LIL

How difficult to rate this fragrance. And it is that two completely opposite opinions come to mind. On the one hand, the important thing, what I think of the perfume itself... I LOVE IT! Like most of the works of Olympic orchids, it is a very special and very intense perfume with a great quality of ingredients and a performance well above average. Lil brings us a citric and very spicy aroma with a slight tropical touch provided by passion fruit. The drydown is woody and musky and the perfume as a whole provides a very pleasant sensation of freshness. Now, when I consider the possibility of buying it, I realize one thing... And that is that I have a perfume that is 90% identical to this one! And look, it's usually hard for me to find things that are similar to the proposals of this brand, since they are usually very original. And while the prices for Olympic orchids are very fair, the perfume in question is second to none. This is Sunday by Al Haramain, a low-cost Arab perfume that I bought about 4 years ago in an oil version and which, until now. I had not found any perfume that resembled it. Therefore, although for me acquiring Lil does not have everything, if you are looking for something similar I recommend it without a doubt. But if you are looking for something more economical to use without guilt or to see how a perfume like Lil can work on your skin... Sunday will give you the key. Scent: 9 Longevity: 10 Sillage: 7 Versatility: 9 Originality: 7 Overall: 9

This one is very personal for me. Before I tried Lil I've read reviews about the bitter, herbal and cold nature of this scent, it was alluring to me so I tried them. After few minutes on my skin the sweetness of rose mixed with musk became apparent. The scent was familiar, reminding me of perfumes that my mother used to wear when I was a child. At first it threw me off, hitting to close to home and giving me impression that the perfumes made me appear older than I am. After a week of giving Lil a try I was persuaded and bought a small bottle. I love how the smell is classic, but at the same time off-putting. Pleasantries of roses are earned after going through densely overgrown poison garden. Bitterness is the one of mosquito spray that you put on before entering a forest on a cloudy day. Artemisia hits like herbs that were drying in an attic for a whole summer. This smell makes me feel like I'm my mother's daughter while giving hints of radical Otherness. I absolutely love it.

Lil is a lovely citrus floral explosion. Loved the opening, dry down is much more subdued. I don’t think of bug spray or citronella, instead this leans lush and on the verge of tropical. The reviewer directly below mentions Byredo as a brand that can pull off tricky notes like passion fruit. I own Pulp, and even though that frag uses fig pulp, I agree that they do a good job in that genre. And like Pulp, Lil seems to be polarizing so you gotta chalk that up to chemistry. This is not a safe blind buy (I don’t recommend buying blind in general unless it’s cheapie cheap). Anyway, back to the matter at hand: in my perfume play book, Lil is a winner—between a like and a love. I think Olympic Orchid has a 20% off sale in July, and this is one that I’m considering adding to the cart. Lil is for fans of unusual citrus, floral and fruity scents.

Lil is beauty! A must have for each perfumista. It’s sharp, almost disturbing – a pungent lemongrass with a crisp floral accord underneath that paired with the heavy and abstract citrus fruits creates a fragrance like no other citrusy-floral . There’s a pinch of rose, and green lily of the valley, hyacinth, and the stench of tropical florals without the “weight” of them... it smells like the narcotics have been extracted. It is an industrial-like, crisp abstract, citrus fragrance with a bitterness underneath. The fragrance feels both sour and fresh, and stuffy and earthy... it's a whiplash that makes you mad because you discover pleasures in something you have always found deviant before. Lil is another amazing piece of The Devil Scents Collection, seductive and gorgeous.

Lil takes no prisoners, nor does she apologize. Green, sharp, difficult, about to verge on bitter but pulls up sharply at the precipice. You can only wear this one if you’ve got a bitch inside and you don’t give a shit. Lil ain’t pretty. She’s the original woman, she is next to Godhead.

Fruity fragrances often smell quite synthetic to me. It seems like it’s quite difficult to pull off the freshness aspect that real fruits contain without also bringing along either sour or chemical like elements along. Byredo seem to be able to get around that problem the best out of the houses I’ve tried to date, and Lil here feels like a fragrance that would fit quite well into Byredos range to me. The main fruit note here is passion fruit (or at least an accord that feels like it) which seems like a tricky one to pull off well. I think this has been achieved here with a good amount of artemesia giving it a slightly green creamy aspect to hide the synthetic feel, and a solid base of patchouli to give some of an earthy “realness”. There is also an airy floral and musky clean aspect that surrounds everything but these all feel blended into each other so don’t feel like specific notes (maybe a bit with the l-o-t-v) and really ties everything together. In the drydown, as citrus and this airyness continues I suppose I can see where people get citronella associations, but I think it’s very unfair to call this mosquito spray personally, its far more pleasant than that. This is too feminine for myself I think to buy more of after my sample is over, but its probably my favourite out of the dev series in terms of creativity, I’m glad I got to try it.

This is the only fragrance from the whole devil project that might not be for me. I do think it actually smells good but I don’t know if I want to smell like it if that makes sense. It opens with a very invigorating, almost menthol like scent. Very subtly soapy at first as well. I think the artemisia is probably the strongest smelling note at first. The lily of the valley, geranium, and cyclamen give it a green, soapy, almost “found near water” type of floral note. The lime, artemisia, and passionfruit give a citrus, crisp, invigorating, “wake up” in the morning note. The patchouli is a nice and subtle darker, peppery, earthier scent under all of that. The longer it sits the more herbaceous it gets and I can’t stop smelling it. I feel like the notes tell a story together, the scent is great, it’s just not what I want to wear. I can see this being a great spring or summer daytime scent.

Smells like betrayal. Reminds me of how it feels to be made to feel small and the rage that curdles the air around you after the fact. Everything slows until there is nothing but feeling. Conjures the mythos of Lilith in a shocking way. I had to let this settle around my imagination for a while before I understood it, and then I entered her world. It is one I have been to before. The sweet lime at first sniff comforts you, nearly gaining your trust, before disappearing and punching you back. This is the smell of rejection, expulsion. It is foul but it is inside you. This is about you. You are embraced briefly (misunderstood) and then shoved into an unfamiliar place (once misidentified). This place you know is worse, because it is not the perfection you were born into. It is all blurred. You are the sharpest thing in the landscape.

Lime, florals, herbs and wood. This scent has a sharp, piercing quality that I think is due to the artemisia and passion fruit. I can understand how some say it smells metallic. Opens with an almost citronella/lemongrass and dries down more fruity/floral. LIL is green while DEV #1-4 are red, brown and black. Sillage and projection are good. Lasted about eight hours before becoming soft. Still steadily lingering at the twelve hour mark. Definitely more "feminine" but a guy could wear this. True to the rest of the DEV scents this isn't the best for work or a date. A little cloying to me; I'd wear it in any season except the hottest summer or coldest winter days. A drastic departure from the others in the DEV series but I like the concept. This is nice and the quality is apparent but it's not for me.

This unisex scent opens with a big blast of lime, this lasts about 15-30 minutes. Then the artemisia and pandanus come out, the combination of the tartness of the lime and the bitterness of the artemisia and grassy smell of the pandanus create a lemongrass-like aroma. The florals are barely there, maybe they don't project as much because of the cold weather. I'm wondering whether these floral notes perform better in warm weather. Sillage is moderate, longevity is excellent 6+ hours. It's a nice, refreshing scent, but I'm not impressed enough to buy it.

Metallic lemongrass is what it smells like to me. Kind of a post apocalyptic perfume, like Citrus Verbena Intense, for androids. It surprises, because just when you are comfortable with the lemon, the metallic zing zaps you with an interesting array of complexity. The notes don’t really do this fragrance justice. Reviewer Lipglosandbackpack nailed it when she said “LIL was like sitting on a metal guard rail beside the highway drinking an ice-cold margarita on the rocks”- fun, summer scent for those days when you want something different!

reminds me of organic bug spray, but i dont hate it honestly! its a good spring scent if ur going for a granola vibe or u want to smell like you touch grass regularly

I agree with the reviewer before me; green, sharp, difficult, and bitter. The green is loud & the citrus sharp. Tight bitterness of a very dry white floral. My personal difficulty is that I both like and dislike the experience of the smell. My knee jerk is “oh no-” but immediately followed by “-hang on a sec” where I think I actually do love it. Rinse repeat with every sniff. This is the 3rd scent from this house I’ve tried and just like the others, how it opens is how the whole fragrance rides out. It never died down or changed on my skin after the initial application. Did not wash off. Overall I think I like it. It’s unique, confusing, & intensely powerful. Made me double take and I’m willing to bet it will make passers by do the same. I’m excited to play with it.

It's a bit sweet but green, sharp and bitter. Maybe a slight musky and earthy quality but no distinct patchouli. This bitter, herbal citrus reminds me of Kyphi by the same house, and the artemisia reminds me of Chevalier Vert by the same house. I prefer both of those fragrances compared to LIL. I think the sweet and tropical aspects are clashing with the bitter and green aspects. Maybe if one or the other was toned down, I would enjoy it more. Very interesting. Worth a shot. As typical for Olympic Orchids, it's complex with strong performance and good value.

A testament to the importance of balance in perfumery. A wolf in sheep’s clothing bearing its fangs. scent breakdown - Opens up bright, green, herbal, and sweet with lime, artemisia, and a couple other miscellaneous florals. As it dries down a gorgeously, delicious, and juicy passionfruit accord comes in, but is immediately undermined by the herbal, green facets of the opening being bolstered by geranium. As it dries down the sweet fights against the bitter greens but becomes enveloped in prickly, sharp greenery. personal thoughts - While I understand and appreciate what Ellen was trying to do when making this perfume, think a wolf in sheep’s clothing style fragrance, with syrupy sweet and fresh passionfruit + lime contrasted against bitter, green, and herbal artemisia + geranium. HOWEVER, I think she leaned a bit too much into the bitter and herbal side with this one as the dark + light style fragrances only work for the average pallet if the two sides are balanced, or the darker side just provides lovely nuance to the light (e.g. “Musc Ravageur” by Frederic Malle or “Mardi Gras” by Olympic). A good piece of olfactory art, but I never see myself wearing this again. performance - I get 8-10 hours performance with good 4 foot projection for the first 3 or so hours. rating - 4/10. when to wear - When you’re feeling extra bittersweet; When you don’t need anyone’s approval or advice; Fake confessions to a religious leader song vibe - Waters of Nazareth by Justice TLDR - Citric Lime + Herbal Artemisia + Juicy Passionfruit + Bitter Geranium + Misc florals. A bittersweet fragrance the leans too far on the bitter side for me to feel really compelled to wear this. If you like bitter, herbal fragrances this is a must try, but it’s very avant-garde.

Lil opens with a silvery, clean, florist-fresh note, rather synthetic –it might be the cashmeran. There’s also a super-sharp, Pledge-y, synthetic citrus note. Little by little, it gets dark and woody. Then comes a tart, juicy passionfruit, with an airy feel. But then we’re back to a rather harsh citrus. Overall, it feels very synthetic and not that great. One of Olympic Orchids’ weaker efforts IMO. Which means it’s still better than most of what you’ll find at Sephora.

bitter, a deep anger stirs in the belly when one smells this olfactory potion. It's ugly it's angry it's unwearable. It's exactly what you'd feel if you were rejected by God. It's a masterpiece in that visceral aspect. Other than that I'd never wear this for anything other than a funeral... but even then it might offend the dead.

fresh spray for mosquitos!!!citronella style.

Smelled like citronella bug spray to me.

One of the worst perfumes I've ever tested. Made me gag. 🤮

LIL does not have a metallic note on me, as many other reviewers have noted. All the Dev perfumes have a metallic note on my skin, which is similar in smell and tactile experience to a certain perfume ingredient coming into contact with my chemistry. Back to LIL. On me, the top notes are beautiful cucumber, lily of the valley, aldehydes. I could see if these notes were denser or more shrieking on my skin, it may form the smelL of metal. It does not though. All of these are in the opening in a very subtle, clean, balanced, smooth way. I usually dislike aldehydes and cucumber but love this opening. Somehow it is light and deep simultaneously. It is certainly airy, ethereal. There is a crackle of electricity towards the heart. I am aware of an herbal note from opening to the heart, it is not harsh or pushy, unique enough to not have to call out for attention. As the heart progresses a salty musk and lime emerge. Then, stepping back, it is an aquatic floral. Here, it is feminine, playful. Then lemon-lime, salt, maybe a freesia note. I love this. It is feminine in a unique way. The base on me hints at cumin (hints!) grounding it for me, while the lemon and lime include the rind. The base now sits as salty, textured, sexy watermelon rind. What a lovely trip. I keep getting the image of being delighted I am a woman, of not having to do anything more than be what I am. Wearing this perfume I want to radiate and embody genuine, grounded self-confidence.

Do you remember the other day when you were walking through the mall and you were tryna figure out where that aroma was coming from? It was probably me and I was wearing the lemon-lime bomb of a fragrance otherwise known as Lil. Extreme Compliment Getter to say the least. There's other stuff going on besides citrusy notes...For instance: The opening has a barely herbal yet puply ylang ylang nuance transitioning to some sort of sharp metallic/industrial freshness as described by the reviewers. Not long after the lemon lime detergent accord comes barreling through, what I thought to be neroli was probably a combination of Lily of the Valley and Angel's Trumpet. I could go on and on to describe the different notes I detect but the fact of the matter is this is a lemon-lime floral fragrance. If you like this one, you should check out Macaque from Zoologist. They are very similar. I had zero intentions of putting a feminine fragrance on my want list. Another surprise from this house. Blind Buy Worthy

I got a sample pack with this and all of the DEVs, and initially I liked this the least--too cold and sharp. However, it is unlike any other perfume (as most of Ellen Covey's are), and I kept returning to sniff the little sample atomizer. It takes a while to open up, but the process of opening is a whole performance. It's important to note that the lime in Lil is kaffir lime leaf (often used in Thai cooking--possibly why some people get a lemongrass vibe). It's such a rich, aromatic note that is way more complex and, to me, more intoxicating than the straight up lime that fagrantica's notes imply. I think it's that element that makes this an absolutely stand-out scent, even amongst Covey's other perfumes.

Feels sterile. Smelling it out of the tester I audibly said, "oouh" because it intrigued me. It's sweet in a metallic way. Wore it on my wrists and behind ears and knees running errands today and every time I got a whiff of myself I had flashbacks to the alcohol swab before a vaccine. I think thats the lime and artemisa because in a way I'm reminded of a gin n tonic as well. pleasant , well crafted just not for me. edit: a year later this is absolutely for me. my nose was unprepared for the delicate intricacies that are Ellen Covey's craftsmanship. Its stunning. a true master piece !

i got the 'dev sample set' recently, and have been trialling out all 5 of them. mostly, they've been impressive, but, each with their own downside. LIL, whilst providing a bit of respite from the laudanum/resin/base heavy series, is unfortunately too 'high' for my liking. the citrus/passionfruit start is pleasant, but too sweet with an abrasive metallic accord which upsets the mix somewhat. i don't get much of the woods nor the other floral elements present in the pyramid. it might tone down, somewhat, but as of now, an hour in, it's just too acidic and metallic for mine...

Really goddamn weird which is what you should want from a smaller house. At first I hated it and almost used the phrase I never want to when describing fragrances, "cleaning product-esque", because I think it's imprecise and cliche. This is SHARP and uncompromising. And it never changes, it's just as bitter 6 hours later. However, it kind of grew on me the more I wore it and I can see a sort of charm in it. There's a really hot mean woman out there that would stun in this, but unfortunately it's not me.

I got my long awaited sample today and it did not disappoint. This truly smells like a woman rejected by god, like defiling something holy. I do get an incense like note from the woody base which reminds me of church but the greenness and freshness of the citrus and florals slice through and give it such an edge. It smells ancient yet brand new at the same time. The myth of Lilith has always resonated with me and I feel like this is a great olfactory interpretation of the story 10/10

Agree with the previous reviewers who describe the initial scent as metallic and industrial. LIL was like sitting on a metal guard rail beside the highway drinking an ice-cold margarita on the rocks. While it is described as a unisex scent (and the name strikes me as feminine!) I found it quite masculine and don't expect to use up the rest of my sample vial, though I wouldn't object to smelling this on a man in an elevator.

I really like the lime in the beginning, it smells so distinctly LIME-y & not like a vague citrus smell like so many scents that claim to be lime do. I also really like the metallic angle, I think some people have said it’s the cashmeran. it really makes me think of the scent description where she calls it “transparent.”

I don't really have any other descriptors for this besides salve? There is a metallic component to it. I got this with the dev sample pack and have been layering over pretty florals/under the more resinous devs. Burned some incense while wearing. Smudges the edges out without taking away from the witchy vibe.

This and Jorum Studio’s Paradisi feel like siblings to me, especially during the dry down— overripe tropical fruit set against earthy, dirt-like minerality. Maybe a spiritual cousin to Ellen’s Nightflyer as well, though that leans more musky and animalic.

Ugh, no... I love Covey's work, but this doesn't resonate with me. Sweet , herbal, bitter, and a bit like a "technical floor cleaner smell." kAkophonique for me

Maybe I’m crazy, but my impression is a challenging, niche version of Versace Versense...

very cold, metallic lime - lime scent from a can of compressed air

Two words: mosquito repellant!