WILF

[SultryWolf]

WILF
... because vampires aren’t the only supernatural beings worthy of our amorous attentions.

Warm fur coupled with red and black musk, vanilla bean, patchouli, champaca flower, juniper berry, chocolate peppermint, frangipani, browned sandalwood, ferntop ash resin, and massoia bark.

Love and gratitude to Stephen Huang for the inspiration and for blessing us with his adorable, whimsical artwork!

Oh, this is wonderful! It's going to age magnificently, and I've already ordered a back-up bottle.
It's indeed warm and furry, rich and cozy.
The resins shine at first, reminding one a bit of Snake Oil, but as soon as that thought has formed, the other notes begin to appear. It's almost as if, as I inhale slowly, I find each note in turn. No one note, though, dominates: it's a comfortable blend, neither too sweet nor too resiny
For such a rich scent, the throw is light - of course, I haven't slathered as I intend to do when wearing it for-reals, and not just testing.

[calivianya]

I was really excited for this blend, so I tried it immediately after getting my freezing cold mail out of the mailbox.

 

In bottle: I could smell Snake Oil plus peppermint. It smelled absolutely delicious.

 

Wet on skin: Wow, this has a lot going on! Once again, I got a Snake Oil sort of vibe from it, and the chocolate peppermint was the second most obvious on my skin. It actually smelled wonderful, not foody at all. The mint added an interesting contrast with its cold to the warmth of the musks/resins. It's very complex; I love it here.

 

Drydown: Oh no. For all its many notes, WILF dries down to pure red musk on me. I can't even express how disappointed I was with this. Snake Oil doesn't do this to me, other red musk blends don't do this to me... save one. I whipped out The Infernal Lover, and that's exactly what this smells like on me when dry. I don't think I particularly amp red musk, or I'd get it more obviously in other blends, so I'm a little bewildered here. I'm hoping that this was a fluke, and that if I give the oil time to sit and roll it around more before I use it next time I'll get more staying power on the other notes. If it stays as is, I'll probably either sell WILF or The Infernal Lover - I love red musk, but I don't really need two blends that are pure red musk on the drydown.

 

Edit: After letting it sit undisturbed a few days, I tried again. The wet stage is very similar, but the drydown changed. Red musk is still the dominant player by a long shot, but this is not single note red musk anymore. I may be keeping it after all.

Edited January 2, 2011 by calivianya

[dawndie]

In bottle: minty cocoa

 

On skin: musky and sweet, yum!

 

Half-hour later: sweetened Snake Oil/Charmer musk

 

In conclusion: I love the dark musk blends, black & red musk sweetened with a touch of vanilla and sandalwood. This turns out great on me, but it seems almost duplicative of Snake Charmer/Mme. Moriarty. I'm sure it will age gloriously though.

[Verios]

On me, this was so similar to snake oil that I had to put some of that on a different spot, to compare--WILF is gentler, and less in-your-face, but a close cousin, scent-wise. As time went on, I caught faint whiffs (if I pressed my nose almost up against my wrist) of some of the other notes (nothing strong enough for me to be able to pinpoint exactly what other notes were coming out to play, although I swore I finally caught tiny hints of mint, awhile in).

 

Very nice, but I'm not sure I'll be keeping it, (I keep asking myself if I really need two scents so similar)...I'll have to age it a bit to see if other notes start to come out, since it is very fresh.

Edited January 1, 2011 by Vashtya

[Penance]

ETA: Apparently resting for a day can make a big difference, because WILF smells noticeably different today than it did yesterday (when I wrote my initial review and set it aside for posting after the New Year's chaos was over). I'm definitely getting the Snake Oil comparisons now. I'll be updating the review in a bit since I'm currently giving WILF another round of testing.

 

Origin:

 

5mL from the Lab. I got the male label.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This is one of those blends that I can't wrap my mind around. I'm really not sure what this is going to smell like, but I'm willing to give it a shot because most of the notes are good ones for me. Some I haven't smelled before but sound good. The only ones I'm concerned about are the juniper (it can be too astringent for me) and the champaca flower (as far as flowers go, it's one of the better ones, but I'm not a floral fan).

 

First sniff:

 

My WILF hasn't had a chance to settle yet, so I'll update if any of this changes once it's had a chance to rest for a while.

 

This smells very similar to Helping Hand (TAL) in the bottle, only lighter. It took me forever to figure out what WILF was reminding me of, but eventually everything clicked into place. It smells like musky earth mixed with mint chocolate, just like Helping Hand, only WILF is lighter on the mint. I'm thinking that it reminds me of another scent, but I can't place that one yet. Earthy mint chocolate sounds unappealing, I imagine, but it honestly smells good. I've always liked the smell of Helping Hand, so WILF's working for me at this point.

 

Now that WILF has had a chance to settle, sniffing out of the bottle gives me a scent that's in the same family as Snake Oil and Snake Charmer (and the Snake Pit scents, too, of course). It's definitely a musky scent, but a sweet musky scent. I'm getting red musk, something akin to Ivanushka's furry musk, vanilla and a tiny bit of mint.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Smoother and lighter than I expected. Like I said, I didn't know what WILF would smell like, but I was expecting a heavier, darker scent than this. It's kind of creamy (the vanilla, no doubt), a little musky (light and soft, but not powdery) and just a little bit earthy. There's just the lightest touch of flowers here, but they're very faint and inoffensive, even to my anti-floral nose.

 

Mmm, I like this! It smells quite a bit like Snake Charmer if you took out the plum and added in mint chocolate and a little bit of juniper. This is clearly a musk blend now, and a lovely one at that. It's still not heavy or dark as I was originally expecting (although I think that will change somewhat with aging, since red musk always gets richer and more intense as it ages).

 

Dry down:

 

WILF is a quick change artist on me (at least at this point). At times, it's very reminiscent to a combination of Helping Hand, a bit of Spooky (with the sweet cookie portion toned down) and just a touch of Snow White (creaminess) and at other times it's a creamy, slightly coconut-like scent with a bit of juniper and a touch of musk.

 

No more quick changes! WILF is staying stable now that it's settled and the drydown has completely lost its similarities to Spooky and Snow White. It's still a bit like Helping Hand, but Helping Hand mixed with Snake Oil (and with the earthiness tuned down). I wouldn't call this a foody scent in spite of the mint chocolate and vanilla. It doesn't really smell like cookies, unless you took Grasshoppers, crumbled them up and dropped them in a vat of red musk with just the tiniest pinch of wood thrown in for good measure. It sounds like a strange combination, but it's really working.

 

The bottom line:

 

WILF is an unusual scent and I'm thinking (based on the reviews) that it's one of those ones that are highly dependent on skin chemistry. I personally would have loved to have gotten more musk out of WILF (particularly red musk, which I'm crazy about), but I like the actual smell just fine, too. I'm glad I got a bottle, but one should be plenty for me.

 

I still think that WILF is going to be dependent on skin chemistry because of the sheer amount of notes here (which some people are undoubtedly going to amp or play down), but at least my experience is much closer to everyone else's at this point.

 

I'm really enjoying WILF now. Even more than I did before it had settled. I absolutely love red musk and I'm on a bit of a kick at the moment, so I'm appreciating the muskiness that WILF has to offer. I think this one is going to age beautifully. BPAL musk scents almost always do, especially Snake Oil-type red musk scents.

 

I'm going to guess that I'll be good with one bottle since I have so many bottles of Snake Oil, Snake Charmer and various Snake Pit blends, but I may end up getting a backup now that the musk has come out to play.

Edited January 1, 2011 by Penance

[grrrlennyl]

WILF

 

On: Patchouli! Sweet and warm and earthy. Lovely.

2 hours in: I'm getting a bit of the chocolate peppermint and vanilla, along with some musk, but it's mostly patchouli on me.

7 hours in: Still pretty strong, but mostly patchouli.

Overall: This smells really pretty on me, but I love patchouli, so that isn't a surprise.

[zagadka]

I got da girly wolf babe on my bottle!

 

I was SOOOOOO excited this came today! One whiff and I was in incensey heaven; the reviews that it smells very similar to Snake Oil are right on. Only...

 

It just didn't work for me. I love the way that it smells, and it IS like Snake Oil but somehow it is simultaneously creamier and sharper (and a touch smokey). There is something about it that is too rich or heady for lack of better words. It actually made me feel woosey. I love the scent, but I guess I just can't wear it. Good thing my dood loves Snake Oil because I am adding this to his growing collection.

[ltrittipoe]

Right out of the mailbox, and this is :love!:

 

I do get the comparisons to SnakeOil/Charmer, definitely. A little chocolate peppermint, a little juniper berry (but only a little), and a wallop of patchouli over a Snake Oil base is what I am getting.

 

On, it is very similar to my year old Snake Oil..... instant aging! It has that resiny/musky creaminess, but with a faint freshness too. I can't wait to see how this ages, if it is this good right away.

 

I will edit this if anything changes after it settles a bit..... but right now, I can see many, many backups in my next order.....

[Ravenclaw79]

This one morphed a bit on me. At first, it was harsh and masculine and pretty awful, but that faded off pretty fast. Then, it was almost like a cooler, less-thick sibling of Ivanushka, with an air of furriness that was nice. But after that, it went to something that's a whole lot like Lady Lilith, and it seems to have stayed there. Mind you, I like Lady Lilith well enough, but they're so similar (I just had LL on last night, so I can tell), it's almost not worth having both. Unless this one ages differently, which it may.

[boxinghelena]

I didn't realize there were two different labels going around until I read the reviews. Not sure if it was mentioned or not. I got the male label of WILF. It's pretty much straight up Snake Oil but more on the masculine side. Not bad. I think it will age well.

~

[ladyjc]

My review pretty much mimics Itrittipoe's review. This does remind me a LOT of Snake Oil or maybe something that ought to be in the Snake Pit. It's lovely! I don't get any mint from it. Just the musks and patch and gorgeous (aged) Snake Oil quality. I wore this to work last night though and it was almost too sexy for that setting. This would do best on a date with my husband or a night out on the town with the girlfriends. It's pretty amazing now, can't wait to see what it does in just a few months.

 

Must...buy...more!

[hespera4523]

WILF arrived two days ago, and after a day of sitting in a frigid Wisconsin mailbox she was not herself.

 

(I say 'she' because I got the lovely lady werewolf on the label, leading to my roommate and I improvising a chorus of "Flyyyyyy lesbian wereeeeeeewolllllllllllf!" before debating whether she was in fact a girl wolf, since my roomie said she just looked like a really bishounen werewolf. I said I didn't think it mattered. )

 

 

Anyway now that she's warmed up, I get the Snake Oil comparisons, but honestly this reminds me much more of Smut than it does anything Snake Oil. But a Smut that does not turn into lovely musk mixed with grape Kool Aid on my skin which leads me to give it to my kid sister on whom it smells Fabulous and its just not fair ...whine....but this is delish. Deeply warm and musky, and definitely backup worthy.

[Nadirah]

My bottle has a Sexy male werewolf on it -

 

I agree with the Smut comparison. Wilf is sugary and sweet to my nose once the mint wore off (which was a few minutes) Like sugared plums, but it does have a bit of the vanilla that snake oil has. Plum scents actually give me a headache, and this one does not (it has no plum I realize this, it just smells like it to me)

This is really something that you know will age gloriously. I am delighted to have a bottle and this is something I would like to hoard. Go Lab!

[edenssixthday]

WILF - When I opened the bottle and sniffed, my first thought was that it's a very close cousin to Snake Charmer and Snake Oil. On my skin, it smells so delicious with the musks and vanilla bean and patchouli really standing out. But as it dries on my skin, something acrid starts to come out, and I realize it's the peppermint, which only works on me in a couple of blends, and then once it's completely dry, in addition to the bitter, acrid peppermint, there's a dry, dustiness that can only be the type of BPAL chocolate that goes completely wrong on my skin. Without the chocolate and peppermint, I think this would be a huge winner for me, and for those who can wear those notes and love Snake Oil and Snake Charmer, I think WILF is going to charm their pants off!

[fairestrocza]

In the Bottle, WILF smells amazing - a Snake Oil vibe, plus added oomph.

Unfortunately, something went terribly wrong the second it hit my skin. I'm not sure which note(s) to blame, but I'm heartbroken that the skin scent was so vastly different from the scent in the bottle. Scent locket potential, but no more skin time for this one!

[ellebelle]

This smells like how Snake Oil SHOULD smell like (or, at least how I imagined it would smell!) While Snake Oil is a bit meh on me, WILF is this rich, marvelous vanilla/champaca/musk. I do not get any mint or chocolate (usually a death note for me). It's like the love child of Panther Moon and Snake Charmer on me. Marvelous!

Edited January 9, 2011 by Ellebelle

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Some musk, some vanilla, some choc peppermint, and something woody, must be the massoia bark--that's a nice note!

 

Wet: The musk and the patch are very strong notes now, but there's something a bit dryish, perhaps the resin?

 

The dry-down: This seems to be like Snake Oil with some various things in it (the way I like Snake Oil). Right now those notes include the sandalwood and resin and bark, mostly. There's also hints of the florals, but the sharpness of the juniper berry seems to have run off somewhere to hide. It's interesting, but it might work best as a scent locket scent for me. I was hoping for something like Ivanuska, only with a whole lot more going on (and I love Ivanuska). In the end, this is a morpher, and come to think of it, so are werewolves!

[filigree_shadow]

Usually when I try a new perfume, I try to figure out which notes are prominent and which ones I like, or which ones I could do without, or whatever. I can't even tell you what I smell in this one, because when I sniff it all I can think is that it smells like Vixen Lite. It very definitely has a Snake Oil vibe to it, but it smells more like Vixen than Snake Oil to me, only softer. It's not as bold as Vixen. I think of Vixen as a nighttime scent, and this is like the daytime version. I know they don't have anything in common other than patchouli, but on my skin they're similar.

 

I love Snake Oil and Vixen, and I already ordered 2 bottles of WILF. It's just going to get better with age -- 2 bottles can't possibly be too much.

[HerbGirl]

I was so excited to receive this in the mail today after reading the reviews and waiting anxiously! I got the female WILF label....so cute!!!

 

In the bottle I smell Snake Oil and a hint of Peppermint... VERY nice!

 

On me I smell a nicer, aged Snake Oil (as someone else has already mentioned) and musk - not sure if I'm smelling red or black or both (I'm assuming they are perfectly blended so probably both) and a vaguely Werepuppy-ish vibe, which is nice and cuddly!

 

After about an hour, the Peppermint comes out on me and the cocoa gives the impression of a bit of Boomslang (which I love)...

 

This is an amazing perfume oil, and I think another bottle is in order...

Edited February 25, 2011 by Shollin

[plainjean]

I got the sexy lady wolf label!

 

In the bottle, I smell mostly patchouli and chocolate peppermint. On my skin, though, it's like a resiny, slightly pepperminty Snake Oil. It's not as sweet as Snake Oil, though, and it's a little..I don't know if dusty is the right word. Fuzzy? Maybe that's it. I think I'm catching whiffs of both the sandalwood and the champaca, but everything is so well-blended that it's a bit difficult to pick apart.

 

ETA: After letting this sit for a few days, It's become much darker, and the woodsy notes have come out more. I actually much prefer it now. Before it was much too similar to Snake Oil, and now, on me, it's sort of like..Fledgling Raptor Moon had a baby with Snake Oil. With a little How Doth the Little Crocodile thrown in for good measure. I really like it!

Edited January 16, 2011 by plainjean

[lefthandmade]

It went on pretty strong and the champaca is probably to blame here, I know I have been shying away from it in the past but then it's been coupled with jasmine which is an absolute no no for me. But there is absolutely no jasmine here, and when this one mellows, it mellows good, and there is a soft (in a good way), slightly sweet and very complex blend sitting there on my wrist.

 

It's been an hour or so and I now have a Snake Oli/ Snake Charmer/ Boomslang vibe going on. Gorgeous!! If I had the money I would get a back up!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2011 by lefthandmade

[angelicruin]

Wow, this is just an amazing blend of musks, vanilla, and cocoa on my skin. Patchouli note gives it just a hint of smoke on me. Very nice.

[countessmouse]

I have to admit that I did not like WILF at first -- mostly menthol with an undertone of paste. Blech! As it dried over the last few hours, however, I'm getting more of the vanilla and musk and a tiny hint of sweet floral. Not a favorite, but at least I can tolerate the way I smell now.

[zankoku_zen]

Amping the red musk, hint of vanilla, and chocolate peppermint.

 

So yes, sweet red musk. That's what I get.

[violetblue]

Snake oil kicked up a notch with red musk! So lucky to get a sniffie from Spark, thank you so much! Love it, hope it's up for a while, this is multiple bottles worthy.

Eta: I just ordered 3 bottles of this, most bottles ever ordered of one scent at 1 time in my 6 yrs of ordering BPAL. It's that good!! :eek:

Edited January 23, 2011 by violetblue