Velvet Hour

Velvet Hour is my third perfume of Kate's, the first being, well, "Kate", and the second, "Vintage". "Kate" and VA share a bit of DNA... a mellow black tea effect... not sure how that is possible since they don't have any notes in common. There is no honey, citrus or milk in this tea... it is almost more about the steam rising from the teacup. Reading reviews before I got my hands on it, I'd hoped and expected that VH would be dark, mysterious and unique... and it is, successfully, all of those things. It is sexy, but not a playful sex kitten or a dressed-up bombshell. It smells vaguely vintage, but much more translucent than most older perfumes, with similar complexity. It smells of an unlit stick of Nag Champa Incense, on a table next to a hot cup of black tea being sipped by a serene, dark-haired lady wearing a simple silk robe, in a cool bedroom, lit only by the setting sun through a sheer gray curtain. Maybe the woman's neck is warming a dab of freesia perfume oil from a few hours ago. Cool, silky, smoky, translucent, and utterly addictive. Sillage is intimate, longevity is respectable. Kate has me in love with yet another of her unicorns.

What a welcome suprise ! Velvet Hour is nothing you would expect from a celebrity scent ! This beauty can't be judged on the first spray. As most fragrances these days, for the first minute or so, seem strong and heavy..... Or, so light that the scent can appear to be barely there at all. BUT NO ! Velvet Hour is not heavy, and yes, it's most definitely THERE ! Velvet Hour is subtle and perfectly balanced. Velvet Hour is unique, and so expertly blended that every note melts together into one super smooth, very high class scent. It's "dressy", elegant, rich, understated, impressive, and is very appropriate for a "black tie affair." The individual notes don't jump out at you individually. Instead, they glide together in unison, like a beautiful, perfectly executed waltz performed by the most highly professionally trained dancers. Siliage is moderate, with lasting power easily 8 hours or more. Velvet Hour is pleasant, fresh, soft, easy to wear, and completely inoffensive. The longer I wear it, the more I love it ! Velvet Hour demonstrates the very height of the perfumer's art. BRAVO !

My immediate thought on first application was that this is a lighter, fresher version of EL’s Sensuous, which I love! Velvet Hour has that same spicy woody vibe going on in the drydown with a touch more sweetness and a bit less smack you upside the head intensity. This fragrance manages to be warm and smoky as well as fresh and young at the same time, making it suitable for any age. The heart of patchouli and nutmeg gives it a very distinctive and uniquely sexy smell. I actually find this more wearable than Sensuous and even though it is relatively cheap I was thrilled that it lasted an amazing 10 hours on my skin. I think I’ll use this for office and Sensuous for evening in the cold winter months. The bottle’s not perfect, but then neither Britney nor Paris got it right either! At least here, I find that the content does not cheapen the brand. Elegantly refined, opulently blended and beautifully feminine. For me, this one’s a keeper.

I blindly bought hilary duff's with love according to very good reviews here, but I hated the scent and regret the money I paid for it and decided not to buy any celebrity frag ever again..but I could not help buying velvet hour (again according to the reviews) and wow!! it really did surprised me a lot.. first of all it is nothing like any other perfume I have tried, and second of all a very diverse perfume changing every half an hour on my skin, starting with creamy freesia with a hint of patchouli, than changes into woodsy vanillic phase (I can detect the nutmeg here and also a little amber) but then it turns to a totally different direction and becomes soft clean and musky..this phase is very much like john galliano..longevity and sillage is amazing and it is CHEAP:)) however this can only be a rare exception and did not change my opinion about celeb frags, I am still planning to avoid them..

I own and love both YSL Nu (original) and Velvet Hour. Whilst I agree there is a similarity between the two, Velvet Hour is at the same time sharper - the black pepper can be a bit full on at first - but also smoother : the black pepper rapidly takes a back seat and gives more room to the freesia, sandalwood and nutmeg. It reminds me also of another YSL fragrance : Opium Vapeurs de Parfum, but in that case, Velvet Hour is a bit more smokey, heavier on the nutmeg, and the black pepper makes in sharper. To me, Velvet Hour is somewhat of a Light edition of Nu or a Night edition of Opium Vapeurs de parfum. On another level, it also reminds me of Chopard Madness: the woodsy notes are somewhat reminiscent of pencil sharpenings in both, and they both have slightly overwhelming peppery openings that both rapidly fade and let the other notes shine.

I have always known that Kate Moss is a Capricorn but I never believed it until I smelled Velvet Hour. This fragrance is deceivingly devilish. It is too linear for me when I first smelled it---maybe that is because I wasn't paying attention. When I got to try it again, I finally understood it. It is never meant to be "in-your-face". Its very subtlety makes it complex and allows many different facets to shine through. It is a hard fragrance to describe---it is as though it is a textured fragrance and is not as simple as you think it is. I can smell the nutmeg and pepper beautifully tempered by the woods and the incense. The freesia gives it a nice lift and makes it just enough feminine. This has no universal appeal and is an acquired taste---I believe that makes it interesting. If you love the sweet stuffs, find something else.

I love it because I can get patchouli, nutmeg and pepper in it. I'm totally crazy about those things, which are more commonly found in perfumes for men not women. At the same time this one is feminine and sexy! ^_^ And as an oriental theme perfume it is not powdery at all! ^_^ I will wear it when hanging around the pubs. That is exactly what I want for night. Sadly the longevity and sillage is not that good, compared with the same kind of feminine scents. The sillage is ok for a summer fresh cologne, but toooooo weak for a women's perfume at night. Once I applied it a lot, but later I found it make me feel uncomfortable, especially when combined with the cigarette smoke. So using too much to get the sillage is really not a good idea

I purged the majority of my perfume collection when I realized my habit was getting out of control, but I couldn’t bear to get rid of Velvet Hour. It wasn’t an expensive perfume, and it was endorsed by a celebrity, but there’s really something unique about it. It’s rather hard to describe, but it starts out rather masculine—something like incense or smoke, but clean at the same time. It sweetens a bit as it dries down. Something in it reminds me of fresher YSL Nu. I really love it and will never get rid of it! I tried a few of Kate Mosses perfumes back in the day, and they were all quite interesting. I think Madewell’s “Indigo” & “Beau” perfume is in the same realm.

Marketed for women, could've been unisex or straight up for men. One of my signature winter scents. Woody, smoky yet fresh an ever so slightly fruity. I smell a tiny bit of apricot, which appears as the peppery top notes disappear. It's nothing overly sweet or juicy, it only softens the woody/smoky notes that would've been a bit too dry and masculine otherwise. (I know it's not listed in the heart/base notes, but I can most definitely smell it.) All-in-all, very unique and rock-chic, in absolutely no way cloying. Sexy in a "calculated careless" way, to be worn with a LBD, messy hair and a hint of khol.

this is my all time fav perfume it lasted a long time on my skin and when i had it on all night its smell got nicer, its a very comforting smell i am very sad its not available anymore i am on my last bottle (as i stocked up on them when they went cheap in the shops just before they stopped selling them) im becoming scared of using my last bit as i will be very upest when its gone i cant sleep without it. i am currently on a mission to find a perfume as much like it as posssible if anyone knows any smell alike perfumes i would like to know some idears

I can smell the midnight poison here. It has a lot of freesia so if you do not like that then avoid like the plague. It is fresh and spicy all at the same time. I think a guy could wear this. My husband likes it. It does smell a little like a mens deoderant but I would not think in an overly masculine way. I use the lotion and it stays on much longer with that rather than the perfume on it's own in that case it does not last at all.

Normally I give "celebrity" type perfumes a wide berth, so imagine my surprise when I sprayed this on my wrist at the local chemist and loved it straight away....it's like a drug....I find myself spraying it liberally....even onto light bulbs throughout the house - spray it on before you turn the light on. There's something in it which I find addictive - maybe it's that cashmere incense. I'm a dusk girl, too, Kate!!

I find this perfume very interesting. It changes so many times while it is on my skin. First it starts out kind of fruity then to somewhat floral then to this creamy incense sandalwood vanilla type smell. I love it. I think this is one of those "love it or hate it" type of scents. Very different and sexy. I do not envision wearing this alot in summer but for fall and winter this is a must. Nice.....

Very happy owner of a more than half full 30ml bottle, a purchase from 'Marktplaats' recently for 15€, the juice is like new, still bright and fresh, and what a beautiful and unique gem this is!! Normaly not a huge fan of patchouli, but in here it s heavenly wrapped in velvet, all the notes are wrapped in velvet in here, I m now on the hunt for a big bottle, that s for sure!

This perfume is quite interesting. It is long lasting and lingers on clothes/hair for days. It reminds me of the beginning of winter and those foggy nights. It's not a scent for summer, that is for sure. I am looking forward to colder weather just so I can spray it on and enjoy its spicy warmth.

This is a fantastic example of celeb perfume going right. I have and enjoy kate and this one. Its so woody and lovely. A light woody fragrance but still deep. Never smelled anything like it. So glad I found a box set!

Not normally a fan of celebrity fragrances, usually find them smelling cheap and tacky...HOWEVER, absolutely love this. Sexy, smoky and sophisticated smell. One of my favourites these past few years.

To me it smells at first like Midnight poison and after a while like Belle D'Opium, both of which I love, but with an interesting twist. On me it's smoky and sensual, a dark and rich fragrance.

My special scent. This scent is Smoky, seductive and slightly dirty which I so love. This scent reminds of me a whiskey cigar bar. If Kate Moss smells like a fragrance, this would be it.

Best perfume I've ever tried, I got so many compliments! Good for all day- everyone liked it from my boyfriend to my Grandma. Such a shame it's so difficult to get hold of nowadays.