The Snow Storm

[heartlilly]

Winter aconite, balsam fir, cedar leaf, and white mint.

This smells like walking through the mountains on a sunny day when the snow is begining to melt slightly.
It smells very fresh and crisp. It is very green, but gentle not too sharp. It really smells cold and faintly sweet.

[hypatia]

In the bottle: Wet slushy snow, like The Darkling Thrush only without the violets.

 

Just on: Mint and evergreen, with mint predominating. Wow, this smells like cold. You know how the inside of your mouth feels when you breathe in the air on a cold day? That's what this is like. I think the menthol in the mint must be behind that effect, but still, it's neat.

 

After a few minutes it seems to warm up, almost literally. The chilly icy top notes wear off and the sweeter warmer note (sort of floral, sort of fruity; reminds me of something, but I don't know what) comes through. But it still stays minty and piney enough to say "Evergreen forest!"

 

I tried this as a room scent and got almost exactly the same set of notes, so I think this must be one of the ones that don't react much with my chemistry. Plus it made my living room smell indefinably cool and fresh. Maybe I'll repeat the experiment this summer.

[gchris]

In Vial: Refreshing. Can smell the fir, the hint of mint and a hint of sweetness from the aconite. Cannot wait to put it on!

 

On Skin: Very fresh! Smell a hint of green melon, I think it is probably a mix of the notes. The fir and cedar notes give your nasal passage a wake-up call, likening to eucalyptus.

 

Drydown: The pungency of the tree notes disappear and all that is left is the fragrance of the aconite which has a very clean, soapy smell. I am not sure I would wear this as a perfume, but I can see using it as a linen spray or maybe an after bath spray.

[enderfem]

Imp: Smells the way mint gum tastes on winter mornings. I like it in the imp!

 

Wet: I can smell what I think is the cedar along with the mint. This smells cold, just like winter. What I hoped Numb would be like.

 

Drydown: A clean, cold smell, a little on the sweet side. I really like this and wish I had more.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Piney woods, with a hint of mint and ozone.

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle - Fir, cedar leaf and mint. It's refreshing, not Pine Sol. It smells like a cold winter morning in a pine forest.

 

Wet on skin - It's more minty, with the fir and cedal leaf sharing olfactory senses equally. Chilly and fresh!

 

Dry on skin - Sharp fir and cedar; the mint has faded a little bit. This scent would also be great in an oil burner. My guy says that this smells "amazing."

[Coldfire]

Bottle: The greenness of the fir and cedar are your prime scent on first sniff

Wet on Me: Still piney style goodness for now

Drying Down: smells like a Christmas tree lot. Not getting much of the mint at all

Dry: Lovely Christmas-y tree goodness. This is such the winter scent for me. Clean and green and sharp and makes me wish for snow!

[stellans]

This blend proves why the listing of notes in a blend should not be a reason to never try that blend. I have a huge gag reflex caused by mint; it truly is my 'bane,' as the icon I sometimes use in my sig file (made by <b>moonarcana</b>) so decoratively says.

This blend, though listing mint as a note, is so nicely done, so well-balanced, that the mint does not emerge separately but helps make the 'snow' scent cold and realistic, along with the aconite and other elements. This is my daytime counterpart to my beloved nighttime Lunacy, Snow Moon. It's a bit lighter, and the snow scent is more pronounced than in the Lunacy, but that only adds to my love for this blend. The Snow Storm is #2 on my list of Top Ten BPAL LE favorites, and I have collected quite a few bottles to hoard. I want to be able to wear this whenever I want for a long, long time. It's just that good. 5 of 5 stars, with no hesitation.

Edited August 25, 2010 by stellans

[Gardenia]

This smells like cool, icy fir trees. It's an amazingly done blend which truly reminds me of a snowy forest. Very nice for around Yule, but I'm discovering it's also quite nice for hot summer days as it reminds me of cooler times.

[Dark Alice]

In the imp: icy, cool, fir trees.

 

Wet on the skin: Ice cool, hint of fir

 

Drydown: I smell like a fir scented car freshner. Rats.

 

[Invidiana]

Equal parts snowy and evergreen, this scent is a perfect crisp winter blend that isn't too jarring or astringent. It just makes me think of standing outside on a chill winter's night surrounded by powder-laden evergreens and endless drifts of glittering snow bathed in the moonlight. The white mint adds just a slight zing of refreshment that complements but doens't overpower it. Reminds me of the blizzard of '96 when the snow was so thick I could jump into them headfirst without hitting the ground. Perfect snowiness

[raisin]

This was such an extreme journey, I needed to dig up this thread.

 

In the bottle and for the first five minutes of wear, I got the most glorious pine. I wish I knew exactly what it was, because I've been trying to identify it for months, actually. There's a stretch of freeway here in LA that smells exactly like this at night, all green and pine with that hint of Vicks VapoRub. I adore it, and I'd been hunting for something similar.

Just at the point where I'm loving this smell, and super happy I've discovered it, I remember that this isn't actually anything I want to smell like, and bam! The scent changes. The pine disappears almost totally, and I'm left with that very cold smell of winter, which I've missed (again, LA). I love the way that winter seems to freeze all smells, and that's exactly what I get from this. It's clean and cold and neutral enough I can actually wear the scent at this stage! It may be perfect for hot summer days.

Edited May 4, 2010 by raisin

[Schmoozy]

The Snow Storm truly captures the feeling and scent of what it is like to be caught in the middle of a snow storm in the woods. This is a very Schmoozy-esque scent. It's woodsy, and earthy, icy and minty. Millions upon millions of snowflakes whirling around you at rapid speed and as they land on the trees, the needles and dead leaves are damp and emit this scent. Stunning.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Evergreen, sharp, fresh. Nose-tingling and biting, thin like winter air.

 

On skin: The Snow Storm is a living winter pine forest, the lushest evergreen I've smelled so far. It's crisp and thin, all edges, without any roundedness or warmth or friendliness. Much to my relief, the mint is completely overshadowed by the more pleasant fir and cedar. While it doesn't actually feel cold on skin (my skin chemistry working its wonders here), the sharp dryness still manages to evoke winter. Yet it has a sap-like quality that makes it just this little bit sweet (in an evergreen way). Overall, this is unadulterated evergreen, without the warmth that, say, Golden Priapus and Black Forest have from their other notes. Colour impression is a blackish, dark hunter green.

 

Verdict: I keep rediscovering and falling in love with The Snow Storm, it's such a beautiful, pure, wintry forest. Not a scent I'd wear on a regular basis, but I'm definitely hanging on to my imp.

[countessmouse]

I receive a bottle as a fairy gift package and I am so, so happy with it! It's like walking through an evergreen forest on a chilly winter day.

[ayelienne]

This smells like shopping for a Christmas tree with mom and dad on one of those crappy weather kind of evenings that you get in December in Northeastern Ohio.

[het4377]

This blend . . . is not quite what I had been expecting from a blend called "The Snow Storm". I was thinking a whole lot of mint, snow and crisp cold pines. In the bottle, this is surprisingly green, fresh and spring-y.

Wet on skin: I'm getting a lot of the Lab's snow note, no mint, and a vaguely soapy pine.

 

Dry on skin: the blend becomes unpleasant and soapy and heavy. Don't ask me to pull out notes or add more description than that, because I just can't. There's just too much soap.

 

After a while: this fades just a hair and becomes infinitely more tolerable. back to pine with a hint of snowy and a hint of the winter aconite (aka butercup family flower).

Final Verdict: This is clearly a late winter sort of snowstorm that hits at just the wrong time to kill all the spring flowers that were just staring to pop up. I find both Snow-Flakes and Snow Maiden to be VERY similar to this blend (both of which I prefer to The Snow Storm), with Snow-Flakes being a touch more cold/minty and devoid of the greenery, while Snow Maiden takes the florals to the next level, drops the coniferous notes, and keeps the snow.

Rating: 2/5

If you like this, try: The Snow Maiden, Snow Flakes, Snow White, The Waltz of the Snowflakes

 

Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

[Atrous]

The scent of a forest on a chilly, winter day.

Balsam Fir, leaves, herbs, and a touch of non-fruity berries.

The mint adds to the chilliness of the scent.

Reminds me of a cross between Skadi and Dark Rosaleen.

Absolutely love this!

Glad I snapped up a bottle off Etsy.

[HerbGirl]

Cold, bracing, snow flocked evergreens in 20 degree weather with the sun just coming over the mountains. This is the first BPAL bottle I ever bought, back in '07 and I can't believe I haven't written a review yet! I've been hiking in the snowy Alaskan mountains for the past week and this is the scent I was reminded of. THIS is what it smells like when the sun hits the snow flocked evergreens. As this has aged, there seems to be a tiny hint of sweet vanilla. I love this as much now as I did when I first got my bottle but it has softened a bit, smeared together a bit and has recaptured my heart. If there is one blend I would love to see return for Yules this year, it is The Snowstorm. 💜

Edited October 25, 2020 by HerbGirl

[Llanval]

I don't know the exact provenance of my bottle is, it's either a direct purchase in 2007 or from the lab's etsy page but either way, this perfume is now almost 15 years old and it still holds a scent.  It has zero throw but I do smell it and can absolutely tell that this was STUNNING fresh.  This is so so my kinda Yule scent to wear and it really does smell like taking a walk through a brisk, glittering, bitterly cold pine forest in winter.  I smell berries, pine, cold snow and just a ghost of smashed leaf litter and dirt. And to still be so lovely after so many years?! I am thrilled that my ever growing collection will hopefully hold up as the years pass.

 

Despite it's age and low throw, this is a beautiful scent just chock full of wispy, wistful winter memories of picking out a xmas tree, snow crunching underfoot, getting lost in the fields of trees while looking for the perfect one to take home, the sweet chill of winter air following the tree inside, y'know, all that good shit. I really really hope this comes back into the catalogue for a Yule release because I think this would be a top 10 for me when its fresh.