The Jersey Devil

[joopjoop]

The scent of the wild, hauntingly beautiful Pine Barrens of New Jersey! Pitch pine with blackberry leaf, cranberry, cedar wood and tomato leaf.

 

I like this one a lot wet. The pine is strong but I can smell the blackberry and tomato leaves clearly as well - giving it a freshness I enjoy. Blackberry brambles are are everywhere in the summer in the PNW and are an important part of the scent-scape I associate with the outdoors - so I am really enjoying that aspect of Jersey Devil.

 

The cedar is in the mix too and I’m worried it is going to take over soon (I amp cedar). Later - I am happy (and happily surprised) to report that cedar is definitely still there but seems to be staying in check in the background.

 

Still later - this is lovely. Overall it is a sort of dry, high-summer woods scent, particularly when compared to my current favorite forest BPAL, Black Forest, which has a much more wintery and shadowy feel to me.

 

Don't think it is big bottle worthy, but I'm putting the imp into rotation for use during summer walks..

[BridgeKeeper]

Out of the imp, I really enjoy this smell, mostly pine, but with some other nice notes to round it out. On my skin, it stayed nice for about five minutes. And then the cranberry dominated. It's been so long since I've done much with scents that I forgot how sensitive I am to cranberry smell. I'm sad, because this was a nice scent for a bit, but I simply cannot do the berry. I tried to wash it off, then avoided wafting my forearm near my face for a while.

[ghostnaming]

Wet, it smells like blackberry and pine. As it dries the sharp bitterness of the tomato leaf really comes to the forefront. It stays on my skin for a grand total of one hour before disappearing, and I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble to reapply. BPAL has a lot of other gorgeous forest-y scents with much better staying power.

[Lucchesa]

Bright strong pine and cedar. I was curious about the tomato leaf but am not sure I could differentiate it over the evergreens and blackberry leaf. Not much sweetness, so when the cranberry emerges it’s tart and realistic, not Ocean Spray. I like this but have other foresty blends l prefer.

[DryFrogPills]

From initial BPAL order a few years ago.

 

In the imp: Pine and cedar, a definite coastal scent, a scrubby pine forest on a semi-cloudy day where it drifts down to a slightly tossed sea.

 

Initial drydown: Wet on the skin, pine and cedar, resinous. As it dries down, the blackberry and tomato leaf unfurl, although I haven't caught cranberry yet. Still, it's utterly lovely.

 

One hour out: The pitch softens til it's more a memory or the near presence of woods, especially with the dark green of the leaves and the light breath of fruit cranberry, like it's coming in an open window or door. It makes me feel like I'm in a woodland cabin in the very late afternoon or early evening, sun starting to go down, in warm flannel, safe and relaxed.

[VetchVesper]

Wow.  I never realized how close "In the Wild North" was to this until now.  They both share a sweet,berry vibe, along with chilly evergreen/juniper.  The cedar is lurking in the background of this and going wonky on my skin, but that's typical.  😕

 

Not for me, but it's a sweet, cheery forest blend, if that's you're thing, and I'm guessing it would be very nice on someone who wears cedar well. 

[Cali]

Hmmm. I want to eat this, and I'm pretty sure that's weird. A beautiful, soft, christmassy pine, with berries strewn over dusted with sugar, on a wooden cutting board.

Not super strong on me, but lovely sweet goodness.

[alouettesque]

In the imp, it smells so tart and sweet--cranberries, I suppose! On my skin, the main notes are woodsy, a little fruity, and... kind of soapy? It's a really curious scent... a little Christmas-y, which must be the combination of pine and cranberry. The tomato leaf is definitely there, although it took me going out to the garden to smell a real one to realize it. Overall, it feels like a Christmas scent that is also very far away from any marketed Christmas scents I've ever smelled.

Edited April 18, 2019 by alouettesque

[Rane.]

Received as an imp. Woody & fruity. That is a really great combo. Smells like a candle I bought at some point in time. When it mellows it smells of cedarwood, & blackberry. The tomato leaf is something new to me. Gonna add this to my shopping list!

[ajansuz]

I've been traipsing through the seasons with my frimps this time. Whereas Jack was Autumn distilled in a vial, this is early winter. You can really smell the pine and cranberry in the imp with something a bit astringent. It has a very chilly feeling to it. Makes my nose think of crisp winter days.

 

Wet at first it was truly lovely, pine, blackberry, cranberry. Crisp and astringent. Woodsy and clean. However, as it began to dry down, something very waxy and fake holiday candle  lifted up in this strong enough to give me a headache. The throw was screechy to the point I had to wash it off. Think I'll keep this one around as a winter room scent. I wish it had played nicer with my skin.

[Laughing Seagull]

My experience was similar to the previous reviewer's.  I was ready to spring for a bottle as soon as I put this on, and then the berries attacked.

 

It started as fresh pine and tart cranberry, which was really, really good.  I was like, "Wow, I think I like this even better than Nocnitsa!"

 

Then it dried and turned into overwhelming blackberry candy, similar to the thing Maenad did to me (except Maenad was strawberry candy).  Cry.  

 

I'll have to see if a locket can save this one.

[Something_Diabolical]

I'm not sure what it is about this scent but I really love it. I bought it hoping for a more woodsy scent but I barely detect the pine. It is still beautiful. I get mainly cranberry and I think the cedar makes it more grounded so it doesn't become candy-like on me. Cedar usually behaves on me except it can be tricky with vanilla (old wooden drawer with vanilla scented candles stored inside). But here? No old drawer, no pencil shavings. Only tart cranberry grounded by cedar with a vague hint of something leafy. I will get a lot of wear from this since I consider it inoffensive so it makes a good everyday scent. 

[witchytwitchygirl]

Not getting much pine here. Very sweet and earthy at the same time, and strangely, seems perfect both for summer and for Christmas time! Probably won’t upgrade to a bottle just because it faded so quickly on me, and now when I sniff my arm the fruit notes have gone vaguely plasticky. It is very nice, though.

[Shadowdawn]

This smells so, so, so sweet. Syrupy sweet even, and yet incredibly green and fresh and plant-like. Leafy I guess. Sap perhaps from plant stems. Not at all for me, but it does remind me of some men's cologne for the somewhat astringent quality. I don't think there is a candy element or a woody element to it, it just smells ~ sweet ~ . And then green. I couldn't detect any berries in specific, but it's heavy on leaves. Actually reminds me of some of the fall dead leaf scents if they were way, way too sweet and doused in syrup. Also less musky/damp/moldy than the dead variety. More completely fresh and mashed until bitter. Which is a bit hard to detect over all the syrup, I suppose.

 

I really wish I got any kind of hint of holiday scent with cedar and pine, cranberry, all that good winter stuff, sigh.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Shadowdawn

[Lecter]

Light yellow oil with a slight green tint in the imp. Fresh and woodsy. Definitely pine, a slight sweetness from berries coming through 

[Threemoons]

Been wearing this for a few days, want to review before I shower  In the bottle:  Blackberries and pine needles.  On, wet:  The "forest floor" note picks up, with some of the cedar scent.  Drydown:  A teeny bit of the tomato leaf finally comes out.  It still stays very strongly a berry thing on me; I would call this a berry-forward woods perfume with a few hits of pine.

[theredkilt]

I'm shocked! This reminds me so much of the 2016 Yule Road to Versailles at Louvenciens. It's the same cream soda effervescent vibe. I'm truly smitten.

[MonkeysInk]

I have no idea how long I’ve had this imp, but I will guesstimate around 10 years.  I have worn it several days before writing this review.
 

Wet, it smells like pine trees and a man’s cologne.  
 

As it dries down, it gets a little fruitier and there is basically no throw - I can only smell this by pressing my nose to my skin.  I like to put perfume in my hair and even today after several days of brushing the imp’s wand through my hair, I can’t smell anything.

 

I was hoping for some of the fruity, woodsy goodness listed above, but perhaps my imp’s day to shine has come and gone.
 

 

[monocainsheresy]

Opens with strong pine and cranberry, mellowing down to pine-tinged, sweet, tart cranberry and blackberry, grounded by a faint cedar background and a hint of bitterness from the tomato leaf.

Much cleaner than I expected - a bright summer forest, rather than a scary night-time one.