Devil's Garden

Devil’s Garden is a great name for this. The crisp, verdant opening and the sandalwood-and-copal-heavy drydown is just the right sort of juxtaposition of disparate parts to reflect the theme. On my skin, copal is the main player, and I’m a fan of that note, so I kinda automatically like it. And I like the refreshing greenness of the opening too. The green facet, which feels like maybe it’s coming from the artemisia and patchouli, comes as a bit of a surprise from a perfume meant to depict glaciers and deserts, but it does feel like a good aspect to include for the sake of checking the “garden” box from the title. The basic sequence I get when I spray this on is that brief green blast, then an airy, cold heart, followed by a warm, dry, meditative base. It’s definitely a beautiful scent, and it’s composed with some amazing materials– you can smell the quality here for sure. I do think its appeal might depend to a certain extent on how much you enjoy copal, so that might be one to take into consideration going in. I don’t get a ton of oud here, and I also don’t know if I’d be able to tell it was a companion to Sleepy Hollow if I hadn’t been informed beforehand, but this is definitely its own thing. It does the cool/warm thing really well, and each of the phases it went through are pretty distinct, so I enjoyed the ride aspect of it. This is a case where the notes list does a pretty good job of depicting what you’re in for, so referring to those won’t steer you wrong, but the vibe here does end up being very soothing and mellow, so while it might not be the Folkwinds scent I’d suggest for sheer wow factor, it would rank highly among what I’d describe as the brand’s most wearable offerings. Two thumbs up from me.

The journey continues and this time it’s going through the Devils Garden which is an actual location in the Arches National Park in Utah and the inspiration for this scent. If I remember correctly this perfume is the second collaboration between Folkwinds and Rajesh. Devils Garden is a very interesting composition focused on a citrus note which I haven’t smelled in this form before. It’s perfectly balanced between sweet and bitter paired with a herbal smell of artemisia which gives the perfume a very nice meditative vibe. The bitter sweet citrus top gets complimented by zesty & vibrant Timur, patchouli and rose which are more of a silent background player and more of a support act for the top and base. White ambergris, mitti and sandalwood add a decent amount of dry creamy and sandy smell to the base to make the overall composition round. Overall I’m quite impressed by this scent since it’s not your typical freshy citrus perfume and quite a unique smell. It’s not a very loud perfume but I’d say sillage and longevity are pretty good.

I must say, I really like this fragrance. When I first sprayed it on, I immediately caught a hint of a unique citron, calling for a nice bright opening. It then had a bit of a cooling, minty vibe to it as it began to progress, from the artemisia I am assuming. The heart is dry and spicy, before settling on a base, whose star I believe, is a very nice sandelwood. This is a bit of a different offering for Folkwinds , and I really love it because it is so versatile. I think it could be worn by anybody at any time. And as usual from this brand, the ingredients that are sourced are of a very high quality. The sillage is moderate, but absolutely noticeable. And it lasts quite a long time on my skin. This is a winner in my book, and I would recommend it to anybody. It is a great fragrance to have in your arsenal, and can be worn at almost any occasion by anyone. Two thumbs up for sure!

I won a sample of Devil's Garden by Folkwinds through Rajesh Balkrishnan. I'll just share what I can smell after spending some time with it.. I get damp forest floor straight away, earthy and alive, with this super fresh, crisp citrus that cuts through. There's a slightly mentholated, salty sea-air quality woven in too. As it develops, it turns a bit richer and more indulgent. I find an enveloping narcotic floral bloom that makes me think of a humid lush rainforest at night, with a soft sweetness tucked inside that to me feels almost marshmallow-like, but not sugary. Almost lightly cola-like sometimes? Dries down more resinous woody. A scent that feels both wild and rich at the same time.

I didn't look at the notes before spraying so as not to influence what I thought I smelled: Opening - resinous, herbaceous and very cooling, almost menthol-like but not. The first description I read mentioned hot and cold and I don't find warmth here, but I like it more for that. Maybe it's the season and the fact that it's twenty degrees below freezing here. Progression - the cool herbaceousness lingers, that sort of minty/aniseed vibe even though I can tell it's neither. The sandalwood starts to sing here, rounding out the bitter edges and settling into something like cool mist or fog against your face, an herb garden behind a roughshod English cottage. There's a minerality here that reminds me of rainfall but not quite geosmin/petrichor All in all, a wonderful scent and one that I'm happy I waited since July for! There are a few people talking about how they wanted/expected something closer to Sleepy Hollow and I believe those expectations do Devil's Garden a massive disservice. It stands well on its own legs

Devil's Garden is pretty accurate to the notes. My vision enlivened from the scent is that of wandering through a dense overgrown garden maze where anything could be lurking. Think of the secret garden locked up after the tragedy had struck, seasons of winters and summers had transformed it into something wild. A bit green, a bit earthy and of course strong herbal elements. True to the brand's style, the blend is raw and rustic.

Anyone looking to try this, or a few others, im seling 5 and 10ml decants. Devils Garden 5mls at $45 and 10mls at $85 shipped.

Herbal smoke, peppered earth, resin and oud over sandalwood and ambergris. Dark, ritualistic, unforgettable. Loved it.