Luperci

[monocainsheresy]

... 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.



2013 version

 

Wet: I would swear to this having frankincense in it. Probably the combo of the patchouli + ambrette seed. A bit of clean oakmoss.

 

Dry: The frankincensey note goes away and the balsam and juniper come out. Some beeswax.

 

After an hour: Sweet, woodsy citrus warmed by beeswax and a hint of musk.

 

At no point do I get any honey, and I don't know what sampson root smells like so I can't identify it. Much lighter and cleaner than one would expect from the description. Smells a bit like an adirondack furniture shop.

[mmcfa2]

2019 version-  very different from the early versions  much lighter,  Warm and pleasant, but lacks the raw masculine note of past.  At this point the patchouli is barely present.  May well change as it ages, but I would not have recognized it based on past bottles. 

[doomsday_disco]

2013 version.

 

In the decant, I mostly get oakmoss, followed by a little patchouli and a hint of beeswax.

 

On me, the oakmoss takes the center stage, but the ambrette seed and musk aren't far behind, and I also get some patchouli. The musk and patchouli become more prominent with wear, and the patchouli is a red variety. There is a bit of beeswax in the background, but the earthy notes (moss and patchouli) and the musk are the stars here.

 

The description of the patchouli made me avoid trying this during previous years, but it's not a super dirty patchouli, IMO (or maybe it became a lot smoother with age)? There's still not enough sweetness from the beeswax and honey for me here, but fans of moss and patchouli should give this one a try.

Edited March 8, 2019 by doomsday_disco

[SophieCedar]

2019:

This is another year not strong on the patchouli. Wet: smells frankincensey juniperish and floral, like my grandma Nina's perfum. Dry: patchouli root ((not leaf)) and frankincense take over with powdery juniper and oakmoss.  The east african musk just gives a bay rum spiciness and honey is not present.

 

Seems everything is lighter and more generally palatable this year? Yet unfamiliar...  I see a theme going on...

[torischroeder9]

2017 version. 

 

In the decant: Balsam, juniper, and an undercurrent of patchouli. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's predominantly balsam, with the beeswax and honey showing up right away to sweeten the blend. Patchouli is still evident. The juniper is still detectable as well, although the bee scents start to overtake it. 

 

As it dries, it becomes patchouli and beeswax, with just a touch of the balsam, juniper, and honey detectable close to the skin. 

 

This is definitely patchouli on me, though I'd classify it as "smooth" rather than "down and dirty." (That said, patchouli is the star on me, so if that's enough for anyone to categorize a scent as "down and dirty," that is accomplished here.) It's smoothed out by the beeswax. The other notes fade into the background on me -- but since I like patchouli and beeswax, I don't really mind this development. It is an earthy scent but not one I'd classify as distinctly stereotypically masculine or feminine. I feel like I could wear it pretty much anywhere without being branded a "dirty hippie" (though I live in a place pretty tolerant of hippies). 

 

Throw is on the closer side of moderate. 

[Rane.]

I own the 2019, never smelled any other version. One reason I bought this was the combo of scents I've never encountered before. It smells like baby powder in the bottle & upon applying, but it starts to open up into a mature sexy, herbal, Earthy smell. Patchouli stands out to me most, as that scent I'm more familiar with. This is my go to scent for days I feel manly. haha! Also a favorite to put on after a shower, right before bedtime.

[artisjok]

2014 version of Luperci is smooth musky patchouli and honey, with some smooth wood and plush moss. This is a masculine scent that feels really embracing and capable.

Wearing this makes me want to bake wheat bread in an oven fueled by wood chopped down on my early morning walk.
Classical music plays while I pet my cat and ponder how contact with nature effects my emotional responses to everyday stresses (or some other such connected contemplation), waiting for the timer to ding. 

I stir some honey into my tea.

The sun moves leisurely advances across the the table. 
Tail curls in the space below chair. 
A sigh of contentment. 

[starbrow]

2010:

 

Luperci, 11 years later, is raw, turgid, and thick. Veiny, even. This is a rugged naked man living in the woods for a few weeks. Hair on his chest and sweat on his skin. There is little sweetness and a lot of dirt. Luperci might just impregnate you, it's so potent.

 

Alas, oakmoss won't let any of the more interesting notes peek out for me anymore. Too virile for me! Holy oakmoss, batman. On someone for whom oakmoss behaves, this would surely be dynamite.

 

 

[wordortwo]

Reviewing a decant of the 2021 release.

 

Raw, down, and dirty indeed. On me, Luperci is primarily an earthy, musky patchouli blend. The patchouli is balanced by a slightly powdery and clean musk, It has a a sort of herbal undertone. As it dries, I find something boozy about it, like beer or cider; this may be how I am interpreting the beeswax. It is lightly sweet, never cloying. It wears a long time - it lasted overnight for me - and has low to moderate projection.

 

This is an appealingly feral yet complex and blended scent that I can see myself wearing daily. However, I love dirty patchouli and others always like it on me. If you don't like patchouli, I wouldn't bother with Luperci. If you do, I definitely recommend at least trying this. I bet folks who like Goblin would like this.

 

Update 1/7/22: Wearing this now, I see that what I was interpreting as musk may just be the rooty aspects of this perfume. Really, this is an earthy, beeswax-sweet, slightly powdery patchouli blend, as described above. It is not a BPAL musk bomb. I ended up buying a full bottle of this before the Lupers came down last year.

Edited January 7, 2022 by wordortwo

[LavenderCoffee]

I'm not sure what to make of Luperci 2021.

 

When first applied, it is alarmingly sweet and creamy (objection! opposite of down and dirty!) in a very loud way that is all treble with very little bass. This must be balsam boosted all the way up to 11 by beeswax and honey or just my weird hormones, because as I wiped a bunch of it off it dries down I can finally pick out patch, beeswax and other notes, but with powdery sweet balsam lingering on top to spite me. 

 

My skin did not like the balsam in Ü either, which was also unbearably sweet on my skin, so ymmv!

[Little Bird]

Luperci 2022:

Lots of oakmoss and a little evergreen, warmed up with soft patchouli and sweetened with creamy honey.  It reminds me of LUSH's Assassin and Tramp shower gels (which both have a strong oakmoss note as well).  I really love oakmoss.  It's vintage perfumes, but also being outside in nature, and it just feels so calming and grounding to me.  Dark green, slightly sour moss with bits of patchouli/dirt clinging to it.  The creamy honey makes it even more sensual and pleasant.  Luperci is a scent that I've found to be very different throughout the years, but I love this year's version.

[milo]

Luperci 2022

 

Very strong on wet, with patch and musk.  It’s a bit too much for me, so I washed some off. Still strong, masculine, mostly dark musk.  I wish I was getting the honey, it would sweeten it up for me.

[dancingchair]

2022

 

I am also getting big LUSH Tramp vibes from this. Lots of oakmoss, lots of patchouli, lots of musk. The honey and beeswax keep everything from being too pungent to me. The balsam is adding more woody texture to the scent that I really like. It smells like a witch's hut in a dark forest.
 

This has strong throw so a little goes a long way.

[LavenderCoffee]

The lovely lab goblins dropped a 2010 Luperci into a recent order of mine and it is markedly different than the 2021 bottle I reviewed above. I guess things change a bit over 10 years, in addition to the nuance of batch variation! This Luperci feels a lot more dark and sexy, and there's still a nice amount of sweetness to it. I like how the juniper is more noticeable in this one, and I'm definitely not getting anything powdery. Would love to catch a whiff of this on a handsome so-and-so, but I like how it smells on me too.