Verdandi

[kmasden]

Deep herbs and apple with black amber.

Verdandi is lovely. At first and while wet it is green apples to me. Tart, but not overly so. Juicy and green without the puckering tartness. Then it warms with what I believe is amber. I'm searching for the herbs, nuts or spices that others have mentioned, and I don't quite find them. Drying down it goes from tart green to dried apples, and then to a lovely sweet amber. Very nice.

[cormeretrix]

i really like this one; it's very apple to me. but not "hi! i'm an apple! aren't i cute!" but more like an older, less excitable apple. it's lovely; it actually lasts on my skin, unlike damned near everything else. must have a big bottle!

[oatmealneko]

It smells like sweet apples & some spice while wet. Problem is, I put this on the sides of my neck this time. When it dries off, I smell mostly the black amber, unless I move my head, then I smell the spiced apples scent again. It's strange, & the black amber seems sharp to my nose, but it could be my imagination. When I wore this on my wrists, I couldn't pick up the amber at all, so it may have something to do with the proximity to my nose.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Green herbs and smoky, spicy apples.

 

Wearing: Oh man, this quickly turns into something Not Good. The apples turn sour, like apple cider that's on its way to being vinegar. This stage lasts for about an hour before it calms down. The amber takes over in this final stage, and it is quite lovely.

 

Final Impressions: The vinegar stage is so bad. It ruins this scent for me.

[shelldoo]

in the vial: apples and spices

 

on it becomes amber w/ an apple kick, there is definitely some spice here like spiced cider, and teh apple seems like a granny smith. this is gorgeous!

[stardreamer]

In the bottle: Apple! Lots of apple, very nice.

 

Fresh on: Getting more of the herbal touches now. A nice, light scent.

 

Drydown: This becomes more complex as it sits on the skin. I can't identify any particular herbal note, but the combination with the sweetness of the apple is very nice indeed. Noting that once again, amber seems to work for me. Staying power is moderate; I don't think this has much throw, but I can still catch whiffs of it some hours later as I move around. A good fragrance for warmer weather, I think; somewhat darker than Titania, but similar in the summery-fruit feel. Definitely a keeper!

 

EDIT, a month later: This has moved into my Top Ten list; I just ordered a 5ml. Having read some of the other reviews, I agree that "spiced apple" is a good description -- but not so spicy as to relegate itself to autumn only. Wearing it is a bit like being in the Franklin Cider Mill during harvest season; it's a blend of fresh-pressed apple juice and the darker tang of aged cider.

Edited May 26, 2005 by stardreamer

[glampyre]

Eating a nice cold Granny Smith on a swealtering summer day.

 

Refresing, sultry.

[tesao]

first review:

 

i like this one. i haven't checked what is in this one, yet, but i know that it doesn't have any red musk (how is egyptian musk different from red?) or myrrh in it.

 

verdandi is one of the norns. i didn't remember that. quite cool, actually.

 

the norns:

The Norse Sister-Goddesses of destiny, who measure the lives and fortunes of both Gods and Men and hold steady the ineffable laws of the cosmos. They are preservers and protectors of the Tree of Life and the Well of Fate, and give assistance during the birth of every mortal and divine creature.

 

verdandi is the norn of necessity. the scent is deep herbs and apple with black amber. and i like this one a LOT.

 

well, verdandi is definitely a keeper. my favourite so far....but i've only tried three!

 

since i liked verdandi, i looked for other scents that had amber in them.

 

second review:

 

i'm wearing verdandi today. funny how i don't really like it when it first goes on, it is too sweet. but it calms down.

 

it is a little more fruity than i remember it being, which MAY be because it is my moontime....even so, i still like it!

[Gin]

I was a little worried about the herbs and black amber, but when Verdandi arrived in the mail, the vial smelled so good, it put my mind at ease. On my skin, hello amber! Verdandi was very strongly amber and herbs for a moment, with the apple at the very bottom. Then it turned into a wonderful spiced apple scent. An autumn, apple orchard scent. Amazing.

[quikslvr]

Herb-y at first, followed by apple-y. Warm spiced apple: rather autumn-y.

 

The -y contraction is so useful.

[Eris]

I got little amber out of this but could definitely detect the apple. I have a nice single note (from another company) with a very lush apple scent, and so I was sort of hoping Verdandi would carry some of that with an herbal enhancement. Instead, the herbs (and I guess the amber) sort of muted the apple out and didn't really do anything for it. After a little while of wear, this one faded out entirely to what I think of as "the static smell." It is neither powdery nor soapy but in the same category of when-scents-turn-blah on you. So, Verdandi and I must part ways, but hopefully someone else has more compatible chemistry.

[joseybird]

This is delicious!

 

I am instantly reminded of The Hesperides (spelling??) because both smell prodominantly of apples. The herbs and amber are accents in this blend, and lend a warm, woodsy tone that's just

[tsarina]

Verdandi smells fruity and green. It's almost like raspberries. I can smell the leaves and apples and something slightly sweeter, like berries. It lingers, and seems more summery than spring to me. Fruit and trees warmed up by the late afternoon sun.

[mmcfa2]

Wet: apples!!!

 

drying, reminds me of carnal, must be similar spices/herbs to balance the apple.

 

The amber never really pushes forward. This is a nice scent, reminds me of the fall and winter holidays and cider with mulling spices.

 

I'm saving this imp to retest in the fall

[Thorne]

Sweet apples and a little hint of spice. This is very pretty while wet, but after drying on my skin, it turns into a kind of country potpourri smell, which...is not a good thing in my book. Ick.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - The beautiful, warm scent of apples and amber. If the amber doesn't go all funky on dry-down, I will love this.

 

Dry - oh wow! I have had so much problems with amber, even though I love it, it usually hates me. However I knew there was at least one amber that worked on me, and I think this is it! The apple and amber blend together seemlessly, becoming a warm, golden scent. I love this! This is a lovelier apple note to me than the one in The Hesperides. As it dries I get a twinge of herbs, not enough to identify, just enough to add a little presence to the background. This smells like an apple orchard in the beginning of fall. This is going on my potential big bottle list.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Bright apple against dusty herbs. It's like finding the fruit nestled deep in the back of your spice cabinet, where it rolled long before and you'd forgotten all about it.

On me: It makes for a rather musty apple. The apple note itself is gorgeous and fresh, but the herbs smell old and tired, like lichen and moss. And where is the black amber? I'm rather surprised by its failure to put in an appearance.

[olympia301]

I do detect the apples that everyone else is talking about, but my overriding experience is mustiness. I think that has everything to do with the way my chemistry plays with black amber. Unfortunate for me, fortunate for someone whom I swapped with. It would be highly sophisticated on someone whose skin liked black amber, and I could appreciate the "silk" smell in it if that were the case in my experience. Wish I could appreciate it, sad I can't.

[tempete]

Verdandi is spiced apples when wet, like mulled apple cider. As the amber creeps in during the drydown, it adds some depth to the scent, and eventually, Verdandi smells like apple-sweetened, gently spiced amber. Verdandi is the last of the Norns that I tried, and although it works the best on me, I still won't be keeping her around as there are other amber scents that work better on me.

Edited July 30, 2005 by tempete

[arabella]

First Impression: Fruit - apple, I think - and amber.

 

Dries down to: Definitely apple, but a mild apple, like Golden Delicious, with rich undertones.

 

Additional Comments: I'd like to know what the herbs are in this one. I get a hint of cinnamon, but that's a spice not an herb - at least I think it is. This would be nice in the late summer, but I prefer The Hesperides. It's a bit too light for me to wear but I'll use it to sleep in.

 

Lasted: A couple of hours.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a word or two: Spiced, fruity amber!

 

In the imp: Apple! Sweet, juicy apple.

 

On skin, wet: Warm, herbal apple and a bit of golden amber. This is absolutely lovely so far, and if it stays this way, I'll have to order a 5ml, post haste.

 

On skin, dry: Peach? Where the hell did peach come from? Herbal, golden peach, but peach still. That isn't to say I don't still love what I'm smelling, but I wasn't expecting that. That said, it's still lovely. It's gotten a bit weaker, but it's still divine. As it continues to dry, it becomes slightly floral, but not so that I really mind.

 

Conclusion/Notes: I've tried this before, and didn't really care for it. Testing it again a few months later, I'm terribly fond of it. I'll definitely be getting a 5ml of this, though I may wait a few months — this would be perfect for late fall.

Edited June 1, 2006 by Aredhel

[imaginepageant]

The first BPAL scent I've tried, and thus, my first review (even though y'all have reviewed the hell out of Verdandi already)...

 

In the imp: Overwhelmingly strong. It's very intensely woodsy and herby, and more masculine than feminine.

 

Wet: Still very woodsy and herby, though calmed down and not so alcohol-based. There's something else I'm smelling, but I can't pinpoint what it is. At this point, I'm still not sure if I like it or not.

 

Drying: As it dries, the initial woodsy and herby scent fades into a lingering memory in the background, and the apple and spice starts to come out. This is where it starts smelling really fabulous on my skin.

 

An hour later: My favorite stage! After it's been on for awhile, it smells very sweet and spicy. I find that it gets even moreso when I reapply it. At this stage, Verdandi is walking through an apple orchard in autumn, after a brief soft rain, your feet crunching over the slightly damp and molding fallen leaves, while you drink steaming cider. Absolutely delicious and intoxicating.

 

Also? Verdandi is just about the coolest name ever. I can't stop saying it in my head.

Edited June 3, 2011 by imaginepageant

[malanna]

At first, this smells like The Hesperides to me: sweet, honeyed apples. Over time, the herbs come out, and it reminds me of Queen of Spades, with the blackberry, and a bit of Mabon, with the apple hops. The black amber comes out in the snuggled-deep-into-my-skin stage, with the apples and herbs very much in the background.

[wolfie13]

In the bottle and initially: Granny Smith apples (not overly sweet and this apple note is very realistic) and amber.

 

Wearing: Mostly the same. After an hour or so it gets a tiny bit sweeter and grassier.

 

Overall: Really nice! Apples and amber are usually two separate scent categories in my mind - who know they would go together so nicely?

Edited August 17, 2005 by wolfie13

[moukin]

Verdandi

 

in the bottle and wet on skin: hmm...reminds me of The Apothecary. Perhaps they share some of the same herbs. Verdandi has the apple in it, though so I get a hint of the fruity smell, but not as much as I was expecting. There's something warm and soft in the background...the amber, I'd say. Mostly, it gives me that same feeling as Apothecary...a cool, damp, sweet smell. Light and refreshing.

 

As it warms and dries on my skin, the apple starts to come out more.

 

A few minutes later, it's reminding me a bit of Akuma. Fruity and tart. The fruit notes in Akuma have a tendency to smell artificial on me...and sadly so is this...

 

After about 20 minutes: oh! There's the amber...just a bit. It softens the apple into more of a dried apple, instead of fresh juicy apple.

 

Overall, this seems very pretty and feminine to me. Fresh and sweet. Not too sweet and not too tart. Just the right touch of softness.