Akuma

[madscientistdh]

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

I received Akuma as an imp with my first order in November, and am just now reviewing it! Haha, and since I have a willing victim, I am trying it out on her as well to compare the chemistry.

In the bottle- A heady, almost soapy scent. Think of those shaped decorative soaps you find in elderly womens' bathrooms.

On my skin- turns to fruited incense, a hint of smoke? Where is that coming from?
On her skin- strong floral

My drydown- Earthy floral, hint of a sweet fruit in the background... almost decaying floral. O.o
Her drydown- sweet, honeyish afterscent... VERY faint.

The scent is interesting, but it isn't quite one of my favorites... the decaying note does it for me. It was too flowery for my friend. We were both surprised at the lack of orange scent- when we asked a third opinion from my brother, he said it almost smelled like grape soda more than orange OR raspberry. Very interesting!

[Ravenclaw79]

The problem with going through my imp backlog is the amount of awesome scents I find. This one's great! Or should I say "grape!" the fruitiness comes across to me as grape-and-something, grape but not just grape. It's really nice and fruity.

[Nymeria]

Very tart, sharp red. My first job was working at a smoothie shop, and I made up he following smoothie: lemonade, orange juice, lime sherbet, pineapple sherbet, strawberries, raspberries, peaches. This scent reminds me exactly of the scent/taste of that smoothie. Mmmm mmmm. Delicious.

 

Good for wearing: when it's time to crank Dawson's Creek and go full on high school reminiscing.

[Korrok]

From the imp: Not very pleasant. I think I smell mostly neroli and I smell nothing sweet or berry about it.

 

On the skin wet: Starts off very floral and goes for strong orange/neroli mix. Not keen on it at that point at all.

 

On the skin dry: Dries into just orange. Very pleasant orange, but I'm getting disappointed because there's no raspberry still. Smells just like Lush's now discontinued Sunny Citrus soap, which I really liked, but still wanting my berries here. After giving up on it at that, about 30 minutes passes, and there it comes! Raspberry and orange (Sunny Citrus) in perfect balance. Awesome!

 

Unfortunately though, my skin eats up the BPAL berry fragrances really fast. So it's not strong at all. I need to have my wrist right under my nose to smell it and it starts to fade fast. But still nice while it lasts.

[SophieCedar]

Ok so impolight's review had me in a good way.

 

Anyways..

Wet: sweet sticky sickly candy smell. Like fun dip or a big sucker pop. The blood orange and raspberry are too strong together for my taste. I was hoping the dryer tarter neroli would pull forth more or that this would have a greener or wine-like edge. I think I'd enjoy this a touch more if clary sage and maybe sandalwood or myrrh was added to it? This could be better for mixing than straight.

Drydown: raspberry is still kicking! the neroli is slightly more prominent. I think blood orange was the culprit.. I like this phase more because the wine-like edge is showing now.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

This is a wonderful sweet but sharp scent. My BF says it smells like candy, and it does, but I also get a more complex bitterness to it. Like orange peel - pith and all. It does feel kind of fierce and growly for all its sweetness.

 

This was a frimp. I totally love the lab for sending me this one!

[icekat]

In the vial: neroli with raspberry undertones.

 

On my skin wet: blood orange and neroli. Very sweet

 

Dry: the raspberry and blood orange are blending into something like bathroom air freshener.

 

30 minutes later: still very sweet but also very much like bathroom air freshener.

 

Overall: I like it wet but not dry. Another imp to go into the swap pile.

[DamnSatyr]

In the bottle: All I can smell is the neroli.

 

Wet: Very strong, both of the neroli and the orange. Not quite overpowering, but still quite a nice throw.

 

Dry: The throw on this has calmed way down, and I think my skin is just sucking it all up. I can barely smell it unless I shove my nose right into where I put it on. Really quite a shame, because it's a very nice scent. I just wish it was stronger / lasted longer on me.

[FathomBelow]

Akuma starts off as a very strong, almost cologne-y and woody scent, which must be the neroli, tinged with orange. As it dries, it gets gradually sweeter as the raspberry comes to the fore and eventually takes center stage. Quite nice, but somehow not as a appealing as I imagined it to be when I ordered it - I think it's because it takes quite a while for the raspberry to get in there (in fact, the perfume is beginning fade by the time it gets to the raspberry coulis stage that I hoped for) so be warned!

[Gin]

Tangy is what comes to mind. Sweet raspberries and citrus, with a zing of neroli.

[Helas]

Wet, on me, Akuma is all screaming neroli - harsh and acidic. Fortunately, it calms down quickly and becomes an enjoyable and low-key fruity blend. The raspberry and orange are sweet and a little tart. I can see where people get a candy-like impression from this, although the neroli's bitter floral keeps the blend from smelling edible to me.

 

Akuma is pretty, not too sweet, and perfect for the summer. It lacks the complexity and evocative qualities of my favourite BPAL blends, though.

 

Three out of five stars.

[calivianya]

I smell the bitter neroli right off the bat. It takes a couple of minutes for the blood orange and raspberry to make themselves known on my skin. As it dries down, the notes balance pretty evenly, making this a generic fruity smell on my skin. It's not really for me, though fruit lovers should definitely give it a try.

[brilliantcat]

In the bottle: Fruity! A lot of raspberry with some definite floral hints. That'd be the neroli. I don't smell the blood orange.

 

Immediately after application: Mostly neroli, which is a musky floral, overlaid with a touch of soft, not-sweet orange, and very yummy raspberry.

 

Warming up: The neroli has mellowed and the raspberry has emerged as the dominant note, very sweet. I feel like I'm in a raspberry field!

 

Fading: Juicy, juicy raspberry with a undercurrent of the neroli floral/musky scent.

 

Faded: Soft raspberry/neroli blend. Quite yummy.

 

Overall: I rather like this one. It's definitely a summery smell because of the sweetness of the raspberry. Very fresh. The neroli helps ground it and keeps it from being Bath and Body Works SUPERSWEET raspberry. It's a mature raspberry scent. I got a hint of the blood orange early on, then it faded quickly.

[Gargoyle]

In the bottle: floral, kinda fruity, kinda perfumey.

Wet: Piney, which I guess is the neroli

Drying: Still mostly neroli but more orange is coming out.

Dry: Hints of berry but it's not sickeningly sweet. It's also gotten a little powdery.

 

This is a very nice summery fragrance & I'm glad I got it as a frimp because I probably wouldn't order it based on the description... I tend to favor the evergreen vetiver scents. I'll have to try it a few more times before deciding on whether to get a big bottle.

[cherrycherry]

I had high hopes for this one, but sadly it's all neroli on me and that's it, save for a faint whiff of the blood orange. Disappointed :/

[Gateau]

This was a Lab frimp. Very nice, because I hadn't noticed this one in all my combing through the GC offerings.

 

Imp--strongly neroli with a little fruit

 

Wet--dominated by the neroli, with the blood orange pulling out just a touch of the orange-ness of the blossoms. It reminds me a lot of the French macaroons I made with orange-flower water.

 

Dry--once it's dry the raspberry comes out a bit more, and the neroli tones down, making it lightly flowery and fruity. It's very lovely, but very light and disappears quickly.

 

This is one that would need some judicious slathering, but I don't think it's quite appealing enough to me to want to do that. I think it would be very nice on a younger person, but for me I'd want it to have touch of something woodier, warmer, or darker just to give it some balance.

[terriblethrills]

I get almost all orange blossom/orange scents from this...fuller than the usual bright "ORANGE!" smell I usually associate with the fruit, so that must be the blood orange. This definitely smells like perfume to me (orange blossom tends to have that effect) in a way that a lot of other BPAL blends don't. At first I could smell the raspberry, but not real, fresh raspberries...more like raspberry jam or raspberry-flavored candy. It's blended in by now, though, and all I smell is a deeper, sweeter edge accenting the orange blossom. A pleasant, fruity smell, but not one of my favorites so far.

[Alexanne]

I love love love anything orange. I have like 20 oranges in my fridge. No, seriously.

 

I was frimped this last year (haha I had a lot of imps to try?) from the lab, so it is nice and aged. I remember passing this over a year ago so I put it in the "meh, try again later" pile. But I was going through the pile again when.... "Huh? This one smells soooo good!" It smells like orange blossom in the imp. So I slather it on my wrists, arms and neck - and I am LOVING the orange blossom when all of a sudden the smell gets really red, and the raspberry comes out. It mixes together perfectly for me. It is a pretty sweet scent but I'm not getting nauseous over it like usual. As it dries it becomes a little floral/powdery. I don't like this stage as much, I'm not one for powder scents. In about in hour it completely disappears.

Oh, Akuma! Why must you tease me!

[melrose]

I have no idea which of the 3 listed notes is ruining this for me, because I've tried all of them. It must be a combo that's making me seasick - all I smell is a gross, rancid aquatic.

[reconditarmonia]

Close to my skin, it's a little bitter, but the throw (and also the scent when I first apply it) is all scented Magic Marker. Which isn't a bad smell, but it's not something I want my body to smell like.

[Kayah]

in the imp: smells like faint smushed up fruits and slightly floral

 

wet: omg so sweet - it's the kind of sweetness that almost turns bitter. It's VERY strong and sweet perfume. I can't distinguish any notes - it just screams thick perfume to my nose.

 

drydown: the insane sweetness calms down some, this is a little more balanced - more gently fruity, more tart/sour

 

 

comparing the notes: wet all I could smell was what I can tell now was neroli, and it was neroli to the Nth power. as it dried down I can get the raspberry and it gets more citrusy - I suspect it's the blood orange and neroli playing against each other, supported by the raspberry

 

wet it was too sweet, dry it is much nicer and actually wearable. I wish the raspberry came out a bit more because I'm a fan of that scent, and kind of wish it was a little more orangey, but I think the two types of oranges in this are just like that - not particularly high in the notes that I consider citrusy but a little more floral-like

[alyelle]

Akuma was a lovely little surprise I got as a frimp. I tried it for the first time about six months ago, on a trip to a vineyard, and loved it. Unfortunately it made its way back to the bottom of my "Stuff to try" box, and I only pulled it out today. The verdict below is a combination of my notes from both wears.

 

Imp: I'm reading the description and trying so hard to smell the fruit, but honestly? All I can smell is murky toilet cleaner.

 

Wet: Dark and gooey, and not really in a pleasant way. After a minute the toilet cleaner scent starts to fade and sweeten. There's also a faintly powdery smell starting to come out.

 

Dry (10 min): The sweetness from the berry has now really come out. There's not a hint of toilet cleaner, or even neroli - this thing is solid raspberry through and through.

 

Dry (2 hrs): Sadly, the throw has died right down - I have to bring my wrists up to my nose to smell this now. It lasted a lot longer on the first wear though, so I may need to slather this one on future wears.

 

Overall: 4/5. I love the drydown stages, but the half an hour it takes to properly warm up on me is not the most pleasant smell I've smelled. And I'd have really loved a bit more longevity.

[karihan]

I wish, I wish I was one of the people who get tons of fruit from Akuma, but alas, I smell a bare trace of fruit with neroli in the forefront. A very sharp, darkly elegant neroli, but not what I hoped for. The blood orange and raspberry come out a slight bit more after about half an hour of wear, right before the scent fades to the point where I can barely smell it. Off to swaps with this one!

[GoddessChaos]

Ordered for my sister's (who likes fruity scents) birthday, tried on because I wanted it too!

 

Wet: Orange, mostly, with a hint of something sweeter behind it. I can't tell if it's just blood orange or if the raspberry is peeking through.

 

Drydown: Definitely blood orange, and the raspberry is becoming stronger. It smells almost like candy, except the neroli adds a tinge of bitterness that keeps it from being overpoweringly sweet. SweetTarts, maybe; sweetness with some bite. The throw is great, too! I only put a tiny smidge on and I can smell it just fine while sitting here typing!

 

Fully dry: Sweet and much softer. There is virtually no citrus bite at all. It does smell very much like a tart, fruity candy, or maybe a summer drink with an orange slice on the glass. I'm not 100% sure it's for me, but I'd like to test again in hot weather to be sure. Definitely need to buy an imp for my friend who says that girls should "smell like fruit and candy", haha.

 

Edit: Oh my, new page! Scent description added.

[sunlitgarden]

In the imp: Neroli mainly. Smells sharp and greenish. Something here is a bit headache-inducing, but I'll skin test a small bit...

 

On my skin, still neroli, I think I'm getting a little raspberry towards the background, making it a bit sweet. As it dries a bit more, I think I'm getting the juicy blood orange. Unfortunately, this has "that edge" that a lot of blends get on me and I'm not sure what note or not combination causes it exactly, but it's unpleasant, kind of like an airplane restroom. It's kind of headache or nausea inducing. I think it might actually be the orange blossom and/or neroli because Spanish Dance had orange blossom honey and that went weird on me too. Sad, because I LOVE the smell of actual orange blossoms...

 

The "bad" smell does fade somewhat as it dries, leaving a candy-like fruity smell that's not bad, but I don't think I want to go through the wet stages to get there.