Djinn

[fathom]

An ancient, free-willed race created from the essence of Fire, much as man was created from Earth. They prowled the land at night, vanishing with the first rays of dawn. Myths surrounding the Djinn paint them as many things: benevolent champions of mankind and slaves to mad sorcerers, malicious incubi / succubi and energy vampires, or malevolent harbingers of madness and disease. The Djinn are ruled by Iblis, the Prince of Darkness, who bears unspeakable contempt for man. The scent of black smoke, of crackling flames, and smoldering ashes.

In the bottle, I smell incense, ashes, and a wet mossy note.
On the skin, I smell rosewood and sandalwood, with a tiny tang of mint in the back of the nose.
It smells powerful. Other people have mentioned housefires... I kind of get that resonance too. Last spring my neighbor's house exploded (gas leak, not meth lab) and there is something of that vibrant, crazy, 25-foot-tall flame in this scent.
As it wears, it gets less ashy and more herbal. It kind of smells like an incense holder after a lot of incense has been burned in it.

[Ajila]

I have to say this is a very strange scent. In the vial it just smelt sharp and acrid. On me I don't get any smoke, but it's a kind of dry incensy smell, as if you've got the cold ash remains of a joss stick on your skin. As that fades I get a kind of dusty herb smell. Overall it doesn't last very long on me and it's very odd, but I like it, I think .

[tropicalstorm]

In the bottle- very pungent burn smell, like fresh wet ash. also a bit acidic.

 

Skin: Wet. At first Djinn is an herbal scent. I would compair it to the mugwort, an almost musky earth scent.

 

Skin: Dry. Smells like ash again. In particular, it smells like the ash of a pine or fir tree.

 

A good blend, and though I like woody scents a whole lot, it is not something I would wear much. Off it goes!

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Wooo! This is really nice! Totally different than I was expecting.

 

After 20 minutes- This smells exactly like dried juniper berries, rosemary and frankincense incense burning on charcoals. The notes are very similar to those in Hunter Moon, less the animalistic notes and wine. Very nice!

 

Summery- I can't stop smelling my wrists. It is that good! As it dries it becomes very clean smelling. Not soap, but more so a fresh out of the shower smell.

[theshapeshifter]

In the imp: Intense and slightly acrid. I put off trying this for a while because I was a bit nervous of it.

 

Wet on skin: It's sharp and intense, but thankfully not so acrid or disturbing on. It's actually lovely, and much more accessible than the scary description would suggest. A smoky, hot campfire with some evergreen branches thrown on, with a waft of vague incense-like resin in the background.

 

Drydown: I didn't get to wear Djinn too long, because I wound up doing some yardwork and needed a shower straight afterwards, but it mellowed out beautifully in the drydown. This is the smoke/fire smell that goes with the idea of fire being the great cleanser.

 

It turns out I'm a smoke-scent junkie. I'd been apprehensive that Djinn would be disturbing (rather like The Tower), but it's not at all. This is one I'll really enjoy, and I think I may buy a bottle in a month or two, so that it'll come in time for Fall.

 

Also: While I was outside wearing Djinn, the scent from my neighbour's lilacs occasionally wafted over. Lilac and smoke might sound like an odd combo, but I was in heaven...

[Orodemniades]

Imp: Oo, there's something in this I don't like! It smells really familiar though, spicy like ginger, but floral, maybe lavender??

 

Wet: All I can smell is that note and it's icky...gah. Reminds me of how a dentist's office smells, especially just after they shoot you up with novocaine or xylocaine.

 

Drydown: Oh ye gods, please let that odor go away...here are some lemons and cardomom...say, I think it's the cardomom that I don't like. And, upon reading more reviews, I think there's a very strong undertone of myrhh, too.

 

Overall: Not only do I have a headache, but I think this oil is just too remeniscent of the dentist for me to wear! Or keep, for that matter.

 

Oro

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Acrid and strong, made me think of an overpowering mens fragrance counter smell

 

On me:

At first, my initial impression of a mens fragrance counter stayed pretty true. It just kinda smelled like a generic mens cologne. After about 5 minutes, I could smell more of what I think people are referring to as the "ashy" smell in this. It's somewhat dry and oddly...sweet - but not in a sugary kind of way, in a sweet woody kind of way. Despite detecting that ashy smell in the background though, this pretty much just continues to smell like a man's cologne on me. Nothing really stands out to me for me to really identify.

 

Final note:

Would make a decent men's oil, and this does sweeten up a bit on me later on, but I'm just not really that into this as it doesn't stand out enough as being unique on my skin.

 

 

EDIT: After about 30 minutes, this starts to smell kind of acrid again, a little more like I remember just burned ashes and wood to smell like.

Edited June 5, 2005 by Brianne

[donsixgun]

When I first put it on, it was strong. Something very sharp and almost metallic came through. But as it dried, it got a bit more mellow...

Its burnt, peppery, with what seems to be middle eastern spices or incense. Its a very masculine scent in my opinion, with a 'strong, powerful' air to it.

[ephemera]

I got this as a bonus from Beth, and upon first sniff I made a face and said, "Oh, ew, no way." I held it out to my fellow-addict Linz and she pulled the same face.

 

Two weeks later I opened it back up and somehow the scent drew me in. I put it on and now I'm totally into it. It makes me feel dangerous, alive, like I'm the kind of being who looks like a person on the outside but can leave you to burn as they walk away without a backward glance.

 

I really like it.

 

It's sharp, acrid, slightly green scent. Actually, it smells (to me) like the scent of something very fresh and green just being lit on fire, like a sapling being sacrificed. After a few hours it smells slightly sweeter, like the sacrifice was accepted in grace.

[Court Analyst/Strategist]

Djinn

 

I was expecting a darker color in imp--? Perhaps light grey with tinges of dying wet red embers? So, off orange with darkened edge? (the color of djinn in my imp is pale yellow-gold)...

 

Immediately after applying: The scent of aftermath, yes. Direct fire and still smoking ash, no. You are in the peace of forestry, of green and pine and young wood. Through the trees there is a empty place to see, a jarring sight of dark burnt branches tracing a whirlwind of destruction, a crumbling silence of the death that fire brings. This is very nearly(but slightly off mark for me, unfortunately) the scent of standing in a wood fire's aftermath, where time has seemingly slowed to all your surroundings as you witness this. You are walking in the damp ash remains of a destruction created by something you know rationally is no longer around but still can't help feeling that your presence is being contemplated. A odd peace here, with the ash sticking underfoot, the scent of the trees lingering in a slightly changed origin-- from both the half crumbly stalk shapes stilled on the ground and the distant trees who were unharmed.

 

Nice and mildly inspiring, but not something I'll run out(to my computer!) and buy 10 ml of. I was hoping this would be more of a still-burning scent(ie redder, a smokier battlefield of flame with the fire still going on and the djinn still starting 'em all over the place)---maybe the scent of the djinn themselves ? But this is still rather interesting, and I'm liking this blend more and more as a scent.

Some other reviewers mentioned this felt masculine to them, but to me this is truly gender neutral. If the thought of trekking out to stand on a bed of sun warmed ash in the middle of a still living forest of pine and inhaling intrigues you, go for it and order a imp. And while you're choking on all that ash you just inhaled reflect on whether that experience was male or female or simply crazy.

 

Throw:5 and a half/10. And Djinn lasts at a minimal intensity for about four hours after reaching drydowns highest throw on me. Traces were detectable after four or five hours, but only if I was really looking for them. Lasted longer than it broadcasted...

 

Djinn gets a 6 and a half/10 here. Not as smoky as I wanted, and not as fiery-encompassing on my skin chemistry as I would have liked. Also, I did not expect green-ish notes that seemed to backpedal everything else to the back of the ranks and turn sweetly pine later, in the final stages of scent development.

Final verdict: I do like woods and greener notes---and this simply turned too sweet(but faintly ashy, charred, too, for the celebration of good points on this). Worth the experiment in any case!

 

 

Court

[PurringPulsar]

Djinn

 

In the imp: burning incense. A bonfire of fragrant woods with a dash of ginger and resins. It's like really exotic Middle Eastern men's perfume with added smoke.

Wet on skin: oh wow. This is really nice. It smells smoky, woody and resinous. There's ginger and vetiver there as well, and possibly frankincense, and red sandalwood. It doesn't smell too burnt on me, which is good.

Dry on skin: oh, this is much better than I expected! It does smell like ginger beer, but not boozy-but it does have effervescence. It's smoky, but in a good way-it smells mysterious and exotic-there's definitely something in this that reminds me of Middle Eastern spices. It's like gently smouldering woods and resins with a smidgen of ginger, underscored by vetiver.

After a while: the sweet ginger beer scent gets stronger-like Miggins, I also get a bit of Coke or iced tea in here as well! But it still has that smoky warmth, still has that scent of smouldering loose incense and wood, evergreens, spices and herbs on the bonfire, and retains its exotic feel. The vetiver is really nice here-on me, vetiver is green and fuzzy with a hint of lemon, and that's what Djinn has. The smoky scent also reminds me of late autumn and Bonfire Night, watching the fireworks as a great bonfire of fragrant wood burns and warms you up on a cold November night. It also reminds me slightly of Hexennacht, but without the musky/skin scent drydown.

Verdict: I decided to try this out because I'm reading a book all about djinn and I thought it would be appropriate. However my track record with Diabolus scents isn't very impressive, so hopefully this would be an exception to the rule. And indeed it was. I was surprised how nice this was. I was worried it would smell horribly charred and burnt like I'd been stuck in a barbecue-but it didn't. It's smoky, but in a good way-it's a sultry, mystical smoke, like a fragrant bonfire, like loose incense, a magical pyre-I think there's maybe some frankincense, sandalwood, maybe pine or cedar, perhaps myrrh too, and also herbs and various spices burning and smouldering. It has a slight 'fizzy ginger beer' scent, and this is quite pleasant. And underneath it all is vetiver, which I have noticed in most Diabolus scents. This is warm, smoky, and exotic with a middle eastern feel-and certainly unisex. It's the perfect accompaniment to my book on djinn! And I also think this would be the perfect scent to wear on November 5 (Bonfire Night-if you're British you'll know what I mean! Basically, it's the UK's firework festival) as the smokiness gives it an autumnal vibe.

[nineveh]

Huh, my impressions of this don't match with the description at all.

 

On me, Djinn is sweet, herbal, and cheerful. There's a hint of warm smoke here, but not nearly as much as I expected. Brimstone is a lot darker and smokier on me.

 

I tried putting some more on, and now I'm picking up a eucalpytus note, which is giving me a headache.

 

This seems to be fading fast, too.

[tourmalinqueen]

Wow, where's the smoke everyone's talking about? Just to be sure my nose wasn't "off", I lit some incense and then burned a cigarette to ashes just for a comparison sniff. Don't find it here. I smell something much more intriguing, what the heck is it? Maybe some weird mix of lavender, cinnamon with a spritz of lemon? Comes off with a bit of a medicinal smell straight out of the bottle, every now and then I get sharp whiffs of soap or laundry detergent. It then morphs into something deliciously , differently sweet. A touch of cherry? It reminds me just the slightest of tobacco in a pouch, good quality pipe tobacco. Just very different.........My only complaint here is that , like most of the BPAL scents I've tried, it doesn't last long on my skin, needs frequent reapplication, if not for that, might easily become a favorite.

[Caltha]

Djinn

 

When I smell my wrist I get this harsh, acrid, poisonous smell of chemicals. It reminds me of Comme des Garcons 2, but not all that aggressive. When I don't smell my wrists I sometimes think I can smell burnt wood though, and I guess that's really the fumes of Djinn. However, I stop smelling burnt wood pretty quickly and all that remains except the chemical smell is a slight smell of hay. All in all it's a bit like a stronger, more acrid version of Scarecrow. I like the thought of smelling of burnt wood though, and the chemical smell is really only detectable when I smell my wrists, not around me.

Edited September 6, 2005 by Caltha

[Little Bird]

Djinn smells like a lighter and more peppery version of Brimstone. This is surprisingly warm and smoky on me... I agree with those who said it reminds them of frankincense incense burning.

 

It kind of reminds me of being little and playing around with a bonfire. Burning leaves and generally doing dangerous things... and when I'd back away from the fire, my hands would still smell smoky and singed. That's kind of what Djinn smells like.

 

This one also greatly startled my boy. He asked me if I'd burned dinner and checked my wrists for burn blisters

 

Interesting, but not a fragrance that I'd actually choose to wear... might give the boy a heart attack or something.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Smoke and smouldering wood - the wood still has a bit of the green scent, but it's fading before the flames and ash.

On me: Dry ashes and...soap? Very strange, but I get a definite dove soap note with ashes and hints of smoke above it.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Smells like flowery soap.

 

Just On: Soap.

 

An hour or two later: Soap.

 

Around 6 hours: Really yucky soap. My skin TOTALLY makes this stink.

 

12 hours: Bits of soap.

 

Overall: I'm rather bummed that this didn't work, because I love the name, but this is not my type for certain.

 

After reading other reviews: I never once got smoke, ashes, or flames out of this at all.

[luxuria]

This smells like men's cologne with some smoking wafting in the background. Very acrid lavender-citrus type scent. It's very strong also...I had to wash this off after about a half hour. Brimstone smells way more like things burning to me but surprisingly is more pleasing to the nose. This one about singed my nosehairs off I'd like to smell this very sparingly applied on a man, though.

[Dustbunnyxox]

DJINN:

 

From the bottle: definately more of a manly scent. i totally understand what they mean now when they say it smells like smoke. not cigarette, but more incensy and natural. like a fireplace. or campfire. I kind of smell pine and fir trees in there. A little something sweet in there though. Definately not going to be worn, maybe house scents.

 

On me: it sweetened up alot! still very pine and fir-y. less smoky now. but much nicer. very foresty.

 

Two hours later: very soft now. it's nice, i'd wear it now and than, but not all the time. more earthy now than smoky. and nice and not too sweet. and most definately not over powering.

[Nox Eterna]

This was a frimp from the lab. I had considered getting an imp but something else would always get it bumped from the order.

 

Wow, for me this is "Funeral in A bottle". It has the scent and memory association

of every funeral I have ever been to, from the smoke and ash of the incense burning in a hot metal censer to the dampness of holy water being sprinkled on

the floral casket blanket. Scent is the strongest memory trigger, but these aren't memories I want to relive. Very disturbing in it's effectiveness though.

[klowey]

Hmm, warmth.

 

I pulled this one out because the airconditioning is far too high in the office. There's a sweetness to this scent that reminds me of dragon's blood and cinnamon, but in a much more wearable form than Wrath. It's a very, very dry scent, and one I can only wear in cooler weather, but it's worth having even in a summer collection. I figure I will be wearing it more and more as the fall approaches. (Especially if they don't turn the AC down a bit.)

[aedes]

Whoa, either my nose is broken, I have the skin of an alien, or something strange happened to my imp, because I'm still not getting the ashy, smokey smell I was hoping for.

It rushed out of the vial more than any other imp I had tried previously; strong, somewhat cloying sweet and RED, bright orangey-red. A little like either maraschino cherries or maybe orange peel over a womanly perfume smell. A little like I'd expect bright red calla lillies to smell.

Hah - actually, this is exactly how I expect Jailbait would smell. Maybe I had a mix-up? How very odd!

[arabella]

First Impression: Vick's Vaporub.

 

Dries down to: Camphor. This will be good to wear when I'm congested.

 

Additional Comments: I don't know if mine was a mislabeled imp, but there was nothing vaguely reminiscent of anything to do with smoke, fire or ashes in it.

 

Lasted: A couple of hours.

 

Rating: 2 out of 5

[inkstone]

I received this as a freebie from the Lab.

 

This is terrible on me. It smells like oiled wood shavings set on fire. The fire effect I understand; the oiled part not so much. I never seem to have much luck with these types of blends.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: Whoever said "acrid" was right--this is acrid, aging smoke. I do not necessarily consider this a bad thing; I'm very interested to see what this will be like on my skin.

 

Wet: Uh-oh...instead of toning down, the acrid smell becomes stronger. This smells a bit like stale smoke.

 

Drydown and wear: The acrid smell does become less prominent, but it never really goes away. The scent does not warm up at all--I thought it might smell like warm embers, or the dying moments of a burn pile in the country. I'm very sad that it doesn't warm up on my skin; I was very excited about this scent, but it does not appear that it is for me.