WILF

[Monday]

Warm fur coupled with red and black musk, vanilla bean, patchouli, champaca flower, juniper berry, chocolate peppermint, frangipani, browned sandalwood, ferntop ash resin, and massoia bark.

To me this is Snake Oil with pine and a hint of mint. I like it!

[revinn]

Snake Oil Lite? I like it more then Snake Oil (which amps and strangles everyone in a ten foot perimeter on my skin), but it's a little too..incensey? for me.

 

I get nag champa incense and something musky and cuddly, but no chocolate mint. I will hold on to my bottle all the same though, as it's a very comforting scent.

[Ella LaRose]

I really like this one. Musky, sweet, warm. it gets sweeter as you wear it. This imp is a keeper!! definately!

[Zorena]

In the Bottle: Snake Oil and mint!

 

Wet: Snake Oil slithering through some musky undergrowth.

 

Dry Down: RAWR!

The snake is now resting peacefully against a warm wolf nestled in a bed of champaca. The wolf's musk keeping the scent from becoming too perfumey or floral.

 

Throw: Medium to strong

 

This is definitely my signature scent. I love that it lasts upwards of 6 hours on me.

[imaginepageant]

In the Bottle: This literally just came out of my mailbox, but I've been waiting two months for this and I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER! In the bottle, it's... Snake Oil. I even got my bottle of Snake Oil out to compare, and yep, almost identical. WHAT?! However, after comparing, I can pick out a bit of the black musk and chocolate in WILF.

 

Wet: Still very Snake Oil, but thankfully the other notes are coming out to play much more on my skin. The black musk gets stronger, and then so does the chocolate, and... now it's Black Temple Burlesque Troupe. Which I'm fine with, because I love it but don't have a bottle of it. The Coyote-esque warm fur is now fluffing up and making it smell half cuddly and comforting and half rip-his-clothes-off sexy. And there are the woods. And... OH! Is that the peppermint, finally? You know, it was probably the peppermint that made me think Snake Oil in the first place, but it wasn't really noticeable on its own; it is now.

 

Dry: I am happy to report WILF is no longer anything like Snake Oil, but it is still reminding me a lot of Black Temple Burlesque Troupe. The black musk is still dominant, followed by the warm fur, woods, and peppermint, with just a hint of chocolate and patchouli. The vanilla has ebbed somewhat, so it's less sweet than before, and it's not foody at all. This is perfect, exactly what I wanted from this blend.

 

An Hour Later: I kept getting whiffs of Snake Oil from the throw the whole time, but up close it's still more Black Temple Burlesque Troupe. However, it really is its own thing now. Black musk and sandalwood, primarily, though the vanilla has come back (it's usually the longest-lasting note on me). It's lost most of the warm fur, chocolate, and pepermint. Overall, it's got a nice, toasted feel to it.

 

Overall: I'm hoping that the similarity to Snake Oil will fade with some aging. Don't get me wrong, Snake Oil is one of my favorite oils, but I wanted something different from WILF. I so want this to be that beautiful middle stage of warm fur and woods and sexiness! Either way, I can definitely see myself getting good use out of this, and I can't wait to try it on the boyfriend, too.

[invisible iris]

In the vial: A somewhat darker, woodsier Snake Oil, including a stronger (black) musk and a bit of cocoa.

 

On skin: Cocoa Snake Oil with hints of the woods, I’m also getting juniper berry I think that makes it slightly medicinal and sharp to my nose. This is an incredibly complex blend.

 

Dry: I get red musk slightly more than black musk, but black musk is there being heady and dark. Black musk is sometimes more than my headache-prone self can handle, but here it’s okay. Also chocolate (with an extreeeemely faint breath of peppermint), and a bit of vanilla, but their sweetness is being pulled aggressively back down into the murky musky furry depths by the complex darkness of all these middle notes. Sandalwood is the most recognizable for me, but something also smells like tar or pitch, which I think must be juniperberry or ferntop ash resin or a combination of the two. And patchouli is roiling down in there too, adding an earthy warmth to the deep wood/tar. The flowers are way under control or maybe overpowered by these other darker notes.

 

WILF to me smells like an extremely moody SO. I find WILF more pleasing and wearable than Wulric, as it doesn’t have the death-note of vetiver, but in a similar dark furry vein. All in all it’s a powerful, moody, animalistic blend.

 

Verdict: I like WILF. The one problem I have with it is that it is a lot of work for my nose… which has been lazy, of late, and often it doesn’t want to deal with this kind of olfactory complexity, and it would rather wear something simple and reliably pleasurable like Snake Oil. So even though I was excited to try it, I kind of doubt I'll be springing for a bottle.

 

ETA: Nope, nevermind! I love it and a bottle it is!

Edited July 27, 2011 by invisible iris

[Vega]

Sniffed: A warm, cozy blend of furry musk, cool chocolate and mint, and juniper berry. The latter note faintly reminds me of Black Forest and Golden Priapus.

 

On skin: WILF is initially a mix of furry dark musk, smoky champaca and massoia bark, but the chocolate peppermint emerges upon drydown. O.M.G. A mint note that is cool and yummy, that actually behaves on my skin and does not stomp the other notes into oblivion!!!! O.M.G. This alone would make WILF a winner, because mint seems to ruin all blends it's present in... but oh, this chocolate peppermint smells absolutely DIVINE, it makes me want to devour my arm! WILF ends up a complex, scrumptious mix of cozy musk, deep woods and resins, evergreen-sweet juniper berry, vanilla and this fabulous chocolate peppermint. Warm, snuggly, yummy, and more than the sum of its components. Colour impression is, indeed, chocolate brown (with a hint of red) and minty green, side by side.

 

Verdict: Yummmmmmmmmm, now this is indeed WILF! I can smell the close resemblance to Snake Charmer, but this is a bit sweeter, lighter, and oh so much better. WILF is a firm Top Five blend, absolutely hoard-worthy. I will need multiple bottles, and if the Lab re-uses this delicious chocolate peppermint in another blend, I will snap that up post-haste. It is the trump note that makes WILF what it is. In fact, I have to find an ice cream brand out there that has this exact flavour! Yummy!

[arrow]

Mmmmm, I like this one. It morphs a lot during the drydown, which keeps things interesting-- my right wrist seems to be giving me a little chocolate peppermint while the left wrist is sticking to its red musk guns with a touch of vanilla.

 

I put this on because I'm in a really sad mood today and since I don't have a puppy I thought this might help. And it does! The warm fur scent is really comforting and snuggly-nice.

[Urpflanze]

WILF does remind me of snake oil. They are very close, despite the many different notes WILF has, which is surprising. WILF seems to add furry and woody and has hints of juniper, cocoa, peppermint and of the sweet, almost cola like scent that schwarzer mond has(black musk and vanilla?). It is amazing that it has so much going on and yet smells like one whole.

 

I like it better than snake oil; it is a little darker, a little more rugged. Unisex, but works just a little better for men than snake oil, imho.

[Circaea]

WILF is this rich, marvelous vanilla/champaca/musk. I do not get any mint or chocolate (usually a death note for me). It's like the love child of Panther Moon and Snake Charmer on me. Marvelous!

,

 

Second this. While I haven't tried Panther Moon and Snake Charmer, I am definitely getting the vanilla, champaca and musk, once the Snake Oil first impression fades down. WILF is one Werewolf I'd Like to Find (in a bottle). Must sell some plasma, or extra kidney, so I can get some before it goes away.

Edited September 4, 2011 by Circaea

[angelmecha]

In Bottle: I can definitely see the Snake Oil likeness that people have been citing-- and yes, even the Mme. Moriarty similarity. It's a sticky warm sweet smell (I always mentally associated it with honey, or a honeyed note, though now, thinking about it, it's nothing like real honey at all!). However, on second sniff, after those sweet notes die down to my nose a bit, I do smell the woodsy, juniper, minty side of this little beauty. It has a definite earthy mint quality. Smells promising so far!

 

Wet: As soon as it hits my skin the musk amps, along with... half of the SO? I can't explain it. Like, it's not as sweet, but still sticky and a definite similarity to Snake Oil, but mixed in with musk. It's turning a little sour, actually. Bark and resin, made cold by mint (a mint that I don't actually smell: I know it's there simply because of the chill afterward). The sandal starts to come out, too, but I have to say that it does not smell overwhelmingly like incense (which I was afraid of with this many resins, woods, and musks on my skin). After a moment of being overwhelmed, the sweetness and mint join forces and equal out to the sharp, cold resin. It really does, at this point, feel like being swarthed in a warm, living fur coat during the midwinter nights.

 

Drydown: Musk, chocolate, sandal, cold with mint. The bark is yummy, the musk is feral, the chocolate warms, the mint chills, this is very complex to me! Each time I sniff it I can pick out a new note, but they all play together nicely. The mint (and probably chocolate) really sweetens the incense scents (champaca, patchouli)... it's so unique and really puts me at ease with those two, since I was a little concerned about them overpowering everything else (I tend to amp incenses). It's Snake Oil but cold, curled up next to a big warm wolf.

 

Verdict: Smoky and creamy, but the mint is starting to get a toothpaste, anesthetic-at-the-Dentist feel. Noooo. I'll give it some more time. Maybe I'm overhuffing... as others have said, I'm confident this will age magnificently, but I'll be happy to play with it again in the near future! This could be a backup bottle item for me... which is really rare for me!

[sharkdiver]

I LOVE THIS!!

 

I definitely get the Snake Oil vibes from this, though I think this has a creamier note, that I can't quite put my finger on. I can smell a bit of the peppermint in the bottle, but none of that come out on my skin. I also cant really detect the chocolate. My skin amps the musks and basically smells like a richer, creamier version of snake oil.

[inurbanus]

Oh, man. WILF. I've heard so much about this one! Well, I totally agree that it has a Snake Oil vibe. It's got the same luscious mixture of patchouli and musk but there's an additional note that strongly differentiates the two. I also smell the vanilla note that others have mentioned but it's different than any other Lab vanilla note that I've experienced. It's deep and syrupy, almost alcoholic, like vanilla extract. It plays with the base notes in an interesting way. At first I thought it was cherry or some other fruit note but once some of the other top notes calm down I could identify it. Overall, this is a good blend but I think I prefer Snake Oil a little more. There is something a little overworked about this that slightly turns me off.

[fiddlehead]

I changed my mind about ordering this at least 3 times. I already have Snake Charmer and Western Diamondback. Love them both. Loved Mme Moriarty and hoped it might be close because they share notes. As soon as I put this on it was love. It reminds me strongly of Mme Moriarty and Snake Charmer both. The chocolate and mint aren't obvious at the moment, they're just hovering in the background. Anyway, if you missed either Mme or Snake Charmer when they were live, get this now

 

Testing this again today and now it's also reminding me of Midnight Kiss. This scent is made of win for me.

Edited November 17, 2011 by fiddlehead

[Doc M]

I was extremely skeptical about the notes in this blend; however, I love mint and I've yet to find a blend that works on me. Furthermore, I dislike musks (generally find them cloying), vanilla can smell plastic and overdone/boring, and when I think of patchouli, I think "hippie." But, mad scientist that I am, I took a chance to experiment with a decant from a forumite. I found this blend to be so complex and provocative: my preconceptions were blown away.

 

This scent, like its namesake, is a transformer. I never get bored of wearing it or am concerned about not noticing it on me after awhile. Initially on my skin it's antiseptic and medicinal (combination of the resins, mint, and juniper?). I find this stage to be oddly refreshing and energizing but it's NOT what I'd call a sexy stage. That happens about 15 minutes later Now it's something smooth, pleasantly but not overly sweet, and frighteningly sexy with a flirtatious pine/mint bite. Like a tiny nip/love bite. <3 I don't smell anything distinctively floral or foody. Nothing I recognize as chocolate or vanilla. Seems like the woods balance everything else out.

 

Good throw, great staying power. Not overpowering even when globbed on. It is a very sexy scent, not for the workplace; I only wear it out with friends or on dates. I've received many compliments (from both genders); it's particularly fun explaining the name (again, not workplace wear, hahaha). It's almost too sweet for a man to wear, but it could work if he amps the juniper/resin/wood notes I think.

 

3 bottles currently in my stash. Hope this scent is here to stay or will be back when my reserves start running low... I now consider this my signature scent.

[OctoberGwen]

I thought I would love this but there is just way too much going on here: the SO vibe, the extra musky musk, the choc, the mint....

 

Nope. Not for me.

[The Planet Queen]

Um...I don't get the mint or chocolate that many people seem to pick out. To me it's snake oil, patchouli, and juniper berries it smells wonderful. I'm glad I got it. Btw my bottle has the male wolf on it.

[Twiggy]

Just got this from a lovely Forumite - and it immediately shot up into my Top 10 scents.

Now granted, it's hot as balls out and it changes between when i'm outside and in an air-conditioned house; but i love the way it smells either way!

 

In the bottle, i smell chocolate, patch and red musk mostly.

 

Wet: same as above, with a bit of the black musk peeking through along with a hint of mint

 

Dry: Mm, i'm really digging that mint - it's so very faint, similar to Pink Snowballs (that's obviously the only similarity) and it's lovely mixed with the musks and chocolate and patch. Who would have thought such a strange combo of notes would be so amazing?

 

Note: in the heat, i amp the red musk a bit more than when my skin is cooled down, and the whole scent gets a bit sweeter, the mint not as noticible. But still, the patch balances it out VERY nicely. I absolutely love this scent.

I was standing outside a little while ago talking to a friend who generally seems oblivious to such things as sent, and he said "Heeeey - what are you wearing? That's REALLY nice...not overpowering, just...NICE."

 

Bonus: it smells just as awesome on The ManBeast.

[Beckiemort]

I got this in a swap and I it.

 

In the bottle - it smells like a stronger patchouli-ish, more incensed, and more masculine version of Snake Oil

 

On - I definitely get the Snake Oil references, but at first I get some of the juniper. It's a sharp pine-y note right on top, which is soured a bit by a plum like smell. But it's a good sour like IMO perfectly ripe fruit has the hint of sour and some sweet as well.

 

Dry down - the juniper and possibly mint I was smelling before fade out and I get a very strong sense that it is Snake Oil + plum + chocolate + tiny bit more incense. A few hours later there is no trace of the sourness from the plum, but rather a soft fruityness and cocoa note with Snake Oil.

 

Verdict - this may have just leapt onto my top ten list.

[malibusunny]

Warm fur coupled with red and black musk, vanilla bean, patchouli, champaca flower, juniper berry, chocolate peppermint, frangipani ( had to to google this -- plumeria!), browned sandalwood, ferntop ash resin, and massoia bark.

 

Testing this against VILF today, don't see a previous review and, looking at the description, I don't think I've ever seen the description. This is sweeter than VILF, no leather, honestly just not similar at all, though I recall thinking that it was when I first received it. It is not masculine, which I remember it as being masculine as well; I tend to see juniper as masculine so maybe that aged out. I also don't recall the chocolate peppermint in my first impressions, but it is decidely there now -- even before I saw the notes, I was craving a chocolate mint candy bar, and now I know why. LOL.

 

overall, this is another of those bpal scents that ages SO WELL. I was hoping to eliminate it from my keeper box today and that is not happening. WILF FOREVER! LOL.

[captnklaus]

I got this scent on the forum for a great deal sometime last year and I completely adore it Totally worth hunting it down!

 

What I get from WILF is mostly warm, fuzzy musk + some sweetness from the vanilla bean (but definitely no where near a foody vanilla) + a bit of the resins to keep it all grounded + a tiny bit of earthy patch to make it a tad naughty. I don't get mint or chocolate, which is just fine to me honestly. It's a basically a warm, comforting blanket of awesome that starts off with a bite (red musk always starts off a bit sharp on me) but really mellows out into something delicious.

Edited September 15, 2013 by captnklaus

[brilliantcat]

My bottle has been happily aging away since I got it when released.

 

In-bottle, it's... hard to explain. I get whiffs of the chocolate peppermint and patchouli, but I'm having difficulty picking out separate notes. It smells dark and cozy and delicious. On me, whoa! Dirty, earthy patchouli and cola. Surprisingly, the red musk isn't even detectable, I usually amp it like crazy. There's no bite, it's snuggly and warm and dark. After a while, the woods start to emerge and add another layer of depth. Oh hai there red musk. It's not stomping all over everything though, it's just adding to the whole amazing blend.

[ajcj213499]

WILF, oh WILF, I wanted to love you! I actually do, after two hours, but before then it is extremely weird on my skin. It kind of has a cola-snake oil vibe. Once it dries down it's absolutely fantastic, but I've decided to let my bottle go since it's a long time to wait. I do have weird skin chemistry however, so I'm thinking that's it. I wouldn't mind holding on to an imp to put on something, since as I said, the later dry down is wonderful and warm and snuggly. I have a bit on my coat from slathering it on one day, and even now, my coat smells fantastic.

[Monster]

WILF starts out exactly as you would expect it to, absolutely horrifying but, as it goes on…it becomes quite nice

 

In the bottle this is straight up frangipani and champaca FLOWER. As it sells into my skin this morphs to flowers and juniper to juniper and resin to resin and vanilla. WILF dries to a sensual vanilla musk dusted with chocolate on my skin.

 

Reowr.

[Zii]

ITI: Delicious, green and sharp! I am very much getting the juniper and mint, and a little bit of the musks as well.

 

Wet: Lots of patchouli now, with the musks playing second. The mint's backed down a lot, and is now just a refreshing tingle along with the juniper. There's also a bit of an incense vibe from the sandalwood and maybe the resin, which is also adding a little sappy smoke to this. There's also a lingering sweetness, which must be the vanilla. Overall, this is delightfully complex and wild.

 

Drying: Almost a berry sweetness is coming out, but unlike a lot of Beth's berry, this is deep and red and true and not at all medicinal, even with the mint. It's also a bit plummy and I am very much getting the vanilla now. I have no idea what makes this smell like berries though. And the floral is much clearer now, but it is tempered by the darker notes so it's quite pleasant, despite me not being a floral person.

 

Dry: Vanilla and floral. This really loses all out it's outdoorsy vibe and settles into something quite sweet and snuggly. I am still getting gentle sandalwood, but am overall stunned that this is not patch and juniper heavy, given how much my skin loves those notes.

 

I think I like the wet stage the most, but this is a real morpher in a really fun way. Super glad I was able to try this, and I will very much wear this again.