The Waltz of the Snowflakes

[zankoku_zen]

The Snow Queen and Snow King greet Klara and the Nutcracker Prince as they journey through the Enchanted Forest: vanilla-laced snow, graceful and sweet, with fir needle and black pine bark.

Vanilla + dark pine. It smells almost ominous. In the sense that it is light, sweet creamy but with something 'darker' looming in the background. It's like being in the forest, after a snowfall, in the dark.

It really doesn't work for me wet and immediately in the drydown. After four hours, the melding of the vanilla and pine is softer and less ominous. Low throw, but the vanilla sticks around for a while. Eight hours.

[Little Bird]

I agree with the reviews saying that this has similarities to Snowblind and Snow White. It's like Snowblind's buttery vanilla mint that dries down to Snow White's frosty, creamy vanilla, with just a hint of freshly cut Christmas tree and an extra drop of snow for good measure. It's complex for about 3 hours and then fades off to just a creamy, sweet, delicate vanilla.

 

I think that this is a perfect yule blend <3 and it makes a great room scent and a great perfume.

 

The Waltz of the Snowflakes is so pretty, both the scent and the label . I'll probably try to get another bottle or two of this one before the LEs disappear.

[surf-tormented]

Out of the bottle, this smells a lot like Arcana's Winternights, a scent I love. The only difference is that Waltz has a nice green note to it upon putting it on wet. As it dries however, it gets a sugar cookie note I can't stand. Maybe it is the frosting note others have talked about smelling. It's a bit too baked good for me and reminds me of when I was disappointed at Le Pere Fouettard for the same thing. Waltz is such a nice perfume in its beginning stages, I wish it would stay there and not venture into foodyville. But it does, so the sniffie that a friend of mine gave me is all I really needed to try.

[milo]

Wet, the fir dominates, and I get a teeny bit of the resinous pine bark and a lovely mint. After a bit, the fir is not as strong, and this blend ends up being a slightly sweet vanilla mint with a touch of evergreen. This really reminds me of Snowblind, only I found Snowblind too sweet and foody. I can also see how some see the comparisons to Snow White, as I think it's the same vanilla. Other than that, I don't really get the SW association. It's been awhile since I found a bottle worthy Yule, so this is a nice surpise, and I can't wait to use this one in the summer.

OK, after two hours, this ends up being cloying, sweet mint vanilla, even sweeter than Snowblind now. I believe I'll stick to Green Tree Viper for my mint fix.

Edited December 18, 2010 by milo

[samarablackcat]

I was most delighted to see The Waltz of The Snowflakes. As a child, a snowflake was my role in my ballet class' production of The Nutcracker. Practice, practice, practice, and then, on the night of the performance, everything on stage was transformed into a magical winter wonderland...snow falling, silver and white reflecting the spotlights. I think it's one reason I love winter; the memory of that magical night has lasted me over fifty years.

 

In the decant, I smell butter...not a good omen for me, as buttery scents do not play well on my skin. As this light-colored oil lies on my skin, all I get is a soft mint, with a whisper of pine, and the buttery aroma dissipates. As it dries, it becomes all pine. And then, something wonderful happens.

 

This turns into a softer vanilla with a bit of mint, that gives me the impression of innocence. The mint and pine go to the background; it's as if they are an afterthought. I can see the comparisons to Snow White as this point (I never tried Snowblind) and something reminds me Tiki Princess as well, though that sharpness is lacking in this scent. The vanilla in this is something I can wear and never overtakes the scent (most vanilla makes me ill and I have to wash it off immediately).

 

It does take me back to days of innocence; a light, feminine scent, exuberant and hopeful. Not a scent I would normally wear, but this will be falling into heavy rotation, particularly on days when I need a reminder of the playfulness of youth.

[dronzeka]

Oooh, this is nice! (And a relief, because my other Yules have sort of been busts so far. ) The vanilla is quite warm and creamy, not super sweet (sadly, it does go a bit plastic as it dries down completely, but not too terribly - and it's lovely wet - scent locket time?) Fir needle and black pine bark are a bit warmer than other pine scents on me - they avoid the sourness that I sometimes get from evergreens, and do not smell at ALL like cleaning products! (my other problem with some evergreens.) I can see how people get mint from this, but I don't find it terribly strong. I like wearing this, and think it's extremely wintry. It would also be something that would make a great room scent, I think.

[tarotgirl99]

When I put this one, I thought it was disgusting. I am not a big Snow White or Snowblind fan, but this was far worse....pine and mint tar yuck.

 

And then it settled onto my skin. The pine disappeared, as did the mint. And all that was left was the most perfect sweet fresh soft new fallen snow. Not like Snow White or Snowblind. Just. Like. Sweet. Snow. Almost like vanilla ice cream, if it were made of snow.

 

I freaking love it.

Edited December 20, 2010 by tarotgirl

[Lorelai1945]

In the imp, this is fantastic. There is a lot of buttery (but not in a bad way!), creamy vanilla mixed with a hint of mint and pine. Of course, my skin will not let it remain that way. A bit of vanilla remains once it's on my skin, but the pine and mint take the wheel. Neither are ferocious or offensive, but they block the poor vanilla from coming through (well, or my skin just eats that part). This reminds me a bit of U: Mutter Museum, only much softer and less...weird. I kept waiting and waiting for the vanilla to take over like so many others had mentioned, but on my skin it never really does. It's nice, but not the winner I was hoping for. By the time the pine has faded, so has most of the scent.

[Iceblink]

Hmm...if the Lick Its are mint with a hint of vanilla, this is the opposite. Strong vanilla with just a whiff of mint. A little pine when wet, but that vanishes fast.

This blend might be great except that the vanilla note here is really not working on me. It's very artificial and sickly-sweet. I see (smell?) how this would smell great on a lot of people but my skin is fighting with it way too much.

[Veronica]

in the bottle: the vanilla and mint of Tokyo Stomp without the oreo cookie! I'm tempted to get this if only to layer it against something so I can recreate my love!

[RhinestoneHousewife]

I really like this! It's soft and pretty and very lady like. I get sweet snow and a little pine.

[crebbsgirl]

This smells a lot like Snow White on my skin. Snow White, with a hint of evergreen. The evergreen isn't as predominant as I would have hoped. As it dries, the vanilla comes out more and the Snow White vibe disappears. It becomes a little cloying the longer it wears. Not for me.

[SophieCedar]

Yessss. This one is good.

Wet: vanilla marzipan-ish snow with an atmospheric fir touch. There's a hint of bakery sweetness here.

Drydown: more balanced between the evergreen and sweet notes. It's sweet, wonderful, festive.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: strong foodie vanilla, bakery fresh

 

Wet: the vanilla melts into mint and fir

 

Dry: I keep waiting for the vanilla to come back, but it's hidden beneath minty evergreen. My skin must be soaking the vanilla up. While the woodsy lightness is pleasant and festive, it needs more warm notes to work on me.

Edited December 24, 2010 by mistressfizz

[cuervosueno]

In the bottle I get some of the pine, which is what I was hoping for, even though the overwhelming scent is very like Snowblind,which is buttermint to me.

 

When I put it on, all the pine goes away--not that there was much to begin with--and it's all vanilla butter mint like Snowblind, except this has a moment that goes plasticky, like some of BPAL's vanillas have for the past couple of years. that settles down, though, then it is pretty much like Snowblind on me, but not as good.

 

So I'm not feeling I need to keep this one, though unfortunately, that has been true of all the Yules this year.

[Altaira]

Vanilla with mint and a bit of pine. Very faint on my skin. Not my thing.

[reynardine]

Starts off strong on the fir. I’m not getting the pine bark much at all. There’s a cold note here that is identical to Tiki Princess, which worked very well on my skin and doesn’t go to powder the way the lab’s snow notes often do. There is a hint of vanilla in there, but mostly I’m getting fir and that icy note. LOVE this.

[astarinel]

In the imp, this is very rich, almost buttery vanilla topped with mint, with a little bit of chilliness lurking in the background, and I am thrilled!

 

However, when I put it on, it morphs into the exact opposite of what I wanted. I was hoping for a Tokyo-Stomp-esque vanilla mint topped with the snow note I adore, without much pine or wood. As it dries onto my skin, the green woodsiness emerges, edged with that ozone note that goes dryer sheets on me. It ends up being a very evocative, wintry outdoors scent, which is pretty in its own right but not the sort of thing I like to wear, and definitely not what I was hoping this would be.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

This is extremely pretty, and very winter-y.. as you would expect. It does have a light, 'dancing' quality to it - quite soft and graceful - but it has surprising depth to the fragrance as well.

 

As others have mentioned, this reminds me very much of Snowblind and Snow White. So I actually layered those two on one arm, and applied Waltz on the other, and yep - this is *just* like a mix of Snowblind + Snow White.

 

There is a slightly mint element, but it's more the bracing winter-y freshness of the fir needle rather than straight-up mint. The vanilla is soft and musk rather than candy-sweet, and the snow is fresh but not sharp. The pine bark is providing the depth that I mentioned earlier - it's present, but not obvious.

 

For me, I'm happy with my beloved Snow White and won't need a bottle of The Waltz - there's not enough of a difference between the two on my skin and I'm not loving the pine note in here all that much. But if you're one of those people who found Snow White to be too floral/sweet or if you get the dreaded 'plastic' smell from SW then I'd recommend trying The Waltz. A lovely, lovely scent indeed - beautifully done.

[moosue]

At first, this is buttery rich vanilla (oh no) and trees. Maybe some mint too.

On, the buttery vanilla goes away a bit, which is good news, but the trees and mint start to smell almost exactly like the ointment you spread all over your chest when you have a cold. It's not looking good for this scent.

 

As it dries, things improve. The vanilla comes back and is no longer buttery whatsoever. A chilly, icy note is present without being minty. There's still a hint of trees, but a sweet chilly vanilla is the dominant note here. The chilly note here is exceptional, this one actually tingles your nose like you're breathing in cold air. Yet its not actually minty. It's marvelous. It's what I keep hoping "cold" and "slushy" notes will be and they so seldom are.

 

Overall, the scent is well done. If you don't like it in the vial, this one smells almost unrecognizable to it's wet scent when it's dry.

I'm glad I have a full decant, but I don't think I'd go through a bottle. The decant will be enjoyed though.

[anomie]

Simply lovely and evocative of the dance. For me this is vanilla and pine with a breath of mint for the first several hours, before resolving to a soft, sweet vanilla drydown that's uncomplicated and calming. I'll be wearing this the rest of the winter, and possibly on hot summer days when I want to cool down.

 

(Side note: reviewing this during a massive nor'easter made me crack up.)

[meatcake]

This is one of the most complex and unusual scents I've ever smelled from BPAL. It's Snow White with evergreen notes and... tea. One of my coworkers commented that I smelled very pretty today, like vanilla and tea, so the throw seems to be very strong as she smelled me from another office. It's definitely a lovely, snowy scent. Maybe a tad too chilly, I've been craving warming scents since it's so cold outside.

[cupcakegernade]

I was on the fence about this one when it arrived fresh from the lab. It smelt like buttercream icing, with an extra lump of sugar. This was just way to sweet and actually made my stomach knot up. It was not the creamy cool snow scent I thought it would be. So I set this one aside thinking I may just need to swap it, but after several weeks, this has changed considerably. It is no longer a cloyingly sweet food scent any more, but a smooth vanilla snow scent with soft fir needles and pine bark dancing in the background. This is much more enjoyable now.

[CitizenBree]

straight up vanilla mint. I like vanilla but the mint was too much for me.

[porcelina]

i think this might be what i always wanted snow white to smell like on me. the snow note is heavy with vanilla- almost, but not quite, foody; the pine keeps everything fresh. it is creamy, cool and FABULOUS.

 

also, when it's been on for a long time and has almost faded away, it smells like the scent they use in the casino at Aria Las Vegas.