Yellow Snowballs

[roxyhead]

Because I am very, very crass this year. Slushy white mint, vanilla cream, lemon drops, grapefruit, and yuzu!

 

I tend not to do "snow" scents, as much as I want to, so I was a bit hesitant about ordering it. It was too funny not to, though, and I'm glad I did - almost wishing I'd ordered a second, in fact! It's like the winter version of my beloved Spinning Multicolored Metallic Pinwheel. In the bottle I can smell maybe the tiniest bit of citrus, but mostly fizzy ginger ale and a bit of sugar, and then as it dries, the Christmas trees come out! There's maybe a tiny bit of musk in there, but I don't get any vanilla, and the citrus I get doesn't seem like grapefruit, to me. Not too sure what yuzu smells like, so I can't say on that. It doesn't have a huge amount of throw (but neither does Pinwheel, on me - I'm not a slatherer), and it's pretty faded after 8 hours or so, but I love it. It's not like any other "snow" scent I've tried - the rest have all been cold florals or aquatic scents, and I'm glad!

[Little Bird]

I was really hoping that this would be like Pink Snowballs with lemon instead of rose. I was hoping that it would be heavy on the chilly, creamy vanilla that's in blends like Snow White and Pink Snowballs. But I don't think that this really smells like vanilla at all. It's like bpal's snow note + sharp citrus, which turns high pitched and soapy smelling on me. It reminds me of dryer sheets

[lunaticana]

very good on me

but also a little spic, where did that spice come from?

it makes me think of my bottle of Enraged Bunny Musk and also of Lemon sticky Bat

[Eemia]

This was all tangy and bright right away. It feels very easy to wear. I couldn't pick out the grapefruit but the lemon was definitely there. Like lemon syrup rather than fresh lemon or rind. It reminds me of a Lemon Drop, which is my (extremely) lightweight drink of choice. That might be because something in here is smelling a little like alcohol. I'm guessing it's the cold note.

 

It doesn't hold the citrus very long. It starts smelling more vanilla with some very faint wafts of mint. I was worried the creamy note listed in the description would turn plastic on my skin but luckily it's more of a sweet, subtle vanilla. Not gourmand at all. That's pretty much the way it stays throughout the wear length. It all but disappears after about 3 to 4 hours, so I have to reapply a couple of times during the day.

 

This isn't my favorite of my snow fragrances but it's pretty and I like the way it smells on me.

[milo]

This is quite fresh and citrussy in the imp, but on, it is all snow note, with slight lemon. The citrus does fade pretty quickly, and we're left with the lab's snow note, which really doesn't work all that well on me. I wish the citrus and vanilla were dominant, in fact, I don't get any vanilla and what citrus there is, is just the barest whisper. I'm pretty disappointed in this one, but there are citrus blends that are great on me.

[zankoku_zen]

Grapefruit and vanilla snow. And then it dries to a more lemon/yuzu citrus and I get a spice note thrown in as well.

 

Ermmm... Pass.

[yuniper]

When just applied to the skin: fresh, heady, christmassy

 

10 mins later: musky, bit masculine, where did the citrus go?, sweet

couple of hours later: softly sweet, musky

 

I had hoped for a bit more freshness :/

[iiinterstate]

Honestly, Yellow Snowballs reminds me a lot of Snow Angel, which was one of my very favorites! The primary difference (to my nose) is that the tea note in SA is replaced by mint in YS. I get sugared citrus fruit from both blends. Yum!

[evekrieg]

I'm usually a huge fan of Vanilla, and thought that the citrus notes and mint might make for a refreshing scent. It was -40 here this week, and the perfect time to try it. It starts off very lemony with a tiny bit of mint, and the yuzu [which is an oriental citrus of some sort] seems to be present. A few minutes in, the lemon dies down and it gets sweeter.

 

Surprisingly, the drydown is really spicy. Reminiscent of the Vanilla Spice body butter from Body shop. Something that I was definitely not expecting, and really delighted by. I was expecting a cold, wintry scent and got yummy-spicy instead.

 

Not sure if I'd buy this one again, but I'll certainly enjoy the 5ml I do have.

Edited January 20, 2012 by evekrieg

[OctoberGwen]

The first blend containing a snow note that I actually like: I can't wear (or smell, really) cold florals or aquatics, but this is quite nice. I'm getting more bright citrus than creamy vanilla so far, but either is a win to me.

[n3m3sis42]

Sadly, this was all Lemon Pledge on me. My bottle is now in a nicely padded envelope to be sent to another forumite. Easy come, easy go.

[theseagrows]

at first this starts off with a strong snowy-slightly pine scent which i guess is the "slushy" part. it has that typical bpal snow note, but after that fades a bit, this scent gets more interesting and complex. it turns into a nice creamy vanilla with a tinge of citrus. i am not getting much mint and maybe just a hint of yuzu. very pretty, and it seems cold and warm at the same time-very wintry!

[Helas]

What a cute little scent! Yellow Snowballs is bright and fizzy, like a winter-themed cocktail. It is so effervescent that it feels almost electrically charged. I get lemon and something that makes me think of a green grapefruit (perhaps yuzu, which I'm not familiar with?) along with some sweet vanilla and crisp sparkling ozone. Visual impression is neon yellow and green. The bright citrus and ozone that waft from my wrists jolt me awake and energize me when I'm tired or trying to motivate myself to get some exercise. As effective as a caffeinated soft drink, but much healthier.

[Incendiare]

In the vial, Yellow Snowballs evokes images of slush. It's so incredibly cooling that it actually burns my nose. The menthol is very domineering. There's the slightest hint of general citrus in the background which gives this a bit of tartness, but overall in the vial, it's very chilly and medicinal. On me, there is no change. Even after fifteen minutes, this is menthol to the power of a billion and all of the citrus notes are cowering away in the corner. Oh well.

[ami226]

It starts out smelling like bubblegum on me. After a bit, I get a weird sour note (grapefruit?) in addition to the sweetness laced with a hint of evergreen and ice.

 

Really really interesting. I don't think I have ever smelled anything quite like this.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Lemon and grapefruit, and a little hint of the vanilla cream.

 

Wet: The other notes mentioned in the sniff are still there, but mint is front and center, having shoved its way through the pack.

 

The dry-down: The vanilla cream is there, I can smell it, but the mint, lemon, and grapefruit have combined into a cool scent (in sensation on my wrist) that at the same time is a hot mess. It's nasty and is making me itch. Time to scrub off. I had a bad feeling that two citrus notes would be two too many (thank you, C. S. Lewis for letting me paraphrase a quote) and alas I was right.

[megank4]

Too much snow and not enough yellow. Too bad, I was hoping this would be the perfect counterpart to pink snowballs, which in my opinion has a much lighter snow scent.

This causes my husband to wrinkle his french nose and proclaim "sumting smelz beezar"

Edited May 7, 2012 by Megank4

[PumpkinGuts]

I wish the vanilla cream was stronger! I get grapefruit and lemon with mint, and it's a bit soapy.

Reminds me of Zest soap. I prefer Pink Snowballs to this.

[BuxomM]

It smells like sharp eucalyptus to me. No citrus or mint.

[MCS4096]

I typically can't do bpal "snow" blends because they go super plasticy on me It makes me really sad because I looove Snow White and Pink Snowballs, and I love that snow note.. but alas, I must be content with the Snow White atmo spray.

 

Where was I. THIS blend I can do for some reason! It starts as a fairly nondescript citrus (I can't smell any one citrus in the blend) with a blast of cooling mint and sweetness. When it dries down it's a lovely spicey, piney snowy thing that I love. I dont get a bit of plastic

Edited September 23, 2013 by MCS4096

[Evilynn]

In the bottle this is a sweet but still zesty citrus to my nose, alas the grapefruit note that I love vanishes quickly on my skin and I'm left with something sharp and soapy and rather unpleasant.

[cherrycherry]

I love citrus notes and I love snow notes even more, so I knew this would be win. It is a win - big time.

 

This is a sharp blend, which is okay with me because when it settles there is a cream note that comes out to help soften and even things out. I get grapefruit, which makes me smile and have wonderful nostalgia because a close friend I have loves grapefruit. He is going to love this and WANT this in equal measures and I know already he's going to try and steal this bottle. I also get sugary lemon, which is uplifting and happy-making. The snow is in the background because of the wonderfully yellow top notes but it's definitely there and more present following the dry down.

 

I love this

[theredkilt]

I get a slushy pine note and nothing else and it lingers on forever. Yellow Snowballs smells like piney slush and no citrus notes in sight to be found

I had high hopes for this one, but sadly it wasn't meant to be.

[Jangzonrice]

Got the 2013 version. Starts off snowy with grapefruit, lemon (like candy, not cleaner), and a little menthol. Dries and fades to a light vanilla lemon with a bit of dryer sheet included (I like dryer sheets though!). I get a bit of mint every now and then. Overall for me a winner!

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: The grapefruit, yuzu, and lemon drops are the strongest notes.

 

Wet: The citrus notes take the center stage, but the snow is quickly making its presence known. It is quite ozone-y and citrus-y at the moment, and I can't say I am particularly enjoying it. The grapefruit seems to be the strongest of the citrus notes. I hope the vanilla cream makes an appearance. The citrus is quite strong and seems to have a lot of throw. The grapefruit is definitely the dominant note at the moment.

 

Dry: Bright grapefruit and lemon snow.

 

Verdict: I really wish I had gotten the vanilla cream from this, but alas, I did not. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the vanilla cream had been one of the main players in this blend, or if the snow note used were the one from Snow White. Ah, well. No bottle for me!