The Wolf and the Rattlesnake

[annemathematics]

When Lilith started becoming scared of monsters under the bed and shadows in the closet, wed talk. Id tell her that yes, there are monsters in the closet, but theyre there to watch over you. And yes, there are monsters under the bed, but theyre there to make sure youre safe while you sleep. The stories grew and expanded, and at night, wed say goodnight to the ghosts in the attic, the werewolves in the backyard, and the vampires in the basement. Sometimes, Id forget our zombie friends, and Lilith would take offense on their behalf. We say good night to the bats in the trees, and we say goodnight to the ghost rats in the walls, and we tell stories about what they do during the day when shes at school and Im at work. So, at night, shes snug in her bed, safe with all her monster friends.

But then shed have nightmares about rattlesnakes or volcanoes, and while I try to comfort her when she calls out, I know that there will always be something hiding for her, for all of us in darkened corners. All we can do sometimes is reach out to one another and hold hands in the dark.

Lilith, theres so much in the world thats gloomy and thick with shadows. I cant protect you from all of it, but the gods know I will try. I will do whatever I can to help you navigate the darkness, and I will be there holding whatever torches I can muster. You are brave and you are strong: you are the wolf, my werewolf, and I know with all my heart that you will always conquer your rattlesnakes.

this opens in a fun musky/furry jumble and when it dries down I get a hint of...fruity lollipops? what? yes I do smell of candy now, underneath the nice dark complexity of whatever else is happening..

this reminds me of a lighter cousin to the 2013 yule krampuslaufen.

[whitewhale]

In the bottle: This the big, scratchy, heavy wool sweater you wear when it's misty grey and cold as hell outside. It's VERY warm and sorta reminds me of Unicorn and Ram. Spicy, earthy, and really quite grounding. Really like this one.

 

On the skin: Pretty much like the bottle, only with more depth. There's something amber-ish and/or musky in this blend that's just really, really lovely. I have a feeling I'll be wearing this a lot this autumn/winter.

[Lycanthrope]

Ok, this is always a challenge mode when there are no notes listed. I really love both the animals, and the story... The world is a scary place but there's so much love in the passage.

 

From the bottle, I get these three notes: red musk, cedar (soft), and a little bit of... maybe mint? A hint of sassafrass or chocolate?

Immediately wet on the skin, still musky, then I get something... like from Tzadikim Nistarim, like, uh, something reedy? Papery? Oh, wait, that left. Now I get more dryness, definitely the cedarwood or sandalwood coming to the midground.

About ten minutes in, it's still pretty musk/woodsy, definitely a ... burgundy brown color to me, is there pepper in this? No, it's not pepper, but it's warm... saffron?

About thirty minutes in, it's like... a gruff snake oil + fuzzy brown resinous fuzziness.

It's really good. I think it's kind of similar to WILF and Fenris Wolf but much deeper than Fenris and not as... uh, forward, as WILF.

 

Thanks for dealing with my weird notes and my train of thought rambling.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Woods - cedar?? And something really sweet that smells a lot like bubble gum. I think that's from the combination of notes, rather than any actual bubble gum note, as it does not smell like that in the bottle. I think it's skin musk, mixed with amber maybe? And the wood, and then maybe some fruit? Or even a floral like lotus. This is hard to pin down, but it's not what I was expecting, and I don't think it's really working that well on me.

 

 

Dry: I seriously have no idea what's in this. On me, it has amped that sickly sweet fruity/floral/bubblegum note. There's a hint of dusty woods underneath, and it's a bit musky. That's all I got. It's not good on me. Sad.

[Little Bird]

Very woody and earthy. Has a note that reminds me of the patchouli in Of the Unicorn, and then the patchouli in Hekaerge (kind of a chocolatey patchouli with funky BO edge). Something like sweet pine needles. A dry wood that makes me think of craft store wreaths and potpourri. Maybe red patchouli, balsam, and some sort of citrus, because the drydown reminds me so much of Hekaerge?

I'm guessing this is woods, red patchouli, maybe some pine and citrus. Some musk. Mostly reminds me of craft store wreaths and potpourri. Not a favorite for me.

[zankoku_zen]

I definitely get woody/patchouli notes mixed with some musk, citrus, and a touch of sweet florals. However, the entire combination does a weird diaper lotion thing on me as it continues to dry to between the super dirty patchouli notes and the weird powdery sweet florals, its not a pleasant contrast. Medium throw and wear length.

[halation]

Bought this for the name and the mystery!

In the bottle: This is so oddly familiar, I know this from somewhere.... – it's a little like WILF, but that's not it... Anthelion! The TAL oil! It's not identical but the candy-sweet note reminds me very much of Anthelion. This makes me a little nervous, since Anthelion did not work for me as a ritual oil.

But it's not just Anthelion. There is a LOT going on here: it’s WILF, it’s Anthelion, and there's something a bit like Tezcatlipoca – the sort of ‘peanut buttery’ note from Tezcatlipoca. The incense or the leather from Tez, maybe? It's not explicitly leathery, tho.

On: very sweet, surprisingly light – incense, a little furry, but it's sweet fur – again not unlike a toned-down WILF.

As it dries down, there's a curious stage on me where there's almost something like cedar -- cedar always goes to pencil shavings on me, and it's doing that here. But I'm also getting the 'craft store' potpourri / scented candle effect others have described here, plus a continued candy sweetness.

Dry, it becomes a very quiet, cuddly, sweet and slightly musky scent -- similar to the drydowns of Snake Oil based blends. This is almost a younger sibling to WILF -- not complex in the way of WILF, more juvenile, and a little jumbled, but furry and cozy and sweet. Not really what I expected: I don't get much earth or musk, but it's sweet and comforting. Not a bedtime scent for me exactly, but reassuring, like a favourite blanket -- it does what it says on the tin!

[Teamama]

Review of a decant, from a decant circle. W&R has grown on me a lot, now I need a bottle.

 

When I first got the decant, I was put off by a resin that I think might be camphor. As my decant has aged, that note has become less prominent.

 

This definitely contains a warm musk (more like Coyote's than a red or black musk,) and some lavender, amber & other sweet resins I can't identify. It smells great on me, and in my silver locket.

 

The scent it reminds me of, even though I don't know what notes (if any,) they have in common, is Tzadikim Nistarim. Both feature sweet resins, and a sense of comfort & goodness.

 

I can imagine this being a comforting sleep scent.

 

Subjective sidebar: My warm response to it reminds me a little bit of my totally visceral, conditioned response to my beloved Grandmother's signature fragrance, Emeraude. W&R doesn't smell like Emeraude, but something in it is triggering that pleasure/comfort feeling for me.

 

Edited to add: the patchouli has become a lot stronger as this has aged. It's changed with time more than any other blend I have tried. It's still a good scent, but it's now definitely patchouli-forward.

Edited June 30, 2017 by Teamama

[milo]

At first vetiver and brown musk. I do get the Wilf comparison, and I was curious enough to do a side by side. The Wolf doesn't have the cocoa and richness of Wilf, but it may develop on it's own with time. The best way I can describe it is that Wilf has a lush coat of fur, well fed with attitude. The Wolf is like the lower wolf in the pack, scraggly a bit thin and a lower ranked member. It's not to say this blend is bad, there is promise, and I may hunt down more, as it is 'similar' enough, and may be quite lovely with some age behind him.

[twilighteyes]

I'm getting snake oil, lavender, and vanilla right off the bat and I swear I can smell cocoa butter. Also a bit of Jasmine sambac? Dry, this reminds me a lot of Lush's Silky Underwear.

 

[bulletslc]

A bit powdery with light musk. Candy. A slight floral sweetness. Cedar? This one is so odd! I like it better when it drys down and all the above elements blend together. A keeper? Not sure yet.

[Lucchesa]

I'm so glad TwilightEyes mentioned jasmine sambac, because I got a strong sweet jasmine note from The Wolf and the Rattlesnake and thought I was delusional when no one was mentioning it. I don't get woods from this, neither cedar nor patchouli. For the longest time it was all sweet jasmine, and I was fairly indifferent, and then suddenly the late drydown was substantially different, a sort of warm candycoated musk, with a kind of youthful vibe, but very nice. And it lasts forever on me, which is not typical. I ended up liking this much more than I expected.

[doomsday_disco]

This was very much about a dark musk and patchouli on me. I thought I got a bit of the ginger from scents like Snake Oil and Vixen at first, so it reminded me of Snake Oil when first applied, and there's also some of Plunder's cassia here, so for a long time, this was reminding me of that scent, but this isn't as spicy and it is far more dank.  

 

I like how the reviews are all over the place on this one. I wish I had gotten some candy or lavender like some other reviewers!