Devin
Aramis (1978)
Average Rating:
74 User Reviews
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About Devin by Aramis
Reviews of Devin by Aramis
There are 74 reviews of Devin by Aramis.
If this is a "country" fragrance, then it's Country Life by Roxy Music. Right out of the bottle it smells like the men's counter at Macy's, but after 20 minutes it smells like Bryan Ferry in a cheetah print blazer gritting his teeth with his eyes going like pinwheels. I can't believe this is under $20.
The initial spray is definitely Polo-esque, but after drying down it becomes incredible rich, warm, and pretty animalic (depending on your skin, apparently). It almost exudes a sort of heat, really. I have a hard time not constantly smelling my wrists when I'm wearing this.
You probably should keep this for weekends and dates.
The initial spray is definitely Polo-esque, but after drying down it becomes incredible rich, warm, and pretty animalic (depending on your skin, apparently). It almost exudes a sort of heat, really. I have a hard time not constantly smelling my wrists when I'm wearing this.
You probably should keep this for weekends and dates.
Perhaps I should look for a vintage bottle, but I was disappointed with mine from 2015. Comparisons to Polo Green are lost on me other than their shared use of pine and I find Devin altogether different and inferior.
The current formulation is spoiled by its liberal use of galbanum, which is always described as 'grassy', and in
its use of many other seemingly synthetic notes. This gives modern day Devin, a far cry from the Dude of the late 1970s that he once was, a cheap feel and some would say, diminishes the legacy of a classic Aramis creation. Not having smelled the original, I can't comment on that, but it's fair to assume it has been reformulated more than once over the years and a 100ml bottle can be bought at a low price in the UK currently (at c. £20).
I'd call Devin a dated, unspectacular but safe old school men's fragrance which is likely to appeal to fans of Aramis and an older crowd (call me Thomas Hardy, as I'm far from the madding crowd on this one) but wouldn't recommend it if you don't like galbanum, not that it's an obnoxious or overpowering fragrance at all.
Used in the right amounts and as part of a complementary olfactory pyramid, such as in the 1981 version of the animalic green masterpiece Jules by Dior, galbanum works well, but here it is one-dimensional and whilst longevity is very good at over 8 hours, it is not the type of green scent I could ever learn to love. My opinion might change should I every try the vintage version, but for the current one it's thumbs half up / half down.
The current formulation is spoiled by its liberal use of galbanum, which is always described as 'grassy', and in
its use of many other seemingly synthetic notes. This gives modern day Devin, a far cry from the Dude of the late 1970s that he once was, a cheap feel and some would say, diminishes the legacy of a classic Aramis creation. Not having smelled the original, I can't comment on that, but it's fair to assume it has been reformulated more than once over the years and a 100ml bottle can be bought at a low price in the UK currently (at c. £20).
I'd call Devin a dated, unspectacular but safe old school men's fragrance which is likely to appeal to fans of Aramis and an older crowd (call me Thomas Hardy, as I'm far from the madding crowd on this one) but wouldn't recommend it if you don't like galbanum, not that it's an obnoxious or overpowering fragrance at all.
Used in the right amounts and as part of a complementary olfactory pyramid, such as in the 1981 version of the animalic green masterpiece Jules by Dior, galbanum works well, but here it is one-dimensional and whilst longevity is very good at over 8 hours, it is not the type of green scent I could ever learn to love. My opinion might change should I every try the vintage version, but for the current one it's thumbs half up / half down.
I am outdoorsman, a naturalist, a conservationist. I am the type that when walking in the woods I really like to drink it all in. I see a log with moss and lichen, mushrooms covering it, I get in close, examine it, am in awe of its splendor. I am in love with everything from the haunting calls of the whippoorwills and loons to the morbid, mysterious beauty of carrion beetles carrying out their work. I admire the whole picture, the good, the beautiful, the bad, the ugly, and how all the tints and hues come together to spell out "home" to me.
This is why Devin is so beautiful to me. The genius of Bernard Chant is that in his works, he tapped into all of these qualities, thereby making his work smell so natural that the average Joe may be taken aback: "this doesn't smell clean, this isn't safe and antiseptic. This isn't right. I am a city man, what do you take me for?" This will certainly not appeal to the 'blue' fragrance lovers of today (at least not until their noses acquire a taste for more complexity and artistry in scent); we currently live in a time where nuance and dynamism is shunned in favor of Disney versions of the natural realm.
Devin was through much of its existence presented as a 'country' eau de cologne, almost as a disclaimer. This has since been removed from the labeling of newer formulations, but the fragrance remains primarily intact. I have an older bottle that just sings the praises of all that is agrestic, raw, rugged (tall pines, herbs, weeds, and grasses, and animalic leather/labdanum), yet vulnerable and tender under the surface (florals, jasmine, lavender, an understated sweetness).
The pine note is the real stand-out for me: it is not a hackneyed Isobornyl Acetate heavy accord but rather a more dynamic pine of needles, resins, sap, bark, wood. We do know that pine and artemisia were often paired together in men's chypres of the day (Quorum and the like), but here, they really somehow stand out as Technicolor, albeit with many muted and tawny shades thrown in. The galbanum brings out the truly green and sappy qualities of pine needles and broken leaves. The cinnamon is far from candied and rough; it really brings out the woodier qualities of pine.
If you have graduated from simpler and hopelessly accessible scents and want to explore something simultaneously thought-provoking and a source of primal pleasure, then Devin is a logical progression in your fragrance journey. Applied with a light hand, this will likely be appreciated by others around you, too. The word "classic" has been mentioned 33 other times so far in the review, and it comes as no surprise. Devin is one of the most beautiful men's fragrances I've smelled, simple as that. It brings a whole new meaning to "taking the rough with the smooth."
10/10
This is why Devin is so beautiful to me. The genius of Bernard Chant is that in his works, he tapped into all of these qualities, thereby making his work smell so natural that the average Joe may be taken aback: "this doesn't smell clean, this isn't safe and antiseptic. This isn't right. I am a city man, what do you take me for?" This will certainly not appeal to the 'blue' fragrance lovers of today (at least not until their noses acquire a taste for more complexity and artistry in scent); we currently live in a time where nuance and dynamism is shunned in favor of Disney versions of the natural realm.
Devin was through much of its existence presented as a 'country' eau de cologne, almost as a disclaimer. This has since been removed from the labeling of newer formulations, but the fragrance remains primarily intact. I have an older bottle that just sings the praises of all that is agrestic, raw, rugged (tall pines, herbs, weeds, and grasses, and animalic leather/labdanum), yet vulnerable and tender under the surface (florals, jasmine, lavender, an understated sweetness).
The pine note is the real stand-out for me: it is not a hackneyed Isobornyl Acetate heavy accord but rather a more dynamic pine of needles, resins, sap, bark, wood. We do know that pine and artemisia were often paired together in men's chypres of the day (Quorum and the like), but here, they really somehow stand out as Technicolor, albeit with many muted and tawny shades thrown in. The galbanum brings out the truly green and sappy qualities of pine needles and broken leaves. The cinnamon is far from candied and rough; it really brings out the woodier qualities of pine.
If you have graduated from simpler and hopelessly accessible scents and want to explore something simultaneously thought-provoking and a source of primal pleasure, then Devin is a logical progression in your fragrance journey. Applied with a light hand, this will likely be appreciated by others around you, too. The word "classic" has been mentioned 33 other times so far in the review, and it comes as no surprise. Devin is one of the most beautiful men's fragrances I've smelled, simple as that. It brings a whole new meaning to "taking the rough with the smooth."
10/10
I love Aramis and many classic vintage fragrances from the 70s and 80s
Devin has many vintage qualities that I appreciate, mind you, I am commenting on the modern version.
It's vintage through and through but there's a powerful animalic tone that is overpowering and lingers from the start till the end.
Be afraid, be really afraid of the civet/musky note that will not go away!
It is very cheap nowdays tho!
Devin has many vintage qualities that I appreciate, mind you, I am commenting on the modern version.
It's vintage through and through but there's a powerful animalic tone that is overpowering and lingers from the start till the end.
Be afraid, be really afraid of the civet/musky note that will not go away!
It is very cheap nowdays tho!
Wow. This is what Polo should have been. A beautiful green, masculine scent. Devin has always been a complement getter for me along with Tuscany. Sadly I find the newer formulation a bit weaker than the original. All the notes are still there, just a bit watered down. Still beautiful and classic! An enthusiastic thumbs up!
I can't believe I missed this amazing classic green scent for so long.
Profoundly green with a chypre undertone, a super warm, sunny-meadow heart, with thickness of jasmine and honey and yet not sweet. Just a little woody sharpness for structure and a ghost of classic aramis holds it together. Genius.
Happy days!
Profoundly green with a chypre undertone, a super warm, sunny-meadow heart, with thickness of jasmine and honey and yet not sweet. Just a little woody sharpness for structure and a ghost of classic aramis holds it together. Genius.
Happy days!
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