Depraved

[topazphoenix]

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

Er. Apricot + patchouli doesn't smell like those individual notes. I'm not getting fruit or patchouli from this at all. The effect is rather like fresh cedar shavings. This is extremely similar to Tweedledum, imo. Fruit and patchouli conspire together. But it's a good union! I feel compelled to say that this evokes an image nothing like the description. It's not lecherous, leering, dirty, dark, or wet at all. It's dry and fresh, like a workshop filled with cuts of fresh wood. If I wanted to smell like cedar shavings I'd get a bottle. Edited October 10, 2009 by Shollin

[Tenebrae]

Hmm...

 

Imp/Wet:

-To me, while in the Imp and fresh on the flesh, it smelled a lot like one of the flavors of the new 5 gum, Elixir I think... It's an overwhelmingly powerful smell to my senses...and one that kind of comes off unappealing, like it would taste good...but to the nose it's simply too strong for my tastes.

 

Dry:

-The dry down smelled similar, it toned down a lot in intensity...but it's far too fruity for my tastes...perhaps for a female, but I honestly couldn't tolerate this scent on someone for too terribly long. I do get a feel of when you walk into those old scented candle shops and the fumes just...knock you on your backside... You go throughout the store twitching your nose, the smells assaulting you like a viking raid against a unprepared village.

[satinworship]

I tend to really like patchouli and it tends to like me back, but the kind in this just doesn't do it for me. It smells like rancid body odor, slathered in apricot. I think this one was just too simple to me, no blending of scents going on. It was just a fight between patchouli and apricot, and no matter who won, my nose lost.

[ahoythere]

In the Bottle: Heady and strong. The apricot is so intense, this might turn out to be too fruity-sweet for me.

 

Wet: HOLY SHIT, APRICOT! It's really, really intense, even though it's swathed in patchouli. The apricot note in Depraved doesn't smell like fresh, ripe apricots, but dried apricots. This smell is so nostalgic to me, but I don't know why.

 

Dry-down: Ten minutes later, the scent has intensified and clarified. Incense and apricot-sweetness, all the way through. I would describe the scent as "cloying". It's not bringing up any pleasant memories. For some reason, this is what I think death smells like. An hour later and the scent has not diminished in the slightest.

 

Final Thoughts: I think I nailed down the association. It smells like Chinese incense sticks, the ones commonly used in funerals. After a couple of hours, I just couldn't take it anymore and had to get it off me. Even though I scrubbed my wrist several times throughout the day, Depraved lingered for a few more hours. I would definitely never wear this again.

[MamaMoth]

I really really wanted to like this one, but I just don't think it's for me. The patchouli that I love so dearly is there, the down-and-dirty variety that I seek out, but it is obscured by the sickly-sweet apricot.

 

September 11 ETA: I've come to terms with the apricot in here, somewhat. It's still a little overly sweet for my *ideal*, and apricot will never be my favorite fruit smell. But it's not quite so sticky and sweet to me anymore. And the patchouli in this one really is glorious. It's getting a bit more wear than I thought it would from me.

Edited September 12, 2009 by MamaMoth

[Ankica]

Perfect description from creator!

So dirty and earty that I don't know if I scratched my hand on the ground or I used this perfume

 

Very very very interesting...

[strahlend]

First sniff: All I'm getting is the patchouli, but it's a nice patchouli.

 

On the skin: Seems more musky/dusky than just patchouli. It seems like there's a tiny bit of leather in there somewhere. I'm getting a lot of patchouli and dust. Some kind of old attic dust.

 

Short dry down: It's smelling a lot like vetiver to me now.

 

Long dry down: This one is still going strong and still morphing. I'm finally getting the apricot now and it smells sweet and mildly fruity - like warm, ripe apricots.

 

 

[arlith]

This matches the lab description almost perfectally on me.

 

I get a dark, lush, dirt with a bit of a sweet ripe fruit lingering in it. The apricot isn't overpowering, and it isn't all patchouli on me. The two blend together, and create something wonderful.

 

Today I got told that I smell really good by three different people. (They're all ones that know I'm trying out different oils.) None of them could identify either of the notes, but so far everyone's loved it.

 

I tried this before in the summer, and liked it but didn't love it. Now in the fall, its fantastic, definately a cool weather scent for me. I've got a bottle of it ordered already.

[Juushika]

This was a frimp from the Lab, but one I've been interested in trying—I'm fond of dirty fruit scents.

 

In the vial: Bright golden apricot on first sniff, a darker earthier scent—;a surprisingly warm, comforting patchouli—on the second. I already like it.

 

On me: I'm reminded a little too much of the patchouli in Greed, which went a bit playdoh on my skin—some patchouli is too harsh, but this patchouli is almost too thick, with a resinous, malleable, almost musty quality. A lot of the apricot's sharpness dies off during drydown, but it might have been if it stayed because the juicy, golden, round scent that remains serves to bring out the patchouli's sense of thickness/mustiness. Scent-color is pale brown; throw is low.

 

Verdict: This may be a good blend for a room scent or a scent locket, because in the vial the combination of sharp, bright apricot and smooth, warm dirt is unique and quite lovely—I'm not crazy about it, but I like it well enough. On my skin, though, too much sharpness is lost and the end result is just a little too musty, a little too much like playdoh, dirty in an unpleasant way. My boyfriend wrinkled his nose at it and I'm about to wash it off, so I don't imagine I'll ever wear this. Since I prefer scents I can wear on my skin, I'll probably trade it away. Still, it was nice to have the chance to try it.

[Stormslegacy]

In the imp: eh. It's apricoty but it smells off. It seems that the lab's non-berry fruit notes often need 'room to play" for you to get their real impression.

 

Wet: Truth in advertising! This scent description is spot on. Dirty with a hint of sweetness. This is not the patchouli used in Rakshasa or Midnight kiss! This is muddy and fresh, like the dirt under rotting leaves, or the scent you get as you rake them.

 

Drydown: The patchouli gets less sharp about 45 minutes to an hour after being on. The apricot is still going strong.

 

Conclusion: this is MUCH more intriguing then I was expecting. I think this might be a fitting scent for several kinds of roleplaying characters. It's almost dirty-feminine.

[Venneh]

In the imp, this is pretty straightforward; apricot and patchouli. On my skin, they're pretty even, but nothing too awe-inspiring. We'll see how this goes.

[HKB]

A leathery, dry, herbal smell. Musty, almost moldy. It doesn't smell like patchouli as I know it, which is a good thing. It's very strong. The apricot just barely peaks through, I wish it was a little bit stronger. It's a very interesting blend.

[Gael]

This is a jump into a damp, open grave. Wet soil. Then an emergence into a spicy night forest. For those that are disappointed, what did you expect with a name like Depraved? Something sunshiney floral, foodie, or what?

 

And I've got a whole bottle of the stuff. Well, this will be one I use on occasion when I want to change gears completely. I think it's going to last me a looooooong time.

[naturalcyber]

Got this as a frimp in my lab order!

 

Not a full review because I had to wash it off almost right away but when I put it on I got dirt--not clean fresh earth but a rancid, overpowering dirt. I didn't get any apricot at all.

 

And then it set off my asthma and I had to wash it off. Not a bad attack, thankfully, but my asthma definitely doesn't get along with something in Depraved at all. I need to figure out what.

 

To the swap pile it goes And I was looking forward to the apricot.

 

 

[missastro]

This is awesome. On me, this smells EXACTLY like loose-leaf Madame Butterfly peach green tea. Love it.

[Invidiana]

I love this because it's a combination of two fabulous things: rich sticky apricot and sexy, mysterious black patchouli. Sounds like it wouldn't work, but does it ever! It's like evil candy.

[eugmyers]

As a patchouli fan, I am really liking this -- not really getting much apricot, but it is slightly sweet. This is nice.

[SophieCedar]

It's a straight divide between patchouli and apricot on me. Uhm... wait.. the apricot is winning? Anyways, I like it!

[voorishsign]

Frimp from the Lab I love patchouli and apricot but I don't know how this will work. Let's have a look.

 

In the imp - mostly patchouli.

 

On wet - the apricot appears. This is tangy, earthy, simple yet cool.

 

Drydown - this is just marvelously blended! Previously I'd only gotten the Lab's apricot note in March Hare, which I also liked but where the clove gave it too much of a spicy punch. Here, it blends beautifully with the patchouli and leaves a fun, dirty, amazing fragrance. This imp is a keeper for sure

[talula_fairie]

Well I love patchouli, and this is a nice version of it. The apricot (that I can barely smell) just adds in a little touch of sweetness and cuts the dry, earth smell of the patchouli. Great scent to wear for when I'm in my hippie dippie moods.

[Lysi]

Sadly, I never got apricot, not even sniffing it in the imp. On me, this scent smells like I have a mouthful of dirt. Old, rotting dirt. Swapping this one to someone who can (hopefully) do it justice!

[obsidienne]

Dry, dusty, slightly spicy patchouli... and apricot.

 

That is it.

 

This would be really nice if the patchouli was sweeter and smoother and more, um, lush? But that dry note is really unpleasant, it grabs at my nose and scratches lightly. I was going to swap this, but now I want to age it and see what happens. Considering that this imp is not yet a year old, it may be a long wait.

[tajana]

Wet: A dry patchouli, with blackened cedar overtones! A sweet, translucent glaze of orange-colored apricot is painted over it. It feels like it really is just glazed over top of it. I get the impression of contrast, not of a "melded" scent, if that makes any sense.

 

Dry: Doesn't change too much. It's just dark patchouli getting down and dirty with some syrupy, tart-sweet apricot, with a curl of cedar incense in the air. But as it warms up on the skin it seems to coalesce and become a more unified scent. Less "apricots and patchouli", more of one cohesive earthy, dirty scent with a slight fruitiness on the exhale. Lasting power, as you'd expect, is phenomenal. Hours and hours. The longer it stays on, though, the sweeter it gets. With the passage of time, the sweet apricot preserves smell that dominates March Hare is what comes to dominate here, though the patchouli remains an important balancing, grounding presence.

 

Overall: Simple but inspired. I must be a weirdo, because I was excited by the reviews that complained about "cedar chips"... and Depraved did not disappoint. This wasn't overwhelmingly cedary, but it definitely did have a strong dark woods component. And I love this patchouli. It's so dark and husky and dirty, and a slick of bright apricot is just what it needed to become more three-dimensional and wearable.

[AmyO'Shields]

OK...GO! This is a really nice deep/earthy Patchouli with sweet dried Apricots underneath. After about 15 minutes, they flip-flop and the Apricot dominates for a while. After about an hour the Patchouli takes over again and they snuggle together. 4.5/5 on my skin. YUM.

Edited February 25, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[agirlnamedfury]

I got this as a frimp and was super excited to try it cause the description sounded great. It didn't really work out. This is strangely menthol-y on me, almost medicinal. I don't get apricot at all, unfortunately. Not a fan.