Woods in Winter

[poetria]

WOODS IN WINTER
When winter winds are piercing chill,
And through the hawthorn blows the gale,
With solemn feet I tread the hill,
That overbrows the lonely vale.

O'er the bare upland, and away
Through the long reach of desert woods,
The embracing sunbeams chastely play,
And gladden these deep solitudes.

Where, twisted round the barren oak,
The summer vine in beauty clung,
And summer winds the stillness broke,
The crystal icicle is hung.

Where, from their frozen urns, mute springs
Pour out the river's gradual tide,
Shrilly the skater's iron rings,
And voices fill the woodland side.

Alas! how changed from the fair scene,
When birds sang out their mellow lay,
And winds were soft, and woods were green,
And the song ceased not with the day!

But still wild music is abroad,
Pale, desert woods! within your crowd;
And gathering winds, in hoarse accord,
Amid the vocal reeds pipe loud.

Chill airs and wintry winds! my ear
Has grown familiar with your song;
I hear it in the opening year,
I listen, and it cheers me long.

Wild hemlock and juniper berries scattered in the snow beneath leafless trees bedecked with glittering icicles.

In the bottle: It seems very aquatic and linen-y. And because of that perception, when I first accidentally got a teeny bit on my hand, that, too, smelled uber-aquatic. I was worried it might give me a headache!

But I pressed on!!

On skin: It starts off smelling a touch like pine or rosemary, but I guess that is the juniper or maybe the hemlock… It is very atmospheric - very light. It has a bit of sweetness (but it is not a sweet fragrance overall), a touch of spice and… perhaps a teensy bit of vanilla? It’s quite comforting. And strangely warm, even though it’s supposed to evoke, well, Woods in Winter! Maybe that tiny bit of sweetness is like marshmallows - light, fluffy, sweet, soft... That must be the snow on the ground

Side note: When I first put it on, I was surprised that it really evoked some strange emotional feeling - brought tears to my eyes. (I’ll have to figure that out! )

I wore it overnight, and when I sniffed my wrists in the morning it was nearly gone, with just a hint remaining. It was back to smelling a bit aquatic. I think I’ll have to try again (and maybe add to this review later).

Bottom line: It’s lovely. For me, it’s almost ethereal, and I find it appropriate that it’s based on a poem, because it has a poetic feel to it, if that makes any sense. I’m fairly certain I’ll be keeping my bottle

(Edited to add in a piece I had forgotten before - sorry!)

[Gryphon]

This is remarkably like Death of the Grave Digger (snow, soil, opoponax and myrrh) on me! Where Grave Digger has more sweetness, WiW has more of the sharpness I associate with evergreen boughs and juniper berries. Of course, my Grave Digger is a good three years old, so perhaps the sharpness in WiW will mellow to more resemble the Digger. Either way, it's a lovely scent for anyone who relishes sharp, crisp, evergreen scents. Those who hate anything resembling pine-scented cleaning products, however, may cringe!! I look forward to putting it into my rotation of winter scents and using it in my tart warmer.

[biocarolyn]

I don't get the scent of evergreens, precisely, but rather the feeling of evergreens. I recognize the ice note from Snowball Fracas and to a lesser extent Moon of Ice. For some reason, even though I understand why people compare this note to dryer sheets/ozone/aquatics, this is a relaxing, centering scent for me. Like when it snows and everything goes so quiet? It isn't gentle, just very cold and quiet like the world went STOP!!!! And then you took a walk in the woods in the snow at night.

[sqwook]

This is definitely evocative of the woods in winter. I agree, I don't get the scent of pine / fir sticking out, it's more like when you are really out in the woods on a slushy trail.

 

And, oh, man! I love ALL of the listed notes, yet I am getting some dirt/soil scent here, which is a no-go for me even though I know others love it.

 

Along with a great blend of foresty tree-scents, it seems like there may be something aquatic or ozoney that make this REALLY seem exactly like being outdoors on a slushy day, exactly that scent in the air.

 

If I wasn't getting some type of dirt-soil note, I would be all over this! I hope the right people find it and love it, because it's really amazing!

Edited December 30, 2010 by sqwook

[Incendiare]

As soon as I popped the cap off my imp, there was a pleasantly sweet aroma for a split second, but then the juniper berry promptly took over. Wet, a coolness introduces itself and reminds me of the cold crisp air you breathe in during the winter. You can almost smell the cold, glittering smell that surrounds you in the forest. After fifteen minutes or so, the scent hasn't morphed on my skin at all. It has stabilized and remained as a cool, evergreen blend with traces of snow. It isn't my thing but I am sure many will love this.

[lahdeedah]

I smelled this on a BPAL-er at the last Will Call in Seattle and it was really nice. I've been in the mood for a snow and dirt/woods scent and thought I'd give it a try at the next opportunity. I tested it yesterday, and what I'm sure is lovely on many people (and was gorgeously cool woods and snow in the bottle) is unfortunately screaming juniper on my skin. Sometimes juniper and I get along, but generally not so much, and definitely not here. Sigh.

[zankoku_zen]

Very green, very masculine on wet. I get hemlock, and gin and just a whiff of something 'icy'.

 

Green, herbal, cold.

[Akurarei]

Woods in Winter

 

In the Bottle:

Cedar and some kind of lemon note.

also eminates 'cold' impression.

 

On my Skin, Wet:

yep - there's definitely some Cedar in this, according to my nose.

Still getting a lemon note, with a slight waxy quality to it somehow.

I'm liking the cold impression - like frozen pine needles or something green that has been encased in ice.

 

On my Skin, Dry:

lemon note dissipates somewhat - much less of that waxy quality too.

still cold, encased greenery with a nice balance of Cedar and Evergreen notes.

some snowy notes are trying to make an appearance, but they're definitely in the background. Probably won't overcome the trees though.

 

Verdict:

I love the Lab's imagery of this scent from the description.

I was taken by surprise by the lemon/waxy note. Luckily those notes aren't the dominant notes and don't last very long.

The encased greenery is beautiful, and does a great job of capturing the feeling of iced over trees.

Beautiful - and a more masculine version of Archangel Winter, IMO.

[strahlend]

I really love the way this smells in my imp.

As soon as it hits my skin though it's a menthol and juniper mess that is not so much what I'm looking for. Juniper and I have a hard time together though and I'm guessing this is totally a skin chemistry issue. I wish the smell in the imp was what happened on my skin, it's really lovely.

 

Edit: My opinion of this scent changed a lot over time. My opinion now is that it smells like menthol and juniper, but in a fresh and interesting way. It's woody without being heavy, and cold without being soapy. It doesn't take much time at all and a lovely vanilla comes in and sweetens this up considerably.

It reminds me of an evergreen wreath with juniper berries and a vanilla candle burning in the middle.

Edited April 23, 2012 by strahlend

[surf-tormented]

Wet: It reminds me of Graveyard Dirt and A Blade of Grass if the two perfumes were mixed together. It also reminds me of Death of the Grave Digger, but that one has a bit of mint come up on my skin. This one has more of a fresh ice note in the back of it.

 

Drying: The menthol greenness comes out to play. Piney juniper and hemlock. As it dries, the perfume gets thicker. Not like a liquid, thick like a woods you can't see through, as opposed to the dirt and grass of a field when it is first put on.

 

Conclusion: A keeper. At first, it reminded me a lot of perfumes I own, like Graveyard Dirt, but this gets sophisticated and lush as it morphs into my skin. It doesn't last super long on me but I do enjoy the feeling of being in a cold woods it invokes.

[SophieCedar]

Oooh! I almost didn't order a decant of this one. Woe if I didn't.. this is the unexpected winner of the pack. I forgot juniper loves my skin.

 

Wet: lovely sweet juniper, ice ozone note, dark evergreen note of hemlock that doesn't oppress the other notes. My brain and senses are floating around in bliss.

Drydown: I feel like I'm taking a walk and stopping to huff in the local evergreen and plants along the ocean (coastal rocky outcrops is where the juniper is primarily found). Uh what am I doing inside? Oh right, I need to go to work. Crap.

[Little Bird]

Woods in Winter is very blah me, with nothing really sticking out as good or interesting about the scent once it touches my skin. It's a bit of sharp evergreen, a bit of medicinal menthol (the icicles?), and a slushy, slightly soapy snow scent. It dries down to cool, clean, and slightly soapy... I still much prefer Dirty when I want a soapy-clean scent.

[HerbGirl]

Woods in Winter was love at first sniff for me, and it only got better on my skin. It's like Snowstorm and Mistletoe ('05 or '07) had a baby...and it's gorgeous!!!

[Upstart Crow]

The big winner of Yule 2009 for me was Snowball Fracas. Woods in Winter is like a stronger version of that, only with a greener base. The result is the smell of very green, young wood (odd for a winter scent!) layered over with BPAL's snow note and a generous helping of dirt/bark. Just lovely! People who have compared it to walking through, well, woods in winter time are right on the money.

[Antoinette]

Beautiful in my imp. It smells just as described and seems to be the cold, green winter scent I've been looking for with this year's Yules. Just lovely. Then, it hits my skin and instantly turns to soap. Maybe I can chalk this one up to wonky skin chemistry and try it another day to see if it's better. Otherwise, this would be lovely in a scent locket.

[milo]

Icy and evergreen. Quite masculine and does smell very outdoors-ish. It kind of reminds me of when you're skiing, and you're going through fresh snow on a trail through woods. This blend is very evocative, but too manly for me to wear.

[reynardine]

Sometimes, I just try out a scent because the description reminds me of a time and place. This is one of those scents. One time around Christmas, when I was a child, I got mad at my father and went out to walk in the woods over near our house. Texas is usually fairly warm in winter, but we’d had an ice storm and the trees had a layer of ice on them. And this is exactly how those woods smelt. And while it is interesting, the scent is not something I would wear. Too dry. Still, thanks for the memories.

[Schmoozy]

Earthy hemlock mingles with snow and spicy juniper berries add a woodsy feel. Although I like this, there are a lot of other snowy/woodsy blends I would rather wear or buy.

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: There are the lovely juniper berries , tempered by woods and icy snow.

 

Wet: The scent warmed up immediately it hit my skin, as though the ice and snow were melting in the sunshine.

 

The dry-down: The berries are more obvious now on my skin, but the snowy woods still linger. A keeper, though I am not sure if I need a back-up to my partial or not. I would consider it a unisex scent, much like Lines/Hills was from 2008, but not in the same family.

[cupcakegernade]

I got this because I love juniper, but sadly I don't really detect any in here. On me, this is mainly a fresh greenness to this from the hemlock layered over a cold slushy ozone. There is also a hint of wood in the background. This is a very chilly clean scent, that reads as rather masculine to me. Defiantly not a scent for me.

[Lucretia]

Ohh yes, this is in line with my favorite winter scents. Cold and clean. Mainly I get snow with just a hint of greenery in the background. Getting more juniper as it dries down. Like someone else said it's very evocative of the winter landscape. Definitely keeping this one!

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I always try cold woodsy scents if there are no obvious death notes.

 

In the Vial: Cold juniper, so strong it approaches a medicinal eucalyptus. Very cold and clean.

 

Wet: It almost immediately mellows into something spicy. It's still a cool scent, but no longer the frigid cold of before.

 

Drydown: The juniper/eucalyptus comes back a bit to balance the spicy note, but the chilly note from the bottle is long gone.

 

Verdict: It's an interesting unisex scent, but not the wintry woods I was hoping for.

[angelicruin]

Evergreen and snow notes, with a soft vanilla touch.

[countessmouse]

I was kind of meh about the scent when I first put it on because I was mostly getting hemlock - which smells very much like caramel popcorn to me. Then the evergreen, wood and icyness hit and I was suddenly in the woods on a snowy evening. I could smell the icy wind and woodsmoke from a chimney somewhere nearby. Every once in a while I get a whiff and I'm quickly transported back to that spot in my mind.

 

I LOVE this! Must get a bottle!

[porcelina]

i would never have ordered it, but i sniffed it at will call and that it smelled great so here i am with a bottle of woods in winter!

 

it's very herbal and green at first. i don't get the overwhelming pine i often get from bpal's snowy blends, although it's there- it just doesn't stick out. it's dark green, cool and fresh and wet, hints of dirt and slush and snow and trees. it dries down to be quite masculine (and it does smell great on my husband) but not really in a cologney way. very nice, perfect for a winter day outside!