Wolf Spider

[MadameGorgon]

Tonka bean, patchouli, bourbon vanilla, Cuban tobacco, coconut, clary sage, galbanum, white musk, and chamomile.

Just got this in the mail this afternoon! I'm typing this as I sniff.

I have to say, it isn't quite what I expected, but it is really quite lovely, comtrary to its hairy scuttling namesake.

First sniff from the bottle was a poof of high pitched top notes floating on a sharp woody base. The warm brown notes (hehe. I said brown note) vanilla, tonka, patchouli, tobacco just kind of soften and sweeten it a bit.

On skin -
Top: I assume it is galbanum, clary sage, white musk, and chamomile portion that composes the majority of the top notes. It has an almost oily bitter citrus quality (in a good way). Musk can be a bit expansive for my taste, but it seems to play pretty nice here. Galbanum is described as: has a disagreeable, bitter taste, a peculiar, somewhat musky odour, an intense green scent (wikipedia). Clary Sage: it's not quite green, not quite floral, not quite earthy - but yet all of them together. (About dot com). Also, musky, spicy sage, and dirty socks(!?). All those are there, but the chamomile adds its delicate fresh grassy floral to sweeten it up a bit.

Middle: It becomes much richer on skin. It isn't even remotely foody. No vanilla or tonka in the middle notes. Tobacco makes its appearance and is most definitely a cigar tobacco as opposed to cigarette or pipe, not moist or sweet, but dry and crisp. Coconut is very subtle and maybe just adds a kind of rich buttery-ness. If that's a word.

Base: Amazingly, I really don't get Patchouli from this. There's a kind of flinty, woody bit to the base, but it doesn't take over. Little more than a whiff of dusty wood floor. In all the base notes blend so well it is difficult to pick out the individual ingredients. They meld to make a kind of weirdly alien leather base (in a good way).

In all it is a very green, slightly bitter blend with a hint of grassy floral on a base of dry, dusty wood and arachnid leather.

Dry Down: Tbd

[Lycanthrope]

My skin treats this very oddly.

 

Wet it's a sharp, slightly bitey wood scent with a LOT going on. Dry and powdery. On, oh good jeebuz, I'm getting a ton of the tobacco. The tobacco, coconut, galbanum, vanilla and tonka combine to create the feel of a caramel note without being caramel - it's quite foody at least at the first hour of wearing. I'm not getting too much of the chamomile. Oh, the clary was what was causing the top note scruffiness. A nice use of the clary! Over time this dries to something wispier, with more powder, perhaps the white musk. The tobacco smoke is still swirling around. So, I would call this along the lines of a foody, smoky vanilla.

 

Which, looking above, is not quite what ih8perfume's experience was.

 

Must be my skin chemistry! I can't really do coconut since it amps on me.

[SadariEvenstar]

This is lovely on me. I'm getting a woody not very sweet coconut and tobacco. The chamomile makes a strong appearance on me. I'm really digging this. Coconut tends to always give me a tropical feeling, but this one doesn't really.

Edited October 20, 2012 by SadariEvenstar

[zankoku_zen]

Tobacco, coconut, chamomile and white musk. Slighly powdery tobacco and coconut blend. Sort of tropical, sort of dusty, sort of cuddly.

 

If you don't mind your cuddles to have a bit of a bite.

 

If you dig tobacco AND coconut, give this a whirl.

[ajansuz]

This sounded like a dream scent for me, and it completely surpassed my already high expectations. This is such a strange perfume, and yet it's GORGEOUS with my skin chemistry. In the bottle, it's a bitter, grassy, herbal scent with a touch of sweetness. It's almost medicinal.

 

Wet: It goes on like it smells in the bottle, grassy and herbal, a little bitter, very dry. It's indeed evocative of a hairy brown spider, heavy on the fuzz. Almost a sneezy sort of scent without actually making you sneeze.

 

It's when it starts to dry down that everything changes and goes gorgeous. The vanilla comes out. It's the vanilla I love in Gypsy, smooth and sweet, slightly creamy. It picks up the coconut with it, the somewhat woody, brown coconut note in Body Remember rather than anything tropical. There's still a hint of an herbal scent, which I think is probably the clary sage. It stays close to the skin, something beautiful and comfortable. This isn't a sexy scent. It's a comfortable with yourself and your body sort of scent. Cheerful without being girly or too youthful. Relaxing.

 

Staying power is excellent. This lasted on me the whole day I wore it and through the night. The sheets smelled like it when I woke up, but it was never overpowering. I'm ordering a back up bottle before this goes away. I have a feeling aging will only be to its benefit.

[brilliantcat]

Wow, sniffing this in the imp, it is definitely not what I expected. I get some green herbally notes and a smidge of the coconut. It does put me in mind of a hairy spider, oddly enough. Boy does this one pull a morpher on my skin! The sweet, dry tobacco comes out, I get some of that tasty patchouli, and there's the coconut doing the tango with the vanilla to create, yes, a caramel-ish feel without the nausea-inducing sweetness most actual caramel blends cause on me. I notice someone else mentioned that so I guess my sniffer isn't broken. Despite smelling like a horrid, creepy, HAIRY spider, I think I need a bottle of this gorgeousness!

 

ETA: Upon retesting, this starts off stridently cologne-y and verging on soap. Age has not been kind. It does dry down into a pleasant, soft, coconutty scent but I'm not fond of how this one has changed.

Edited December 10, 2013 by brilliantcat

[dreamingjune]

This is not at all what I was expecting.

 

In bottle: Clean, sweet wood and herbs.

 

Wet: Yup, pretty much the same. It sweetens up just a hair, but this is so very subtle. I expected at least the coconut to stand up and make a statement, but not so much. The green notes of galbanum are hanging out in the background too.

 

Dry: Softly woody and subtly sweet. Barely there, with some herbal hints.

 

Overall: If you like your vanilla and woods barely there with a touch of herbs, this will be great for you. For me, not so much.

[yakiguri]

As much as I ABHOR spiders I really, REALLY wanted this blend to work, as it was the only one of the Weenies notes-wise that leaped at me the most. At first application I get a green sharpness that reminded me of Interfector, and then immediately the Cuban tobacco took over and is absolutely SCREAMING on my skin. Dammit, I have to wash this off.

 

EDIT 11/15: Retried this blend and while the tobacco isn't screaming on me anymore, this is still too dry and fuzzy for my tastes. At least I'm getting more of the coconut this go around. I imagine if coconut cigarettes exist this is what they'd smell like.

Edited November 16, 2012 by thatbrownelf

[milo]

I'm getting husky coconut and vetiver at first. This is really reminding me of Death Adder at this stage, but without the Snake Oil. Like fresh Death Adder, basically. Dry, more smoky and gritty, kind of warm and sweet with the bourbon vanilla and tonka. It ends up being sweet and smoky, kind of warm, and oddly appealing, though it's really not something I would wear that often. Reminds me of a fire and roasting marshmallows somehow. I'm actually getting hungry. Not for me, but this blend is kind of drawing me in, and I may seek out a decant just to see how it ages.

[Little Bird]

Wolf Spider is mostly tobacco, patchouli and chamomile on me.. sort of a dry, bitter, dirty, herbal + ash tray smell. I get a little bit of dry coconut sweetness after about a half hour, but I was hoping that this would be heavier on the sweeter elements. Starts off kinda strong on me, but fades quickly into a subtle skin scent. Dirty tobacco, bitter herbs and a hint of dry coconut.

[tailoredshirt]

This is pretty but very faint! I had to apply very liberally and I can only smell it when I huff my arm.

 

On me, this is mostly coconut and tobacco rounded out by tonka and vanilla. After a while something a bit sharp and ashy peeks through. I thought it was a hint of vetiver at first but maybe it is the tobacco. I don't notice any patchouli, and the musk is barely there.

 

I'll have to try it a few more times to see if it's bottle-worthy. I quite like the coconut-vanilla-tobacco combo, I just wish it was stronger.

[Andalei]

When first applied this is a very herbally, slightly spicy scent. At this stage it smells very green to me. As it dries, the tobacco and tonka come out to sweeten it up. The drydown is a gorgeous musky tonka that I absolutely love and never would have guessed from sniffing in the bottle. The patchouli never really shows up for me.

[theseagrows]

this is an interesting scent! i am really falling for tobacco-white musk scents lately, so i guess that is why i was drawn to this scent. this scent smells very dry to me, and woody. but with a definite vanilla element to it. at first it reminds me of the scent of rain when it first starts as it's hitting the sidewalk, but then the tonka and vanilla come through more and it's more a dry vanilla scent. i really dont' smell much patchouli, so there must be a small amount in this. the coconut is subtle and in the background supporting. i like this, but don't love it. sometimes vanilla turns a bit plasticky on me, and here it is on the verge. not quite plasticky, but a bit like play-doh. not sure if i want to keep this or not.

[Monday]

This one is just gorgeous! I get sage, coconut , tobacco and vanilla. It dries down to a fuzzy but sophisticated coconut and sage with wafts of tobacco and vanilla.

[nineveh]

Primarily tobacco with herbal spikes, softened and sweetened by musk and vanilla. It's a mix of contrasting textures, but overall feels relaxing. On me, this has the airy greenness of Halloween: Los Angeles combined with the dusty sweetness of The Night Hag Visiting the Lapland Witches.

 

I guess this would be too close to a traditional masculine fragrance for most, but I really like it and am glad I risked a bottle.

[Gwydion]

WOLF SPIDER 2012 (LE, Halloween: Arachnaphobia): (Company says: Tonka bean, patchouli, bourbon vanilla, Cuban tobacco, coconut, clary sage, galbanum, white musk, and chamomile.)

 

In bottle: I’m guessing the strongest note is the clary sage blending with galbanum and patchouli, as I’m not parsing it properly, but it seems sage adjacent, if that makes sense. I’m not sure I like it. Once I got over the initial shock, I could pick out the strong alliance of musk, tonksa, and vanilla. This is lovely and makes a sweet and beautiful setting for the herbal shock that is the centerpiece of the scent. Chamomile is supporting the herbs and I’m calling it third. The tobacco is ubiquitous and plays well with everybody else. The ghost of cocoanut haunts the vanilla/tonka/musk complex. It’s growing on me as I get used to it. Wet: The herbal elements separate more on the skin. I’m coming around to the clary sage/galbanum/chamomile alliance even though chamomile is not a friend to my skin chemistry. On my skin the effect is almost mossy and definitely sage dominant. The softening effect of the tonka and vanilla is understated, but lovely. The musk, patchouli, and tobacco are sexing it up. The coconut mostly supports the tonka and is more noticeable now. Dry: This is lovely on the dry down, with the herbal notes softening and playing better with the sweet. The musk is strongest and does a lovely dance with the surviving notes. From the bottle, I thought I’d hate this, but I kind of like it on my skin despite my long standing trouble with chamomille.

 

WOLF SPIDER 2012 (LE, Halloween: Arachnaphobia): (Company says: Tonka bean, patchouli, bourbon vanilla, Cuban tobacco, coconut, clary sage, galbanum, white musk, and chamomile.)

 

In bottle: I’m guessing the strongest note is the clary sage blending with galbanum and patchouli, as I’m not parsing it properly, but it seems sage adjacent, if that makes sense. I’m not sure I like it. Once I got over the initial shock, I could pick out the strong alliance of musk, tonksa, and vanilla. This is lovely and makes a sweet and beautiful setting for the herbal shock that is the centerpiece of the scent. Chamomile is supporting the herbs and I’m calling it third. The tobacco is ubiquitous and plays well with everybody else. The ghost of cocoanut haunts the vanilla/tonka/musk complex. It’s growing on me as I get used to it. Wet: The herbal elements separate more on the skin. I’m coming around to the clary sage/galbanum/chamomile alliance even though chamomile is not a friend to my skin chemistry. On my skin the effect is almost mossy and definitely sage dominant. The softening effect of the tonka and vanilla is understated, but lovely. The musk, patchouli, and tobacco are sexing it up. The coconut mostly supports the tonka and is more noticeable now. Dry: This is lovely on the dry down, with the herbal notes softening and playing better with the sweet. The musk is strongest and does a lovely dance with the surviving notes. From the bottle, I thought I’d hate this, but I kind of like it on my skin despite my long standing trouble with chamomille.

[tharsei-thanate]

Purchased an imp from a forumite!

 

I have been dying to try this because of these lines from the song Go Long by Joanna Newsom:

 

Wolf spider, crouch

in your funnel nest

If I knew you once,

now I know you less

In the sinking sand,

where we've come to rest,

have I had a hand

in your loneliness?

 

The problem, however, is that patchouli is sometimes weird, vanilla in any form can go either way, and coconut is an established note of doom on me. I was too afraid to touch it when it was live, or even test it at NYCC. But I figured I should finally face my fears and give this a whirl. Even if it doesn't work, I'm still keeping the imp because of the song association.

 

Speaking of, lemme get my iPod.

 

Ok, here goes nothing!

 

In the imp: Tobacco and chamomile are front and center! Pretty interesting combo, I gotta say. Wee bit of coconut way in the background, and a touch of tonka. I'm getting a lot of white and beige color associations, to be honest. Absolutely no green from the galbanum, and no swirl of patchouli brown. It's pretty nice. Let's see what it does on my skin.

 

Wet: Rich tobacco and warm tonka and patchouli! Patch is sitting quietly like a good boy, and tonka and tobacco are dancing together. Oh, and there's a sweetness from the bourbon vanilla that is adding gorgeous depth without the plastic that sometimes likes to accompany vanilla. Omg is that the musk now, too? Yes, there's a light, lovely layer of musk. Coconut is either too faint to notice or not here at all. Can I be completely honest and say that smelling this while listening to Go Long is actually making me cry a little?

 

Drydown: It very briefly headed toward the dread plastic precipice but then it took a sharp right turn, thank goodness. Oh, this is so good. While it smells like much of the same as the wet stage, the scent is deepening overall. I also think I can smell the coconut now, but it's still very light. What's important though is that it's not sour or Play-Doh. Well, not entirely Play-Doh, there's some sort of weird quality to the faint coconut smell, but it's not overpowering or distracting. Definitely not something I'd notice if I weren't concentrating so hard!

 

Dry: Patch is getting a liiittle bit powdery but that's ok. There's a suggestion of chamomile and it's making me think of tea. Overall? Still tobacco/tonka/patch dominant (in that order), with bourbon vanilla sweetness, vague coconut, and light musk.

 

Nnngh I can't stop sniffing myself and tearing up whenever I sniff myself because oh my god this works on my skin and fits the song and I just!!!!!

 

:heart:

[mymymai]

ITB: It's rather astringent from the sage, tobacco, and bourbon, more so that I had anticipated with these notes.

 

Wet: Chamomile stalks, sage, coconut, tobacco, and bourbon. It's still a bit bitter for my taste.

 

Dry: It's less bitter now - coconut, tobacco, bourbon vanilla, tonka, and a touch of sage. It's so much nicer once dried.

[Missy_killer]

To my nose: Woah, the tobacco is strong in this one. I immediately get tobacco, chamomile and vanilla. Might be a smidge of coconut in here too. If only the tobacco would calm down a few notches this would be gorgeous!

On me: Loud tobacco, it doesn't scream ashtray on me for once, but it's THERE. I'd say that this scent is cold. Coconutty vanilla and chamomile is there, fighting with the tobacco.

I initially thought I was gonna have to wash this off, but I stood my ground and after an hour it is actually very pretty. soft and sweet vanilla and..something almost floral? Even though I don't really care for floral scents, this is actually very pretty! I'm gonna keep my decant, no need for a bottle.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Missy_killer

[Balame]

Dayum! I opened this and totally freaked out. Was expecting a nice sweet tobacco and maybe some patchouli, but instead it smells like spicy green peppers.

 

IT'S GALBANUM, BITCHES.

 

Totally in your face. After that rude intro I'm still stuck with the obnoxiously green note. It's super potent and backed by the chamomile, which isn't doing it any favors by also being sharply herbal. "Astringent" and "bitter" are definitely good words for it.

 

Yet it does chill out after about 10 minutes. While it's nowhere near as hardcore, the galbanum still provides a little zest now softened by a creamier white musk.

 

It's actually nice at this point and delicately sweet. I find the coconut peaking out, which is subtly beautiful. I had hoped the tonka and coconut would take the lead, and while they have, it's ended up the exact opposite of its energetic start. The drydown is little more than a whisper on me. Quite sad about that. The final stage is worth waiting for, but for me the sillage is almost nonexistent.

[porcelina]

i almost didn't order wolf spider because of the name (i am not a fan of 8-legged creatures). however, the notes won out- tonka, patchouli, vanilla, tobacco? how could i go wrong?

well… it turns out i still don't like spiders. the chamomile and clary sage amp on my skin and this is way drier and more herbal than i care for. the white musk is not so great on me, either. i was expecting something dark and rich but what i got is drier and wispier. not for me.

[d0gbones]

In the imp: Coconut and I think chamomile?

Wet: Vanilla and patchouli

Dry: Vanilla and patchouli up close, but there's definitely something coconutty I keep noticing when wearing it. I think it's a wonderfully expressive blend, I've never sniffed a spider, but I kinda wouldn't be surprised if he smelt like this?

[torikitty]

Wet: I pick up more herbal than anything.

Drydown: The tobacco comes out more. It's dry and slightly smoky. It leans masculine on me. I can't pick out coconut or anything else in particular. It's nice, but it's not the kind of tobacco I enjoy smelling on myself.

[Aveya]

Imp: leather tobacco. Super masculine.

Initial skin: Smoky herbal.

Drydown: very masculine. Dee + Carnival smoky leather scents. It's got a tart green-ness to it that makes it really unique and fuzzy.

 

Verdict; masculine fuzzy warm dark scent, rubbed with herbs.

 

Creepy thing - it again smells exactly like the spider looks. So Creepy.

[artisjok]

Wolf Spider is a comfort scent. I get the tobacco primarily, tonka bean, a touch musk, and a bit of vanilla or coconut.

The throw is very light on me, which keeps me from wanting any more than the decant. I bet I would detect other notes if the throw was increased. I do keep catching a whiff from my neck and enjoying it. 

If you like cozy, slightly masculine, and close to the skin scents, give this spider a whirl~

Edited April 22, 2020 by artisjok