Wulric, the Wolfman (2006)

[Heretic]

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, clary sage, and cistus.

In the bottle: Cocoa and vetiver (and yet it works)
On my wrist, wet: The initial note to hit the nose is cocoa which is quickly chased by the sharp lavender. Every little sniff indicates that this is a complex scent--I'm curious to see where it goes.
After 20 minutes: What a surprise! This has softened into a a very rich green blend, the richness coming from just a hint of cocoa remaining and a touch of vanilla. It's not a foody scent at all. The greens form a pleasant conglomeration without one taking precedent over the other. If you are afraid of the vetiver, don't be. It's harmless.
After 40 minutes: I liked Wulric far more than I expected to. I amazed at the mellowing effects of the cocoa and vanilla on what would normally be sharp and bold green notes. This is a blend for men, but I think it will work quite well on women who can pull off a somewhat masculine scent because of the overall softness and harmony of the blend.

[AliBabble]

wow - out of the bottle this is incredible - i have to preface this by saying that i love all the lab's chocolate scents...but this one is really different from any other that i've smelled -- it's dark, rich and very deep, but somehow, doesn't have an overly-heavy feel. it's got something almost metallic at the bottom, like iron or steel..i like to think this is the birch tar, and the lavendar is apparant too, just gorgeous.

on my skin the lavendar jumps out, and it becomes more sharp and herbal...a medicinal chocolate syrup. it's just fantastic - earthy and deep from the vetiver, sage...it is not super vetiver-y, by the way...mixed with the chocolate, vanilla, musk...this is not a sweet dessert scent at all, it is much more of an herbal chocolate, and though rich and deep, surprisingly it is not at all overbearing and is an almost light scent. and i'm just tickled that i got a bottle, cause i'll be wearing this a lot.

[minnalavender]

Wulric needs more love! He's wonderful.

 

This is another cocoa scent, with dark brown cocoa absolute sunk to the bottom of the vial (decant from CD group). In the vial the two notes that jump out at me are the cocoa and the lavender, instantly endearing the big lug to me. I love my lavender so much, but it's usually a bit player. I'm so glad to see it center stage! Wet on my skin, they're still the only two notes I can detect, and I'm a happy Mattie! Who ever would have thought that they'd blend so beautifully? I'm not getting a masculine vibe from it at all, either - Wulric is sweet and gentle in a lovely herbal way, but with the creamy vanilla holding the two strangely complimentary notes together. The vetiver is very low-key at this point, and I smell just a hint of dusky sage.

 

On the drydown, the lavender and cocoa recede and leave a wonderful, gentle, musky vanilla-tinged sweetness in their wake. Beth has created yet another completely unique, complex olfactory experience.

 

I LOVE Wulric! I adore lavender and I do well with "gender neutral" fragrances as I amp every sweet, floral note to the nth degree, but Wulric is a real doll on me - Zarita could kick his ass with one tiny hand tied behind her back. I wish I knew a real guy as sweet as he is!

 

Edited because I can't spell.

Edited February 2, 2007 by Mattie

[edenssixthday]

Wulric, The Wolfman - The oil separates and is really hard to blend. It's a gorgeous cocoa and vanilla scent that's musky, slightly floral, and dark. And then I smell the lavender. The lavender in this blend absolutely ruins it for me. I am so bummed out because I love the other notes, but that sneaky bit of lavender just kills it. The lavender does fade after a while, but it's still discernible throughout the entire life of the scent, and it just doesn't work for me. If Beth ever makes a similar scent without the lavender, I will be a very happy girl

[Em-]

Wow, so I wasn't nuts! When I tried this I kept thinking, man, I smell chocolate, that seems so...weird. Not in a bad way, but I didn't remember the notes on this one and I had forgotten that Wulric had is warm cuddly side.

 

This is a really interesting fun blend for someone like me who loves me some dark twisted vetiver, musky stuff, but generally only if there is something to really lighten it up - well, lavendar, vanilla and cocoa certainly do just that. And it is cocoa, not chocolate, which is a distinct difference in the BPAL pantheon.

 

This is a definite keeper.

[prettypinkkitty]

In the vial - Cocoa with the barest hint of lavender.

On the skin, wet - dry sweetened cocoa, maybe mint or lavender, and the tiniest bit of sage.

Drydown - It goes to a mostly cocoa-vanilla scent on me, with a hint, maybe, of musk.

 

It's delicious! It's very warming for this time of year, too. I feel like I've drunk a cup of cocoa. But strangely it's not heavy at all. It's the airiest chocolate I've sniffed. This stays.

[QueenFae]

This is an extremely complex and unique blend! I've never sniffed anything quite like this.

 

The first thing I notice is the cocoa note; it's strong, deep and dark. After that, my nose starts to go crazy trying to sort out all the other contrasting notes. Every time I sniff it it smells a bit different!

I can definitely detect the lavendar, which gives it a very bright sharpness. There is a sort of general herbally/earthy undertone, which I thinking is the combination of the vetiver and the sage. I can't really detect the vanilla at all.

 

On the dry down: Much less cocoa now, more of an herbal/vetiver blend. Dark, thick, rich and earthy. A hint of sweetness as an under current. The lavendar is still poking his head up.

 

Overall, a very interesting blend, just not quite my thing. I would very much like to try this on my man.

[Gale]

I love Wulric!

 

In the bottle and wet: Cocoa! Yum-dark, dark, deep cocoa. (As was noted earlier, the oil seperates, so I gave the bottle a shake before I put some on. It's also thicker than any other BPAL I've tried.)

 

On dry: The cocoa hangs in there, and verbena, lavender, and sage come forth, The result is like nothing I've smelled before. It's beautiful and strange. There are some similarities to Candy Butcher, except where that one turns creamy, Wulric stays strong, but with no notes dominating. Lavender, vetiver, and cocoa--It's gorgeous.

[forspecial_plate]

Cocoa Mad Hatter!

 

Okay, it's more complex than that. But that was my first impression and it's persistent. Right out of the vial, the lavender is strong. As it warms up the cocoa comes out with emphasis. After a while, the vanilla really warms things up. Not getting much in the way of vetiver, bark, or the herbs. Musk? Yeah, it's there. Those other notes are providing the hint of complexity to the scent. Great stuff. Very unique and hard to categorize. I'll have fun with Wulric, for sure.

 

Edit: over an hour later, the lavender has faded, and the scent has settled and become a darker animal. Now I can almost detect the vetiver, I think. Still loving it.

Edited February 12, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[Mianjo]

In the vial: Herbaceous cocoa. Thick with that cocoa absolute--it's giving me a hard time blending this oil for testing.

 

 

Wet on my skin: More cocoa, but something sexy stalking underneath. I get the sage--it's a bright, yet muted green. That sexiness must be the vetiver, which I generally love, and the wild musk playing nicely with the others. The vanilla is there, but it's not a showy vanilla--it's ever so sweetly blending with the cocoa and the herbs. I don't smell the lavender, but there's so much complexity going on here that I suspect the lavender is just brightening everything instead of trying to be a showstopper. I don't get the birch tar either, and for that I'm grateful. I was thinking that might be the one thing that ruined this blend for me.

 

I had to look up cistus and here's what I found: "This resin oil is rich, warm, spicy and a bit lemon-like. It is a bit incense-like, and slightly camphoraceous, yet with a distinct balsamic note." That's what I'm smelling! I thought I smelled something slightly citrus-like in the background. Don't be afraid--it's way, way, way, in the back. It enhances the blend, rather than taking it over.

 

Dry: Rather like the wet stages. The cocoa has receded a bit to let the other bits of the blend shine through. The only thing I'm able to pick out now is the cocoa, but just barely--everything is blended to perfection. It's cocoa perfection, but not foody--but it is sexy as all get out. I love it on me, and want to get it on the Hubby to see how it smells on him.

 

A big bottle might be in the works. Love it!

[Teggy]

What an enigmatic scent? When wet, the lavender is most potent, making it seem like a gentleman's cologne style scent. As it dries, it softened up to a fuzzy cocoa...something. I'm not really sure what that other element is. I think this could be wonderful with the right chemistry and personality.

 

I'll hang onto my imp, but I don't think this one is going to warrant a full bottle.

[ajcj213499]

I smell dark chocolate! This reminds me of the Candy Butcher, but is less foody. I was worried about the vetiver note, but I hardly smell it. This would be great on a boy, but it's not especially masculine or anything.

 

Overall: nice, but I'm not in love...

[Electra]

From sniffing the oil that got on the imp label -- this is going to be too sweet for me.

 

Wet, upon just opening the imp and 0.02 seconds after applying to my skin -- Ooh! Strong herby lavender! That's promising!

 

Next ten seconds -- This smells like a sleep blend. A sleep blend with chocolate. Maybe I can do this after all.

 

Next thirty seconds -- Now it's getting sweet. Uh oh. Lots of chocolate, and a buttery vanilla.

 

Okay, here's the weird thing, though. If I put my nose to my wrists (after about two to five minutes), it smells strongly herbal. The throw, however, is ALL buttery vanilla with occasional hints of chocolate. Weird.

 

Eventual drydown -- shea (?) with chocolate. (Except this time it's a whisper of chocolate rather than a giant heaping of hot fudge.)

 

I actually like Wulric a lot more than I thought I would with cocoa and vanilla as the first two listed notes, but it smells too much like my sleep oils for me to wear during the day, I think. I might try the decant at night and see how I like it at bedtime.

Edited February 27, 2007 by Electra

[this machine]

Sadly, Wulric is my worst nightmare. When wet it's dry soft cocoa and sharp lavender, which is fine but not terribly compelling for me. But after about three minutes it dries into precisely those commercial perfumes that i avoid like the plague. It's interesting though because i've always wondered what notes are in all those perfumes that have the same icky perfumey smell to me, and now i have a possible list of culprits that can combine to do that.

 

Sorry wulric, i'm sure you will find other homes to love you.

[empi girl]

This is one hell of a sexy scent on a guy, I think. I got this for the DH, who tried it last night. First off there is dry dark cocoa powder, mixed with musk and lavendar. They blend together smoothly, and my husband did notice it was "foody" without being foody (the cocoa). The cocoa softens and becomes the interior spine of the scent, instead of the first note on the surface. As the cocoa softens, the musk deepens, the vetiver comes out a little and the lavender is just a hint. I think the other notes are there too, but everything blends so well together that I can't identify anything in particular. I love it on my husband, and think while it would smell good on a woman, it's a more masculine scent. And while I know it has lavender in it, I don't think it's a sleep-inducing scent. Far the opposite, actually! This is a bottle, for sure.

[supremegoddessofall]

Still almost all chocolate. Touch of lavender. Only mildly musky.

[Little Bird]

This reminds me quite a bit of the new October 2006 reformulation of Thirteen at first. I suppose that makes sense, with the strong cocoa, vanilla, and lavender that they both have in common. Wulric isn't as smooth or sweet as Thirteen is on me though. The lavender in Wulric is more sharp, perfumey, and herbal rather than the sweet, smooth lavender that I favor.

 

An earthy vetiver and metallic clary sage are also apparent in the drydown for the first half hour. The cocoa stays pretty strong and sweet on my skin, but it's paired with some sharper, aggressive notes here that I'm not crazy about.

 

After an hour or so Wulric is an herbal perfumey fragrance with touches of cocoa. Not my thing, even though I love the cocoa note. My boy, of course, doesn't really care for chocolate scents, so I don't think we'll be holding on to this one. I like masculine scents and I love cocoa, but Wulric is just too much on the herbal and perfumey/sharp side of things for me.

[maijasu]

Wulric is a masculine and deep herbal scent with cocoa. As it dries, more of the cocoa comes out, but it's still slightly green smelling. I do like it, but I much prefer Boomslang and 13 for my cocoa scents, so I will be swapping my decant.

[nikkoblue]

Gorgeous in the bottle. Lavender and cocoa, bare hint of vanilla.

 

Wet: Nice. It's not sweet, which is good. It's a sophisticated chocolate purchase at some shnubby chocolatier flavored with dried lavender flowers flown in from an estate in the south of france (you, sir, would you like to try one?)

 

Drying: the vanilla is showing up a bit. It's glimmering between the lavender and the food. Yum. This is exactly what I like in a scent.

 

Dry: Today, it's not bad. The other day, I was all 'ruh rohh' because it turned rancid on my skin after an hour...I was also going through hormone trauma. I sense that it's right on the verge of thinking about doing it, but it's not actually turning today.

 

This is a bottle that will need a couple of more tries and then it might have to be worn only on choice days. But on a good day, or a person whose hormones don't morph scents, this is gorgeous. I also might throw some on my husband while he's sleeping. Heck, if I can't wear it I might as well enjoy it on someone that i can sniff whever I want to.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

lavender and vetiver *cough cough*

 

On me:

Man this goes on POTENT and very herbal. I should have expected that given the notes of lavender, vetiver, clary and sage. I was just expecting the vanilla, cocoa and cistus to be more apparent right away.

 

But, just as I typed that, the cocoa and vanilla step right up and say, "HERE I AM!". Warm, chocolatey and sweet. It is suddenly the exact opposite of my initial impression. Somewhere back there, I still smell the vetiver and birch but it's a nice woody addition to the warm foody smells.

 

I really want to like this one, but that background vetiver and birch and lavender - though not in the foreground - is giving me a bit of a headache. And to top it off, BPAL's cocoa is always exactly the same on me - smell's mostly just like Bliss and I already have an imp of that haha.

 

Final note:

This is really interesting, certainly some unusual scent combinations here but it's just not for me!

[lightgatherer]

Mmm, this is one of the rare BPAL chocolate blends that works on me. The cocoa absolute stands out here and is gorgeously chocolately. There are several other notes lingering in the background that I can't pick out individually but that mingle and add complexity and sophistication to the blend. Unfortunately, there's an element in those background notes that smells off to my nose. I suspect it's the vetiver, lavendar, and/or sage as all of these notes have been problematic for me at one time or another in the past. Overall, though, this is incredibly well-blended and should be incredibly gorgeous on someone with different skin chemistry.

[euterpe414]

 

Yes, that's right. Love. Have you ever wondered what Bow and Crown of Conquest would smell like if you took out the leather and added cocoa? Or what 13 (the new one) would smell like if it romped around in the forest for a while? This is sort of how this blend feels to me- powerful yet comforting at the same time. This is in no way to me a gourmand scent. It is more on the earthy, herbal side. The cocoa in this behaves a lot like it does in Tezcatlipoca (i.e. adds a round richness to the scent), although it does not disappear in this blend after 15 minutes, thank goodness! The notes in this one are incredibly well blended. I know they are all present (except cistus, since I don't particularly know what that smells like on its own) but they have formed their own unique concoction like they are supposed to Wulric, is rich, earthy, a touch sweet; it's a very powerful scent, yet also appropriate for quieter moments as well (sounds weird, I know, but trust me)

 

Many people have been mentioning that this blend feels masculine to them. However, to me, this is a truly unisex blend. I don't see this one as having any particular gender. (but perhaps that is me, and sometimes I do go for the more traditionally masculine scent, and I'm a vetiver lover..hehe) I think this would be great on a man but I sure am going to wear it a lot, too.

 

This is yet another big big hit for me from CD Act 3, so much so that I just ordered a bottle after testing my imp. Fans of the newer 13 and Bow & Crown should definitely try this one out.

 

eta: FWIW I noticed that the cocoa note must be the same one that is in Boomslang- because there was that similar residue on the inside of my imp...yummy.

Edited March 15, 2007 by euterpe414

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I haven't tried any of the lycanthropic blends released with the recent lunacies, so Wulric is the only Wolfman of my aquaintance. He's a strange one...topnotes very similar to Candy Butcher, what with the cocoa and vanilla, but the base notes aren't working for me; lavender and vetiver add up to a sharp herbal that is fighting the sweet foody notes on my skin. It's a cool concept, like Wulric's sweet and feral sides are battling each other, but I wouldn't wear it really.

[PurringPulsar]

Wulric

 

In the imp: this oil is like a lava lamp, dark cocoa blobs floating in a paler oil. The scent is the most gorgeous lavender flavoured chocolate (and yes, I can actually buy lavender chocolate at Waitrose).

Wet on skin: wonderful lavender flavoured chocolate. This is just like the Possets Naturals cocoa scents, a very natural chocolate fragrance.

Dry on skin: ohh, this gets better! The vanilla and sage start to creep up out of the lavender chocolate, maybe with a little musk as well. This is so delicious! It is rich, warm, sweet, decadent, and also quite fuzzy! It's like a great big chocolate hug, with an almost Dorian-esque vanilla-musk to it as well, and a soothing herbal aspect. It also reminds me strongly of another favourite-the new version of 13.

After a while: after the heady, hypnotic lavender fades away, I'm left with a beautiful smoky vanilla-chocolate-musk scent. I have a feeling the smoky, almost wood-smoke like scent I get here is the birch tar, as it does have a very slight-but pleasant-asphalt like scent to it. The cocoa and vanilla and musk have merged into the most gorgeous smooth soft furry scent ever-the sort of scent I want to nuzzle in to, it reminds me of a mix of 13 Revisited, Dorian, Velvet and Underpants. And the vetiver is so subtle-this isn't the evil stuff that takes over a scent, this vetiver is perfect.

Over time the vanilla turns a little creamier and fuzzier, and I smell a little more of the vetiver. It also reminds me of the Bow and Crown of Conquest now, with cocoa replacing the leather. After many hours, the scent is a delicious cocoa tinged vanilla-musk, like Theodosius sipping hot chocolate instead of tea, I think the vetiver is really giving the other notes incredible staying power without smelling like blatant vetiver-I love that!

Verdict: it seems this year that Beth has been on a lycanthropic kick, and this is probably the best werewolf scent ever, knocking Lycaon off the top spot. At first it's the scent of a wonderful lavender flavoured chocolate (which, believe it or not, tastes very nice-the chocolate, not the Wulric! I didn't taste this oil!) with hints of vanilla and sage. Once lavender leaves, the scent becomes the most amazing vanilla musk over soft velvety cocoa with a sublime scent of wood-smoke wafting over it all. The cocoa absolute Beth uses in here is breathtaking, and the vetiver is perfect-not the 'vetiver of doom' which amps on me exterminating all other notes, this vetiver adds just the right amount of long lasting, gritty earthiness to the scent and helps the scent to stick around. I can't get over how much of a fabulous comfort scent this is. So delicious, a real 'hug in a bottle' scent, warm and fuzzy herbal chocolate vanilla musk with a wild, dark, smoky undertone to it to prevent it being too foody, it's beautiful on me, I can just imagine how sexy this would be on a man. I think I need multiple bottles of this yummy chocolate covered wolf man!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? yes! I need more, asap!

If you like this, try: 13 (new version), Dorian, Velvet, Bliss, Bow and Crown of Conquest, Theodosius, Lycaon, Monster Bait Underpants, Cerberus

[grrrlennyl]

at first: dark vetiver and some sweet notes, with a lot of lavender.

on: mostly vetiver, with a bit of lavender and some vanilla.

1.5 hours later: soft, sweet notes mixed with a bit of clary sage.

7 hours later: warm, smooth vanilla.

overall: this is nice, but not something i would wear often.