Wolfsbane

[Deiicide]

Notorious for its properties for protection against werewolves and curing lycanthropy, this nefarious plant also has a fine history of use as a virulent poison. Clasically, Medea employed it in her many works of vengeance. This concoction of ours has none of the lethal qualities, but still personifies all of the herb's dark history beautifully.

Upon my skin, Ceder my nemesis comes forward but he doesn't seem to be wanting to make a throw to my skin. It actually is tempered with I think bay leaf in the background giving it a soft peppery bite. There's almost a dew like substance to cut through all the greenery but it's still very nice. It seems to fade after a moment, the bite leaving it. I could see this being very sexy on a man but on me, it's better off as wood clippings. Glad to try it, but not for me.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting whalloped up the head with CEDER. There's probably other scents underneath it, I just can't get it. On my skin, I'm getting the ceder, and some kind of herb. Not that appealing for me.

[SeaLady]

In the imp, this is herbal and nice, and reminiscent of something else I like. . . Yew Trees, I think.

 

On my skin, this is Cedar+Vetiver=demolition of all other scent. Alas, I amp vetiver like nobody's business. To the swaps with you, Wolfsbane!

[theasylph]

It starts out with a medicinal sinus clearing note like tea tree? eucalyptus? or camphor? then fades into something part creamy flower, part dark earthy mysterious wooded forest, part magical garden dirt.

Edited February 13, 2012 by theasylph

[Greensleeves]

In the bottle: Pale yellow oil, rich mossy greenness

 

Wet: Tangy fresh greenness with a very pronounced grass note, a hint of something citrusy, and something cool like eucalyptus. There is also a hint of freshly sanded wood.

 

Dry: Rich herbal green. This is probably the purest plant scent I've ever smelled. It's not just the essense of a plant in liquid form with all the outer parts removed, it's the whole plant, the crisp fresh leaves and stems, even a hint of the earth it's sitting in.

 

After a few minutes: Fresh, peppery, rich tangy greenness. I think I can detect a hint of lavender or mint.

 

After first hour: Spicy sweet and tangy herbal green.

 

After two and a half hours: Faint sweet greenness, maybe moss?

 

After 5 hours: A hint of green.

 

Final verdict: Very pretty and definitely a 'me' scent, but I think some of the other Rappaccini's garden blends do it a bit better. I think I can bear to part with this one.

 

Edit, 2024: I love it, kept it, and even have a bottle. I'm getting lovely expensive single malt whiskey vibes.

Edited August 21 by Greensleeves
Update

[sparkleyturtle]

Wow... strong scent on me. Very musky and woodsy - kind of masculine. Just not for me.

[butterbeer]

When I saw this line, I *knew* I had to order at least one imp. It was hard to choose, but I eventually decided to pick Wolfsbane as my first. I think the lore around it is fascinating, and I'm a Medea nerd (I just found out there's a whole Medea-themed BPAL perfume! I'll have to order an imp next time) so I picked it.

 

In the bottle: Smells awesome, a bit poisonous and sharp but at the same time very light.

 

On my skin: It has a very woodsy, resin and peppermint smell. I can imagine a dark wood with occasional sunlight, with wolves and poison lurking around. My skin chemistry seems to have really liked it, because it lasted very very long and without turning too powdery. It's a scent that I find hard to descibe, but definitely my new signature!!

[Sabir]

This scent is interesting. It's very green, but with dark edges. It's hard to place exactly what it smells like. I keep thinking I get whiffs of mint, lime or pine, but I sniff again and those notes are gone.

 

Wolfsbane is a peculiar, green, woody scent with an undertone of something dark creeping up in the background.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: Very woody. I think there is vetiver in here.

 

Wet on Skin: Yup, definitely vetiver. Not as harsh as it can sometimes be. There is something else here too - not menthol or eucalyptus, but something that gives a similar feel.

 

While Drying: Hmm… picking up what I think might be sandalwood, and a hint of warm musk.

 

After a Little While: Very woody and sedate. Vetiver is usually a death note on me, but here it seems to be working.

 

Later: Vetiver picks up again in the late stages, but there is a brightness behind the woody scent that adds a nice dimension.

 

Final Thoughts: After my initial misgivings sniffing the imp, this was a happy surprise. Not quite my style, but could be amazing on the right person.

 

Wolfsbane earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.

[moonslipper]

I was so looking forward to receiving the imp of Wolfsbane! Herby, woody, green - it promised so much!

 

It's a very, very, strong wood and dark, ominous greenery scent on first application - I really liked it.

 

But as the minutes went by, it changed and brought out some intense emotions! I couldn't quite understand what it was at first, the scent had calmed down a lot and become slightly powdery, but I still felt really unsettled.

 

About an hour passed and I finally got it! It smells exactly like Ma Griffe by Carven. My mom used to wear this scent and as she passed away in 1984 I hadn't smelled it in quite some time! It's amazing how scent affects us and brings us back in time...

 

So, not for me, a bit too strange, but for anyone who like intense greenery and wet wood scents, Wolfsbane would be perfectly lovely! And it lasts a long time too.

Edited April 22, 2011 by moonslipper

[Incendiare]

Very dry herbs with a hint of dry woods in the background. It's also laced with something medicinal like eucalyptus or something. There's a dirty note lingering in the background too. I swear it's patchouli. None of these notes are my cup of tea so I'm going to have to pass.

[Maleficium]

Imp: sharply woody. very bitey.

 

wet on skin... Mint??? That's the first thing I smelled. I smell sharp herbal smells, wood, earthiness. I'm getting a whiff of warm leather too.

 

later: some sort of conifer wood is coming through strong. I am reminded of moss and the pacific northwest.

 

This scent is interesting. I don't know if I'd buy a bottle yet but I'm sure enjoying the imp.

[maoric]

In the vial: An interesting combination, somewhat like evergreens and a cedar-like smell.

 

Freshly applied: Cedar, but not quite? I really hope this behaves >_>

 

Drying: Cedar... but not quite. I'm racking my brain to try to find out what the "not quite" is on this. It's musty. The closest thing I can think of is bags of cedar mulch in garden center stores that have been out in the rain a few times -- cedar with some other sort of vegetative scent crushed and mixing underneath. The mulch may have been more spot on than I thought at first, there's something vaguely earthy in the background.

 

Later: Fading cedar mulch. Not really for me.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Astringent and green.

 

Drydown: Woodsy (pine? cedar? fir??) with a slightly spicy/medicinal quality to it.

 

Dry: It becomes creamier and I can totally see the rice pudding comparison some have made. It's rice pudding sprinkled with nutmeg, surrounded by pine cones and medicinal herbs.

 

 

 

This reminds me of the final phase of Black Annis w/out the smokiness. A intriguing creamy-woodsy scent.

[Opulence]

To me this smells like gin or kerosene/gasoline. Extremely strong on the tree smell--can't detect anything else. Definitely not for me.

[milo]

This actually smells a lot like jasmine to me, but minus the cat pee association. Fades very quickly, and has a bit of a bitter edge.

[KakashiMorph]

This imp is aged.

 

In the bottle: The woods are lovely, dark and deep...

On my skin: But I have promises to keep.. So, the cedar comes first out to play, accompanied by something that smells like pleasant wood trimmings ( I like the smell of freshly cut wood anyway). I can also smell a hint of vetiver in the background, the sweet alkalinity gently holding the cedar. It's very green, very woody, very pleasant (if you like green scents anyway). It quickly fades away however ( I am guessing because the imp is aged) and leaves a sweet note behind that I can't quite put my finger to. It's like pleasant wood trimmings with something creamy, mostly the creamy note though.

Drydown: The same creamy note. It faded fairly quickly though, which is a shame. I think it it had been younger, the cedar would have lasted longer and perhaps the whole throw.

I think I should test my imps before aging them!

[Magycmyste]

My Stash rec:

 

In imp: A very lemony woody scent, if that makes sense.

 

Wet on skin: I'm getting the same scent as before, except a little mintier - not enough to be mint - more like kalpuram (little rocks that get burned in the pujas at my temple - look like whitish rock candy).

 

Dried down: Same again, with the kalpuram scent a little stronger. Honestly, I've pretty much lost the lemony part of the wood scent - now it's just wood and kalpuram.

 

Throw: I don't get much of a throw from this at all. I can't smell more than the barest whiff of kalpuram unless I sniff my wrists.

 

Verdict: **** This is actually a very pleasant scent, but I don't think it's going to go up against my favorites. We'll see how often I reach for it.

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Very sharp and herbal, almost Pine-Sol-y.

Wet: Less floor cleaner, more woodsy. I still get the strong sense of pine but there's a pulpy herbalness about it that I really like.

Dry: Oh wow, it goes all dry woodsy and herbal and slightly musky. It's like inhaling the fur at the back of a wolf's neck (which I actually have done, believe it or not!) and I'm kind of loving it. I doubt I will/would wear it much, but it's beautifully evocative upon drydown.

[ralenth]

Source: Bottle, aged 4 years.

In the bottle: Sharp, and green, with an almost bitingly vetiver undercurrent.

 

Wet: Malevolently astringent green. The vetiver-type woodsiness keeps drawing me back.

 

Drydown: The astringency is burning off, leaving me with a soft woodsy scent.

 

Dry: A mellower version of the Vetiver Single Note.

[thekittenkat]

In the imp: Vetiver SN!

 

Wet: Much as on cold sniff.

 

The dry-down: This does calm down somewhat over time. There's a hint of nutmeg and cream, but just a hint.

[mymymai]

• ITI: This is a very nicely blended mix of herbal, menthol-laced notes alongside fragrant woods and a touch of creaminess. Oh, I like it so far!

Wet: My nose seems to think that the herbal and woody qualities comes from fir and rosemary notes; the creaminess is most certainly a light vanilla. The menthol note is still there, although it skews like eucalyptus. This actually helps my stuff nose. Hmm, I may keep this handy since we are getting into cold season.

Dry: It’s now a creamy, calming, balm-like scent with overtones of fir and faint menthol. It’s really soothing, actually – more so than I expected.

[Ishtar]

Fresh and woodsy in the imp - cedar with a hint of mint, maybe? I was expecting a bitter green scent based on the description, but this is actually quite lovely. It s crisp without being sharp nor soapy.

 

The drydown brings out a creamy note that softens the initial woodsiness. The image that comes to mind is that of a high-end clothing store, with crisp linens impeccably showcased on custom-built cedar shelves and display units.

 

Although Wofsbane is a much more straightforward scent, the woodsy-fresh combination reminds me of Tarot: The World. Ooh, I may have to try a few layering experiments to see if I could approximate one of my favourite Tarot oils ever... how exciting would that be!

[LexieBlom]

Wolfsbane imp

 

Wet/Bottle - Very woody, very soft. Cedar? Vetiver? Maybe even a little minty. Mossy, and a little more yellow than green.

 

Wet/Skin (5 minutes) - The exact same creamy, woody, herbal goodness as in the imp.

 

This doesn't morph at all on skin. It's just lovely. Definitely gonna need a bottle.

[Lucchesa]

My obviously well-aged imp of Wolfsbane is lovely on me.  Dry and woody yet soft and cozy.  There's probably cedar and sweet vetiver in here.  It wears close to the skin, which is pretty normal for me.  Definitely a comfort scent.  Too bad it's so rare now.