Snow White

[DryasMeliai]

A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.

2013 Version~

Snow White has been on so many recommended lists (based on my preferences) that I knew I had to try it! That being said, I was definitely scared I would experience the "play-doh" or "fabric softener" phenomenon. Once you do there's no going back- my husband mentioned one of my frimps smelled like Skin So Soft....I totally can't UNsmell that now!

Thankfully all I get out of Snow White is Ossim! The smell in the bottle caused a vague sweet nostalgia that took a few days to identify - it's lunch time with my Ma-Ma and syrupy sweet Del Monte fruit cocktail!

Once it dries down the fruity syrup melds into a pale white floral cushioned in an icy breeze. The throw is small and I need to apply a decent amount in order for it to last all day.

A small background of fruit cocktail lingers - enough that at dinner last night I kept admiring the smell of a mixed drink on the table - but when the smell remained long after the drink was gone I realized that was me!!!!

The cold note keeps the scent mature and refreshing - but the creamy-sweet-fruity-florals add a fantastic girlish innocence. I'm so glad I ordered this!

[schneagl]

2013 Version

 

In the bottle: Soft snow, a little sweet, a touch of coconut

 

Wet on my skin: The snow is still there, but now the rest reads as very light floral. It has a dry, powdery tone.

 

Drydown: That powdery tone started to take over for a while, to the point I wasn't reading anything else, but then the florals started to come back. The scent is very light, and I'm finding that the distance I hold my wrists from my nose can change which is winning out, the powder or the flowers.

 

This is a light scent on me with minimal throw - I have to bring my wrists pretty close to my nose. It lasted well, the majority of the day. Overall, I wish I smelled "snow" more than "powder" here, but it's a nice winter scent. I'll let it age and see what happens.

[Cheri]

For anyone else who loves Snow White as much as I do, you HAVE to get 2013's! I have bottles from every year back to 2004 and they all smell incredible, but each year smells slightly different, and I love that about it. I decide in the mornng which year I want to wear and even if I want to wear another oil, Snow White typically goes on with it. Well, I have to say that with this year's I can smell the love, passion, and genious that Beth put into her work. This one requires no aging or waiting a few hours to smell awesome, it just does! I absolutely love SW 2013!!!

[HerbGirl]

Snow White '13 is indeed beautiful. This is the nicest version yet...sweet not too flowery almondish musky gorgeousness. I am a huge fan of Snow White though...

[Atrous]

2013 Version:

 

I've heard alot of good things about prior versions of Snow White so I thought I'd take a chance even though the notes were not appealing (florals often react badly with my skin chemistry).

 

Well, the Lab knows how to throw a curve ball because this is my very favorite of the Yule scents. Its more surprising still because I'm not into super feminine scents - this one is all girl.

 

Its snow, light florals, with an almond-coconut something going on. Superb!

[bellumed]

Side-by-side review of Snow White 2005 and 2012:

 

This is interesting. After a few seconds to identify, 2005 smells a bit boozy. Like some sort of light fruity alcohol. 2012 is sharper, more straight-forwardly snowy.

 

AHHHHHH, this is so effing weird! Wet, '05 smells a bit like salted meat. Not a big MEAT smell, but yeah, light and salty. I think this is the florals, somehow? Or that coconut thing people mention? '12 is also salty, but not as odd, goes more directly to the florals.

 

Dry: Getting more of the “flurries of snow” with some understated florals from 2005. 2012 is a little sharper/stinkier/Play-Dohier; just not as nice. Though of course it’s hard to say whether this is a variation issue or an aging issue.

 

2005 has settled down to such a soft, pretty scent, with the coconut more present now. I wouldn't say 2012 is exactly BAD, but side-by-side there’s no denying it’s just not the same! Definitely swapping my SW 2012 and keeping the 2005 version.

[Numanoid]

2013 Version

 

Oh my!!! Now, I have been lucky to test other years of Snow White...loved them all!! But, for some reason, this one is....wrong!

 

Sniffing in the bottle, I get almost a urine smell!!! WHHHAAAAT??? Maybe something wrong with me?

 

On Skin: Not good, and it breaks my heart! I LOVE Snow White. I have a small amount of a 2007 bottle left and it is beautiful. This one goes sour on me!

 

Off to sell or maybe swap!!

[zankoku_zen]

2013 version

 

I haven't always tested the different itireations of Snow White. I think I tried the 2005 version, and haven't really bothered with it since.

 

Snow White 2013 is very similar with a tropical almond/pineapple except there is no coconut this time around, and with just a bare hint of a chilly white floral. So, a little colder than the original Snow White... but overall, still a tropical blend on me.

 

PASS.

[welcometothefamily]

SNOW WHITE '13

 

In the Imp: Sweet, ozonic floral.

 

Wet: Cool, sweet floral, with a bit of coconut.

 

Drydown: Gentle, ethereal, sweetly floral, with a touch of cool coconut water.

 

Verdict: This is beautiful. I'm seriously considering a bottle.

 

4/5

[lucycat]

Snow White was one of the Yules I was most eager to try. Early in my BPAL experience, I read the thread about most-loved oils, and Snow White seemed to appear on many people’s lists. It did not disappoint.

 

In the imp: Only here do I get the snow note, with a creamy sweetness.

 

Wet: Creamy sweetness. There’s a very light hint of floral, but it’s almost all coconut.

 

Dry: Sweet, creamy coconut. It’s light compared to the coconut in Obatala or Goblin. There’s also a hint of vanilla. It’s similar to the coconut in Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds, without the rose, but that hint of floral gives it a similar feel.

 

I can see why Snow White is a favorite, and I can see myself wearing it often. I need a bottle.

[KakashiMorph]

I also have "go to sleep little darlings" from this year's yules and I tried it about a week ago. Some reviews said these two were similar so I am curious about it now. Let's see...

 

In the bottle: Yup, they are right. These two smell remarkably similar in the bottle.

On my skin: Something happens! A heavier, sweeter scent comes down which I find hard to describe. Something like cozy brown leather/plastic/a hint of something alcaline. It is like the scent couldn't describe in go to sleep little darlings but heavier and amplified. I think it is supposed to be the snow and/or crispy wind scent. I think I smell some faint coconut too.

Drydown: The snow/wind scent, much like "go to sleep...", without the sugary veil.

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2013 version.

 

In the bottle: Sweet snow.

 

Wet: Brighter and sharper. That's the ozone and florals.

 

The dry-down: A light version this year, more abt the wind and the flowers, and less abt that coconut note that I've found in some past years' versions. Still sweet, though.

[Frills]

I used to have a 2005 bottle. I sold it because I first got it during a rough time in my life, and every time I put it on after that it put me right back in those darker moments. But that was eight years ago! I wanted to try Snow White and "train" my brain to associate it with better things.

 

2012 smells just like I remember. And at first that was a bad thing. It mellows much faster than 2005 did, and the "crisp" note isn't as distracting as I remember it being. I'm glad I bought a bottle again, this scent is too lovely to write off.

[Ffenics]

Origin — 2008 version (so aged 6 years) purchased from ebay — I was curious to smell what "snow" translates to and reviews said it was quite foody, which is mah thing.

 

In the bottle — Evergreen(?), ozone and something physically making my nostrils cold, like eucalyptus - it feels exactly like breathing in crisp winter air, (Even though right now the sun is shining!). Fresh and cold and pure, very like a winter landscape.

 

Wet — Very like the bottle but with a sweet undertone of something like coconut coming through — but fresh coconut water/milk, not sweetened, processed coconut. The florals start to chime in but not shriekingly, it really is just a breath of them carried with snowflakes on the night breeze, and they smell "real" rather than "perfumey".

 

Drydown — The ozone/green note softens a bit and it takes a cold, fluttery vanilla tone on top of the other scents. Beautiful! I have smelt nothing like it before,So evocative of a snow-swept fairytale forest! I am in lurve!

 

Confession: The first time I tried this I got a almost cleaning product smell wet, which disappointed me and I threw a cardigan on and forgot about it. Then the next morning I had this wonderful cold but sweet scent all over said cardy and had to wrack my brain to connect the two! Luckily further wearing has turned out lovely each time so I assume it just needed some time after its journey in the post to settle!

Edited March 18, 2014 by Ffenics

[Erinofhere]

I thought I had reviewed this already. Hummm

 

2013 version

 

For the past 2 something years that I have been ghosting around BPAL, I have heard much positive talk about Snow White. I just knew this would be perfect for me. And for the 10 minutes that it did last on my skin it was. This faded so fast, my skin just ate it all up . Poof it was gone. While it was on my skin it was barley there and faint. I don't think I will be purchasing a bottle.

 

What I did pick up on was the most enchanting smell of new fallen snow. It was light but very realistic. This smelled clean and fresh and just beautiful. A bit later I did pick up on fruit (pear?) and white flowers with a tiny bit of jasmine.

 

It's just too light and short lived for me to ever purchase.

[milo]

I just have to sing my praises for Snow White 04. I love Snow White, I first bought the 07 version, and I think 04 and 07 are the best, but 04 even surpasses 07, and that is something. I'm getting vanilla and flowers, but it is not a warm scent, it's rather crystalline. Though I find it not warm, it is inviting, and I LOVE this oldest version of a classic. Amazing.

 

eta SW 2014 version: I find it interesting that people seem to get so many different scent impressions of SW. I find they fall into two categories to me. Fresh and aged cool and warm, and they vary in between in what I'm assuming is batch variations. 14 is somewhere in between, it is warm/cool, touch of sweet snow, flowers, and teeny tropical vibe. I stick to my guns and say 04 and 07 are the best, but they are all so close, you can never go wrong with Snow White.

Edited March 17, 2015 by milo

[Teaker]

2013 Version

 

Smells a touch like a Pina Colada. It's cool and very light. I'm getting a clear similarity to Go to Sleep, Darlings but this is sweeter and has an almost tropical feel (in an icy, chilly way). It's very nice!

I haven't had any luck with the snow note so far, it's always turned into a chemical dryer-sheet smell. I don't seem to be having that issue here, which is great! However, I can't see myself wearing this much. I think it might be too light for me to bother to get a bottle.

[Jeni Mullen]

2014 Version

 

My scent palette: I'm a foodie that doesn't tend to like the lab's vanilla scent unless there's something sugary in it. Eat Me is one of my favorite scents along with Captain Lilith (more boozy but still sweet). I am slowly finding out that I don't like woods in my scents. I love FOREST smells (like pine needles, juniper, leaves, moss and grass) but sandlewoods, rosewoods, and things like cedar or oak just don't do nice things on me. I love Magnificent Autumn, Samhain and Druid! I like spices too as long as they aren't kitchen spices (like mint and sage). Frankincense smells a little like sage so I haven't been too happy with that in my blends either. Scherezade and Sapphics are my go to spice oils. My biggest no-no are florals. Lavender and Jasmine, ylang ylang and peony run rampant. That said, carnation and sometimes rose can be quite nice on me if they're toned down. I also am not sure about my take on citrus. Lime is overwhleming (but I liked it in Lily Witch despite the leather). Bergamot is nicer. Leather and hemp tend to give me headaches.

 

In the bottle: Vaguely floral and a nice mellow mint. I am intrigued. It's not what I'd go for.

 

On the inside of my wrist, wet: Hit you in the face perfume. It's so obviously perfume...it actually reminds me of the perfume counter at a department store, whaaat?

 

Fifteen minutes later: I don't know if it's even floral any more despite what the notes say. I'm getting sugary gin...so yeah, like sweet Christmas trees. Is this the snow note people have been talking about? If so, I love this!

 

Thirty minutes later: Since this is only on my wrist, I can't tell if there's a lot of throw or lot. I don't really smell it while typing but I think that's because I'm testing Hard Apple Cider on the other wrist and that's overpowering it big time. I don't get vanilla or mint, just more sugary gin (if you've ever soaked white raisins in gin, THIS is the smell I'm getting).

 

Verdict: I was so sure that this was going to be decant fodder for my friend's yule baskets! I think only one or two might get decants of this. I want to keep half a bottle for myself!

[elbow]

Snow White 2014 (the only version I've tried):

 

Alas, I'm one of those people Snow White just doesn't work for. It doesn't smell white to me, it smells sort of... off-white, or even yellowed. On me it's very almond-y, with a touch of sweetness that I guess could possibly be coconut in the background. I tried hard to get past the mental associations with Play-Doh, and failed. The scent lasted quite a while, and as it faded, a white musk that I didn't really care for became more prominent.

 

I kind of suspected this might happen, but I'm glad I gave it a chance anyway. Like Snake Oil, this scent was too big a deal to not try.

[Kanashisa]

2014

 

Out of Snow White, Rose Red, and Nuclear Winter, I think Snow White ranks last for me. It's musty on me and the almond goes bittersweet. It's the same with Snake Oil, which seems to work for everyone else. I couldn't wear it as a perfume because of the bitterness. I will wait a while and update this again.

[barilace]

2014

 

I thought I'd love this...but sadly I do not at all. It goes all old grandma floral on me and makes me feel somewhat sick. Once it dries down it gets a bit better. But not much imho. Oddly, I've noticed through experiencing more BPAL that I don't love floral as much I thought I did. I've been so much more into foody/smokey scents than floral, and I've always gone for floral perfumes in the past. STRANGE.

[zankoku_zen]

2007 version

I feel like this version, the coconut plays more of a prominent stage, combined with the 'cold' ingredients that I like, so it ends up as a super coconutty version of Snow White atmo. Decent throw, decent wear length.

 

 

2011 version

On wet this one was heavy on the pineapple, and dried down to the creamy coconut, pineapple, pina colada I remember. Perhaps more of a 'cool' wispy tone that I associate with Snow White atmo. But in general, icy pineapple goodness. Low throw, low wear length.

[dangerbunnygirl]

2014 version

 

wet: this smells slightly floral and cold

Dry: very cold coconut with a touch of almond and light flowers. Like a very feminine Pina Colada. Pretty but not something I think I would reach for a lot.

[astarinel]

I've tried Snow White before, the 2007 version, and at the time it smelled like burning and scotch tape. This year I decided to try it again (2014 version) to see if my skin chemistry, the blend, or my nose had changed, because it's so beloved I want to at least LIKE it.

 

On and wet, I definitely don't hate it immediately as I did previously. It smells a little... odd, I guess, but not unpleasant. It's very soft, and I don't get much throw from it. It's also hard to describe, and I don't precisely know what I'm smelling. I don't perceive it as coconut or anything fruity, more like a pale creamy vanillic musk with some chilly florals and a little ozone.

 

That description makes me feel like I should like it... but I just don't really. I don't strongly dislike it as I used to, which may be skin chemistry or batch variation, but it's just too pale and nondescript to me.

[agirlnamedfury]

2014 Version

 

This isn't at all what I expected! I actually didn't think I would like this at all (light clean scents aren't really my jam), but it's got such a following that I figured I'd get a decant just to see what all the fuss was about. This is all light fresh coconut on me, almost drifting into suntan lotion territory but not quite.