The Isles of Demons

[raisin]

Twin islands near Newfoundland, now lost, that were believed to be gateways to Hell. The scent is of wet, dark greenery, carnivorous flowers, volcanic gas, and the hot black musk of the demons and wild beasts that populated the islands.

This is a difficult one. Even if it had caught my eye on the website, I think the variety of the reviews here would have made me wary. But I got it as a frimp, so I gave it a go.
I was wary at first, but I like the scent. I don't get so much on the order of greenery or florals, but I definitely get the musk and a very dry smokiness. There's some wood scent there as well that keeps it a bit fresh, as well. I suppose just enough of the florals are getting through that I couldn't call it a masculine scent, but it's close.

Sadly, it does not last long on me at all, and I get almost no throw whatsoever. Might be a fun one to play with, but it seems like sort of a waste to wear it. Edited April 19, 2010 by raisin

[hersphinxness]

Another who got this as a frimp from the Lab; I never would have tried this on my own, so I'm very glad they sent it!

 

Wet, I get these oddly... lush green notes. This isn't the kind of green I get from herbal or grass scents, or even leafy ones. It's like a jungle green, almost aquatic but definitely not. The musk is also strong, and there's this unidentifiable sharp, bitter edge that sort of rolls off the scent. Again, it's not like the other smoke, ash, or even stone/mineral notes I've smelled before, but that's all I can think of. It's somehow very fresh, not in a clean, linen way. Something like the freshness that comes with a thunderstorm. I get hints of very lush florals.

 

Dry, the smoke and musk settle down and the florals come to the fore. Definitely ylang ylang, probably plumeria and jasmine. There's something that's almost fruity, but not enough to turn me off or make it stray into hairspray territory. I think I love this! This might be the humid, south Florida floral scent I've been wanting, but with an unexpected edge. Smoke and musk are still clearly there and that thunderstorm freshness (I don't think it's ozone, but maybe this is a rare time that ozone actually smells good on me). I've never been near a volcanic, and maybe it's the power of suggestion, but it really does evoke a jungle-clad volcano. Big, sexy tropical flowers and this wonderful geological base.

 

Lasts all day on me and has a moderate throw.

Edited September 3, 2010 by hersphinxness

[Nymeria]

The hot black musk is dominating this scent for me, but every now and them, I get some dark green earthiness. While not for me, this would smell divine on someone else.

 

Good for wearing: when I want to smell like I've been hiking treacherous terrain all day.

[impolight]

An Imp of this showed up in the company of the Sister during Holiday with the family.

Isles of Demons has been on the list for quite some time, yet has managed to be elbowed aside by much prettier and voluble temptresses over the past few purchases.
It was necessary to sneak off to an adjoining room for a rare opportunity to sniff and review this with a wee increment of peace and quiet!
From the Imp: Huh. Where Volcanic gasses and shrubbery crushed under predatory feet had been imagined to be is actually a very clean fragrance!
Bliss in Volcanic Gasses and Carnivorous Flowers, eh? Who knew?
A nice surprise! This is actually what it might be like to be suspended inside of a puffy white cloud...
This is watery mist and flagstones recently sprayed to a lustre with a power washer.
On the Skin: Incredible! Isles of Demons is very much like a living colossal statue acting as a sentinel in the middle of a vast, sparkling, azure sea.
The Demonic comes from the level of temptation that will spill from the bottle's neck.
Ideal androgeny.
Clean and charismatic.
A 5.5 out of 5!

[Gold Dust Kitten]

How did Beth get volcanic gas in my imp? I've never smelled that but I smelled a smoky, acidic note when I popped it open. Then I smelled a creamy tropical flower and something dark green and slimy and what else? Eucalyptus? Cedar? When it's dry, I mostly smell tropical flowers. What a morpher!

[DeCuvieri]

I adore this scent, so much so that it would be a staple for me if it just had better throw. I bet the survivability would be much better in a scent locket, but then you lose a lot of the morphing power. And this one morphs into something gorgeous.

 

Isles of Demons is hard to describe because there's a lot going on. I don't generally like florals or fruits but there's a bit of both in here, dampened by some kind of wet-wood note. The combination is very lush with some musky undertone, but I don't think it's nearly as dark as the description implies. Very clean, lively, and amazing. The only thing keeping me from buying five bottles outright is that it fades so quickly.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Ozonic and stony, with a touch of gritty smoke.

 

On skin: I know nothing about the Isles of Demons, but if this blend is anything to go by, these islands have just been born from the sea, and the demons are waiting for it to cool somewhat before settling. The scent is nothing but thick, humid ozone and dark stone, with a touch of gritty smoke that doesn't seem like vetiver. No greenery or musk here: everything is just hot, smoking, inorganic and lifeless. I'm put in mind of a newly birthed island volcano rising from the ocean, spewing smoke and ash, lava cooling in the waters. Nevertheless, I feel like I'm missing out on something here...

 

Verdict: I don't see myself visiting The Isles of Demons on a regular basis, if at all. While this blend is evocative, and I like ozonic notes, this one has too much inorganic stone and smoke, and I'm not likely to wear it much.

[Innocuousmold]

Shoot, I tried this one a few days ago and only remember my impression of it:

 

If you like Smokestack then you'll like this. Isle of Demons is not as heavy as the former, which is why I'm a fan of it. You get the awesome smoky, cresote, brimstone kind of scent without it overwhelming you. I really don't recall having smelled anything green at all- just wonderful, dark and volcanic notes.

[Caerphilly]

This was actually one of the first frimps in a long time that I had not tried!

 

I can't put my finger on the exact notes. I was expecting a slightly dark or dirty smell, but was pleasantly surprised. There is a woody smell, sandalwood, maybe. Something sweet, lightly sweet, a floral/fruit. I really can't put my finger on this one. It's blended well. When it dires, it lasts for a few hours, but the woody lightly sweet smell vanishes and it smells a resin scent.

[Alethia]

Initial thoughts: I never would have picked this for myself, but it was a frimp in my last Lab order. I love the black musk in Playful Wooden Mallets from this year's Lupers, but I'm not so sure about the rest of the notes here. Volcanic gas?

 

Wet: Why hello there Black Musk. Would it be possible for you to let the rest of the notes say hi? .... No? Ok then...

 

Dry down: Strong on the black musk. I can barely smell a hint of the greenery, but mostly it's just all black musk.

 

Dry: For all intents and purposes, this is a black musk single note on me

 

Final thoughts: I'm not sure what's up with my skin chemistry, but this was all black musk, all the time. I prefer Playful Wooden Mallets for my black musk needs though because this is just too one-dimensional for me.

 

Verdict: To the sales!

[child of drought]

In the bottle: There's a distinct sharpness to this underlain by a kind of general dark forest and fur smell.

 

On wet: The dark general forest-y scent comes out quite strongly along with now a kind of musky floral note, it's hard to describe.

 

On dry: Oooooooooh that sweet, almost candy sweet, tropical flower smell is now really coming out along with the forest scent. None of the musk, gas or beasts though!

[ziggystardust13]

Wow - I was frimped Isle of Demons. Not something I ever would have thought of trying, unless out of pure curiosity. Yet it has easily become a new favorite! It's hard to describe for me. Actually pretty soft - despite the name. It has an incensy vibe for sure, which I love! I might get a hint of floral, but its not the perfumey type that goes soapy. As it dries, it turns perfectly sweet. This one got a compliment from the hubby too. Its a keeper and big bottle worthy!

 

 

[Veronica]

Sweet, but also slightly bitter and medicinal floral. Pretty and interesting. A basic sweet floral with something dark and green lurking beneath.

[freyasfae]

Wow, this one is a morpher. In the bottle, it's like soapy florals, but as soon as I slather it in on it's sandalwood with a touch of white florals, then there's a moment where it starts to get a little medicinal funky like some resinous notes like laudanum? THEN, a fruity floral starts to come in like the red in Dragon's Blood, finally it settles down into a smokey coconut for awhile, but then as it dries and fades rather quickly it goes powdery amber on me. I adored the smokey coconut stage, but unfortunately, it still kept morphing.

[LizziesLuck]

Frimp from the Lab!

 

Wet: Rotting vegetation. I feel like a really humid jungle might smell like this. Not really reminding me of Newfoundland, or the east coast right now. Interesting though! Really murky.

 

 

Dry: The musk comes out. Man I love musk. This is recognizable as black musk, and it blends nicely with the lush florals and greenery. This is pretty, while also being sinister. Not at all what I expected! To summarize, a lush floral with black musk and hints of green. Sweet, a bit sultry. I need to do a full day test, but I am planning a trip to the east coast this summer that may include Newfoundland, and I am considering getting a bottle of this as a fun "vacation scent".

[theredkilt]

This smells so lush and soothing. It's a sedated floral joined by faint smoke and musk. Truly unique!

[Casablanca]

I smell ozone first, but it quickly gives way to hints of dark greenery, a faintly spicy floral, glimpses of lush reddish fruit, and a woody, slightly resinous, black musk -- but not the sulfuric hint I expected from "volcanic gas."

This smells like a dark wilderness left wild. It has a lot going on, wilderness-like. I seem to smell a reddish cedar-like wood, frankincense, and myrrh alongside vetiver musk. The floral-fruit also smells red, and reminds me of the lab's dragon's blood.

One of the elemental blends that works for me. Keep.

[Joyleaf_]

At first on my skin I get notes of black pepper. Just straight up from the grinder black pepper.

After a while it subsides and something sweeter and heavier comes into play like maybe carnation and something woody. Interesting, but not something Ill ever reach for again.

[Mountaingrrl00]

On me it's heavy black musk with ferns and ... cherry pipe tobacco? It's strong and unusual, definitely evocative of a strange place. When it dries down I get mostly the fern smell. It's not very me, but my grandfather could have worn it with aplomb.

[Coldfire]

Imp: dark swampy green
Wet on Me: Dark swampy green with the slight sweetness of the musk
Drying Down: Musk Over wet green
Dry: yup. real simple. Musk over wet green

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

A generous frimp from the Lab: in the vial, I get smoke, but it's a light smoke if that makes sense. Not oppressive at all. On me, it's an oddly elusive scent--warm, slightly sweet, but not strong. Wood notes, maybe a very light sandalwood, and a general sense of "golden" tones...a little like Aureus. Nothing like what I expected, and it fades quickly, like a vision of a demon that doesn't care to hang around.

[Nikki Scarlet]

A frimp from the lab for me. This isn't something I'd have thought to choose for myself, but let's give it a shot!

In the bottle:
NOPE.


. . .


I put this away without testing it on myself the first time around. I've left it alone for a few weeks now, but today I'm gonna grit my teeth and give it another shot. Maybe it'll surprise me.

TAKE 2:

In the bottle:
. . . Actually, it smells oddly pleasant now. I don't know if this is an issue of having been at a slightly different point in my cycle when I first smelled it, or if this is just something that needs to age a little bit first. I'm getting a lot of green notes now, but when I first smelled it last month all I got was a punch in the nose with smoke and bitterness.

On me, wet:
There's definitely a bit of a smokiness and muskiness up front, but there's a fresh, leafy/piney scent in the background that's kind of keeping it together. I think I'm picking up some florals, as well.

On me, dry:
Getting a bit of the wood, I think. I'm kind of reminded of wood that's just come off the saw or sander and is still a bit smokey from too much friction. The green notes are still there in the background. This one's kind of surprising.

A little later:
Oooh.
. . . Oooh!
There's something very sweet coming out now. Not sure what it is but I kind of love it. It's sort of floral-fruity but not foody or perfumey. It's reminding me of something but I can't put my finger on it.

Verdict:
Wow. I was so sure this was going straight to swaps, but this is a keeper! The throw is pretty low, so I'm not likely to wear it out of the house, but it's a really nice one to just sit quietly and sniff.

Edited June 30, 2017 by Nikki Scarlet

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Definitely a green scent, and even more definitely a dark green one. Maybe I'm just susceptible to the copy, but I have a lot of green scents that feel fresh or spring-like, but this is indeed a dark, untamed forêt sauvage. Perhaps a touch of vetiver?

 

Wet: A brief moment of over-ripe, carnivorous flowers and rotting vegetation, before it settles into lush flowers. The fruit follows soon after - I kind of want to say black cherry.

 

Dry: Huh! When reading the description, and when first sniffing the imp, I would never have guessed that this one would resolve itself into a soft, subtle black cherry and musk. It's actually quite pleasant, even office-appropriate.

 

This one doesn't last long, maybe five hours or so. I wouldn't mind finding a way to kick it up a notch, but as it is, I was surprised to enjoy this quiet, competent, grown-up scent so much.

[achildoftime]

It's very warm, wet, and green. It actually reminds me of a greenhouse because I definitely get very nitrogen rich dirt and earth under the dense greenery. When it dries, it does get a little sweet, but it also does mostly disappear for me. That's a shame because it is a great jungle/ greenhouse scent.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Volcanic gas, black musk, and a sweet floral that I first thought might be lotus, but now I am not so sure. In any case, it is a sweet, tropical bloom!

 

Wet: At first, I am hit with the sulphuric volcanic gas and black musk, but then the sweet, heady tropical blooms take over.

 

Dry: The sweet tropical blooms continue to dominate the scent, with the black musk lingering right behind them, and just a hint of the volcanic gas if you sniff close to the skin.

 

Verdict: More pleasant than I thought I would be, but musky florals aren't really my thing, and these blooms are too sweet and heady for me.