Luperci

[Monster]

... 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'm reviewing the 2008 version of Luperci.

In the bottle: juniper and balsam (this doesn't smell like a Christmas tree.)

Wet: Really soft balsam fir/pine mixed with musk. This sort of reminds me of Smoky Moon...just deeper into the forest. I'm not detecting any beeswax, and the honey is simply showing up as sweetness on my skin, preventing the balsam and juniper notes from smelling like potpourri. This is really beautiful.

Dry: As Luperci dries I can smell more of the patchouli which is acting more of a glue that holds eveything together. I wouldn't call this a ptchouli-smelling blend at all, it's more focused on the green notes. I'm also picking up more musk at this stage. The final dry down sort of reminds me of Fred Solls incense (which are rolled with pine sap to hold the resins down).

Overall: I would describe this as a sweet smelling pine musk, unisex, bordering on the more masculine side but definitely something I will be wearing Gorgeous. Edited July 31, 2009 by Shollin

[heathercaley]

Thanks to biz4brent for the lovely decant! This is the '08 version as well.

 

Mmm! Once it hits my skin, I smell beeswax (or maybe it's the honey!), a touch of lovely pine-ish green scent (is that the balsam or the juniper?), and musky incense. The patchouli is not very prominent at all, instead it just hangs around in the background, making things a little sexy. I'm really diggin' on this one. I think I may have to stalk some sales threads for a bottle now.

[aquazoo]

Hairspray! Thankfully the hairspray note fades very fast so the notes can come through. Pretty honey. I'm not getting a lot of other notes, but there is more to it than the honey.

[ouch!]

2007 Version

 

Oh dear This blend is a total mess on my skin. It smells like a really really cheap musky mens cologne with a horrible out of date honey over the top. Then..BANG! Powder of doom all over the place.

 

I'm gonna go wash it off immediatley.

Edited October 21, 2009 by ouch!

[Tess]

In the bottle - Very heavy on patchouli, moss and juniper. Oddly, though, I don't mind it. It's not as deadly dark as other combinations of those notes have been. The honey is lightening it up.

 

Wet - It fades away a whole lot the moment it touches my skin.

 

Drying - Very true to the bottle, only even brighter on the tree side. The balsam is light and lovely, with a nice under layer of the patch and the musk. Rather masculine, but very nice. A comfortable, soothingly sexy man this would be. If I were a man. LOL

[MamaMoth]

Luperci 2010

 

All of the components are meshed really well here, so it's hard to pick anything out. The patchouli is very subtle but it's there as a base. Juniper scares me at times, but it's well behaved here (although it and the oakmoss are what is giving this a bit of a masculine edge.) Honey sweetens everything up a bit but it's not a prominent note. I can't detect any beeswax. Overlaying everything is a vague muskiness.

 

Overall I'd call this woodsy and fresh-green tinted, slightly sweet and musky. It's unisex but leaning toward masculine.

[impolight]

:::LUPERCI:::

 

Provocateurs of the world, unite!

Luperci as a transcendant, illuminated and Utopian fragrance; worthy of a sensational moniker.

Luperci seems to transfigure the very air and bend the light that surrounds the wearer, temporarily immolating the entire person in glorified, thunderstruck aspect.Luperci absolutely implies a penchant for revelry and debauch; though not the scenester, toolfest, replete with the JBF hair and the bendy bits...

Luperci is precisely what euphoric abandon, heightened sensation, and benevolent celebration of the body, by rights, should be in a TRULY advanced civilization; in a near perfect world. Somehow, an entire planet's worth of a Garden of Delight has been condensed and refined to fit in this little, bitty, teaspoon of oil, and fill up the day with megawatt mists, singing foliage, and harp-string cascades of neon blue... A fragrance of freedom and frenzy!

The more that Luperci languishes on the skin and bats it's lashes, the more that it evolves, becoming better and better suited for giving anybody that it touches an Extreme Yum Makeover.

The Patchouli in Luperci came as a surprise. While readily identifiable, this is also the CLEANEST patchouli encountered to date; the Lab, the plant or anywhere else. This Patchouli actually found soap, hosed off, and changed it's Burkenstocks.

The Echinacea in this formula may have had a hand in stripping away a layer of Patchouli's funk, and lending a tea-parlour atmospheric.

Oakmoss is heavenly here; an immersion in lush, refreshing, of almost juicy proportions.

Thanks to the Lab, there is a newfound obsession with the Balsam notes that pop up in some more delightful fragrances, and the Balsam in here is no exception; a sweet, resinous, almost creamy note that makes Luperci überluxurious.

Ambrette seed is a thing of mystery; not yet identifiable, nonetheless here for a reason.

The Beeswax binds everything together and, when coupled with the Honey, is the finishing polish that is Luperci's crowning jewel... Amazing!Luperci is the fragrant equivalent of a feast for every part of the body.

Despite best efforts, language can't really tackle the phenomenon that is Luperci... It is unreal.

A wonderful and humbling gift shared by the Lab.

Go ahead.

Be the cool kid.Life is beautiful.

Emerge from your chrysalis and flout your newfound deliciousness!

Immaculate! Shamelessly unisex...

5/5.

 

THANK YOU, EVERYBODY AT BLACK PHOENIX ALCHEMY LAB!

[Saya]

Basically this is a very masculine blend that smells like cheap aftershave with a sour, stale background. The description is right, this smells dirty, but in a really skeezy, gross way.

[musichappens]

2010

 

The balsam and oakmoss seem to overpower the other notes leaving this to smell like dirt scented aftershave. Luckily, my skin seemed to eat this within a matter of seconds otherwise I would have had to scrub it off.

Edited February 21, 2010 by musichappens

[penemuel]

Wonderfully blended scent. It's sweet, rich, spicy, woody, musky, and resinous all at the same time. I really didn't want to like this one this much, because now I have to get a bottle. It also seems to be lasting a fairly long time considering I'm just testing my Lupers right now and it's been going strong for 2 hours now. Beautiful, sexy scent!

 

ETA: Beeswax! I should have known! The Lab's beeswax note owns me...

Edited February 23, 2010 by penemuel

[Invidiana]

Now this is what I was hoping Piper at the Gates of Dawn would smell like! The patchouli is definitely prominent, but this doesn't come out as a dirty-hippie scent on me at all, probably thanks to the sweet sticky balsam, beeswax and honey. As this dries down further the sweeter elements keep emerging more, which I really like because I dig sweet scents (bear in mind my skin does amp the sweeter notes in a blend, which may be why they balance the patchouli so well on me). There also seems to be a dark and earthy element besides the patchouli, which doesn't come out as anything distinct must be the juniper and oakmoss. Finally the beautiful dark musk comes out and adds a final element of total sex to this blend. It's highly sensual and is only going to improve with age.

[Sinmara]

It smells great for the first hour, then it gets all men's afer-shavey on me

 

I can still smell the patchouli, but mainly it reminds me of men putting on too much after shave, which I can't stand. Such a shame, I wanted to like this scent.

[thekittenkat]

This is the 2010 version.

 

Well, there's lots of patch here, but not what some think of as "dirty hippie", as the balsam, honey, and beeswax are making it sweeter and not so much like incense. I have no idea what Sampson Root should smell like. The juniper, oakmoss and ambrette are keeping this blend from going too much to the sweet side. The musk is grounding all the other notes. As I love honey and beeswax, this makes for a lovely scent.

[wl552]

Argh!! Nothing but misses, it seems like!

 

Starts off horrible rotten florals.

 

Drying it smooths out a little bit and I'm thinking it might not be so bad, but then...

 

Fully dry, it gets awful again. It's very dry and very wood-based cologne which, unfortunately, is so bad I wouldn't even put it on my husband.

 

Off to sales!

[voorishsign]

In the bottle, this smells faint. I can smell the patchouli and beeswax, maybe a bit of honey, but that's it.

 

On wet - Very pleasant, can smell the balsam and the juniper now.

 

Drydown - balsam, musk, juniper, patchouli, with just a hint of honey. Stays very close to the skin. I like it, but I don't love it.

Edited March 3, 2010 by voorishsign

[milo]

This doesn't change much from wet to dry. A pleasant evergreen with patchouli. I like these notes, but I wish it was just a bit sweeter, and sadly, the honey and beeswax doesn't make an appearance. I'll certainly keep the imp, but it is just a tad too masculine for me. This would have been perfect had it been sweeter. Oh well.

 

eta: 2011 version

 

patchouli and musk, less evergreen and somewhat sweeter than the '10 version. I like this a bit better than the previous version, but it is very similar.

Edited May 17, 2011 by milo

[fairnymph]

2010 version

 

Goldenrod-amber coloured oil. Sweet, musky, earthy, woodsy, and resinous - but much lighter, smoother and less harsh than I expected. The honey, beeswax and delicious rich musk jump out, as well as the oily ambrette, grassy balsam and a little well-behaved juniper and wonderful grounding oakmoss. Only light patchouli, which is what scared me most about this blend.

 

More green, sharper, more earthy - the patchouli comes out, and it is indeed intense and dark and earthy - but not that dirty, not the 'black' patchouli or the rooty sort or dirty hippie type - it's a very nice, natural type. Loving the balsam here which reminds me of Ü, but lighter here than in that scent. The beeswax is more distinct with a waxiness that blends with the warm oiliness of the ambrette and musk in a lovely way. The honey is surprisingly light now, possibly white honey. Oakmoss still lovely and still now root that I can detect. A very pleasant surprise.

 

My roommate says it reminds him of wild passionfruit, and it DOES smell fruity - and fresh and zesty and green. On him, it's a lot of earthier and darker with the patchouli in charge. But on me, it remains a lovely light note that merges with the oakmoss. I do definitely find this masculine, probably too much for my personal wear, but I'm loving it. The musk was strong to begin with but as usual it amps greatly on my skin as this dries and it becomes more and more sexy, really emulsifying the blend and making it seamless.

 

Okay, after a few hours and a bit of rubbing off on things accidentally, I'm getting a lot of patchouli and general incense/resin, as well as a definite, slightly dirty rooty note that must be the Sampson's root. The balsam has gone quite drily woody and lost most of its initial grassy fresh greenness, and the ambrette has darkened. The beeswax is less sweet, more dry and almost crumbly, and the (definitely white, bc it's so light) honey has faded. Oakmoss and juniper are still around and lovely, as is the amazing musk.

 

So in the end this is a very earthy scent with lots of patchouli and the Sampson's root dominating over an earthy, woodsy, and slightly resinous base of balsam, oakmoss, juniper and ambrette - with a good dose of rich, exotic musk to round things out. I really prefer the earlier stages which are sweeter, lighter, greener and fresher - but the final drydown is still nice - or at least, I think I'd enjoy it on a man - this isn't something I'd wear. Lower throw and decent longevity.

 

I might keep my imp to try on men.

 

[Rshields]

Luperci 2009:I cannot pinpoint any exact note in this, on my skin it is a mish mash of a dusky grandma perfume,very geriatric. I really wanted to order the 2010 version but I am afraid of the 09.

Edited March 12, 2010 by Rshields

[Iceblink]

Luperci 2008 is one of my biggest Lupercalia hits ever, so I mostly wanted to try the 2010 version to see if they were the same and to my nose, they are. That beeswax gets me every time! Wonderful.

[SophieCedar]

Mmm. warm sexy beeswax, patchouli, musk and resin goodness. There's a sharp note that my nose can't define on it's own/hasn't been added to the brain library. Very naughty. Very lovely. I sure can smell oak moss though! A winner!

[angelicruin]

2010:

 

Patchouli, Balsam and Juniper are strong after initial application. Beeswax and honet make themselves known shortly after application and helps soften this scent on my skin. I rather like this one, but I think my decant is more than enough.

[ami226]

'10 Version

 

On the skin: Whoa that is strong! Loads of patchouli and juniper! Kinda comforting actually. It makes me think of the times when I was a kid and I would hide in these tall juniper trees belonging to the neighbors. Very outdoorsy. This is a very friendly juniper. I think I need to keep this! Mmmmmm! I can't stop smelling it!

[Molls]

I tried a previous version of this at a Meet-n-Sniff once, and really liked the drydown, so I ordered a decant this year. I swiped a bit on my arm, and forgot about it, while trying other ones with a friend. Later, I kept getting a whiff of a yummy masculine-type smell. Finally I zeroed in on the spot where Luperci was, and it smelled awesome, like a sexy man-cologne. Unfortunately, the patchouli later turned on me, making me smell like I hadn't bathed.

 

[Bamels]

The patchouli is what tempted me to try this. In the bottle I can smell a slightly dark spice patchouli. I can't seem to pick up other notes at the moment as they've all merged into one. When on and wet I can smell the patchouli and I think the juniper, it's lovely greeny scent which is leaning towards the masculine. I seem to only be able to smell the beeswax from far away. When drying, the patchouli is dying down and I think the musk is coming forward. The drier it gets the more masculine it smells I do really like it though and may be passing it along to the OH.

[oldgentleman]

Never before in my life have I actually said "Ack! Fftt!" much less accompanied those noises with an uncontrollable shiver. Until I opened Luperci. It was that good and that bad all at once. I still can't even decide if I like it, and that is unsettling.

 

All those notes I love -patchouli, balsam, beeswax, musk- all are overpowered by the juniper. That was true in the bottle, wet, dried down, and hours later. And there's a persistent aftertaste to it that is somehow very like the smell of Goldfish crackers.

 

There's also an impression of evergreens and juniper smoke that is very appealing; but Luperci '10 is not for me.