Ivanushka

[mamoyer]

Settle in for a nice long fairytale, folks! Or you could just scroll down... but that's much less fun. --Shollin

 

Ivanushka took his little sister, Alenushka, by the hand, and whispered to her, "Since our dear mother and father have died, we have had no joy. Our wicked stepmother beats us every morning and every evening. Our stepsister is cruel, and she laughs as stepmother beats us with switches. Our meals are dry, moldy crusts of bread. May the Lord have mercy on us! Come, little sister, we will set forth together into the great, wide world, for surely there can be nothing worse for us than we have in this house."

 

They walked and walked through meadows and fields, past sagging, abandoned cottages, and through barren, stony plains. Rain began to fall upon their tiny brows. "Heaven weeps with our hearts", Little Alenushka sighed. At nightfall, they came to a large, dark forest. Though the forest was frightening, the children were so weary with fear, hunger, and fatigue that they crawled into a hollow tree and fell asleep together.

 

The children's wicked stepmother was a black-hearted woman, and a witch, to boot. When she discovered that the children had run away, she crept behind them, using her magic for stealth, and watched them as they walked, and watched them as they slept. They awoke as the noon sun beat hot and bright upon the hollow tree. Ivanushka said, "Sister, I am terribly thirsty. I think I hear a brook; please, let us find it!"

 

Laughing to herself, the witch sped to all the brooks in the forest, ensorcelling them.

 

The children came across the first brook, and Brother Ivanushka rushed towards it. Alenushka, though, heard the voice of the water as it skipped over the slippery stones:

 

Whoever drinks of me will be a tiger.

 

Alenushka cried, "Oh Brother, please, please do not drink, or you will become a wild beast and will tear me to pieces!"

 

Ivanushka ignored his thirst, and did not drink. "Sister, I will wait," he said, and the children continued through the forest.

 

When they came across the next brook, Alenushka heard it whisper:

 

Whoever drinks of me will be a wolf.

 

"Dear Brother!" she cried. "Please do not drink from this brook, or you will transform into a wolf, and you will eat me!" Ivanushka did not drink, but he was truly suffering.

 

"Sister, I will wait."

 

When they came to the third brook, he could take the pain no longer, and he rushed forward, plunging his hands into the water even as his sister wailed, "Oh Brother! This brook speaks as well! You will become a roebuck, and you will run away from me!" But Ivanushka could not resist, and as soon as the first droplets of water touched his lips, he became a deer.

 

Alenushka wept, and collapsed to the ground. In his heart, the roe wept with her. The roe moved slowly and sorrowfully closer to his sister. Alenushka dried her tears and whispered, "Dear Brother, I will never, ever leave you. This, I promise."

 

She untied her golden garters and put them around the deer's neck. She plucked pliable rushes and wove them into a simple cord. She tied the cord to the garters, and led her brother deeper into the forest.

 

They walked on and on, for hours and hours, deeper and deeper into the forest. At last, they came to a small cottage. Alenushka peeked into one of the windows, and the cottage seemed be empty. She thought to herself, "We can stay here together; we will live here."

 

Every morning she gathered berries to eat, and brought grasses for her brother. Ivanushka's voice whispered to her heart, and she found that though he had changed to a deer, her brother still retained a boy's voice. They walked together through the forest, and played what games they could. At night, she said her prayers, and laid her head upon the roebuck's back as she drifted off to sleep.

 

One day, hunting horns sounded in the distance. The howl and bark of dogs and the raucous shouts of the huntsmen echoed through the forest, and the siblings knew that the King's Great Hunt had begun.

 

"Please, Sister! Let me be off to the Hunt!" the roebuck cried. She hesitated, worried for his safety. "Sister, I am wild, and this is now my nature. Please, I cannot bear it. Let me run with the hunt! I am fleet of foot, and I am young; I will outrun them!" He begged and pleaded, and her resolve crumbled. She agreed, but said, "Come back to me in the evening. I must shut the door to the cottage, as I fear the rough huntsmen. So when you return to me, you must knock and say, 'My Little Sister, let me in!' I will then know it is you. If you do not say this, I will not open the door."

 

The little deer kissed his sister's hand, and leapt merrily into the forest.

 

The King and his huntsmen saw the graceful roebuck with the golden collar and started after him, but he was swift and spry, and they could not catch their prey. When it was dark, the roebuck sped to the cottage. He knocked upon the door with his hoof and said, "My Little Sister, let me in!" Alenushka opened the door, and her brother leapt into the tiny house. They whispered and sang until they both grew tired, and slept the night through on the soft bed of grass.

 

The next day, the Hunt began anew. When the roebuck heard the trumpets and bugles in the distance, his blood stirred. "Sister, please let me out! It is time, and I must run!" She opened the door for him and said, "Remember: you must come back to me in the evening, knock, and say the password."

 

When the King and his men saw the roebuck again, they gave chase. The creature was so swift and nimble that the chase ran on the whole day. At twilight, one of the hunter's arrows found the roe's foot. The roe was forced to slow his run, and as he limped back to the cottage, one of the hunters tracked him. As the hunter hid behind the large and shadowy trees, he heard the roe knock on the cottage door and he heard the roe whisper, "My Little Sister, let me in." The hunter saw a flash of pale skin and gleaming russet hair as Alenushka opened the door for her injured brother.

 

The huntsman raced back to his King, and told him all that he had seen and heard. Intrigued, the King said, "Tomorrow, friends, we will hunt once more."

 

Alenushka was terrified when she saw that her brother was hurt. She cleaned his wound, and washed the blood from his fur. She laid herbs on his foot, and bound it with fresh cloth. The wound was so slight that, after a night of rest and with the aid of his sister's gentle ministrations, he did not feel the injury at all. When he heard the calls of the huntsmen and the howl of the dogs, his blood stirred again, and he said, "I must run, Little Sister! Let me out!"

 

"I shall not!" Alenushka cried. "You are injured, and they will catch you. They will catch and kill you, and I will be alone in the forest. I will not let you out."

 

"Sister, I am wild. This is now my nature. If you do not set me free, I will perish from grief."

 

Alenushka had no choice, so she opened the door with a heavy heart. "I am weak with fear for you, Brother."

 

"You have nothing to fear, Little Sister. I am fleet of foot, and I am young; I will outrun them!"

 

With that, he bounded joyfully into the forest.

 

Soon, the King spotted the roebuck with the golden collar. He said to his men, "Chase him all day long; he will tire. But take care, and none of you shall do him any harm. We will track the beast."

 

At twilight, the King said to his men, "The roe is still giving chase. Now you will show me the cottage in the woods." The King crept to the door, knocked, and whispered, "Dearest Little Sister, let me in." The door opened, and the King entered the tiny house. Before him stood a young maiden, the loveliest he had ever seen. Her ivory skin shone like moonlight, and her auburn hair hung in long, thick waves around a perfect, beautiful face made wise by sadness and despair. The maiden was frightened when she saw, not her beloved brother, but a tall and dark-haired man with a golden crown upon his head. But the King's face was handsome and his eyes were kind, and he said to her, softly, "You have won my heart, fairest of ladies. Will you go with me to my palace and be my wife? I will love you all of my days."

 

His voice struck her heart, and she said, "Yes, sir, I will. But the little roebuck must come with us. I cannot leave him."

 

The King took her tiny hand in his, and said, "The deer shall stay with you for as long as you live, and you both shall want nothing." At that moment, the roe came running into the cottage. He stopped, startled. His sister stroked his fur gently, and looped the cord of rushes through his collar. The three, together, left the tiny cottage in the woods.

 

The King set the maiden upon his horse, and carried her to his castle. A splendid, joyful wedding was held with great pageantry, and courtiers from across the land came to pay their respects to their liege. Alenushka was now Queen, and they lived together in happiness in peace. The roebuck was cared for and cherished, and ran happily through the castle gardens. The King and Queen basked in the joy of true love.

 

The wicked stepmother, whose cruelty had forced the siblings out into the world, believed that Alenushka had been torn to shreds by wild beasts in the forest, and that Ivanushka, as a roebuck, had been slain as a trophy by huntsmen. One day, while the crone was purchasing herbs in the marketplace, she heard that the King had married. She heard tales of the kindness and beauty of the new Queen, and her curiosity was piqued. She traveled to the castle, huddled under the rags of a beggar woman. The Queen was outside the castle giving alms to the poor. Her pale face was lit with joy, and her auburn hair was set aflame by the light of the sun and her golden, bejeweled crown. The wicked stepmother saw that this Queen was the child she had scorned. When she saw the happiness in Alenushka's eyes, her black heart clenched with poisonous envy. She fled back to her home, seething with hatred.

 

The crone had no peace, and thought of nothing else over the next few days except how to bring the Queen misfortune. Her own wretched daughter, one-eyed and ugly and bent as sin, groused, "A Queen, indeed! That ought to have been my luck. You should have killed those children yourself. You should have slashed them with a knife, or beaten them with a cudgel. Then I would now be Queen."

 

"Be quiet," hissed the old woman. She turned to her daughter and cooed, "When the time comes, we shall be ready."

 

After a time, the Queen gave birth to a beautiful boy. One day, the King went hunting, and the wicked stepmother seized upon the opportunity. The old crone used her magic to take the form of a chamber maid, and went into the room where the Queen lay. She said to the Queen, "Come, my dear, your bath is ready. It will do you good, and will renew your strength. Make haste, or the water shall go cold!"

 

The crone's daughter was also nearby, and the two of them carried the birth-weak Queen to the bath room. Gently, they lowered her into the bath, then they crept out, and shut the door. Using her magic, the crone set a huge, ferocious fire blazing within the bath room, and the Queen died from suffocation.

 

When this evil deed was done, the witch took her daughter and laid a glamour upon her wretched daughter's countenance so she would take the shape of the dead Queen. Her magic could not replace her daughter's missing eye, so she bade her daughter lie down in bed in a way that the King could not see it.

 

In the evening, the King went to the bedchamber to see his wife and infant son. But the crone called out, "My King! Keep the bedcurtains closed. The Queen should not see light yet, and she must have rest." The King left, and did not see that an imposter lay in his bed.

 

At midnight, while all in the castle slept, the nurse, who was sitting by the Prince's cradle, saw a ghostly form approach the baby. Shocked, she saw that this phantom was her Queen. The Ghost Queen took the child out of the cradle and held it. She crooned a soft lullaby to the child, and set him back down in his cradle. She tucked a blanket around the infant, and caressed his tiny face. In the corner of the nursery, the roe lay on a bed of velvet. The Ghost Queen stopped and stroked the roe's fur lovingly, then glided silently through the door.

 

The nurse did not believe her eyes, and thought the shadows within the castle and the lateness of the hour were creating strange fancies.

 

The next morning the nurse, shaken, asked the guards whether anyone had come into the palace during the night, but they answered, "No, we have seen no one."

 

The Ghost Queen visited the nursery many nights in silence. The nurse always saw her, but she did not dare to tell anyone about it, though she feared that she might be losing her mind.

 

Meanwhile, the King tried to visit his Queen every evening, and each time, the crone waved him away. "My King! Keep the bedcurtains closed. The Queen should not see light yet, and she must have rest." The King left, and still did not see that an imposter lay in his bed.

 

After many days, the Ghost Queen finally spoke to the nurse as she left the Prince's bedchamber --

 

"How fares my child, how fares my roe?

Twice shall I come, then never more."

 

In terror, the nurse did not answer, but when the Queen had vanished, the nurse could bear it no longer. She ran to the King and told him all she had seen and heard. The King said, "What phantom is this that stalks my son's bed? Tomorrow night I will watch by the child."

 

In the evening he went into the nursery, and sat hidden in the shadows. At midnight, the Ghost Queen appeared and said -

 

"How fares my child, how fares my roe?

Once more will I come, then never more."

 

The King did not dare to speak to the ghost, but on the next night he returned to the shadows of the Prince's bedchamber. At midnight, the Ghost Queen returned, and said --

 

"How fares my child, how fares my roe?

This time I come, then never more."

 

The King leapt forward, and stared deep into the ghost's unearthly eyes. He saw the maiden that he had fallen in love with, and cried, "You can be none other than my beloved Queen!"

 

The ghost whispered, "Yes, my Lord, I am your wife."

 

The King rose to embrace her, and as the King's tears fell upon her ghostly form, the Queen was filled with life. Her body became solid, her cheeks flushed with love. Weeping, Alenushka told her husband the tale of her murder. The King and his guard stormed into the Queen's bedchamber and arrested the witch and her daughter. They were dragged before the judge, and were sentenced. The daughter was taken to the forest, where she was bound and left to be shredded by wild animals. The crone was cast into a fire with stones tied to her throat, and died a terrible death. At the moment of the crone's demise, the roebuck was transformed back into a young man, and thus the sister and brother lived the rest of their lives, happily ever after.

 

Soft, velvety fur and warm musk, brushed by forest woods and dusted by dry leaves.

 

First review, hmm? I'll try my best.

 

In the bottle, it smells like pickles. Not strongly. Very faint. Smells the same way wet on my skin.

Five minutes later: this smells exactly like fur. Like, a rabbit's foot. Or a fur throw. It smells just like sticking your nose in a clean fur, or going into a store that sells only fur/leather products. My nose is still n00bish, but I can't really make out any other notes. Maybe the musk, but it's blended really well.

 

Verdict: The scent is really evocative and comforting, but do I want to smell like fur? Maybe--I mean, it smells GOOD after the pickle fades, don't get me wrong. I'll wait and let it settle, try it a few more times, etc.

 

ETA: Almost 3 hrs later, this smells like fur covered in musky powder. Deodorant, is that you? Anyway, it's a strangely clean scent. I'm also thinking of wearing a coat, boots, and hat (all lined with clean fur) on a crisp autumn day but staying inside a log cabin with no fire in the fireplace while your sister or something coats herself with dusting powder. I have a strange imagination.

 

2nd ETA: Regarding the pickle smell, I think the bottle was just too fresh or something. I tried Ivanushka again today and the pickle smell that had assailed my nostrils upon opening the bottle before was gone!

Edited November 21, 2007 by Shollin
Added the story --Shollin

[dronzeka]

I kind of get pickle initially, too! I was wondering what that smell was!

 

And yup, it's clean fur. It's soft and warm without being sweet. I'm not the best at identifying musks or woods, so I have to apologize for this being a lame review. It's a warm autumn kind of scent, like fur and dry leaves in the sun in the winter. After a couple of hours, there is a kind of powdery element to it, but in a nice way.

 

(So, um, yeah, I could just say, "what paperbacknovel said!")

[flyingpizza]

Oh, I don't get pickle at all! This is just lovely, warm, softness, but with nice throw. It is in the same camp as Hunter Moon and Coyote, but doesn't get powdery at all. This is so nice.

 

ETA: The bottle art is gorgeous, too!

Edited November 14, 2007 by flyingpizza

[pariahsdream]

I wanna like this one, I really do, but I'm trying to decide whether I need another musky scented perfume.

 

In the bottle this is just gorgeous to me- light, fresh....like walking into the woods somehow. Very different than most stuff and that pleased me initially.

 

And then I put it on.

 

Now, don't get me wrong, I like it...but it's just okay. It's a 'sweet' musk if you ask me, and that wasn't what I was hoping for- I was hoping for some depth. Then it turned powdery sweet on me and then I was disappointed. I'm hoping aging will help this one and I don't wanna give it up just yet.

[squirrelmonkey]

Oh, how lovely! I'm really not a musk person, but this one was named after a childhood fairytale favorite, so had to try it.

 

In the bottle, I smell a very soft musk and not much else. Wet, it sweetens and deepens, and there's a dry leaf note coming out -- a little similar to October, but lighter and without bitterness. It dries to a really gorgeous woody sweet smell -- not quite October, but maybe September? There's still the musky sweetness and dry leaves, but very light and not at all bitter-crumbly... just like freshly fallen birch leaves underfoot. A very evocative smell. Will be keeping the bottle. Oh, and one of the cats really likes it!

[portalkat]

I don't get pickles, although I think that I know what the smell is that others are talking about. I think that it might be something combining with the wood notes. For me, Ivanushka is a soft musk with sweet wood notes and something sort of floral in the background..........maybe a bit of violet? I think that this is really lovely.

[Lionesse]

I don't get pickles either, yay! But, I do get a powdery smell in the bottle, which doesn't bode well for me.

 

First on, I get a soft musk. I definitely get the reference to soft warm fur. But sadly, this starts to morph into baby powder on me. This is a special weirdness of mine apparently, as my skin turns Snake Oil into baby powder too. *sigh*

 

The bottle art is so cute

[ivyandpeony]

To answer the most important question first - no, I don't smell pickles And I don't smell "fur" either, but what I associate with the smell of fur is Fritos - anyone who has a bulldog, a bull terrier or a related breed should be able to relate to that. So for me to say, no fur smell, is a good thing, unless you are looking for a tortilla-chip-scented BPAL.

 

In fact, it would probably be much easier for me to list off things that Ivanushka does not smell like, because it's such a difficult perfume to describe. It doesn't smell like any other BPAL I can recall smelling. It is light, and warm, and musky. It's sunshiny without being bright - dappled sunlight on leaves. Not too dry and not too sweet. It has a powdery feel but isn't baby-powdery. It's beautiful and evocative - I close my eyes and picture the forest and different scenes from the story.

 

And I wub the little deer on the label too.

[Morrea]

In the bottle and wet on skin: very musky, with a little bit of something faint and creamy and warm in the background - smells just a touch like coconut to my nose.

 

On drydown: still very musky, with hints of the burnt rubber thing that vanilla does on my skin, and something violet-powdery.

 

A very, very musky blend. I don't get any pickles or leaves out of this, and it doesn't strike me as furry (it doesn't smell at all like my cat) but I'm fairly confident that this has vanilla and orris in it, neither of which I like very much. As others have said, Coyote and Hunter Moon fill the same musk niche, without fighting my skin chemistry the way Ivanushka does.

[oakmoss]

This strikes me as a very gentle scent, in the same family as Blood Pearl in terms of softly powdery comfort. There is a faint floral spiciness, like violet or orris with carnation, but only a whisper of this, under the furry musk. It actually smells rather like the back of my cat Morpheus's neck, but without making my eyes itch.

[porcelina]

oh i love this! in the bottle i do get the pickle that a couple of others have mentioned but it disappears when it hits my skin. on my wrist i get this gorgeous, clean, furry musk- like the musk in hunter moon but without the berry/wine and evergreen smell i get from HM. there's some wood in there, too. aah! ivanushka is wonderful.

[this machine]

I think i'm in love. I don't know about the fur aspects because i guess i just can't envision what fur would smell like, but this is a warm, soft (not remotely powdery on me), sweet musk with excellent throw. Definitely in the Hunter Moon and Coyote camp like someone else said. It's gorgeous and feels like a wonderful, cozy cloak around me. Love, love, love it.

[Hayet]

I have a hard time smelling musks, and I can barely smell Ivanushka at all.

Funny people mentioned pickles, though....my husband smelled parsley. But once it warms up, it's a very faint, but sweet, musk. Barely any throw, and it only lasted about an hour on me. But as I said, I have a hard time smelling straight-up musk. It reminded me a bit of Buck Moon.

 

Come to think of it, it does smell a little like the sweet scent of my cat's fur. It's very nice!

[HappyLoveJoy]

First of all I love this. When I read the reviews before I got my bottle, I was afraid of the pickle note. Now that I have my bottle I do indeed smell pickles---not sour dill pickles but sweet and tangy bread & butter pickles with a fruity quality (olive fruit/leaf?). The good news is that it goes away almost immediately once it's on the skin. Whatever it is that's pickle-y needs to be there or this may smell different and it's perfect just the way it is. I thought I'd have a hard time smelling the fur but I can smell it very well and it reminds me of my little gray dwarf bunny I had years ago. This is the smell of fur and skin that holds life within it. It's warm and sweet, fresh and green, powdery yet juicy like succulent grasses. This dries down to a really beautiful crystalline musk that's sweet and powdery with a suede/leather scent mixed in. I will need another bottle for certain. A+

[JennyGardener]

Ivanushka is a very soft scent straight out of the bottle. When I first applied it to my skin, there was a vinegarish whiff. That might correspond with some people's perception of pickles. I compare it to the strong chemicals one might use to process skins into leather or furs. Next, there is a powerful scent of soft buttery leather (the really high-quality stuff) or expensive furs. As the drying progresses, I catch hints of pine, hints of dry leaves, and hints of snow. The next wave reminds me of coming in out of the snow. Snow is falling off and melting on the floor. Wafting from the room is a sharpness that reminds me of crushed flowers -violet? iris? Then there's just softness. Innocence. Children sleeping peacefully in flannel. So beautiful and sweet. After a while, the musk grows up a bit into a woman's scent. She's retained her childlike sweetness of heart, though. She's become a princess.

 

Like Baba Yaga, this scent tells a wonderful tale. I'd describe the overal sensation as snow and light musk.

 

Unfortunately that snowy hint must be what makes me headachey. Alas! I was so sure I'd love this one that I bought two bottles. Now I have to swap it for something else.

[Tulliver]

This is lovely. This is FAR more lovely than I expected it to be, and I fully expected to like it.

 

I don't get the pickle smell that's been picked up by a lot of people - but then I think by pickle they're talking about what I'd call a gherkin, and not a pickled onion. And I THINK I know the note they're picking out.

 

To be honest, when I first sniffed at this in the bottle I wasn't overly hopeful. It smells a little sharp - with perhaps a slight sourness to it. However, not to be deterred, it was duly applied to the wrist.

 

And OOOOOOOOOOH! I immediately got the feeling of wonderful, soft brown fur. I wanted to wrap myself in it and keep warm - which is a little difficult with a liquid, but you know what I mean. The leaves are there - a little dusty after a while, which is a lovely touch.

 

I'm surprising myself with the leafy/woodsy scents. I really didn't think I'd like them as much as I'm discovering I do. Ivanushka is no exception. I really like this and it will definitely get plenty of wear from me over the coming months.

[Court Analyst/Strategist]

There's a little sharpness initially that quickly goes away and dries down to a soft, sweet musk. Not very much like Buck Moon, actually, but its in the same scent family. Pleasant smelling, and there is a sort of furry texture to the way the scent smells, I keep inhaling on my wrist to try and identify it. All I really get is a warm, slightly sweet musk with a powdery feel to it (note: the scent doesn't turn to powder, it just has a powdery feel after the drydown), so Ivanushka is a pretty simple scent on my skin chemistry. No need for a second bottle, but I might keep the first for a while in hopes that more notes show up with aging.

 

Court

Edited November 20, 2007 by Court Analyst/Strategist

[Ravenclaw79]

This one's pretty nice and fairly constant. It started as baby powder, then powder with an interesting sweetness to it. For a little while, it sorta smelled like bathroom, like a scented toilet paper or a room spray you might use in the bathroom. Overall, it's a very soft, powdery smell, with a hint of almost vanilla-y sweetness in the background. There's no temptation to find another bottle, but it's a nice scent (and I probably won't trade the bottle away, 'cause it's too darn pretty).

[myth]

In the bottle and on wet: There is a sharp sort of skanky note at first that's scary. [i see from reading the other reviews that some are getting it as pickle.] Under that I can smell wood and something that reminds me of the recent Scorpio. In the first minute or so the skank rolls off [this is SO hard to describe... it makes me think of mustard and feet but it is really neither of those] and a soft powderyness rises from underneath. On me this isn't *ewww Johnson & Johnson's* powder, it's more of a feminine powder. The fur rolls in at this stage, and if you put the powder and fur together it might smell like the fur coat of a rich old lady that over time has taken on a bit of her scent. Here what used to be the skank seems to have morphed into a sort of bitter dry leaf scent.

 

In the end this is more soft fur and musk than woods and leaves... it's not fur *in* the woods, it's fur that has been playing in the woods and is now home curled up before the fire. It's a warm and comforting kind of scent, but if you find a touch of powder off-putting it might not be for you. I was hoping for more woods, myself, so I'm kinda on the fence as to whether I'll keep it or not. It's in a similar vein as the recent Hunter Moon [only without the wine] and a tad reminiscent of Scorpio which I lurve so much I have a little hoard of it, so I'm thinking I might not really need this one too.

[alianthe]

I must preface this review by pointing out that after having read about it, I had to try it, and I had great high hopes for this scent.

 

In the bottle: Complex. Definitely some wintry forest & animal notes going on, but it's more sort of... disjointed imagery to me. Birch trees and melting dripping snow, and something under it. Could go good or bad, I just hope it resolves into one thing.

 

On me: Warm, furry, alive. Shares some of the same notes with this year's Hunter Moon - the parts I liked best. Oddly comforting, though it isn't a human sort of thing. More animal and immediate. Like other reviewers, I interpret this as a warm furry creature that carries the scent of wet winter forests but is now indoors.

As time goes on and tea is drunk by me, it fades out a little at a time, starting with the animal/fur heart of the scent. After four hours it's all melting snow on decomposing leaves. Birch trees on a bright and sunny dripping day.

 

Conclusions: Oh, lovely. Wonderful wonderful imagery.

[tartchef]

Poopstick. Ivanushka whapped me in the face with a bag of baby powder. Every once in a while, I think I might be getting a bit of musk, or fur, or orris, but the good ol' J&J wins out every time. I'm going to cellar this for a week or two & see if it calms down...

[alicia_stardust]

IVANUSHKA

 

This is warm and velvety. It is so musky yet it is clean and gentle instead of being swarthy or perfumey. I get a strong sense of downy fur, cold forest air, and the earthen and leafy surface of the forest. It is so evocative and so comforting. There's almost, almost a spice behind that musk, and the scent of the leaves reminds me strongly of something that I believe is in Blood Moon 2005.

 

Musks are at the top of my favorite notes list, and I really love this scent. Even if you are a person that struggles with wearing some musks you must try this. It is truly unique and takes the idea of musks in a new direction. It is so lovely and it fits the story so well.

[euterpe414]

This is simply gorgeous. It's a very soft musk with a touch of herbs and leaves. I don't really get a pickle note, perhaps my skin chemistry just tkaes this one in another direction (thank goodness, since the smell of pickles is not something I'm shooting for...) As it dries down I get hints of iris... other than that change it stays pretty much the same on me throughout. This is a close to the skin sort of scent, and is oh so snuggly and warm. I love it, and will cherish my little bottle of it.

[couscous]

Ivanushka smells like Buck Moon and White Light's little baby boy!

 

The scent, which you can barely smell until you put it on your skin, has inherited White Light's unidentified, effervescent floral note- kind of lilac, kind of cotton blossom, but neither one of those- and pairs it with an extremely sheer musk (which you can only identify as such because you smell something kind of skin-like). The main top is rounded out by the slightest- and I mean slightest- touch of snow slush.

 

If you just "checked out" when you read my mention of snow slush- don't! Trust me! I don't like the pine slush notes, and I love Ivanushka . It smells light, pure, and virtuous, and I got compliments on it as soon as I put it on. Beth, this was such an unexpected treat! Thank you so much!!

 

P.S.- As an added aside, this bottle has the most beautiful doe artwork I've ever seen. Gorgeous.

[catwoman30]

This oil is such an enigma to me...I admit I was drawn to it based on the beautiful fairytale accompanying it.When I first got it, I opened the bottle and could hardly smell anything....it worried me a bit.No pickles for me -not much of anything except a very light, almost muted creamy sandalwood.Once I applied it I was still unsure-the scent seemed to blossom a bit upon application.I kept sniffing it and I think maybe I was expecting more of a musky scent and was actually a little disappointed ....so I decided to swap it.Well as is my habit, before swapping I usually give my oils one more chance before sending them on their merry way....and I am SO glad I did.Maybe I was having an 'off' day when I first tried this, but today is a completely different story.It is still a soft scent, but I am in love!!!!I kept getting whiffs of something amazing-similar to the dry down of Velvet(on me at least) and I realized it was Ivanushka!!!I am ecstatic with this oil and will actually be seeking out more......

Edited November 23, 2007 by catwoman30