Debauchery

[tinyvulture]

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

i can tolerate and even enjoy civet in small doses – such as in Black Annis – but here it’s just way too much for me. the exotic opium in the background is nice, so i'm making a mental note to try more opium scents. but the civet is making me feel slightly ill, so i’ve got to swap this one. Edited January 27, 2006 by Shollin

[Ciircee]

In the imp: Opium with a sexy, dark undertone. Animalisitic? Yup.

 

Wet: Same as in the imp, only the opium is stronger now Mmm. I love the way it smells.

 

Dry 5 min: The opium is fading, or being overpowered by the dark notes.

 

Dry 10 min: Animalistic is dead on accurate. The opium is completely gone and I smell sort of like a barnyard. With musk. It's not bad but it's not pleasant, either.

 

Dry 1 hour: Okay, BAD. It's a total barnyard scent on me with all the sweet opium gone and only the worst of the civet is out to play. If I concentrate I can catch the nicer edge of the civet as a last-second scent, but I don't really want to concentrate. Great throw on it, though.

 

Dry 3 hours: Well, I've attempted to wash it off several times to no avail--the civet scent clings to me. I tried to layer some Kumiho (nice, clean scent) over it and it ate it in about five minutes. Which is too bad...when the civet is subdued it's adds a very sexy edge to a scent.

 

Overall: The civet isn't a bad smell when it's a background note...sadly, it doesn't stay that way on me. I'm going to try to find something to layer over it because I DO like the edge the civet gave this on first sniff. I'm also going to have Mr. Circe give it a shot (hey, he got lucky last time!) and will post as I discover more.

 

Edit: Sister-of-Circe called this scent 'End-of-the-day head shop clerk body oder' when she smelled it on Circe (sniffing from about a foot or so away from the source).

Edited January 27, 2006 by Shollin

[jazlyn]

Debauchery... hmm. I'm not sure what civet or opium smells like, but I suppose I'm smelling them both now along with the red Egyptian musk. This is a red, smokey, kind of heady and spicy scent. It's naughty, come hither, kind of daring, and sexy... but not for me.

[mandragora]

In the imp, very heavy and musky.

 

Wet on me: Went slightly powdery-ish on me.

 

Drydown: Ooh boy, this is one heady, sexy and quite daring scent. Very nice blending of the civet, red musk and opium.

 

Later: It's giving me a slight headache . Just as well, I'm not sure I can pull off wearing Debauchery.

Edited January 28, 2006 by mandragora

[grrrlennyl]

at first: lots of red musk and opium.

on: civet and musk. very interesting.

half an hour later: lots of civet and opium. the musk is much lighter.

2 hours later: dark civet. very warm and definitely luxurious.

overall: this is nice, but i have other strongly-civet-y scents i like more.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Feral musk

 

On Skin: Hi there civet, you aren’t shy are you? Egads this one bowls you over with the feral civet note. Yes, this is heady, they weren’t joking in the description. The civet combined with the very deep musk and taken even further into the dark by the opium makes you feel like you’re being smothered in something quite naughty. As much as I love dark scents, and opium especially, this one is a bit too raw for me. Civet has the unfortunate habit of turning into “baby diapers” on me and I don’t see that changing here. Too bad, because the description made me fall in love with it.

[sestina]

In the bottle: this smells like a dark but gentle musk.

 

On my arm: it smells like the breath of someone who's been eating raw meat for days without brushing their teeth.

 

I have often complained that I can't seem to smell the civet in perfumes that are supposed to have it (i.e. Jicky.) I am almost pleased to say that I can now smell the civet, and I'm a little afraid wild raccoons are going to break into the house and attempt to mate with my wrists. It's ... well, it's something else. This might work for, I don't know - a werewolf. It's been on my wrists an hour and it's now reminding me of the meat section of the grocery store. That slightly bloody smell?

 

Not for me.

[PurringPulsar]

Debauchery

 

In the imp: whoa. I get the sweet red musk and something which is like incense, which is gorgeous, but I also smell the civet, which is strong.

Wet on skin: ooh, the musk in here is wonderful, and thankfully it’s blotting out the civet. I don’t get much opium here yet.

Dry: holy crap, this is really nice! Instead of the feral civet scent I was expecting from the scent in the imp, I get a wonderful, sweet, smooth, rich and spicy musk. If this is Beth’s take on Egyptian Musk, I am in love. It’s not the barely there, subtle skin scent, translucent musk scent I get with other Egyptian musk scents from other companies-this is like a combination of red and Egyptian musks with added incense or spice (though that could be the opium too). I get something that, oddly enough, smells like jasmine. Yes, that’s right, jasmine-but good quality jasmine, like the Moroccan or Tunisian kind. Maybe that’s the musk reacting with another note? There is also something almost vanilla or amber like in here. The civet is barely there and isn’t going ‘bad breath’ on me. I am seriously and pleasantly surprised.

After a while: whoops, spoke too soon. Civet has returned. And this little animal is threatening to take over the gorgeous sweet musky gorgeousness with it’s bestial scent. For now it lingers on the sidelines, idly biding it’s time, adding just a little bit of something feral to the scent. But will it pounce like a cat on the musk and cause the dreaded bad breath reaction? Only time will tell.

Yup, the inevitable has happened. After an hour, civet did indeed pounce on the lovely sweet spiced musk and has turned it all animalistic and a bit like, you guessed it, bad breath and farmyards. Bad civet! Bad kitty! The musk is still there but the civet is a bit too strong for me now. What a shame.

Verdict: at first, when I applied this to my skin, this smelt really promising. I got the most wonderful spicy musk scent-think smooth, skin scent Egyptian musk meets spicy, rich red musk with hints of jasmine and vanilla and incense (which may be an effect of the opium), it was absolutely gorgeous. But then civet comes along and spoils the party, adding that feral, almost farmyard like touch of bestiality. Which fits in with the scent’s name, but I’m not so keen on that strong civet-it’s too animalistic for me. Shame really, because if that musk stage lasted longer or if this scent had no civet, it may have become a favourite. I would love it if Beth could make more scents with this particular Egyptian musk note though, because it really is that good.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - the spiciness of the red musk, with a slightly sharp metallic tang to it and something vaguely 'animal' in the background (civet?)

Wet on me - Sharp; sharp metal from the red musk, sharp animal from the civet and sharp spice from the opium. Oddly behind all that sharpness there is something powdery and almost flowery.

Dry on me - I'm not that familiar with civet so I presume it's this that makes this blend somehow green yet earthy and animalistic. The scent is pleasant enough, but my emotional reaction is not. This blend made me feel old and tired, jaded. It made me feel not only that I'd been there, done that, but that I'd been too far and done too many things. I suppose it's kind of fitting for a blend called Debauchery, but I doubt I'll reach for it again.

[Celestyna]

Ew. Old lady perfume.

Actually, very much like Opium.

I wish I knew what "civet" was.

 

ADDED May 17:

 

something in this really almost *tinges* like metal.

Other than taht, it's like you put earthen dirt and all your mom's perfume together. It's not very... centered. I don't know how to phrase it.

[brownbear]

whoooooeeeeeeeee There is definitely some civet in here.

It was really strong for a bit and then mellowed down. It still smells kind of animalistic. It is definitely not as strong as satyr in that department. I probably won't wear it much.

[bifemmefatale]

I love Egyptian musk, but the civet and opium notes turn this into too much of a traditional department store perfume for me. It's very unisex, expensive-smelling....Ack! All of a sudden this went bad breath on me. I've heard a lot of people had this problem with the civet. Off to the swaps.

[Poenari]

In the bottle, I could smell a musky floral scent. Wet on my skin, initially it's not very strong at all on me.

 

Dry- holy crap- all of a sudden it amps way up and smells like water that has been left in a vase of dead wilted roses for about a week after they died. I know that scent well, because I frequently to forget to dump them out.

 

Unfortunately, I put it on right before leaving for work, and all day I kept getting a waft of it as I moved. No one else commented, so maybe it wasn't strong enough to bother others, but I couldn't wait to shower it off when I got home. Of all times for a scent to remain so long-lasting... the ones I love seem to be gone in a couple hours. Dead floral water scent lasts and lasts.

 

Edited to update my original April 2006 review on 9/18/2011:

Wow has my nose changed since I first tried and reviewed this in 2006! This was one of the first BPAL scents I had purchased. Years later, Puddin' frimpd me an imp with my Etsy order, and I am so glad that he did! Red musk is one of my favorite notes along with opium. Now that my nose is accustomed to BPAL and not overwhelmed by dept. store alcohol-based perfumes, I have no idea where I came up with the original hatred of this scent! I imagine that my untrained nose picked up civet and nothing but. However, years later, and testing a fresh imp, I can detect the red musk, civet, and opium. And all I can say is that I was SO WRONG the first time! If I didn't already have so many other bottles of red-musk based scents, especially LE's, then I would definitely order a bottle of this. This is well-blended and the civet does not stand out, so those who fear that note shouldn't worry too much, I would think.

 

This is another example of why you should never let your first impression of BPAL be your only impression, and why it's a good idea to re-test after you become more familiar with different notes.

Edited September 18, 2011 by Poenari

[DogNPonyShow]

(Woo! First review!)

 

In the bottle: When I openned the imp I promptly went into a sneezing fit, but I had accidently gotten some on my hand, so...

 

Dry: I put some on my wrists and neck. That immediately proved to be too much, so I washed my wrists and I've got to say, I love this scent! Reminds me of downtown smoke shops with a slight undertone of burning wood, and something sweet, which I only catch a whiff of every now and then. Quite heady and lasting.

 

Verdict: Definitely not something to wear daily and NOT a summer scent at all! Dirty, warm, and feral. Great for a chilly night out. As soon as the imp is gone, I'm buying a bottle.

 

 

Update: About an hour later, my mom comes home and asks why the house smells like a "bar with a bordello in the back" haha. The throw on this stuff is incredible. Both my wrists and neck have went through a few scrubbings with lavender soap and the scent refuses to go away. But at least now it's standable - I was starting to get very dizzy. It's been almost four hours since I first posted this, and I now know that just a dab will do.

Edited April 23, 2006 by DogNPonyShow

[Miss Surreal]

In the vial: Woah...so Im guessing thats Civet?

 

Wet: Strong and masculine, yet also delicious.

 

Dry on wrists: I hear bad things about civet but im really digging this so far. *Very* strong. Im thinking the musk is balancing out the civet?

 

30 mins later: Wow, my friend across the room just asked me what I had on and i barely dabbed it on my arm. Throw is amazing.

 

Hour later: I cant stop sniffing my arm. Still as strong as when I first applied it.

 

Closing thoughts: Even though its definetly masculine in nature, I would still wear this. If im in a mood where I want everyone around me to be able to smell me, this would definetly be what I put on. Very nice and may have to buy a 5 ML once winter comes along, as this is not a summer scent to me.

[juniperus]

Bottle: sweet opium with some musk undercurrent

Wet: sweetening some .. I'm detecting something juust behind the musk wanting to come forward - the civet, I expect.

Dry: The civet has stepped forward slightly, and in combination with the opium is bringing up a scent reminiscent of dragon's blood resin. I'm liking this, the sweet isn't too heady.

Later: It stays true, growing a little warmer, and the civet coming up somewhat.

[septima_pica]

I swapped for this because I wanted to try civet. Unfortunately, I don't smell it at all.

 

Immediately: loads of opium with some musk. I would almost swear there's some dragon's-blood involved here, 'cause it seems to have that same powdery undertone. Nothing yet that could be civet.

 

Dried: This is a furry scent, somehow -- a warm, sleepy, heavy smell like a none-too-clean animal pelt. It also -- yes! smells like bad breath, just a little. That must be the civet thing, then. Huh. There's not enough of it to be obnoxious.

Well, now I know.

This scent has some throw, too.

The overall impression -- I smell like I put on some opium-type perfume, had sex, then wrapped myself in a dirty bearskin rug and fell asleep. Bizarre and evocative, and could probably be devastatingly sexy -- but not on me. Oh well. Still glad I tried it.

[Nekomata]

Oh, dear, the civet is much to strong in this. ;_; There's a lovely note of opium and musk, but the civet is scarily overpowering...and I like civet. Ah, well.

[elfmaiden]

I know people have had strong reactions to civet and I have to say I love it. The dark mix in this blend is really something that agrees with my skin. The name is so fitting for what I feel like when I'm wearing it!

 

I think the Opium and Musk really make my head spin in a good way. It's deep and not overly as complex as I might have expected. The notes blend together pretty seamlessly after a half hour and just seems to become part of my skin.

 

I really like this one!

 

Jenn

[waterdaughter]

This is the first blend I've tried with civet in it. Hoo boy what an experience.

 

When it first went on, I could smell the musk and opium (and I love Egyptian musk), and the civet was just this animalistic musky scent hanging in the background. But when it dried, I smelled like ass. Slightly powdery, sweet ass. This got scrubbed off quickly- Lush's Miranda soap worked wonders for that.

 

It's also worthy to note that this is the very first time I've opened an imp and had the cap FLY out of my hand, splattering my shorts and my LAPTOP with this lovely scent. The laptop got wiped down quickly and isn't harboring any ill effects, at least. It just figures that it'd happen with one of the only scents that I hate!

[LadyMedb]

I tend to wear heavy scents OK, and I see the exotic combination of notes that's being attempted here, but that civet note just kind of turned all the others to rot. It's fine when you first put it on (the opium scent is wonderful) but once it dries, civet is all that remains. Civet kind of smells like poo on me, to put it bluntly. Pass.

[edenssixthday]

Debauchery is a fascinating scent. The opium is incredibly gorgeous and inviting and the civit serves to ground the opium so it doesn’t become overpoweringly sweet. But the red musk is, in my opinion, a detractor, and lends the blend an overall “bad breath” smell. This one has the potential to be so very pretty, but the musk ruins it for me. I usually wear red musks really well, but sometimes they go wonky on me. The scent has a remarkable level of throw but I can’t comment on the staying power as I had to wash it off. I just couldn’t handle the “bad breath” any longer.

[Eunice]

Oh yes! Musk and opium! This is what I'd imagine an opium den to smell like. Not sure what civit smells like but if it's in here, I am enjoying it. Lovely scent!

[Magda]

Opium? Love it.

Red musk? It sings on my skin.

Civet? I was always too afraid to try it.

 

I got this as a frimp with my Hungry Ghost Moon order, and it was such a pretty, thick reddish brown that I had to sniff it right away. Mmm. I put it on my wrists and...mmmm. Delicious. Then I looked up the notes and...civet? That's what civet smells like? It's not cat pee on me at all, it's just delicious and slightly feral.

 

I actually do feel somewhat debauched when I smell this, like I should be draped across a bed covered in silks and velvets, my hair in picturesque disarray, lazily eating a bowl of dark berries after an afternoon spent satisfying all my desires.

 

Why do I always connect the scents I love with sex? Two good things are even better combined, I suppose.

 

*is an unabashed perv*

[smallvoice]

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged!

 

This reads as a very warm scent to my nose. I love the warmth. It's pretty without being floral, and I'm loving the opium. The musk isn't overbearing or causing any allergy issues, and it's just a lovely blend overall. I need to try this again- I'll be on the lookout for an imp.