Beaute du Diable

Had a decant of this one along with the rest of the line a while back and decided to wait for this one until I had my bottle because as you might have understood, it was love at first sniff for me, both in ideology and in execution. It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I have a bit of a dichotomy with a gentle, kind and charitable nature clashing with a much darker spiritual side which would surprise many who know me in everyday life. It turns out, Liquides Imaginaires pulled this off very well with Beauté du Diable, the start of what I'm guessing is a new trilogy, "Les Eaux de l'Ame" (waters of the soul, loosely translated, with "eaux" referring to perfumes). At the time of writing this, the second one in the series, "Ame du Coeur" was already announced. As for Beauté du Diable, it opens up very spicy, with a powerful punch of clove and the pepperiness of carnation. I personally have not much experience with carnation but I definitely get a peppery floral here with a background of cloves and an alcoholic bitterness which I'm guessing is that absinthe note. I see a bunch of citrus in the notes and juniper (gin) but I don't pick that up. Later on, I start to pick up a soft piney sweetness which I guess is cypress and/or labdanum but all in all, Beauté du Diable is a fairly linear fragrance to my nose and on my skin, which is great for me since I absolutely love that scent. It's a bright and lively scent thanks to the spices (and perhaps that's where the citrus comes into play, this "brightness" I feel) but with also a darker, sultry sexy edge, hence the dichotomy between light and dark and the idea of seduction and temptation. I'd say it may lean more male because of the spiciness but I think a goth, a nightlife woman wanting attention or just an assertive woman could absolutely pull this off easily. Given its spiciness this is absolutely a colder season fragrance and perhaps a spring scent on colder nights. The longevity is alright 4-5 hours on my skin pushing out a little more within the first hour, which is somewhat weak to some but typical for the brand. So in short, I often consider perfumes to be a "mask" of what mood or intention I want to project on a particular day, and as such Beauté du Diable is absolutely a success for me, another unusual, unconventional and unique "mask" in the Liquides Imaginaires wardrobe!

Another misunderstood masterpiece from LLI. This one, though, is rightfully so, because isn’t the devil - aka Lightbringer - often misunderstood? And yet a self-proclaimed liar? This scent is a dedication, an ode(ur) poeme to Il Diable. LLI describes this scent beginning “You know me without knowing me”, and then goes on to say “I move at the speed of thought, my spirit is volatile, like the money I like to spend on frivolous things. I transform the material into the immaterial....” It goes on. It’s a great read. All to say - this scent is a spicy aromatic, quite volatile, and truly unisex. It is also a liar, and maybe expectedly so. You believe it is one thing, and the next minute it is another. Weighted on clove but not too much, softened by carnation, brightened by Haitian vetiver and labdanum in the base. The interesting thing about this perfume is that it seems to cycle through its open, heart and base several times before all top and heart notes have burned off completely. This happens over the course of a few hours and is the reason why I describe this scent as being volatile and unpredictable. It is masculine and feminine at the same time. Many scents claim to be so. I don’t think they are. Ok - maybe they’re “unisex”. THIS scent is androgynous. Suggestive of both. Gender fluid. There IS a true wormwood accord in the open, and this does burn off quickly - but you would drink absinthe quickly because it doesn’t really taste good. It makes you feel good. Also, a bitter orange gin accord, coriander, cypress, ylang ylang, geranium (which I’ve never really cared for but it works here), and sweet, innocent, “well I NEVER!” carnation. The base is Haiti vetiver, gaiac wood (NOT heavy, just enough for the strength and meat), Cistus Spain - Side note - Cistus Spain is an interesting choice for labdanum in this fragrance. It is a resin that comes from the Cistus bush, which can only be harvested three months out of the year and involves very intense, harsh conditions and grueling work for the laborers who harvest it. Devilish. The last note listed is Cobblestone Accord. I will leave that up to you. I like it all very much. Like I say about everything this House does - it ain’t for everybody, but I think they’re artists.

It smells like a forbidden memory from 1926 and somehow I remember it just perfectly. Like the poetry of Goethe and Nezval abandoned in a smoke-filled apartment somewhere between Berlin and Prague, soaked in absinthe, candle wax, c*caine and slow artistic self-destruction. It smells like sleepless decadence, collapsing morality and the kind of beauty that inevitably ends in su*cide. Not vintage in the fashionable sense, but genuinely corrupted, haunted and rotting beneath the weight of its own elegance. This is not a perfume for cheerful people. It smells like a man leaving an evening service in an Orthodox church with incense still trapped in the folds of his black coat, only to disappear into a dim absinthe bar somewhere in Central Europe, carrying the cold night air with him like a private funeral procession. There is wax, smoke, dark woods, something herbal and intoxicating and beneath it all a strange metallic sadness, as if the fragrance itself knows that every beautiful thing eventually destroys its owner. It feels nostalgic in the most dangerous way. Not comforting nostalgia, but the kind that arrives at 2 a.m. when you suddenly remember a forgotten corridor from childhood or the exact silence of a snowy street after midnight. It smells intellectual, self-destructive, theatrical and oddly sacred at the same time. Like poetry written under bad lighting by someone who has not slept properly in years. So no, don’t buy it. I would selfishly prefer not to encounter my own signature scent lingering on strangers like the ghost of some decadent poet who k*lled himself in 1926 after one absinthe too many. Certain fragrances deserve to remain personal, like private ruins or inherited madness...

I'm genuinely surprised that this does not have more reviews! I find it unique, and it tickles my lizard brain to the point that I will eventually need at least a decant when my spray sample runs dry, which it is about to do! I'm a gin aficionado and a juniper junkie, and I'm not able to pick those out- maybe they're there but just blended in well adding to the intrigue for me, not sure. I also cannot specifically pick out the citrus, but there is a bright freshness that is lifting everything up. I smell more carnation than true clove (yes, I know they have a clove adjacent aroma, but if you've put your nose in an actual carnation you know it's not quite the same as a dried clove bud or clove oil). I also get the ylang and something that I find believable as "cobblestone" (something smells like wet limestone). It's all grounded in that labdanum, guaiac, vetiver swirl that draws me in deep. I cannot dissect this the way that many of the sniffers here are able to, but I would love for more people to put their noses on this and chime in :) I totally agree with trabuquera's summary "Overall: tingly magic dust. Worth a try for amateur alchemists." Oh, and regarding performance, it's right where I want it- persistent, yet not overbearing. When worn as my afternoon/evening fragrance I can still detect it lightly on my skin in the morning. *An incredible deal came along and I now own a FB. Love!! So unique and so bewitching. I highly recommend a sample of this one

This is a most beautiful love letter to Goethe's Faust: If Mephistopheles can grant Faust an experience of transcendence on Earth—a moment so blissful that he wishes to remain in it forever—then he will instantly die and serve the Devil in Hell. That moment of transcendent bliss is captured in this beautiful aromatic fragrance. I think @aistte's review below mine captures it perfectly. Definitely signature scent-worthy along with L'Ile Pourpre which is also stunningly beautiful. It's very well-balanced and not at all clove-dominant. It's aromatic and sharp in its opening moments. Gin, absinthe, coriander and zingy citruses dominate before they reveal a glorious swirl of red carnation, geranium, cypress, ylang-ylang and a hint of cloves. This is intoxicating. A devil's kiss of temptation. The base of cobblestone (hot, dusty cobblestones on a swelteringly hot day) combined with Labdanum, Guaiac wood, and dry Haitian vetiver offer a ravishing atrium for the mid-notes to sparkle. Is it expensive? Yes - but - it is a treasure. A work of art, every bit as precious to humanity as the Mona Lisa. It should be priceless, or at least it is to me.

Beaute du Diable is dangerous. It's the expression "don't stick your..... in crazy" distilled into liquid. The alcoholic notes are intoxicating, I particularly notice the absinthe on myself but there's also an underlining "smokiness" and "heat", like burning embers, possibly from the clover and vetiver notes. This is a perfume I wear on dates and it immediately stands out as such a unique perfume. I recommend trying this on your skin as the results could be more impressive than what is written on fragrantica. Let me explain: on me, this as medium sillage and duration, which works well given that it's a perfume that I would like to make people want to come closer to me (although am upset about it's duration on my skin) HOWEVER, on my silver fox of a father, this perfume can be smelt from a mile away and lasts forever. I am thoroughly jealous! P.S. I genuinely think that this perfume can work in any season, day or night, but that's just my personal opinion and how I wear it. (I can understand the alure for it to be a night perfume though_

I tried this in a niche store in Bordeaux after sampling dozens of scents. This one stopped me in my tracks. One of the most mysterious and bewitching perfumes I've ever smelled. The opening was so weird, I had to think for a few moments as to what exactly I was smelling. The main note is an intense carnation and cold, almost metallic clove piercing through a fog of grey, gloomy ash, leather and some synthetic note akin to concrete. Entombed in this strange stone grave is a narcotic floral note, a heady ylang which gives a golden glimmer of warmth. A while later, the cold chaos of the opening retreats and a scarlet rose accord blooms through the ash. Things become more sweet and balsamic, while the texture softens to a plush powder, with vague traces of spice. Unsettling and beguiling at the same time. This is not like anything I've encountered before. Sells the titular concept rather well. Imagine a black demon hand emerging from a portal of smoke, with a bouquet of flowers held delicately between its claws.

This scent is a wonderful surprise. Reading the list of notes and I am sure I can smell all of them: carnations, cloves, absinthe, gin, cypress and guaiac wood are standouts. Beaute du Diable is charming and an easy wear. Another thing that seems remarkable is the ability of Beaute du Diable to be so persistent without ever heading into (or out of) the overbearing territory, typical of so many spicy boozey scents in this genre. Beaute du Diable starts softly and ends softly. It's a linear scent, but I love it and this is not a deal breaker for me. Like others said below, I'm surprised that Beaute du Diable doesn't appear to have a bigger fan base. I have a feeling that I could wear this easily through three seasons, and I bet, even mild summer weather.

I’m astonished this hasn’t garnered more well deserved reviews. ArabianDelights review has robbed me of energy to write a well deserved passionate review. Instead I will juxtapose it by simplifying it. 1) Clove/burnt clove with balsamic. The best I know if you like cloves. Other notes are purely complimentary. 2) absolute phenomenal powerhouse in performance (Sillage and longevity at the top of the perfume game - which sadly I can’t say the same about all the other gorgeous Liquides Imaginaires scents) If you want everyone on the train to look at you this is it - it’s refined, most people will know they can’t afford it before they ask what you are wearing. 3) is at the top of my rotation of 300 or so perfumes Enough said from me.

Wearing this on a contemplative morning following a night of thunderstorms. Today, it opened with an olfactory confusion than mirrored my brain fog. However, as it warms up on skin, the herbal facets of the perfume evolve into some of the most intoxicating scents I've ever experienced. While the clove and carnation notes are easy to pick up, the wormwood/absinthe note has a way of reaching to the back of your nose where it meets your throat and tickle it with a strange sensation of sweetness (similar sensation to drinking a licorice root tea, in my opinion). The perfume feels unassumingly sinister - as though there's something dangerous lying in wait, a dark power quietly stirring - approach with caution and at your own risk.

this is straight up intoxicating. opens up like a potion from the witch's cauldron - a tonic made of gin, absinth and coriander seeds, with just the tiniest spritz of oil from an orange peel. it's dry, herbal and bitter to the point of making you salivate. it brews slowly, letting the cloves and carnations transform it into creamy, warm and spicy concoction that holds you in a trance-like state for hours, until the very drydown, where it turns more woody. (thankfully i do not get any of the geranium notes here, the ylang ylang is not too potent either - so if you are a hater of one of those, there's no need to be scared) it's just delicious.

This perfume was love at first sniff for me. The opening is fresh, green and aromatic quickly goes into a slightly sweetened fully bloomed carnation in the heart of the fragrance. On my skin it warms up so beautifully, I can smell a little bit of vanilla sweetness in the background even. If you like or hopefully love carnation there is a high chance that you will enjoy this perfume. I would recommend it for autumn and winter because of the warmth that's coming from the cloves otherwise it might get a little cloying in warmer weather.

@hauntedemily - your review completely befuddles me enough to write. If you feel this scent is distinctly feminine and that there is no Clove aspect for you then something is disturbingly wrong. In fact all the recent reviews upto @vargadorkaluca leave me to wonder whether people are purchasing bogus bottles or samples... @vargadorkaluca review resonates with my experience. Also noted is the fact it follows a review with similar connotations...

If you want to smell like gin lol. Etheral, very aromatic and citrussy scent. I confirm the smell feels ancient and while this is not what you would expect the devil to smell at first, when you think about it it makes more sense to have an aromatic and very earthy scent (but not in a fresh herbs way). I like it more on the dry down when it's less gin and more woody.

I just got a sample of this today and fell in love instantly with the spicy carnation. I have been wracking my brain all day about what this reminds me of. And then I got it - I had a bottle of Lush Potion Lotion years ago that I tried to stretch out until it finally separated and I had to toss it. This would layer nicely with Blanche Bete.

Sinful, playful, and irresistibly provocative. I revel in it at dusk, draped in black lace and silk. The intoxicating notes of absinthe, perverse carnations, and deliriously burning stones possess my skin from dawn till the witching hour, often haunting my garments for days. 'Wouldst Thou Like To Live Deliciously?' on flesh...

Utterly intoxicating. The opening is very absinthe heavy so it might not be for everyone, but it definitely is for me. The dry down is gentle with more of the carnation coming forward. I bought a sample based on the notes and I find myself wanting to wear it everyday. Definitely need to pick up a full bottle.

I'm a sucker for herbal fragrances and I do like my absinthe and gin... The opening has realistic bitter artemisia and juniper notes, with some alcohol sharpness... then goes through pleasant citrus note to the dry down, which is like a warm hug with clove and dry wood notes. I might just sell my soul.

This fragrance opens with really herbal, aromatic, green notes, but on my skin it settles with a really lovely sweetness. It's a really feminine herbal fragrance. I really enjoy the absinthe notes, but understand it might not be for everyone. I don't get a strong clove note like others have mentioned.

fallen angel sweet, aromatic, and spicy it’s quite hard for me to break it down into notes, at one point I was convinced there was lavender in it my impressions of it are incredibly beautiful and distant (and slightly ominous) good if you want to smell like Griffith or something like that

I got the sample because I was so intrigued by the notes and I became so enamored with it that I fear for my sample running out. it's dry yet bitter yet so clean at the same time. I don't know, I just needa figure out how to get my hands on a full bottle it's just that good omg

beautifully bitter!! such a mysterious feeling scent. this fragrance feels like a journey through an old church, but not in a powdery way like a lot of other church fragrances. perfect goth club fragrance. 9/10 Song it reminds me of: Lucretia My Reflection - Sisters of Mercy

One of the most special perfumes in the world, without a doubt, very special and strange, with a very mysterious and seductive scent. I like it very much. It is very tempting. It has a very high durability. It is really unique

Finally found my perfect absinthe fragrance! I don’t even want to write a detailed review about how good this is, I’m too distracted sniffing my wrists. This is St. George and the experience of drinking it as a scent.

It's aromatic spicy, reminding me a bit of Memoir woman However, it has less of an absynthe presence and added notes of gin/juniper and wet cobblestone which make it very unique

an unique aromatic and spicy fragrance it’s dark, cold, sinister and clean This reminds me of Penny Dreadful

sensual clovy composition. spicy, mysterious, intoxicating. bad ass witchy vibe.

I’m wearing this for The Conjuring premiere.

Love it so much I wear it all the time

Brilliantly bonkers: a wilfully eccentric conifer-spicy-woody with heavy herbal and aromatic overtones, a strange but charming witches' brew. A little bit Lutens Vitriol d'oeillet, a little bit Memo Tigers' Nest, a little bit Dior Mitzah, a little bit L'Artisan L'Absinthe... so it seesaws between warm and cool, indoors and outdoor, cosy and experimental. And all quite charmingly. I got strong nutmeg, but maybe that was a coriander-citrus collision hallucination. Still gentle enough all around to be happy-quirky rather than some weird twisted sinister potion. Liked it very very much, although it didn't weave quite strong enough a spell to make my credit card leap from my wallet of its own accord. Quiet but persistent throughout, with tantalising wafts of random things (spice, cypress, gin) leaping out at unpredictable intervals. Very intriguing- would take another turn with it any time. No idea what a cobblestone is supposed to smell like, but it doesn't make much of an impression here anyway so no slip-up there. Overall: tingly magic dust. Worth a try for amateur alchemists. Probably a little too odd for those seeking a pure comfort scent though.

Who knew the devil smells like powdery spice of carnation and ylang ylang? Always the trickster. With this one I get lemon, coriander, and bitter orange opening up to a powdery experience of light spice from the clove and carnation with an elegant ylang ylang underneath - the ylang ylang in this is wonderful. The transition is fairly quick. Is it a nice fragrance? Absolutely. Will it transcend you down dark, smoky streets surrounded by danger and temptation? No. Not unless you consider the chalky, rubbery, ash-like note that appears in passing as dangerous. This is more of a pleasant evening at a speakeasy vibe. I enjoy the marketing but it does not reflect the experience. All day, every day fragrance since it’s light and close to skin (similar experience to Ame du Coeur). It feels balanced and unisex, but again the powdery feel and flowery dry down do lean feminine. It is a very pleasant fragrance, but do not expect to lure someone in the dark of night unless of course that person has actually been drinking Absinthe and Gin.

I was super intrigued and ordered a sample, which made me really like it. A year later and i finally bought the full size. Unfortunately it was a bit different than what i remembered. The opening is very green and sharp which is interesting. However even with the herbal note in the beginning, it has a dark heaviness to it. Later it turns into a more creamy, warm scent that reminds of christmas but make it goth and wet. Clove can be definetely be smelled. I once sprayed too much, which morphed into a cloying fragrance which can be a bit nauseating. Its a beautiful unique scent but absolutely meant for colder weather and one spritz is enough - or it can be very overwhelming. I am unsure if i truly love love this scent or if it is just too heavy for my taste.

I ordered a sample and forgot what notes were in this so I went into this not knowing what I was supposed to be smelling. First impressions were that this was very cold and green, a bit Smokey. It smelled dark but didn’t feel stuffy or heavy. After 10~ minutes I noticed something a bit tangy emerge, which I’m assuming is the gin, absinthe, and citrus. There is something in the dry down that smells peppery to me, not sure which note it is. The woods in the dry down also have a bit of sweetness. It’s really really nice. If you want a “dark” fragrance that actually wearable and remains quite light and won’t cause an asthma attack, this is it.

I'm really enjoying this one. I recently was on a wormwood/absinthe hunt, sniffing down several frequently discussed absinthe-y frags and I do feel like this one should be up there as one the tops. It has that verdant heady green vibe of wormwood yes, but the spice notes in here give such an interesting dimension. The clove and coriander mixed with the greenhouse-y plant-y smell of geranium adds a love herby (but in a backyard/kitchen way) element.

A slightly sweet yet cooler and more distantly arrogant scent evoking the clean, bit soapy-spicy cologne of long past years (2000s). Cloves, nutmeg, coriander masterfully blended. I didn't smell alcohol in any form, geranium with its typical suffocativity or citrus fruits, rather earthy vetiver and wood in a solid base and cypress-sunlit foggy afternoon. Cloves remind me here more of a body cream than a perfume...

spicy and animal carnation coated with absinthe. woody notes, sometimes smoky, sometimes bursting with incense. Resins galore, spices and candied fruits. The composition is very balanced and its beauty reminds me more of a wild child who has rolled down the hills than a deceitful devil. Not so far away of a rough Lush's creation, Flower's Barrow, in a more civilized or polite way.

I really like the scent 8/10 especially on paper, it smells like delicious citrus that come from that ylang ylang but with a dark edge. I see the color Opal Green when i smell this. But on me it smells like vetiver and cheap lipstick when i think about it but the other times it smells pretty good. This Fragrance me want to smell more absinthe fragrances

Quite a feminine woody fragrance, imo, both deep and soft. If you like Black Orchid in the opening, you'll probably like it, too - it's very similar. My favourite part, however, is the dry down - it's woody and sweet with distinctive clove note.

Blast of gin, absinthe, and citrus blended in with sharp cloves, carnation, and soft wood all around. Green and aromatic smelling, definitely can see this not being for everyone but man this is super mysterious and alluring.

I honestly don’t know how to begin... It smells purely like devil’s burp. I can’t find any note combo that can give this odour in the pyramid, but it is what it is. I had big expectations on it, but xD I’m not entirely disappointed, I find it kinda funny, tho. Its name begins to sound like a good trolling. Idk how they’ve created it, but it’s stunning and they really surprised me! This frag is sweet, like rotting fruit salad in devil’s stomach. With the addition of flower spices that usually go with meat. You can find similar notes in Worcester sauce. Cobblestone? Yes, but hot and covered with vomit of chewed ylang-ylang : D Clove and coriander are drastically sweet and even... sweaty here. I’m an absinthe lover, but I’ve never tried anything similar to its notes in this frag - not boozy at all and nothing close to anise or artemisia. You’ll immediately detect that lemon note - it’s a forgotten in the wardrobe caramelised lemon someone left after the Halloween party somehow. This frag is spooky and darkish. It’s entertaining. Good experience, I don’t regret buying a decant. I even had thoughts of wearing it, but unfortunately it’s too feminine. I even don’t know what grade I’d give it as I love it and I hate it and it makes me laugh : D

First of all, it's a strong fragrance. It does not dissipate easily, even after washing. Even though the notes seem very sophisticated, it is primarily a clove fragrance. Imagine you are seriously smelling a jar of cloves. It's not very sweet. It has a bit of a medicinal tea vibe. Is it a dark gothic scent like its name? Doubtful. There is no mystery. If there was a hint of incense, it might have worked. Tag(s): clove

First impression from a 2 ml sample I got. It just smells like a nice hair conditioner. There’s nothing opulent or devilish in here in my opinion. Not something that will make you stand out among the crowd or make you feel bold.

Dark, chewy and bitter. My first impression was this was one of those wintry herbal liqueurs from some obscure gothic monastery. Sprayed on skin and breathing in it's like inhaling back-to-back negronis and absinthe shots and experiencing the hangover at the same time. There's something in here that pinches my temples and makes my brain throb. It's a wild mix. Artemisia (absinthe), juniper (gin), bitter orange, cypress, carnation and vetiver are the dominant notes for me. Things starts off smoky but then the labdanum's leather note comes through, thickening and making the overall impression even heavier. There's carnation and geranium which contribute with the artemisia to a kind of spiced liquorice root note. And then there's a cold synthetic in the base, descibed as cobblestone, and probably the source of my brain-ache. I may have oversprayed (3 squirts from a sample bottle!) so go easy on this one. How wearable is it? Too early to say, but I am strangely drawn to it.

Hmmmm.... I just got my sample. It smells like jagermeister and licorice in a really gross, medicinal syrupy way. It smells like a clove herb spice bomb. Heavy on the cloves and not much else. It smells like Jagermeister and that's all I could smell from this. I guess if you want to smell like an alcoholic, herbal, medicinal, and clove filled syrupy elixir then this is for you. To each their own. 🤷♀️ It also evolved into something sour and rotten on my skin. Definitely not a fan. I'm glad I only got a sample.

It makes me feel nauseous, I'm sorry the smell of cypress and herbs is too strong and horrible for me

On me this smells exactly like propolis, longetivity is 5 hours with medium sillage.

Some incense, someone, something, no idea why.

I was prepared to really like this one but it makes me gag, like, literally. I take my hat off to it because of how complex and different it smells, but I hate every second of it. I guess you win some, you lose some, and at least this fragrance taught me what *not* to look for in the next one right? I only got a sample and I'm pretty sure I won't ever be using it again.

Overpriced,doesn't last more than 2-3 hours on me and smells like incense. It was a blind buy.I now own a perfume i'll never put on my skin again. I wore it and asked friends and colleagues if they liked it and nobody did. My husband said that i smelled like a church lol

Liquides Imaginaires #2 - Into the Night Enthusiasts of niche perfumery are bound to stumble upon TikTok short clips featuring an imagery and a perfume recommandation based on that. Beaute du Diable is often the subject of such clips, all invoking a dark, haunting, vampiric perfume. Naturally, being attracted to dark and edgy perfumes, i was very curious and luckily i managed to get a sample. Based on the imagery that revolves around Beaute du Diable, i pictured the perfume painting a Bruxa, a creature seen in the Witcher videogames. For those not into videogames or folklore creatures from around the world, Bruxa is another name used for a witch in Portuguese folklore. In the Witcher games, its a vampire-like flesh eating creature disguised as a beautiful young woman that lures in their prey and feeds on them. Im curious if the scent matches my preconceived imagery. Im happy to say that indeed Beaute du Diable deserves its name altho the imagery i’ve had in mind was not right. Beaute du Diable doesn’t make me think of a creature of the night but of the night itself in the same fashion as Iris Silver Mist from Serge Lutens represents the physical mist rather then something lurking in it. Im having a hard time distinguishing specific notes in this perfume, instead i get accords or composition of notes finely blended together. I suspected that it would have Incense because perfumes in this genre often use it but i was wrong about that too. My nose mostly picks up on spicy, cold, green, earthy herbal and woody accords that bring the perfume into dark territory. My intuition said Absinth and im glad i was right about that atleast. Analysing the notes i see clove and coriander and i tend to agree. Cypress might influence the perfume but cypress in general is alot more forward then it is the case here, atleast from my experiences. The drydown gets denser, murkier and more smoky. I would place the perfume into a cold-spicy, herbal woody family. The word “stark” comes to my mind when i smell Beaute du Diable because of the riggidly cold atmosphere created by it. Imagine being kidnapped but then released in the heart of the forest, on the coldest autumn night. Lightly dressed, shivering and terrified, somehow you survived the ordeal of being kidnapped but your nightmare is far from over. You have no ideea where you are, in which direction should you go and panic sets in as only the moonlight provides a semblance of visibility. The forest floor is covered by a thick layer of decaying fallen leaves. You stumble and fall multiple times on the uneven forest floor and no pathways are visible from the blanket of leaves covering everything. You hear the cracking of wood and the sound of nocturnal animals in the distance which adds even more to the physical dread and despair you feel. Beaute du Diable makes me think of such a scenario, and again, of the nightfall itself. Its a completly unisex perfume even tho based on the accords one would think it would be masculine. Admitedly, not every perfume that conveys a vivid imagery also necessarily compells me to get a bottle and that happened with the before mentioned Iris Silver Mist too. But, i have to admit, the more i smell it the more it grows on me so i guess i'll stop smelling it because im not looking to spend more money hahaha.