Knecht Ruprecht

[wichapi]

KNECHT RUPRECHT

I came here from the forest
I tell you, it is a very holy night!
All over the tips of the firs
I saw bright flashes of golden light;
And from above, the gates of heaven
I saw with open eyes the Christ-child
and as I wander through the dark forest
I hear a light voice calling me.
"Knecht Ruprecht" it called, "Old man
Lift your legs and hurry! Fast!

The candles alight
the gates of heaven open wide
old and young
shall rest from the hunt of life
and tomorrow I shall fly to earth
as it shall be Christmas again!"

I said: "O dear master, Christ
My trip is almost at an end;
It is only this one town / where the children are good".
"Do you have your sack with you?"
I said: "The sack, it is here;
apples, nuts and almonds
solemn children do enjoy".
"Do you also have your cane?"
I said: "The cane, it is here.
But only for the bad children,
to hit their right rear".

The Christ-child spoke: "That is good;
So go with god my faithful servant!"
I came here from the forest
I tell you, it is a very holy night!
Speak now how I find it here
Are the children good or bad?

The snow-covered foliage of the Black Forest and the fruit and woods of apple and almond trees.

I've used the search engine and searched all through the reviews several times and could not find this oil listed. I am surprised I am the first to review it.

Knecht Ruprecht is a totally unexpected favorite in all the Yuletide oils I ordered. In fact, it is ranking side-by-side with my beloved Queen of Diamonds for all-time favorites.

This creation defies even Beth's description. Snow covered fir of the Black Forest? Yes. Fruit and apple wood? Yes. Almond wood? No clue, actually -- but if Beth says so, then Yes. It's all there, and so much more! Knecht Ruprecht is an exquisite oil providing intermittent wafts of scent for hours, just as uplifting as the first application, and then softens to a sultry warmth.

I absolutely L O V E it, and will probably be wearing it well into and through the summer.

[opaleyes]

Knect Ruprecht is lovely. And powerful! I took a big whiff of it from the bottle and was smelling it for quite a while.

 

It stays pretty much exactly the same on me in all forms. Wet, dry, hours later, etc. Pure evergreen Christmas tree. I'm afraid I don't really get any almond or apple, but that cold Christmas tree is definitely there.

 

It makes me think of going to the tents full of trees with my family, reaching an arm deep into the tree to grab the trunk and stand it, to see how tall it was. That mixed with the chill of the winter air. You'd pick a tree finally, nose frozen, and tie it to the roof of the car. Then you'd get home and dad would swear a lot while putting it into the tree stand. Mom would keep you busy sweeping up all of the needles, and then when it was finally up (I still say it leans to the left!) you'd all gather for cocoa.

 

I'm horrid at picking out notes. But that, is how Knecht Ruprecht smells on me.

[HennaFairy]

there's something almondy-mentholy when it's wet, with a woody/green background. dry, it's a nice evergreen, a neutral scent - the fruit and woods temper it from being too masculine/piney.

 

i am LOVING it!

[filigree_shadow]

Hmmm... evergreen trees for sure -- it smells cold, too. The fruit in it is making it a bit sweet and more complex than just a snow/forest scent. As it dries it doesn't smell quite so cold, but to me this is definitely a winter woodsy scent (rather than fall or spring).

 

When it was wet I thought it smelled similar to last year's Snow Bunny, but when it's dry that cold snowy note isn't as prominent. Also the fruit comes out more when it's dry.

 

Very pretty!

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is pure pine/hemlock with sweet almond...

once applied this gets a hint of milkiness with the pine...pine/hemlock/pine

and more pine...overpoweringly strong but this fades just as dramatically...

within 30 minutes the scent is gone but i keep "scentzing" the tiniest notes of

vetiver/myrrh...extremely faint.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: almond and pine.

 

Wet: very powerful pine.

 

Dry: very powerful pine and very long lasting.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: fruity, almondy, slightly applish?

 

wet: strong almonds, which i amp anyway and a hint of pine

 

 

as it dries it becomes less almondish, more pine and apples, not to be confused w/ pineapples, because it smells nothing like pineapples. there is not alot of the "snow" note and then not much apple, but, really strong forest smell, again not to be confused w/ Forrest as i do not know of how she smells. but anyway i digress, it is a forest, pine forest, and almonds.

Edited November 19, 2006 by shelldoo

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Apple cider and almonds.

 

On me: Apple-ish evergreens, which is an interesting combination. The almond has gone into hiding, but I'm also somehow getting a touch of citrus. Very wintery and Christmas smelling. Somewhat masculine. Throw is more subtle than I would have expected.

[cuervosueno]

I got an imp of this as a frimp in a recent swap, and I was so delighted to try it since I have a bottle on the way.

 

At first it has a lovely fruity smell that I can't quite identify but it is quite nice. It doesn't come off as almonds or apples, but a kind of fruit melange with the sharpness of pine. It almost reminds me of the first scent that hits you when break the needles of ponderosa pines: almost pineapple-like with the regular pine scent.

 

though almond usually amps on my skin, in this case, the pine trumps that, so what comes after is mostly a heavy pine and slush note, very similiar to other Yule blends (like Snow Moon, etc) but different enough to be interesting. I was beginning to miss the slushy pine notes in the Yule blends I've tried so far, so this was very welcome to me.

 

After its been on awhile, the pine is tempered with just a bit of sweet wood.

 

Overall, it remains pretty sharp-pine, so I'm not sure I'll want a whole bottle (I still have lots of Yule blends like this from previous years!) but we'll see when I get it.

 

eta: now I have my bottle and have worn it a couple of times and LOVE it. It does have the pine/slush I noted, but when that fades I get the most gloriously light fruit scent...I can't explain it. It isn't like wood and isn't like fruit and isn't like flowers, but is something gorgeous in and of itself. I really really like it.

Edited December 5, 2006 by cuervosueno

[slave1]

KNECHT RUPRECHT

 

In Bottle: Pine, apple and almond

 

On Skin: I smell Christmas Tree evergreen right away and it gives the perfect forest feel. The the tart apple and sweet cherry tone of the almond come out… so sweet and fruity. It is a great holiday scent, I feel in the spirit right away from just a couple sniffs. It is not a scent I’d wear, but I love it as a room scent, especially since my X-Mas tree is artificial so I miss the smell of a real tree. It’s a very nice blend for Yule. It has a medium throw and long wearlength.

[janelle_hell]

This is...

 

snowy pine trees...

 

and...

 

Marzipan Stollen!!!! (<--- German Christmas bread that has candied fruits and marzipan in it )

 

i so need an entire bottle of this!

[TrueStar]

In the bottle it smells strongly of pine with a bit of what I think is the apple

 

After putting it on and throughout, I smell mostly the pine with just a bit of the apple left. I never picked up any almond.

 

It's a nice smells that stays with you most of the day, but right now I don't see myself buying a bottle.

[PilotKitten]

Erm... this smells like cold band-aid adhesive on me. O_o Chilly and slightly medicinal I was hoping for a bit more fruity tone to this but I don't get any fruit whatsoever. I get that chilly feeling in my nostrils when I sniff it (like whan you sniff or eat peppermints ya know?) but other than that I can barely make out any notes on the drydown. And... now it's starting to smell like Vick's Vaporub... < goes to wash off >

[hbrogan]

In the imp: piney and somewhat medicinal--I can smell just a hint of almond

 

Wet: Whew! That's definitely a Christmas pine smell.

 

Dry: This smells wonderfully Christmassy, like a pine forest in the snow.

 

Unfortunately, about three hours later it's almost gone. I still get occasional whiffs from my neck and cleavage, but I really have to put my nose to my wrists to smell it there. The pine has definitely mellowed, too.

[edenssixthday]

Knecht Ruprecht - I am afraid that this blend just doesn't work for me. It's the strong smell of a Christmas tree lot full of fresh-cut trees, which is not a scent I enjoy (despite the wonderful holiday connotations). I don't smell any apple or almond fruit and really detect nothing other than fresh Christmas tree scent. While I think this would make a wonderful oil burner home fragrance for people who love pine scents, it's not going to be happening in my house or on my skin! I'm afraid this one will be finding a new home. The sillage and staying power are both about average.

[moon_lemming]

Wowza. Knecht Ruprecht is a surprise hit for me. I didn't even expect to LIKE it, but I think I really dig it.

 

At first, it's intensely woody, with a big smash of apple fruitiness on top. The wood smells like pine on me, but I'm bad with woods, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

As it dries, it turns more piney, with a hint of something else that keeps it from being all green. It does bring to mind a wintery forest. It's not as lovely on me as it is in the bottle, sadly.

 

It's a little too "Christmas tree" for me after drydown, but I bet it would make a gorgeous room scent.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Oh Joy! I was standoffish when reading about the almond in this blend. But not to worry, it's not the bitter kind.

 

Evergreen and apple and almond all do greet me and linger upon wearing this for a good long while.

 

If you're testing this and find it's too heavy on the evergreen and don't get the payoff from the apple and almond, may I suggest trying again 2 weeks later. I did and found Knecht Ruprecht to vary a great deal according to my hormones- much more than many other BPAL's have.

 

A great variation on BPAL's Winter/Evergreen/Snow blends this year.

Edited December 2, 2006 by Heavenlyrabbit

[jasmine]

I smell pine, but it’s not an overwhelming pine; other woods and leaves are present. I detect a trace of mint hovering above everything else (frankincense, possibly?) and I can pick up the almonds. With that said, Knecht Ruprecht is a smooth blend; it has complexity, but it doesn’t immediately strike the nose as complex. This is very impressive and artful.

 

Given a few minutes to work, the pine comes out more strongly (in addition to jasmine, my skin apparently amplifies pine) and now I can catch a hint of apple. My delight over this scent isn’t fading with time -- and the scent isn’t, either; it has a moderate throw, which fades after a while, and then it stays durable and subtle. I approve vastly.

 

Of the woodsy scents I’ve tried so far, this has immediately claimed its place as my favorite. I’m not sure that I will wear a woodsy scent often enough to justify picking up a bottle, but it is wonderful and good and worthy of applause.

[maribouquet]

imp: almond

wet: almond and pine, a little smoky

dry: calm, starry forest

 

I really like the conifer notes in Knecht Ruprecht, and the fruitiness of the apple remains understated, which I'm happy about - but this is a little too masculine on me for my tastes. If I had a boy handy, I would like to test it on one. I think my brother might like it, actually. (We look very much alike...I wonder if we have similar chemistry.)

[luxuria]

This is very aquatic pine on me with a faint hint of sweetness many hours later that doesn't really mesh well with the pine scent. I wanted to love it, but it just gives off a 'men's cologne' vibe to me I like Skadi, Snow Bunny, Dublin, etc. much better.

[maijasu]

This smells just like snowy pine on me. I'm not getting the woods or fruit from it, but it's still a delightful wintery blend. I may need to test it again in a couple of weeks to see if the other notes decide to make an appearance, and I will update my review if so.

[jewelbug]

Imp: I can’t explain it, but this smells JUST like my grandma’s Christmas party punch, which I think is a combo of pineapple juice, ginger ale, rum, sherbet and possibly fruit punch, and maybe some secret ingredients? No, those don’t sound like the notes in the blend, but when I sniffed this, I had a very vivid scent memory.

 

Wet: On, this still smells “fizzy” like the punch. Very fruity like cherries and pineapple. Cherry is probably my interpretation of the almond, since I find those can be close to me. Pineapple I can’t really explain. On deeper sniff, this has a cold evergreen quality about it, and even a hint of eucalyptus depending on where it is on my skin (wrist gets it, arm doesn’t).

 

Drying: The eucalyptus comes out more and more like cough drops, but subsides to a support note after 15-20 min. The result is a cold (still eucy) forest with fruit. At this point the sweet apple is discernable, but I can't pick out an almond. Its fun to have the fruity with the chilly woods. This is subtle, but has decent throw, because I keep getting nice wafts of it....

 

Overall: This lasts 7+ hrs, and wafts a cold fruitiness that I enjoy. I really wish it had kept smelling like my Grandma’s Christmas punch, but it went more cold and woodsy once I had it on. Though I enjoy it, I don’t see this working its way into my rotation. But I definitely want to keep the imp and huff it there for reminders of Christmas at Gma’s….

[RaeiNarcissus]

Oh............yummy.........

It starts out very Forest on me, smelling of trees, and slowly morphs and allows the apple and the almond to get in..... I keep smiffing myself and going, oh..... I smell so good!

[mandragora]

In the imp, it smells menthol and pine. Brrr, I can actually smell the "coldness" of this scent. Yet, there's an underlying sweetness beneath the chill. I can picture a snow-covered, brightly light Christmas tree out on a frozen frontyard. It's a colder, more minty and less sweet version of Nuclear Winter.

Edited December 7, 2006 by mandragora

[gwynhwyfar]

In the bottle, this is a gorgeous fruity almond with a hint of pure pine (Douglas Fir ... I have one sitting in the living room right now and my bedroom is far enough away that I know I wasn't smelling the tree).

 

On my skin ... it's that same beautiful scent. For about four hours. Then it goes away and leaves me to weep in abandoned heartbreak. I'm entertaining a vague hope that it might be the time in my cycle and that maybe for the other 3.5 weeks of the month it wouldn't leave so quickly but I'm going to wait a couple days to test it again. (And in the meantime, try to trade imps out of the bottle for the Yule scents that I'm intrigued by but fear might not love me.)

 

If I discover that this is just a time of the month thing, this oil is definitely a keeper for me. If not, I'll probably keep it just for a room scent (and maybe pick up a second bottle if I do manage to trade out all of this bottle for imps of other Yule oils).

 

Overall, though, it's absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite Yule scents that does put me in specific mind of the holiday.