Imp

[Miss Lynx]

Devilishly playful: white peach, amber, golden musk and patchouli.

Oh, this is really nice! It's got that warm, sensual amber/musk base that Haunted, Fenris Wolf and Titus Andronicus all share (albeit with variations in the type of musk), with just a touch of patchouli earthiness and then lush, sweet peach overtop of it. Of those, it's most reminiscent of Titus, but still has its own distinct character.

It's also a bit like Depraved, which I tried for the first time yesterday, and quite liked, but this is nicer. It's Depraved with the patchouli behaving itself and the amber and musk rounding everything out and giving it warmth and fullness.

The musk in it seems to be a lighter kind than some of the others, and the patchouli fairly gentle, so while a little on the earthy side, it's not heavy at all, and comes off as kind of a "skin scent" -- like something that could be a slight amplification of one's natural scent. And it's really perfectly balanced -- it's not too sweet, not too earthy, just a very harmonious blend that smells warm, soft, a little fruity and a little incensey.

The only drawback is it seems to fade fairly fast. But maybe I just need to put it on a bit more heavily. If I can get it to last, I could see this becoming a favourite everyday scent for me. Though if I do end up getting it in the bottle, I suppose I'll be sacrificing the irony of having an imp of Imp.

Grade: A

[herongale]

The lab sent me a freebie of the Diabolus scent, "Imp," but after careful comparison, I've determined that this is a mis-labeled version of Lampades. It is identical in color, bottle scent, and drydown. Imp is supposed to smell like peaches and musk, amber and patchouli, but this has the very distinct smell of berries under the stars that I get from Lampades. This review will be a placeholder to remind me that although I was sent an imp of Imp, I really don't think I've had a chance to accurately try it yet.

 

I am now determined to cross-check this against another vial of Imp and see if I'm correct. If I'm not, and this oil IS the correct one... well, it's a dead ringer for Lampades on me. From start to finish hours later. *shrugs* Strange, hey?

[LyndaM]

OMG this has patchouli?!? I got a frimp from mobilejessie in the mail today, and swiped it on without looking up the description. I enjoyed the dark, spicy fruity sweetness.

 

I actually like it. A perfume with patchouli. Either hell has frozen over, or my tastes are evolving.

[QueenFae]

Beautiful! The peach is definitely on top here, and it's sweet and has an almost evervescent quality. The fruitiness is undershadowed by the smoky patchouli, and it's such a beautiful combination. This reminds me a bit of Depraved, one of my favorites, but less incensey. Imp is great, it's fruity, fun, and earthy all at the same time. Would be really nice on both guys and girls.

[sophia_helix]

In the bottle:

 

Sweet peach on top, with a layer of patchouli and musk beneath.

 

Wet:

 

Same as in the bottle, except both the sweet top note and the musky bottom note are intensified. If there's amber in here, it's so well-blended I can't tell.

 

Drydown:

 

I could definitely tell there were separate layers in here at the beginning of drydown. The golden peach of Tamora, the biting trickle of patchouli, the musk/amber as the solid body. Eventually they all came together again to become something very smooth and well-blended...

 

Except I'm just not crazy about it. I like patchouli a lot, but I associate it with burning in an incense-holder and listening to Sgt. Pepper when I was thirteen and going through my mystical-hippie phase. The pretty peach on top feels odd, like one of those incense sticks that's just way too sweet and fruity and seems to miss the point of being incense. And then the musk adds a very perfume-like touch.

 

I know there's someone out there this would fit well; it's just too too earth-mother for me. I feel like I should be a big woman in my fifties with a big laugh, lots of skirts and bangles, wearing this in my ample cleavage. On that woman, this would be perfect.

[sarahj]

Imp

 

in vial: sweet peach and amber

 

wet: the musk begins to make an appearance

 

dry: peach fades away...mostly left with a very powdery amber

 

verdict: too powdery for me...off to swaps

[SeaMonkey]

This makes me smile. Its all peach and amber, with a tiny bit of musk. I'm not a big peach fan, but this is fun. Its very faint and doesn't last too long. The patchouli is coming out and it changes a bit. The peach isn't so strong now and its becoming a scent thats more like something I'd wear.

[squishycat]

My cat tried to eat my arm when I was wearing this.

 

Initial reaction: Oof. This is sharp and musty, like cheap patchouli, and while I like the smell of basements, I don't want to smell like one.

 

Later in-vial reaction, after my nose had calmed: It's much nicer now. The patchouli isn't a sharp, and I can smell a whif of peachy sweetness underneath, along with something else.

 

Wet: Oh, the peach is coming through. The amber is making this glow, and the patchouli is just the way I like it. The musk is combining really well with the others, which is good, as I'm not always very fond of it.

 

Dry, and later: Oh, this is SEX. It's playful, teasing, all-over-the-place sex. With peaches. Oh wow, I love this. And it's STRONG - I'm a little afraid to wear it out, but I want to, though I'm not sure I'd be able to concentrate on anything but how good I smell.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: sweet peaches.

 

wet on skin: still peaches, with some patchouli coming out and around the edges. This is an enormously playful scent, like the younger and more wistful cousin to Machu Picchu (or Machu Pikachu as my friend calls it).

 

dry: very sweet, very summer-like.

[PurringPulsar]

Imp

 

In the imp: deep fruity musk! It’s like a red musk enhanced by juicy peach and patchouli.

Wet on skin: oh, this is lovely. Peach and red musk, or maybe a light musk made ‘red’ by patchouli.

Dry: oh wow. This is gorgeous stuff. This is Fae’s (or Tamora’s or Aglaea’s for that matter) dark twin-a fruity rich musk scent enhanced by peach, amber and patchouli. It’s bright, yet darkly rich and sweet, sunny and juicy, yet sensual and deep. On the skin, the peach becomes more pronounced, and it smells almost creamy at points-which might be to do with the musk…this is a very pleasant scent!

After a while: (1 hour) this smoothes out nicely. The musk isn’t as deep and ‘red’ as I first thought-I think it’s the patchouli that gives that impression. Now it’s a gorgeous golden amber-peach scent resting on a smooth light musk base, a golden, sweet scent with a very slight hint of patchouli in the background. It’s very similar to Aglaea, and possibly Tamora, at this point.

As time passes, the amber and peach merges nicely into the musk, creating a smooth, creamy drydown with a nice juiciness remaining.

Verdict: finally, I try the scent that shares its name with the Lab’s infamous sample vials! And damn, it’s good. If Fae, Aglaea, or Tamora had a darker twin, it would be Imp! This is a wickedly good peach scent, it has the same sunny, juicy, golden amber-peach combo as Aglaea, but this has a deeper musk, almost a red musk with dark patchouli…but as it changes on the skin, I also think it could be a light musk deepened by patchouli, as I get a lovely smooth light musk with amber-peach resting on top after an hour. I’m becoming very attached to the Lab’s peach scents and this is another one that I’ve fallen for-I’m not sure if I’ll get a bottle of it yet as Tamora and Fae still remain my favourite peach BPAL scents, but I love it anyway!

[Finny]

A dirty version of Fae.

 

The patchouli is beautiful in this one. The peach is darker, and juicier than in Fae. This is the scent for a hot summer night, spent outside under the stars.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is strong peach and insistent patchouli. It's warm, but also sticky sweet and dark. As it dries, the less sweet notes come to the fore, and everything strikes an even balance. It's earthy, but not too serious-smelling. It's sweet, but not too flighty.

 

I don't think is quite the scent for me, but the end result is nicely grounded. I like it.

[seamor]

First on: The patchouli is there, but gently - not overpowering. The individual notes blend seamlessly. I can also pick out the peach if I really try, but no single note is prominent. Warm and spicy - yum!

 

Settles down to a soft incense-amber scent with a delicate hint of high fruity musk and a gentle ambery throw. I also keep thinking I smell spiced vanilla - where is that coming from? Very nice!

 

Update: About an hour later, when I am not paying attention any more, I suddenly get a big *BOOF* of warm, golden, spiced peach. It's an almost tactile sensation, like being bopped in the face with a huge, soft, peach-scented powder puff.

 

Awesome! What a gorgeous scent!

 

Sadly, that right-up-front peach note doesn't last long on me. I end up with a warm spicy-resiny scent that lasts at least 15 hours, right up to bedtime. I really like spicy-resiny, although I would love to have held onto a little more of the peach along with it.

 

This is not bad at all.

 

Edited February 8, 2006 by celtimor

[jidabug]

Okay, this was a weird one because straight off it smelled like cherry cough syrup to me; roughly sweet with a bite. Eventually it calmed down into a smoky, spicy blend with soft, fruity overtones. In the end it turned to spicy peaches, but there was still a lingering sharpness underneath it that really didn't work for me.

[strawberry_star]

I actually had taken this off my wishlist because it contains musk, which usually overwhelms my skin and it's all I can smell. That mixed with the patchouli made me certain that it would be way too manly. Well luckily I got it as a freebie and I must apologize to poor Mr. Imp!

 

Peach loves my skin, it even withstands musk. The peach mixed with amber reminds me of Tamora except much darker. I've come to really adore it now because it's a wonderful fragrance to wear when I'm in the mood for something a bit stronger than my normal peach smells (Tamora, Fae, Titania).

[GemmaCat]

In the imp: sweet, almost woodsy with a hint of cherry.

 

On my skin, initial: a heady note of something I can't place, with a really pretty, deep sweetness.

 

Drydown: Much the same, but even sweeter.

 

This is a really unusual scent. I can't place any individual notes and just get a generic sweetness, so I'm still undecided on this one.

[theseagrows]

i'm not big on neither peach nor patchouli. this was a frimp from the lab, and nothing i would've ever chosen for myself. still, it DOES smell better than i thought it would! but it's too sweet for my tastes, so off to the swap pile!

Edited February 22, 2006 by theseagrows

[loves_requiem]

oh this is so pretty on the bottle...i love summer peaches....

 

then of course, the amber kills me. grrr.

 

i swapped it out, but i might try it again....

[kaltomere]

Unfortunately, the musk and patchouli didn't darken this as I had hoped they would. It kinda smells like peach wine, which is a lovely smell in the bottle, but not something I would like to smell like. Ah, well, can't win them all.

[PirateMaggie]

I've yet to meet one of Beth's peach blends that I didn't like, so I was thrilled when a frimp of this came with my last order. I don't know how I managed to miss the description of this...ah, I know. The musk threw me off. Happily, it turns out that only white musk hates me.

 

This is definitely BPAL's glorious peach, but different than my other peach blends: Marquise de Merteuil is ice queen peach, Tamora is bright happy sunlit peach, La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente is soft and wistful peach, and Imp is dark, steamy, wickedly seductive peach. This is not a tame, fruity-girly peach at all. The peach in this scent is at the peak of ripeness, the amber makes it sizzle, the patchouli (which my skin sometimes amps but not in this blend) makes it earthy and wild, and the golden musk smells like naughty intentions. Throw is medium and very come-hither. It lasted all day and into the night, which is good because this really is a nighttime scent--preferably a hot, humid night with somebody special.

 

Big bottle. Definitely.

[tinyvulture]

Very similar to Depraved as both are patchouli/fruit combinations. While Depraved is apricot/patchouli, this is peach/patchouli. This scent is a bit more mellow, however, thanks to the warm musk and amber which have a softening effect. Ripe and juicy yet dark and dirty – very sexy! Love this on my husband, love it on me too!

[Naamah_Darling]

The combination of peach, amber, and patchouli smells a lot like wine and dragon's blood in the bottle. It's aggressively sweet, almost intimidatingly so. It goes on a little incensey as the peach settles down, and then the peach and patchouli really warm up in combination. The amber backlights it subtly. Lovely! The BPAL peach note is truly graceful and sweet, I have loved it in every mix I've smelled it in. Here, the patchouli really dirties it up nicely.

 

While it's wet, I keep getting a faintly mentholated scent, just a very faint hint of cough syrup really close to the skin. I don't know what that is. It's not off-putting, it's just very, very strange. And it goes away as soon as it's dry. How peculiar.

 

Dry, it's a sweet mixture of peaches, amber, and patchouli that is at once simple and luminously deep, a textured, slightly gritty scent that smells the way vintage sepia photographs look – one color, but all full of hidden warmth and light. It ages well, too. The peach prevents it from going powdery, and it keeps its balance right up until final weardown.

 

This is a beautiful scent; not devilish, just a little wicked. Playful and sweet. If you liked the peach in Fae and Aglaea but thought they were a little too sugary for your taste, the earthy incense of Imp might be what you need.

[arabella]

First Impression: A hint of fruit with musk and amber.

 

Dries down to: The fruit obviously becomes peach, strengthens and then, the patchouli joins in.

 

Additional Comments: This isn't my favourite peach blend - I prefer Aglaea and Fae - but it's quite nice. The patchouli gives this a serious presence and makes it more of a grown-up scent, one more suitable for the boardroom than a romp in the park.

 

Lasted: A couple of hours.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

[Ms Density]

Got this in a swap, and it was a complete surprise. I did not particularly expect to like a strong peach note, but I've been on Sin-induced patchouli kick lately so I thought I'd give it a go.

 

All you Urd-worshipping patchouli lovers out there, Imp is my Urd. I liked Urd okay, but Imp is definitely more my bag. It's my warm-weather Sin!

[juniperus]

Bottle: Patchouli and peach, heavy patchouli hit me in the face..I got visions of fancy-pants hippy-chicks who wear too much patchouli and sit around looking artsy in coffee shops. Good lord, you know the type.

Wet: oh my the peach, the peach, the peach! I'm not much for fruity or sweet, so I was a wee bit afraid.

Dry: the amber and musk come up with the peach and mellow it out considerably. The patchouli steps back and grounds everything nicely - a real summery scent..and the peachiness ends up less sweet, more spicy..sort of the smell of sunshine as it dapples through the leaves of a peach orchard.

Later: the peach doesn't much fade, but the patchouli and amber are both very evident and balance it well..a very golden, warm scent..