The Elephant is Slow to Mate

[zankoku_zen]

A rolling, unhurried, volcanic passion sustained by a love that is slow, shy, patient, and wise – and expressed through a scent as warm, languorous, luxuriant, and comforting as a cloak of heavy, soft red velvet: deep burgundy musk, red labdanum, smoked rose petals, opoponax, 17-year aged patchouli, blackened vanilla bean, dried black cherries, blackberries, and tobacco absolute.

[Madame Mew]

Red!!! This is juicy, red and black ripe and musky fruits, patchouli and resins with a chewy tobacco. It reminds me of Insects, and does share the fruit, patchouli and opoponax which makes sense! Absolute masterpiece. The roses are not reading as roses to me, just giving this a bit of a “floriental” vibe. The red musk is certainly a player but the blend is not dominated by it. Gorgeous! 

[Kanra]

This was one of the Lupers I was most excited for and, of course, what I threw on right away when my package arrived. It's a lot gentler than I imagined, but it is strong and powerful in its softness. It is very powerful yet has an elegant beauty to it. I love the lab's aged patchouli so this was a no brainer for my cart. The patchouli is definitely there, but this does not smell "dirty" at all or anything you'd typically associate with patch. It reminds me very much of the vibe of the quieter, aged, complex patchouli in To My Dear and Loving Husband, another favorite of mine.

There's a lot going on here in Elephant. Fruits, florals, musks, patchouli, tobacco... This could have easily ended up very jumbled with notes clashing against each other, but this is not the case at all. Everything is incredibly well blended. Like Madame Mew, I definitely get the floriental vibe from this. Fruits and rose (though not a powdery rose at all) are the main players here on my skin, sitting on a backdrop of tobacco, opoponax and mellow patchouli. The red musk is there, and I do absolutely adore a good red musk, but this is one of the only red musk blends from the lab where the red musk is more of a background element. If you are afraid of red musks, or enjoy your red musks not taking over the entire blend, I'd recommend this one.

 

It's very velvety in feel and is both luxurious and comforting. The oil is a deep, dark color even straight out of the mail, fresh from the lab. I really can feel the inspiration of the scent while wearing this blend. It suits it perfectly.

[fairybites]

This is so stunning and I'm positive my review won't be able to do this justice. Lots of blackberries and dark cherries, but the patchouli and musk makes them not super foodie or sweet on me. There's a little bit of the smoked rose petals and tobacco absolute as it dries down more, but on me it's predominantly the fruits and patch. I'm not terribly familiar with opoponax so I can't tell how much of it is in the blend. It almost reminds me of plums even though that's not one of the notes.

 

A very nice fruity dark scent with a touch of floral. I do wish the vanilla bean was a little stronger on me to sweeten it up a little.

[starbrow]

I'm in love. One sniff was all it took.

 

Elephant is truly velvety and lush, a gorgeous interpretation of the equally gorgeous inspiration poem. It throbs with a luscious deep dark cherry swirled in copper and spices and red musk, the lifeblood of the blend, as petals of the most gothic blood-red rose you've ever smelled waft in incense-like plumes. Resinous undertones anchor the viscous top notes in layer upon layer of dark yet not oppressive woods.

 

Rich and seductive, almost plummy, it's a blend that smells expensive and almost classic. Wonderfully complex. There's a dreaminess at play on the skin that keeps me coming back for more and more sniffs. It reminds me of opium smoke, and also, strangely, of smoked beer, which I love. That uniquely rounded quality of shadows over a certain flavor or scent - in this case, all the dark fruit musks and resins and spices. Btw...I believe this has SAFFRON in it! Fantastic!

 

I am not a rose lover. I avoid almost always. This...this is the rose I dreamed could exist. A rose for me. She is goth af. She lets others have a word. She is plaiting a dark red loveknot into her long black hair.

 

If this is one-month old Elephant, I can only envision what it will become with time. Could this baby be getting backed up? Sure could!

 

 

[Larinessa]

Smokey, dark and a deep bloody burgundy purple color is how this reads. I wish I could get into notes and how they play in this, but for the first time ever, I can't pick any one in it. Rich, goth and would be great for clubbing. This is definately along my vein, I'm just kinda befuddled by it, and not sure if I will upgrade. I will for sure keep the imp for those times I want to radiate a certain aura.

 

Ok, I let it settle for a few days, and I'm doing a full test run today. I've decided this is definately bottle worthy. I'm better able to pick up the notes, the smokey rose, musk and fruits are a fabulous combo, but what's really knocking my socks off is buried under all that is the blackened vanilla bean. I swear I have no idea how Beth did that, but I can discern it. I was just going to keep this imp, and purchase 2 of the new duets, but it looks like this will be riding along with Sugar Cane and Black Amber, and Cinnamon Leather is getting moved aside. (That's ok, I have Spanked for that urge).

Edited April 29, 2021 by Larinessa
Updated review

[storme]

Wet: Dark, rich, smooth redness and musk. Oo. I see why this has gotten so much hype.
Dry: This is a really nice red musk, warm and with a juicy background. Plummy, almost. Lovely, delicious and easy to wear. I can even detect the rose without it swamping the scent! A total winner.

[lipstickonmyteeth92]

I was so excited for this after seeing the fifteen minutes of fume on it and oh my goodness. It does not disappoint. There is SO MUCH going on in this scent that it's hard to pick out the individual notes. It's very complex and dark in the bottle and it makes me think of a dark purple/burgundy/ colour. 

Right off, I get the musk and something deep red and juicy, as it mellows out the smoked rose petals come out beautifully. 

Later, (As this is the second time I've worn it since getting it two days ago) it will become this dark, red fruit juice running down your chin- smoke laden-vanilla scent. It's absolutely gorgeous. Very heady and I need like, forty backup bottles of it. 

[zankoku_zen]

Blackberries, plum, cherry, tobacco, rose and musk. Dark purple fruits, incensey musk, sexy. Medium throw and wear length.

[Jenjin]

The Days of Wine and Roses
I just typed a lengthy review which somehow disappeared into the internet ethermist. Needless to say, this is a mysterious black tobacco rose, she's got her fishnets on and some long tall sexy beast is smoking a swisher sweet down the street. I'm going to need a cigarette after wearing this, it is so damn smoldering sexy  Whew, those dang elephants seriously know how to shake my hut.  Burns down to a deep rich burgundy smoked merlot rose
(ding-dong, can you keep a secret? this is pure epic classic BPAL lux.

Edited August 5, 2021 by Jenjin

[Threemoons]

This is absolutely gorgeous.  The word "plush" comes to mind.  Imagine Snake Oil with red musk and all manners of red fruits, red plush dark velvet roses, and all of the Sexy Dark Red Things.  This one is a real morpher and gradually smolders down to this deep, sexy, musky, rosey...thing..  Love it.  Need a backup.

[picturesofmeghan]

this is ‘okay’ to me. the first initial smell to me is that juicy cherry-gummy note jovial embrace has. that juiciness carries through, but the rose coming through smells almost christmasy to me? to be honest, it smells like jovial embrace encumbered by patchouli and rose. glad i didn’t blind bottle. i LOVE jovial embrace, but i don’t love this. 

 

edit - wearing it, it smells like cherry wine. not like sangria, but a sweet fruit wine, spiked with a rose that isn’t powdery 

Edited May 22, 2021 by picturesofmeghan

[Lucchesa]

Second review in a row where I find myself in lockstep with @starbrow. This is a stunner from the get-go. Rich dark red musk. Rich dark red fruits. A backdrop of my favorite resins, patch and tobacco. I generally avoid rose but this blackened version is stunning. Terrific throw — I could smell it while masked. Pouting lips painted darkest red, a big velvety red wine, gorgeous in its complexity. Just yes. 

[Poenari]

My decant traveled around for over a month while it disappeared from the USPS tracking system, so it is already slightly aged and the notes settled. When my package finally arrived, this was the one I had to test first! 

My initial reaction was  . Those who have been raving about it were right! I get an initial blast of red musk, because I always detect that first in a blend. However this is truly the sum of its parts and after the initial waft, I can't separate the notes from one another. It is super dark, super rich, red, fruity, resiny, intense, and I love it. Yes I definitely need a bottle.

[rivetted]

I was so excited to smell this one after everyone's rave reviews here. 

Alas. 

I don't want to say I *hate it*, but there is some top-note in here that smells very pungent to me in a way I really dislike, immediately, so much so that I will not even dare try this on my skin.

There is *something* that is oddly banana-like to me, & I will say that I *hate* bananas.

 

 

I keep opening the bottle & smelling it again every so often hoping that the pungent note has left but it just does not go away for me, and it is seeming unlikely that it will.

 

Even though this does not work for me, I can smell the beauty that is underneath the note I dislike.

 

It makes me that much sadder to say that this one doesn't work for me, because if it weren't for that one note I dislike in it, it could be really lovely.

 

At least since everyone else seems to love it so much, I should be able to find this bottle a new loving home eventually! 

 

Edit::: many months later:::

this is just blending overall better.

this scent still isn't really for me, but i will say it's calmed down a lot & i get why a lot of people love it.

Edited November 30, 2021 by rivetted

[milo]

Voluptuous, red spicy blend, similar to the likes of Mme Moriarty, Shadow in the Elevator, you get the picture.  I generally love these types of oils, but this is too much, even for me.  A little goes a long way, so I’m glad I have an imp, and may consider a partial if one should come hopping my way.  This kind of reminds me of Diors Poison, but better and with more spice.  It has that feel of a high end, night in the town type of perfume.

[hhelix]

I get what @milo says about the Dior Poison vibe. But it's so much better! Elephant is seamlessly blended, smooth, rich, velvety, and plush.... just, languorous. The smoked rose petals are discernible as a resinous non-powdery rose blending nicely with the dark juicy fruits. But it's not a rose blend, or a fruit blend. It's a deep musky balsamic blend with floral and fruit elements to sweeten, lift, and round the heavy base. Very crimson, burgundy, black, and wine-stained. Like elephants swaying drunkenly after eating fermented fruits. Low throw but hella long wear length.

 

Edit: I tested this one again yesterday to see if I needed a bottle before the Lupers come down this month. It's shockingly juicy red-purple fruits while wet, then settles down to a smoldering, velvety incense with good throw and longevity. The rose is more of a wall-flower in this blend, helping to hold everything together, but not stealing the show. It's more of a fruity incense blend than a rose blend. The vanilla is definitely non-gourmand and probably just smooths things out. Don't be afraid of the patchouli -- it's barely discernible, at least in my decant. It's very pretty, and I found myself sniffing my hand frequently throughout the day for a little waft of comfort. Full bottle worthy and will probably age phenomenally. 

Edited August 8, 2021 by hhelix
to merge reviews

[forspecial_plate]

I should have known better - this has the exact note or combination of notes that went south in Voluminous Red Blanket.  It starts out somewhat nice, reddish lit incense (in that general category IMO) and I understand why people like it.  After about a half hour something here sinks its hooks in my skin, turns bitter and a little sour, and hangs around indefinitely, drowning out anything nice that I might have smelled at first.  I'm guessing red labdanum and/or rose petals (maybe the combination of both).  It actually seems to get stronger instead of fading so I guess I'm amping something.  I really thought I liked labdanum, maybe red labdanum isn't for me.  Anyway - washing with soap and water didn't help and applying a different scent didn't really drown it out, I guess I'm in for the day with this one.

[Little Bird]

I love red musk, heavy oriental fragrances, and wine-like scents, so I had high hopes for this.  It was kind of the big letdown of my Lupers orders, though.  It honestly gives me a headache whenever I've tried to wear it and it's like everything that could go wrong on my skin does.  It's very strong, heavy, bold and long lasting, and kind of too in-your-face for me.  It's a big red rose with edges of soap and perfumey muskiness and the tobacco comes in like someone dumped an ash tray on the rose.  The berries are dry and artificial, but also boozy, so they waffle between plasticy craft store froot smell and smelling like someone spilled a glass of wine on me that's gone sour and stale and a little pukey smelling.  Then there's an earthiness like dead leaves and a haze of sharp smoke.  And it's all of those things at once and kind of overwhelms me.  I'm going to keep aging this, but it's definitely not my favorite thing right now.  I mainly got this because people kept comparing it to Insects on different sites, but I don't think that this smells anything like Insects (which is a huge love for me).

[Hesper]

The gothic vampire wine scent of my dreams. Dark, lush, red red red, fruity-smoke and intoxicating. 5 vampire larpers out of 5. I need to go more places worthy of wearing this.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Hesper

[Seajewel]

This is a gorgeous lush scent. It reminds me a great deal of Red Lace, actually, which isn't that surprising given the notes. Definitely one of the stand-outs of the Lupers and it was an immediate bottle upgrade. 

[doomsday_disco]

This one is strong on the blackberry-infused red musk throughout wear on me. The sweet labdanum and opoponax cozy up to it, adding a slight cola-like resinous quality, and the rose petals are lightly smoked. I think the dried black cherries are helping to deepen the scent, while the really well-behaved patchouli and tobacco darken things up alongside the resins. It really is evocative of crushed velvet and wine. I'm not able to pick out the blackened vanilla bean, but I bet it would come out more with age.

 

This is not really in my wheelhouse, but I can see why this one has so many fans, and I'm glad I got a chance to try it! It's not something I need more of, but if you want a dark, fruit-infused red musk scent, this should be up your alley.

[hhelix]

Accidentally posted twice -- edited to merge with previous review.

Edited August 8, 2021 by hhelix

[whipwaif]

this wasn't originally on my "buy" list, but i'm glad I got it anyway. to make it simple: to me it's like juicy cherry vanilla mixed with classic head-shop incense. just...mmm, delicious. if you're looking for something juicy yet mature, this is it. it's almost vampiric in nature.

 

it's heavy and smells EXPENSIVE. throw is fantastic and this will age like a fine wine. not one I will reach for all the time, but definitely a winner for those chilly and sexy date nights.

[Bassmastadroog]

This is so beautiful. I ordered another bottle immediately after trying on my first one.

 

A deep velvety red scent. The poster who said this scent is like CP Insects is spot on. The opoponax and patchouli/fruits is instantly Insects, but this is a whole different color. While Insects was dark and shiny green to me, this one is vampy red. It’s warm,  and beautiful…with an incensy quality. The tobacco keeps the scent from floating off…it deepens over time into something thick and interesting.