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.

Smells similar to NIshane Afrika Olifant and Lorenzo Mazzone Hard Leather: a big dose of funky animalics that somehow also manages to be sweet (maybe it's the cinnamon and myrrh notes). Too challenging for everyday wear, but it would be a treat on special occasions. Go easy on the trigger; this stuff is potent and could easily be overwhelming. Varuek is a floral, pissy, musky masterpiece. A wearable scent? No. A delightful olfactory journey? Most definitely. Worth a sample if you enjoy animalics.

Prin - Varuek Full Teeth bared castoreum rich Leathry chocolate with the musky fuzziness like skinned and treated furs, there's a nice resinous oud and a barely sweet warm amber. Despite the big opening this scent isn't a screecher it sits fairly close, and at this point, I pick up on herbal aromatics and smooth smoked kissed leather and animal sweat-soaked fur. There's an interesting coffee note in here it's not sweet at all and is quite pleasant like fresh beans.

Absolutely love this! Along with Mriga my favorite from Prin.To me this is a animalic pine tar scent and not so much about the oud. But perfumery is a pretty new hobby to me and I have not smelled the vintage perfumes where they used the real animalic materials. Is it better to spend the money on a vintage bottle with real castoreum, civet and musk? And if so, what should I buy to get something similar, but even better and less synthetic than this?

Animalic, rich, leathery, chocolaty oudy these can be expressed as main accord of this perfume! Day by day I am becoming a big big fan of this amazing house! Okay! what an extraordinary portray of a masculine or I would say more of a superhuman kind of fragrance! Like a werewolf walking in a jungle looking for his next hunt! This perfume will punch all the animalic fragrances that I have smelled so far!

Was lucky enough to try this before it was officially released. It is a bright kaleidoscopic animalic fragrance that speaks of Mongolian nomadism. it is superbly blended and goes through some quite complex iterations toward its drydown. It smells of vast dichotomoic wilderness. Another Prin hit.

A smoky-sweet castoreum-rich scent that I love- I prefer it on clothes because it ends up too sweet on my skin. -very mature unisex leaning masculine. Go easy on it; lordie, it’s strong and heady (and probably quite head-turning as well).

Saringkarn, but make it dirrrrty.

WOWSA! Oh my, what in the world has Mr. Lomros created here? Varuek ("wolf") opens quite challenging. A fecal mixture with a touch of cheesy stink. That lasts about 15 to 20 minutes, after which the most warm and enveloping cloud of animalic leather/wood/spices with a touch of wet fur appears. In the note line up on the Prin website, it's "Animal fur accord" as opposed to the "Animal Notes" listed here. I definitely was getting whiffs of wet fur. The fragrance remains pretty much the same over its life until the very end where the animalics and then the spices retreat and it's more of a woody scent for the last hour or two. This is the first fragrance I tried where the animalic component is this prominent over the life of the fragrance. BUT, don't want to give the impression that's all it is or that it's repulsive. It's a well rounded scent with the leather, wood and spices. Overall an awesome fragrance. Performance was quite good. Longevity was about 11 hours while projection was quite strong for the first 3 hours or maybe more. Of course, not very versatile. Cold or cool weather scent only for Occidentals. I'd use this while hiking or camping in the woods in autumn or winter. Also good on a cold day at home in front of the fireplace cuddling with my girlfriend. Definitely apply about 30 minutes before meeting others. Of course, not a blind buy ever! Very masculine fragrance. My first thought was, hmmm, this is the fragrance Conan the Barbarian would wear. I then realized that, no, it's what Conan would smell like without perfume, sitting in his wooden hut, clothed in wolf skins and surrounded by the spoils of a spice caravan plunder. Price for 30 ml is expensive but I rated it OK because of the no doubt quality ingredients which generate its quality smell. I'm going to have to save my pennies for a bottle of this gem.

The first several hours are so beautiful and perfect, smooth and round spicy incensey sweetness, but by the end of the day I'm just getting whiffs of dirty dog fur. It actually reminds me of when I was a kid and I would skateboard all day long -- hours and hours of my profuse sweat mingling with the grime of falling on asphalt, sitting on grip tape that has accumulated the dirt from skate shoes. It would be perfect if it stayed how it is for the first couple hours but in the late dry down it just makes me feel like I need to shower. I guess it is the "animal fur accord" that sticks around past all the pleasant things that surround it in the opening. This despite the fact that I love fragrances with a reputation of being very animalic, Salome, Furyo, Muscs Koublai Khan, Silver Oud, Sadonaso, vintage Kouros are some of my favorite perfumes and I don't ever actually find them dirty or that they suggest the need to shower. Then again, I never actually get anything obviously animalic from those so maybe I'm just anosmic to the animalics in them but not to whatever makes up this "animal fur accord". Maybe if I grew up with dogs instead of cats I would feel differently but alas. If there was something else out there that smelled like just the first several hours of Varuek I would buy a full bottle no question.

You're trading fur from your wooden cart on the Silk Road in 1286 AD, exchanging oily pelts for tars and spices. Varuek by PRIN.

I like when dry down. Animalic Leather Coffee Amber. must try.

One of the most intensely animalic perfumes ever that can only be created by the true enfante terrible of niche perfumery, this scent must be sprayed on to be believed. Opening with a burst of animal fur tincture and leathery castoreum it gets deeper with jatamansi, Thai Oud and some coffee before finally taming a bit and settling on a bed of incense, synthetic amber, teak and pine tar. Named after a Mongolian desert wolf, the scent truly evokes a beastly feel from start to finish. The masculine leaning perfume has moderate to strong projection and enormous longevity. Only for the most adventurous of perfume lovers. You have been warned!

This is a bit similar to Pdln3 but even drier, animalic, and much worse blended. This is very harsh and has little smoothness to it, not something I enjoy tbf.

Wow! I had smelled a few of Prin's creations before and to be quite honest I wasn't too blown away. Nocturnal Poetry faded a little too quickly for my tastes though it was interesting, Rahasanai was interesting, but didn't compel me to come back. I honestly forgot I was wearing it when I did. Varuek however changed all that and made me a convert. A devotee and fan at the house of PRIN. Varuek is so alluring, so mischievous, dangerous, comforting, dark, sweet, spicy, airy and yet dense. But above all it actually delivers on the image of a wolf, Mongolian hunters and the landscapes it draws inspiration from. So many times have I fallen for the marketing of niche perfumes that simply do not deliver the image who's name they bear or are inspired by. THIS as well as many other PRIN perfumes actually transport you or make you feel like a wolf a hunter and so much more. They allow your personality to expand into them. They expand your sense of self and actually give you confidence, comfort, inspiration, whatever you desire. Varuek is a masterpiece and a truly personal fragrance that allows you to find yourself in it.

(Rereview) Dry and smoky opening surprisingly reminiscent of dirty animal fur/skin, gradually dries down into a very pleasant sweet resinous mix, with a mild fecal undertone throughout that becomes prominent in the dry down. Didn't quite understand this one the first few times I sampled it, I came for a brutal animalic and instead got BBQ-like tar and resins? But now I take it much more as a sweet resinous scent with quiet animalics, and it's beautiful, quite unique as far as resins go as it's not outwardly incensey, balsamic, nor aquatic, but more alike the synthetic safe ambers of today recreated naturally. Weirdly one of the safer scents from PRIN in my opinion, contrary to what many reviewers are saying.

lol I’m not going to allow myself to go down the rabbit hole with the recent discoveries of Prin Or Bortnikoff as I am sure there are lots of greats along with the duds with each of those houses..With what others are saying about this is spot on & think I’m going to have to get this along with Anatolia Anatolia. Both of which when I leave the big city of Houston where I live & I’m in nothing but dry county in the deep backwoods of East Texas where we hunt in the winter & most of our relatives stay..Both of these by Prin will be awesome fragrances to own & wear over By The Fireplace & I think this is the perfect red & black plaid pajamas by the fireplace type of fragrance...Good stuff!

I tested like 70% of Prin fragrances and found this one appealing to me as most animalic in the collection. The opening was too much animalic for me, i will be definitely scared to wear this near people or better they should be scared of me because i smell like a wolf, but the dry down was very beautiful, leathery. I cant say more about Varuek, just wanted to add it to contrast with other creations as Mriga, Mongolian Mriga or Onthamara or others which can be perceived as animalic also, but i perceive them as not animalic as Varuek. Sometimes the name or concept of Prins fragrances doesnt reflect directly the perfumes itself, but Varuek is true to its name!

Glad I came back to this one with a more mature nose.. what I was looking for in 100 tweeds by euphorium brooklyn.. I found in Varuek.. despite the aggressive opening..it settles into evenings with your partner...on a freshly skinned animal rug before the fireplace...the taste of hot cocoa still lingering through your mind...as you consummate your marriage; this is steamy, fuzzy, chocolately sex...loving this one!

A lovely amber with smokiness from what I assume is the Castoreum, the animalic notes grow more prominent as it dries down, becoming slightly fecal and earthy. Interesting but not nearly as powerful as I thought it'd be, though I do love the way the amber is done here, as it's neither cloying nor synthetic. Good performance

Whoa-ho ho ho ho. This smells like being out in the forest, but during the autumn after a summer of forest fires. I've tripped over and fallen face first into a singed fir tree. It smells dead, burned, but still sappy and tarry. This is woody, resinous, green, and very unforgiving.

یه انیمالیک آمبری عسلی بسیار جذاب و باحال و خلاقانه ----------- Scent & Quality: 9/10 Longevity: 9/10 Sillage: 9/10 Creativity & Uniqueness: 9/10 Affordability: 2/10 ----------- Overall: 7.6/10

Believe all the reviews....Varuek is outstanding,just wish it came in a 50ml bottle. 😉