The Winter of Our Discontent

[The_Merf]

Embrace your villainy: balsam, myrrh, mandarin orange, bitter clove, artemesia, rosewood, nutmeg, dark musk, smoke and cypress.

In the bottle: I think it's because I'm sort of a pessimist, but all I can smell is the basalm. This is the first scent I ever allowed the name/concept of a scent to overpower the fact that it clearly contains danger notes for me.

Wet: This is very muddled. I can get hints of the basalm, but it's not strong enough to ruin things for me. However, no other note is distinguishing itself. I wish I could get the smokiness or spiciness that so many other people are referring to.

Drydown and wear: Sadly, this remains very light and muddled, with the notes working together in indistinguishable fashion. It does not have strong throw for me, so off to swaps!

[Em-]

Wow, this is another amazing Yuletide offering - there is nothing fresh and snowy about this Winter - this is dark and spicy and there is a hint of a smouldering fire. I can definitely smell the nutmeg and the woody notes and the mandarin is the perfect counterpoint to keep The Winter of Our Discontent from being so heavy and dark that it would be overwhelmingly masculine. I love this blend - it is one of the ones I was most looking forward to and it does not disappoint. I love you Beth!

[Nachtwulf]

In the bottle or on, this blend is a melange of notes, and I found myself utterly unable to describe them other than 'smoky/spicy/woody'. So I looked at the list ( balsam, myrrh, mandarin orange, bitter clove, artemesia, rosewood, nutmeg, dark musk, smoke and cypress) and determined that yes... that's exactly what this smells like. All at once. No notes stand out except for the clove (which is VERY prominent to my nose in its unsweet spikiness), but the basic scent is much like 'smoky cloves', like how the first version of Three Witches was described. But there's a lot of wood/resin qualities to it... I should note that 'rosewood' is not 'rose'... I don't get -any- rose in this whatsoever, but it does have the distinct red-roughness of rosewood, which I remember from back when my father did woodworking in the basement. (Thank god I'm not hideously allergic to it like he was; he developed an allergy to rosewood that made him blister-hive. Horrible.)

 

In a nutshell, this is a dark, woody, smoky sort of spice that manages somehow to avoid having any particular sweetness at all to it save in only the very faintest suggestion. It says winter, but in the sootsmeared, bare-wood sense, in corners where the furnace heats, but lends no comfort, like an attic full of worn furniture and near-fossilized autumn wreaths. I'd almost call it the manly answer to Havisham, in the sense that it's that 'kind' of a scent.

 

Currently, I'm trying to decide if I -like- it. Rather, I don't hate it at all. It's intriguing. It doesn't make me ill or anything, or scream 'soap' by any means. I just... I'm just not sure if it's my thing yet. Needs more testing.

[aine]

This is an absolutely gorgeous scent. It's not snowy. It's not icy. It's not pine, nor slush, not even cold. And yet it is Winter.

 

Unfortunately it is stinking hot here at the moment, but if I sit in my office and close my eyes I can imagine enjoying the cozy warmth from a fire inside a cabin, drinking mulled wine and reading Shakespeare. For some very scientific testing and magnificently elaborate special effects I turned my aircon onto blasting freezing and tried it out in 'wintertime'. Still wonderful.

 

Did I get much work done today? Um, nope.

 

Did I smell fantastic while I fart-arsed around? Hell yes.

 

 

 

There will be more bottles of this one for me.

[edenssixthday]

The Winter of Our Discontent - This blend is very husky when I first apply it, but also has a really strong touch of fresh-cut greenery underneath that warm, husky myrrh scent. I'm also completely shocked when I read the scent description that there's no rose flower in this blend, because when I first apply it, I'm positive I smell myrrh and rose (perhaps rosewood smells like rose blossoms on me?). As soon as it dries down on my skin, the scent begins to amp up to a really strong, powdery rose-myrrh scent (as myrrh often does on me) and the greenery notes disappear completely. While I can still smell the powdery myrrh a good six hours later, I never do detect any of the other notes. I am disappointed that a few of them (e.g., the mandarin orange) don't show up on my skin, but that's not to say it's not a pretty myrrh blend. It's just lovely, in fact. It's not fabulous enough to be lusting after a full bottle, but I'll hang on to a couple imps and they'll be perfect when I want a soft, feminine, yet somewhat exotic myrrh blend.

 

coding fix --Shollin

Edited December 3, 2006 by Shollin

[euterpe414]

Ah, this is a gorgeous, spicy, wintery blend. It smells overall of spicy wood with a tiny hint of floral. I definitely detect the balsam and clove, while the other notes are sort of blended together, supporting these two notes. I agree with the rpevious reviewer that this is indeed very wintery wirthout being a forest or snow scent. I don't really find this scent to embody any sort of villainy, though, just a comforting winter spice, perhaps of incense and spices wafting through the air while sitting in front of a wood fire. Lovely, and I will definitely wear this a lot during this coming winter.

Edited December 4, 2006 by euterpe414

[lapetitefurie]

I was very hyper excited about this blend and got it as a decant--mostly because the notes sounded interesting, and in this bottle, I smelled cold winter greenery. On me--it transforms into something else entirely. Well, I can detect what I think is the clove, and that's just overpowering, and underneath that is something horrible, like baby powder gone very, very bad. I'm not really sure which note it is that has affected me so, but I'm going to go wash it off. I'm going to give it another go later--but I'm just not feeling the need to purchase a bottle.

 

Edit--I've reapplied sans anything else--while I'm still not certain that I'm absolutely thrilled with the scent, it's dried down into something that's really nice, sweet, and crisp.

 

We'll see if it continues to grow on me. I'll wear it tomorrow for another whirl.

Edited December 5, 2006 by lapetitefurie

[Koumori]

Deliciously complex in the bottle. On application, I get the woods and spices very clearly, but towards the end of the day the myrrh comes to be the dominant scent. I like it, but I don't particularly enjoy smelling like myrrh... if only there were a way to keep more of those initial notes on me! Ah well, this is still the ideal scent for the gal or guy who's always wanted to smell like Richard III, and who hasn't?

 

Rating: 3/5.

[ChupaChup]

I don't get anything wintery out of Winter of Our Discontent. When first applied, I really don't care for it, it's a muddy jumble. But after about fifteen minutes, the individual notes start to separate out and it becomes very complex and interesting. I mainly get the balsam, clove, nutmeg, rosewood and myrrh - I especially love the nutmeg. The longer it's on, the better it smells and it lasts a long, long time. I kept thinking I only wished it had a little more sweetnes and then it hit me. This smells just like Black Phoenix without the almond, that sweet cherry-like note. Since I already have Black Phoenix, I won't be needing a bottle of this but it's lovely.

[steffanina]

The Winter of Our Discontent-

 

In Bottle: Something spicy-foody, piney-herbal. So far I like.

 

Wet: Herbal-soapy, a little masculine bloom coming out (that dark musk, I think).

 

Dry: This scent feels a little dark and dangerous, ever so apt. The musk is a little bit cloying, but I think this could be one of those scents that I like as long as I don't keep sniffing and sniffing at it, just enjoying the overall aura this scent gives me.

 

Overall: Will try again; I like it conditionally.

[gingersnapp]

Whoa, this is a weird one. I know I'm smelling the nutmeg, and that's the most prominent. But I don't know what else it is that's in there that I'm smelling. Maybe the clove? This is a very spice-cupboard type of blend, but it smells like wax. Seriously, it's like taking a big whiff of candle and you can actually smell the slightly greasy texture of the wax.

[phedre]

Can I mention how happy I am that I bought a bottle of this unsniffed? Wow!

 

Straight out of the bottle, I smell the nutmeg, spiced orange, and fresh evergreen tree. To me, it smells like Christmas, drinking eggnog near the tree. What a gorgeous image! There's a touch of smoke, but it's barely there, so maybe you're next to a fireplace?

 

Wet on me, the spicy orange and eggnog really come up. It gets woodier and smokier, which must be the rosewood and cypress making an appearance.

 

As it dries, I lose the orange and I'm left with a blend of musk, smoke, pine, and eggnog that blends into a perfect christmas scent.

 

Love!

 

ETA: I keep getting the most gorgeous whiffs of eggnog and balsam floating past my nose. So happy!

Edited December 7, 2006 by phedre

[sophia_helix]

This started off very rich, woodsy, warm and smoky on me. Gradually, though, a too-sweet smell bubbled up, very perfumey and sickly, which I think may be the balsam. However, it also reminds me of Voodoo when the tart lime-pine had worn away, so I think the myrrh and clove are adding to the scent (and I would swear there was vetiver in this if I didn't know better). I don't get fresh greenery out of this at all, but something syrupy and a little spicy. It might also be the musk and the mandarin orange, though, since those can go bad on me.

 

Basically, this is something I've gotten from several of the "haughtier" BPAL perfumes, and it's not a scent I enjoy, so I'm off to swap.

 

Edit: Reading some other reviews, yes, this reminds me of Black Phoenix, and also kind of like La Petit Mort and Snake Oil, and Hexxenacht, and basically every scent labeled "skin musk" that's gone wrong on me. So if those scents were overpoweringly powdery and sweet on you, you might want to avoid this for chemistry reasons.

Edited December 11, 2006 by sophia_helix

[theseagrows]

this smells like powdery herbals and woods on my skin. i think i am getting mostly myrrh and cypress, but i'm not really sure. it's difficult to pick out notes. i wish i got the orange, clove, musk and smoke more, then i think i'd like this scent a lot better. it's just not very distinct to me.

[PurringPulsar]

Winter of our Discontent

 

In the imp: a gorgeous festive scent which is quite dark…smells like evergreens (probably the balsam) and mandarin with a hint of spice.

Wet on skin: orange, spices and fir with a hint of rosewood and smoke.

Dry: mmm, this is really beautiful. It gives off an air of ‘traditional Christmas’, think Victorian or Elizabethan/Shakesperean-era Xmas, but with a hint of something darker to it. The festive fragrance of balsam firs mixes with soft smoke and warm spices and orange on a base of gorgeous rosewood. I love Beth’s rosewood note, some rosewoods smell a bit odd but Beth’s smells like a woodsier version of rose, and the rosy aspect of this note increases gradually.

After a while: at one point the scent goes a little sharp and I worry that it will turn sour, but then it softens. It smells of roses-I mean, rosewood, which here smells like roses and sandalwood (the cypress may be adding an even woodsier touch to it), sprinkled with nutmeg, a hint of fir and with a gorgeous deep undertone of smoke, myrrh and possibly musk. It smells a little dustier now, and does remind me of very good quality, naturally-scented Christmas potpourri (not the fake-scented cheap stuff). The scent seems to fade into spicy roses and wood with a hint of musk. Almost like a darker, more old fashioned, less foody version of the recent 13 reformulation. The drydown at the end of the scent is a soft mix of myrrh, rosewood and fir.

Verdict: ironically, I find this scent to be the antidote to wintry discontent. More than anything else, this is the true smell of Christmas past. It’s dark and sombre at times, epitomising the darkness of winter nights, and yet there’s a feel of warmth and comfort to it. It’s a very traditional scent actually, it definitely evokes the Yuletide season in an age before electricity, shopping frenzies and commercialism, coming in from the cold to a welcoming hearth fire and candles and the aroma of comforting spices and roses, family togetherness and goodwill. In fact, I’m reminded of an old house in London which is decorated every December in the style of a Victorian (or older) Christmas. The rosewood is very strong, sometimes taking on the smell of roses, and the balsam, nutmeg, myrrh and musk notes are gorgeous, everything is wrapped in a lovely smoky layer, and the blend becomes woodsier and a little more resinous-musky at drydown. It’s not as masculine as I expected, certainly not villainous, I find it cosy and warm, and perfect for winter and the festive season.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes, I’ve got to get a bottle soon.

If you like this, try: Séance, Thirteen Revisited, Velvet

Edited December 14, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Melantha]

I got an imp of this from kiio's decant circle, mainly because of the name. A few of the notes were worrisome to me, but I figured why not?

 

I got three BPAL and Arcana packages yesterday, and went into an orgy of testing. After a little while, I smelled this incredible smoky, spicy scent that practically had me drooling. An enabled friend of mine was over, and she got the same enslaved look on her face when she sniffed my arm. I immediately started trying to figure out which of the samples was this heavenly scent.

 

It was Winter! Oh, I'm glad I went ahead and bought a bottle unsniffed, and now I know I'll be buying one or two more before it disappears.

 

Wow.

[themerrybaker]

Winter of Our Discontent: Happy Sunny Floral .

 

I am not fond of rose, and wouldn't know that rose was the operative floral here without having checked the description. This is very complex: a sweet powdery floral with a little bit of spiciness - it has a balanced composition rather than discernable notes. I like Winter a lot and am perfectly content to find a rose perfume that works on me.

Edited December 19, 2006 by themerrybaker

[medvssa]

This one had a very nice, unusual and promising (for me at least) green, herby & spicy, almost medicinal opening that I liked very much. Alas, the rosewood I guess, takes over after a while with a very powdery rosey smell (and roses -but this actually doesn't have rose, right- don't tend to go powdery on me), and after a while that is all I can smell so this one didn't work for me, that was really a pity, since really liked the first stages

Edited December 19, 2006 by Medvssa

[Miss Lynx]

Colour me discontented. I had extremely high hopes for this one - from the list of notes, it seemed there was no way it could possibly not be good. Spices and incense and musk and mandarin... This was the one I was most looking forward to out of all the Yule scents.

 

And yet... *sigh* I wasn't that impressed with it once i finally got the chance to try it. I mean, it didn't suck, but it didn't wow me either. The different notes just kind of sat there and didn't really come together into anything more than the sum of their parts. My overall impression was of a slightly less root-beer-ish version of Laudanum.

 

There were elements to it that I did like, and every now and then I'd catch a whiff of it that would be a bit happy-making, but then the next whiff would just be kind of blah, or sometimes even vaguely unpleasant... There's some kind of slightly off note in this that I can place. Plus, it had a bit of what I had sometimes referred to as the "Hi! I'm a men's scent!' vibe. I do often like scents that aren't conventionally feminine, including some that are intended for men, but there are some where the manliiness is just a bit much.

 

So overall, I don't hate it, but I certainly don't love it. I'll probably hang onto the imp so that Kettu can try it once she's back into BPAL mode, since she was very excited by the description toom but unless she loves it, it's swap time for this one.

 

Grade: C+/B-

[LiberAmoris]

The Winter of Our Discontent is the most surprising of the Yules I've tried so far. The first time I wore it, I was kind of overwhelmed by the layers of the blend and the fact that it stayed pretty complex through the drydown. But after a few more tries, I feel won over.

 

First on, I get the orange, clove, smoke, and rosewood, with the balsam around the edges. The orange makes it feel high and bright, but as that evaporates, the darker notes emerge and begin to swallow things up and chuff off a kind of dimmed rosy incense. The dark musk and the myrrh make a kind of unholy and wonderful pairing, and the smoke drifts over everything the way it does for me in blends like Hexennacht or Devil's Night.

 

This does feel like a serious blend, like something historic and grave. A great capture of the inspiration.

[keltic]

the whole Yule update was beyond dangerous for me. wave a scent name like this in front of a frustrated english major, and you know i will willing follow. add the description, and, well, you know. . .

 

in the bottle, this held wonderful promise. just as the notes listed, it was complex and dark and spicy. almost reverent and regal. genius.

 

but on me, it turn into nothing but huge cloying roses. the hell? roses, roses, roses. and not sweet real life bloom roses. we are talking old lady kill you with her stale perfume roses. i'm reading the description again as i'm gasping for air, wondering how in the name of all that is rosewood really smells like giant killer roses.

 

i gave up, and had to rinse this one off since my head was starting to go with this one. massive, huge throw, and damn good staying power, because i think i continued to smell it all day, but that could be psychological.

 

but after reading some of the reviews here and the same experiences of super-rose finally being defeated by cloves, i might give this a second, smaller try, seeing if i can experience a change over. or maybe not even get mugged in the first place.

[Tess]

I love these notes, especially the idea of orange/clove/nutmeg/musk!

 

In the bottle - Hellooooo smokey cypress balsam. This is really strong and medicinal.

 

Wet - This is screaming cypress at me! Yikes!

 

Drying - At least some spice notes are coming out, but this is HEAVY on the evergreen notes. It's hard to stand, truth be told, the balsam and cypress are so in my face. I can sense some myrrh and maybe a little musk, but it's just so freaking tree.

 

Dry (1 hour) - Welcome to the Rosewood and Myrrh Show! That's all it is now. Okay, I'm happy that the trees calmed down, but now they're gone. Everything is gone but that powdery rosewood with a little myrrh!

 

Overall - It goes from overpowering to completely boring. This just doesn't work on my skin, sadly.

[surlygurl]

This is a strange blend. I get very few of the notes listed above - especially no orange. But what I do smell is very pretty on me.

 

It starts out with a slightly old-fashioned medicinal smell. This soon turns to men's cologne, but that phase lasts only a minute or two. The woodsier smells come out, followed by the spices and something soft. There's still a faint medicinal smell, but that just adds to the woodspice.

 

I have an incense at home that is a blend of vanilla and allspice - very yummy. To my nose, this is the oil equivalent. Vanilla (!?), spices, and freshly cut wood. I don't get 'villainy' at all from this. It is slightly masculine, but in a 'clean cut teenage boy who gets good grades and goes camping in the snow' type way. Strong but soft.

[Hawke]

I'm going to cry.

 

I'm a huge Shakespeare geek, so I had to try this. I *love* Richard III, so even more incentive. Yes, I saw the rosewood in the notes, but I was hoping that I'd get more 'wood' than 'rose'.

 

I should have known better. If there is rose in something, I will almost always amp it beyond belief. There are very few scents from *any* company where the rose plays nicely. Othello and Lyonesse come closest for me. I'm always thrilled when I find one.

 

Alas, it didn't happen here. I get rose and all I get is rose. Powdery rose that just gets stronger as it dries. Sorry, Richard. We're not meant to be.

[QueenFae]

Ohhh, sharp and strong. It smells very pottpourri - ish to me. I am getting just mostly the bitter clove and the rosewood. It reminds me very much of a potpourri scent my friend use to have it a bowl at her house. There is a spiciness in the background; as well as a hint of a smoky/resinous note. This is a dark red scent for me. It has strong throw and staying power. This is definitely not my kind of thing, so I am glad I got a decant first!