Wild Hunt

[samarablackcat]

(Mods please move if there is a topic already started. Thanks)

 

I feel rather uncomfortable starting this review, as I am not the owner of the infamous bottle of Wild Hunt. I was fortunate to receive a sniffy with a little oil in a swap. It gave me such vivid images that I am going ahead with the review. I hope the owner doesn't mind; I waited a while in case the owner wanted to post first, as I believe (s)he is entitled. No disrespect intended.

 

There was such a small amount of this to test, I used a different method of testing. Usually, I try the oil, sniff continuously, note changes from wet to dry. For this special gift, I put what there was on my arm and laid down, keeping my arm a few inches from my nose.

 

I am in a forest. It is daytime; there is a heavy canopy overhead with shadows of light. The air is thick with humidity. The smell of ground being churned by horsehooves, the horse wild-eyed and sweating with fear. The stag, panting. The underbrush breaking, twigs snapping, releasing their spicy fragrance into the air. The stag, finding escape and a cool stream, lapping, relaxing and transforming into a beautiful maiden, her long hair flowing in the breeze, the only indication of her non-humaness, the points of her ears.

 

If this scent is ever released, I will be purchasing at least two bottles of this immediately. I can only imagine what aging would do to this beautiful creation. I thank all who shared this scent to at last reside with me. Well done!

[wren08]

I was gifted with a testable sniffy of this by a generous forumite and thought I ought to share my impressions.

 

It's a masculine cologne smell, spicy without being sweet, a bit musky- dirty-sexy, with an undertone of grass and dry leaves. It's also quite strong... I kept sniffing my fingertips all through Bones and taking notes. I wish the Lab would release it... I'd really love to have a bottle although a little will go a long long way!

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Deep yellow, almost brownish oil. Air, woods, and soil. It's sort of like a misty forest - very evocative. Something green-fresh and a little sharp, too. Definitely some oakmoss here which provides the earthy note without being *dirty*.

 

Wet: A little sweeter. The green note is almost citrusy...maybe geranium? And I think there's a bit of blue lavender, like the note from Yvaine. I don't know what the airy scent is, but I really like it; reminds me of the air note in Nowhere in Particular.

 

Dry: Very slow to dry, and very viscous. Not volatile at all which is probably why it's so low-throw right now. This reminds me a bit of a more ethereal The Piper at the Gates of dawn; some light patchouli and glowing, slightly sweet heliotrope.

 

Later: As I suspected in the earlier stages, there is some serious musk here when this finally (after 30 min?) dries. Reminds me a lot of the musk in Buck Moon & Robin Goodfellow; a really dark, intense, more masculine musk. Extremely sexy.

 

Summary: Oakmoss, patchouli, dark musk & heliotrope dominate, with lighter touches of geranium, oak, blue lavender and rushing air. It's a woodsy, natural, primal scent that's also very alive, wild and sexy, but still grounded. Good throw & great longevity.

 

I'd say this is really a masculine scent, but it works well on my skin even though I favour feminine scents. It's an incredible wrist-sniffer, and I can only imagine how amazing it would be on a man. A 2-bottle scent for sure.

 

[Little Bird]

I have a cotton swab soaked in a bit of this. I like the scent of the oil more in its little bag than I do on my skin. In its bag, this has such a rich, dry smell with a nice sweetness to it, like sweet incense. Dry, spicy leaves, sweet incense, something like oakmoss, and an overall feel of sexy, comforting men's cologne.

 

On my skin, this is a bit sharper and dirtier smelling. It's like sharp, animalistic musk (makes me think of blends like Satyr & Czernobog), dry oakmoss, & a mix of feces, soil, and dry leaves. As it dries down, it begins to smell a bit dusty on me, and I start to think that there might be ozone in this as well. Wild Hunt makes me think of a hunt on a cool, dry fall day, with frightened animals & a lightning storm creeping in (that odd, still calm before a storm). It's very dry, animalistic, sharp, and a bit creepy.

 

Wild Hunt isn't a scent that I would wear or need more of, but it's very interesting.

[edenssixthday]

Wild Hunt - I definitely understand the naming of this blend. It's a strong forest scent (full of bark and leaves and dirt and green, leafy underbrush and moss) and it has a definite musky quality to it that reminds me of the musks in Buck Moon. It's an interesting scent, but not one that appeals to me as a personal fragrance.

 

ETA: I was just testing this again and this time, I swear I can smell a hint of civet. It's not bad...it's just...civet. Just a teeny tiny bit. Very interesting!

Edited July 9, 2009 by edenssixthday

[PurringPulsar]

The Wild Hunt

 

In the imp: oooh, a sexy, slightly masculine, woodsy musk.

Wet on skin: this is gorgeous. It’s slightly resinous now, a bit spicy too.

Dry on skin: this is lovely! It’s a spicy, deep, woodsy and very musky scent. This is a very sexy manly musk but it doesn’t feel too masculine for me to pull it off. It’s almost like, and yet very different to, the furry/animal musks in other wildlife/hunt themed scents, this one is a little more rugged and yet also rather sophisticated-there’s something almost like expensive perfume to this musk. There’s a wood base too, as well as spices and sappy resins. And a smokiness pervades the whole scent.

After a while: interesting. I suspected an animalistic undertone to the musk, and now this shows up a lot more. It’s borderline civet, but it’s not a pungent civet-it’s less Black Annis and more like Allegory or Morella. Subtly feral. And of course it fits the name of the scent! The woods have becomes spicier and smoother-I can’t say what woods are in here, but they are very rich and almost exotic, and yet also quite outdoorsy. The scent now has something fresh to it, and I begin to smell hints of moss.

Verdict: this is a gorgeous masculine scent to me, sexy and suave and rugged all at once. As far as musks and forest/hunt/animalistic/furry scents go, this is really unique, there’s nothing else like it in BPAL. The musk is deep and wild, a little more civet-y than the usual masculine musk, but not in an unpleasant way. And it’s backed up with woods and spices and maybe some smoke or resins. But I’m not sure I like it on me…maybe it’s a little too animalistic and manly for me? I am very glad I got to try it though.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I like it but I swapped it off so other people could share the love of this very rare scent!

[zankoku_zen]

Okay, so yes, this is indeed musky, and there's resin and smoke, and in the vial it does smell like a wooded forest with a hint of green. It's masculine and musky, and then it turns a bit powdery on the drydown on me, again, slightly woodsy. I think the musk might be brown musk because....

 

It truly smells like unwashed b.o. on me. Like it smells like a$$. I kid you not. The person that generously allowed me to test a bit of concurred that it smelled positively rank. And like MANLY b.o. mind you.

 

The only other time I've had this happen to me was in Smut. Having tested both red and white musk SNs, I can only think it was either black and or brown musk as the culpit. I am beginning to suspect brown musk, as this did not go to POWDERY DOOM on me.

 

EPIC FAIL.

 

On the other hand, yeah for dodging a bullet?