Snow-Flakes

[Shug]

The radiance and desolation of winter.

i think the biggest BPAL disappointment i have had is Snow White. i so wanted to love it. then i swapped it and it got confiscated in Canada before it got to the other swapper. i didn't have a good experience with Snow White at all. so imagine my horror when i sniffed Snow Flakes in the decant and all i got was the scent memory of snow white.

on my skin it wasn't snow white. it smelled like snow white but better. i didn't get the weird plastic smell that i got in Snow White. It is totally similar but different. they are very close cousins.

it's a very soft mint layered over a cool watery note and florals. there has to be florals in there but i can't pick them out. it does get a little powdery but in a good way. it is GORGEOUS.

[Emma2403]

I nearly didn't order a decant of this one, because the description, without any notes listed, reminded me of Nuclear Winter, and Nuclear Winter had been a huge disappointment for me. Now I'm so glad I finally caved!

 

In the bottle: WOW! The same snow note as in Snow White. There were so many snow scents that absolutely didn't agree with me (such as snow bunny, snow moon, talvikuu…) and here, finally, there's something similar to snow white. Please, please, make it work on my skin!

 

On my skin: the snow white snow plus tons of mint. And some kind of dirt far behind. Okay, this scent has been made especially for me, right?

 

After a couple of hours: the most perfect comfort-scent. I can't really pick up individual notes anymore, but I'm in love.

 

Verdict: true love!

 

[ginevra]

Kind of minty. Sweet, floral. Maybe violet? Perhaps the same mint component from Ultraviolet (which I love). A little powdery, but not unpleasantly so.

 

Not a lot of throw. It's very intriguing and complex. My nose has been stuck to my wrists !

[Medici]

It smells like snow! Like crunchy, sticky white snow and mint. Fresh and cool and a little aquatic with just a hint of floral.

 

Crisp and cold, and totally, fantastically, wonderfully primed for winter.

 

Oh, I am *SO* happy I got a bottle!

[jewelbug]

Imp: Reminds me of Lush's Snowcake soap, with a bit of pine and some extra cool zing.

 

Wet: Snow White (for the record, snow white was creamy almond and mysterious floral on me--much like lush snowcae) + Mint.

 

Dry: Snow White + Mint, though the mint gets softer later into the drydown.

 

Overall: I think those of you lamenting Snow White should try this. Its very close to my nose. Personally...as snow white aged it started to go weird on my skin chem, so I'm not sure if I should buy a bottle of Snow-Flakes or not (will it do the same?) Regardless, this is very pretty, and I actually prefer the mintiness of Snow-Flakes to Snow White. Really elegant and wintery.

Edited November 23, 2006 by jewelbug

[cranberry]

In the bottle and once applied, this is a soft, musky mint. It reminds me of Tulzcha. I’m not sure what the notes are, but perhaps spearmint or wintermint. There’s a slightly aquatic, watery feel to the mint, tempering it. As it dries, oh my God, there’s my beloved Snow White! It’s not quite exact, but a kissing cousin for sure. It’s like Tulzcha and Snow White mated and this is their child. There’s that light, sweet musk with the lily that is just so beautiful, creamy and smooth. The mint makes it more suitable for summer or warmer weather, while Snow White is perfect for winter. It’s rather ironic that it’s named Snowflakes, yet will be so perfect for those warmer days. But the 2 scents are a great way to compliment the seasons. I adore this scent and need to get more before it goes poof.

[slave1]

SNOW-FLAKES

 

In Bottle: Eek! It’s Numb!

 

On Skin: This smells like Numb to me. That is sadly a bad thing, because to me Numb smells like foot ointment. I’m sad because from the reviews I’ve read I’ve seen Snow White, Blue Moon, cucumber and all these wonderful things brought up and I smell NONE of them here. All I smell is foot medication. That herbal, minty chemical medicated smell… with maby a bit of violet or lilac thrown in. Very powdery and very light. I LOVE Snow White, it’s one of my favorite Yules and I have to say I don’t get even the slightest resemblence to Snow White from this scent. Luckily as the scent develops, it loses a little of it’s medicinal feel but still never turns into a scent I’d wear. If you’re a fan of the BPAL scent Numb, try this one for sure. Light throw and short wearlength.

[valentina]

In the imp, Snow-Flakes is pungent and sharp -- very edgy, like a snowflake. On my skin, it starts out extremely green and sharp, in a piney or juniper-ish way. It's almost pungent. After it dries down, I detect what seems like white musk, for it's a bit powdery -- like the dry powder on a mountainside -- and an almost wintergreen mint quality. Again, this scent seems really angular, very cool, both green and white, like new snowfall on a forest. I think it could be very unisex, as I don't find it terribly feminine or masculine. The description of this scent truly captures its essence, for it truly does capture both radiance and desolation. Brilliant!

[copyshopclerk]

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed because I was after something that smelled cold & desolate.

 

In the imp: Not very desolate, actually! It's definitely watery, and there's a sweetness to it. I have never tried Snow White so I'm not going to make a comparison there, but it actually reminds me a lot of LUSH's Snowcake.

 

Wet: Yeah, something very similar to Snowcake in my opinion (I know Dana O'Shee usually has that parallel but this smells much closer to me!) But it's not a dead-on match - this has a very watery component to it. Water and marzipan, maybe? I can't pick out a mint, but there is a hint of one in here - kind of faint, enough to give it a cool edge, but not so that you sniff this and think "oh hey, mint".

 

Dry: This doesn't morph very much to me, though underneath there is something very faint that is reminding me of sandalwood, but I can only smell that if I put my wrist close to my nose. From a distance it's very light, watery, and that Snowcake-y kind of fragrance.

 

So yeah - I feel somewhat ambivalent about this! On one hand, it's a very nice scent - I do like Snowcake and to me this is really close, so I like having something that smells like this. On the other hand, I wasn't *looking* for something that smelled like this right now - I wanted something more cold and desolate and this isn't desolate at all to me!

[olympia301]

 

As others have said, this is like one of the notable componants of Snow White made aquatic. It is a beatiful and risky perfume and I completely say it's wonderful. It's risky because Beth took something which is so well loved and served it to us in another form, and one which has it's fans and not-fans. I don't usually like aquatic scents but I had to try this one given the reviews from others. I am so glad I did. I will treasure my bottle of Snow-Flakes. I love the name and the concept and I am so glad that Beth did this. When it snows I will put this on and smile. Really beautiful and highly recommended to anyone who ever loved Snow White.

[PilotKitten]

This is so odd... I was expecting a chilly winter air sort of feel to this and instead I get a warm slightly spicy feeling. O_o There's an odd sour note in this for me... I have no clue what it is, but it's slightly dusty dry.... very musty. Kinda "old-man"-ish (should've been named Knecht Ruprecht ) Not for me either.... < sigh > The Yules this year aren't doing so good on me.

[nightbird]

very minty, and for some reason I think I smell a tiny hint of vanilla in the background, and maybe a little bit of bubblegummy lotus. it's crisp and chilly, definitely a winter scent.

[angharad]

If this is similar to Snow White, then I'm glad I never tried Snow White.

 

Snow-Flakes is a cool, creamy white scent. There's a soft mint to it, and something creamy that makes me think of coconut -- like the coconut in Black Pearl, although it's been a while since I smelled that one, so my memory could be way off base. Since I'm not crazy about mint or coconut, this doesn't work at all for me. My decant is definitely going into the swap pile.

[supremegoddessofall]

Minty ozone, with a touch of leather or vetiver feel. I didn't order a big bottle of this because the catalog description was so vague, but I actually like this. It's not something I would usually wear, but it's delicate and yet crisp at the same time. Somewhat of a masculine feel.

[theseagrows]

wow, this is totally what i thought/hoped snow white would be. unfortunately snow white had a foody note that did not do well on my skin. snow-flakes however, is devoid of that note, and it smells beautiful! it's crisp and clear, yet a bit golden and soft. i don't really sense the mint that others have, but i smell soft florals and maybe some sort of vanilla? it's hard for me to pick out the notes in this.

 

i may need to get a big bottle of this one!

[Dinah]

Green, fresh and clean, but with a creamy sweetness. On my skin, this blooms immediately and that minty cucumber note comes out, along with something perfumey. This is gorgeous and evocative - not too strong, more a scent I will put on for myself instead of for other people to smell.

 

Somehow, it captures the stillness in the air, the kind of frosty, pure quiet you can only find in a snowy forrest or in a clear, star-filled winter's night. Brilliant.

[Charlee]

Out of the imp, it smells cold, but not desolate. My first whiff was clean snow, broken by cold damp turned earth with the first green of crocus pushing up through it, reaching for the promise of Spring. Not quite floral and not fully green, but the hint of it to come. Not a sunny day, but the knowledge that it did indeed shine behind the overcast sky.

 

On me, it changes very little (which is a total shock!) has minimal throw and lasted all day. This is multi-bottle worthy!

[tempestteapot]

I'm sad. I just got warm slightly sweet soap.

[white_jenna63]

I'm surprised I don't see Tulzscha mentioned in more reviews of this scent. To me, this is a lighter, less intense Tulzscha, which is one of my favorites scents.

This is mint and cucumber and non-foody sweetness.

[sofaking6]

Snow-Flakes is beautiful and I wish I could tell what was in it...definitely mint, maybe lotus? Some light floral and ephemeral aquatics. Something sweet, giving it almost an after-dinner mint flavor. Big bottles, many.

[edenssixthday]

Snow-Flakes - Are you sad that Snow White didn't come back this year? Don't be, because if you love Snow White, Snow-Flakes will fill the big shoes she left behind! Snow-Flakes is such a pretty scent. It's soft and subtle and smells like... well, snow! Okay, snow with the slightest touch of mint -- just a hint, barely enough to be discernible. It's a sweet, watery scent that reminds me not of snow-covered trees, but of the air around them. It's the scent of snow silently falling in the dead of night. It's just soo pretty and I can't wait to see if this layers with Mid-Winter's Eve as well as Snow White does! The scent is very subtle on my skin and the staying power is below average. Still, despite it having to be a blend I reapply, it's so soft and pretty that it's going to stay in my collection and be loved well in the winter months.

[ajcj213499]

Something sweet, giving it almost an after-dinner mint flavor.

 

That's just what I got, and not in a good way...

 

I was a little worried when people started comparing this to Snow White, which was a mess on my skin. It does last a good long while (why is it always the oils I don't like that last the longest?!) ...sigh...

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I only got a decant of Snow-Flakes, as I tend to be wary when there are no notes listed. Besides, I have my precioussss bottle of Snow White, but I still want the fun of trying the new stuff along with everyone--it's a form of BPAL solidarity. Er, why yes, I am hardcore, why do you ask? I understand the comparison to Numb--I believe this is violet here, but it's subtle, and mixed with a soft mint and a definite aquatic. There's something very faint that keeps making my brain go "Snow White?" Could it be the rare and gorgeous lily-musk? That's the most distinctive note in Snow White, so I suspect it could be. Well, this is really pretty and I'm so glad I have an imp, but it reminds me that I adore Snow White and would rather be wearing her!

[maribouquet]

bottle: ozone

wet: strange, plasticy aquatic mint

dry: there is the barest hint of a soft floral that I can't place but really like.

 

Snow is literally my middle name. I love the poem that inspired this, and I so wanted to love the scent, but sadly it's not meant to be. Soft, light and wintry: check! But there is a persistent odor (I suspect the snow... ) that smells like minty plastic.

 

eta: long, subtle throw & long-lasting, too -- it's such a pity I don't like this one!

Edited December 2, 2006 by maribouquet

[Ciircee]

My skin eats this in about an hour--for which I am very sadly glad. I get nothing but cucumber mint out of it. I was hoping for cold ozone and I got nothing but a chill salad with mint. I'd really wanted some thing cool and wintery to wear when summer swings back around but this isn't going to be it, I fear.

 

Eta: Upon closer inspection, this smells exactly like Dove Nutrium Cool Cucumber hand lotion.

Edited December 13, 2006 by Ciircee