Fenris Wolf

[LexieBlom]

The raw, untamable power of chaos. Rosewood, amber, red musk and a dribble of red sandalwood.

 

Wet/Bottle - I'm getting A LOT of musk and sandalwood. It actually brought a really vivid memory to me when I sniffed it -- walking around Venice Beach, passing all of the incense booths and merchants. The wind often picked up the scents and wafted them toward you, even if you were a block away. Wow.

 

Wet/Skin (5 minutes) - About the same as in the bottle, only now the amber is rearing it's head up. Not stealing the show, but definitely a player. I am very tempted to layer this with Ask The Nearest Hippie, or even if there was a Cannabis Accord single note.

 

Dry/Skin (30 minutes) - THERE'S the rosewood! It's a lot less pungent/punch-you-in-your-sinuses.

 

I've never, NEVER had a visual reaction to BPAL like I did with Fenris Wolf. Aside from the memories it brings back, it's absolutely lovely with my chemistry. I'm definitely going to need a bottle.

[indrid_cold]

hello to all-

 

this is my first attempt at reviewing a bpal fragrance.

everything i'm going to say has been said already in the previous 10 pages...

 

i ordered an imp of fenris wolf with my bottle of snake oil, and i decided to try this first.

this is so very warm and comforting. i was initially reminded of being at the beach, but i'm just not sure which beach.

 

warm, sexy and a little sweet.

actually, it's quite incredibly sexy (as i cannot stop sniffing my wrist).

i can see this working well for either a woman or man.

i am quite pleased, and see a bottle of this in my near future.

[freyasfae]

This one was a fun run in skin chemistry for me. On my beau it smelled like leather, while on my BPAL buddy it smelled more sandalwood and incense shop, on me it was mostly woodsy and the amber came out on the drydown. It was fine on me, but I preferred it on my beau, but as my BPAL buddy loves these kinds of scents, we ended up swapping imps instead. Fenris Wolf for the Lady of Shalott. Conclusion: All around well-balanced dry spicy woods scent that works well for gals or guys.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Thick, woodsy musk.

 

Wet on my skin: Sandalwood and red musk, with just a teeny bit of amber.

 

Dry: This is very, very similar to Venus Victrix on me. It's primarily red musk and sandalwood on me, a bit lumber store-ish, but in a good way. The rosewood contributes and gives it a slightly sweet undertone, and the amber comes out just enough to give it a faintly resinous feel. It is a powerful and "strong" scent, not just in terms of throw, but it's like a scent I might wear to inspire me during a hard workout. It remains almost identical to Venus Victrix as it wears, though I think I may actually prefer this slightly due to the amber. Will need to test them side by side to decide if I'll get a bottle of this and sell VV, or keep my VV and just have the imp of this one.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Mostly musky sandalwood, with the woodsy note putting its own spin on things. There's a touch of sweetness from the rose and/or amber (I'm thinking rose, since it doesn't have much of the expansive, warm sweetness that I associate with amber), but it's a faint second at best.

 

Wet: After a worrying initial blast of dry woods, it settles down into a musky, woodsy amber. Still not quite as primal as I would have expected from a scent called Fenris Wolf - more subtle strength and femininity. Oddly enough, this melds with my skin chemistry incredibly quickly! After the aforementioned initial blast of dry woods, I went to sniff my wrist and got... nothing. Maybe a hint of sweet musk. But my boyfriend confirmed that he could smell it from a foot and change away, so I guess this is just something that melds with my natural skin-scent (at least to me) incredibly quickly? Some determined sniffing revealed the musky, woodsy amber mentioned above, but I don't notice it nearly as much as usual.

 

Dry: Musky sandalwood, with a touch of amber for sweetness - nothing groundbreaking (this is a scent combo I'm drawn to, so I have plenty of variations on this theme), but brings a smile to my face just the same. It grows woodsier over time, but my old friend amber keeps it from veering into plywood territory.

[radiantfracture]

Frimp! These are always such great surprises.

This starts out a bright, high-pitched scent, almost citrussy, with bright woods and a nice ashy note. There's a little powderiness from the amber.

 

The whole midgame of this is great - woody and bright.

 

However, I amp red musk and amber, and in drydown both of these fill in around the woods. The elements blend elegantly, but the result is too traditionally feminine and powdery to work for me. I'll look for a sandalwood blend without my death notes.

[Casablanca]

On the wand, this smells like a rosewooded, feral red musk.

Wet on my skin, it's mostly red musk, the Ruiner of Things for me. The woods and amber help this time, though. The rosewood stands out first, with sandalwood stepping up alongside it after a minute or two. The amber isn't overt on my skin, but it smooths and sweetens. I seem to get a little ashy vetiver at first, too, but it doesn't stick around.

Unfortunately this dries mainly into a sandalwood red musk. There's something armpitty about it, as there often is when red musk is on me. People who love red musk will enjoy this more than I do.

[roseus]

I get a deep red musk in the imp/wet. As it dries down it calms down and the rosewood and sandalwood come out. But it's not dry or woody, but warm and soft.

[LizziesLuck]

Testing this for the first time, and also testing v2 on my other arm. Exciting!

 

 

Wet: Very woody. Musky. Sexy. Wood and red musk. Smells like sexy man. Mmm.

 

 

Dry: ......I don't know. Doesn't smell strongly of any of the listed notes, all of which I am quite familiar. It's a scent all its own. I don't care for it much tough, now that it's dried. It's almost...aquatic? Huh? Anyway, v2 was a resounding success, so I don't feel bad about this not working out.

[mermaidjeans]

Expectation: Came for the character name, stayed for the simple, evocative description. I loved the idea of a wild scent.

First Impression: alert

This has a warmth that is almost spicy but never quite hits that way - I think that must be the red musk. It has an underlying strength and the amber/rosewood combo really works well. The wood is not dry at all. I don't think I have anything else with rosewood as the leading note. As it dries, more of the sandalwood comes out. It's like incense without the incense, if that makes sense. I like it on me but wouldn't mind it in my home, either. In fact, it's like wet = beast in the wild, dry = beast guarding its den.

Verdict: a definite keeper. I've worn it only a few times but I find it rather appealing.

[lizabelle]

I would never have pegged this for rosewood--on me rosewood is usually smooth and creamy, but this is sharp and spicy. (Yet again I was convinced it was cedar--I need to train my nose!) The red musk is actually kind of cuddly, like the one in Scherezade, but despite the warmth of the notes there is a sort of unsettling feeling to the scent overall. It does feel a bit like something watching you from the trees! Whatever amber is in this seems to not hate my skin, but it's also not terribly prominent. If I really smush my nose into my arm there's a bit of resinousness, but otherwise this scent is dry on me. Probably not a full bottle for me, but I do like it.

Edited January 31, 2017 by lizabelle

[elinox]

First Sniff: Pine resin and amber.

 

Initial Wet Application: Heady musk and amber.

 

Dry Down (first 15 minutes): The rosewood seems to place nice with the sandalwood,which is good, as wood notes tend to go plywood on me. As this completed the dry down, then I was getting the dusty, dry sandalwood.

 

My Reaction: This was more gentle than I would have anticipated. And it was very ‘dry wood’ scent. I had hoped for a darker, more sinister and wild woodsy scent. It’s okay, but not something I’d likely reach for often.

 

Rating: 2

[cassiejaynebunk]

it must be the sandalwood that makes this smell so headshoppy to me but i love it regardless. it's very warm and comforting. i feel like there is something in here that is just sweet enough to keep this from being to masculine, but i can't pin point what it is. i love it.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Super strong red musk, backed by resins.

 

Wet: The red musk is the dominant note. The resins are in the background, unable to compete with the red musk at the moment, but I can detect some of rosewood and amber.

 

Dry: The red musk continues to reign, but after a while, the resins to become more prominent, with the amber being the strongest of the three, followed by the rosewood.

 

Verdict: This is too strong on the red musk for me, although the amber is really nice during the dry stage. It's not one that I would reach for again, but since I'm a fan of Norse mythology, I'm glad I got to try it!

[Lucchesa]

The raw, untamable power of red musk. Red musk, red musk, and a dribble of red musk. Sigh.

[Juliamon]

In the imp: MUSK. Might as well be a musk single note for all I know. I try desperately to remember why this was on my wishlist, as I don't have any notes handy and oh god it's on my fingers

 

Wet: Oh, there's woods! Dark, warm, woody and musky, with a distant background of incense. Now I think I know why I wanted to try it, though it still seems a bit darker than I like. Very evocative of the name though, it's quite wolf-like and a bit angry.

 

Dry: I got distracted by a game for an hour, and at some point in that hour the amber woke up and started working its magic. It acts as an enchanted collar on the wolf, taming its wildness and anger and making it sweet and cuddly. So much for raw, untamable power! This scent has morphed from good to gorgeous, and though I thought it had been fading it's holding steady. I keep catching whiffs of it for hours.

 

This is overall fairly gender neutral, masculine-leaning while wet but almost feminine once the amber kicks in and sweetens it up. Use caution if you're prone to amping red musk, it's pretty aggressive here.

[rhinestone tempest]

The very first scent I ever decided to order--and I got extremely lucky! It's spicy, woody, and honestly kind of sexy, but not too much of any one thing, which is frankly itself quite important. The musk gives the wood notes a really nice depth, and as it dries on me it leaves a lingering sweet scent, which stops it from being overpowering. It also lasts quite a long time, which is very nice. I find it to be masculine and warm, without being imposing or overly sharp.

 

I've spent most of my ensuing orders trying to find something I like for everyday use as much as this, but honestly I don't know that I've found one I like as much! I'm a big fan.

[Rayleigh]

For the first two hours after putting this on, I walked around my modern city home like I was the big bad wolf prowling the untamed forest in the dead of night. Pine-y woods with a smoothing background touch of amber. Slinky, confident, fearless. Gave me the two conflicting images of wandering the wild frontier and sitting safely in a wood-paneled study. Very wolfish and emboldening. 

 

Then the big bad wolf got tired, remembered the joys of domestic life, and went back home to nap on a rug by the fire and maybe gnaw on a slipper or two. My skin played it usual trick of amping sweet notes. The amber came out full force, the woods slunk back to the tangled unknown, and this was nothing but warm amber. Certainly not bad -- quite soothing, really -- but I was enjoying the wilder scent. I'm going to experiment to get that early stage to last longer.

[spookyumbrella]

I always struggle reviewing more masculine-leaning scents, as they aren't my cup of tea, but this is, to me, a masculine version of Scherezade. It's ambery and musky like Scherezade, but the spices are replaced with rosewood, making this a much drier, woodier experience. After a while, the wood dials back and the amber comes forward, but this scent stays decidedly "male" during the whole wear. If you want a drier, more stiff counterpoint to the languidness and luxury of Scherezade, this is a good pick. 5/10 - if Scherezade is too feminine for your tastes, here's an option for you

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Predominantly rosewood, with other notes swirling around behind it. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, I smell rosewood, but I sense rosewood with the addition of red musk. As it dries, the red musk shows UP, powered by the throw amber gets on me. The sandalwood emerges as a grounding note, with the rosewood holding everything together. 

 

It's a very powerful scent on me, not sweet, but more traditionally feminine than unisex or traditionally masculine. It's got a lot of throw on me and is probably too sexy for either professional situations or very close quarters. 

[Ennikar]

Woody and masc, with an almost sweet musk/amber drydown. Not really an "outdoorsy" wood, more a finished one. Very warm and snuggly.

[skyturtles]

Out of the lab frimp, I'm immediately reminded of Vixen. On my skin, however, the similarity fades away.

The dryness that I typically associate with sandalwood is cancelled out with a sweetness that I cannot define.

I've sampled quite a few scents featuring red musk and amber - Le Lethe, Scherezade, the Coiled Serpent, etc. I think what sets this one apart is the rosewood and sandalwood, enveloping the other notes in a woodiness that is neither earthy nor holidayesque.

This is a complex, addicting scent that is prevented from being too "mature"/fancy-old-lady by that hint of sweetness that I mentioned. Still don't know where it's coming from, but the longer it dries down, the sweeter it gets.

I'm a fan! I want my partner to wear it more...

[MamaMoth]

RED MUSK & soft woods.  i like red musk, but this is kind of a lot. 

 

of note to me is the rosewood. i like the concept of rose, and i've been trying to find a rose i could wear, but it always just amps out of control on me and turns everything it touches into perfumey headache juice.  but there is a subtle woodsy rose in this that stays well-behaved.  so i might be on the lookout for rosewood in the future 

Edited April 18, 2022 by MamaMoth

[WoolyBee]

Trying a frimp of this..! Okay call me crazy, but this instantly smells like a fat ream of fresh printer paper, with a hint of something peppery. As it dries down, I really get the rosewood and musk, but it still maintains that printer paper smell. It’s a super warm scent, with a kind of a aftershavey feel. All that being said, I really like it! It works really well on myself as well as my partner. I understand why some say it leans masculine, but honestly I think it is pretty unisex and anyone could pull it off. Really wishing it was back in stock, so I could order a full bottle. 

[Rane.]

I think I bought my bottle in 2019. Put some on tonight. Thought I had reviewed this one! Anyways. It's aged to a nice, syrupy, sweet, red musk, & sandalwood. The Rosewood is so lovely too. & the Amber lends just enough warmth. This is very sweet & herbal, with the faintness of Rosewood, which is a unique scent itself, making this one of the BPAL's I crave sometimes, but only wear on special occasions. This is my go to for elegance, all black, or Fall weather mood. So much of this scent as a whole is similar to the Lab's dark vegetal musk note. I think I'd put it in my list of top 10.