Depraved

[YoakeNoKami]

A salacious, lecherous, leering scent - dirty and dark, slapped with a wet sweetness. Earthy black patchouli swelling with apricot.

This one is one I'm not quite sure about. It has a heavy, musky smell--one I've been mostly avoiding--but at the same time, it's got this really lovely, clear fruit note! I'm not sure if I like it or love it or what, yet… this calls for more testing!

[alexandra]

This was a gift from a lovely enabler!

 

In the vial: fruity patchouli. Not so keen on patchouli

 

Wet: Percy Patchouli is here alright with a friend - but it's not Miss Apricot, adding innocence and promise, but instead it's Mr Black.....Pepper.

 

Dry: Mr Black Pepper steps forward. It is as if I've walked into a kitchen where chefs are shaking pepper pots at each other in rage. There is no sign of an apricot in that kitchen.

 

The Husband Sniffs: "hippies"

 

And?: I wanted to bring out my depraved side but it's been scared away by unhappy hippies.

[dragonlady]

My first review! I hope I do it justice.

 

 

I got this as a frimp from the lab with my first order, and it took me forever to try it on because I didn't like the smell of it in the bottle.

I know, silly of me, but at least I did try it eventually. And I'm so very glad I did, because I love it.

 

In the bottle it smells like smoky dirt, which I guess is the patchouli.

 

On my skin it follows the following pattern;

 

Initially: Patchouli.

 

2 minutes in: Patchouli with a hint of sweetness.

 

5 minutes in: Patchouli with a hint of apricot.

 

10 minutes in: The patchouli has really backed off, and the apricot's jumping up and down, demanding notice.

 

30 minutes: Apricot's out in full force, and the patchouli is just slightly there, keeping it from turning too sweet.

It really smells like a dirty, ripe apricot. That's the first image that pops in my head when I sniff this: an apricot that fell from the tree into the soft dirt underneath. Amazing.

 

Conclusion:

 

I love this scent, I've been trying to decide whether it's going to be my signature scent or not, but jury's still out.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last long at all; within two hours it's gone from my wrists, and maybe four behind my ears (kind of hard to judge as my nose doesn't reach there).

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle not bad; the patchouli seems tame and i can smell the apricot sweetening up the whole mix.

wet on skin HOLY NASTY BLACK PATCHOULI!! *cough* yeah, no.

dry on skin the apricot just lurks, clearly terrified by the bloody patchouli which stays in that "dirty hippie" vein throughout. because the red patchouli in ravenous works on me for unknown reasons, i forget how vile i find it most of the time. this is unwearable for me.

[coraa]

Vial: Patchouli, with a sort of earth-tobacco-leather note. A faint musky hint of sweetness -- apricots and maybe a little bit of honey.

 

Wet: Patchouli still strong, still tobacco-y and dark with an undertone of apricot. The patchouli scent is beating out the apricot, though...

 

Drydown: Yup. The sweet fruitness of the apricot is subsumed under the dark note of the patchouli, and seems to be vanishing entirely. Pity. The patchouli notes themselves are too harsh for my tastes, if they're not ameliorated by something sweet, and here the patchouli just overpowers the sweet-fruity notes on me.

 

Dry: The apricot has come back, but only a little. Not enough to counterbalance the black patchouli, which really doesn't seem to play nicely on my skin. It's got an almost soapy edge to it, on top of the patchouli-tobacco.

 

Not for me, I think.

[oneiromantics]

I got this as a frimp from the lab with my last order. I don't generally like patchouli because it's too strong, so I wasn't very optimistic about Depraved, but I decided to try it anyway.

 

In the bottle, all I smell is patchouli. No apricot for me.

 

When I put it on, it's spicy, dark, and a little bit sweet. Still no apricot, though. Dry, it smells exactly like the honey ginger peach black tea my mom has at home, which is always so lovely to have when you're curled up under a blanket on a winter night, reading a good book. These associations make it an oddly comforting scent to me--not something I'd wear when I'm feeling depraved, and not necessarily something I'd want to smell like every day, but I kind of like it.

 

Overall rating: 3/5

[lainevierge]

Wow, I love this. It smells liks dusty apricots (I'm starting to think all patchouli turns to dust on me) but I like it anyway. I'm so glad the fruit didn't go powdery like orange, lemon and grape seems to do on me. I can't wait to see what this is like in the hotter months. It may be just the kind of light, yet edgy scent that I'm looking for!

[septima_pica]

Does what it says on the tin.

 

This is extremely true to description on both of us. We get different proportions of apricot to patchouli -- fruitier on me, patchouli-er on him -- but it's still basically exactly what it says. Pleasant, but not really what either of us is looking for.

[ACVail24]

Depraved

 

In the Imp:

Apricot & dirt

 

On my Skin, Wet:

PATCHOULI !!!

Ick ick ick.....

 

On my Skin, Dry:

patchouli & apricot.

mostly apricot at this stage, which is nice, but getting there gives me a headache/allergies.

 

Verdict:

3 of 10 ranking.

If this were just dirt & apricot, maybe...

but the patchouli kills it for me

[willowtreeling]

I don't like this on me, one bit. I loved Imp, and patchouli is pretty good on me, normally. But this smells like sweat or pencil shavings on me--maybe it is the black patchouli?

[tziporra]

I've been looking for a fruity bpal that works on me.... most just get eaten up by my skin (it must be very hungry).

 

Soooooo..... I was nervous about Depraved because patchouli is touch-and-go for me, depending on what it's blended with. But I was simultaneously attracted to the description because, well, I like my fruit wrecked. I want my apples and cider fizzy, my peaches soft to the edge of rotten, and I'm happy to eat the berries left after I sort out the ones that have molded.

 

Thus Depraved is my nearly perfect fruit scent. It smells exactly like walking through the apricot orchard and smelling the fallen oozingly sweet apricots on the ground, mingling with the scent of dirt and rotten leaves and all those wonderful heady orchard smells.

 

Delicious. But you may not think so.

 

This is definitely a fruit I can wear. And one I want to wear, to boot. The big bottle list threatens to permanently overwhelm the scent budget.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

 

ETA:It's Tu B'Shvat today (Jewish New Year for trees) and this scent was in cosmic resonance. I ate dried apricots all day.

Edited January 23, 2008 by tziporra

[seamor]

Amazingly dark and dirty, especially after wearing The Dormouse and Tushnamatay for the past few days, LOL!

 

Patchouli, patchouli, patchouli, and not the sweet kind. Patchouli and moist black garden loam. Or maybe that nice juicy dirt around the dumpster ...

 

After a few minutes the patchouli backs off enough for some of the apricot to begin to come through. That's better. In fact, that's not bad at all - an intriguing scent that becomes deeper and rounder with the continued blossoming of the (luscious!) apricot.

 

Somehow this reminds me of my friend's enormous, gorgeous, but psychotic dog. I genuinely appreciate the wonder and beauty of it, but would rather not get close enough for it to take my face off.

 

Ah! Thus the name! I get it!

 

Gotta go wash now ...

[etienne]

Patchouli seems to be a bit of a hit or miss on me. I think black patchouli is becoming the one that doesn't work.

 

I like the apricot a lot - it's golden, just the right kind of sweetness.

Unfortunately, the black patchouli makes this smell like pencil shavings on me. Not the effect I was hoping for.

 

It has a lot of staying power and a fair bit of throw - but unfortunately this just isn't for me as a scent.

[ceiswyn]

(Note: I always do the first sniff without looking at the description)

 

In the imp: It smells sweet, backed by something dry. After further sniffing and some brain-wracking, the sweetness is a little peachy, which surely can't be right? It also has a flower quality to it, and something like tobacco - but not, I think, actually tobacco - behind it. Oh, yes. Patchouli. You'd've thought I'd've recognised patchouli, wouldn't you? But for some reason I never, ever do.

 

On the wrist: At first this is a faint wreathing of peach (I know it says apricot, but it really does smell more like peach) twining through smoky patchouli. Then the patchouli seems to suddenly catch fire. It smells almost hot, now; smoky and spicy and, yes, dirty and dark, lifted by a tenuous veil of peach (admit it, BPAL, it's peach really, isn't it?)

 

One hour later: This is strongly patchouli; a kind of earthy, gritty patchouli, blended with a hint of peach. I rather like it, actually. 8/10

[BelleAnge]

On the first try, I don't really care for this scent. I couldn't really smell any apricot though. Maybe I should try actually wearing it to see how I like it.

 

Edit: I put a little of this on and got a very woody scent. Still no hint of apricot. But I am liking the scent a bit more.

Edited April 9, 2008 by BelleAnge

[butcherbaby]

now that i know i can wear the lab's patchouli, i've included more of those in my wishlist. i was eager to try this because of the two note simplicity of the blend.

 

in the vial it's earthy- VERY earthy. it smells like rich black loamy soil, freshly turned. hmmm....getting very little apricot here at all.

 

wet, the earthy smell is overpowering. i am getting a little apricot now.

 

drying, the apricot is coming to the fore and i get delicious whiffs of it every now and then. it smells juicy, thick, a bit tart at times. it's lovely! unfortunately for me, the black earth smell of the patchouli is what i get more of. it's not so bad in the throw, but closer sniffs of the wrist actually find it turning my stomach a little. an odd reaction, because i don't actually *dislike* the scent so much as feel it's just not very "me".

i'm going to let my husband try it before i add it to the swap pile. he loves earthy smells and they work for him. if it comes out as strong on him as it does me, it'll be a sure winner. we'll see though, our chemistry is so different that when he tried goblin he felt it was too feminine, while on me it smelt just like a brand new black rubber tire. LOL.

the apricot is a different story here. it's so enticing that it's encouraging me to look for & experiment with other blends that contain it. i love when trying a BPAL opens up a whole new avenue of scent, as i am normally not a 'fruit' person but i've found certain fruity lab scents that work really well on me. it's a nivce change- i can't smell like an incense shop or harem all the time! :-)

[SilverSerenity]

This is really interesting.

 

I smell the apricot the most, until I actually sniff my wrist close up. Then...wow. Dirt (wet soil, at that) and apricot, perfectly melded. Like you spent the day out in the garden.

 

I love it. Perfect for a day like today (rainy spring day).

[Lamia]

I smell like a damn dirty hippy LOL I love patchouli, really, it's divine. But this is some damn powerful dark patchouli, and there's nothing to buffer the apricot. It smells like someone's mom, in 1967, sprayed some fruit scented air freshener in a room after their Free Lovin' daughter left to go protest something at the local college. I'll keep this, but won't be ordering more, phew!

 

It fades, leaving the apricot as a more dominant note over the patchouli, Interesting, but takes much too long to develop.

[taramarie]

Wet on my skin, Depraved is pretty much evenly split between the patchouli and apricot. As it dries, the patchouli grows stronger. Dry, the apricot is pretty much way in the back. This is okay, but not really me. I'll pass it on.

[megank4]

need less patchouli, more apricots. I smelt some apricot at the very beginning, but then it was patchouli. I love the other apricot blends, such as Siren, though!

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Medium golden brown oil, somewhat viscous. Extremely dark, dirty, soil-like, rooty patchouli - the kind I do not like - over somewhat faint, syrupy-sweet, overripe apricot. Fits the concept perfectly, but not my tastes.

[innocent]

I got this from the lab as a frimp in my recent order of imps (various violet blends as I search for that perfect violet scent). What a change from the violets I've been sniffing for the last two days!

 

First on the apricot and patchouli are equally strong. As others have mentioned, the apricots are extremely juicy - a slightly-too-ripe sort of smell. They fought with the patchouli rather than blending with it. For some reason this struck me as a good perfume to wear after a day on the beach when you and your friends are going to a fancy restaurant that has to let you in even though you're all wind-blown and underdressed - provocative I suppose.

 

Unfortunately the apricot doesn't really last on my skin. It fades quickly, leaving behind a softened patchouli. Not an unpleasant drydown, but not as nice as when wet. I think I'll keep my imp around for times when I feel like something different, but I'm not a big enough patchouli fan to wear this often.

 

ETA: I spoke too soon! After about half an hour the apricot came back and melded very nicely into the patchouli. I can see myself using up this imp (my prereq for ordering GC 5mls) and having to buy more. It's a good scent for summer nights.

Edited July 13, 2008 by innocent

[caffinatedangel]

Preconceptions: from the description I wanted to smell like an earthy hippy eating apricots.

 

In the imp: Wow. Apricots. Mm. Like Apricots that had grown overripe, fallen off the tree, and are now seeping into the soil. (Sans any bugs or insects, thankfully)

 

Wet on skin: Patchouli is sort of... not there. It's not heady like I thought it would be. The Apricot is really the forefront for me. Apricot rolled in twigs. It doesn't really have the encompassing deepness I thought it would, it's staying rather light.

 

Dry: I'm drooling. I love patchouli so I expected to die for this scent. I assumed it would be heavy heavy patchouli with a touch of Apricot. But this is, on me, Apricot with a touch of twiggy dirt. I'm in love. I didn't realize I loved the smell of Apricot so much. -considers putting more fruity scents in her next order of imps-

 

More Dry: Patchouli comes to forefront more so, growing over time. Less squishy fruit, more dirt. But, the fruit is also staying with me and I get notes of Fruit over top the patchouli. It's getting that [atchouli deepness I enjoy now, and just keeps building. Apricot not vanishing though. Yay.

 

Overall: Waving wrists, you get apricot. Sniffing wrist, you get patchouli (Twigs, raw bark, dusty dirt kind of patchouli). Chilling and watching a movie, you smell like a hippy who lives with apricots. I adore it. I also ADORE patchouli most every day, so if you dislike it, then flee. -rolls in her dirty hippyness-

Edited July 16, 2008 by CaffinatedAngel

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Patchouli and apricot. An interesting and quite pleasant combination

 

On Application

Very earthy with a touch of the sweet, acidic apricot

 

Dry Down

The apricot disappears pretty quickly leaving the dusty, lovely patchouli. I like it but there may be better patchouli blends out there that I haven't tried.

 

Rating (0-5)

3

[Sushi-n-Sake]

In imp: Very dark, earthy patchouli, similar to the in-bottle scent of A Countenance Foreboding Evil

Wet: Still heavy patchouli, but the apricot is starting to get stronger as well

Dry: The patchouli has backed off, and as other reviewers noted, this is very much like overripe apricot and dirt

 

Verdict: I am definitely a patchouli-lover who usually doesn't go for fruity smells, but this is something very special. I love it and will be putting a 5mL into my next order!

Edited August 22, 2008 by Sushi-n-Sake