Akuma

[UploadedLobster]

Devilish temptation, as sweet as sin: blood orange, neroli, and raspberry.

In the bottle: sharp orange, cherry, and raspberry, just like the description says. Very candy-like. Kinda makes me think of opening a package of Starbursts.

On skin: Lollipops. Unmistakably fruit lollipops, with that rock-sugar sweetness. Same fruit notes, but none of them smell like actual fruit--these are Artificial Colors and Flavors.

On skin, a little later: Lollipops are still stuck all over me, and there's a Barbie plastic thing going on that I don't like at all. I smell like cheap candy and dime-machine novelties. I have become a Strawberry Shortcake doll! Make it all end!


Lobster Rating
Better than: marshmallow circus peanuts

[klavierbarrette]

imp: wth, pine? or some other wood?

 

skin: this scent is definitely a fruit, probably the blood orange i am smelling. i don't smell neroli or raspberry, but a very odd fruit. it's not really...displeasing, but it kind of gives me a headache.

 

woah, like 45 mins later, it's raspberry. all raspberry. once i get past the headache, it is a keeper.

Edited September 21, 2006 by klavierbarrette

[pkwench]

Akuma in the vial starts out with this giant, rounded "O" of a note that obliterates anything else I might try to smell out of it.

 

On my skin, that note tames down and out comes the ... tang? Yes, there it is a murky, astringent Tang scent with that hint of something huge from the initial sniff. It's all together strange on my skin.

 

It morphs, eventually, to it's final stage of creamsicle meets tang over that lingering spike of neroli with a faint plastic wrap over the whole shebang. Akuma and I were not meant to be.

[harmonyfb]

When I smelled this in the imp, I was loath to touch it to my skin. It smelled acrid and bitter, not something that I'd want on me. But I was brave, and dabbed a bit on.

 

As it dried, the acrid note disappeared underneath a bloom of creamy raspberry scent, until it was completely gone. Now it smells like a sweet raspberry. It's a little too girly for me, I'm afraid.

[lookingglass]

Neroli is hit or miss on me. I suffer through it through the wet stage...it is very dominant. The raspberry kicks up just for a moment, and then it smells like a box full of Strawberry Shortcake dolls. It just does! Like the whole collection together. Kind of plasticy and fruity and...cute.

[citharadraconis]

I originally received Akuma in a pack of mystery imps and sniffed it without knowing what the notes were. My reaction: bitter herbal ick. I chucked the imp back in my drawer and forgot about it for a few days, until I actually looked up forum reviews and was taken aback by the fruit-candy descriptions. So I decided to give it a try.

 

Initially on my skin, it smells the same as in the imp--dominated by a sharp, almost bitter herbal note that I'm guessing is the neroli. As it dries, though, the neroli recedes and is replaced by a wonderful, sweet orange-raspberry note that smells like orange Tic-Tacs to me (which is good, because I love orange Tic-Tacs) with a faint underlying bite that gives the scent depth. Beautiful.

 

Final reaction: I LOVE THIS! I am so glad I waited out the initial stage, because it's definitely worth it. I have a 5ml on the way as I type.

Edited October 5, 2006 by citharadraconis

[Honor]

Having put this on without having any idea of what was in it... (until I wrote this)

 

In Bottle: Wet, juicy fruits... although nothing in particular comes out... and not that fake fruit smell, but a realistic smell as if someone squished a bunch of "red" fruits.

 

On Skin/Wet: The "wet" juiciness is gone, and a softer orange/raspberry smell is evolving...

 

On Skin/Dry: Orange Sweet tarts. Nothing more, nothing less. Not a bad smell, but not sure if I want to smell like it...we'll hold on to it for a while.

[columbus]

In the bottle, this screams “NEROLI!” Bitter and sharp, almost acrid.

 

Once it’s been on for a bit it mellows out, and I’m getting the raspberry, and just the slightest bit of citrus in the background. The berry is very sweet, more of a raspberry candy than an actual raspberry, if you know what I mean.

 

This is one blend that pretty much stays true to its original form; after it’s completely dry this is a mostly berry scent, with a dry neroli (to me, neroli smells like cardboard after it’s dried. Go figure. Actually, the combination of sweet berry and cardboard reminds me of lollipops) that becomes less and less apparent as time passes.

 

Sweet and subtle. Very devilish if you ask me.

[indicolite]

I have heard this was sweet, and sweet things make Indicolite run headlong if they are perfume; however, my gut told me Akuma tempted me.

 

And it is a keeper. My skin likes neroli, which is good because my nose likes it too. The blood orange and raspberry show up just enough to give the neroli a very interesting twist. I kept on bringing my thumb back to my nose to sniff it. I think Akuma is going to be a keeper.

[talula_fairie]

This smelled so pretty and sweet in the vial -very promising. I usually like fruity scents as well, so I had high hopes. Had.

 

It immediately smelled like the deoderizers they use in public restrooms and porta potties on my skin. It went sour immediately -eek! I tried waiting to get to the bottom notes -I really did. But alas, this one was washed off within 10 minutes. Not for me! But I bet with the right chemistry it would smell divine.

[Luhtarian]

When I applied it it was very acrid and bitter, like an orange peel ... I hadn't tried any BPAL with an orange note before, so I was afraid that this was just what orange does on my skin.

 

But! Within ten minutes the acrid smell had gone, and I was left with a heavenly smell of juicy, bursting fruit, an orange-raspberry hybrid. Lovely!

 

I think this would work especially well in a hair product. I love it when my hair smells fruity.

[eanewsom]

I love raspberries, and I love blood oranges, so this one seemed like a no-brainer. When I put it on I got a nice burst of neroli, but as soon as it dried, it turned into an overly sweet, artificial fruit smell, so sweet it hurt my head and upset my stomach. Straight to the swaps pile to find someone to love it!

[maribouquet]

imp: neroli

wet: cool, sweet fruit

dry: SweetTarts candy

 

The orange and raspberry work surprisingly well together, and the neroli lends Akuma a sort of magical effervescence. I like this initially, but the drydown is bitingly sweet on me & turns my stomach a little. Glad I got to try it - and now it's going to be swapped.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I love blood orange, so I'm curious about this one. Alas, the raspberry produces an odd effect with it--sort of like a Sweet Tart. Definitely both sweet and sour, but nonetheless not as *complex* as most BPALs. It's not bad, but it's just not me.

 

ETA: I see other people got Sweet Tarts as well. And here I thought I was so original!

Edited December 12, 2006 by Laurel the Woodfairy

[supremegoddessofall]

The note combination (neroli, orange) does not bode well for me. *sniff* It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be. The citrus here is very light and sweet. However, neroli still smells like tampons on me. Raspberry is filtering through, but not heavy. Still not for me.

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: blood orange and neroli

 

On Skin: The neroli is the most prominent, with a sharp note.

 

Drydown: Raspberry jam!

 

Verdict: It's an interesting scent but the drydown is way too sweet on me. Nuts, I really wanted to like this one.

[theseagrows]

i got this as a frimp. i had avoided it because of the raspberry, because fruit notes are not my favorite and they tend to turn plasticky. same happens with akuma- at first it's a citrus with a hint of raspberry- pretty and fresh (but not me.) then it smells like a raspberry scented doll after the drydown.

Edited April 14, 2008 by theseagrows

[filigree_shadow]

I usually like the notes in this, but it turns out that this particular combination isn't a good one for me. If it were just orange or just raspberry I'd probably like it better -- the two together are just too much. It's overly sweet and almost... chalky, for some reason. I think it's just too much fruit for me.

[mellie]

Bottle: Sweet and fruity. I can smell the orange right away, but it's definitely not alone.

 

Application: As soon as I put it on, it got a little bitter. It almost smells like orange peel rather than orange. But within minutes, the fruity smell comes back, and the raspberry is definitely coming out.

 

Dry: Raspberry, raspberry, raspberry. It's lovely. It's sweet, inviting, and I love it.

 

I thought I might not like it when I smelled that bitterness when I put it on, but I'm glad I waited. This is a definite keeper. It also lasted a really long time on me.

[jiggahava]

At first the rasberry and blood orange is bright and fresh, then the neroli comes out. It's juicy when wet, then gets kind of faded and artificial smelling on the drydown. Maybe rasberries don't work on my skin or the neroli is just making it bitter. It's okay, but I defiinitley have better fruit scents than this one.

[asciident]

Wet: Spicy citrus.

 

First on: Blood orange is blowing everything else out. It's like the raspberry is trying to poke through, but blood orange just won't let it. The scent is nice and fruity, though; very juicy and bright.

 

Dry: The more it dries, the more it becomes a tart-citrus raspberry. Very nice, though something for warmer weather than it is today!

[Sunshine the Werewolf]

Neroli!! How I love thee....

 

Can't smell anything but Neroli in the imp... and within seconds of applying, I get smacked round the face with it! This'll be lovely for popping on after my Lush 'Pleasure Treasure' massage bar....

 

It's drying now and getting a little sweeter... (is that the raspberry there?). I wish it stayed sharper and more Neroli-like for longer, but still it's such a pretty fragrance.

 

For summer days when I'm being girly and silly.

[aquazoo]

Sweet & dusty. What an odd combo of the sweet and the dust. The dust is settling out and the sweetness comes on very strong. Sweet like kool-aid, sweet with a bit of floral in there, like candy.

[Trish]

This is a fairly uncomplicated scent on my skin. When wet it's all orange, but as it dries the raspberry quickly emerges lending a sweetness to the more tart orange. My partner is still trying to work out exactly which lolly from his childhood it smells like! The neroli never appears.

 

I got this as a frimp and despite the orange I actually like this! The raspberry stops it from going sour on me. It's not a bottle scent, but I'll be keeping the imp for spring and summer.

[modernsaints]

Starts as a sharp, almost green neroli, but dries down quickly to a sweet bright raspberry and never goes back. Always keeps the neroli undertone though. It's candy and I liiiike it! Not a bottle buy, but enough to use the imp and feel happy every time.

 

ETA: Actually, in retrospect, there are far better candy scents out there... this is very one-note, and it's not an especially amazing note. I liked it the first go-round, but I find myself NEVER reaching for it, and when I want bright/sweet I hit up Bloody Mary or Eat Me first, as those have a little bit more depth. If neroli likes you a lot though, it might give this a nice balance.

Edited May 29, 2007 by modernsaints