Debauchery

[garbagewitch]

A sinful, licentious scent: self-indulgent and luxurious. Mingled heady civet and red Egyptian musk, thickened with opium.

 

Starts out very sharp, with an almost fizzy quality to it--like a dark soda without any of the sweetness. It reminds me a lot of fizzy-rootbeer-y opening of Tabu, so I'm guessing it's either the civet or the red musk, since there's no opium in Tabu. It's also distinctly dirty, but I can’t quite put into words exactly how; not like sweat or cum or any other bodily fluid/substance I can put a name to, but there's definitely something living about it. That has to be the civet, and while it's kind of unsettling, I'm into it. It's heady, in a very literal way: breathing deeply makes me almost dizzy.

 

As it dries down, it gets warmer, softer, smokier; kind of sweet and burnt, but not in a bad way. The unsettlingly alive dirtiness is still there, and while I still can't pin a specific substance to it, it reminds me a little of the rough, animal smell of someone who's been on a bender, long enough that they definitely haven't kept up with their personal hygiene and it smells, but not so long that they're truly rank.

 

Licentious? Hell yes. Luxurious? Not so much. This isn't a scent that has the wealth or patience for silk sheets and slow, creative sex. It's too impulsive for that, too raw and rude and reckless.

 

This is a scent that occupies that space between two and three in the morning, black tarry asphalt under bare feet, leather jacket sticky with more rum than coke, and hair carrying the distinctly singed smell of someone who should have their lighter taken away. It's a lungful of smoke, chasing the burn of alcohol down your throat, not long before a mouthful of cum. It's the dirty thrill of getting fucked in a stranger’s bathroom, spiked with just enough clarity to wonder exactly how many instances of sex in a stranger’s bathroom makes for a pattern. It's the filthy, smug satisfaction that comes from flirting with a guy whose twin sister you're already intimately acquainted with.

 

The final drydown is a thick, hazy musk, faintly sweet and pierced by the lingering sharpness of opium; like a curl of smoke drifting over sheets that no amount of washing could make truly clean again. It's the kind of dirty that's more than just excess and indulgence, more than just especially devious sex acts; this is the filth of a line that's been well and truly crossed. This is trying to tease someone in a committed relationship into your bed just because you think you can. This is kissing both halves of a beautiful couple, separately and secretly, then waiting with bated breath for it all to crash down. This is driving out to the middle of nowhere with your best friend's ex at one in the morning because they're the only person you know who will bend you over and take their belt to you and like it. This is a scent that goes along with walking wide-eyed into bad decisions and bedrooms that you'd want to tumble into even if you were sober, that you won't tell anyone about even at your drunkest.

 

I can't think of any occasion where it would be appropriate to wear this, but if it were appropriate for anything, it wouldn't be anywhere near as enjoyable.

Edited July 4, 2018 by conflagrantThief

[Lucchesa]

conflagrantThief's review is a very hard act to follow. Um, I like it too?

 

Debauchery is one of the few available non-aquatic GC scents I hadn't tried. I'm a wuss. I was scared of the civet. And red musk has a habit of completely taking over on my skin, but that doesn't prevent me from trying red musk blends. It was the civet. It turns out civet is nothing to be afraid of. Heady, yes, and a little feral, but not nasty. And it kept the red musk in check. In fact, there was a very nice balance on my skin of three pretty sensual notes, the civet, musk and opium, and I got much better throw and wear length than I do with most blends. I don't know that I'll ever need to buy more than a decant at a time of this, but it's definitely a keeper.

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Musky and incensey (which might be the opium). 

 

On my skin: 

 

Wet, I can smell a hint of the civet, but it's mostly just red Egyptian musk tinged with opium. As it dries, all of the notes develop more, so it has a fairly complex profile on my skin. Given some time to develop, both the civet and musk tamp down a lot, so they're really both providing a grounding base for the opium, keeping it from becoming overwhelmingly heady. 

 

In fact, I'm actually going to suggest (blasphemy though it may be) that Debauchery has a very similar vibe on me to some of LE perfumes that I own and/or have tried -- namely, Snake Charmer and Gypsy Queen. I would readily admit that I think both of those two have a certain level of complexity and refinement that Debauchery doesn't quite possess -- but, you know, it's a perfume called Debauchery.

[monocainsheresy]

Mostly civet and red musk with a hint of medicinal opium. Not as strong as expected, but I think that is an advantage for this one given how strong these notes generally tend to be. Subtly animalistic and hard to pin down.

[RoseThornAndOak]

2 weeks straight from the lab frimp, in first ever purple velvet imp pouch! ❤️ Thank you Lab friends!

Debauchery is an almost vetiver musk on me, kinda dirty smelling, the vetiver smells nutty yet softer than usual. I do get a bit of opium. When I sniff close I get a Spencer Gifts type incense note. I'm getting flashbacks of being a teen in the early 00s, buying cheap ankh necklaces, claw rings, and incense and rocking out to Opeth, Lacuna Coil, Stabbing Westward, and The Queen of The Damned soundtrack. No sh*t, man. That's freakin' wild dude.

 

I like it. These things are usually best aged, so I'm definitely holding on to and enjoying the imp so far, especially for the memories.

 

Oooo hours later, I'm getting something powdery sweet, in the way that incense or dragons blood can dry down sweet. Nice!

 

June 30 retry: About the same. Vetivery red musk. It's alright, but I like other red musk blends better so won't be upgrading to a bottle.

Edited June 30, 2020 by RoseThornAndOak

[jjjevans]

I was not wild about this imp when I purchased in 2008. I have been trying it again this week and I love it. Not sure if it's my empty nest or that it got better sitting in a drawer for 12 years. 

[Darkersolstice]

The imp I have of Debauchery's been aged in my imp box for over a year, so keep that in mind.

 

I got smoke and musk notes immediately on application, and commented to my long-distance partner (who's been doing sort of a 'test an imp a day' with me) that it feels like a scent I'd wear out, but not at home. Too sexy, see. I don't need that for myself. Wet, it was all kinds of sex kitten vibes.

 

But as it dried, it's ended up something comparable to Mania. The musks mellow, and the red musk comes forward with that familiar sweetness. I don't seem to be having any issues with the civet, though--that's a good thing to note for later.

[roseus]

Really sexy syrupy scent. Not overly sweet but has a deep, viscous sweetness. The red musk has a fruity sort of quality. A warm, musky scent with a touch of smoke. The opium is very interesting and makes the scent quite alluring. 

[skyturtles]

Red musk yessss I love red musk. I don't know what civet is. I tried looking it up, but all I get is a nocturnal tropical mammal. Debauchery does actually have the midnight jungle feel to it, now that I think about it. Oh HELLO now I know what it is. It's not poop but it's kind of poop. I don't know how I feel about this all of the sudden? I mean I do enjoy the complexity, and I keep on sniffing myself trying to figure out what exactly is going on. I guess this would be a nice scent for when I'm feeling like Catwoman or something.

(My coworker just mentioned that the office smells nice now; I have been immediately identified as a culprit so I think I'm gaining a reputation for testing perfumes.)

I'm going to keep this imp. It's a little strong for office-wear, as most of my red musks are, but maybe good for around the house or going out.

[MamaMoth]

opens with a big smack of red musk, which reads as fruity, syrupy sweet, and heavy on the dragon's blood.   there's a dark floral component from the opium that i'm not 100% on board with at first,  but it doesn't take long for it to melt into the blend.   i'm new to civet but it's not making itself known to me here... nothing offensive,  just extra musky and i like it, i like it a lot. 

 

weird comparison maybe, but in the drydown this is a cousin of please scream inside your snake oil on me: deep, richly resinous, extra musky, extra sweet. 

 

this is pretty great,  actually.   

 

i will have to do a comparison with scream in yer snek,  to see if i need both.   at the very least, it's about to get civetty up in the hizzy,  because woof! 

[wordortwo]

Testing second-hand frimp.

 

As someone above said, this is only subtly animalic. I wouldn't have guessed this contained a civet, but I have found that I am not that sensitive to animalics. If that makes any sense. Instead, I get a clean, cool Egyptian musk cut with a more warm, dirty BPAL red musk (which, come to think of it, may actually be a well-placed civet note and not red musk at all). Opium is also prominent, a sort of powdery, incense-tinged, rich, resinous floral. This is much more linear than I was expecting.

 

I bet this can be a really sexy skin scent (lightly applied) on the right person. I don't dislike this, and I like it more the longer I wear it, but it does not do that much for me.

[Lit Chick]

YESSSSSSS

BPAL Vanilla is a death note on me, but I can wear the FUCK out of BPAL civet!

The only sad thing is that my skin eats this, like devours.  I have to huff like hell and then I just get a hint of something sensual.  But that’s perfect for when I want to feel good but don’t want to announce it to everyone in the office.

 

 

I was hoping this would give me the animal sexiness of my beloved discontinued Red Devil, and nope, but it might be in the vicinity.  I’ll see what slathering does.  

 

 

[AbbyNormal]

I tacked an imp of this onto my last order, tried it once and immediately ordered a full size bottle. As far as I know I’ve only tried one other civet blend, Black Annis, and it doesn’t go poopy on me at all (or at least according to my sniffer). If it does smell like it to others they’re just gonna have to deal. I LOVE THIS. I adore red musk, and this is just rich and musky and everything I want to smell like. It kind of reminds me of Heartshow just a bit, even though the only thing they have in common is the red musk. I’m so happy this is a GC so I can get more when I inevitably run out from slathering. 

[theseagrows]

somehow i'd never tried this one in my near 20 years of BPALing...then i got a frimp, yay! it opens with a lot of the opium and something a bit sweet, almost like cherry/dragon's blood, but less sweet. i sense the civet but it's pretty tame at first. egyptian musk is sort of the background that everything else is swimming in, i think. the civet is definitely animalic on me but it's also pretty subtle, and i can really only smell it close up as opposed to wafting from afar...wafting i mostly get musk and incense. the civet is still there close up but not super strong, but it is quite animalic.