get a sample like I did (fortunately). If u like this smell and its pleasant on u, kudos but ts nasty nuh-uh, arsmhm out

I think this is the one fragrance out of commodity's bold range that sets itself apart in the most obvious way from its' expressive and personal variations. It's definitely deeper and bolder, longevity is about the same but the projection is stronger. Unfortunetly I don't like the scent. I loved both Velvet expressive and Velvet personal and this has the same profile, but there's something in this that makes me almost nausous. I can't tell which notes it is, but something almost sweet is mixing in with the smokiness of this in the most horrible way.

Someone below said this smells like an old couch, and I'd have to fully agree. It's an old couch in a great aunt's dusty house in a room with no windows, dried and forgotten roses on a dusty coffee table, and a bunch of dull ceramic dolls on all the shelves. The floral scent is hardly detectable, and the "spicy" portion of this perfume is like an old, soured musk. It is definitely a woody and dusty smell, headache-inducing.

Smelling testers at Sephora, my friend held this one up, exclaiming that it smelled like an old couch. And she was right. It had the spicy dusty smell of an old leather couch that's been in someone's basement for 20 years. So not velvet for me exactly, but they did nail the couch smell. Not sure I want to smell like this, though, so it'll be a pass from me.

Cloves, rose, smoke. Dark. But this also smells metallic. I don't know what is creating the metallic aspect. Even though this is "bold," I feel like it only radiates at an arm's length. Well-crafted, but not for me.

I can’t smell it at all. This is supposed to be the strongest version. I can’t smell it on my skin, the paper or on the bottle nozzle. It may as well be water.

The opening was very strong. As it begins to dry down it smells very similar to Replica By The Fireplace. Woody & smoky.

wish I liked this but it just smells like pickle juice on me :( def not a safe blind buy!

smells like roses and incense. not my thing.

I’ve taken time to truly wait and see how I felt about this one before fully writing it off. I’m not afraid of dark, bold scents. In fact, I love that vibe especially for cold months. One of my favorite scents of all time is Nirvana Rose which can be quite controversial to some people. But I got velvet + (bold) in a sample set and I can’t get with this one. I do however believe the expressive version might be a little more to my liking but I have not got my nose on it yet. Velvet + literally smells like burnt rubber to me. Idk what’s in it that makes me smell that but I just can’t get past it. I saw someone mention an old couch and I get that. I tried sweetening it up with a sweeter fragrance and just idk I can’t do it. I would be interested to smell the other versions of velvet to see if they are different but I’m a little afraid to chance it after this one.