The Isles of Demons

[milo]

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.

Kind of aquatic, musky and green with a bit of smoke. Not my thing, but interesting to try.

[Lucchesa]

I usually don't do anything remotely aquatic, but this was a recent Lab frimp and I was curious. I'm not getting more than the faintest whiff of sulphur, not enough to make it noxious in any stage. Instead, wet, it's green with a big blast of really lush flowers and a lot of sweetness -- carnivorous plants must use nectar and plenty of it to entrap their prey. In drydown a subdued black musk comes into play, really pretty, and it is smokier on the back of my wrist than on the inside. No soapiness on me at all. I am weirdly fascinated by this scent and so glad I got to try it.

[VetchVesper]

Well shit.  My first impression is I kind of love this, and it was no where on my radar.  It smells green, tropical, and lush at first.  Vaguely aquatic, without turning to soap.  There's some sort of floral in here, but I'm not sure what.  Then brimstone and coal notes starts working their way in, overlaying everything with a raspy, acrid texture.   It's a  surprisingly different fragrance now.  Sort of Machu Pichu to Brimstone.  The smoky scent gradually over takes the sweet, green lushness.  5 stars for the scent journey.  I went from an exotic jungle garden to the edge of that volcano in less than 5 minutes.  I think I'm going to have to investigate this one more thoroughly!

[Dancing Raven]

This was a frimp from the lab. It's something I probably wouldn't have tried on my own because I fear aquatics, and I would have missed out on this.

I don't get anything green at any stage. I get white florals initially. I think there may be some ylang ylang sweetening things up. About 20 minutes into the drydown, I get lotus in all of its bubble gum glory. That's not a bad thing, but lotus isn't my favourite. It dies down after about 30 minutes. Once it does, I get a beautiful smoky sweet floral. I think there is some moss in this creating that smokiness, so I guess that could be the "green" in the description. At this point it reminds me a lot of The Snipe's Beak Trapped In A Clam Shell. It's lovely. After a while, the musk joins in, and I am getting a smoky, sweet, and slightly powdery floral (lotus, ylang ylang, and perhaps gardenia and/or heliotrope?). It's not overly heady or floral. It's nice and soft, so this would be a good blend for those who aren't big fans of smelling like a flower. It becomes close to the skin after about an hour of wear. I do wish the throw remained stronger. 

Despite being a skin scent, it's very nice, and I am planning on getting a big bottle. 

4.5 out of 5 stars.

[rhonorv]

This is such an interesting, full scent! It reminds me of a visit to Puerto Rico, where there was a mosquito-haunted mangrove stand in a very picturesque bay. It is not ocean-aquatic, but verdant-aquatic, like wet plant matter in the summer time: leaves and flowers and especially fruits at the peak of ripeness. I thankfully do not sniff any volcanic gases  but I do smell smoke wisping through when this is dry. Pretty low throw.

 

It's really on the perfect line of cologne and perfume for me. Big bottle list!

[Laughing Seagull]

When the oil is fresh outta the vial, I definitely get something acrid that could be construed as volcanic.  Within a few minutes, Isles of Demons then strikes me as about 60% black musk, 30% juicy tropical flowers, and 10% smoke.

 

I've never met a black musk scent that I didn't like, and Isles of Demons isn't the scent that breaks that streak.  That initial burble of magma or whatever isn't the most pleasant thing, but it only lasts for like two minutes.  As usual, black musk has a lemony quality to it that I'm extremely fond of.  The isles are light and breezy but still noticeable, which I like in a scent.

 

I'll be deathmatching it with Pele and Machu Picchu in the near future since I'm on a tropical scent kick.

[Freikugel]

Frimp. Wet, I'm definitely getting the volcanic gas! It's a chemical, chalky-synthetic smell accentuated by green notes and a floral note I can't identify. I'm not totally sure what black musk smells like, but something must be tying the other scents together. The gas note fades in and out over time and it soon starts to smell more like a fancy soap. Not a bad soap. It's just something I'd expect to smell in a nice restaurant bathroom. There is no throw except about two inches from my wrist. Not something I'd buy, but it was cool to try it.

[Diesis]

After reading all the reviews, I think I have a mislabelled imp. This smells sweet & floral, with some greenery. Nothing volcanic, no black musk… more a golden amber & maybe a resin? It’s blended really well & the wet & dry phase stays the same. It feels like a familiar perfume, but I’m not sure what (I almost want to say Gucci Guilty). 
 

But I’ll leave the review at that because I’m not sure I have the same perfume but I don’t think I’m gonna buy the big bottle until I figure it out. But otherwise, this would be a stand out for me (been wearing it all week).

[Exquise-moi]

Demons? On me, this morphs into a sweet, fresh, tropical floral scent, subtle and not long-lasting.

Edited May 12, 2023 by Exquise-moi

[2bullets]

This is the first aquatic I ever tried- on me it ended up smelling exactly like one of those almond cherry soaps that you'd find in a dispenser at a public restroom. 

[Zorra]

I checked the label of the imp to make sure I am indeed trying The Isles of Demons and yes, that is what the label says. Yet I do not smell anything remotely tropical floral. It's more like not only the volcanic gas but also warm volcanic rocks - well maybe that's the hot black musk? It smells warm and black. If there is greenery it's certainly not tropical but then I wouldnot expect tropical vegetation in Newfoundland. Maybe my imp is old, I think I got it a maybe four years ago. Or maybe it's my skin. Whichever it is,  I really like what I smell.

 

ETA: OK 10 minutes later I find that when I am not sniffing my wrists but have them, well, at arm length I suppose or a little less while I am doing things with my hands, I do smell florals. They are not strong but they are kind of sweet which maybe would make them seem tropical. I don't think tropical when I smell them, but that may be because I am influenced by the location of the islands.

Edited October 18 by Zorra