DEV #3: The Inevitable

Resinous myrh and spicy cinnamon stand out the most to me; a very interesting, unusual, dried fruit, almost syrupy note in DEV3 that might be the tuber? There are herbal aspects, olibanum, wood and amber. Definitely smells related to the other DEV scents but with fruity tuber and more herbs. As others have mentioned this scent and most of series bring to mind wicker or cinnamon candles. Unisex, for cooler weather and too weird for work. It's going to take a very particular person to find this sexy. Performance was average and DEV3 became soft at around hour six. I did have someone get close and smell it on me well past the twelve hour mark. Covy's note composition here is unique, weird, avant-garde. I imagine discovering this on someone and saying "woah...you smell wild". Out of all the DEV series this is probably one of my least favorite but it is still an excellent scent. Pricey but the quality and performance are there. Watch out! The dark juice will stain your clothes if it's not dry. This hellish stuff is definitely worth testing.

This is not a scent profile I normally go for, but I like it the more it dries down. Definitely a fall/winter scent to me, especially an evening scent. This smells very spiced, very cinnamon. The initial spray I actually thought I would hate it because it smelled like something I wanted to eat and not wear, the spices reminded me of cooking Indian food (which I love to smell and eat, but not wear). The dry down fixes that initial issue for me and it turns into a more expensive holiday dried potpourri. Very strong but pleasant cinnamon, herby jatamansi, still with a resin note and a subtle leathery labdanum. I’m so surprised with how this grew on me!

This fragrance is strikingly different from the masses. It reminds me of a cabin in the woods. A place we use to vacation during the summer when I was a kid. To me this is a very spicey & woodsy scent, even though there are no woods listed! Also something that reminds me very strongly of wicker. Maybe it's the lemongrass. It's the same wicker vibe I get in some other frags like Maestrale for example. I also get a slight black licorce vibe from this one. So if you like Sambuca or black licorice, this one is for you. Heavy on spices, I love the spices. Something very masculine.

These dev scents all seem to share a common labdanum base with differences in the additions over the top. My preference ranking for the 4 dev in order: #3, #2, #1, #4 As you can see I think #3 is the best for my tastes, partly because I don't have particularly strong associations with other fragrances I've tried so it's a little more unique, but also I think this is the nicest blend. In this the herbal and mildly fruity notes melt into the amber to create a really nice warm sandy feeling balance. It smells more luxurious than the others to me.

A dark infernal Oriental amber this is another very nice showcase for Ellen Covey’s blending skills. The perfume opens on a strong herbal note with Himalayan Nard, lemongrass, and artemisia. It proceeds to a brief middle with labdanum, olibanum, myrrh and lemongrass. Finally it settles on a dense base of cinnamon, amber, ambergris, and sandalwood. Very daring, edgy and smoky herbal unisex scent with moderate to strong projection, sillage and good longevity. Recommended only for the most daring. Enjoy.

Subtle but important differences from Dev 2, hard to declare which is my favorite. Both are burnt and resinous, this had a bit more natural mustiness/funk to it. The cinnamon is masked with spice and earth; this is not a gourmand scent. Surprised there aren’t more and more recent reviews of this one. For me so far this series is a better version of Kerosene Blackmail.

I don’t love the opening here; it’s a heavy, woody, brown note with a surly quality, like an olfactory glower. Presumably this is the New Caledonian sandalwood. A few minutes in the cinnamon comes out and brings a dry spicy crackle. This isn’t sweet cinnamon; it’s almost savory. It’s a loud chord (especially since I accidentally put on more than usual) – we’re in the Fuck Yeah Perfumery Zone now, Cinnamon Edition. Oddly satisfying. A little reminiscent of the salty and cinnamon-spicy chord in Ummagumma, but simpler and more coherent.

Cinnamon, cinnamon, and again cinnamon. Like for Villoresi's Incensi, I wonder where is the incense. Who likes that style (that is: cinnamon centric, 'no incense in the bottle but incense on the label') will love, cinnamon haters (like me) will hate.

Cinnamon is the biggest note here. To be exact, it smells like potpourri. Most of the other notes are overshadowed by the spicy cinnamon. I am a cinnamon addict and love it in Lolita L,Sushi Imperial and several others that utilize cinnamon in a warm way. This is just straight cinnamon all the time. After a few hours I had to wash it off so maybe the dry down turns incorporates more notes but as it stands, this is a big dislike for me.

similar to dev 2. smooth. opens very peppery, maybe it's the tuber ... I do not like it, it's disgusting to my nose. herbal . I have to wash it away. has a non-sweet cinnamon and I do not distinguish the other notes. really too strong. balsamic, strong myrrh. too many notes all together .0 / 10

a perfume where the notes are not well blended. truffle earthy notes, myrrh, labdanum, cinnamon etc make it a not very harmonious mix. 2/10

Olibanum just might be the best note to represent Beelzebub and for that reason, I'm not mad at the heavy usage of olibanum in Dev #3. This opens similarly to the other 3 Devil scents blazing a trail of fire and brimstone. Once again the olibanum is heavy but for this Dev concoction it's paired with some serious resins. Don't be fooled by all this "brown stuff," this is very much brown as it is earthy and green(not Green Irish Tweed "green" but more on a natural outdoors level). Think mountain man, wet tree branches, etc...myrhh should rank higher for detectability bcuz it definitely contributes greatly to the medicinal burning tire effect found in the middle. At this point, i find the fragrance to be borderline uncomfortable(rightfully so) a scent born from a rebellious heart. The Inevitable will have many clamoring for the safety word to stop the madness others will bathe in all its malevolence. No doubt, a very subjective offering but do remember, the Dev series is a story in fragrance format...

I have #3 on one wrist and #4 on the other wrist. #3 is MUCH spicier and I think clove should be listed in the notes. It smells like cinnamon and cloves mixed with a resinous, dark incense base. Dark, but not as dark as the first two but more so than the fourth. I get very little green here. A nice, lighter version of the first two in the series. They seem to get lighter to my nose as they progress 1-4. I think all of them are excellent and they come in a very nice sample pack. If you like this "thing" you should considering getting the sampler. My wife commented that the opening has a "dark cola" smell. :)

The opening is herbal and sweet, almost syrupy. Reminds me of my great grandmother's Swedish Bitters. In a few minutes it transforms into a warm, heavy cinnamon scent that lasts about an hour before I start feeling like I'm being exorcised in a medieval church. The stake is already burning and the smoke penetrates the air. I suppose the heavy smoky incense smell is brought on by the combination of olibanum, labdanum and myrrh? Certainly dark, mysterious and unusual. Perfect for autumn nights.

comes on with a smooth spicy/herbal/medicinal element, i'm inclined to say it's some form of chamomile, cinnamon and cloves, or something like that. it's in the 'too loud / obnoxious range, but only in the low part. there's a medicinal tiger balm element IN that spice/herb/med part, and it is making me like it less than i may have otherwise...

This is cinnamon, and maybe some apples that may have gone bad. With deep intakes there is more than cinnamon, but it's honestly mostly cinnamon and fits the story of the series still.

This one is more herbal and medicinal than the other Devs. I prefer Dev 1, and second I would say Dev 2.