Varuek (วฤค)

Oh my! Without reading a word or identifying a single note, it was crystal clear what this is all about : it's the big bad wolf, in liquid rather than furry form. And it's magnificent, a savage alpha male still kind and noble enough to let any human snuggle into its fuzzy underside. Wonderful showcase for Prim Lomros's skill with the animalic and 'difficult', and growly enough to give you a jump-scare at first - there's some pretty cheesy-feet-like tang to the oud, which is loud and sour in SE Asian style; some authentically sweaty-armpit whiffs from the castoreum; the leather is live and greasy. So the first five minutes are fascinating but borderline intimidating, as you sense that if the blue-cheesy-stink swelled up any more then the encounter might turn hostile. I circled it warily, waiting for it to go bitter, or for the animalics to turn acrid and the scent to start snapping at me. It didn't happen: this mellows and ripens and suddenly there are wafts of human civilisation - hewn wood and rough bags of raw spices - drifting in to the wild-scape. The resins begin to get working and suddenly you're aboard an antique galleon or riding some desert caravansarai, all warm and welcoming, deeply sophisticated, savoury despite the growing sweetness. (Don't be fooled though: this never goes 'soft' or gooey, it's a rugged hike all the way; it comforts ME, but might not be so cosy to everyone). Mr Wolf dons some sort of velvet smoking jacket and becomes an urbane, more settled adventurer, ensconced in an amazing home full of valuable things from faraway lands. It's no surprise this slays me: a favourite nose using virtually every smell I love most all at once, deliberately complex and deep and dark, slyly funny, unafraid to make you wrinkle your nose and challenge you. Imagine a Zoologist Hyrax that's tamed and much more wearable, or an Arquiste Nanban that's far more feral and wild, and that's the territory that this beast stalks about in. I want to run away with it and live in its lair, and I don't care how rough its animal ways are. OUTSTANDING. Disclaimers: the price is definitely intimidating (though probably not strictly predatory, because you can definitely sniff out the genuine and expensive raw materials that have gone into it.) Despite its massive charisma and character, the scent trail is discreet - after that howling first burst of stinky oud this wolf lays low, close to your skin, though it has the stamina to last 6-8h. This is at the more conventional end of the Prin line - it's a recognisable 'genre' piece ("warm-spicy-woody") and not quite as full of the distinctively more-Thai, sour-acrid-herbal curves of some of the weirder ones. So it's more mainstream than some of the rest, but still very much darker, more complex, and odder than the Strangers line, or anything 'normal'. The exact opposite of a dumb reach, but it could have been tailored just for me - fits like a (wolfskin?) glove to my own private idea of stinky-furry-dirty heaven. Try if you dare: be prepared to be startled, perhaps to be seduced, and certainly to be scared by the RRP.

(Full disclosure; I first sampled this way before the detailed inspiration and the notes list came out publicly) This is one of my absolute favorites from the house of Prin so far! When I first sampled this it was a love at first sniff. If you loved amber, castoreum, leather and fur (in an unapologetically animalic way)...Varuek would bring you to the new height. I reckoned the opening could be challenging to some (not for me though, it smells really rich and warm to my nose) but if you could just wait it our for probably 15 minutes max, your patience would be rewarded handsomely. To begin with, it gives you that rich animalic opening from Thai oud (but it’s not barnyard-ish) and leather combo. But not too densed or anything. I personally don’t think this fragrance is overly thick by any means. Then it is follwed by a very beautiful ambery + castoreumy vibe; extremely unique to my nose, it is incredibly sensual, alluring and rich. It’s sorta sweet but not Grand Soir ambery sweet, if you will. It is a vibrant type of amber. But pure and natural at the same time. This certainly has a heavy dose of amber in it. Instant love here. Another key aspect that plays a significant role in this one is the fur note, in my humble opinion. This is nothing like Prin’s personal signature, the legendary Goat Hair tincture that we all know and love. It is certainly different. It really smells like a rich, fluffy fur coat/cape/scarf. Realistically animalic but absolutely beautiful. It is also quite sexy based on my interpretation. When I first smelled it, I was suddenly teleported to the dessert. It gives me that image of a nomadic warrior riding a horse, putting on a big fluffy wolf fur jacket/cape (Varuek means wolf in sansakrit), patrolling the desert slowly all by himself. Lone Wolf-style wanderer of the desert. In the night time, of course. What a beautiful journey. Unreal longevity, like other creations from this newly founded Prin house. I am talking about something close to 24 hours on my skin here. It gives you a distinct warm amberry fur aura. Again not spicy at all to my nose. Pure and punchy kinda amber (it is very much right there at the forefront since the beginning but it’s not sharp and unpleasant..it is so good I can’t explain). Prin hits it out of the park on this one. An absolute homerun for me.

Wow! This is stunning. I never wear the same scent twice in a row, but I am today. I wore this for the first time yesterday afternoon and evening, and I loved it from first spray to bedtime. I woke up this morning and it was still there, especially strong on the shirt I sprayed it on. I couldn't bear to move on to a new perfume like I normally eagerly do, so I reapplied- which speaks volumes! First blast to me is spicy deep gooey resinous amber without cloying sweetness, plus a little animal done oh so right. As it dries down it gets tamer in both the spice and the animal department, and becomes the softest and most beautiful swirling, sensual, comforting & warm musky bubble. It is very tenacious, but not overly loud (I am not an over-sprayer, and I would recommend a light touch as it may be a little overbearing if over applied). I think performance is in my Goldilocks zone- which is that while I can smell it very well the entire wear, the person across the table from me might catch a whiff but will not be getting assaulted by it (and I do not think would find what they can pick up at all offensive). You do have to be comfortable with the notes shown above, but this is far more tame and classically beautiful than they may have you believe. Such a gorgeous blend! I highly recommend a sample to those who gravitate toward rugged ambers, spices, earth, deep sensual musk, and (clean) animal undertones. Love! Instantly went on my want list.

What a wild ride this one is. People talk of "challenging" perfumes, but Varuek really does feel like a challenge Prin is setting forth: Will you be bold enough to take the journey and reap the reward, or will you cower in the face of Varuek's feral opening and abandon course? Because that opening. Phew. I wasn't sure if I had sprayed perfume or my dog had expressed her anal glands- it is one intense animalic funk- but I found myself repeatedly pressing my nose to my arm, addicted to the filthiness of the scent. After about thirty minutes the animal stops bellowing and starts purring. It becomes a deeply sensual scent: leather, resins, wet fur, musk, a hint of coffee. Over time Varuek softens into a gorgeous honeyed amber and sweet myrrh. The animal continues to purr but quieter now. This is a journey I want to take again and again. ... My review is based on multiple wears from a 2mL spray sample from the Prin discovery set. I got 12+ hours of wear. Strong sillage for the first 4 hours or so before gradually dying down to a skin scent.

Spectacular. Feels like the base of Anthaeus isolated and zoomed in to comical levels. It's hard to place outside of the animal imagery as the castoreum is so forward, but there's such depths to this beyond the initial shock. It leverages the grittiness of its animalics and slowly transforms into a beautiful incense and oud monolith with a warm, furry base. One of the only neo-animalic scent that's as dirty as its reputation suggest, yet remains rich and interesting without ever falling apart. Everything I wish Leather Oud and Hyrax were. I have yet to smell the rest of Prin's line, but this is special. I'm looking forward to getting more familiar with this perfumer.