Luperci

[nekogrrl]

... This scent is for the Luperci, the Chosen of Faunus, the Brothers of the Wolf: raw, down and dirty patchouli, Gurjam balsam, and essence of Sampson Root sweetened with the heightened sexuality of beeswax, virile juniper, oakmoss, ambrette seed over honey and East African musk.

I have never understood the people who don't like patchouli because it smells like a dirty hippie.

I understand them now.

This blend personifies Dirty Hippie to me. I can't decide whether this is a 'bad' batch of patchouli or if another note is making this a do not want.

[Coldfire]

Decant: earthy and green but with an ancient vibe

Wet on Me: more green than earth. Almost an astringent vibe wanting to come out but being restrained. Still get this old and ancient feel from it. Loving so far!
Drying Down: Green like old evergreen and earth that is warm and rich, this is a hypnotic scent for me. I keep raising my wrist to my nose and inhaling deeply. This wants to carry me away.
Dry: Completely loving this. NEEEEED to track down more of this. LOVING IT!

[Argentwolf]

Definitely an earthy/woody scent to this -- that must be the patchouli. There's also a bit of sweetness lingering underneath, like a light patting of aftershave over freshly showered and shaved skin. Alas, as alluring as the imagery is, it's just not working for me.

[Turkgirl]

Lupercalia 2010-disappointing. I don't get any of the notes others have spoken of...the most I can detect is what smells to me 'medicinally cherry', dries to a powdery, fruity finish, maybe with a tiny off in the distance whiff of honey. Once again, there is a vaguely unpleasant medicinal smell to it.

 

 

[strahlend]

I have a bottle of the '08 version that is oddly undetectable when I initially put it on. After a while it sort of blooms and I suddenly could smell the patchouli and it was very woodsy and beautiful. Less than an hour later though and I couldn't even tell I put anything on. It makes me wonder if something happened to this bottle or if it just generally didn't age well.

 

Testing the '10 version now - in the imp this seems to be all vetiver. On my skin and immediately get a lot of musk and patchouli. There's a moment where it smells kind of bitter but that softens up pretty quickly. I keep sniffing for the other components but I'm not able to detect them. The patchouli musk is earthy and exactly what one might expect from that combination of notes. Personally, I like it quite well but for my patchouli needs I'd probably still rather turn to Banshee Beat.

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2011 version.

 

In the decant: Very earthy patch, indeed!

 

Wet: Still the earthy patch, but now a bit more fresher, brighter, almost spring-like.

 

The dry-down: I could have sworn that there was vetiver in this, but not so. I'm wondering now if that's the ambrette seed. The beeswax and honey aren't brightly present, but they are serving to add a sweetness to the patch, still it's mostly the earthy patch.

Edited March 19, 2011 by thekittenkat

[Diva Urd]

This is for the 2010 version.

 

In the bottle: I primarily get patchouli with honey and musk in here. It definitely smells sexay!

 

On: Now I also get some beeswax. This is earthy and slightly sweet without being sticky. Upon drydown, I get a bit of juniper once in a while. I really enjoy this.

 

Later: Earthy sweetness. Unisex and still sexy. I love it and am glad I have a partial bottle!

Edited June 25, 2011 by Diva Urd

[mxtine]

2011 version

 

Damn. This is some sweet dirty patchouli!

 

I don't know why I never got a bottle of this! I should have known that all the "ack patchouli" reviews would mean this would be a winner on me, but hey...better late than never, right?

 

So, I opened the bottle and smelled a deep, dark and wild patchouli that was borderline vetiver-ish. However, it's sweet! There's a duskiness in the bottle that has to be ambrette seed and the gorgeous East African musk. I slathered this on the tops and bottoms of my wrist so I can get the full effect and this is where I smelled what made this sweet - a lovely warm honey. I can smell the slightly woody Gurjam balsam, but I'm not really getting any juniper or oakmoss and I have no clue what Sampson root aka Echinacea purpurea smells like. Luperci is hardcore stuff. I'm so in love with this that I want to pour a gallon of the oil in a kiddie pool and slip and slide around in it. (That would probably burn the ladybits. )

 

LOVE.

[Alia Kaitan]

This is an odd one for me. My first encounter was quite unhappy: I ended up with a nasty headache. Now I am wondering if I had just had too much perfume that day... because I've been wearing it for a few hours now, and no headache! Hmm.

 

Anyway... mine is the 2011 Luperci.

 

In the bottle, is that what patchouli smells like? It's musky but not quite, spicy but not quite. Definitely a dark brown scent. Earthy for sure.

 

On wet, it takes on some green into that brown-ness, becomes sweet and and somehow lighter, even though it's very strong at this point. There is more of a honeyed quality to it than any distinct scent of honey. I get hints of something herbal, but not at all sharp. No, this stays very sweet and round, though a little perfumey for my tastes.

 

Dry, I am getting more of the musk, thank goodness (for me, might differ for patchouli lovers out there). Still a very earthy scent, quite raw and more animalistic now with the musk coming through. Less perfumey now and more of a musky beastie that has been rolling in soil and patch and honeycomb. I am really enjoying the sweetness and the strength of this: it's got good throw on me and doesn't seem to be fading.

 

I'm glad I decided to give this another go before shuffling it off to swaps. I'm still not sure how I feel about the patchouli, but I do love the overall effect of this scent. It ranks about equitable with Faunalia for me, in that I really enjoy most of the scent and I definitely have 'moods' where I will want to wear it.... but it's not quite a favourite.

 

Emoticon rating:

Edited January 24, 2012 by kaitan

[ralenth]

Luperci 2011:

 

Bottle: Mmm, vetiver with a touch of sweetness.

Wet: Soft, musky, slightly animalistic. This is sort of how I imagine a clean satyr would smell.

 

Drydown: As it dries, Luperci '11 gains a honey drenched woods undertone as if it were embracing a lovely captured nymph.

 

Dry: A sexy dappled patch of forest ground (without the loam I detest so much).

Verdict: Luperci 2011 is a little gentler than the previous incarnations I have tested, but I adore it.

[mymymai]

ITI: Patchouli and beeswax are most strong on first sniff. There is certainly a strong earthiness to this, although I almost wish there was a leather scent to round out my image of the Luperci.

 

Wet: Oh, much better. The balsam comes to the forefront on my skin, followed by hints of patchouli, juniper, musk, and beeswax (all of which are very faint in comparison to the balsam).

 

Dry: It's now balsam slathered with honey, beeswax, with a little musk and patchouli. In a way, it does remind me of sacred rites, but the honey and beeswax add a nice second dimension.

[milo]

Dirty, masculine patchouli. This is not a bad thing, but it's not something I personally would wear. There's a hint of cologne here too. This is something a dangerous guy would smell great in.

[annemathematics]

a nice deep earthy musky scent. a little sweet, but not really sweet. patch can sometimes be too much on me, but this one is leading the other notes while still letting them show through.

 

I mostly detect patchouli, the balsam, the ambrette and the musk. the beeswax softens and fattens its texture. the honey isn't all that detectable. I do get a bit of the warm, soft, earthy side of vetiver as well. luperci is much mellower and more wearable than I expected. gentle throw. I've been wearing it for two hours and its charms are still growing on me. the honey coming out a bit more. the whole scent getting rounder and fuller. I like it.

 

I agree with milo, and would love to smell this on a dangerous guy.

[Rip]

This is kind of an odd one for me. The earthy notes stay close to my skin where I can't really smell them unless I sniff my wrist. The other notes combine into a cool, sweet, but not too sweet, soft aura that smells really nice. As scents go it's on the subtle side where you are aware of it without it being in your face. I like it a lot.

 

EDIT: I am revisiting some of the BPAL scents that I liked but felt didn't have much of a throw on me. When really slathered on, Luperci becomes more noticeable without becoming overbearing. In this amount it is warm and spicy with a hint of sweetness. Once it begins to dry down I don't really notice the patchouli anymore. Even received a compliment from one young woman for how nice I smelled wearing it.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Rip

[Astarial]

In the imp, this is all Musk and honey, baby. It's not quite as evocative of raw sex as red musk is, but it's close.

 

It gets a lot more complex on my skin, though. I get impressions, more than notes - musky, spicy, woody, with a touch of sweet honey. There's not a ton, but I think the beeswax is also keeping it creamy and not super masculine.

 

Dry, it settles down into a gentler patchouli, still musky, spicy, and sweet, but less ferocious about it. I like it, but I think it's got a bit more of a masculine feel than I tend to really love on me. Time for man-testing!

Edited March 30, 2014 by Andyl

[milo]

This is the 2014 version. Aggressive, masculine, sensual musks and woods. I love Luperci, and keep saying to myself 'get a bottle', but it is just too masculine for me to wear. I need to smell it on a guy and then decide. I love the rawness of this blend, and if a bottle came across my way, I would be quite thrilled. I'd wear it in the comfort of my home, but never out. Hmm, I really do need more of this...

[stubbornfire]

Edit to add i believe this us the 2008 version.

 

Wet it's lip balm! It's like Magus' wet stage all over again! Except this one actually has beeswax in.

 

As it settles some on my skin, however, I can't pick out much individually anymore. I think I can find the oakmoss and the juniper, and the beeswax is still there! But the rest is just sort of a jumble. A comforting jumble though. You'd feel good and safe in the arms of someone who smelled like this; it smells like they'd take good care of you. They're probably also gorgeous and will make you want to kiss them.

 

Yep, that's my review. Safe, comforting, kiss somebody. Hahaha.

Edited May 27, 2015 by stubbornfire

[lady_pandora]

ETA: 2008 edition.

 

Wet, Luperci is green and masculine, kind of aftershavey--I would have said pine and vetiver if testing blind, so I think it's the juniper and oakmoss amping up at this early stage.

 

I was about to file it under Boyfriend, but then that wily wolf threw me a curveball--starting at about 30 minutes and then continuing on as the scent settles, it started to really remind me of Brown Jenkin. One of my favorites. There aren't enough notes in common to explain this, but I'm guessing it must be because they both have musk, a sweetening component (the coconut there and the honey here), an incense component, and a dry woodiness.

 

Soooo now I really like this on me. But I also still think it would smell good on him. And he's into wolves. I'm probably more likely to wear it--he wears the same two things all the time while I'm a perfume slut. Maybe I'll buy a bottle and give him the decant or vice versa...

 

Anyway, definitely a keeper, even if I haven't yet decided who it's for!

Edited March 4, 2016 by lady_pandora

[halation]

2016 edition, tested fresh.

In bottle: Pencil shavings, a little pine sap. Kind of sharp. Some funky musk in there, but mostly golden, fresh-cut hardwood.

On, wet: Instantly sweetens up and something earthy comes out. Not exactly musk... more like... dirt? The honey comes out and really opens up as this begins to dry down, and now I'm getting the balsam, as well. Not over-musky, and the patchouli is not aggressive at all -- though it's there, and almost has a new-mown hay quality to it. Not as much throw as I was expecting; this is a close skin-scent on me, and my skin appears to be eating it up.

The honey fades after a little, leaving a warm and quiet and slightly dusty pine-scent -- bright yellow pinewood, though, not juniper or evergreen needles. The overall scent impression is beeswax candles set on a pine desk. Not nearly as wild and raw and untamed as you might expect: a refined librarian could get away with this one. Very similar to Aureus, at least on me, though Aureus gets unbearably sharp on my skin, while this stays soft and wearable and golden -- with slight hints, every so often, of something rooty and herbal, like a forest floor.

[bulletslc]

2009

If you love woody scents but don't want them too sharp, you need to try this.

A lovely complex blend that can work as unisex. Top notes are definitely all the woods, but the beeswax and honey smooth them out.

[Bassmastadroog]

Luperci 2007 is rather stinky in the bottle. Sour-ish.

 

On skin though, it morphs into thick patchouli smothered in beeswax. I think I can kind of smell the honey, and if the other scents lend themselves to the naturalness of it, but overall this is a lighter animalistic scent than I thought. The patchouli is definitely dirty and I love it!!!!!

 

Top 10.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Bassmastadroog

[elinox]

First Sniff: Golden amber and honey

 

Initial Wet Application: It becomes dry and dusty. And...there’s the patchouli.

 

Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this dried, it was all musky, dry patchouli. I think I can also detect some oakmoss. It’s earthy and definitely masculine.

 

My Reaction: Dry patchouli, musky, masculine and just not my thing. So, to the swap pile this goes.

 

Rating: 1

[galahad]

In the Bottle:

Deep and faint. Definitely patchouli and musk

On the Skin:

A wonderful, if faint, earthiness to start with. It's all dry, dusty dirt (not a bad thing, for me) which very slowly sweetens up with the honey and musk. The juniper and oakmoss become soflty evident. The ambrette gives a grey overlay. Very subtle and beautifully earthy. This is a grower not a shower.

On the Drydown:

At times on the drydown this smells of hot concrete in a brief summer rain shower. It has a deep amber glow to it without having amber in the mix. It's not until well into the drydown that it gains any kind of throw and even then it is subtle. Absolutely gorgeous and sure to be a spectacular scent when aged over a few years.

[tdgnika]

Fair warning - I am really bad at identifying individual notes in scents.

 

I have to admit, I did not like this at all, and I can't match the description with what I'm smelling. I usually can easily identify patchouli, but I get none of it in this.

 

In the bottle: the cloying smell of commercial perfume counters

 

Wet on the skin: A strange sweetness, something citrus-y

 

On dry down: Back to the commercial perfume counters - Chanel No. 5 with a touch of sweetness, perhaps?

 

I had to wash this off and was annoyed that I still kept getting whiffs of it.

[Lucchesa]

Luperci 2014 is definitely on the more masculine side of unisex, but I like it a lot. Wet it's patchouli in a forest dotted with beehives. But as it dries down, the beautiful balsam becomes the primary note on me. (On me it's quite reminiscent of the balsam in Umlaut.) Earthy, outdoorsy, but with a sweetness as well. No throw (which is normal on me) but good wear length.