Frost at Midnight

[fiddlehead]

The Frost performs its secret ministry,
Unhelped by any wind. The owlet’s cry
Came loud—and hark, again! loud as before.
The inmates of my cottage, all at rest,
Have left me to that solitude, which suits
Abstruser musings: save that at my side
My cradled infant slumbers peacefully.
‘Tis calm indeed! so calm, that it disturbs
And vexes meditation with its strange
And extreme silentness. Sea, hill, and wood,
This populous village! Sea, and hill, and wood,
With all the numberless goings-on of life,
Inaudible as dreams! the thin blue flame
Lies on my low-burnt fire, and quivers not;
Only that film, which fluttered on the grate,
Still flutters there, the sole unquiet thing.
Methinks, its motion in this hush of nature
Gives it dim sympathies with me who live,
Making it a companionable form,
Whose puny flaps and freaks the idling Spirit
By its own moods interprets, every where
Echo or mirror seeking of itself,
And makes a toy of Thought.

But O! how oft,
How oft, at school, with most believing mind,
Presageful, have I gazed upon the bars,
To watch that fluttering stranger! and as oft
With unclosed lids, already had I dreamt
Of my sweet birth-place, and the old church-tower,
Whose bells, the poor man’s only music, rang
From morn to evening, all the hot Fair-day,
So sweetly, that they stirred and haunted me
With a wild pleasure, falling on mine ear
Most like articulate sounds of things to come!
So gazed I, till the soothing things, I dreamt,
Lulled me to sleep, and sleep prolonged my dreams!
And so I brooded all the following morn,
Awed by the stern preceptor’s face, mine eye
Fixed with mock study on my swimming book:
Save if the door half opened, and I snatched
A hasty glance, and still my heart leaped up,
For still I hoped to see the stranger’s face,
Townsman, or aunt, or sister more beloved,
My play-mate when we both were clothed alike!

Dear Babe, that sleepest cradled by my side,
Whose gentle breathings, heard in this deep calm,
Fill up the intersperséd vacancies
And momentary pauses of the thought!
My babe so beautiful! it thrills my heart
With tender gladness, thus to look at thee,
And think that thou shalt learn far other lore,
And in far other scenes! For I was reared
In the great city, pent ‘mid cloisters dim,
And saw nought lovely but the sky and stars.
But thou, my babe! shalt wander like a breeze
By lakes and sandy shores, beneath the crags
Of ancient mountain, and beneath the clouds,
Which image in their bulk both lakes and shores
And mountain crags: so shalt thou see and hear
The lovely shapes and sounds intelligible
Of that eternal language, which thy God
Utters, who from eternity doth teach
Himself in all, and all things in himself.
Great universal Teacher! he shall mould
Thy spirit, and by giving make it ask.

Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee,
Whether the summer clothe the general earth
With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing
Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch
Of mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatch
Smokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fall
Heard only in the trances of the blast,
Or if the secret ministry of frost
Shall hang them up in silent icicles,
Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.

- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The liberating glory of nature, a celebration of wildness of spirit: fierce musk and immortelle, clary sage and oud, terebinth pine and ambrette seed, ivy and tobacco, honeysuckle and orange blossom.

Frost at Midnight begins with a flurry of notes. It's fresh smelling, which may be the sage and pine, or the ivy. I can't identify the immortelle or other notes. I don't detect any tobacco. But there's definitely a lot going on at once. After it dries for a few minutes the honeysuckle and orange blossom show up but aren't heavy or overwhelming. Frost at Midnight turns into a nice, light floral. I was hoping for more pine and greenery to stick around. I think this will be a really nice Spring scent though I may have to slather it.

[Soniadevi]

Preconceived notions: given the notes listed, I'm expecting something fresh, herbal, with a certain depth.

 

Sniffed from bottle: fresh herby musk

 

Wet on skin: fresh herbal floral musky pine.

 

A couple of minutes later: I'm not qualified to review such a complex scent! The notes are whirling up towards my nose like a frosty nighttime forest! I can smell the orange blossom quite distinctly, over the pine and what I think may be the ambrette seed. There is a herbal quality to this, which I feel may be the clary sage with the ivy/tobacco.

There is also a depth, made of that dark musk from Black Forest and the Oud? Honeysuckle lends a sweetness to the Orange Blossom, balancing out it's natural tendency towards astringency.

 

On the drydown: Black Forest meets Catherine meets Sugar Cookie. Piney, high pitched floral, and sweet, sweet undertones! The Orange Blossom seems to have a certain dominance over this blend. It is grounded by a sweet musky tobacco. I cannot find the imortelle in here.

 

Overall impression: There is definitely a sense of "frost", like sugar frosted pine boughs and a discarded bouquet of orange blossoms and honeysuckle, perhaps Snow White dropped them on the ground when she was running away from the hunter? (I'm talking of SW and the 7 dwarves here, not Snow White the BPAL scent). Her bouquet then frosted over too, and mingled with the scents of the forest.

 

 

Rating: it's hard to rate because I don't understand it. I'm not sure when I would wear this, but I do like it. Maybe I'll rate it again properly once I get to know this a bit better. Credit to Beth though, it's very well executed.

 

EDITED QUITE A FEW DAYS LATER: I have this to add. Now that I have properly worn it, it has become one of my top faves for the Yule update. I love the way this smells on me, and I have received a few compliments too I'm going to give this five stars for being quite the gorgeous, perfect holiday scent. I can see myself wearing this a lot on days out, as it has that sweet freshness that makes you want to go out and play. Exquisite blend. Another masterpiece from the divine Beth.

Edited December 26, 2011 by Soniadevi

[strahlend]

At first sniff – I'm smelling mostly orange blossom with some musky wood in the back.

 

Skin Test – on application this smells a bit soapy with the orange blossom and wood. It's not as overtly orange blossom as Ravenous or Vixen, seems like the green notes (pine, ivy) kind of have a mellowing effect on the orange. It's a very pretty scent and I like it, but I sort of wish the orange blossom were more pronounced. This is a lovely mix of two of my favorite things, green/ivy/cold and orange blossom.

 

Later - well, this ends up a little more on the soapy/green side. This sort of hits a middle ground between these two elements I enjoy. Instead of being a great meeting of great minds this ends up feeling like a half way point between destinations.

[angelicruin]

Sage, pine, and orange blossom are strongest notes on my skin. It has a fresh, cleansing quality to it on my skin. Really quite lovely.

[Lorna Brigid]

I get fruit juice out of this. You know, like Hawaiian Punch. Odd.

Needs more testing, I guess.

[Invidiana]

I was tempted to get a bottle of this right away but leery of the honeysuckle. Fortunately I get virtually no honeysuckle out of it but a really deep and enveloping wintry scent in which all the notes combine seamlessly on my skin. It's a little bit sharp at first, probably from the sage and pine, but that quickly fades to reveal a musky and resinous heart with hints of dark greens, slightly smoky tobacco and light florals. The pine resin and oude gradually sweeten a bit over time, though I should add that my skin tends to draw the sweetnes out of virtually anything. I've never tried the Lab's Siberian musk single note on its own but wonder if it has a part to play here, because the musk element really does have a certain fierceness to it without being sharp or off-putting. It makes me think of standing in the middle of an enchanted forest amongst ancient pines with icy stars glimmering between their branches. This is a unique and really magical scent that I definitely need a bottle of.

Edited December 25, 2011 by Invidiana

[Lit Chick]

 

Oh my oh my. Gorgeous.

Wet, it is SO DIVINE. I will use a locket for this, for sure.

It smells like hope, and love, and kindness. Pure, very clean, a windy freshness. It's very floral, so on some this might go soapy. But it's so slight and airy that it never crosses that line with me.

 

I ADORE this. It's been ages since I've had such an instant love for a BPAL.

 

This may be double-bottle worthy.

[PurringPulsar]

Frost at Midnight

 

In the vial: a floral pine scent that reminds me a bit of Halloween in Brooklyn.

Wet on skin: very green pine sap made greener by ivy, with orange blossom.

Dry on skin: interesting. Hopefully the tobacco won’t ruin this because there’s a lot of potential here. There’s a hint of icy coolness but it’s not as blatant as in most of the winter scents. The musk reminds me of a cross between Faunalia’s wild yet incense-y musk and the chilly Ice Queen musk. There’s not as much pine now, and orange blossom, immortelle and honeysuckle seem to have merged into a very subtle golden floral background, where no one floral stands out. There’s a tiny hint of sage but not much of the tobacco or oud.

After a while: I think this may be the ivy’s fault as well but the pine here smells a little soapy or has a greenness that reminds me of some kind of cleaning product. It’s strange because terebinth usually turns to rich pine resin on me. But this stage is thankfully short lived, because then I get a really lovely scent-a frosty skin musk with a subtly smoky tobacco undertone, hints of sage and other green notes, and a similar immortelle note to the one that’s in that incredibly rare scent, Sheela Na Gig (though without the vanilla and ylang). I’m a little disappointed at the honeysuckle not being present though, and I can’t smell orange blossom either-but I’m also pleased that the tobacco hasn’t turned into cigarette smoke. The scent reminds me a bit of Faunalia, but not as sweet and without the really strong juniper, and instead there’s a lot of immortelle and I think this note is one that I am warming to.

Verdict: this is really pretty! It really fits the name, evocative of glittering frost under the moonlight. The cool musk and pine evoke the frostiness very nicely without smelling like the usual snow and ice notes, but I think it’s the immortelle that makes this blend special. It’s not a very commonly found note but in here it really comes into its own, working very well with the musk, and there are hints of incense and herbs to it. This scent is very gender neutral despite the floral notes-which, other than immortelle, are barely detectable. I’m not sure it’s a favourite because there are some moments when it smells a bit soapy and I really hoped that the honeysuckle would show up but I can’t smell it at all. Even so, I really like this, especially after an hour on the skin.

Is it a keeper? I think I’ll keep my tester and use it up. Maybe track down another decant.

If you like this, try: Faunalia, Hunger Moon, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Halloween: Brooklyn

Edited December 30, 2011 by yeahbutnobut

[surlygurl]

When I first tested this, it was "Oh, yeah, another BPAL snow/slush blend. Ok." But now I'm getting the addition of orange blossom (love!), something foresty, and what I *think* is the ambrette seed. There's also an occasional "is someone smoking outside?" tobacco. It's really pretty, and like nothing else I have. I really like it!

[gchris]

Wet on skin, a wee bit floral from the honeysuckle and orange blossom I presume. Florals are getting stronger. As it dries I am getting some pine and maybe a bit of ivy but the other notes are completely overshadowed by the florals.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: Wow. This scares me. It smells like the air freshener my grandparents always had in the bathroom of their pop-up camper -- chemical orange and pine.

 

Wet on skin: I am really hoping this morphs because right at the application is a nightmare on me. Really just bad. There's a high, sweet, chemical top note that is all synthetic air freshener and honeysuckle. Beneath that I can start to make out the old man smell that most musks turn into me. At the moment, I'm wondering what possessed me to try this one. (It was the orange blossom, which I love, pine and tobacco. I was hoping those notes would dominate and I'd be left with a deep, earthy pine sweetened with the blossoms.)

 

Early dry down (about 10 minutes): This has mellowed a little, but I am really amping the honeysuckle. It's less chemical-like than it was and actually quite pretty. Of course, I'm not really a fan of pretty florals...

 

Later dry down (about two hours): For such a complex blend his has actually stayed really consistent on me over time: The honeysuckle dominates the top of the blend is far and away the strongest, most lasting note. It's what I smell wafting around me. In order to smell other notes, I have to huff my wrist. Even then, honeysuckle is very dominant, but I do get a slightly deeper, more grounded version of it than I'm getting in the air around me. It's a very rich floral. A floral I can actually stand and doesn't seem to make me sneeze. It's actually quite pretty. The drawback is the it's just not very ME. It's of someone much more feminine -- I see someone in long, floating floral dresses with lush golden hair and clear blue eyes wearing this.

[lavenderfrost]

Got a decanted imp of the 2011 version.

 

In The Imp: Veeery clean. And cold. Pretty much what I'd expect a "frost" scent to smell like.

 

Immediate Application: I'm pretty sure I smell the sage and pine, and I *think* I can pick out the tobacco, but I'm not completely sure that's what it is since I've never actually smelled tobacco that wasn't, y'know, rolled up and on fire.

 

30-45 Minutes Later: Sweetens up just a tad, thanks to the honeysuckle and orange blossom, but nowhere near my usual bpal fare. This blend is by no means a girly/femme scent. It's very androgynous, and I'd actually love to try smelling it on a guy sometime. It stays very clean and cool - almost aftershave-y.

 

Verdict: I like it, though it needs to be applied with a lighter touch than I did here. But that was an accident, anyway. I didn't lose a substantial amount, I just ended up applying more than usual. ^^;;

 

I won't buy a bottle, but I'll definitely use the imp from time to time. Given how long imps generally last for me, I already feel I have enough here.

[Little Bird]

I'm mainly getting pine, orange blossom, perfumey honeysuckle, and soapiness from Frost at Midnight, which unfortunately blends together to smell like some sort of household cleanser on me.

As it dries down (after about an hour) it's less soapy (though there's still this clean, cool, men's aftershave sort of edge to the blend for me) and a smokiness creeps in from the tobacco. Piney, green, clean and masculine, and slightly smoky with just a touch of orange blossom.

[Dark Alice]

Normally I would never have bought this...but I mixed up the bottles of what wanted from the seller with a Dust of Snow. I am so glad I did. This smells like winter cold and midnight on my skin. Cool winter wind with hints of pine and night. I always think that the times of day have a scent to them...and this smells like midnight to me. I just love my bottle and I am so glad I made this mistake.

[zankoku_zen]

Honeysuckle, pine, and musk. On wet, it smells kinda soapy. As it dries, I can identify some of its components, although the soapy quality still lingers. I wonder if its the orange blossom that turns soapy on me?

[calivianya]

With all the notes in this, I half-expected it to be stronger. However, this is not the case. Frost would smell pretty light, and so this does. It's light, airy, and vaguely like a cold forest. I definitely smell the pine, but the rest just sort of combines into a general feeling of cold. I believe the fierce musk may be a white musk, as this feels pretty brisk. I'd also swear there's ozone in this, but it's not mentioned in the description. Basically, it really does smell like a frozen forest. I like it, but I'm not sure I'd really wear it.

[Altaira]

In decant: Mostly honeysuckle. Light and pretty but not my usual thing.

 

On skin: Sweet, innocent florals. Still not my thing.

[milo]

This smells so much like other frosty yule blends this year. There is no ice, but it certainly smells like its here, along with the greenery, is all that I get. This is cologney, fresh, and not all that unique to me. All the ice scents seem to be very similar this year, and yes, I get soapy too.

[Ghost of a Rose]

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera.

 

In the imp: A very well-balanced blend of unidentifiable florals, clary sage, and pine, that left a gentle "aftertaste" ("aftersmell"?) of orange fruit on my nose for a few moments.

 

On me, wet: The pine is a great deal sharper, and in fact is the only thing I can smell at first. After about a minute I can detect some greenery, wood, and a teeny bit of orange, all hiding behind the pine.

 

After 15 minutes: Same as above, with the addition of the floral notes that I can smell now, mostly honeysuckle and orange blossom. Both are subtle nuances rather than main notes, and are blended enough that it would be difficult to identify the particular flowers if I didn't already know they are there. I may be picking up the immortelle as well - I don't know what that smells like. (Ditto for the ambrette seed.)

 

After 30 minutes: The throw is mostly a somewhat cloying fruity orange which I don't like all that much. I prefer my orange blossoms to smell like the real flowers, without any trace of the fruit. Sniffed up close, that's still the first thing I notice. The pine has lost its initial sharpness but is still a distinct presence. The pine tones down any tendency to foodiness, but I don't especially like it in combination with the orange. It reminds me of household cleansers. The florals are also still there, but are fading in strength. There's also a bit of musk.

 

After 1 hour: The notes are more blended and softer. The ones I notice most are florals, orange, and pine.

 

After 2 hours: Most of the pine and orange have faded away, and the main notes now are (generic) florals and musk. Maybe a little tobacco, but not much. It's more of a feminine scent, very soft and lovely.

 

After 3 hours: It's becoming quite faint, but now that the other notes have evaporated I can smell the tobacco more, although it still takes a back seat to the musk.

 

After 4 hours: Pretty much gone.

 

Verdict: Most of the time, I liked this a lot. The cloying orange fruit note that I didn't care for was predominant only for a short time. I would have preferred more of the honeysuckle and orange blossom notes, for which I chose this blend. I don't need a bottle, but I'll keep and enjoy my imp.

 

My rating: 4 stars

[Incendiare]

Between the name and the pine note, I thought I was going to dislike this a lot more than I thought I would, but this actually smells extremely interesting in the vial. The orange blossom and green ivy help keep the pine under control. My skin amps the pine when I apply this to my skin, however. The orange blossom gets lost and instead, I can detect a hint of clary sage. After a few minutes, the musky ambrette seed even makes itself known and really enhances this blend. As Frost at Midnight dries down, it becomes a bit sweeter, but alas, my skin still amps the pine.

[OctoberGwen]

This is absolutely beautiful, complex and fresh and fabulous. I am so, so happy to have squeaked in a test of this in time to get a bottle!

 

I don't want to use any more of the tester since I've promised it to another forumite, but I will come back and leave a more comprehensive review after I have my bottle and can wear it properly.

 

Truly lovely scent, though; love the poem and the theme, too.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Pine, tempered by the other notes.

 

Wet: Pine is now being tamed by the sage and the tobacco.

 

The dry-down: The ivy has appeared as a major note, and is twining with the pine, but being kept in check by the sage. This is mostly a green scent on me, very much like being in a fresh green forest at the beginning of summer or late spring. There's just a slight sweet note, but very very gentle, that I attribute to the honeysuckle and the ambrette seed. I would have thought there would have been an ice or snow note in this, due to the name, but I can't detect any cold notes.

[mymymai]

ITB: Ah, it's bright, cool, fresh, citrusy, slightly sweet, and ever so subtly effervescent. It does remind me of frost delicately glittering as it stretches out before me.

 

Wet: The ambrette seed, immortelle, heady musk, oud, and faint tobacco add a lovely complexity to the clear and enticing orange blossom, pine, safe, and honeysuckle. So far, it's absolutely gorgeous!

 

Dry: After some time, the light florals, honeysuckle and immortelle, settle gently against the tobacco, ambrette, oud, and musk. The pine and orange becomes very faint, lending crispness to the scent without overpowering it.

[Cali]

Ahh... gorgeous and complex. If I would've hid my eyes from the notes I wouldn't have guessed there was tobacco in there, as it gives the blend a very earthy, pleasantly dark (night time-y) swing to it. Usually I'm not a fan of pine but it's very subtle and soft in there.

There's ofcourse the sweet herbal notes which, to me, makes it alltogether quite nostalgic.

 

A little while ago I had it on my skin and it reminded me of crimson peak... Which has completely different notes (and in the bottle they're quite different) but on my skin they do seem to agree to morph to something alike.
Crimson peak being the "colder" scent, frost at midnight, while also having the "cold" edge, a little more cozy. I suppose it's the tobacco.

 

Absolutely love this.