Wulric, The Wolfman (2016)

[Numanoid]

A lively tune is being played nearby; it is syncopated, a disjointed song, but perky and upbeat. As you turn to the next stage, you see the broad back and shaggy hair of the next performer. He is seated on a stool in front of a battered upright piano. Wire pokes out from holes in the back of the decrepit beechwood, and broken pinblocks are scattered on the floor. A bowl of glistening viscera has been plopped on a small end table next to the pianist. You can see that the ivory keys of the piano are smeared with blood. He pounds and tinkles the keys merrily, and laughs to himself. The man turns to the audience, and his unkempt russet hair, feral yellow eyes, wild balbo, and chin curtain beard betray his lycanthropic nature. He smiles widely, innocently, and waves his red-stained, black-clawed paw in a genial welcome. He bellows cheerfully, “Hi there! Make yourself comfortable! Don’t you look absolutely necrolishious! HA! HAHA! I just made that word up!” He laughs again, turns, and resumes playing the piano. The rambling tune picks up pace, and he plays with a showman’s flourish. The song slows as he chats with the audience from over his shoulder. “You know, my ex-girlfriend was a real handful, but really… I’ve never known a woman that was as tender as she was. She was all gushy, and well… to be honest, she just fell to pieces for me. Eventually, things ran their course… three courses, really… and, as they say, nothing lasts forever. But I’ll always have a piece of her, here… close to my heart.” He chuckles, and pats the chest of his patchwork overcoat.

In the distance, possibly from Meskhenet’s stage, you hear one of the phantom musicians give Wulric a gratuitous rim shot.

Friendly, charming, and cuddly, but possessing one hell of a mean streak: cocoa absolute, French vanilla, birch tar, lavender, bourbon vetiver, wild musk, cardamom husk, clary sage, and cistus.

I never smelled the original one, so here goes...this is a decant I got.

In decant - Something a little sweet yet sharp. Guessing it is the vetiver.... it is a sharp note to me.

On skin - Some note does make it a little "cuddly" But I think it is the darn vetiver that makes it too sharp for me. I am really not detecting much of the other notes. They are there....faintly.

Dry down - I get a bit of the lavender out of this. This is in no way a foody blend, for those worried about the cocoa or vanilla notes. This does have a feral kind of scent to it, but lightly dusted with the lavender and sage. Has a medium throw on me, but I think this would be better on a guy!

[LizziesLuck]

I have never tried the original. The addition of the cardamom husk though was what tipped in the balance for me to get a decant of this It really could go either way on me, but I am very excited to try it.

 

The cocoa has completely separated in my imp. The imp was laying down on a table overnight, and the house is a little cool, as it's finally spring and I am sick of having the furnace running. I am going to try to warm/mix this up before giving it a shot, since it's clear the cocoa would be left out of a test if I don't!

 

FYI - sticking an imp in your armpit for several minutes turns out to be an effective way of warming the oil. I was able to get most of the cocoa mixed back in without resorting to extreme shaking of the imp.

 

Wet: A blast of lavender, followed by cocoa. An interesting combo! It's sweet, but not foodie. Very well blended, I am having a hard time picking out individual notes. Lavender is still dominant by a hair, but the cocoa is holding its own. Quite gender neutral so far, maybe leaning slightly towards masculine, but I think anyone could potentially pull it off. It's really intriguing, I can't stop huffing my wrist.

 

Dry: Very much a skin scent, and I do kind of get a "cuddly" vibe. I almost want to wear it to bed. It's sweet, and the vanilla and cocoa are very present on me. The lavender has dried down to a faint herbal hint, just keeping this out of gourmand territory. I really can't pick out any of the other notes. I like this, but I don't love it. I do think it would be great for bedtime, and I am tempted to see if I can track down a partial bottle for that purpose, but I can't see wearing it during the day. It has for sure veered back from slightly masculine to fairly feminine on me. I am torn about it. I will have to test a second time before I make any decisions. If it was stronger and had more throw I think it would be easier to decide.

[annemathematics]

I bought a partial of the previous version off of the forum, and I adore it. esp as a bedtime/evening at home scent. I was down to fumes when the new version was release (THANK YOU LAB!)

 

I flipping adore wulric. I'm a fan of every single note in both this blend and the previous, and 99% of them work more often than not on my skin (chocolate/cocoa notes can be hit or extreme miss with my chemistry). but the sum here is above and beyond the parts. I never knew there was such a place as lavender/vanilla/cocoa/musk heaven until I met the wulfman. I can suss out each of these things here, but the combo is really its own magical beast.

 

I know that the formula has been tweaked, but my response to sniffing both my aged bit of the previous blend and the fresh new version is nearly identical throws of joy and ecstacy.

[zankoku_zen]

Sharp cuddly musk with tinges of chocolate, lavender, vanilla, and a smidge of smoky vetiver. I liked the previous incarnation of Wulric, but I find it much more wearable in this particular incarnation. In some ways, it reminds me to a much more robust and musky version of Mysterious Warning, the Dark Delicacies exclusive, with a dash of A Moment in Time from the BPTP Lilith Fatherhood series. Decent throw and wear length.

[Blood onmy hands]

The original Wulric didn't work for me, and I'm not loving this year's version either. 2016 smells very similar to how I remember the original smelling, but I no longer have a bottle to compare it to directly. The lavender, clary sage and musk meld together into this dry, herbal, bright, sharp, perfumey/musky scent. I like sweeter, milkier smelling lavenders, but this is the sharp and herbal variety. I get a little cocoa absolute in the drydown, woody and chocolatey, and some smokiness from the vetiver and birch tar. I always want this to be a foodie lavender, but it's not very sweet on me at all, and is more of an herbal, earthy, smoky scent with clean, sharp muskiness.

[Teamama]

2016 is my first experience with Wulric. Love!

 

In the decant: Sharp and musky, with a hint of cocoa. The lavender, vetiver, & birch tar definitely make themselves felt. Sneezy!

 

Wet: Those sharp scents are prominent at first, giving a "bite-y" feeling to the musk & cocoa. They slowly diminish in throw, allowing the musk and cocoa to take center stage. The vanilla is very subtle.

 

I don't know enough about clary sage and cistus to pick them out, but they're both supposed to have leathery & amber characteristics, so they must be responsible for some of the sweetness and leather in Wulric. I am extremely familiar with cardamom husk (every Christmas, busting open the pods to toast the seeds for fattigmann cookies.) I can't detect it in the decant or wet phase.

 

Dry: Over time, Wulric becomes primarily sweet musk, lavender & cocoa, with the rest of the notes in the background. I think I can finally smell the cardamon pod, but that could be self-hypnosis.

 

Wulric's cocoa separated a lot in my decant, and Alumina gave me some good advice about dealing with the sludge here: http://www.bpal.org/topic/87133-carnaval-diabolique-discussion/page-66?do=findComment&comment=2620726

 

Wulric is a major morpher. My daughter HATES the bright, sharp, bitter smell of Wulric when it's wet, but made off with a cotton sweater I wore while testing my decant, "because it smells so good!"

 

Edited to add: I get compliments nearly every time I wear Wulric.

 

Edited again to add: When worn in a scent locket, the sharp scents don't fade for me (bleh!) Gotta wear Wulric on my skin.

Edited October 11, 2016 by Teamama

[Joyleaf_]

First time trying Wulfric.
The lavender is sharp and almost astringent, but it plays nicely with the cocoa and the vetiver. AS it dries the clary sage makes its way to the forefront and Im left with a warm cocoa-lavender-musk scent that evokes feelings of warm blankets on rainy days. Love it!

[sarandipitee]

This is glorious. It's a beautiful lavender chocolate with a sweet vanilla, musk and tiny hint of vetiver. So well blended and very cuddly, I'll need a bottle for bedtime and rainy days.

[milo]

I went through at least 3 bottles the last run, and have been out for about a year and a half. *ahem* So glad the Wolfman is back with all his lavender/cocoa glory. I wish I kept a bit of the older incarnation to compare, but this smells pretty bang on from what I can remember. Snuggly lavender and cocoa, such a great combo, and who would have thought... Maybe the cocoa was more prominent, but this is pretty bang on, and I am a happy girl. I got three bottles and will probably need more if I want it to last the rest of my natural life.

Edited June 25, 2016 by milo

[Sharnig]

I've only tried the 2016 version. I figured so many forumites can't be wrong so I blind bottled. And wow I'm so glad I listened to you guys! At first it's cocoa and lavender and they're very seperate. Then it settles and they blend together with the other notes seamlessly into this gorgeous smell that is basically a cuddle for my brain through my nose. I will definitely be getting a back up bottle or two.

[Convallaria]

So I decided to take a leap of faith and blind-bottle, too, and wow. It's worth it. Might need backup.

 

The opening is a blast of lavender. There's something in the background, but lavender keeps distracting me. After a while, it's tempered and it becomes a whirl of lavender, woods and musk - masculine, cologne-y and almost like leather. Cocoa is really only a spice. As usual, lavender vanishes from my skin first and the rest is cuddly musk and cologney vetiver.

 

If I had a boyfriend/husband, this is the one I'd be pushing on him. (In the meantime, dad will do? )

[Lambent]

I just love when lavender and sage are paired together. Lavender by itself tends to have a very sharp, astringent quality, but in Wulric, the Wolfman, the lavender is tempered by the cocoa and musk. The edges are softened and the scent is deepened overall. I don't get any spiciness from this, but it does have an aromatic quality from the lavender and sage. Really comforting!

[halation]

How does something that starts out so sharp blossom into something so perfect and smooth? In the bottle it smells like someone's dumped a lavender sachet into a box of chocolates, but on the skin it turns into such a rich, deep, elegant masterpiece. Very subtly sweet, very subtly musky, very subtly herbal, but the chocolate and lavender are perfectly tamed and even... polite. Not much of a mean streak to this one -- Wulric is very well behaved.

[Verios]

Immediately upon applying this, my first thought is that if I ever encountered a wolfman, and he happened to smell like this...I would totally tap that.

 

I should probably start by saying that musks are almost always much-beloved notes for me, and I love when cocoa/chocolate scents are tempered with something that prevents it from becoming too foody. I also really love lavender, as long as it's not too sharp.

 

With all of that said, Wulric always sounded like he'd be right up my alley, and he definitely is. To my nose, I mostly get the cocoa, lavender and sage, with the vanilla and musk serving to sweeten things up and make this extremely wearable. This may actually edge out Boomslang as my all-time favorite scent that features cocoa/chocolate. I do wish this had a little more throw to it, as I want to sit in a cloud of this....it does have a pretty decent wear length at least, though!

[Cali]

From the imp this scared me a bit, strong vetiver and lavender thrown in your face; however applied on my skin it turns nearly directly to something much more cocoa-y and the vanilla suddenly goes really strong. After about five minutes the lavender is back, but not with a vengeance, and the lovely musk engulfs it all in a soft haze.

 

I had to add some at this point cause it was already fading away... which I don't want cause I like it! D: Ugh this simply fades too fast to buy for me, but the time that it has on me is so, so lovely.

 

Warm, fuzzy, that mean streak on me being mostly a soft lavender and something else slightly juicy and ...green? Very, very nice!

[Lucchesa]

Wulric was not a big leap of faith for me -- I love the Lab's blends that combine cocoa with woody notes, like Velvet or Gelt-Smeared Dreidel. Add vanilla, bourbon vetiver and cardamom, and I'm all in. And the Wolfman does not disappoint. Lavender never lasts on my skin, so it's only present for me in the opening. I was a bit worried about the birch tar, as the poplar tar in Oil and Pitch took over on me, but it is not at all harsh, nor is the vetiver; it all settles down fairly quickly into a lovely woody musky cocoa scent. I'm not sure I'm getting much cardamom, but that's all right, it is fine without it (though, in general, more cardamom is always better). This is cozy and keeping its mean streak well hidden. No throw, average wear length on me.

[torikitty]

In the bottle: cocoa and lavender

Wet: Cocoa and musk. With a slight herbal tinge in the background. I wouldn't say cuddly, though. I think the tar and vetiver makes it feel ever-so-slightly dangerous. This is actually a really impressive blend.

Dry: Sadly, the lavender is too medicinal in the drydown for me. And the vetiver kinda stomps all over everything. I was digging the cocoa and musk stage, though.

Edited May 4, 2018 by Carrie

[dementia_divine]

Wulric, I am sorry I did not try you sooner. (I have not tried the original.) When you were rereleased, I did not know that bourbon vetiver was not the mean BBQ variety, and I was not sure what your wild musk would be like, but now I see that you're the cuddly creature that everyone has claimed you to be.

 

In the decant: I get lots of cocoa (which has separated from the other oils, so I rolled it around a lot) accompanied by an herbal lavender and other herbal notes.

 

The cocoa absolute is the strongest note on my skin, but I also get a fair amount of herbal lavender and what I think may be the birch tar. It's cozy and comforting. When I saw people listing this as a wonderful bedtime scent, I was iffy about wearing a scent with cocoa in it to bed, but this herbal lavender and cocoa scent is so relaxing that I'm not sure I'd want to wear it as a daytime scent. As the scent sits on my skin, the cocoa becomes less prominent, and the lavender and herbal notes (I'm thinking the herbal bourbon vetiver and the clary sage, but I am not sure) gain strength. I can tell that there's vanilla present, but it is not a main player on me.

 

After a while, I start getting more of the musk and clary sage with the lavender, but this isn't a scent that I feel like I can review properly just by picking out the notes. The scent becomes sweeter, thanks to the musk (which isn't the grape-y variety, fortunately!), the cocoa, the vanilla, and the herbal notes calming down.

 

Verdict: Wulric is going to come live with me in my next order, and I think that will just be the first of many bottles.

[suki]

In The Bottle: The strange-yet-tantalizing combination of cocoa powder and lavender oil, with a bit of the vanilla rounding it out from underneath. I'm intrigued already!

Wet On Skin: The lavender comes a bit more to the forefront, certainly reading as more of a Victorian fougere, which I'm liking, because it makes the scent slightly more masculine, and sometimes I like that.

Dry Down: The lavender is definitely in the front now, with cocoa playing second fiddle and vanilla a distant third. I get no other notes but frankly, those were the three notes I was most compelled by, and I'm rather pleased with the end result.

In All: medium throw. A nice genderQueer scent for those that dig poncy lavender mixed with slightly gourmand sweets