Yew-Trees

[wolfie13]

Piercingly sweet berries over evergreen boughs, deepened by the tree’s sacred wood.

In the bottle: Whoever said cypress up-thread - that's EXACTLY what I smell too. A sharpish evergreeen scent - though I wouldn't call it pine. And not "snowy" either.

Wearing: This DOES smell a lot like Loup Garou - enough so that I looked up the ingredients for that one (yup - that one has cypress and some juniper and touch of eucalyptus - i bet this one does too). I've always liked Loup Garou but it wears a bit too sharp on me. But wait a minute.........

Just 10 minutes later: This has mellowed out considerably. I don't get berries per se, but there is definitely a sweetness there. On me it's more of a tonka type scent (which usually is a sort of not-too-sweet woody-touch-of-vanilla on me). And a little bit of "minty" quality (likely from some eucalyptus or perhaps birch).

Fascinating! I am REALLY liking this one. This could be a bottle. (And based on the teeny number of reviews, an entry for the Bpal Hidden Treasures thread!)

ETA: OH NO! the drydown on this is a sweetish powdery berry - something i got no hints of for the first 30 mintues or so. And I don't like it any more!! Edited June 19, 2006 by wolfie13

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Medicinal and slightly pine-y without actually smelling like pine

 

On me:

This is interesting. There's something about it that comes off as medicinal and Vick Vapo Rub-like on me but in a pleasant way. It's kind of minty. I don't smell berries at all, just a fresh herbally green with a touch of spice and a little mint like kick. It's a little juniper like actually. Maybe juniper + eucalyptus. Very clean smelling.

 

Final note:

Definitely keeping the imp, it's really unique and fresh. I actually think I'm going to have to get a bottle of this. And I'd also like to note that I think this would smell great on a man OR a woman.

 

 

ETA: Since reviewing this, Yew-Trees has quickly become one of my favorites. In my top 10. Not only will I definitely be getting a bottle, but I cannot stop sniffing myself!!

I should add that there is some faint sweetness behind the clean and refreshing smell. It doesn't come off as berries to me, but that could be what it is. It just adds a slight delicate sweetness to it. I ADORE it.

Edited February 9, 2006 by Brianne

[graycat]

it smells like a yew tree, really! it does have a kinda sweetness to it too. on the skin it get's a little more mentholly and sweeter. i'm not a really into the piney smelling stuff but i think i may save this imp...

[brownbear]

At first this one was a little harsh and astringent. Then it mellowed out. A lot of people mentioned pine and pine sol, but I got a different kind of evergreen note.

 

It seemed to me more like the trees along the drive up to northern california on the 1 on a clear, sunny day with the windows rolled down. There is a little ocean air mixed in with the evergreen trees. I like the way it smelled, but I don't know if it will get a lot of use from me and might end up in a swap.

Edited February 16, 2006 by brownbear

[Thursdae]

When I think evergreen, I expect the smell of pine or fir, both of which I like very much. Yew-Trees laughs at my expectations. On my skin, Yew-Trees smelled like a sharp mint or pennyroyal with a touch of wintergreen and some kind of sweet sap, like birch. Nothing overtly fruity or berrylike; in fact, it was almost toothpaste-fresh, with a definite cooling effect. Not really for me as a body scent but a good candidate for room scent, especially on days when my stomach needs a little soothing.

[Thacerine]

In the imp it surprised me, especially after reading other peoples’ reviews. While I do catch the piney-ness, I’m also noticing a definite sweetness and some mintiness too. The mintiness becomes almost a separate note on my skin, competing with a woodier pine and something almost aquatic. Ends up very green, minty and piney. Overall good.

[quinkel]

a new love! The peppermint/spearmint stage is what i deeply love. It was exactly what I hoped to find in Lick IT! Oh and I love Pine too so all stages what this scent goes through are covered

[sarahmarie]

While I love pine and this is quite pine-y, it just didn't wear well on my skin. It went a bit too sharp, a little too....harsh. I expected to really like this scent, but sadly, it is not for me. Skin chemistry be damned!

[Meg]

In the bottle: Pine forests, specially the wood and resin. Lovely!

 

Wet: Powerful resin or needles, similar to turpentine, with wood coming out underneath it.

 

Drydown: Absolute pine wood. It reminds me of a mountain pine forest in the summer, the trees all heated up by the sun, giving off their wonderful, sweet scent. The wood is predominant over everything else, which is a good thing considering that pine needles can smell overpowering.

 

Overall: It's unbelievably evocative. When I go hiking in the mountains in the summer, this is how it smells. Sweet and woody, with a hint of evergreen needles and resin. And the chalets in the mountains are mostly made of pine wood and smell just like this, too. This is extremely outdoorsy, and summery, even though it's an evergreen scent that most people would link to Christmas. I don't get any berries, but that doesn't matter, because it's gorgeous as it is.

[Rhowan]

In the bottle and wet on my skin I am smelling sweet evergreen boughs and a warm wood.

 

Drying down I have to emphasize sweet! This isn't a pine sol smelling evergreen. This is almost like when you are chopping wood for the fall - that dry sweet wood smell. In it is a hint of berries.

 

Yew Trees is absolutely beautiful. I am looking forward to layering it with Deathcap to give it an earthy tone. I think it would be great like that and alot better than Nocnista where the pine is overpowering.

 

Conclusion? Completely dried down, Yew Trees is a very warm, woody, sweet scent. I think it is gorgeous. I wish it had more throw and longer stay than it did but I would still buy a 5ml of it.

[shelldoo]

in the imp...green, herbal

 

wet: whoa pine, not pine sol like but fresh pine boughs

 

as it dries the pine lessens a tad, but it is still very woody, very outdoorsy kinda of scent, no sweetness form teh berries at all.

[Bagfish]

This starts off very piney, but more air freshener pine than the Christmas Tree pine that many other reviewers get which is a shame.

 

It mellows and loses sharpness during wearing, and a berry-ish sort of smell does appear. It never gets sweet which in my book is a good thing as I just can't wear sweet berries. The berry smell sort of makes me think about what yew berries might actually smell like. This very nearly works on me, I have had a few nice wafts from this.

 

However, something doesn't sit right on my skin with this oil. I can't put my finger on it. The first time I tried this I felt a little nauseous after a couple of hours wear and it happened again when wearing it today.

 

I don't think I'll be able to wear this again which is a shame as it is named after the Lorton Yew tree in the Lake District. The tree is still there in Borrowdale which is about 20 miles from where I live. I really wanted to love this as I feel a geographical tie to it. Oh well, I hope someone else will like it more than I did.

[WaltzforZizi]

I love my pine scents and when this was wet it started out a beautiful evergreen scent with just a hint of something sweet in the background. I would have loved this had it stayed like that. Alas, it was not to be. While it was drying I started to smell that sun tan oil smell that people have mentioned, which just did. not. stop. Eventually it overcame the pine and berry and now I smell like vanilla playdoh. I blame it entirely on my skin. >,< Ah well, can't win them all I suppose.

[Eunice]

In the bottle: Yow! This was so strong in the imp that my eyes started to water. I put it in the "I'm not going to test this" pile but decided to try it out yesterday after being down to my final 3 imps.

 

Wet: This went on strong but my skin seems to have sucked in the pine immediately and softened it down to something more manageable.

 

Drydown: I finally figured it out. When it is dry, on me, it smells like the pine cough drops I like. A very mild pine with a mellow sweetness. Not berries though. It's almost like a vanilla sweetness but not quite.

 

Overall: Wow! As much as I disliked this in the bottle, it is WONDERFUL on my skin. I smell like I've been sitting under a pine tree in the rain. Reminds me so much of playing house under a pine tree at my great-grandma's place. This is something I would wear when I was feeling blue and needed a smile.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Pine!

 

In the imp: Pine! And perhaps juniper?

 

On skin, wet: Something distinctly minty, specifically pennyroyal. There's nothing approaching berries, nor anything that resembles wood. Very much pine and either juniper or mint. That said, it is lovely.

 

On skin, dry: Pine usually stands at attention and screams on my skin, but Yew Trees, as it dries, becomes a very soft, almost muted pine scent. There's still something fresh and minty about it, but it's no longer something very prominent.

 

Conclusion/Notes: Yew Trees is a lovely, simple pine scent on me. I'm not someone who likes smelling of pine all day. It'd be a perfect before-bed scent, however, so I might dump an imp or more into a bottle of unscented lotion.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Evergreen evergreen evergreen. Cold and snowy and piney. I’m not getting even a hint of anything else.

 

Wearing: ...Until I put it on my skin, and then there’s a truly bizarre nutty undertone. It’s still piney piney piney, but the nut thing is really strange and distracting. Once it dried completely, it was simply glorious. Warm, nutty, woody, with the evergreen as a soft afterthought. I never expected to fall in love with this scent – I actually picked it up for my guy, who smells great in pine. I might have to get an extra imp for him, ‘cause I’m keeping this one.

[feline.by.design]

Whoa! Super pine! I like it!

 

I love the smell of pine needles, and this is that fragrance amped up 100% when wet. Yew-Trees is quick to dry on my skin, but it still smells lovely. It's a very clean smell, and I enjoy its crispness.

 

But wait... what's that in the background I smell? Maybe it's the berries... there's something that smells kind of waxy and warm that's killing the Pine Chill party I've got going on with Yew-Trees. These aren't sweet, fruity berries, but more like green berries with a hint of sweetness and a coat of wax. Yew-Trees is starting to smell more like a candle on me than the fresh pine it was before.

 

Peh.

 

It's not bad, but in the end, it wasn't for me. If only it was just straight pine, which is a strange complaint considering those who got nothing *but* pine from this. Oh well. I'm sure this imp will find someone who will love it.

 

-doreen

[gwyllgi]

I'm not a big fan of pine or fir scents in general, so I didn't have particularly high hopes for this. Still, I leave no oil unsniffed, so on my wrist it went.

 

I do get yew - not what people seem to traditionally think of as pine, but the scent of a fresh-cut yew bough. It's reminiscent of wintergreen, which is all right, but nothing that particularly does it for me. As it ages on my skin, I get a strange, chemically scent. It took me the longest time to figure out what it reminded me of: my skin turns it into bromine.

 

That's the point at which I have to wash it off, because I just don't want to smell like a hot tub.

 

It's nice enough in the imp, so it's just my skin running with it. It's a pretty scent, if fir, so I'll certainly hang on to the imp, even if I don't invest in a larger bottle.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - A kind of cold dark scent, edged with green. A shining piece of obsidian sitting on a green velvet cushion.

Wet on me - More green and herbal, with tinges of sweetness.

Dry on me - Perversion, slightly more powdery, especially towards the end, but other than that this really does smell like perversion to me.

[darkitysnark]

I'm a horrible note taker, and my BPAL spreadsheet hasn't been updated since... oh the Yule '05 release? So I think this was a really generous frimp from the Perfumed Ferret, but it might have been a gift from my Spring Switch Witch lexile and I'm just really embarassed for not writing this down beforehand.

 

Having bumbled through all that, I gotta say, I'm getting something vastly different from y'all for Yew Trees.

 

There's almost no pine, though there might have been a spike of sharp, bitter herbal forest at the very beginning. This quickly turned into a deeply cologny scent on me almost immediately. In this case, when I say "cologny" I don't mean "department store generic man-alcohol" but more like this is the sweet bosom of the essence to which all those colognes aspire.

 

Because this is definitely powdery (ambery?) sweet, but somehow manly too. There is a faint, gummy resin behind all this agressive sweetness, but mostly what I get is sweet man-flesh. Usually berries are a very particular kind of sweet on my skin that is not to my liking, but this sweet is... dunno how to describe it. It's... very compelling (can't stop sniffing my wrists) but sort of alarming too (wanna nibble on earlobes and pinch cheeks... either ones).

 

This feels like that scary headspace where familial and sexual love sort of press up next to eachother and threaten all kinds of catastrophe.

 

Maybe I'm getting all this because I'm reading Kafka on the Shore right now. I sorta hope so. I'll have to try this again when I'm in less of a suggestive mood.

[edenssixthday]

Yew Trees - This scent smells strongly like evergreen trees, and also has a note that is slightly bright and juicy. It is a strong scent when applied and remains strong long after dry-down. It has amazing throw and the tiniest drop will fill the entire room with scent. I think I would actually like this as a winter-time room scent, but I can't use it as a perfume oil. It's too fragrant, and too fragrant with notes (i.e., evergreen) that I don't care to wear.

[Victory]

I just tried my mother's beloved, six month old frimp, so I don't know how it smelled fresh vs aged. But this is much lovelier than I would have expected. It's an evergreen, but not pine tree-ish. After a little bit, it got a little powdery, but I don't see it as a flaw. The berries are very, very subtle. They smell like berries on trees, not berries that you eat.

 

Yes Trees isn't something I would buy for myself, but it was a pleasant surprise for me.

[steffanina]

Yew-Trees-

 

In Bottle: I don't really get the pine; I get a hint of lemon.

 

Wet: Tea tree oil scent blooms on my skin. Not very strong though; kind of nice. The evergreen is starting to come out. I keep getting this whiff of Play-Doh!

 

Dry: Fades without much drama. Will try it in larger quantity

 

Overall: Not very exciting.

[BronteJD]

This was a frimp from the Wonderful Labbies.

 

Bottle: Pine-y, but more like Pine-Sol than walking through the woods to me. Of course, I live in Miami, so I don't know from woods. We've got Palm Trees here.

 

Wet: Huh. Sweet, with a note or two that I can't figure out. Not horrid, but not sold just yet.

 

Dry: Really don't like it...it's actually making me a bit nauseous. Sweetness, but not a floral (which isn't generally a problem). I'm guessing it's like a sap-type scent, very chemical-smelling.

 

30 minutes later: had to wash it off. Did not work for me, which is a disappointment, because it was the first frimp I tried from this order. Ah well, can't win them all.

[batsy]

In the vial: Heavy smoke mixed with a hint of pine. Promising...

 

On the skin: Yeah, serious pine here. Kinda like a forest of pine trees after a severe thunderstorm with buckets of rain. There's almost a tiny hint of sweetness as well. As it dried down, it turned to something similar to hand lotion on me. Oh well.