JACK & THE DEVIL (General Catalog)

JACK & THE DEVIL
Vanilla, Tobacco, Oakmoss, Amber, Patchouli, Sweet Pumpkin & Soft Spice

Not to be used by women who are pregnant or nursing

Offered in the General Catalog in Perfume oil.  Available in Glace and Ganache as part of the Autumn 2011 Collection.

Description:  Jack & The Devil is part trick, part treat and all autumn delight! A blend of sweet vanilla absolute, dried brown tobacco leaf (absolute), green and delightful oakmoss absolute, warm amber, 2 different kinds of patchouli essential oil, sugared golden pumpkin and subtle spices.

On cold sniff and initial application, the earthy patchouli is completely smoothed out by a generous heap of sweet and delicious vanilla and pumpkin.  A sharp green refreshing note of the most gorgeous oakmoss absolute wraps these notes up tight and mingles perfectly with the softest autumn spice blend.  Tobacco leaf serves to enrich the dank earthiness of the patchouli.

After a little while on the skin, the patchouli, tobacco Leaf and oakmoss receed as the golden amber resin emerges through the pumpkin flesh to dance intimately with the vanilla absolute.

Oh, how I love Jack & The Devil.
The vanilla and pumpkin are the most dominant on my skin, with an amazing complexity from all the other notes. It's definitely a sweet scent, but not foody-sweet. I would happily wear this throughout the year. I've worn it almost every day since I received it!

I got addicted to this scent last year and wore it constantly through autumn and much of the winter. Many SS blends are very quiet and don't waft away from your skin. This one has excellent sillage though and whenever I wore it, nearly everyone could smell it on me. Nine times out of 10, I received a positive response to it and a lot of men and women alike loved the unique blend of patchouli, pumpkin and tobacco. But then there is always a tenth person who can't stand smelling it. I had a stranger rudely tell me several weeks ago that the smell of it made her want to puke (she then proceeded to light up a cigarette. But I digress). However, the negative reactions are far outweighed by the positive comments I get and the delight of people trying to discern the various notes in the perfume. Everyone should at least SMELL this once because it is not unlike any other scent I've smelled or worn before.

Don't let the comments about sillage or puking scare you off. I've smelled MUCH more overbearing perfumes and while this one is strong compared to soft scents like Conjure, it is NOT a scent that is going to announce your presence 20 miles in advance.

OMG, one of my favorites. The sweet pumpkin combined with the vanilla, amber, patchouli and woods and a hint of smokiness (at least to my nose) is just masterful. An unexpected but delightful combination that is just not to be missed!

This is a fantastic fall scent and was one of the first "morphing" blends I had ever tried from Solstice Scents. In reading the description, one would think "Ugh! Patchouli, Pumpkin and Tobacco?" It works wonderfully! It starts out nice and earthy on my skin, but later on becomes much lighter yet, resinous.

I'm usually not a wearer of pumpkin scents, but the blending of the spices along with the tobacco and patchouli really make it something to experience. It goes perfectly along with the fall season!

I didn't like this one intially last year although I never put it on my skin-just cold sniffed it. I tried it this year when I got a sample and fell in love! On me, it is somewhat dark and more of the patchouli and tobacco side. It is not sweet but sexy and deep. I love it and can't imagine why I didn;t last year. It really pays to actually try things on your skin as they will morph into something different. This one is fabulous and now one of my favs. Beautiful for fall, but great all year!

This one is such a peculiar scent on me... I get no pumpkin out of it. It smells completely different on my skin than in the bottle. Once I put it on, it takes a sweet musky aroma. I love it, a lot...but it was very surprising.

I was actually in debate over this scent for nearly a year. I have a friend who swears by it, but I steered far far away. Why? Because I'm rather allergic to patchouli. It does all those nasty things on the surface that any skin allergy will result in.
Well...I was so envious in reading my friends recent posts on Facebook, declaring her love for Jack & The Devil, that I couldn't resist any longer- on my next Solstice Scents order, I added a little bottle of it as my sampler. Once it arrived, I nervous applied a TINY amount to the inside of one wrist. After that,it was time to wait and see... Five minutes goes by, "ooh, I like this smell." No rash. ... Ten minutes, "Mmmm, musky!" Still no rash. .... An hour later the scent was still lingering happily and I had no allergic reaction. I'm not sure why I didn't, but I'm certainly not complaining!

I like this perfume a lot, and it's rather sweet on me. It mostly smells like buttery cinnamon toast with a warm, cozy, resinous amber and a hint of sweet, earthy patchouli. I don't like the pumpkin blends from a lot of perfumers, but this smells perfectly spicy (soft cinnamon and not red hots overwhelming cinnamon) and foodie to me, and just slightly buttery without being too much. It's a dark and resinous foodie scent, which I love <3.

StarSylvie wrote:

Stupid question, but I've been wondering... who is Jack?

I've always thought it was a reference to Halloween Jack O'Lanterns given the pumpkin and spice listed in the notes. The devil would be the "darker" elements of the fragrance--the patchouli, tobacco, amber, etc.

SolsticeScholar wrote:

StarSylvie wrote:

Stupid question, but I've been wondering... who is Jack?

I've always thought it was a reference to Halloween Jack O'Lanterns given the pumpkin and spice listed in the notes. The devil would be the "darker" elements of the fragrance--the patchouli, tobacco, amber, etc.

I always thought it was referencing the old legend of a guy, Jack, who tricked the Devil too many times and wasn't allowed to enter Hell, but who wasn't good enough to go to Heaven, either. Instead, he wandered about with his turnip carved into a lantern for eternity--the myth behind the first Jack O' Lantern.

I think maybe the Devil threw him a coal for the lantern?

alicious wrote:

SolsticeScholar wrote:

StarSylvie wrote:

Stupid question, but I've been wondering... who is Jack?

I've always thought it was a reference to Halloween Jack O'Lanterns given the pumpkin and spice listed in the notes. The devil would be the "darker" elements of the fragrance--the patchouli, tobacco, amber, etc.

I always thought it was referencing the old legend of a guy, Jack, who tricked the Devil too many times and wasn't allowed to enter Hell, but who wasn't good enough to go to Heaven, either. Instead, he wandered about with his turnip carved into a lantern for eternity--the myth behind the first Jack O' Lantern.

I think maybe the Devil threw him a coal for the lantern?

Dead on here, alicious. SolsticeScholar picked up on the juxtaposition of notes I was going for so he's right on the composition but the story was the one you referred to.

Now we know! The story makes me love the scent even more!

Well, I'd never heard of this legend! Thank you, alicious! I've learned something!

I absolutely adore this scent, it tells you something that I have it in perfume, glace and ganache. It's my all time favourite pumpkin scent, from any retailer, and I've tried a lot! It's dark, spicy, resinous and sexy. It's very well-blended and not at all sweet on me, barely foody either, just utterly gorgeous.

I have to preface my comments by saying that I tend to shy away from patchouli perfumes because some of them make me feel like I'm carrying an unwashed hippie on my back. However, knowing how much I admire the way the scents here are handled, I took a gamble and grabbed this one.

At first application, the patchouli is there, but mixes beautifully with the spices first, the pumpkin, and then the other notes as they come into play.

This is such a warm and comfortably beautiful perfume. I met my mother today and had her sniff it, and her first comment was, "Oh, that's beautiful." And I agree. I feel powerfully femme wearing this perfume. It's cozy, warm, and sexy in an understated way.

It also has a wonderful longevity. I put this on over nine hours ago, and I'm still getting the most delicious wafts of spice and patchouli and amber tinged with the faintest kiss of vanilla.

This one definitely has what I've come to think of as the Solstice Scents stamp (an almost woody edge, although I can't quite put my finger on it), and that stamp puts this scent right to the top. Beautifully done!

This is going to be a roundabout story, so stay with me. It is the story of one test and two full wearings with two very different results.
I am Australian and we do not celebrate Halloween (for us November is warm and leading into full summer). Many years ago a food specialist shop imported some tins of pumpkin puree from the USA (Aunt Jemima or something of that sort of name). Curious to know what american pumpkin pie was like, I purchased a tin and made a pie. The smell of that pie reminded me of Jack and the Devil. Based on that, I do understand what makes this such a seasonal fragrance for US residents. This fragrance is of course far better than dear old Aunt Jemima. It is incredibly warm, rich and multifaceted. A pleasure to wear.

As the first sample testing reminded me of these pumkiny/spicy notes and I mentally slotted it into a pleasant gourmet fragrance category. I am sure that is the association many people have.

My first full wear was a light application during the day in a casual setting. It reinforced my initial view of a nice fragrance with dessert (pumpkin pie) overtones. Fun, friendly and suitably warm and approachable. The sweet pumpkin and spice notes dominated, but there was enough depth to keep my interest going and prevent it from being lightweight.

Second full wearing - Cold wet miserable day with a heavy application. How I didn't pick this up before I'll never know. Today, the dirt aspect came through loud and clear- the raw patchouli reigned. What a change due to weather conditions!! It stayed delightfully dark for quite some time before warming up in the drydown. It was interesting (well fascinating is a better choice of word) that the same fragrance performed so differently in different conditions. Both were incredibly enjoyable.

Maybe you could change the name to Jack or the Devil. Very much a dual nature fragrance depending on the weather.

I have no idea how most of the notes in this smell like but I love it so much. I regret not getting this in a fb but I'm definitely getting one soon. It's so yummy it actually makes me kinda hungry even though this isn't really a foody smell. I think everyone should definitely try this (get a sample if you usually don't go for this type of perfume but it is definitely something worth gambling a fb for). The sillage is not bad and it did stay on me a long time.

Jack and the Devil was the second SS I tried. I was looking for a great Autumnal scent, and wow...did I find it! What an interesting scent it is, however...

Upon a cold sniff, I get BAM! pumpkin! Yes! I love pumpkin! This is what I was looking for. So I apply it to my skin, and there's still pumpkin...and then vanilla...and tobacco? Yes, that's tobacco. Oh, this smells good! The first hour, I cannot stop sniffing my wrist; this is the Autumn of my dreams - you know, that Autumn day that breathes a crisp wind beneath the cold, gray clouds...that combs its fingers through the blackened branches of the naked willow trees? THAT Autumn day. The one that you want to take a break from monotony and walk down a sinister pathway of orange and rustling leaves to find a cottage with the glowing foggy windows revealing a glowing fireplace inside.

But, what's this? You decide to enter the cottage to find an old man. It's Jack. You don't realize it, but you've been walking for about three hours and suddenly, the air has changed and the scent has morphed into something...older...something quite...aged.

The aroma of leather and pipe tobacco fills the air and without even looking around, you KNOW there's an elderly man sitting in worn leather wing-backed chair, perusing a worn leather-bound copy of Sleepy Hollow, gently puffing away on an aromatic vanilla cigar. An aged Jack-O-Lantern has taken up residence on the edge of the coffee table at his feet - Halloween hasn't passed yet, how can this pumpkin be so old already? A gentle flame flickers in the embers of the fireplace; wispy smoke tendrils billowing their way through the chimney to the high dusky clouds above. Somehow, you get lost in here for a few hours, somewhere in the leather...and cigar smoke...and pumpkin...

It's time to find your way home in the dark. Jack bids you farewell and gives you an old cardigan, laced in his scent, yet somewhat faint. A bit smoky, a little warm with bits of pumpkin seed stuck to the sleeve. You find an old stogie in the pocket. What a strange walk through the woods it has been!

Normally I prefer light or floral perfumes, so I was surprised to find that I quite like Jack & The Devil. The tobacco and patchouli create a dark earthy scent. However, the vanilla makes the fragrance smooth, while the pumpkin and spices bring it to life. It's really a beautiful deep, autumn scent.

The perfume is very long-lasting, as in from dawn to dusk. It morphs throughout the day, but barely loses any strength.

The Tobacco, Oakmoss and Patchouli hit my nose on the first sniff then the warmth of the subtle sweet pumpkin and soft spice along with the vanilla cut through and tone down the first notes I smelled. The Pumpkin and the Patchouli seem to intertwine while the Oakmoss and Tobacco keep the blend from becoming too sweet for my liking. The Patchouli isn't sickening strong on me but you can tell it's Patchouli again the Amber note comes to the front as the dry down continues. This blend is really complex and constantly changing. Every time I smell it a different note takes charge. I would say this is another semi-subtle but long lasting scent that would be good for when you want to have a bit of sass to your scent.

I opened this bottle with both eagerness and trepidation; the generous patron who gifted me these many samples was ever so excited and curious to have me try it, and I wasn’t sure what I would be getting into. Off came the cap, and… Spicey! It hit my nose in a wash of peppery heat and sweetness, of cinnamon and old oranges and clove. Were I feeling particularly unkind, I’d be tempted to liken it to the seasonal crafts aisle in early to mid fall – but I am rarely unkind, and frankly it succeeds instead in smelling like what it is to which those aisles aspire.

Wet upon the skin, it was nothing so much as donuts. Cinnamon donuts. Not day old half-stale grocery store numbers, oh no – the dank, rich, weighty spiced donuts I have only ever had on trips to visit my great grandfather’s farm in Maine. Cinnamon. Cinnamon! Peppery sweetness of cinnamon and pumpkin, and slowly burning thick wax candles.

The scents remained, but more subtly, after it dried upon the skin: Pepperspice/Cinnamon. Warm sweetness. Warm wax. The faint, weighty fruit of pumpkin.

That scent has remained so all day, and it is definitively autumnal. Jack and the Devil indeed – I can feel in this oil the Pumpkin King vying with the Lord of Hell for unsuspecting souls on All Hallow’s Eve.

Jack & the Devil is one of my favorite Solstice Scents. It is the perfect fall scent - it's got sweet pumpkin spice that is rounded down by this subtle spicy base of tobacco and patchouli. I've gotten good reactions from both men and women while wearing this scent- I think it is sensual in a unisex way. I've been carrying my bottle around with me and reapplying throughout the day- I cannot get enough of this scent. Love it.

After reading some reviews here I wanted to love this one so badly, but it just didn't work with my skin chemistry even after a year. This scent smells like rotten pumpkin flesh on my skin with cinnamon, patchouli, and a bit of syrupy sweetness--it doesn't help that patchouli has become a death note for me without fail. My skin does not play nicely with this one at all!

I really wanted to love this one, but the patchouli and oakmoss together are just too strong and musty on my skin (co-workers complained, I had to wash my wrists). I can absolutely see why this works for people who don’t have issues with patchouli amping like crazy, though. The pumpkin, vanilla, spice, and amber are delicious and warm, while the tobacco and patchouli give it an almost sinister feel. Dark and sexy.