Lycaon

[Blood onmy hands]

A monstrous, brutal, and bloodthirsty blend: blackened myrrh, crushed olive leaf, black musk, spikenard, frankincense, cypress wood, opoponax, white ginger, and patchouli.

In the bottle and on my skin, this does smell like a very dark and ominous sort of blend. It has a charred, blackened smell to it like slightly burned wood and burnt resins. There's an overwhelming sweetness here that's making me a bit sick too.

In the drydown... I recognize this blend. This smells a lot like Haloa on me. Actually, if someone had dabbed Lycaon on me, I would have said it was Haloa without much hesitation. It's very sweet, but with a soured edge and some woody-resin notes. After a half hour or so, this smells *exactly* like Haloa does on my skin. I guess they do have quite a few notes in common... still kinda disappointing though.

[midnight_aeval]

It's been awhile since I have reviewed anything

 

This is Haunted meets Schwarzer Mond. It has that lemony sort of scent that Haunted has (ok, to me, it smells lemony), so that must be the black musk. I'm a fan of both Haunted & Schwarzer, so to say I like this would be an understatement!

[yeahbutnobut]

Lycaon

 

In the bottle: oh, this is nice. Sweet, dark, green, a little musky, wild, resinous, slightly olive-y. Also smells like cake-less, darkened Haloa.

Wet on skin: whoa, incense! Now the resins and spikenard really come to life.

Dry on skin: mmm, wow. This is dark, deep, mysterious and feral, but also has a gorgeous, resinous church incense feel to it. The olive leaf, frankincense and myrrh are very similar to Haloa, a bittersweet and oily-fruity scent with a hint of sharpness. The musk is dark, animalistic but not civet-like. The spikenard and patchouli enhance the incense like feel whilst adding a slightly dirty, earthy feel to the scent, and I can just about detect the ginger, which adds warmth, but this is the warmth of a wolf's coat of fur, wild and almost dangerous, yet oddly alluring.

After a while: I'm amazed at how this now starts to give the effect of warm fur. There's a real scent of something feral but in the best way possible, like a warm fur coat, the pelt of an animal wrapped around a wild yet handsome man, but there's nothing 'gamey' about this scent. Just that effect of fur and musk and rich patchouli and resins. Now I get the resemblance to Schwarzer Mond (the patch smells aged here too). I see where others say this smells like a hug from a lover, it's comforting, strong and powerful. There's also a pleasant greenish-fruity note reminiscent of Tzadikim Nistarim, no doubt the spikenard and olive, this is much darker and deeper…but it has a lemon or wine like scent to it, like Haloa did.

The drydown to this is a soft scent of wooden-resinous incense smoke clinging to warm animal fur. It smells really smoky and soothing now, almost mossy, almost velvety, a little dusty, with a herbal-lemon-pine-olive aspect to it, the cypress seems to smell almost like pine or fir in here. It seems the frankincense has returned…I love the frankincense note Beth's been using recently, it has a wonderfully smoky quality, like the resin when it smoulders. At the very end, patchouli takes the lead, adding a gorgeous mellow base to the scent.

Verdict: this is such a fascinating fragrance. It's a combination of notes that are feral and savage, yet also comforting and warming, and also deep, mysterious and incense-like…and yet these apparently contrasting themes seem to work very well in here. Wonderful notes of resins and regal perfumes, like spikenard and the frankincense, myrrh and olive from Haloa, give an impression of richness and fit nicely with the aspect of Lycaon as king-and as human, whilst the black musk, hot ginger and deep patchouli betray his animalistic nature, his wild side. However, behind all this lies something tamer and less ferocious, the warmth of fur, a deep, smooth incense-patchouli-musk, and over time, the notes merge to form a velvet-soft drydown, like a 'fuzzy' Schwarzer Mond, the sort of scent I want to nuzzle up to on cold nights. A lovely contrast to Wolf Moon (maybe I should try layering them!) and definitely a keeper, I'm glad I have a bottle.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Definitely. This is an unusual and unique 'winter warmer'.

If you like this, try: Haloa, Black Forest, Czernobog, Wolf Moon, Oblivion, Tzadikim Nistarim

[euterpe414]

This is simply a perfect scent for me! It is dark, resinous, slightly sweet yet also subtle and mysterious (well I am not very mysterious as a person but i do love mysterious scents!). I do see very much the comparisons to Haloa and Schwarzer Mond, and in my opinion this scent embodies the best qualities of both of them. It has the deep, dark resinous feel of SM, but lightened slightly by the olive and spice the was charactaristic to Haloa.

 

Lycaon is a very warming scent, and sticks very close to the skin, there is not a lot of throw; however, it does have good lasting power. No doubt, I will be wearing this one often, on days when I crave a deep and dark scent rather than a sweet one. Absolutely fantastic!!!

 

 

 

eta: I think this would also layer incredibly with Wolf Moon....I can't wait to try it.

Edited January 16, 2007 by euterpe414

[lookingglass]

A great twist on the classic frankincense and myrrh scent. The olive is a little green and fresh, the ginger is a little fruity (like citrus), the patchouli and musk and dark and deep. Really wonderful. A great incense scent. It will smell great with some cake scented lotion! This is one that me and the boy can definitely share.

[Kimocean]

Mmm....I just tried this for the first time today so this is an early review but I can't stop smelling my wrist. I couldn't remember the notes at all when I first put this on so my impressions are a little bit funny...but here is what I smelled.

 

Bottle: Musk...dark, deep, luxurious musk with a hint of....is that chocolate? Cola? there's something there that is just a hint foody.

 

Wet: Ooooh there's some spice in this too. Ginger and a deep dark patchouli and that musk is so delicious!

 

Dry: Still musky and that hint of cola, the chocolate has gone away (this part reminds me of Schwarzer Mond before it aged a bit), a hint of that dark patchouli and a warm sharp ginger but there's also a soft incense here too.

 

Overall, it's a lovely evolving scent that is VERY dark and tends toward the masculine side of things...but I said that about Schwarzer Mond at first and now I love it on me and I'm not usually one for masculine scents. I really love the way the scents are playing with each other. Each is gorgeous on its own..the depth of the musk, the hot spice of the ginger, the darkness of the patchouli, and the wispy waft of the incense...and still that mystery hint of cola.

 

I'll be holding on to this one and I'm sure it will be getting some wear on those nights I'm feeling dark and mysterious.

[emzebel]

So, I am absolutely loving this on me - it is a deep musky citrus - a savory citrus, mind you, like bitter orange cooked in a rich olive oil, but there is definitely something in my chemistry that processes a fruit note in this. I can also scent out the ginger and possibly a very light patchouli. But the dark feral notes...not coming out on me.

 

I am extremely happy with whatever is in my bottle, but this is definitely one of those times that I read the notes and the other reviews and start to wonder if I'm nuts or something.

[maribouquet]

Mmm...starts out as a deep, darkened sweet orangey amber...the olive leaf emerges after a half hour or so...and it all dries down to a dusty-sweet incense.

 

I like this much, much more than I expected I would. Definitely keeping my decant.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

I am going to guess that is olive leaf I smell because it has a very dark green scent and reminds me of olives only... more masculine/earthy smelling

 

On me:

When this is wet, I have the very distinct impression that I AM wearing the smell of something feral and dark. It's quite animalistic and unique.

 

As it dries down, my impression stays the same. There is a bitter - no, tangy is really the word I'm looking for - dark green smell to this that is so unusual. It's dark and musky otherwise with a smooth, masculine quality.

 

Final note:

I find this blend rather difficult to describe. I think I like it well enough, probably not enough to own a bottle (it's too masculine for me) but it's very interesting. That tangy quality I smell, which I think must be the olive leaf is really captivating and makes this blend stand out from some of the other musky masculine blends I've smelled. It definitely captures Lycaon I believe, it's quite feral!

[girl_android]

It's a lazy sunday afternoon on a long weekend (it was Australia Day on Friday), and the housemate is attempting to cook up a storm tonight so not much for me to do but keep out the way and not obsessively keep the kitchen clean. Although that's going to have to be done anyway.

 

In the imp, I have no idea really what it is I'm smellling... that in itself isn't odd (seeing as I consider myself to still be in the neophyte stages of BPAL addiction though. I'm looking through the listed notes but don't see anything that would strike me as being particularly citrussy. Kind of like those dried preserved lemons one might find in an asian grocery (it's a snack food, I like it!). If i think about it a little more I might find something that could be the white ginger, nothing on the patchouli though...

 

Wet on skin, it's mellow and citrussy. It's fairly subtle (mind you there's only a teeny dab from a toothpick on me), but strikes me as being masculine.

 

Once dry, it sticks close to skin, and it's not so sharp anymore. It's dark, but not too feral on me. It's as if it was once in a room next to something that might've been considered feral, but wasn't feral itself. I quite like this, very happy that I have a decant to keep me company (:

[tinyvulture]

there’s some sort of bitter citrus in this blend that doesn’t sit right with me. it smells like citronella candles. i’m guessing it’s the spikenard. the biting ginger and olive leaf are coming on strong, too. unfortunately, my skin seems to be ignoring all of the ingredients i really love, like the myrrh and musk and patchouli. where are they? this reminds me of walking into a health food store. it’s got a bitter medicinal scent. it’s not unpleasant, but i can’t wear it as perfume. i had high hopes for this one, but i’ll have to swap it.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Frankincense, myrrh and other sharp resins and woods.

 

Wet: Frankincense like whoa. Underneath the frankincense, myrrh is bubbling, and the mix of the two is really lovely. I think that the ginger adds a bit of spice to the blend.

 

Drydown: Still frankincense going rather strong, myrrh adding its own zing as well as black musk making it sweet. The patchouli is there discreetly, peeking out murkily every now and then. I think that one of the dominant notes is in fact olive leaf, mixed with frankincense.

 

Overall: This is a lovely incensy blend, which works for men or women. There's a delicious woody base to it, and the olive leaf is great. Mysterious, dark and delightful. And yet I can't wear it or have it in a scent locket, because I am allergic to Beth's frankincense note, as far as I can tell. This is extremely sad, because it's a truly beautiful blend.

[The_Merf]

In the bottle: This smells a lot lighter than I imagined it would. We all know that resins are usually associated with being darker, but that they can also have a lighted edge too, and that is what we see in this oil. There's also black musk, which is honestly almost as much of a problem note for me as white musk.

 

Wet: This is unbelieveably light on me. It is all olive leaf, spikenard and ginger. Some have mentioned Tzadikim in connection with this, and I see where they get it.

 

Drydown and wear: There is a very brief state of serious myrrh (which is usually longer lasting for me) that gives way to black musk. If you have problems with black musk smelling a bit stale on your skin, watch this blend, because it is one of the worst offenders in this regard (think Haunted). The blend ends up as a combination of black musk and this odd fruity Tzadikim combo of spikenard and olive.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: an almost boozy musk.

on: sweet, earthy, and musky.

2 hours later: still a sweet, earthy musk.

4 hours later: a soft, sweet musk.

overall: i think this would be nice for someone who likes a bit of a dirtier, heavier musk.

[Thursdae]

Lycaon reminded me of cologne, but with more depth. And, um, more breadth. It had excellent throw and I enjoyed wearing it. Keeper.

 

I saw the comparison to Tzadikim, which I adore, and I don't think this is overly similar to it, but if Tzadi works on you like it does on me, then Lycaon might also be a good choice.

[lightgatherer]

I originally didn't order Lycaon because I wasn't sure about the patchouli. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a mistake because this is the lab's patchouli that works on me - the soft, woody one. The musk and the resins are more obvious at first, but they settle down after the first couple hours. Then the patchouli and something bright and almost citrusy - the ginger, perhaps? - come out to play. This scent is definitely a complex morpher, and I loved smelling it as it changed. I'll bet this one ages divinely.

[edenssixthday]

Lycaon - I should have gotten a bottle of this instead of a decant! This is really damn sexy and very reminiscent of Schwarzer Mond. The dominant notes are patchouli, musk, myrrh, frankincense, and the scent of dry leaves. I have been using my little imp of this as sparingly as possible, but one of these days, I'm just going to go all-out and have a Lycaon spree and use it all up in a matter of a few days. The scent is strong, woody, and resinous. Oddly, despite the notes in it that tend to last a long time on my skin, this fades quickly on me.

[khiseer]

i just picked up a bottle of this, It smells like spice and a 'softer' incense in the bottle and I love it. But my skin amps something in it I don't like, smell very 'piney' maybe its the cypress.

 

A shame but this one is going into my swaps

[Naamah_Darling]

This is very strong incense, based in patchouli and musk. The musk, in fact, gives it a kinship, if not a resemblance, to Wolf Moon, which is a nice detail. They are not, however, overtly similar at all.

 

On, it's extraordinary! The incense comes leaping out, here we have an orgy of myrrh and frankincense, made dirty and thick by the addition of patchouli and cypress' rotten greenish note. Never forget the musk, which swims through the loose current of the spices and incense. And here, the clarity of ginger, clean and pure.

 

This is an extraordinary scent not because it is beautiful but because it perfectly embodies something that should be beautiful and isn't. This is rotten to the core. Pretty at first, but laden with rot, decay, and dissolution. Very, very lycanthropic. Wolf Moon is the beast in its innocence. This is man in all his inhuman hunger, the horror of lycanthropy distilled into one churning morass of a scent.

 

Wow. Bravo, guys. This is . . . disturbing.

[stellans]

This is a very nice Lupercalian oil, and it was a pleasure sleeping while wearing it. The notes are definitely dark, resinous, and feral, but the greenness keeps the oil fresh and wonderful. I didn't get much of a patchouli note, funnily enough, since patchouli is one of my favorite notes. I haven't been able to score any Schwarzer Mond yet, so I don't have a comparison with it.

 

In the imp: dark, but green. This oil smells refreshing, but not cold (like Snow Moon does, to me).

 

Wet on skin: True to the imp -- very refreshing!.

 

Dry: The musk really comes out when this dries down, but I still don't get the patchouli note, and that's disappointing. I wanted to get patchouli.

 

Verdict: I like this oil enough to hunt down another bottle for backup. I'm hoping as the oil ages, the patchouli will come out for me. We'll see!

Edited May 2, 2008 by stellans

[Extispex]

Ever read the description of a scent and think "Thats it! Thats the one!". It happened to me with Nephilim, and it happened again with Lycaeon. No imps for me, I wanted a bottle of this stuff. I knew it would be perfect.

 

And I was right.

 

First sniff in the bottle I get a blast of cypress (yum) but softer, and kind of dark.

 

Wet on my skin, wow. It deepens immensely and the resins just scream for attention. I get mostly frankencense and myrrh, but with an added lushness that I suspect is caused by the olive leaf.

 

With wear it just goes deeper, richer, more complex and yeah, a little bit monstrous. But what a beautiful monster, a creature possessing such a brutal and seductive grace, voluptuous lips drawn back to reveal a blood-stained fang, every motion a terrifying revelation....

 

Holy crap I love this stuff. I can't stop smelling myself. I think this just became my new favorite.

[Browneyes]

Bottle: First I get the smoky resins. Then the perfumey dark musk. Then the fresh greenery

Wet: There *is* a slight current of zingy-citrusy something. Which must be the ginger. But this is mainly resins. Quite masculine and proud.

Dry: This is very nice. It's smoothly blended, but the gritty/smoky edge of the sweet resins and wood and the base of soft dark musk are still apparent. The fresh green/citrus disappears after drying. It's very much on the manly side but I don't mind that it's like wearing the perfume of your secret (and very hot) lover. It's probably extremely gorgeous on a man, but I don't think I will ever share!

 

I am very happy to own a partial bottle (~ 2 imps worth) of this.

Edited April 16, 2007 by Browneyes

[copyshopclerk]

In the bottle: Frankincense, patchouli

 

On: Wood & patchouli, definite leafy quality. Ginger there but barely. Not sweet at all. The musk reminds me of Haunted, actually.

 

Dry: There's a minty quality that I'm not sure I like - herbal (reminds me of my acupuncturist's shelves of Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients). Overall it's not bad, but not me at all. A while later, it turns almost salty-herbal. Not me at all! I wonder if opoponax is partially to blame, I don't think it's ever been in something that's worked for me.

[mmcfa2]

as much as i love all the notes in this blend...

 

well all together, they go powdery in me and that just is so sad. sigh..

[hackess]

Imp: Oh, I have a bad feeling about this one. It smells like forest and cheap men's cologne. These usually don't work on me.

 

Wet: Woodsy. Not quite like green needly trees, but the wood and bark and dried leaves of the forest. What's this now? There's something very smooth in this incarnation, but I fear it's barely holding back the hated patchouli and opoponax.

 

Dry: Hm. Maybe I shouldn't have been so scared of it. It's tame. It doesn't feel bloodthirsty at all. Primal, yes. The ginger hits the back of my throat like an afterthought. (And there are the damn mums from Chrysanthemum Moon coming up from my other arm now...it's a bizarre combination.) I'm tempted to test it on my boyfiend and see what his skin does with it.

Edited December 30, 2007 by Shollin