Devil's Claw

[Asafoetida]

A yellow-bright and smoky brown-black scent, horned, pronged and strange.

I got this as a frimp with my first big order from the Lab. Since I'm a sucker for scents that are categorized as being dark, I decided to go ahead and try it on immediately...

In the imp: Holy hell that's dark. Strong. Very earthy... I suck at recognizing notes, but I'm thinkin' vetiver?

On, wet: Hello, patchouli. This smells like the incense in every Boho store I've ever been in. It's a good thing that I love those stores. Hm, is that a hint of sweetness? It's very well hidden, if it is!

On, drydown: Oo, there's something smoky and sweet coming out. Still dark as hell. And strong, it's going to my head a little. Probably because I can't stop sniffing myself. Starts to go medicinal after a bit... from various people I've gotten 'Mountain Ice chest rub', 'hospital', and 'masculine talcum powder'. There's still something dark and dirty in the background, but it's predominated by a sort of sharp note. And yes, medicinal. It's making my nose feel really clear. Eucalyptus? Strangely, I still find myself fond of it. I'll leave it alone for a bit and check back in with it later.

Dry: I shouldn't like the way this smells. It isn't pleasant. It has a sort of medicinal sharpness to it, but at the same time it manages to smell dirty. It's roots fresh out of the ground, before they've been washed and made into some kind of poultice. It's weird and not at all pretty and completely unapologetic about that fact. ...I LOVE IT.

Conclusion: I probably won't buy a 5 ml of this, but I'll be keeping the imp to wear when I'm in the mood for something dark, secretive, and unapologetically strange (and also when I'm not in the mood to get hit on). Once that runs out? I'll see how I feel about it.

[riflmom]

Wow, stale wet ashtray... I guess that's the vetiver... Why oh why is the staying power of vetiver so much longer on me than other scents?!?

I'll have to file this with Erich Zahn in the 'frimps that need a new home' box.

[Argentwolf]

Like many of the Garden scents, I find this one a very green, viney sort of scent. Up close on my skin, there's a more pungeant, earthy scent -- I can see where some people were getting the 'burnt tires' vibe! This doesn't have very much throw; it hugs my skin throughout the day. I actually sort of wanted to like this simply because so many people seem not to. It's decent, but not awesome enough for me to need to keep.

[aquazoo]

Dusty and smoky. A light undertone of something sweet, maybe floral.

 

 

[jiggahava]

When I first apply it....I feel as if I'm putting on bacon. More that I smeared bacon grease all over my skin. This smells REALLY unpleasant and vetiver-y in the imp, so I put it on sparingly. Still bacony, burned meat smelling.

 

A few hours later, a faded patchouli and vetiver smell. It's okay, but definitley not my kind of scent.

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, yep that's vetiver.

 

Wet on the skin, vetiver....dry, still vetiver but more smoke now. I hate vetiver so I am off to wash off my arm.

[catattack]

Imp: Astringent and lemony

Wet: Citrus soap

Drydown: Herbal citrus soap

Overall: I never got a full dose of vetiver like the other reviewers. I don't mind vetiver, so I was a bit disappointed when I didn't get any of the dark smokiness vetiver sometimes casts. There was a slight bitterness that could have been the vetiver poking it's head out a bit. I was intrigued by the description and really looking forward to a dark leering scent, but this ended up being bitter soap.

[volpe]

I like it. Lots.

 

In the imp it smells like I've preserved a soil sample in denaturated alcohol.

 

On my skin it smells dry, clean, bitter, and dark brown. Smokey and leathery, but a bitter leather that's not like the birch-tar based 'leather' note. A hint of organic animal sweet. I don't get any of the wet or rot, and it doesn't seem to last very long or throw much. We'll see, I just put it on.

 

It does, in fact, smell like a devil's claw, right after you've taken the amazing and vicious thing off your horse's ankle and are standing there staring at it. It's got a little blood on it.

[Molls]

I was intrigued by this in the imp, it smelled fresh, clean, citrus-y... when I read through the reviews, I thought "is mine mis-labeled?" But my imp must be from the same batch as catattack's

 

[raphaelsmuse]

Got this as a lab-fresh frimp, I was scared by the darkness at first. (Generally I avoid all of the "almost black as night" scents.)

 

In bottle: Wow, that's some vetiver all right. @_@

 

Wet: It reminds me of an old farm & tractor store that's not cleaned well - yknow the kind, with thick oil smells, dirt, old birdfeed and other kinds of animal feed...

 

Dry: It "settles down" pretty nicely, but it's still "hey-o vetiver" - reminds me of a calendar model who drives tractors or is spending lots of time getting dirty. I think it'd be a pretty sexy masculine scent, but I could never imagine me wearing this, ever.

[Monster]

In the imp: Sharp, earthy, slightly medicinal smelling

 

Wet: Well hello beautiful vetiver! This is a subdued vetiver, with a hint of something spicy (like cinnamon..??) I think there might be a teeny teeny pit of amber or patchouli in here as well. There's that soft, slightly powdery feel I usually associate with some ambers.

 

Dry: The vetiver fades a bit into the background (still prominent) as the rest of the spices and herbs (?) take center stage. This reminds me a bit of Arcanas Zombie Cucumber (which I adore). I like this one alot better though, it has better throw and lasts a lot longer on my skin.

 

Overall: My imp isn't going to last very long at all. This is a gorgeous scent, mildy smoky (in an incense sort of way) and really comforting. Ahhh I could sniff this stuff all day. Love love loooveeeee!

[mgrazulis]

Smoky vetiver and black amber...only it's dampened and sticky, like tar.

 

This one is for a die-hard vetiver fan. Not for me.

[tragedy]

This starts off stinky vetiver but surprisingly quickly morphs into an interesting burning grass smell which is

actually pretty pleasant.

After a bit it morphs again into a powdery vetiver, which just kind of makes it smell like a general mens cologne.

Not for either of us.

 

 

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Bitter dirt, that's actually quite repellant

 

Wet on me - Dry, bitter, slightly smokey and slightly earthy

 

Dry on me - A dark brown, must scent

 

Overall - Possibly the first BPAL I've ever tried that is just out and out unpleasent from start to finish

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Smoke & dirt with a hint of medicinal herbs.

 

Wet: Smoke, herbs and... cat pee?

 

Dry: The old woodwork room at school after woodwork had been discontinued for a year in favour of technical drawing - dust and wood shavings, with cat pee. This is not going so well and it has amazing throw to boot.

 

A while later: Old lady perfume, cat pee and a hint of dirt.

[Redillon]

MY FIRST REVIEW!!! Not sure how well I'll be able to detect certain notes but for all intents and purposes. I'm really digging this masculine scent.

 

In the Imp: Very smokey. Almost a salty smell. Burning cedar.

 

On the skin: Mellows very quickly to a very pleasant cedar and myhrr. It's lost it's bite. Very nice.

 

Dry down: A sweet woody fragrance. It's rich and warm and herby (Is that a word? It is now!) Very sexy.

 

I may be buying a bottle along the road....I'm a gal that loves the more masculine and spicy scents. I apparently love the smell of vetiver.

 

 

[MinxyMinou]

On my boy this is smokey cedarwood and vetvier. I quite like it's woody quality on him but he says it makes him smell like BBQ sauce...so I guess we're going to skip the big bottle!

[hmelt004]

Ack! Smoky vetiver, maybe a bit of cedar. This reminds me of Djinn a bit. Not wearable on me. Off to the swaps!

[SophieCedar]

Mmm. This makes me salivate! It's warm, smoky, and spicy on me. I can detect vetivert in the imp and first applied, which mellows and sweetens as it dries down. There's a crushed allspice ginger cookies and loam coming out on my skin? This really likes me. Similar to the density and darkness of kill-devil (another unexpected hit with my chemistry) I think if I was out pantherin (which doesn't happen anymore) this would come in handy. Very seductive and dark! Watch the application level..I seem to have used too much and its giving me a headache....

[impolight]

:::DEVIL'S CLAW:::

 

This one came as a Frimp with the last order and interest immediately piqued as Rapaccini's Garden fragrances are both potent and unique... Not to mention startlingly beautiful!

Devil's Claw is, WHOOOOOAH-Intense!!!

At first, this one seemed to closely resemble the Patchouli/Coconut cocktail of Goblin... And then it reverbated around the cranium for a bit, leaving an unsettling degree of perplexity in it's wake.

Devil's Claw most certainly IS yellow-bright. Mentholated-yellow. It is also much like a yellow-jacket... It hums, darting hither and yon, bristling with menace... Perhaps this is where the horns and prongs are evoked.

This is also the most furious, smoldering varietal of Patchouli that has been revealed from the Lab in personal experience.

Upon it's first encounter with body chemistry: Devil's Claw waxes gothic here; Vetiver unspools satiny, black ribbons similar to a slow-motion funerary procession. The horizons spilling in thunderheads as though from the rim of a bowl.

Devil's Claw seems to be blended from Coconut, Patchouli, Eucalyptus, Sage, and Vetiver.

This is dark, earthen, and sweet. In this part of Rappaccini's Garden, it is shadowy and haunted.

Clever!

Possibly unisex, but with a grittier edge that favors a masculine persuasion.

Beautiful and bleak.

4.1 out of 5

[Bunbun]

 

 

I'm super blah at picking out the layers of scents so I won't bother with that yet, but I'm getting better at it somewhat. After reading these reviews though, I’m beginning to wonder if my chemistry is just a little bit burnt around the edges.

 

I got Devil's Claw as a freebee in one of my e-bay purchases. I don't remember who from. YAY!

 

It's my favorite and……. I LOVE, LOVE ,LOVE IT.

 

It's smoky, .... but a deep, dark smoldering dark.... not papery or wafty,.... Beholding, rather .....

 

And, what ever else is in there…… it smells like the loveliest, freshest, liveliest.... Honeyxukle ever on me ..... I want MORE.................. Like LUCY!

 

For what ever reason this scent reminds me of Bruce Lee. I'm a long time fan so I'll be wearing this often.

 

GIGUNDOUS Thanks BPAL AWESOME SCENT. I will be ordering more.

[milo]

Whoah vetiver! This is strong, smoky vetiver with leather on me. It dries to a soft, smoky scent aka Liz without the florals. Not for me.

[AmyO'Shields]

A frimp with my Etsy order...

I can't say anything that hasn't already been said, just wanted to reiterate: Vetiver. Lots of it.

 

Vetiver is one of those scents that I think you either love or hate, but I find myself in the middle. It is amazing in some blends (Bloodlust, Fallen) and a deal breaker in others (A Golden Idol and Chant D'Automne) and sometimes I wear Vetiver (the essential oil) with much success, but I think I'm just going to start leaving the Vetiver blends alone... this one wasn't bad or icky, but dark and sinister and aptly named.

Edited January 15, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[toomuch]

Dark, smoky, earthy - a campfire in the woods at night. A very interesting scent, but not for me. I think I'd really like it on a man (though my man won't wear scents for anything).

[Suu4LC]

Oh dear god, the other reviews of this are terrifying me-I think I saw greasy bacon and cat pee. And worst of all vetiver! It's my doom note!

 

To me, in the imp, all I smell is vetiver. Smoky, charred vetiver.

 

Same on my skin. ZOMGVETIVER-a bit sweet and smoky.

 

I'll be honest, it is hard for me to tell whatever else might be in there because vetiver is such an overwhelming scent to me.

 

Yeah, this was basically a straight vetiver scent on me If you like vetiver though, check this out! No bacon or cat pee