Akuma

[olympia301]

 

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

 

Orange Kool-Aid. I do smell some subtlties, not the rasberry however, but some of the neroli, but this is orange through and through on me. I like it but I don't want to smell like it all the time. If you are an orange fan and you just can't get enough, grab a big bottle of this and bliss out.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Fruity.

 

On, wet: Neroli, with a sweet, sweet, fruity undertone. Almost sickening, I'm not sure I like this. o.O

 

Later: Yeah, that too-sweet/rotten smell has definitely come out more. Ugh. On first sniff, I get just berry sweetness, but almost as I stop inhaling, something weird and Bad lurks in the back of my nose. Icky. This continues for about half an hour, then it sorts itself out into a sweet berry scent with a hint of orange. Still, not worth that half hour of badness.

 

Interesting. Neroli works on me sometimes, but apparently not in this combination. Huh.

[Chantarelle]

It smells like a drunken orange. Yum.

 

Very sweet at first (although not candy sweet - there's definitely a bite), but eventually it mellowed out to something fruity and tart. Very enjoyable.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Crisp and tart citrus

 

On me:

This is a very lovely citrus - it's crisp and tart, and fresh smelling. But it still has a nice hint of sweetness so that it doesn't become too bitter smelling. I can't tell the notes apart, it is just a general citrusy scent, but it's very nice.

 

Final note

Citrus lovers would be doing themselves a favor to get this

[chapatti]

A perfume named after the Japanese devil, how could I resist?

 

First whiff: The zest of the orange I assume, sharp and bitter. It doesn't last very long, fortunately.

 

Drying down: the raspberry comes up, fighting with the orange for supremacy, and winning

It's tart, juicy and delicious, very slightly sweet but not in a cloying, candy fashion, it's definitely a fruit sweetness.

When I was reading all the reviews to decide whether or not to pick this, I wondered if it would have the sweet/sour, tartness of the actual fruits - the answer is: yes, it does, oh joy! And it smells exactly like the real fruits, not the artificial, candy orange flavor I was afraid of.

The neroli gives a soft, watery background note, but isn't very present.

I found this scent didn't vary much through time, except for the neroli coming up a bit more after three or four hours.

 

Verdict: Lovely! This feels tart, juicy, almost... sparkly and mischievous.

Perfect for summer!

 

8.5/10

[angharad]

Usually I like scents with orange. This one, however, was too bitter on me when I could smell the orange at all. After drydown, it turned to pure raspberry, which was nice enough, but not one of my favorite scents. It did last for quite a while, though.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is bitter orange like in Catherine. When first applied it is bitter orange mixed with something sweet and almost cotton candy like- lotus? After a few minutes it starts to smell like fruit or berries- ahh this is the raspberry! The bitterness of the orange has faded leaving a soft berry powder-nice! To me it's similar to Kuntskammer so I'll swap it for now.

[sarahj]

Akuma

 

in vial: orange and neroli; very bitter

 

wet: same

 

dry: the bitterness fades into a sweet orange and raspberry scent...unfortunately, it's gone in less than 2 hours

 

verdict: fades too quickly...will use the imp but no need for a big bottle

[malabar]

I was hoping for lots of blood orange and neroli, but all I smell is a dark raspberry. It's nice, but not exactly what I was looking for.

[hangingfire]

In the imp: Sweet, fruity, with floral aspects of the neroli. The raspberry gives it a slightly candylike character.

 

On, wet: Even more candylike; it would be like a raspberry Jolly Rancher if it weren't for the orange and neroli to keep it in line.

 

Drydown: Berry and orange, berry and orange. It's very sweet, almost girly.

 

It's a very neat scent, and for big fans of the berry notes, I'd say it's a must-have. It's not really my thing, so I'll probably swap it, but I do think it's very likable, and will be perfect for the right person.

[QueenFae]

Ultra yummy berry scent. This reminds me of Raspberry Framboise, a yummy alcohol drink that I like a lot. Akuma is definitely a raspberry scent, but the orange is there as well. Overall its very sweet and foody, I can't believe I hadn't tried this one before, it's right up my alley. If you like foody sweet berry blends, this one is or you. I think this one's even better than Bewitched. Yum, me likey.

[Scarlettfish]

I put off trying this for a while (it was a frimp) because it sounded like it would be a disaster on me. I don't do well with orange or sweet scents. However, I am finding that I really like this. In the imp, it was all blood orange. However, upon dry down I am getting much more neroli and raspberry. It smells like raspberry candy, but a bit softer and darker and with more of a floral undertone to it. I'm pleasantly surprised by this one...I keep on sniffing my wrist, which is always a good sign!

Edited November 12, 2005 by Scarlettfish

[Aurelius]

Jebus, my skin chemistry refused to play nice with Akuma. From the instant it touched my skin I smelled of fruit punch. EVIL fruit punch. Something clearly didn't agree with me as it turned acrid and icky. Ah, man. Lovely notes but wonky skin chemistry. Off to swap with someone who can properly enjoy it!

[PurringPulsar]

Akuma

 

In the imp: orange and orange blossom. Very orangey!

Wet on skin: whoa, here comes the orange blossom, amping on my skin as usual. I don’t mind though. Combined with orange fruit, this makes this scent very tangy.

Dry: orange-both blossom and fruit, with juicy red tart raspberries. It’s predominantly neroli on me, but I do get a very genuine raspberry scent which, unlike many raspberry fragrances, smells tart and sharp like real raspberries. The scent, despite it’s tangy fruitiness, does have a hint of something dark to it, reminiscent of Maenad’s fruity darkness. Where this comes from puzzles me, but this isn’t your average fruity scent!

After a while: oooh, now the raspberry comes into its own. The neroli is still prominent but now I can make out more raspberry, and it is sweeter and redder, like the scent of home made raspberry sorbet, on me. This is a deep, rich, red and fruity scent now, with tangy accents that give this scent a nice sharp bite.

I must say that at times, the raspberry scent does remind me of something from Lush, possibly a more concentrated and less candy-sweet version of the scent of Rock Star!

Verdict: this is a very interesting fruity experience. Sharp, biting, tart and quite delicious, this is a double-hit of orange, both blossom (neroli) and fruit, which explains the scent’s tangy citrus-ness, and a very realistic raspberry note which is at time sharp and sour like a real raspberry should be, and at other times it is rich and velvety-red, juicy and sweet, like the scent of raspberry sorbet. It does go through candy-like phases, which I enjoy as well, but never loses it’s tangy bite. It also has a dark aspect to it, which makes it more interesting than the average fruity-sweet scents. I’m not sure if I’ll get a bottle but I’m keeping the imp. I also would love it if Beth did more raspberry scents!

[rinoastar]

First impression: WOW! Flowers! I guessed that it was neroli, but it almost smells like sticking your nose in the musky center of a lily. It's all just WOW! Flowers! for a while but eventually mellows out into a sickeningly sweet synthetic raspberry. It's nice enough, but certainly no bottle for me.

[Miss Lynx]

This was one of several scents I tried today that I had qualms about. Fruity scents do tend to work on me, but usually more when they're balanced with other, non-fruity notes, particularly things that are spicy, earthy or incensey. Akuma's got fruit, more fruit, and floral, and florals are often way too sweet on me, though as florals go neroli's not too bad. So I wasn't sure if this would be way over-the-edge sweet on me.

 

It wasn't as fearsomely sweet as I'd been afraid it might be, but it also wasn't that interesting. A reasonably pleasant scent, but my reaction to it wasn't much more that "Yep, that's fruit all right". It just didn't seem to have a lot of character compared to most other BPAL scents I've tried. If I'd encountered it earlier in my BPAL career I might have liked it anyway, but I think my standards are higher now, and a scent has to be more than just inoffensive and vaguely pleasant for me to want it.

 

Grade: B-

[Wench457]

Akuma: A bit sour, yet sweet at the same time. The raspberry is clear, with a hint of orange, but more the rind of the orange than the flesh.

 

On: Orange blossoms and raspberries. The raspberries are a bit powdery though, like my raspberry flavored vitamin C tablets.

 

Dry: The throw is all raspberry on me, and I can't get over the idea that I smell like vitamins. Close to my wrist, the orange blossom is more apparent, but overall this scent is just not my cup of tea.

[doneyeri]

When it starts out on me, Akuma is all sweetness. I can barely tell that it's supposed to be fruit for all the overpowering sugar smell. As it dries however, the fruit starts to come out, but, pout, it's all powdery, like sweet tarts. I'm very disappointed. It doesn't stay for long...fades to a light, light scent that is only disernable with my wrist nearly shoved into my nose.

 

All in all, Akuma is nice, but it really wasn't even remotely what I was hoping for. With the blood oranges and raspberry I was hoping for something very darkly fruity and juicy smelling...something that is more of a melted ooze of fruit than imitation fruit powder. *sighs* Ah well...fraid Akuma just isn't that scent for me.

[AlaskaSnows]

Wet: Sour pithy orange.

 

Dry: A sweeter orange, but more dry, like a whole orange rather than a section. And the more floral neroli comes out. This is like a citrus perfume rather than a natural peice of fruit scent, more sophisticated. I find it extremely nice, though there is little throw.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Blood orange and orange blossom, with a hint of something more in the background.

 

Wet: Blood orange, very refreshing, and orange blossom, with a hint of greenness to it.

 

Drydown: Now the berry's coming through, juicy red raspberries in orange juice with a background of orange blossoms. The raspberry takes away a lot of she sharpness of the orange and starts getting rather sweet... with a slightly citrusy tang. However, as with most red berries, it smells slightly synthetic raspberry on me.

 

Overall: The raspberry and orange blossom are a weird combination. This is a cool combination, and feels a bit... cat-like. In the sense that it's pretty to look at, but has really sharp claws and will use them at the most unpredictable moment. Certainly a spring blend, and probably great if you're a big fruit fan. Pretty. I just wished the blood orange would hang around more.

[Katinka]

My nose is having a bad night of it. I smell orange Tic Tacs, and that's really about it.

[LiberAmoris]

Boy hardy, there's some strong neroli in Akuma. For the first half hour, that was all I could smell, and then the orange and raspberry emerged. There's a powdery edge to the fruit notes, which reminds me of opening those packets of Kool Aid powder as a kid, only to tug too hard and have the powder flung up into the air.

 

Overall, Akuma goes fruit punch on me with a big spike of neroli. On my skin it never really settles into a comfortable groove and there's something about this blend that I find unsettling. I'd really love to see more blends with raspberry though!

[PixieSkull]

In/On the imp: Very orange with loads of raspberry but a slightly bitter scent underneath that I'm assuming is the neroli. As far as I can remember, I like neroli so I'm not so worried.

On me wet: The neroli pops out far when wet, can barely smell the blood orange, but it IS there. The raspberry disappeared. Smells a little dirty.

On me dry: The raspberry comes back and it's very sweet and like a plastic toy. The random whiffs are raspberry, up close it's all dirty and garlicy in a wierd way.

 

Category: fruity/foody/sweet

Rating: 3/5, nice but not for me

Overall: Not a scent I will wear, mostly because of the garlicy smell, but also because I'm not a huge fan of wearing entirely foody scents. It smells wonderful in the imp and okay on me, but it needs to be mixed with chocolate and eaten. Wonderfully fruity and the orange is very realistic and sweet. Reminds me of Suave moisturizing shampoo.

Edited December 27, 2005 by PixieSkull

[Hanyaan]

Preconceptions - I had been really wanting to try this considering my recent obsession with the manga series D.Gray-man (where akuma make a constant appearance). Needless to say I was quite happy to see a frimp of this in my latest order!

 

In the imp: Something about this I do not like at all in the imp. I think that it's so close to the way real fresh orange blossoms but not. It's bitter but somewhat disconcerting.

 

Wet: This is where I rejoice that my skin chemistry tends to absolutely suck out bitter notes. The resulting scent is far more sweet, dark raspberry and citrus.

 

Drying: Ooh, I like this. It's like the olfactory equivalent of drinking an "italian soda" that's really just flavoring syrup with just enough water put in to keep it from being gag-tastic.

 

Verdict: Definitely keeping this imp. I'll have to wear it a few times to make up my mind as to whether or not to get a bottle, but it's really nice and sweet.

[quikslvr]

Biting neroli at first. It seems very sharp, pointed, and bitter. There's a little bit of orange in the background as this dries down, then raspberry comes out. Unfortunately, the first stage is objectionable enough to me that I'm not going to hang onto this one. But if you want to smell dangerous and then soften up just a little after awhile, this is your scent.

Edited January 6, 2006 by quikslvr