Öndurdis

[zankoku_zen]

The Ski Lady, jötunn goddess of winter, bowhunting, mountains, and skiing. The scent of winter wind blowing over snow-capped mountains.

 

This one definitely reminded me to Skadi. It's got that pine/eucalyptus thing going on (Skadi was close to ALL PINE ALL THE TIME on me), but softer. Slushy berries, and a hint of perfume.

[milo]

Classy snow note, with eucalyptus and cold berries. The snow note here works on me, and the whole effect is like a frosty slightly effervescent berry drink, but not too heavy on the berries. There is a slight touch of vanilla. I'm enjoying this one and most likely need a bottle for the summer months. I have not tried Skadi, so can't compare, but happy to try something that is similar to the legend.

Edited January 11, 2012 by milo

[joyfulgirl]

very pretty scent, with a very basic feeling to me: snow, slightly sweet berry, fir and pine. totally agree with fiddlehead about this being nocnitsa's mellow sister. this definitely has more berry, more snow and less of the "i fell out of a pine tree and landed in the dirt" (and don't get me wrong, i love nocnitsa!).

 

i think the snow/winter note kind of quiets everything down so you get this kind of hushed, wind-whipped feeling. for some reason it almost gives me a candle-scent feeling...like a waxy kind of presence over everything? kind of hard to describe, but it gives the impression of the whole thing being very quiet and hushed.

 

when i first put it on, the throw was pretty out there. a huge cloud of very bright berries. it's settled down a bit now (about 90 minutes in) and is just kind of wafting when i move about.

 

interestingly enough, the berry is much more evident on my wrists, the pine/fir much more evident on my elbows and my hair, getting almost no berry there. kind of neat how chemistry is different even within different areas of the body.

[KakashiMorph]

In the bottle: A sweet, mellow note I can't name, pine/fir and I think a very faint note of eucalyptus. I think I smell the wind as well (ozone?).

On my skin: As soon as I try it on, it becomes even sweeter with the fir/pine being in the background and the sweet note becoming the dominant one. I can't identify what it is (maybe the berries some people have mentioned?), but I do like it.

As the minutes pass the fir/pine are very distant in the background, almost gone, with the sweet note being the only one I can smell (and still can't name, although it probably is sweet berries.. cloud berries? Raspberries? I am not sure).

Drydown: In the end the forest is gone and I am left with a paler version of the berry scent. I was expecting it to be more snowy, wintery and windy overall, but I do enjoy what it turned out to be as well. I guess I will have to look for other snow notes to my wintry expectations. I will be enjoying this, even though not the way I was expecting.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Kashi

[CiaoBonefish]

In decant: YUM. Smells like Old Moon 2008 but without the berries and with added vanilla. It isn't quite as green as I expected (or as green as Old Moon 2008) and I get more ozone than fir or pine or forest. It is almost a touch cologne-esque with all that ozone/wind/snow/ice thing going on.

Wet: The ozone intensifies and I get a lot of cold air in this blend without as much foresty notes. I feel like I am definitely wind blowing over mountains as opposed to through a winter forest. A slight berry note comes out at this point and I'm getting something lightly woody.

Dry on skin: Ozone takes over. It is very sharp at this point and I don't think I can handle it really. There is no sweetness and I get no snow, just some sharp pine and eucalyptus being drowned by harsh ozone.

Overall: I prefer other pine and forest blends like Old Moon 2008 (which is my PERFECT winter blend), Dublin (which I want more of so badly), and The Jersey Devil. This was kind of a bummer, I expected more. Stupid skin chemistry.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: It’s the snow note I do well with, ozoney and sharp with a sweet undertone. There is a lot of pine in this. Lovely and well suited to its concept. Wt; more complex. The snow and pine is still there, but there is a hint of maybe cinnamon or nutmeg and incense. It opens up to vistas of landscapes and worship. Utterly lovely and very Wintry. Elegant and lovely. Dry: Powdered sugar for snow over fait winter forest, and soft, sexy incense. This is lovely and perfect.

[Helas]

I'm French Canadian, and we celebrate a yearly Carnaval d'hiver in February, during which we engage in winter sports, ice sculpting contests, outdoor concerts, dégustation de tire d'érable sur la neige (maple taffy on snow) and also massive public drunkenness. Anyway, Öndurdis smells like Carnaval d'hiver to me - cool, crisp wind, evergreens, winter sports, and sweets. It's cold but joyfully exuberant. I get mostly evergreen, ozone, and cranberry on first application, but the cold and woodsy notes eventually fade, and are replaced by sweet vanilla and cranberry cream.

 

Öndurdis is probably my favourite of the Yules this year, but I'm waffling over a bottle, since I wish the cold notes would stick around longer. While I enjoy the vanilla and cranberry cream phase, it is less evocative than the initial blast of crisp winter air. If I could find a way to hold on to the pine and ozone, it would definitely become one of my staple scents. As it is, I may just stick with my decant.

[venusinfurs]

I bought this on a whim. I have never smelled BPAL's snow/ice/winter notes, so I picked this based on the name alone, really.

 

In the bottle: At first I thought pine, but it's not quite pine, but some form of evergreen. Very much like a forest of mixed evergreens. A faint sweetness lingers, which smells like sugar at the moment. The end of the sniff is very cold, sort of like menthol, but doesn't quite smell minty. It's like breathing in cold air and sweet pine trees. I'm liking it.

 

Wet on skin: It's complex, but the pine/tree smell is most prominent, with the second being the ozone/menthol. There is a hint of the berries that others were talking about, but the sweetness fades. It's strong, like wind hitting me in the face, so it's doing its job fitting with the description. I'm getting a little worried though, because the pine tree smell is so strong.

 

Dry on skin: O.M.G. This is a gorgeous scent. The pine and cold wind smell die down just as the berries and sweetness kick in, and they all blend perfectly on my skin. The berries began to get spicier and spicier as the day went on. My skin tends to sweeten every smell, so the strong pine and cold notes really helped to balance out the sweetness. I think I am smelling apple toward the end of the day. It smells christmas-y but not, sort of like a pine tree and some fruit thrown out in the cold in January. I guess it could be? I'm so glad I have a bottle of this. It would be a great everyday winter scent, or even for getting in the holiday spirit! I have never had a scent where it was love and first sniff--usually scents have to grow on me. This has been the first I really can say I love. I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists all day.

[venusinfurs]

I bought this on a whim. I have never smelled BPAL's snow/ice/winter notes, so I picked this based on the name alone, really.

 

In the bottle: At first I thought pine, but it's not quite pine, but some form of evergreen. Very much like a forest of mixed evergreens. A faint sweetness lingers, which smells like sugar at the moment. The end of the sniff is very cold, sort of like menthol, but doesn't quite smell minty. It's like breathing in cold air and sweet pine trees. I'm liking it.

 

Wet on skin: It's complex, but the pine/tree smell is most prominent, with the second being the ozone/menthol. There is a hint of the berries that others were talking about, but the sweetness fades. It's strong, like wind hitting me in the face, so it's doing its job fitting with the description. I'm getting a little worried though, because the pine tree smell is so strong.

 

Dry on skin: O.M.G. This is a gorgeous scent. The pine and cold wind smell die down just as the berries and sweetness kick in, and they all blend perfectly on my skin. The berries began to get spicier and spicier as the day went on. My skin tends to sweeten every smell, so the strong pine and cold notes really helped to balance out the sweetness. I think I am smelling apple toward the end of the day. It smells christmas-y but not, sort of like a pine tree and some fruit thrown out in the cold in January. I guess it could be? I'm so glad I have a bottle of this. It would be a great everyday winter scent, or even for getting in the holiday spirit! I have never had a scent where it was love and first sniff--usually scents have to grow on me. This has been the first I really can say I love. I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists all day.

[Incendiare]

This is some seriously cooling menthol in the vial, yet here is a hint of sweetness in the background. You know what? I normally dislike snow and/or menthol notes, as they are far too medicinal to my nose, but there is something about this that I kind of like. I am extremely biased since I've studied Old Norse and Norse mythology for years so I am trying to like this but ultimately, I cannot get past the snow note.

[PurringPulsar]

Ondurdis

 

In the imp: yup, it’s Skadi alright. Iced-up berries and snow covered pines.

Wet on skin: frozen pine and berries, with a hint of spicy holly berry.

Dry on skin: this scent is cold and bracing and clears the nose, which fits the winter wind description. I think there’s eucalyptus or camphor here, or a menthol component, or maybe wintergreen? Something here smells vaguely medicinal, but it doesn’t get in the way of the fact that this is definitely reminiscent of Skadi. I haven’t tried that scent for ages but this does remind me of what I remember of it-the same frozen berry note with a hint of festive spice, the same icy evergreens, that slushy scent which is almost like sugary citrus at times. I’d say this has a stronger menthol or ozone note though.

After a while: after a moment when the fruity notes here start to smell fermented and off, this then turns nice again, but has lost the piercing coldness it started with. It now smells like sugared winter berries with a hint of pine needles. Not bad. Warmer and sweeter than Skadi, I think. It’s actually reminiscent of Winternights by Arcana. However there’s a downside to this scent and that is that it is very faint! The almost ice cream-y berry scent needs a lot of sniffing close to the wrist to really appreciate it.

Verdict: this, as expected, is very similar to Skadi-it has the same blend of ‘classic BPAL snow’ with red berries and frosted pines, except this one is fainter and has a tendency of fading rather fast, something I don’t think Skadi did. The first few minutes of wear are best, where you can smell the iced berries and snowy mountain forests with a brisk coldness like camphor/menthol that suggests winter wind. This then quietens to leave a hint of sweet berry and pine needles, but it’s such a faint scent, and disappears after about two hours. It’s pretty but too short lived.

Is it a keeper? no.

If you like this, try: Snow Moon, Skadi (if you can find it!), Yellow Snowballs, The First Soft Snow, Snow Bunny, The Old Goblin, Snow Maiden

[impolight]

:::Öndurdis:::

 

Some of the most magnificent formulas are those where the notes remain a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Free association reigns. A sense of wonder is preserved. Magical thinking is liberated, at last, from the myopic motes that settle over a soul; the accumulation of which is an avalanche of drear.

As one is assailed on all fronts by triple digits of mocking mercury, Öndurdis should come as sweet relief to the oppressive radiance bullying all hours. Snow-capped mluntains would be just the panacea...

From the Bottle: My, my, my there is certainly alot that sounds a nasal BOOM at first impression... where to begin? Something like Rappaccini's Hemlock? Eucalyptol? Camphor? Fir? Cedar? Grapefruit? Vanilla? This is a mighty wind indeed! This is not only snow-capped mountains, this is a shrill blizzard blowing. This is a forest rendered fragile by frost.

Öndurdis can be very busy and almost medicinal at first impression, but as the nose takes the time to adjust to personification of a wintry mania the ancient magics and forces of nature resolve from the background and grin glassy grins on their fearsome and reverential aspects... Come, conifer! Summon stone!

On the Skin: Oh, wow. This has gotten rather intense. The fragrance that is Öndurdis is bracing and clean. The pulse-points hug it close, but the fragrance has undeniable power. Öndurdisis is a towering, sentient, and mobile evergreen tree with black bark and blue-black needles that are strewn with jewels of ice. Öndurdisis wears a corona woven from mint leaves. Strangely, while this is all happening atop a frozen peak (think Fantasia; winter edition) there is something else lurking in the stormy fury... a potent pulse of petrichor?

Öndurdisis comes as a welcome respite from the sizzle of summer.

On Him, Öndurdisis is bracing, masculine, and adventurous in a seafaring kind of way.

On Her, Öndurdisis is flawless, smooth, and lethally seductive.

Öndurdisis gets a 4 out of 5.

[cometgirl21]

I'm so hoping my bottle has travel shock. It's nice but not at all like anything anyone here is describing. It's also in a funny bottle (kind of short with rounded edges). It smells like a cinnamon candle When I first pulled it out of the package I smelled pine and berries. It has since settled down to cinnamon. Cinnamon on me as well. I want the pine and berries note. I has a sad at the moment. Will update this review if it changes.

[Ishtar]

On me, Öndurdis is very, very similar to Snow Bunny, only a bit sharper and more bracing. It has that same fragrant pine and berry combination hovering above a pristine bed of fresh snow.

 

As airy and crisp as it is, it has quite a bit of substance to it. Far from being ethereal, this is a full-bodied fruity/green scent that still manages to smell cold, wintry and wild. Really lovely, and quite fitting for Ôndurdis!

[Soupy Twist]

Snow and menthol in the bottle and on application. There's a brief sweetness, but that quickly becomes pine branches, and then a wet pine. This is packing snow in a pine forest, not powder.

A good solid snow-and-pine scent to add to the collection, although not quite as nice as The Snow at Noon, Skadi, or Almond Blossom, which have that additional berry note.

[Cali]

The same snow note used in Winter-time but also the pine used in Woods in winter mixed with sweet, red berries and something that resembles honey.
Chilly, but the really cold note gets eaten by my skin and I'm left with the drizzly sweet note. Wet. Nice, but not for me.