DEV #2: The Main Act

Sote: Dev#2 by Olympic Orchids by Indie perfumer Ellen Covey, who has a lovely fascination to orchids. But what started with orchid fragrances has turned into a much bigger platform for non-orchid perfume gems with time. This work-of-art scent contains the notes of: three different kinds of labdanum, tolu balsam, black agar, woody base notes, musks, castoreum, civet, cistus oil, incense, immortelle absolute, cade, davana, and leather. It’s spiced up with a tiny dab of rose, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, and cinnamon leaf (official site). Well the perfume is based on a theme. Five chapters of the novel: Quantum Demonology by Sheila Eggenberger. This is the the no.2 in the series hence the name Dev#2: The Main Act. It represents the dangerous attraction of an innocent lady to the devil....and the artist has chosen apt ingredients to put life into words....the premise is interesting.... As soon as you spray this complex hellraiser....your olfactory receptors will be stunned by the spicy musty dirty stingy powerful combination of dry incense tolu balsam and the animalics...the skin feels the warmth of it....as if you are an innocent lamb staring into the eyes of the devil engulfed in holy fire....and as the imagination flies.....the skanky castoreum gives way to a beautiful sensual civet musk a la civet monster diaghilev (close to dirty deer musk minus the complexities) and the clove, mentholic and sharp, providing a sense of coolness as if the devil is convincing your spirit to douse the flames and save the devil's soul.....it's reflecting your own innocence in its eyes....and trying to fool you...with the dry burnt very tiny hints of rose....and as you move closer to him....you can feel the smell of burnt leather and the remains of the holy ritual....the mentholic clove and musk.... and the sweet cinnamon in the background now are obvious....is this some sort of trickery....is the devil playing tricks.....the story shall continue in the third chapter or the third scent in the series.... This perfume reignites my belief in the talent of humble perfume makers who put passion above profits. The ingredients and the expertise of blending is pretty obvious to the most refined and experienced noses (compare Taeur's LADDM). At a humble price point of 65 dollars for a 30ml (5ml,15ml available too) parfum concentration you do not get a jewel studded relic but a piece of olfactory art. A dry spicy leathery smoky animalic gem which does not seek attention but will be a perfect companion to souls who need more than just a crowdpleasing scent. The experience lasts a very long time. 2 sprays can stay 16+ hours with good projection leaving a nice texture on skin. All I say is don't let the humble presentation fool you. Grab this if your olfactory greed seeks a joyful medieval dream inducing magic potion. A pleasant weather is needed to enjoy the whole experience. I thank the artist from the core of my heart. This is an advanced scent and definitely a full bottle worthy for my needs and prefernces.

I was waiting for this to come up on Fragrantica to write this review. This is absolutely amazing, however you have to be considerate with this one, because the clove/cinnamon combo is not for everyone, and unfortuantely for me, that someone is my wife. I would otherwise wear this as my ideal signature scent, it performs amazingly and it lasts an eternity. Let me start with the bad parts, then the good. For me, the smoke note used in this, acutally smells more like a smoked meat, I dont really dig that, but that part does stay in the background. Then in the very deep drydown, around the 8 hour mark, the cinnamon turns a little bit to a more syrupy kind of smell, and I also dont dig that. But what is amazing about this, is the longevity, and I do LOVE that clove note. I like to do outdoor work whenever I can, and since my wife doenst like this one, I sprayed this on my work gloves, it combined with the leather to form an everlasting fragrance. We are talking last summer is when I sprayed this on, and you can still smell it on the gloves and in fact, after taking the goves off, my hands are lightly fragranced by this concoction. And whats amazing is that it only took the best parts of the fragrance, and kept them, that syrupy cinnamon was gone, as well as the smoked meat. The rest of this potion is absolutely stunning, and I LOVE absolutely LOVE 1 spray of this, and for 8 solid hours, it is heavenly. If clove was not such an offensive note to some (cinnamon has that effect as well) I would wear this everyday. If you can get past the smoked meat and let it settle, and if you enjoy clove, this is for you.

Deep, dark and dirty in all the best ways. Huge cinnamon and spice burst at first, but definitely not in any sort of cutesy Christmassy-gourmand-baked-goods style - rather, a serious walloping with great rough burlap sackloads of raw cloves and pepper and cardamom, along with a billowing bark-like aura of the cinnamon sticks. All very savoury rather than sweet, throbbing with lusty botanical attitude. And the animalics give it even more heft, taking the whole thing to an even funkier, sexier, more beastly space yet. On me, the dry down goes even slightly bitter (juniper and artemisia maybe) while the immortelle is mercifully held in check. Those who hate the dark will loathe this, for there's an unmistakeable edge of really growly, grunting stank in the bottom end - possibly even verging on acrid or sweaty, depending on your chemistry and perception. Definitely conjures up shades of a lover's armpit after a hard night ... but personally I don't mean that as a criticism. This one's possibly as dark as I would want to go - any further and you'd be in Black Afgano territory - but it is absolutely magnetic and charismatic if this sort of thing is your bag. Nothing remotely artificial, cloying or ugly about it - but rugged? Hell yeah. A sexy beast for sure. Definitively unisex I think - its female wearers will generally like other grunty, un-sweet scents, while its male ones will be anyone who loves properly dirty spice. Sillage is firm but not dramatic, longevity is near-epic. You need confidence to take this one on, but roll with it and good things will happen.

Amazing and definitely one of my favorites based on incense and it is very likely that Francesca Bianchi copied it by creating Byzantine Amber. Because it is based mainly on natural oils, it has this characteristic opening that many creations of this house have, reminiscent of olive oil with vinegar, which does not last even a minute and immediately begins to evolve and takes on a lively sensation of aged red sweet wine, to reach its center which is a bomb of honey labdanum and incense, supported by leather, sweet spices, full of resins and animalistic suspicions. Bold fragrance with an intense style of mystique eroticism, something between a Dionysian orgy and an ancient Tandra union ritual! If someone sees it from a distance and more cynically, they might associate it with those hippie shops selling dreamcatchers and incense sticks. It literally sticks to the skin, 8 hours after I put it on and after a shower, I can still detect it on me! I really want to try the rest of the "Devil Scent series", as it is a pentalogy of Dev #1, Dev #2, Dev #3, Dev #4 and LIL, inspired by Sheila Eggenberger's novel, Quantum Demonology, which all combined represent a scent that evolves and tells a story! Unique and beloved Ellen Covey who never compromises and creates not just perfumes, but art!

I love this perfume, but I have come to realize the packaging probably needs an upgrade, because the perfume is evaporating noticeably. The sprayer top is screwed on tight and the lid is on over it, all in a dark climate controlled cabinet. After I became suspicious that this was happening I marked the liquid level with a sharpie on the bottle to confirm I wasn't imagining it, and without spraying it since then the liquid level is now almost 1/8" lower in about 6-8 weeks. I have never had this problem with any other perfume. I suspect that the sprayer top is not a tight fit with the threads on the glass bottle. Does anyone else have this issue with 30ml Olympic Orchids spray bottles? Edit: I am going to try teflon tape on the threads of the screw-on spray cap. I will update after enough time has passed as to whether or not this worked. Edit: the teflon tape works!

Devlish? I feel more like a SMOKY ANGEL when I wear Dev 2! She's a daring scent, to be sure, but this smoke reminds me forcibly of genuine wood fireplace aromas....combined with a little something sweet and spicy. Applied thickly on a cold day, I wouldn't be surprised if some people simply assumed I had been in a wood - heated home, as the smell is that realistic. Shortly after the opening, the entire scent becomes more like the aura of a burning candle. Not a sweet berry candle, but the kind meant to evoke holidays and wood fires. An expensive, high quality candle, of the sort intended for gift giving. In summary, for me Dev 2 is comfort and smoke and dreams of happy winter days spent by the fire. FIVE stars! Update - I now smell more immortelle than previously and less 'candle' scent. Very sophisticated, for sure. If you love immortelle, by all means try this!

Intensely dark, smoky, animalic labdanum bomb with accents of clove, woodsmoke, castoreum, and oud. If you've ever smelled Lutens' La Couche du Diable, that scent was undoubtedly inspired by this one (both in scent profile and name) - the scorched labdanum, oud, and spice accord are unmistakable, and both scents share a very similar profile. Dev 2 is definitely the deeper, richer, darker, funkier, and smokier version, and as a result it feels more naturalistic and fully realized than the Lutens, but also harder to wear. I love smoky scents but sometimes find the opening to Dev 2 too strong for polite company, but it really lives up to the devilish theme like nothing else. For the price, this is unbelievably well done and definitely worth sampling if you like dark, smoky, animalic scents.

Another smokey animalic beauty from Ellen Covey. This is not for less adventurous perfume lovers. The main notes here are castoreum and civet which are fortified with labdanum, tolu balsam, oud, incense, immortelle, juniper, artemisia, leather, rose, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. The resulting dense juice is a dark mystical potion that conveys dark animalic feelings and can be frightening to many. Like smells emanating from ancient sorceric or shamanic rites this haunting dark juice ebbs and flows on your skin and commands the attention of all your senses with its moderate sillage and prolonged longevity. Erotic, dark, mysterious, sensual and completely original, this is one that needs to be in the collection of adventurous and animalic perfume lovers.

So amazingly good. I guess the best compliment I can give is that this scent can stand up to the best that Amouage has to offer. It's really that good. It opens with a boozy vibe that is medium sweet and has hints of both clove and cinnamon, with a bit of cardamom. There is also a slightly smoky vibe as if the booze had been aged in smoked barrels with some dried leaves. The boozy fades and is followed by a more woody scent. That then is slowly joined by the immortelle. There is definitely an undercurrent animalic vibe that, along with the labdanum and resins, ties it all together. It's complex, nuanced with many layers that vary during the drydown, and it's long lasting with great sillage. One of my favorites from Olympic Orchids.

After sniffing, testing, and sniffing some more - I've reached a surprising conclusion.... I've done the side by side comparison, and the heart notes of Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille truly resemble Dev#2. No joke! They aren't twins by any means - the top notes and drydowns veer separate ways - but I feel the similarity ought to be noted. If you LIKE Tom Ford's TV, then do give yourself a chance to try Dev#2. Given a choice, I would choose Olympic Orchids any day, and NOT just because I love what Ellen Covey does ( and definately prefer small businesses ). To my nose, Dev#2 actually Smells more deluxe, lasts longer, and has a 'quelque chose' the Tom Ford lacks. To sum up, this makes Tobacco Vanille look pretty dull!

The best one out of the 4 Devil Scents and I also predict this will have the most comments. I have a tendency to procrastinate. I'm not sure why I don't own this fragrance but if you're anything like me and love challenging scents, I would say this is necessary to have almost like BeatsbyDre for your skin. This is a combination of cinnamon sticks, Jeke, Sombre Negra and Montecristo...and boy is it Satanic! Dev #2 is true to the Devilish moniker proving that it's dark, menacing, controversial but sweet enough to deceive the mind. This stuff will not only start a conversation but may start your car too! It's that potent. Oh yeah, let me also add that the aroma is thicker than a German guard dog.

Very similar to the popular Dhanal Oudh Nashwah by Rasasi. I actually like this one better than DON because it is slightly more animalic, just a touch sweeter and a little more spicy on the dry down. Overall, this is also more complex than DON. Think a gentlemen's cigar club from the 70s with wood paneling, a fireplace and fruit on the table that no one eats. I would probably buy a 15ML of this because I have a FSB of DON. You must personally sample the frags of this house as they have some hidden gems but ironically, they were not the ones I would have chosen first. Scent composition: Many layers blended well together. 9 Longevity: 9 Silage: (Be careful) 9 Value: 9 Interesting: 9

i just received dev two today and i have no knowledge of fragrances at all and i’m still very young im in middle school please keep that in mind. the first thing i smell is like cinnamon or some kind of spice but it’s not as basic as that if that makes sense? it’s like those cinnamon pine cones you can buy during christmas time! i’m from california and this reminds me of when i was a lot younger, it’s like smokey it reminds me of cigarettes kinda. sorry for this lame review but i think this is a great fragrance! i don’t think it’s for me since i’m so young this is a more mature fragrance but if you’re a cool biker guy with tattoos i think this would be perfect for you!

Dev 2 smells very similar to Bortnikoff's Mysterious Oud, which I absolutely love. They share the same notes of Cloves, Tolu Balsam, Castoreum, Labdanum, Cinnamon, Oud, and hint of rose. The Oud is much more forward and pronounced on Mysterious Oud, while Dev 2 has the Oud as a supporting role in the background. The Dev 2 is absolutely fantastic and lasts over 24hr on my skins, all the samples from the Devil scent project are beast mode on me. The quality and performance to price ratio is absolutely incredible from this house, certainly get more than what I paid for. Highly recommended to at least sample this one, no doubt.

This is a very exciting scent. I picture the beginning of a forbidden relationship. It’s got a pretty strong campfire note, but with a deeper vintage vibe. It almost reminds me of a smoky craft cocktail in a dark, upscale bar. It makes me think of how I’ve felt in the past when I’ve just started dating someone new in the fall and we are finding out all sorts of interesting and sexy things about each other, particularly around Halloween when we are dressing up and going out to parties, but not being able to keep our hands off each other and sneaking out early in the night to go off on our own private adventure.

Smoke, clove, a leathery castoreum, oud and wood. Cinnamon is there as well but toned down compared to DEV 1. I get the campfire feel. This one is darker, more earthy with less of an amber feel than DEV 1. Smells like a bad cinnamon candle your mom would buy from the discount store at the late drydown. Sillage and projection are nice. Lasted about eight hours before becoming very soft. Again, I don't know about wearing this on a date or for work. Some might wrinkle their nose at it. "Masculine", mature and for cooler weather. I'd love to smell this on a lady if only for the gender bender factor. Very nice!

I found this to be quite crass at first and the weakest of the dev series when my samples arrived but I was dead wrong. No clue why but it too summer time to make me realize the beauty this holds. This is crazy but it reminds me of amouage fate woman somehow. Like an aspect of it plucked out and emphasized. That fiery cinnamon labdanum base roaring at full throttle from beginning to end. But the heart notes something sophisticated and refined appears. It’s like discovering the class asshole is secretly a world class interpretive dancer with a yearning romantic heart. I kinda need it

It's a stunning cinnamon/incense bomb. Fabulous! Its backed by a big dose of labdanum and cloves. You can almost feel the heat. You have to wait a while and then the animalic notes bubble to the surface but they remain low key on me. There is a resinous warmth and sweetness from the immortelle. There is a nice bit of kick from the aromatic note and cardamom. All these intense and fiery notes sit on a bed of dense dark leather. A devil's whip?! If you love cinnamon then do test this extraordinary unisex scent. Amazing longevity and above average sillage.

Wow this is a demon. It really contains everything in the pyramid above and more! What dominates for me is campfire and cinnamon. Incredibly smokey, incredibly spicy. Layer with anything to add smokeyness. Very mysterious, but I am a bit intimidated by it. I also detect a earthy savoury truffle allong with the incence, deep musk and wood smoke. I have just tried this and Dev 3 - Reprise. I prefer Main Act, but Reprise is more wearable i think. ⛤⛤⛤⛤

Wonderful smoky intoxicating fragrance. Just got my bottle and I am in love. Will add more when I see how long it lasts,but for now, a beautiful, smoky delight. Spicy. It does have a bit of a medicine opening, but that quickly fades and develops into smooth, deep smoky incense. Gorgeous!!!