Perchta

[lunaticana]

Her scent is a blend of wild musk, snow, and alpine flora: Nigritella lithopolitanica, aconite, crocus, touch-me-not, edelweiss, Iris variegate, and violet.

 

this scent smelles of pure yellow blooms growing in wintertime

[inurbanus]

Well, first of all, Perchta wins the "most potent Yule in the bottle prize", which really freaked me out, since all my Yule blends smelled like pine, and when I finally smelled this one I was able to figure out who the culprit was. Because of this, I was nervous to try Perchta, as I don't like pine. But I'm glad I did, because Perchta is very different on me. It's got that cold, slushy snow note that a lot of people like, but in this case it's sweetened with soft flowers. I'm not a huge fan of the BPAL snow note, but I kind of like it here, surprisingly. It doesn't seem as aggressive when it's paired with floral notes. I wish this was a little bit stronger, but I'm out of wand caps, so it might just be that my application method is lacking. Anyway, Perchta was a nice surprise. I would recommend it to snow and floral lovers alike, or anyone who lives in a warm climate, as I'm sure this would be great for cooling down.

 

3.5/5

[gchris]

vial: I smells bpal's snow note, musk and something dirty.

wet: smells coloney, with a sweet foody-ness in the background and of course the snow note is stronger. I smell the soapy sweetness of the aconite. At this point all of the notes are well balanced.

dry: this blend stays strong and to me has a background scent of honey lingering behind the rest of the notes even though honey is not mentioned in the notes. This blend is of medium strength all the way around. Notes are still balanced and blended nicely.

[nellieburger]

In the decant: A lovely blend of florals!

 

Wet on skin: Same as in the bottle.

 

Dry on skin: No change at all!!! It’s very feminine.

 

[FallDaze]

Imp -> Slightly masculine. This is actually quite hard for me to pick individual notes out of.

 

Wet-> A very fragrant Christmas tree! The same sweetness as Frau Holle, but not as in your face. Definitely more subdued.

 

After a while -> Oh the violet is peeking out! This blends so nicely! A little on the sweet side though. I'll definitely be keeping my decant, but not sure if I love it enough to warrant a bottle.

[rayvn1]

I was frantically looking for a decant of this before the Yules went down tomorrow and was lucky enough to swap with a lightning fast shipper Now that I have it on my skin, I instantly get a wild, slightly dirty musk. There are strong swaths of pine or another sharp sap plant. The snow note comes ringing through a moment later and last to arrive are some pale flowers in the background. This is really interesting and lovely. Seems to get even better as it dries

[lucyintheSkywithDemons]

Strange enough -

I get A LOT of Ice Queen from this.

 

I get this beautiful "Ice + Snow" note that I get from IQ mostly,

just a hint of frozen fruit and very faint flowers..

 

Its beautiful.

 

All the notes blend together beautifully and

replace my beloved Ice Queen like no other I smelled before.

 

A definite keeper and Back up worthy for me..

 

[savage_rose]

What a beautiful, intricate blend this is! Violet and I normally aren't friends, but it's so light and well-behaved here. The flowers are lovely, beautiful and vaguely chilled by the icy snow notes. There's something lovely and sharply astringent in the background, like rich green stems underneath the cold...the promise of spring in the heart of winter. Perfect .

[Kimocean]

I'm finally getting around to reviewing this but I've been wearing it like crazy.

 

Wet this is strong pine and a blast of musk. Dry it gets gorgeous. The pine falls to the background but never fully disappears and the musk calms down though it stays prominent. Interestingly I get a hint of vanilla in this one along with that classic cold scent that always gives me the impression that there might be a little mint dripped into this blend. My primary impression isn't floral at any stage though there are certainly flowers here.

 

On the very late dry-down I get a gentle vanilla wafting over a soft musk with just a hint of pine far back behind. I love how this smells when I wake up the next morning, soft and sexy with just a hint of the outdoors.

 

ETA: Reading through the other reviews, I see Jeanette solved the vanilla mystery for me--Nigritella lithopolitani. I've always loved orchids so perhaps this is becoming a favorite because this note floats to the front.

 

Edited January 27, 2009 by Kimocean

[anastasia]

I too have not reviewed yet but have been wearing this a lot. I don't know what to say about it because it really captures something for me and feels very personal. I guess it is kind of like on Jan 6th which is supposed to be Perchta's night, I stuck my head out my sliding glass door at about two in the morning. It was very cold and had been snowing but was not at that moment. It was perfectly silent and the sky had that really bright almost twilight illuminated quality that it sometimes does when it has snowed and that is what this fragrance reminds me of. It is solemn but illuminated.

[voodoocatwoman]

In the imp, this is mostly musky floral. It's definitely cold. Wet, a pine note leaps forward. After it dries, the pine takes one step back while the musk and florals dance together. The end result is breathtakingly cold and beautiful.

[emolit]

Yay!

 

 

When I first opened the bottle, I thought it was a mistake.

 

Wet, too many scents at once!

 

Dry down: Chocolate notes, more liek chocolate bloom on a milk chocolate bar, but very airy.

 

Then, the fun begins.

 

The floral notes get higher, and sweep towards the edges, like sunlight on the mountains surrounding an alpine valley. Winter gathers, and the sunshine is obscured by a blizzard, pushing you into the forest. You can still smell the memories of summer, but the swirling snow and grey sky against wet bark makes it tempting to lay down in the drifts.

 

I fell asleep, and woke to rich florals, with a stern backing of Perchta whup-ass to keep them in order. Outrageous staying power, good throw, but the best is kept close. Enjoy!

Edited February 18, 2009 by emolit

[PurringPulsar]

In the imp: pine, snow, and smoke…vetiver even?
Wet on skin: fresh evergreens covered with snow, a bit like Frau Holle but darker.
Dry on skin: interesting. This smells like an earthier, less airy version of Frau Holle. I smell the snow (more ozone-y than usual, very clean and almost soapy) and some pine or fir glazed with ice, I think I can smell musk too, and I do smell flowers. I smell violet, and some fresher, more delicate blooms. I don’t know what most of these flowers smell like but they are not loud flowers, these are quiet and cool. Under it all, a deep dark earthy undertone, which to me has nuances of vetiver, maybe some woods or patchouli too.
After a while: this actually smells a little bit similar to Crimson Christmas now, only a little less soapy/ozoney and with less smoke. the snow note is fresh and strong and smells a lot more pine-like, a bit slushy too. the flowers are discreet but I think they are enhancing the pure snowy scent. there is a little bit of smoke though, a hint of vetiver and smouldering wood. Like a fire burning to keep the cold away…like that scent of smoke that is often wafting through chilly winter air.
Verdict: out of the two winter goddesses of Yule 08, this is the darker, smokier one. The snow note is not as strong but it seems to be more of the ozone-y sleet note from Black Ice, though the flowers may be making it more of a fresher and sharper scent. and those flowers are very pretty, not soapy or bitter at all. But above all, it is a smoky, shadowy scent with a feel of winter bonfires to it. there’s probably a hint of vetiver in here, but it’s not obnoxious. I like it but I think I prefer Frau Holle, this one is a little too ozone-y and vetivery for me, perhaps. (I never got the chocolate that has been mentioned previously.)
Emoticon rating:
Is it a keeper? Not really.
If you like this, try: Frau Holle, Crimson Christmas, Black Ice, Snow Maiden, Old Moon

[Diva Urd]

Vial: Fresh, cold, and a little cleanerish.

On: Um... men's deodorant. Axe, most likely, maybe also one of the Old Spice scents, but definitely in that family of scents. I hope this gets better on drydown... When the scent warms up a bit, I definitely get a distinct pine note and some musk, but so far, no other notes have emerged from the jumble. Let's see what drydown brings... It seems to be less generic deodorant the more it dries.

Later: Once dry, this isn't bad, but it still retains that deodorant vibe, even though it loses its edge and feels like a snowy floral. I'm gonna hold on to the imp, I think. But I don't need more.

[Invidiana]

On me, this is the perfect blend of crisp, snowy pines and winter berries. I know that there are supposedly no berries listed in the notes, so I'm chalking the "berries" up to the specific blend of florals Beth used in this one. They must be sweet florals, and my skin amps anything sweet, hence the "berry" essence. If I could personify this scent, it would definitely be an ice queen with a juniper crown and berry-stained lips. I know there's no juniper listed in the notes either, but the some blending of one or several of the florals with the pine probably brings that about, and I love juniper, so it's a plus for me. A gorgeous snowy-day scent!

[voorishsign]

Was frimped this from a very generous forumite - I don't often have the opportunity to test old LEs so this is wonderful Especially since I love musk and snow notes

 

In the imp - sweet and musky, light florals.

 

On wet - There's some pine there, and mild florals, and a dusting of musk - not at all what I expected but very nice.

 

Drydown - oh, this is soooo nice Snowy pines, perfect musk and a hint of sweetnes. I love it I think I'd like it a bit more without the sweetness . . . but it's a beautiful scent and I will keep it around either for winter or for summer nights when I really want to dream of winter.

[DifferentDances]

Bottle: Musk and something that resembles cedar.

Wet: Sweet snow.

Drydown: Musky snow, but very muted.

Dry: Faint, faint snow and woods.

 

Would I ever wear this? No.

 

My rating: 1/5

[sunshinedaisybliss]

At first this reminds me of Pink Snowballs, but with musky violet in place of the rose. The snow is the forest type - it definitely has a feel of pines and dark green leaves about it.

 

As time goes on, the violet gives way to the other floral notes and the musk also deepens - it's now more complex than the violets+snow combination that I had at the start. It ends up being mainly about the snow, with a blue/purple florals feel, and a layer of musk moving through it. It's quite evocative of the snow-filled forests full of big tall old pine trees and wild winter flowers that I used to tromp through as a child in England.

[sacrilicious]

I'm doing a massive purge of all my imps, so I'm trying things that I haven't touched in ages, and it is the weirdest thing, but Perchta smells EXACTLY like celery on me. It's impressive how accurate it is, but not something I want to smell like.

[CrazyPretzel]

I actually get a different feel from Perchta than in most of the previous reviews. When it's wet I can smell a strong fir scent, but as it dries it becomes primarily a sweet, sweet floral scent. It makes me think of sugared buttercups. There is still a green note from the pine and I can see how that might turn to 'celery' for some people, though thankfully it doesn't for me. This is really nice and I may have to track down a bottle.

[filigree_shadow]

Disclaimer: I have ZERO idea of what any of these notes are supposed to smell like, other than violet and snow.

What I do know: This smells more rooty/barky/herby than I expected. I thought it would be kind of a soft floral, and instead it's a little harsh, and it's only chilly if you try to hallucinate snow while you're sniffing it. Mostly it smells like a rather bitter floral. Some people totally love this sort of scent, but it's not my type.

Good news: It gets nicer as it gets drier.

 

And yes, I'm drunk. What, you've never been drunk on a Wednesday? Don't judge. There's hockey on, and it's been a rough week.

[neuilly]

I'm not big on any sort of woods scent for myself (even pine) so this was never going to be a good match for me. However, if I was into that sort of scent, this would be perfect. I grew up in Maine and this smells exactly like if I was walking through my (wooded( backyard in the middle of winter. So beautiful! It's pine, but not too heavy, with a fresh snowfall - and something a bit fresh too (not sure which note it is though!).

[lizardskin]

(2017 version)

Initially I get sweet snow and a little pine with a background of florals. I like this early stage a lot, but unfortunately as it dries the pine and snow disappear, leaving only a musky floral scent that reminds me a little too much of potpourri. I can't pick out the violet at all, which is too bad because I'd been hoping for something like a wintry Elf.

I wanted to try Perchta because of reviews comparing it to Frau Holle, which is one of my favorite Yules, and I can see some similarities in the early stages. But the pine in Perchta disappears too quickly on me and the florals get too old-ladyish for my taste

[LiberAmoris]

2017 version:

 

I've never tried Perchta before so can't speak to how this year's release compares to the 2008 release. This smells like winter wildflowers, musk, and snow. The bouquet of floral notes are tough to pick apart—they sort of meld together into the smell of a snow-spotted field of flowers rather than individual notes. Definitely one to try if you like the snow note and multi-flower scents.

[trinitysite]

I'm also having trouble picking out specific floral notes. Initially it was sweet/cold/pale floral. Now there's something piney coming out. I usually avoid piney things -- too masculine and/or just icky -- but it's not overpowering, and the florals are still present. I was ready to put it in the maybe/sometimes category, but ugh, now it's all a sweet pine and I am not a fan.

Edited January 2, 2018 by trinitysite