Playing With The Devil

Gabriella sold me this in Kilian’s Greenwich Village boutique after testing about a dozen fragrances at the bar. I was looking for a signature scent that I could wear to the office on a Friday before a night out dancing in Brooklyn. I was considering Moonlight in Heaven, Bad Boys Are No Good But Good Boys Are No Fun, and this. Playing with the Devil is exactly as advertised. It ensnares with a ripe fruitiness reminiscent of Kasugai gummies. If they offered an assorted pack with lychee, mango, peach, and muscat, it would be exactly like this perfume— powdery coating, chemical off-gas, foiled cellophane, and all. There's a photorealistic juiciness that manages to remain restrained enough for adults. When you get in close, the slutty base notes stop you in your tracks. I remember smelling myself while particularity horny and understanding the animalistic depth here. “Woody” and “patchouli” don’t cut it. “Salacious” and “writhing” seem more appropriate. It's all very French. Playing with the Devil is a witches brew on my skin. Capsicum and peppercorn alchemize with sweat and sebum. It turns me into a hungry venus flytrap that feeds on blood and sings. Like a lot of other Kilian scents, this varies tremendously from one body to another. I remember after a fever once, my natural funk was off. Maybe because my skin pH was different– but this scent smelled like stale cat piss on me that day. I had to scrub myself down because the resultant aroma was unbearable. Smelling it on paper is a different experience, too. I think that’s just the nature of this brand. I remember walking into Kilian looking for a particular set of notes. The big boss walked out from the back to say, “We don’t sell notes. We tell stories.” I totally agree. I’m reminded of a Tribeca lawyer I once hooked up with from Grindr. His sweaty crotch emitted a pheromone softened by the laundry detergent of his just-washed bedsheets. He was the kind of old money gay that sees his every purchase as a poem instead of hedonistic consumption. I was young and naïve and desperate for attention. We both got what we wanted that night, but I left none the wiser. I didn't yet understand what it meant to have to pay for one’s desires with one’s soul. The Devil is, after all, a businessman. Use sparingly.

I can’t pass by anything in a black bottle or that has a word “black” or some “darkness” in its name (I have a black bottle))) This frag is mysterious, rich, delicious, juicy, luxury and complex. I would even say extraterrestrial. Very sexy! It definitely has goth vibes and is very unusual. I sniffed the bottle cap and blotter in a store among other Kilian frags and this one stood out immediately. I brought the blotter home and it kept the smell for 3 weeks! I bought a used 50 ml bottle soon after on Poshmark and don’t regret a second. It’s LOUD!! Be careful and don’t spray too much! One drop is a lot for this thing! I spray a bit in the air and then step into the cloud and it’s enough at least for half of my day! (I don’t like my perfume to be loud and “Playing with the Devil” is very potent! )) It works the best in cool weather when I can clearly smell the woody base - that’s when the tart and juicy blackcurrant sounds the most spectacular! Yum!! UPD after using Playing with The Devil for 3 weeks. Every day a different note is prominent - sometimes I can smell pure musk (even though it's not listed as a note), the other day it's all about tonka bean. Sometimes it smells really green and fresh crushed blackcurrant leaved. Love this reference a lot!

Sometimes I think, "Okay, I have enough peach scents." Then I smell something like this and I think, "Nope. I need another one." If you love peaches this is SO good. It's a very sweet peach with the lychee (which I love) and the currant (which is honestly not my fave but here it really works - it adds such a juicy sweetness). It's a fruitchouli, yes - but done so gorgeously IMO. I want to smell this on a summer night. I get more patch than others seem to - I definitely detect it in the background, but not so much with the pimento. Surprised it's not listed higher in the notes. Interesting that some people say it smells like BO on them. That doesn't happen to me, but I actually can see why people think that - something about the drydown is slightly reminiscent of a not-really-dirty armpit, but one with deodorant on. So not a full funk but maybe someone who should jump in the shower at the end of a long day... I dunno, I think it's sexy. I want a full bottle of this one!

This opens up with a refreshing and sweet blast of fruit, on my skin its mainly peach for the first few minutes of the opening, then the main fruity note I get is Lychee, however the top notes fade on my skin mostly within the first 10-15 minutes, with only the lychee remaining as a prominent back note, that being said, this is mainly a Spicy Patchouli kinda scent with hints of vanilla and a smoothness that completes it all. I honestly like this a lot more than I expected to be honest, longevity for me is around 7 hours with medium-strong projection for the first 2ish hours, its Unisex but definitely leans feminine, mainly due to the opening and early drydown, good for all seasons but definitely leans to the warmer days and/or months. Worth a try, especially if you live near a store when you can try 'By Kilian fragrances' Final Verdict 8.5/10

I must have gotten a different bottle than everyone else. There is nothing fruity in this scent to my nose. This scent is dark and gritty and has a Gothic vibe. This is something Morticia Adams would have on her vanity. At first sniff it was a hell no for me but that's what I get for blind buying this. After about 45 minutes I felt like I was brunching at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills while my Bugatti is in valet. You have to not only be a confident WOMAN to pull this scent off but you need to be dressed to the 9's. Trust me, you will turn heads so might as well give them something visually alluring to match the quality of this scent. It's not sweet but it is somehow indulgent and unapologetic. This scent is so bad it's good.

Playing with the Devil is a play in three acts. The first one is all juicy fruits, smiling sun and silky touches. Cassis, peaches and citruses play hide and seek in the gardens of Versailles, their velvet dresses rustling in the bushes. Yet something ominous is lurking in the shades. And is soon revealed to be the hunter, quickly approaching his delightfully giggling peaches. An excellent tracker, his pimento can do no wrong. This hot and spicy phase is truly something to behold. I love it. The third act is warmed woods, milky red, and the breathless satisfaction of a game well played. *****

This gave really big Passion Fruit. Given how conceptual some notes are I find it baffling that passion fruit is not listed as a fragrance note. Appreciate it might be composed by listing other notes but why not cut to the chase and say it like it is. I loved it, erm, fresh tangy Passion Fruit. Unfortunately the OH likened it to cat pee 😂. He never critiques let alone criticises fragrance I wear beyond ‘nice’ or...’really lovely’. So, with respect for his view I’m not going to buy. I have too many anyway. Now my goal is to find a tolerable passion fruit fragrance 🤣

I just love this scent. It is a little bit bubble gumish, but I don't even care. It is sweet, soft and feminine. It makes me happy to wear and the dry down is lovely and very intimate, there is nothing garish or loud about this scent. I originally thought it might be a date night scent, but it doesn't have that kind of depth, it is more of a daytime, fun day at the amusement park scent. I do wish the longevity was more for the price, I think that rather than get another bottle this might be one that I settle for a good knock off of.

This one surprised me in the best possible way. The opening is a BIG, juicy burst of sweet fruit and warm spice — properly attention-grabbing. Then it eases into this beautifully blended, smooth fruity-spice mix with no harsh edges at all. The dry down is soft, cosy, a little mischievous, and it lasts for HOURS on my skin. An unexpected strong love, and honestly a really lucky successful blind buy for me (it was a great price point), but unless you are really brave or very flush, I'd recommend a sample first.

SO unique in my opinion. I don’t get much soapiness from it at all. For me this is a perfectly executed fruity and spicy combo. Sweet fruity peach and black currant with that very interesting pimento pepper. The opening is very playful and innocent but gets very...eerie and mysterious. Dark and a little brooding, solely from the pepper. Exactly how the name sounds. You’re teasing that lurking evil underneath a sweet exterior and it comes out in the dry down. Such a unique and fun scent.

Wearing this a lot lately , high quality fragrance . Beautiful patchouli scent , fresh with a kick. Classy , a little spicy , rose dominating patchouli scent. Yes there are some fruits like peach and litchi as well as black currant that are quite strong as well. All in all a classy , gorgeous ,expensive smelling fruit- rose- chouli fragrance that will never fail to get you lots of compliments. “Fresh, spicy and soapy “ sums this one up ! Has some masculine elements which I love.

Fresh, peachy, fruity, bright and feminine. If you like fruity (but not sticky sweet) fragrances, you must try Playing with the devil. I can detect all the fruits, the peach, cassis, blood orange and lychee. The rose is present but is subtle not overpowering This is how fruity fragrances should be done. Thumbs up!

I tried it at my local kilian store I was trying a lot of different fragrances but this one caught my attention with the strong blood orange opening and the dry down is a perfect mix It smells like a nice summer evening on the country side eating fruits with your grandma and younger siblings I love it.

This is sooooo good fruity spicy, but it last nothing on my skin, max 2 hours... total disappointment. Not unique, so we can find some alternatives in Kajal house, mmmm Portofino 97 for me is more musky citrusy ambery and powdery in my opinion. This is more like a sweet grapefruit, nice

Im a man with a interesting nose i think i like some wierde stuff and i dont like female frag but this i dont know how to say it its 10/10 for me nice peach note and blod orange i feel fresh everytime i were this feel like u just shower in a jacuzzi with fruits love it

I'm writing this review just as a reminder to myself that I liked it, I haven't tested throughly. Scent is outstanding to my nose, particularly the lychee, and would make a great gift for a woman.

The opening smells almost exactly like that gummy candy that has the white bottoms, the best ones❤️🍭🍭🍭

Tried this at the store and love the lychee note and couldn’t resist purchasing it. Very refreshing.

It is the best woman fragrance I have ever encountered, bravo 👏

I would want to buy it for my future wife