Varuek
Prin (2021)

I tried Hyde by Hiram Green a couple days ago, and the initial spray reminded me of that (I guess it's the earthy combo of oakmoss, tar, labdanum, with sweet-spicy leathery/woody undertones). Varuek seems sweeter though and smoother, almost powdery...I think it's the beeswax/fur/oud/teakwood/moss that makes it seem so rounded and smooth, and the frankincense, patchouli, amber, cinnamon, jatamansi, bay leaf combo that I'm perceiving as sweet-resinous. The jatamansi note seems kind of mysterious. I don't really smell the coffee, but all the notes blend so well together that I might not pick them out individually if they weren't listed. It doesn't seem to project much, and I don't think it lasted as long or to be as tar-heavy as Hyde, but I don't necessarily dislike that about it.

I think this is a lovely complex scent, for someone who can appreciate tarry fur oud-patchouli-incense type smells. I feel like there's a sophisticated subtleness to it, but it's probably not for everyone.

Varuek is interesting to smell, there is something exotic about it. Of course, the word 'Varuek' means wolf and it entered the Thai language from Sanskrit (according to the Prin description). It does indeed smell a bit like a wet dog, but I'm not so sure about the 'dark and exotic' marketing pitch here. A long time ago, L'Artisan Parfumeur had an offering called 'Mechant Loup', which is the French equivalent of 'Big Bad Wolf'. In Varuek, Mr. Lomros has created a nice tribute to and evocation of the orginal 'wolf' fragrance, 'Mechant Loup'. There is something very similar in the scent profiles. Prin Lomros loves literary allusions in his work, naming some of his perfumes after memorable movies, or characters from Thai religious mythology. It's truly brilliant marketing and I give him full credit for that. However, I find Varuek to be quite conventional, pleasant, and tame. I was hoping for something really wicked! Like the original 'Big Bad Wolf', Varuek isn't nearly scary enough for me.

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.


will update after more wearings