Akuma

[tragedy]

Devilish temptation, as sweet as sin: blood orange, neroli, and raspberry.

This is a good energetic scent for me... apart from the darks I usually wear.
Good for after a 16 hour shift! *yawns*

Wet: Very blood orange, sweet fruity.

Drydown: Mostly raspberry... although I agree with the previous review stating "strawberry shortcake" isnt that a memory trigger!!??

Energetic.

[naeelah]

I'm not sure how old my imp is but I'm pretty sure it's not super fresh.

 

Wet, this is VERY strong on neroli. Very bitter and very floral, with an undertone of dried orange peel. Orange notes usually evaporate as a blend wears, but this one does the opposite, on me: as it dries, the blood orange and raspberry become stronger, balancing the neroli.

 

Dry, it's perfectly balanced. This is one of those scents that could easily end up smelling like a bath & bodyworks blend, just a boring fruit blend, but it's so much prettier than that. It is fruity and sweet, but the neroli gives it an elegant core that keeps it from smelling like fruit salad or candy. Really nice.

[Siberia]

In the vial and wet, this is a very bright, juicy fruity scent - mostly raspberries. It smells like sweet tarts when it dries. It's too candy-like for me.

[ralenth]

Source: Lab imp

 

Imp: Bright oranges and crushed raspberries.

 

Wet: Very citrusy, like fresh squeezed orange juice.

 

Drydown: Sweet and fruity. It's becoming less bright, though the citrus punch in the face is still there a bit.

 

Dry: Bitter, then neroli, then bitter neroli. It's kind of waffling between these. It's almost sour on my skin.

 

Overall: Interesting. If it didn't go sour, I'd definitely keep it.

[mhickle]

This is very, very sweet in the imp and wet on my skin. At first I couldn't place what candy it smelled like to me, but I just thought of it -- Sweet Tarts! Once it dries, though, it's....gone. As if it were never there. So I can't give much of a review. It smelled nice while it lasted!

[tajana]

I tried a sniffy of this blind, not knowing the listed notes. Wet on the skin, it was very sweet and fruity, very candy-ish orange with a hint of some berry. As it dried orange blossom came out to give a soft somewhat powdery, lightly bitter edge to the sweet, berry-tinted orange. It faded in intensty rather quickly, and when the orange floated away, I was left with raspberries and powdery floral. Pretty straightforward, but it doesn't stand out as anything special with my skin chemistry and it's not my cup of tea in general.

[Usagi]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet. Akuma is my favorite GC scent. I'm on my second bottle. I swear internet gremlins steal my posts. Anyways...

 

(current)Bottle: Strong neroli with a hint of orange and raspberry sweetness underneath.

On: raspberry and orange with a hint of neroli.

Dry: the most fabulous sweet tarts EVER.

 

The first imp of this I ever tried smelled of chocolate mice. It's a specific candy that you get at Sinter Klaas; foil wrapped, chocolate covered, citrus fondant, and the foil is decorated as mice and frogs in early 20th century swimsuits. This candy is delicious.

My first bottle was more candy and creamy and featured a lot more orange blossom and raspberry.

Interesting body chemistry reference: I asked two friends to try it at the same time as I did one day. I amped candied neroli, the first friend was almost straight raspberry, and the second friend was a light citrus. I think the subtle variations in this scent might be best appreciated by testing with friends.

I love Akuma. This is my go-to work scent, or when I need a happy boost, or just in general. I know smelling of candy isn't for everyone, but I haven't a single bad thing to say about this scent.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Usagi

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

Imp: bitter/tart with faint traces of the orange. Almost orange peel like.

Wet on Me: still that bitter/tart neroli/orange peel with tiny sweetness wanting to make an appearance

Drying Down: the bitter/tart goes away and is replaced with the sweet blood orange and raspberry tempered by the neroli. Total summer fragrance

Dry: This ended up a sweet summer cocktail on my skin. Not too tart and not too overly sweet. Love this. Would make a great body spray.

 

[saralaughs]

Blood orange with a bit of raspberries when first applied. The neroli then comes into play making it a bit bitter for me. Weird. It also went a bit powdery candy. Not my thing.

[Yuurei]

 

In the bottle: Deep, mellow citrus with a strong note of neroli.

 

Wet on wrist: REALLY strong neroli...although I can get the notes of raspberry and blood orange in the background.

 

Dry on wrist: Finally, the neroli isn't so in your face anymore. It's still the most distinct note, but the blood orange is mellowing it out, and I'm getting a bit of vibrancy from the raspberry. It's subtle yet bold. Still, fades kind of quickly on my skin.

[reynardine]

Tested from an aged imp.

 

In imp: ORANGE!!! with a touch of something else, maybe the neroli. Not getting the raspberry at all.

 

Wet: ORANGE!!! and more ORANGE!!!

 

Drydown: ORANGE!!!

 

A few hours later: Okay, it has calmed down a bit and smells a bit like a tart blend of orange with a touch of raspberry. Very sweet and fruity.

 

Will try this out a few more times. Seems like it might be a good summer scent. Might be worth a bottle, but I'm not sure yet.

[Stormslegacy]

I sniffed the imp and put it on without reading the description first.

 

In the imp: Huh. It's something familair I can't place. It's like...a sweet grassy smell, almost green. There's some bite, a little like herbs..is it freshly cut mint?

 

Wet: I swear there might be mint. It's a sweet strong and tangy kind of scent. You can taste it almost in the back of your throat. I still swear there's a green-ness to it.

 

Drydown: I'm not getting much neroli, but I expect that the fruit will lift off eventually, aside from the darker plums and berries most don't stick around on me. These are not sweet fruits but rather tart and bitter, like they were opened before ripening. I like it. This is NOT a foodie scent.

 

Conclusion: At the point I read the description I thought to myself "Huh. I would have never guessed from the description what it really smelled like. This is by no means a sugary, candy scent like some of Beth's oranges like in Xiuhtecuhtli which smells like cheap jellybeans. When I had first looked these up before I had thought I would hate it from the description but put it in my 'to try" pile anyways. I'm glad I did. I don't have a scent similar to this one that I like.

[jennythereader]

First Worn On: 10/26/2009

 

In The Imp: Like a bunch of other people, this reminds me of SweetTarts candy.

 

At Application: Sweet, tart, and almost a little floral.

 

When Dry: Dries a little soapy, but still pleasantly sweet/tart.

 

Rating: 2 - Use up, but don't replace. Maybe swap for something amazing.

[starfish327]

lab fresh

 

in the imp: OH HAI THERE BLOOD ORANGE I LUV U WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE. this is one of the few blends that i've tried that i've liked straight from the imp. it smells like bubble gum, like really sweet fruity bubblegum. it's all overly sweet berries and citrus. and my beloved blood orange, imo one of the most under appreciated citrus notes.

 

wet: more wonderful citrusy goodness. it's sweet and happy. i guess if temptation is coming in the form of fruit and florals then i'm hooked.

 

dry: this is nice. i mean, this is nice. mid range white florals that are not bugging my sinuses, the blood orange, berries, and citrus.

 

this will be used, and it will be replaced. and then probably used and replaced again.

[JenM]

This was a freebie from the lab.

 

In the imp: a lovely citrus-y berry, with a hint of the slightly cloying scent that neroli strikes me as.

 

On the wrist: I've only done one wrist; this might prove the scent's downfall. THe initial throw is grand, and although I know neroli is neither sandalwood nor myrrh, but it's got elements of both in this scent.

 

It dries down quickly, and the neroli mixes with the citrus to form an unfortunate air freshener-type smell. Plus, the throw is negligible within minutes. Swaps, then. 4/10

Edited January 2, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[loubric]

RASPBERRY ORANGE!!

Reminds me of something in my childhood, maybe stickers or Troll hair

Has a bit of muskiness too it (which is death on me) but not too much that it takes away from the raspberry and orange.

Very nice.

[neverything]

When I first put this on, I get a strong smell of sunscreen. After that, it becomes a nice, jewel-toned fruity scent with a mischievous undertone. Not much throw, unfortunately.

[TheIceMaiden]

In the wet stage, this is very sweet raspberry (almost like lollies or hard candy) balanced with tart blood orange. Yum! As it dries, the neroli comes out and threatens to go soapy. The drydown is very orange-y with that threat of soapy-ness, but never pure Ivory soap smell. (Thank goodness!)

Overall, this is pretty nice. I love the wet stage so I'll probably keep this for locket use.

[moosue]

While this is nice, it's not something I'd want to wear as a perfume a lot. It's more of a shampoo or body wash scent.

 

Bitter, grounding neroli (love), lots o' orange, and some sweet candyish note (must be the raspberry).

 

Overall: Smells almost exactly like Lush's I Love Juicy shampoo, but with a bitter neroli kick. In other words, bitterer Juicy Fruit gum.

[rachelyoung]

Bright, tangy and citrusy. I like this one and it makes me think of warm days and fresh cut fruit. The tanginess cuts the sweetness down and I think this could be a great spring/summer scent

[wvgemini]

In the Imp: Woah this is bitter. It has to be the neroli but I am not getting any sweetness out of this.

 

Wet: Yuck. Still very bitter. A tiny, tiny bit of orange peel trying to come through but that neroli oil is just amping like mad.

 

Drydown: I’m really trying to resist washing this off. I’m still holding out hope that this might turn good but I don’t know.

 

About 30 minutes later: The neroli bitter-from-hell note has faded and left a nice tart orange scent. Kind of a sexy orange with a peek of raspberry. I’m okay with it but that’s a lot to go through to get to “okay.” I thought this would be much sweeter and brighter than it is. Quite disappointing I’ll hang on to the imp but I’ve marked it off my bottle list.

 

[CitizenBree]

I don't think I get the blood orange scent...I do get neroli and raspberry. It is very light and delicate on me. I wouldn't be able to smell it if I didn't have my nose so close.

 

I like fruity scents, but I think mixed with the neroli it turns into a pleasant powder.

 

And when I say it fades fast, I mean FAST! It's been like 10 minutes and it's already nearly gone.

[moose42]

It does smell like troll hair! Something childish, like troll hair, or sweet tarts.

 

It faded super fast on me, but I wasn't incredibly fond of it.

[Redillon]

Devilish temptation, as sweet as sin: blood orange, neroli, and raspberry.

Very interesting in the imp. Not really sweet, but something strange about it. Could be troll hair, or some scented eraser from back in the day.

On skin: The blood orange is there but very subtly. I get a whiff of rasberry but nothing that yells FRUIT!!!! Which is nice.

Dry down: Fades very fast. It's all very light and starting to turn into candle wax on my skin. Boooooo.......

It's nice but not for me.

[impolight]

:::AKUMA:::

 

Blood Orange, Neroli, and Raspberry?

This one ought to be exceptional!

Blood Orange was introduced by way of Carnival Diabolique from personal experience, so there is every confidence that this will be superb.

OMG! OMG! OMG!

Even better! Blood Orange is an insanely gorgeous note!

Blended with the Orange Blossom and Raspberry, Akuma becomes just the merciless sort of monster that will happily cart you off to Hell with a bat of her lashes.

The Raspberry in Akuma is a nasty, mean-spirited thing; it behaves more like a garnet that bites hard enough to draw blood... Yet is also the precise pigment that transfigures the lips of a Lolita into a hypnotic Doomsday-damnation device... With emphasis on the syllable of, "Vice".

Akuma is a fright, a ferocity, a femme fatale!

One wonders what havic Akuma will wreak upon boy body chemistry...

The Skin: Whoah... In this case, Akuma achieves an extraordinary feat of morphing!

The Raspberry has absconded into nothingness, while Neroli and the Blood Orange mingle their essences to construct a clean, beautiful essence that any man worth his salt would feel like a million bucks, had he applied a fragrance such as this following a fresh shave.

Akuma, then, is spotlessly unisex!

Spectrally, Akuma is a feast of Garnet, Neon Orange, Turquoise, Gold, and Fluorescent White.

Akuma could be worn to a posh sort of bistro that serves $50 drinks, plays highly evolved chill-out tracks, and an intricate tapestry of outlets for every vice and compulsion.

Akuma is erotic madness, heightened senses, and experimental socializing.

A nifty dragnet, if you will.

5.4 out of 5!