Brand: Arcana
Scent Description: Shaking off vanilla’s unfair reputation for namby pambyness, this infernally dark and smoky fragrance comes complete with licks of fire and sulfurous wafts of brimstone. The devil really does have all the best scents.
This one grew on me. I didn’t like it at all at first. The vanilla smelled beautiful and rich right out of the mailbox, and hasn’t changed in the weeks since, but the smoke or brimstone aspect initially smelled like ivory soap or men’s shower gel. Just that very screechy, soapy, dry in the sinuses kind of generic masculine smell. I didn’t get anything smoky at all. But I had seen so many reviews saying to just let this one rest a bit, and the vanilla was so good, I just set it in my vanity and hoped for the best. Within a day I started to notice a beautiful hot vanilla smell, a smokiness that was distinctly NOT woodsmoke. Something like hot stone or hot metal. It was just seeping out of the bottle and making a cloud around my dresser. I gave the bottle another whiff and it was still a bit cologney but better. It went on like this for a few weeks, with me smelling it every few days, until it was close enough in the bottle to the pleasant cloud that I felt comfortable testing on skin. At first, it was definitely a bit cologney, but soft, with a notable brimstone quality. I recognized it immediately as hot stones. From there it blurred into the vanilla over the next few hours, becoming almost ambery? Just that very cloudy sweet quality. In the driest stage, it started to morph into something like possibly myrhh and I think black musk. It very much reminded me of Le Chat Noir by Hexennacht, but without the grape smell to it. It lasted well over 24 hours, and probably would have kept going strong if I hadn’t showered. I like this one a lot. I would say it’s pretty unisex leaning masculine. Definitely an interesting smoked vanilla, but not remotely like Smoke and Mirrors by Alkemia.
I originally detested Devilish when I first got it. And it has been resting with a bunch of other scents I had decided to destash. However, I just went and tried it again and what a change! Resting this for a few months has made all the difference. I am loving it!
Wow! Arcanas Vanillas are so delicious! I’m seriously never disappointed 🤤 this does start off a tad bit of a vanilla buttercream directly from the bottle, but once applied it morphs into a subtle smoky vanilla. Reminiscent of ‘Woodsmoke & vanilla’.. I prefer this one as it’s similar to ‘smoke & mirrors’ smoke note but with a VERY light hand. While ‘Firebirds’ note was more smoky due to the fir 🌲 etc. This has great longevity- put a SMALL dab on my hand 4 hours ago and it’s still hanging out. Well done AW!
So the smoky smell has led into ‘holy terror’ dry down! (Applied more once able too)
One of my favorite vanilla scents. I was worried about it smelling like brimstone but it doesn’t. The smoky smell deepens the vanilla and makes it non-plastic like. It lasts forever on me.
At first I didn’t love this but after some resting I came around to it. It is a dark, smoky, warm vanilla scent. Not woodsmoke, though, it smells like hot stones or something else. Very sexy!