Loup Garou

[maansloep]

The wild, untamed essence of lycanthropy. Primeval in its raw power and insatiable hunger: juniper, cypress and galangal with the barest touch of eucalyptus.

At first, it has a strong resin scent, very pine and juniper. Almost too strong, but I want to see where it goes..

On the drydown, it retains that resin scent, but somehow turns into something like black pepper and tea, with the slightest hint of the woody scents. Wikipedia says galangal can smell like ginger and I think that's what I'm picking up. I reckon the eucalyptus is in there somewhere as well.

And now, nearly an hour after application, it has turned back to the woody scents.

This was a freebie and I like it.. makes me smell like ginger! yum Edited June 23, 2008 by Shollin

[Indigo78]

Peaceful...In the imp I can really smell what must be the Galangal. This is sweet and piney at the same time. Yes, the Vics smell is there if you think about it, but this smells sweet and barely citrusy to me.

 

Freshly applied it is even sweeter, but kept somber by the Pine and Juniper.

 

I continue to amp sweet quite a bit as this dries. While I like the stages Loup goes through, I would probably enjoy those stages privately... applying well before leaving the house, then leaving when it hits the sweet stage on me. Definitely another *keep an imp on hand* scent, for now!

[voodoocatwoman]

In the imp and wet: Pine scented cleaner.

 

Dry: Evergreen piney pines. I smell like a pine forest.

[djsiberia]

in the imp: pine cleaner. sharp and strong. like walking through a pine forest. then eucalyptus shows up and punches you in the face and adds that sort of medicinal quality to it.

 

this was another one of those, in the imp only sniffs. i just don't do well with anything close to woods - like pines, cedars, etc. they usually are very sharp and very dominating and remind me of urine. yuck...another pass it to someone else imp.

[Methos]

Up first is pine. It smells clean and woodsy, like a forest early in the morning. It's like this for a while, then mellows to a sweet, white sandalwood. In general, a very plesant scent.

[cemeterypolka]

in the imp: Oof, that's a lotta pine!

 

on my skin: Oh, yum. Resiny, piney, dark, sexy and faintly sweet. This will be a winner for me if it doesn't turn powdery on the drydown...

 

dry: Damnit, it got powdery! Now it smells like baby powder and pine on me. I am sad.

 

rating: 3.5; another great one for the oil burner, but not so much for my skin.

[Czarina]

Frimp from a forumite.

 

In the imp: pine cone up the nose.

Wet: pine and juniper. I expect my wrists to be sticky with sap.

Drydown: the evergreen scent sweetens a bit. The eucalyptus (usually a scent I hate) makes a pleasant and subtle appearance.

[Iceblink]

This is fresh sticky slap-you-in-the-face pine and eucalyptus. Smells like something that would be great for clearing your sinuses--very medicinal. Way too harsh and green for me.

[rayvn1]

I too got a nose full of eucalyptus and pine when I opened the imp and first applied, but I love those scents! Unfortunately this died as soon as it dried. So light I reapplied ten minutes later with no luck. Just doesn't last on my skin Maybe good in a scent locket or room burner though!

[starcr]

This is pine. Ye gods is it ever pine, especially right at first. As it dries, the scent softens into a more general woodsy scent that, while still dominated by the pine, isn't overwhelmed by it. Not my favorite, but not bad either.

[zankoku_zen]

Pine trees and gin! This is what it smells like. I get the pine, which on me is amped up with the juniper. If this is what lycanthropes smell like, they must be Santa's bodyguards!

 

I can't fear something that smells like it could be hoisted on top of a Christmas tree in a moment of drunken revels. I mean, just ask Anthony Bourdain about that....

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Very fresh, lots of evergreen coolness and bite. Juniper hits my nose first, but the cypress is right behind, with a hint of the cold eucalyptus—not nearly enough to think of cold medicine or craft stores, though. This is a forest all the way, but it isn't a gentle one. This doesn't make me think specifically of a werewolf (that seems like it would be a musky scent to me), but this does seem like the dark, dangerous scent of the woods that would contain a werewolf.

On, wet: Cypress! Tons of dark green, woody, slightly sweet cypress. Again, there's just a whiff of the eucalyptus, enough to lend this blend a cold aspect—sort of a damp chill in the dark forest, making this very much a winter scent. There was a burst of spicy-citrusy galangal when it first hit my skin, but it seems to have disappeared.

On, dry: Juniper and evergreen have found a balance and started to blend together—still woody and dark green to me. It's a very piney Juniper, too, reminiscent of the pine in Jersey Devil. Unlike Jersey Devil, there's no cranberry here to round out the wood and pine needles. Instead, the galangal has surfaced again and is doing interesting things with the wood, creating a touch of fresh, earthy-citrus zing. For me, this is gender-neutral, but I can see how it could strike somebody else as masculine.

Later: The notes haven't changed much—it's still juniper, cypress and galangal—but it's smoother, subtler, more refined now—very nice and woody, but still with lots of green. Hmm, maybe this is the werewolf transforming back into a more civilized animal?

Overall: Very nice, very woodsy, very fresh and gender-neutral. In all honesty, I'm not sure this hits the werewolf concept for me, but it is pleasant, and though tastes vary, it didn't strike me as medicinal at all. I always like the layered, forest-style fragrances, and the galangal is an interesting twist, but I prefer the lighter, friendlier woods of Tristran, or even the complexity of Jersey Devil. This is a perfectly nice fragrance; it's just that there are other Forest blends that I like more.

 

 

[tajana]

Juniper most prominently, with a piney feel: I'm initially reminded of Thanatopsis, another forest scent that's also heavy on the juniper. Loup Garou has a bite of cold eucalyptus to set it aparts, and tons of dark cypress. If the description didn't say 'galangal', I wouldn't have known. With all the deep green forest, the eucalyptus comes off as the chill of a winter night, and it stays as a low-level presence for a long while. (Unlike in Jabberwocky, where the eucalyptus is really prominent but ephemeral.) Very clean scent. Would make a better room fragrance than personal perfume, in my opinion.

[GeorgeJr]

Very much eucalyptus at first . Maybe some forest in behind it , but on me the eucalyptus is battling it back into the far background . I'm slightly bummed by this , not that I don't care for the smell of eucalyptus . I really want this to blend better . I have a bottle of this & hardly wear it , & now I think I know why . I have way too many others that I love much more then this . I'd file this under " not bad , but I have found much better " .

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Eucalyptus and juniper. Kinda sweet

 

Wet: I got an air freshener from a gas station like this once...

 

Drydown: Cypress, pine, and menthol cough drops.

 

Overall: I gave this one a try for laughs. So not my style, but really it wasn't the terminally scarring disaster that Wolfsbane was on me, so that's nice

[ouch!]

Not really a fan of this...

 

I'm quickly discovering that that anything I use that has pine in just smells like Pine.

 

So..this on me smells like single note Pine.

 

Off to swaps.

 

[Veronica]

This smells very fresh and green in a nontraditional way, I can definitely distinguish the "green" of the juniper, cypress and eucalyptus. There's something almost lemon-y holding this scent down. It's very nice and fresh in a lemon-lime sort of way, this almost smells like Thai food. Nice, but not for me.

 

EDIT: On a second test, this is a sugary lemon, almost like lemonade, but held down by the juniper and pine (it feels like breathing in mountain air!), the pine also lends an almost smoky after scent. After dry down, the lemon is absent and its all smoky, forest-y goodness. Very interesting and gorgeous, but not for me.

Edited November 14, 2009 by delighted

[ami226]

In the imp: eucalyptus and juniper. No doubt.

 

On the skin: Hello juniper! It is actually very pleasant for a juniper scent and not too strong.

 

Overall: Not too bad. Not a scent that I would wear too often. Strong plant smell.

Edited June 25, 2009 by Catseyes

[Argentwolf]

I really wanted to like this one, both for the name and ingredients! All I get is pine trees and eucalyptus, though, and it's not even that awesome. It could have been the heat and sweat, but even with trying to slather it, the scent just disappears. So sad.

[mgrazulis]

A wild Margeride forest...fresh with juniper and cypress. Ancient, dark, and untamed. The eucalyptus deep-chills the evergreens above...underneath it is a raw, gingery, earthy aroma and a tinge of rosemary. The longer it dries, the better it gets, settling skin close. No muskiness...just the sense of movement through a forest from the air level down to the ground. Wild yet calm...I want a bottle of this!

[voorishsign]

"I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trade Vic's, his hair was perfect."

 

I was leery of this from the start and actually ordered this sample solely because of the name as I'm a big werewolf enthusiast. In the bottle, this one smells very herbal and woody, very medicinal. When I first tried it, it was instant Vicks Vaporub, but now that I've tried it again a few weeks later, my skin is playing along much more nicely - it still smells green and medicinal but it works better with my skin chemistry and becomes a bit deeper and less sharp, especially on drydown.

 

I wear it when I've had a miserable day and I need a refreshing, cleansing scent up my nose. I won't get a 5ml but I will keep an imp around me at all times

 

Edit: Well, my opinion has wound up changing 180 degrees. It's funny how that happens sometimes. I used to dislike Loup Garou greatly and now not an evening goes by that I don't put it on. The smell is clean, woodsy, not the artifical woodsy, and clean. I have a 5ml on the way. Mmmh.

Edited November 24, 2009 by voorishsign

[Saya]

I get a ton of pine from this blend. Nothing too complex, just pine. Interesting, but not something I'm into.

[heathercaley]

This reminds me of when I would walk to school in the morning as a kid. I used to walk through the library park everyday. Through the park, I would pass by eucalyptus trees, and cypress trees early in the morning when the morning dew has perfumed the air with their essence. This reminds me exactly of this pastime, only with an added jolt of minty freshness. It's green, but not a "grassy" green. It's also not a headache inducing green, which can sometimes happen with overly floral, or overly grassy scents.

 

As it dries down, I'm picking up more of the juniper note layered with just a touch of mint.

 

It's refreshing and therapeutic, and I really quite enjoy this one! I might experiment and wear it more often. The more I sniff my wrist, the more it grows on me.

[devilot]

Loup Garou

In the Vial: Juniper and cypress tend to translate to my nose as 'pine.' And yes, this is in-your-face pine. Ick. And then if I keep huffing, whoooooa eucalyptus rears its nasty head, too!

 

Verdict: I'm not even going to skin-test this sucker. I'm not a fan of pine scents and not a fan of eucalyptus (unless it's for something somewhat medicinal, but not as perfume). Swaps ye' go!

[impolight]

:::LOUP GAROU:::

Wow, this one is SCARY! Indeed, it is easy to picture just how the formula for Loup Garou was developed to represent the predatory biped that terrorized entire villages and caused the most stout-hearted of folk who entered the forest by night to tremble in unholy dread with the thought of being rent asunder by tooth, claw and supernatural, brute force and cruelty.

Loup Garou definitely has the smell that insinuated something large and wiry-haired that has just come crashing through the foliage to spell out your doom in dripping red letters.

It is all here; Pine, Spruce, Eucalyptus, and... Is that Ginger? Galangal? Cypress?

Loup Garou is a bold and wicked green; so dark, that it verges on black.

lt is difficult to tell whether there is actually an animal musk in this or the title of the fragrance that lends an uncanny power of suggestion...Much the same can be said for the prospect of Vetiver; The territorial marking of the trees and whatnot.

It is effortless to associate Loup Garou with the heraldry of lycanthropy.

Wild, sexual, unisex. Brutal prowess.

Enjoy!