Midwinter's Eve

[friendthegirl]

A melancholy, deep scent, poignant and brimming with nostalgia. The perfume of sugared plums over a breeze of winter flowers.

I haven't tried this on my skin yet, but it smells delicious out of the bottle.

It smells like a candy or sweet that I of course can't think of the name right now.

[clover]

Alrighty, I will be attempting my first review with this one, so bear with me

 

On first application, Midwinter's Eve reminded me very much of a hard candy...very sweet.

 

Within minutes, however, it settled into the lovely scent of mulled wine, with a bit of a cinammon kick.

 

Even though it's the dead of summer in Chicago...if I close my eyes I can imagine snuggling up under a fur blanket with a glass of glugg, while a winter storm rages.

[ebonykawai]

I have 5mL of this in its pretty green bottle, sitting in the back of my oil cabinet to keep it safe until the cold winds and snows blow again! Anyway...

 

Lush, ripe, red berries are what strike me as soon as I apply it. I can almost taste how juicy they are. After about 15 minutes on the skin, the scent becomes a bit more subtle and a faint floral comes through. It's a very "alive" scent, not melancholy to me at all, and makes me feel almost giddy! Just gorgeous.

[Astarte]

This is fantastic, initially it smells like big juicy vibrant berries, which are sweet enough in itself. In the same way Persephone smells like the most juiciest rose, these red (definitely red) berries are dripping with the same lushness and freshness. Although the berries themselves arent sweet (foody sweet I mean), their dew ready state gives them that air of slight sweetness, it is magnificant.

 

Underlying the berries is the perfect base, an incredibly light, very cool, almost a breeze of ice cool florals. To smell it you really have to "poke" through the berries, but they make the most amazing combination on drydown.

 

I cant believe how wonderful this scent is and how it evokes such vivaciness, but if you're looking for the most feel good scent's out there, you wont go wrong with this one.

Edited August 14, 2004 by Astarte

[TygherRayn]

I'm a bit Jealous of the people who have this in a green bottle ... I'll be putting my little collection of two imps into a smaller bottle, also green, and keeping the little label the lovely clover tied to the imp she gifted me with. *hugs*

 

This has to be my favorite of the LE's that I missed, hands down. In the bottle it's very sweet. It reminds me of ribbon candy and that other hard candy my mimere always had in a crystal bowl around the holidays. I'd eat it till I was sick!

 

When I first put it on it mellows to a spiced wine, but not heavy or sickening. It's warm in that mulled cider kind of way, and I can imagine drinking this from a steaming mug while watching the snow fall outside.

 

Later it becomes a softer version of itself, still sweet and warm, and entirely the spirit of the season for me. Yule is all about home and family and love and warmth .. and this scent just sings of that to me.

[hypothermya]

I got a decanted imp of this from Clover, and I have to agree with Tygher -- the label is lovely.

 

Initial Impression

 

Smells sweet. Almost like the strawberries and champagne of Bon Vivant (the scent's a bit fresh in my mind because I had strawberries and champagne for a wedding shower just last weekend), except it's more sweet and more rounded out. The scent is deeper, somehow. And of course, as you smell more, the plums become more recognizable. Smells like the sugar coated jelly-candies you can get at the store. Only...more juicy. Almost like grapes.

 

Wearing It

 

Oh, there are florals in here! The first thing I smell is florals, then this spicy/sugary fruit smell. Well, it's got this cinnamon-floral-fruit smell. Like if you took the florals and the cinnamon from Hamadryad (less cinnamon, of course) and added mulling spices to it instead of the mossy/foresty smell. It reminds me of Christmas wreaths from craft stores, but with mulling spices, and something sweet baking in the background. It's making my mouth water.

 

Lasting Power

 

The scent itself is very faint once it dries.

 

I have to say, I really like this one. I'm amazed that it hasn't turned into some form of rotting fruit smell on my skin, seeing as how my skin doesn't play well with fruit scents... But it smells just delicious, and warm and wonderful. I'm very, very glad that I got to try this.

[lorajc]

This is another unique and simply lovely creation by Beth. I just discovered this one and being a berry lover, I was thrilled with this one. I've got several bottles on order and I will wear this quite often. This is absoultely gorgeous on. It is plummy at first and then settles into a plummy, slightly sweet floral that is soft and yummy. I will wear this all year round and it has immediately shot up to one of my top 7 scents.

[EvilKitten]

In the bottle - bursting with a wonderful, sweet berry scent. I'm already in love.

 

on me - the more it dries, the sweeter and lighter it becomes. By the time it's completely dry, MWE is pure sex. Even my dad couldn't stop sniffing me when I wore it the other day. It's comforting, reminding me of my grandma's plum jelly (but not as sticky). It lasts quite a while too, which I like. This has become my new favorite. Hands down.

[UltraViolet]

2004

Wet

I can tell you that i'm in love with it already and I haven't even put my head down to sniff my wrist yet.

It's fruity, in fact the plum is close to being orangey and berry like.

This scent strikes me as resembling "Swank" quite a bit except this is berry and citrus.

10 minutes.

Fortunately this blend also has some "throw" and I can still smell it when I lift my head but not when I sniff my arm.

Now I can almost smell something dark green floral and lovely in there.

20 minutes

Oh no, my skins is sucking it all up, it's dissipated quite a bit.

Not long lasting enough, but very pretty.

 

2005

 

In the bottle

Goddess bless AkWill823 for once suggesting that I get this blend after I'd placed my yule 2004 order already...and I did get it thank goodness.

On

This is so wonderful I can't even stand it. It's just sugared plums, with a winter cold breeze of floral just as the description says. Brilliant.

30 minutes

This lasts longer than 2004 on my skin.

Throw:

average

Scent category:

Fruity/Floral

Summary

A 5 star representation of Midwinter's Eve, Sugar Plums and all that's young, yummy and magical about Christmas.

Purchase again?

Yes!

1-5 rating (5 being best)

5

Edited December 4, 2005 by UltraViolet

[Diana]

In the bottle, this is very juicy berry. Sweet, luscious yum.

 

Initially, it is very berry, almost pomegranite smelling. I go and reread the scent description. Ah yes, plum.

 

Now that I've been wearing this for a while, it is VERY similar to Bordello, which incidentally is my favourite BPAL scent. It's not quite as boozy/smokey, but there's some other stuff going on here (I bet it's the NOSTALGIA). I'm not getting any discernable floral notes, but the plums have softened nicely (I think the plums like me like me).

[inkstone]

2004 Edition

 

In the bottle: Sugary plums

 

Wet: Oops! I ended up spilling the oil all over my myself. Applying the oils can be precarious sometimes without the reducers. But there's no mistaking it now! This smells like wet, juicy plums.

 

Drydown: It smells like plums, and I smell the florals faintly in the background. I can also smell something faintly green, something like ferns, but I'm not sure what it is.

 

Final thoughts: This is similar to Bordello with the plum note, although the sweetness is different. It's actually relatively light, so even though I spilled it all over myself, I didn't make myself dizzy or give anyone else headaches. I just smelled like plums and who's going to complain about that? Love this.

Edited December 21, 2004 by inkstone

[grrrlennyl]

at first: super sugary and fruity. candy-like. fabulous.

on: sweet, but not as fruity as in the bottle.

1 hour later: just gorgeous. soft, sweet fruits. i really like this. it reminds me of a fruity version of snow white.

2.5 hours later: softer, but still beautiful. definitely sugar plums.

4 hours later: still strong. i love this. it's still sweet and fruity, but not cloying at all.

overall: i'm so glad i bought this. it's definitely festive, but i think it's light enough for me to wear even in warmer months. a definite keeper.

[pekeana]

I've been having trouble finding a plummy BPAL that doesn't get a funky candlewax scent on my skin. But this is the one -- it's thick, ripe, juicy plums with a touch of winter berry, sugar and spice, on top of a light breath of sweet & herby floral. I'm in love, and I'm glad I overcame the stigma of plums to order this.

[diabolique]

this smells nothing like bordello to me. bordello is thick, juicy, and creamy, but this smells like candy sweet tarts. it retains its candy-like sweetness on my skin, but something deep and buttery comes up behind it and makes the blend smell like blueberry syrup.

 

not bad, i guess, but i really don't want to smell like syrup.

[violetblue]

Initially it smelled of sweettarts to me in the bottle. After you put it on though, it becomes more complex - fruity and plum-y without smelling like a children's fragrance. Only wish it lasted longer!

[isyche]

I was thinking that plum might not turn to candy like a lot of other fruit scents do on me, but sadly, it does and Midwinter's Eve makes me smell like a Jolly Rancher or something. So I am passing it on to someone else who it may work better on.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Sugared fruits, just like the ones adorning my Christmas Tree.

 

Second Impression: This scent is very much like the scent of a lovely sugar plum Christmas candle. It's wonderful and evocative of this time of year.

 

Final Analysis: I really like this, it's so perfect for the Holiday season, it's sweet and festive.

[Imbrium]

In the bottle: This is sweet, very sweet. I smell plum, and something a bit berry like.

 

On: It's still a sweet, almost headache inducing plum on me, for about an hour. Then it's almost completely gone.

 

How sad - I really thought I'd love this one, but it just doesn't work on me.

[riddel]

Midwinter's Eve 2004

 

In the bottle: Much like Snow White (which ended up being a big winner), I didn't think much of this in the bottle. Yes, it smelled delicious -- as in I wanted to drink it delicious -- but it was also very, very plummy, and I usually feel a bit... off... wearing strong plummy/berry scents (though I do think they smell wonderful). I usually need something floral/green/spicy behind them, something to add a bit more depth, otherwise I feel like I'm wearing my 14-year-old cousin's screamingly berry body spray.

 

On my skin: Oh. My. Gosh. I can definitely smell something sugary in this. It really does smell like white sugar -- like juicy, juicy plums dusted in sweet white sugar. The scent as a whole is tugging at my memory a bit, but I can't figure out why. I keep thinking it smells like something from my childhood. Some sort of candy, maybe? Oh, well. It's the white sugar that's making this blend really special for me, I think. It comes out rather strong on my skin and I just adore every second of it. I've wanted a great white sugar blend of some kind for a long, long while.

 

Final thoughts: More Yule greatness. 'Nuff said.

Edited December 31, 2004 by riddel

[Belladonnastrap]

First Sniff:

Mmm like a sweet bursting berry. Very very heady and strong.

 

Wet:

Ooof. Overpowering Berry, I'm drowning in a field of berries! Very strong and its making me crave some cherries.

 

Drydown:

The berry isn't so prominent now but it's still there and has turned a bit powdery and well..rancid.

 

Aftermath:

Well I don't like uber berry scents but my skin chemistry is a bit wonky at this time. I'm going to give it another chance but if it doesn't work then up for sale/swap it goes

[silverangel]

PLUMS! My god do I adore this scent! The floral notes stay in the background while the sweet. sweet. juicy plum scent wafts above. I am in complete and total lust!

[Caitfish]

These plums are absolutely juicy, bursting, and covered with sugar. I think it's less like candy and more... well, actual sugared plums! Juicy, fruity, with an extra kick of sweetness.

 

It's pretty intense at first, and seems to last pretty well - though it fades a lot after a few moments.

 

I love fruity scents and this is no exception! It's the plum I hoped to find in Kitsune-Tsuki!

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Can I eat it? Oh please, can I? It just smells so lucious and rich. Very deep and purple and something that I just want to sink my teeth into. Very much sugar and plums and a little bit of floral, but mostly just fruity goodness.

 

Wet: Uh, huh. These bottles don't have reducers do I have to figure out someway to apply it. Rubbed the cap on my wrist. Still sweet and kinda plumey but more of the florals seem to be sticking their heads out now. It does somewhat resemble a kind of jam or bubblegum. That sweet note is just hovering over everything. The plum is just providing a background and the florals are kinda hit or miss at this point.

 

Dry down: I think I smell like fruit bubblegum. Now I like fruit bubblegum. I think it smells pretty good. I had just been hoping that this would be a beautiful plum breeze with the slightest hint of sweet and floral rather than bubblegum. A little more of the florals, which are ncie especially tempered with the sugar. I still wish the plum had stuck around a little longer.

 

Dry: A sweet smell that has both fruit and floral behind it. Still reminds me of gum. The plum is perking back up rather than sitting in the background, but I'm unsure as to how well I like this blend. It's truely stunning in the bottle. It just turns into something not so nice on my skin. Hmm, or did I speak too soon? The sweet plum seems to be in full effect now, and it's very ncie indeed. This is what I was hoping it would smell like on, and it does. I don't know how often I'd wear it, but it is a very happy, purple scent with just enough sugar and floral so that the fruit doesn't make you sick.

[rainbow]

In the bottle- sweet and berry-like. I presume those are the sugared plums. Yummy, in any case. Wet on my skin it's still very sweet and fruity. On my skin it develops into a really true sugared-plum scent. It's yummy, fruity and sweet (you'd think I'd have a better vocabulary, but every time I sniff my wrist these same few adjectives pop into my head). The fruity bit fades on the drydown, and it becomes just a lovely, sweet, comforting scent that's a bit hard to describe. Very winter-holiday like, and very nice.

 

This is a great holiday scent for me.

[sarada]

Just got a decant of this and I put it on both of my wrists -- strangely, on the left it smells a little stronger and redder than on the right! Oh I LOVE the range of purple-red fruity/berry smells so much. Problem is, I always want to drink them. This smells as fresh and crisp as a bottle of some kind of clear berry spritzer/soda. It is a cold, purple smell. Plum tends to be interchangeable in my mind with black or red currant smells -- you get the natural sweetness of a very, very ripe plum or berry, frosted over with a slight sheen of cold. Somewhat like the Holly and Red Currant candle that Yankee has out this year, but a bit purpler, lighter, fresher.

 

I have the good fortune that this is the one fruity smell that lingers on me for a long time, and like most scents it doesn't change very much over time. Again, it seems lighter and airier on my right hand than the left, so perhaps that gives ms an idea of how two different peoples' chemistry would work. Yes, so when are they going to make drinkable BPAL?