Devil's Night

[theredkilt]

...This is the scent of autumn night, fires in the distance, with a touch of boozy swoon, playful sugar and thuggish musk.

Starts out with a burst of dried leaves, a bitter green smell - i understand why people perceive this as smokiness, but in all reality it's more biting bitter than anything.

After 30 minutes, it turns into this sweet creamy velvet sugary vale, that doesn't project much; it's more of a skin scent.

[evekrieg]

Somehow I wound up with two 5mls of the 2011 version. So far it's my least favorite of the Halloweenie ones that I've tried. It smells very much the same in the bottle [sluggish, flat] as it does on my skin. On my skin it's sweet, heavy, and feels similar to Play-doh. There's something wet and green in there too, but it never seems to open up into more than a singular note.

 

I've been reading about ageing, and I think I'll put these aside for a couple of months and see what happens. If they're still the same they're going into the swap pile.

[milo]

This is the '11 version. This smells nothing like the Devil's Night 08 that I previously owned. This is a blast of dried vetiver-like leaves, kind of sour and unpleasant. I never would have known they were the same oil. My 08 was creamy amber musk with a dash of spice, it smelled quite similar to Storyville to me, actually. This version is pretty nauseating.

[venusinfurs]

Sad that I'm just now getting to some of these Halloweenies (mostly because I will of course try different ones and stock up on my favorites when they are released this year!)

 

Odd scent.

 

In the bottle and right when applied, it's pretty gross. Smells like some kind of nasty cough syrup from my past: medicinal green with syrupy sugar.

 

After it dries a bit, it gets a caramely sugar smell. There is something else there too, like a damp leaf smell. I do not get any smoky notes out of it, unless the "caramel smell" is just sugar + "burnt". Reminds me of a sweet, creamy version of Bewitched. Not sure that blends well or not.

 

Totally dry: There is a creamy note with a little spice, but still smell the dampness. I'm not sure about this one. It's unexpected and kind of nice, but the initial gross green robitussin like smell is enough to turn me off of it. It's definitely sweet and playful, which fits the name, but not sure it's my thing. I don't know where I'd wear it! Too sweet for the office and not quite dark enough for going out... I will give it a try before giving up on it, though.

[mymymai]

ITI: It smells like sharp booze with a little artificial sweetness from the sugar.

 

Wet: Less sharp, although it still smells like pitch in the background of the musky sugar and touches of splashed booze.

 

Dry: I get lots of sugar plus a great deal of musk. I'm on the fence with this scent.

[Midnight Eris]

I adore this one, probably my favorite so far! I'm from Detroit, and I can tell you it smells like I remember Devil's Night, except for the booze (hey, I was like 8). It's the only BPAL scent that anyone's ever commented on...I get a lot of "What's that gorgeous scent you're wearing?" Which tells me at least, it's perfect for my chemistry. But like I said, I'm a girl from Detroit, so it's only natural that this would work one me! Love it, kinda said I only ordered one bottle and it's not available with the 2012 weenies.

[Jazzi]

My imp is from '08, and milo got it exactly right: "creamy amber musk with a dash of spice."

 

At least, that's what it is in the bottle and wet. I would have eaten this in those stages. Now it's dried and it's sweet, powdery, sort of generic, maybe even old-lady-ish. My skin chemistry definitely does not agree with this one--but that means I can swap it for something that'll work better!

[b00cat]

This is for Devil's Night 2011..

I keep trying this decant in the hopes it will mellow a bit, but it has a bit of a sour edge to it. I think it's the booze, because I don't seem to have much luck with other boozy blends either. No smoke..just sugary booze. It's not bad, but just a bit too sweet for me.

[Akurarei]

Devil's Night 2011

 

This one is quite bold.

it's definitely boozy and sugary.

I do get a blast of musk when I first apply it, but this fades into a super sugary shot of whiskey (or, it smells whiskey like to me anyway)

 

it's actually quite nice and definitely brings to mind a mischievious October night.

[annemathematics]

this is for devil's night 2014

 

so I came to this one with set expectations. boozy, musky, sugary...I was kind of expecting something akin to smutty goblin hair gloss, which I love.

 

this is much much brighter and sweeter and higher. in the bottle and wet on the skin, it reminds me of something close to bubblegum. so sweet it makes my gums ring, so bright it's hard to really get a handle on the other notes. just like with bubblegum, there's a level of artifice to this sweetness. the hint of smokiness (a touch of sweaty fog machine more than tobacco) on top of the sweet artifice reminds me of shopping at spencer gifts, a very special mall store, in the 80's. which actually matches the theme of devil's night nicely.

 

The smell also reminds me of the inside of a new rubbery spooky mask. Also fitting.

 

I appreciate this scent but don't adore it. I'm going to keep it around and let it age and see if either it or I transform into a better combination. if you're reading this and I haven't added to it, pm me so I can update this review.

 

thanks!

Edited October 31, 2014 by annemathematics

[fiddlehead]

I remember my bottle of Devil's Night '05 or 06 being very thick smelling, very musky with some sweetness.

 

Devil's Night '14 is all super-fruity candy on me. I've tried it several times now and it just stays that way. I'm hoping it will mellow with time and maybe some other notes might show up. I sure hope so.

[Nepthys]

I got the first Devil's Night ever and fell in love with it - it was such a rich autumn night smell. So I was excited to try the '14 version. Unfortunately, this was my one fail of my 5 bottles. It's a light, candyish scent with a faintly artificial plastic note, and it evaporates fast. I'm going to play with layering it with others before giving up on it entirely.

[Riezky]

Devil's Night '09 is all thick, sweet, smoky, cinnamony goodness. My favorite year.

 

Devil's Night '11 somehow reminds me of Harvest Moon. I don't get much smoke from this, no cinnamon, just a sweet boozy scent.

 

Devil's Night '14 just made made me go . In the bottle, it makes me think "Jolly Ranchers". Some sort of sweet fruity hard candy. On me, it's jolly ranchers + smoke. Not very strong, doesn't smell bad by any means, just very confusing.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Riezky

[Atrous]

2014 Version:

 

I've never tried any older versions of Devil's Night but I bought a bottle blind based on reviews of prior years.

This is a bit of a let down. I wanted booze, sugar, and musk with some smokiness.

What I got was an artificial fruit candy smell + a wee bit of smoke.

I'm not sayin' it smells bad. It smells fine but its really not me. Plus, it fades from my skin in about 10 minutes.

I will hide this away and age it for awhile before giving up on it entirely.

[HerbGirl]

I was a bit worried reading reviews but i love this. Yes, it is candy sweet in the bottle but turns musky and dark and beautiful on my skin after 10 minutes. This one is gonna change with age and i am looking forward to the journey. :-) So glad to have a bottle.

[MCS4096]

I used to have a bottle of the 2009 variation, but I sold it. My preferences have morphed over time and it was, unfortunately, one of many bottles I regret letting go. I save an imp of everything that crosses my path, and retesting it lately had made me crave more. So, I was quite happy to see it come back this year and immediately ordered a bottle.

 

Wowza is it different. Others have already said, really... To me it's like bubble gum and teen-boy musk cologne. It's light, fleeting, super sweet, and not at all what I wanted. I get zero smoke, which was the main attraction of my previous bottle to me.

 

So... I'll let it age, and in the mean time I've sourced a bottle of 2009 off the forum.

[Deliciousness]

I just received this in a swap and I must say ... it is wonderful! It's candy, fruity sweet with a great grounding backbone of dark musk. There is only a touch of smoke that I can detect, which is fine with me, as my skin amps smoke into SMOKE! (yes, shouty capitals included). I think this is a beautiful blend, sexy adult candy and musk.

[Jeni Mullen]

My nose and scent preference disclaimer: I have three distinct camps of scents that I love: baked goods, earthy spices, and woods/forests. My favorite scents are currently Captain Lilith and her First Mate and Eat Me for the foody category, Morocco and Scherezade for the spices, and Druid and Isle of Demons for my woodsies. Notes I dislike are vetiver, civet, leather, all of the peppers, most florals, sometimes tobacco, "wood" scents like rosewood and sandalwood because I amp them so so much and kitchen spices like sage (and by extension, frankincense because woah I get sage from that).

 

In the bottle: burning wood and rum (maybe cognac)

Wet on the inside of my wrists: It smells a little like the burned part of a marshmallow shoved into a fire. Carbon and sweet. It's very understated, however.

Fifteen minutes dry: I don't get good throw on this. I was scrolling through youtube with my chin in my palm and the smell is delightful. The musk is perfect, the sugar keeps it feminine and the alcoholic undertone is wonderful. I wish I smelled it more. There's definitely a cinnamon-esque smell without making this whole shebang smell like a bakery. Oh, if only it smelled stronger on me!

Thirty minute dry: same. At least it hasn't completely faded! This is another scent that makes me wonder if my skin is eating the musk.

 

Verdict: I won't be getting a bottle of this because it does what Samhain does for me. I might layer Samhain with some Captain Lilith for that sugar-booze undertone and see if it has the same effect. That said, not getting rid of my decant either.

[brilliantcat]

2014 version

 

Definitely agree with what most of the reviews for this year say: it smells very, very candy sweet. Now I like a good sugary scent and so far this is quite pleasing to my olfactory senses, despite it being the complete opposite of what I expected. I'm hoping a bit of booziness and smoke develop as this dries down but I'm certainly not displeased with the yummy candy. And then, somewhere, it turns to acetone. This is going to be the weirdest description ever, so bear with me. I'm an RN and a diabetic so the symptoms of ketoacidosis are pretty familiar to me, particularly the "fruity breath". That is what this ends up smelling like, minus any breath funk. The fruity ketosis smell. It's not bad or nauseating or anything like that, it just very strongly reminds me of that smell and the hospital and I just can't.

[space girl lost]

2014 Devil's Night

 

Hrm. Ok so I've never had the opportunity to meet this one in years past as it has just slipped under the mark of MUST HAVES! But this year I bit and ordered a bottle blindly (the best way to do it sometimes!).

 

I'm really not entirely sure what my skin chemistry is doing that is so different from the majority of 2014 reviews but I'm not getting sweet or fruity at all. When it hits my skin I'm getting a boozy smell and equal amounts of smoke and musk. Over time the booze retreats and it is all smoky musk with just the absolute barest hint of booze. Nothing sweet here at all. Throw is fairly average. It isn't incredible but it isn't entirely a press your nose to your wrist sort of thing. I can catch whiffs of it here and there when moving about.

 

It isn't a standout from my order but I can definitely see myself wearing this in the future as I've had a hard time finding a blend where the smoky quality isn't WHOA FIREPLACE! or just gobbled up. This one is just about right.

[zankoku_zen]

2014 version.

 

This one is definitely more booze and sugar, especially on wet. As it dries, I get a hint of smoke and spice. It dries down to an almost sugary stale booze sort of smell with chilly air.

 

Cold air, stale candy, stale booze.

[SweetEpiphanies]

Devil's Night 2014

 

I was so so nervous about this one from all of the previous reviews for this year's version. I was expecting super fruity candy with maybe a hint of musk or smoke but I was very pleasantly surprised when I received my bottle because it is a gorgeous blend of smoke, musk, and a bit of booze. The booze note isn't anything identifiable but it gives this just a hint of warmth. On the skin it doesn't change much. My skin amps the musk while the hubs' skin amped the smoke. It was very pleasant and reminded me of a bunch of friends sitting around the campfire while you're curled up next to your musky smelling man while taking swigs from a flask that just warms you from the inside out.

 

I like it better on the hubs so I think I will let him keep it but I'll probably sneak it for myself here and there. Glad I have the bottle!

[Teaker]

Watermelon candy with a touch of smoke. Plus something that smells like cool air at dusk. Very different than what I was expecting, this smells so clearly of watermelon that I half expected to see it as a listed note! The smoke is very well-behaved here and adds a fuzzy, darker quality that makes this more mature and interesting than just a candy sweet scent. I quite like it, but won't need more than a decant.

[ninjakoi]

2014 version. I was so excited to try this, I don't know why I'd never picked it up before. I shared the description with a friend and she said "oooh, that's so YOU". So I dabbed some on. *sniff sniff* Whoaaaaaa, bubblegum! I'm not catching any smoke or musk, sadly, just sugar. A couple hours later, it's faded a fair bit, and there's maybe a tiny hint of smoke. I'm going to try it again later though, maybe it'll suit me better aged. Or I might give it to my daughter, who likes sweet scents more than I do. Or the friend who laughed hysterically when I told her it smelled like bubblegum, because while it's a nice, fun scent, it's so NOT me.

[paperdollsandbpal]

This is really sweet and I amp the booze part sooo much!

 

I'm not really getting any smoke but more of a spice smell. There is something 'purple' that I'm getting though and besides that 'purple' smell I really like this.