Jólasveinar

[absinthetics]

JÓLASVEINAR
The Jólasveinar are the seventy-some offspring of Grýla and Leppalúði, an ogre couple with a taste for chomping naughty children. This impish brood delights in causing discomfort, sowing confusion, and all-out raising hell during the Yule season. Their names are indicative of their malicious intentions -- Strap Loosener, Door Slammer, Window Peeper, Sausage Snatcher, Doorway Sniffer, Icebreaker -- and their creepy natures -- Lamp Shadow, Smoke Gulper, Crevice Imp. The devillish Jólasveinar finally cease their mischief and head for home at Þrettándinn.

Their scent is a mishmash of snow, dirt, Icelandic moss, marsh felwort, and the smushed petals of buttercups and moorland spotted orchids, with the barest hint of the scent of pilfered Christmas pastries.

In the bottle: Warm, round, Christmas goodness. It is a distinct mixture of the winder florals with the tasty baking in the background. My nose can't decide if this would be foody, or floral. I was expecting the pastries to be more in the background, but they really give a good fight.

Wet on the skin: The foody is warm and almost crafty. Crafty as in craft-store edibles. It definitely smells like Christmas, it smells like your a room away from people eating and laughing. I don't know how she got this smell in a bottle.

On drydown: Honestly, it moves between floral and foody still. I can barely determine between the two. This is a very complicated scent, I'll buy another bottle just because it's so mysterious.

[sookster]

ooooooooooh...k....

holy, scary, pinepitch batboy....

straight from the sniff to the wrist.....so NOT for me.....

[UltraViolet]

 

In the bottle

Yum at first sniff.

 

On

It's nice but a bit too something.

 

 

30 minutes

 

Throw:

no

 

Scent category:

Green/Aquatic/Foody/Floral

 

Summary

It smells good, icey and then foody like pies with clove.

 

Purchase again?

No

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

3

Edited November 5, 2006 by UltraViolet

[euterpe414]

Yes, this is verrryyy piney. I detect a hint of spice but nothing overtly foody. I wish I could write more on this, but the scent literally vanished on me within 10 minutes! I don't know how it happened, but an hour later all that is left is a slight pine smell. So sad!!

 

I will try to test this again, and if something better happens I will edit this and let you all know....

[Rheliwen]

Hmm, this one smells nice and the boy really likes it but it was not what I was expecting.

 

It goes on all pine and it takes about an hour to start smelling the flowers. At no point do I get the pastry smell. It reminds me of Snow Bunny and Skadi a lot on the drydown, but in the intermediate stages it reminded me of Ice Queen a lot.

 

I'm going to have to stew on this one as I really wanted moss, dirt and pastries. It's a wonderful blend though so I'll have to divorce myself from my expectations and go from there.

 

I tried this on again last night but only put a whee bit on in an attempt to soften the piney aspect of it. It worked! I could actually smell the florals and moss. There was never a prominent dirt note and the pastries still never showed up. If I keep it I will remember to not slather

Edited November 20, 2006 by Rheliwen

[Electra]

I must amp sweetness like there's no tomorrow, judging from these reviews. And this is quite a morpher. Mischievous ogres, indeed.

 

In the bottle, I smelled pine. In fact, I smelled significantly more pine than I did in someone else's bottle of Jolasveinar that I smelled at Meet and Sniff.

 

Wet on my skin, I smelled pine. It was even woodsier on my skin than in the bottle. Not Snow Moon type pine - more subtle. A blended woodsy-spicy scent. Fairly masculine. Really nice.

 

30 minutes later, no more pine, now spicy pastries.

 

30 minutes after that - now the spiciness is gone, and it's sweet pastries covered in some sort of caramelized sugar glaze. Actually, it smells fairly reminiscent of the way DDLM '04 smells on me (that smelled like baked goods with honey). Just sweeter.

 

I really, really like this one. I'd actually have preferred that it stay spicy, because I don't like the super-sweet drydown quite as much as the earlier stages, but it still smells great.

[sarada]

I have accumulated so many snow/slush scents in the past two years that I was a little hesitant to order too many this year...that cold, slightly piney, slush scent that is most clearly articulated in Skadi and Snow Moon, tends to overwhelm on my skin.

 

Jolasveinar is fascinating, though. I do smell that pale blue-green cold snow scent, and the same cold soil that is in Death of the Gravedigger. I even feel like I smell spicy myrrh in here but it is probably coming from the sweetness of the "pastries."

 

Miraculously, the sweet, slightly baked smell is not overtly foody on me. It's just warm sweetness and a touch of that myrrh-like spice. The snow and soil are trampled underfoot by the mischief-makers, and a spiral of smoke trails them leading you on with the promise of a fresh-baked spice cookie.

 

The earth, moss and faint pale florals are in perfect harmony with that sweetness. I hate foody scents but I don't think of this as one...tender frost-bitten flower petals peeking through wet snow and damp soil keep that sweetness in check. I can't wait to wear this one in the snow.

[Ina Garten Davita]

In the bottle I detect soft pine with a subtle, sweet cake scent just beneath.

 

When I first apply, there is the exact scent of slush. I grew up in Revere, MA and anyone who has ever been forced outside just after a Nor'easter to clean off the car knows the smell of that wet-cold slush, and Beth has captured it perfectly.

 

The drydown is gorgeous, I love the multi-facetedness of this scent. The slush dries off to reveal the soft pine again that's mingled with a breath of orchid. The sweet cakes are also there, like the waft you get in the next room when you are baking.

 

Jolasveinar evokes Christmas with magic and subtlety. It captures both the warmth and the chill of the season. I love this scent.

[Little Bird]

I was really excited to try Jólasveinar because I was hoping that it would be somewhat similar to Skadi. Skadi was like pine and spice (but so much better), with a blooming warmth to it that reminded me of coming in from a snowstorm and sitting in front of a warm fireplace. So cozy (some day I'll let Skadi go... some day, lol).

 

In the bottle, I definitely smell snowy notes and pine, with a hint of warm spice underneath them. It's heavy on that sharp slushy note that I'm not crazy about though.

 

On me at first... perfumey, juicy orchids and snow. It has a chilly menthol bite to it as well. I would normally hate this blend, but it has a wonderful foodie something underneath the snow and floral perfume. It's like catching hints of caramel flavored coffee and sugar cookies underneath the orchid perfume and cold slush.

 

Unfortunately, after 15 minutes or so, the foodie notes are gone and this is a very sharp floral... it ends up smelling sort of metallic and suffocating like cheap hairspray on my skin . Nothing like Skadi. I wish that the foodie notes were stronger and had more staying power, because they could have saved this blend for me. As it is, this is too much floral for me.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle:sweet, delicious, and a hint of my beloved snowy scent....

 

wet: i am getting alot of the baking scent, cloves, pasrty, yumminess and a hint of the wet snow.

 

this reminds me of a warm christmas kitchen, baking being done all day, and opening the window to let some of the heat clear out, as the hour hands continue to click off time, a snow storm hedges in and begins to work it's magic. this is the magic of that watrm lovely kitchen combined w/ the awesome christmas gift from mother nature...her beautiful blanket of snow, helping to take the swealtering heat form the kitchen this quite possibly is my favorite yule blend. thanks beth, for this beautiful gift.

 

eta hahahaha i always fall in love w/ ones i can't pronounce so i have to make up names...this one is ogre baby..people are gonna think i am nutters...erm more nutters

Edited November 16, 2006 by shelldoo

[Em-]

Wow.

 

A lot of times the sort of wintery aquatic scents don't really work for me. But this is not one of those.

 

Jolasveinar is cold and wet and herbal (I don't really get pine, per se), with just enough sweet bakery scent to give the hint of something warm and comforting to come. It is just lovely.

 

Anyone waffling? Go buy a bottle. Seriously.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: slushy with a whisper of pine.

 

Wet: slush, pine and cloves.

 

Dry: another morphing Yule scent! The Icelandic moss note became quite pronounced after about fifteen minutes and I perceived this as a masculine scent.

[storme]

In the imp: snow and pine and moss and dirt and something unpleasant in a floral way - crushed rotting flowers?

 

On me, wet: lots of moss and snow and that piney/juniper scent. This is very dark and green.

 

On me, dry: Lots and lots of moss, with a bit of snow and even a tinge of sulphurous florals, but this somehow doesn't smell like Iceland to me. It's all ground scents with none of the brittle cold air.

 

Verdict: Nah - I wanted this scent to evoke Thingvellir national park, but it doesn't, and it's not a scent I can see myself wearing otherwise.

[forspecial_plate]

How in the world these notes work together I do not know, but they do....mish-mash is a good word to describe Jolasveinar...but not in a bad way. I smell a lot of greenery, moss and flowers, and a fir like smell, and I wonder if I would have thought 'holiday scent' if I didn't already know it was one? It seems like very much a holiday scent, anyway. I also smell the snow or slush, and the dirt, and also the spicy sweetness of the pilfered pastries.....it's all there, and it smells wonderful. Might be my favorite of the Yule scents.

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Very cold scent. Strongly herbal.

 

On me: Still pretty herbal, but not as cold. I'm getting some of the florals coming through, but the overall feel is still mostly herbal. I think I'm getting the pastries underneath, but it's hard to tell.

[slave1]

JOLASVEINAR

 

In Bottle: Sweet snow and earth

 

On Skin: The Christmas pastries come out right away followed by a sweet piney note. This scent is very cold in feel but also has a warm side with the pastries and florals. The dirt and moss keep the scent from being too bright or clean. All in all, this is very much a “mishmash” that works very well!!! I like that the other notes tame the pine and keep this a winter scent without being pure forest. It has a light to medium throw and short wearlength.

[jewelbug]

Imp: Dirt, Eucalyptus-based slush notes, a hint of citrus and a resinous cake smell. I didn't know what to expect with this list of notes, and with good reason--this is very unique.

 

Wet: Immediate on, this is really fumy! There is a scent sort of like buttery myrrh (pastries?), and over that there are sharp eucalyptus slushy dirt notes. This has a cleaning agent smell to it. But not pine, like everyone else says (not on me, anyway).

 

Drying: Brown sugar? Or Maple Syrup? I think closer to maple syrup, with spicy myrrh. But that is the undernote, and over that is a bed of medicinal herbs, dirt and all.

 

Dry: This is a really interesting take on Yule/Christmas scents. I can finally smell the pine that everyone was talking about, pine and spicy maple syrup/myrrh with earthy herbal scents. It smells of Christmas trees, baking pies and the cough drop your little brother is sucking--the complete picture.

 

Overall: This is very complex, definitely a "mishmash" as promised. I personally think this is a really interesting scent, and paints a really good picture of the holidays. Its just not something I would wear, and hubby wasn't a fan, anyway, so no bottle for me. Lasts 6ish hrs.

Edited October 1, 2008 by jewelbug

[jessu]

Initially, I got spicy pine and a hint of pastry, with a little slush in the backround. After drying for about an hour, the flowers came out to beat the pine into submission.

 

The boy says it smells like Yankee Candle. I asked if he could be a little more specific, and he said "No. It smells like ALL of Yankee Candle." He's right. It smells like the flagship store.

 

We'll use this as a home fragrance for sure, but I don't think my nose can handle it as perfume.

[edenssixthday]

Jolasveiner - This blend is really weird on me. It smells like a buttery croissant that was dropped in a pile of algaea, and then heated up in the microwave. It's got quite a pungent scent to it that reminds me of what you might get if you blended The Isle of Demons with Cockaigne. Very, very strange. Yeah, it's not going to cut it for me. I'll have to stick with some of my other winter scents that work better on me than this one.

[maijasu]

I love this blend! It's actually a lot more foody than I expected; the pastries are at the forefront, definitely not just a hint. I also smell snow and greenery, but no flowers. It sounds like an odd mix, but it really works, and I'm seriously considering snagging a backup bottle.

[mandragora]

A very sweet-foody start, I guess that's the Christmas pastries. As it dries, I can detect hints of dirt-laden snow and a greenish scent (Icelandic moss?) around the now dry smelling pastry. Ooh, what a morpher! Further dry, it's predominantly icy-moss smelling dirt with a vague hint of sweet florals. What an interesting scent.

[alicia_stardust]

What a surprise this one was! I ordered it anyway but it was the one that I felt was least likely to work. I was so wrong.

 

In the bottle I can definitely smell the pastry cakes, and a bit of cold forest.

 

On my skin I get the same thing. The warm pastries come to the forefront on my skin, and I really smell a sweet clove spicy cookie dough. And warmth. And then in the background I get a hint of forest and ice and snow and slush. I don't know how Beth did this but it's an amazing blend. I love being able to experience both the coldness and the warmth of the two opposing scents. This is a wonderful holiday scent to me.

 

I give this 5 out of 5 stars, and I'm keeping my bottle.

[steffanina]

Jolasveinar-

 

In Bottle: A sweet, very much pine smell.

 

Wet: Pine with the merest hint of floral, and something lightly aquatic. A little lemon to offset the pine.

 

Dry: This is a very pretty Yule scent, full of pine and the hint of flowers. It's long-lasting, too, and really evokes winter for me.

 

Overall: I like!

[PurringPulsar]

Jolasveinar

 

In the imp: dirty snow! It's the famous pine-menthol-citrus 'snow note' but with some earth added.

Wet on skin: mmm, now I start to smell pastry and smoke in the snow.

Dry on skin: this is lovely! It's a wintry scent of forests covered with snow, but with hints of dirt scattered on what would be a pure white surface, this dirt note is less wet and loamy than the usual, it's drier and dustier. I smell inviting hints of cooking pastry (or maybe since I made mince pies today, I have pastry on the brain? It's definitely reminiscent of the smell that came out of the oven) and wood smoke, with the barest hint of a pale floral note, probably the orchid, and some frozen moss.

After a while: the spicy, smoky, foody note, like cooking buttery pastry (not too overpoweringly buttery, but just right) gets stronger, I smell hints of what could be mince pie filling and roasted chestnuts, but the snow, dirt and mossy orchid notes still linger. This is like Skadi or Ice Queen, but dirtier and more mischievous, a little ogre with grubby fingers and bits of pastry sticking around his grinning mouth.

Eventually I get the slightly burnt, smoky, almost caramelised note I get in a lot of Beth's foody scents, but this one isn't as sugary as most. It reminds me of the smoky note in Trick #1. The icy orchid and dirty snow are still there. This is such an unusual fragrance, with dark, smoky, warm foody scents contrasting with the cold and ice that surrounds it. this then fades into an icy floral-aquatic surrounded by smoke and dirt and silvery moss.

Verdict: this is an unusual and different take on a winter scent-though it has the familiar snow note, the addition of dirt, flowers and a hint of food give it some unique dimensions. The pastry note here, especially at the beginning, is spot-on. Not sugary, not too spicy, with a subtle, barely detectable hint of butter, it's like barely sweetened pastry concealing sweet fillings, which develops a smokier tone at drydown. The orchid note is pale and chilly, mingling well with the slushy snowy scent, and the dusty dirt note darkens it all. The moss really comes out at the end and thankfully it's not like Spanish moss which amps madly on me, this is gentle and powdery like oak moss. It's a fun scent full of contradictions, and fascinating to get to know. It's festive and wintry but ever so different from the usual. I'm not sure if I'll get more though-I need to test the other icy-themed Yule scents before I decide which ones are the ones for me.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? yes, for the decant. Not sure if I need a bottle yet.

If you like this, try: Kumari Kandam, Jezirat Al Tennyn, Hearth 05, Oberon, Niflheim, Dia De Los Muertos 06

[sophia_helix]

Mmm, I really loved this one -- it was the most Christmas-like BPAL scent I've ever tried, and I've tried everything else up till this year. A wonderful fresh, cold, outdoorsy scent, with some wildflower sweetness and spicy cookie-smell on top. It wasn't cloyingly sweet or too astringently cold, just a perfect mix of the two. It did get a little cloying and stale as it dried on my skin, but I think I will actually purchase a bottle for oil-burning purposes instead because it would make such a wonderful room scent. My favorite of the Yules so far.