Coyote

[fizzbangdangcharade]

The Native American Creator / Trickster God of Chaos and Change. The warmth of doeskin, dry plains grasses and soft, dusty woods warmed by amber and a downy, gentle coat of deep musk.

 

This is the scent of my childhood.

 

The smell of sun-warmed, clean dog fur on a soft summer day. The subtle background scent of the field grass that grows at the edge of the pine trees (that separate the yard from the field next door.) My grandmother’s favorite perfume from Estee Lauder. This scent is so incredibly nostalgic for me it brings a high of sweet, pure bliss and an old, aching wave of sorrow that pulls me back down.

 

In the bottle: It was very strong, very “perfume-y.” Read almost masculine to me, like a cologne.

 

As it first blended and warmed on my skin: The harsh ‘cologne’ smell faded and was replaced by a scent that instantly reminded of dog fur; of all the times I’d stuck my face into the neck of my mother’s Siberian husky growing up. That unique dog smell that’s part musk, part fur, and part flora dust from the summer dried grass patch they’d just been rolling in.

 

As it settled: A more perfumed scent came through, but this was less cologne more expensive ladies’ perfume. It smelled exactly like my grandmother’s perfume, something I haven’t smelled in over a decade. The undertones were of her yard- the fields out back, the pines and other assorted trees, the tall wild grasses that bordered her property.

 

At the end of the day: I’d gone mostly nose blind to it at this point, but I’d catch whiffs of something that reminded me of her bathroom: the perfume, the complimentary soaps and powders and potpourri, with that undertone of warm fur.

 

Longevity: This lasted easily 12 hours on me.

 

Throw: Despite how well I could smell this on myself it didn’t seem to be something that was overly noticeable by others.

 

This is definitely one I’ll eventually buy a full thing of. The way it interacts with day to day smells (like fresh brewed coffee, or wood, or warm car smell) brings back bits and pieces of a childhood I wouldn’t trade for anything. I bought it the first time because the description of the scent intrigued me. I’ll buy it again because the actual scent, on me, is so utterly personal. I've already purchased a full size one for my mother , who was also instantly reminded of her mother/mothers house when she smelled it, as a Christmas gift.

Edited December 16, 2017 by fizzbangdangcharade

[gloame]

This smells so beautiful, but disappears really quickly on me! I'm going to keep the imp and try again in a few months because I'm really hopeful. It's soft, warm, dry, a bit dusty, a bit spicy. Just a really beautiful, homey but romantic blend.

[cassiejaynebunk]

dry sweet grasses and amber. I have never been to the desert, but I imagine this to be it's scent.

[Melissa_Officinalis]

This is currently my #1 BPAL scent. I live in the desert and Coyote captures the essence of an arid landscape perfectly. It also captures the spirit of Coyote in the way it morphs.

 

Stage 1 (10-20 minutes): Men’s cologne. Sharp, astringent, overpowering men’s cologne. This is Coyote in his human form. Bold, brash, and ballsy. Not unpleasant at all, but when I first put it on, I was like....ummmmmm... whaaaaat?... Not too sure if it was going to work for me.

 

Stage 2 (2-3 hours): Like rolling around in soft, dry, sweet grass. This is Coyote transformed into his animal form. Playful, free, a little bit wild, and almost importable to pin down. The smell of clean (but dusty) sunshine-dappled fur.

 

Stage 3 (3+ hours, until it disappears): The memory of Coyote. Barely a scent - more of an after-image. Still soft and sweet, but now it’s nostalgic, wistful, almost melancholy. Like standing on a hill in the desert as the sun is going down. It smells - and FEELS - just like that.

 

This is a total winner and will be my go-to summer scent.

[VetchVesper]

A nice, soft, fuzzy brown scent. Something in this reminds me of sun warmed skin or fur maybe. Sometimes musks don't really register to my nose, or they do, but almost as a "void" if that makes any sense. The musk in Oblivion and The Velvets has that effect. It's weird. This is kind of doing that. I like it though. If you want a gentle, comforting skin scent, this would be a good bet. I think it would work for a man or a woman.

[Eis Hexe]

In the bottle: warm and sharp, with a sweet undertone.

 

Wet on the skin: fresh and woodsy!  The sweet amber note gets a bit stronger as it dries.

 

Dried down: On my skin this dries down very well.  It's still rich, but the sharp botanical note is more noticeable.  It's a warm, woodsy, herby musk that wears very, very well.  This would work for both women and men.  Good scent throw without being obnoxiously loud!

 

This was my introduction to BPAL, thanks to a good friend.  It remains one of my favorites.  A very comforting scent.

[Greenwoodtree]

Im seriously excited by my changing skin chemistry - this is part of getting older that I dont mind at all, and means I get to re-test alllllll the BPALs from when I first started testing...Coyote never smelled good on me...I decided to retest tonight...its beautiful, soft, warm, spicy. The softness and gentle quality is perfect. I need a bottle.

[Mister Azure]

Sweet dessert life abound. 

 

Wet: This opens up with dry grass, twigs, and soil with a sweet musk. There is also a faint odor of animal skin. Not a mangy creature but a creature of respect that is to be revered. 

 

Dry: Like the trickster god, this goes form a dry earthy scent to a sweet musk on clean flesh. I still feel like there is a subtle presence of the desert grasses but it is more of an accent than something in the forefront. 

 

Final thoughts: Sweet earth that travels and rises. The musk with the amber are the some of the final notes that come out the most after a couple hours of wear. I cannot discern a particular woody note but what I can pick up all blends into that dry earthy scent. It is not an in your face obnoxious fragrance. This is a scent to just enjoy gradually. 

 

It’s a subtle and self enjoying scent that has a short to medium throw. Something nice for a more intimate or office wear. I will likely wear this when wandering downtown or even on a hike. 

 

Curious to know how this will present itself while I workout at the gym.

 

After about 6 hours and a gym trip later has mellowed this scent out a lot more and I pick up the grass scent again, which reminds me more of sun baked grass just past noon. I will have to get a bottle of this as I feel like the imp will run out very soon!

[monocainsheresy]

Dry dirt and grass with soft leather and some sort of very laid-back animal musk.

Having grown up taking summer trips to the Adirondacks, this is super nostalgic and reminiscent of museum gift shops, handcrafted trinkets, and 18th century forts.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Musky, warm... pencil shavings.

 

Dry: Okay, so the good news is the pencil shavings scent disappeared! Hooray! ... The bad news is, the only thing I can smell now is musk. Like, a single note musk scent. 😐 

[Sugarvenom]

I bought this not for the scents as such, but because a friend many years ago said it was the perfect scent to capture a slightly adjacent God, a jackal God, Wepwawet. And I could certainly imagine the notes being appropriate for him.

 

In the imp, this smelled of sharp woodsy greens. I bottled it in a rollerball (I was certain I would use it for ritual purposes, unsniffed) and put it alongside the likes of Blood Moon '08.

 

On skin that instantly disappears, and out comes amber. Slightly powdery, as amber always is for me, but not too much so. There's a herbal element coming through which I think is the grasses mentioned, and the softest leather and musk. The amber is a little heavy on me for the imagery they're going for, but that's ok because I'm looking for a slightly more "jackal padding past an Egyptian temple" image, so the incense note works for me.

 

I like this. I'm not sure it screams Wepwawet to me, that I'll have to think about. But as a perfume, I love it. It's an amber that I can wear. Sweet, without being too sweet, and all that lovely amber scent without too much dust.

 

There's not a huge amount of throw to it though, and I'm not convinced by its staying power. I think that this might very much be a personal blend. We shall see.

[Alisha_SBC]

In the imp I'm not sure about this, afraid it may be too masculine. That all changes once applied. This is a warm scent, golden brown. Earthy without being heavy and a hint of sweetness that keeps it from being overly masculine. Its comforting and makes me think of days spent in the woods as a kid, playing in the sunshine and not afraid of getting in the dirt.

 

I need to grab myself a bottle soon, as I think this will be lovely for the Fall and Winter.

[supreme_c0rt]

Vanilla sandalwood incense. Warm radiant amber. Soft sueded leather. Sun-bleached dry grasses of the plains. 

 

This is stunning and sacred, and deeply familiar in a way that, a year later, I still can't quite pin down. It's like an olfatory photo album of intense nostalgia and bittersweet memories of late summer. It also lasts for ages so its place in my top 10 is well earned. 

Edited September 13, 2019 by supreme_c0rt

[RoseThornAndOak]

Damn I forgot how good Coyote is! I have an older sample from, 08 maybe, well aged and a newer one, and there are subtle differences. The old one is soft, warm, and sweet, like warmed up sweetgrass almost, but also like soft leather, dried woods, sage, and sand. It's very comforting. 

 

The newer imp is very similar but smells a bit more feral and musky, where as the older one is dustier. I'm not sure if the formula was changed slightly or if it just needs more aging, but I do prefer the older imp. 

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Dry grasses, soft leather, and wood. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the leather note turns to something slightly astringent, a quality that is slow to die down. After about an hour of wear, though, the leather does soften back down to the quality it had in the imp, and the dry grasses reemerge. It's still a sparse and dry scent on me, but it's much more wearable now. 

 

That said, I miss the amber and musk that never quite seem to come out for me. I don't know that this is a keeper for me. 

[CharB]

I was really disappointed by the imp I got. I expected a unique dusty and animalistic desert plains scent. Out of the bottle all I get is overwhelming amber, and a hint of evergreen? Even on my skin I still dont get animal fur, nor the dusty, grassy landscape. Perhaps a little more musky and 'doeskin warm' on skin, but definitely doesnt conjure a coyote for me. Ive become wary of Bpal scents with amber, as they have a tendency to just swallow the scent as a whole. 

Edited May 8, 2020 by CharB

[Vaporeon]

This was one of the imps from my first order and its long been a favorite. I recently acquired an old cobalt bottle. I prefer most scents fresh but this is amazing aged. The amber is almost vanilla like. With hints of spices. Dry grass on a hot day. The musk reminds of of soft suede. Its powdery and skinlike. I love it so much

[rhonorv]

Wet

Doeskin rubbed with sweetgrass.

 

Dry

Dusty paws. It gets sweet powdery, but not flat-powdery. I'm not really getting amber, but it smells evocative of a wild animal; I suppose that's the musk!

 

ETA: This reminds me so much of Mummies of Mexico City! Guess I love that dust note -- on me after about an hour this is a slightly muskier version of MoMC.

Edited October 4, 2021 by rhonorv

[niffler]

Perfectly captures its namesake. In the imp, I smell sharp grasses with a bit of wood that gives me the impression of sagebrush and sun-warmed plains. It's not a desert of dunes and sand, but one with lots of rocks and scrubby little plants and pines growing on the distant mountains. On my skin, the grasses provide surprisingly heady top notes and musky doeskin the base, with amber filling up the space between. This is so soft when it dries... this coyote has a thick, fluffy undercoat and super velvety ears. Incredibly comforting with a touch of mischief to start; not a huge throw but lasts a good long while on me. I may need a bottle of this.

[Rayleigh]

Fuzzy, furry musk, dry dusty grass, and smooth, soft, suede leather. This scent has a lot of texture. The amber is unobtrusive, coming out mostly in the late dry down to add a faint sweetness and spice. The musk is animalic without being aggressive. Very evocative of the eponymous animal, dusty paths, and swaying golden summer prairie grass. The best word in the description is "downy," because it captures the fluffy, slightly wild quality of this blend. Soft, deep, and relaxing. Good to wear when you're feeling feral, but also really chill about it.

 

I seem to be a magnet for frimps of Coyote, and I am never disappointed to have more of it around.

[warriortwo]

So far, I am getting dirty diaper smell. A combination of baby powder, warm plastic, and something sweet and decaying. It's been on for about 15 minutes and I'm about to go scrub it off.

 

I got an imp of this from a massive destash, so it might old. It could also be my body chemistry.  Since this has hundreds of glowing reviews, I am wondering if I should try this straight from the lab to see if it behaves differently.

 

ETA: I just remembered what note usually does this to me--it's sage. Something I love in its natural form, but smells sickly on my skin.

Edited December 16, 2020 by warriortwo

[bellumed]

Dusty-fuzzy amber in the imp, then a light grass and fur scent on skin, very cozy. The fur note reminds me of the one in Granite Hair Gloss. Good staying power.

[skyturtles]

I have an imp of unknown age. Upon first sniff on my wrist, I thought I was picking up leather. This smells like burnt sienna; a warm brown. There's a sweetness somewhere here. The leatheriness fades away quickly to reveal the dirt and grass and musk. It's dusty for sure, and smells very natural (as in nature). It smells like clean mammals. It's starting to tickle my nose the wrong way unfortunately. I think it's a great concept, executed very well, but just not for me.

[becca_s]

I don't normally go for scents with dry and dusty in the description but I had read some positive reviews of Coyote so wanted to try it. This does start out quite cologney but it dries down to be a sweet, grassy scent mixed with soft fur. It dries to be more of a skin hugging scent. It's not the dry, dusty scent I imagined. It's more furry and warm.