Baba Yaga

[Rheliwen]

BABA YAGA
Then suddenly the wood became full of a terrible noise; the trees began to groan, the branches to creak and the dry leaves to rustle, and the Baba Yaga came flying from the forest. She was riding in a great iron mortar and driving it with the pestle, and as she came she swept away her trail behind her with a kitchen broom.

Spell-soaked herbs and flowers, cold iron, broom twigs, bundles of moss and patchouli root, and moth dust.

I was going to paste a little bit of information about her, but I found this link has too many good bits to copy: Baba Yaga

In the bottle: This smells bright and cheery to me and a little bit fruity (not citrus or berry though, read down to find out what). It has a nice and inviting smell in the bottle and I associate the color yellow with this one.

Wet: Canned pineapple!! I'm trying to get deeper into this one but the pineapple smell keeps coming back. But it's a sweet, beautiful pineapple smell. Don't be turned off by this. I would never have imagined liking something that someone claims smells like pineapple, but I do!!

Dry: It still smells like pineapple but I can detect more elements at play in the background. There is definitely something floraly in the background. I'm not good with notes but it has a bite like carnation but also smells a bit like jasmine or lily (those are 2 guesses so don't assume I'm right).
I went for a small walk this morning and wow did this one get good when my body temp went up. It totally amped up the spicy/musky scent I'm getting...Oh it was GOOD!
After havning it on for about 2 hours, the scent is still very prominent. It's gone a teeny tiny bit powdery and the bite I got earlier has stayed and is playing a more prominent part in the scent. The pineapple smell has also calmed down a bit and I can smell the flower that is creating the pineapple scent.

Final Verdict: This one gets better and better as I smell and review it. I don't know if I'll get a big bottle of this but I'm definitely keeping my imp!

A note to readers: Baba Yaga went live on the Lab's website on 10/2/09. Any reviews posted prior to that date reflect one of the scent's prototypes and not necessarily the final version. --Shollin Edited October 3, 2009 by Shollin

[Sistinas]

From the bottle- Sweet, first thing that comes to mind is fruity bubble gum, but not as

overpowering as jailbait.

 

On me it is sweet, but I have detected some spiciness,not sure what it is, but I do know

that it is not cinnamon or clove. After awhile I am finally able to pick out the pineapple

the Rheliwen had mentioned in a post of hers. For me i have to really inhale the scent to

be able to dectect it singuarly. Very sweet and fruity.

 

In regards to the staying power, Baba Yaga lasted a few hours before it disappeared. I am

still up in the air if I will keep this one. It was very nice, but I was not Wowed with

it.

[Scylla]

In the vial: A bright, cheery floral.

 

Wet, on my skin: The first thing I thought of when this hit my skin was, "This smells like Coast soap!" Baba Yaga doesn't smell EXACTLY like Coast soap, though. It smells much better--there must just be some similar notes. This is definitely a "floral/oriental" blend, but is so seamlessly blended that I can't pick out a single note. I'm not getting any of the bubble gum or fruity pineapple notes mentioned by previous reviewers.

 

On drydown: Doesn't smell like Coast soap anymore. This is a really nice floral, and I am not usually a floral kind of gal! I wish I knew what the notes were! The only problem is that something in it is making me sneeze.

 

After a couple hours: Yay! I'm not sneezing anymore! Baba Yaga is changing again. This time I smell something similar to the component in Tzadikim Nistarim that makes it smell pineapple-y. It also smells incensey now.

 

I predict this will be a VERY popular blend in the "Crones" series!

Edited November 11, 2004 by Scylla

[antimony]

I'm not so good with notes, but I did smell the pineapple.

 

It's definately not a massively evil witch scent... it's a laughing at itself a litte very fairytale witch kind of smell. Goes well with a witch whose house stands on chicken feet. ;-)

 

It lasted into the afternoon on me... maybe 5 or 6 hours.

[lixolux]

i Baba Yaga!!!!

 

upon first sniff in the bottle its very fruity and yellow orange smelling - with more of a pineapple-maybe jasmine angle to it - it then mellowed even fruitier, like crazy candies and is now a soft fruity spice - its very strong its lasted a few hours now and seems to be getting stronger in the last stage! I think mostly i love sniffing my wrist and imagining Baba Yaga sailing thru the forest in her cauldron ship - im getting a big bottle o this!!

[hypothermya]

Baba Yaga

 

Initial Impression

 

It really does smell like pineapples. Just like the oil in the vial, it's a bright sunny scent, with an almost barnyard haze beneath it. It reminds me more of her chicken hut than of Baba Yaga herself.

 

Wearing It

 

This stuff is just amazing. Wet, I get jasmine and pineapple, but as it dries it warms up as though it has a light musk in it. It reminds me of warmth, and straw, and a slight sweetness. A very yellowish scent, it makes me think of the skulls protecting her hut, and how their eyes blaze with fire. It also has a slight herbal smell, which makes me think of the broom she rides with...

 

I think that perhaps the musk is a white musk, which would explain why I love this oil so much, or at least a lighter musk like the one in Libertine or in Lady of Shalott. When I wear this, I always get compliments. Just today I was wearing it and I was told that I smelled delicious. I'm so happy that a lovely, wonderful forumite decided to send me this (and mysteriously enough another package with an imp of it showed up the same day....to my mysterious benefactor, thank you!).

 

I really can't wait until this is released and I'm able to solve the mystery of what smells so delicious in this.

Edited November 24, 2004 by hypothermya

[Lorencita]

I cannot wait till this comes out... I will buy 10 ml FOR SURE! I love the fresh fruity scent in this. It is tart, and sweet... then calms to a nice suttle fruity incense. I got many compliments on this, even a girl that said, "you always smell good, but that is incredible!" I'm sold, I want this, to make lotion, massage bars & anything else I can think of! I actually felt really good wearing this, like it altered my mood to be better than usual! I love it, adore it, dont want to be without it.

[Lady_Ell]

Count me in on the lovin'.

 

This is awesome.

 

Fruit (pineapple?) and fruit sugars and teeny hints of incense and musk.

 

Unfortunately, it fades very quickly on me.

[gdogs]

baba yaga: i can't tell if its more fruity or florally - it is both. very sweet, in a "tropical flower garden in the rain" sorta way. i think i smell lilac, and rose, (neither of which are tropical, i know) and tropical fruit. . . and sea air. . .with buttery undertones. i'm usually wary of heavy florals, but this one has just the right amount of both zing and base to it.

 

it has remained pretty true to first sniff, getting just a little less sharp and more heady through the drydown, and into an hour later. lots of staying power.

 

i really, really like this! nobody better touch my imp! i am so amazingly fortunate to have received this as a gift in my last order. . .

 

[Shollin]

First sniff: Fruity and bright – I agree with the pineapple verdict, that’s definitely what it smells like.

 

Wearing: Baba Yaga isn’t the sinister old Bad Witch I was expecting – the scent is bright and golden and almost giggly. There might be ginger in here too. I’ll be interested to see the real description when she’s released.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Juicy and fruity and incensey.

 

Second Impression: The fruity bit is decidedly tropical, but underripe and sharp, not heavy and thick. It mellows down to a sweet, golden incense that is just gorgeous.

 

Final Analysis: I love this one. I may be wanting more in the future.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Note: if *your* imp of Baba Yaga sprouts chicken legs and runs away from you, say to it, "Imp of brown, turn around! Imp of brown, please sit down!" Or the actual Russian, whatever that may be. And then it will behave, just like the Crone's house.

 

This is a bright sunny-yellow smelling oil, bright tropical fruits and flowers with a hint of spice. It would be a perfect island vacation fragrance. It's the scent of a Crone with a young heart and a whimsical sense of humor...I imagine an old lady wearing bright turquoise eye shadow and pink lipstick, in a Hawaiian-print dress and a lei of fresh flowers. She's on vacation in Florida, playing shuffleboard and sipping fruity daiqueris. Give it to your grandma and make her smile.

[unfake1]

Ooh, an unreleased scent in my very first order of imps! I feel special!

 

On me, Baba Yaga is a very strong citrus, more like the sharp spray from the rind than the sweetness of fruit. I imagine it'd be a great oil to put on first thing in the morning.

 

On the downside, it made me sneeze and gave me a little headache. But I'm new to this, and maybe I just put on too much.

[jj_j]

Succulent pineapple mellows into a soft, smooth flushed-skin scent. I don't usually do well with the musk scents, so I'm not the best at identifying them; I'd only venture a guess that there might be some red musk in this, which to me seems fruity and sweet in its warmth.

 

This wasn't anything like I was expecting, and I had Black Annis in mind as a similar scent, so I put off testing this one way too long. I'm really looking forward to the official scent description, because I don't think I'm close on any of the notes other than the pineapple.

 

I'd certainly consider a bottle of Baba Yaga, but I think I'll keep trying out the imp to make up my mind.

[Electra]

Two words: pineapple incense.

 

Headshoppy, but in a pleasant way.

[darkling]

Oddly enough, I did not scent any of the pineapple note that others sensed in Baba Yaga.

 

At first, the witch was an odd mix of too sweet bubble gum interspersed with a spicy musk underneath. A watery grapefruit element was also present.

 

Baba Yaga cotinued to shift from flowery to soapy.

 

Once dry, the perfume remained soapy with a hint of watered-down grapefruit and musk. The bubble gum sweetness did not return.

 

This is an odd scent that morphed repeatedly on my skin and faded after a couple of hours. I don't enjoy soapy scents so this one will be swapped.

[cookie]

The fruit I smell in Baba Yaga reminds me of the fruit I get from Lampades (a good thing, as I like Lampades), but more floral and sweet. I do wish I could identify which floral - it is familiar. Can't wait to find out what's in this. I do like it.

[darkitysnark]

Baba Yaga

 

(**Note: another review copied over from my accidental posting to the bpal dot org forum.**)

 

This was a gimp from the divine Laurel_the_Woodfairy that I snagged because of my love of folk and fairy tales. I don't think I even realized that it was an unreleased scent at the time... I was a bit flustered by Laurel's travelling matchbox of imps (she's hardcore, yo). Thanks, Laurel!

 

Unfortunately, I succumbed to a nasty cold almost immediately after receiving this imp, so my impressions might be a bit skewed and are being pulled through my fuzzy memory.

 

In the bottle:

As per all the above reviews, this is a very sunny, cheery looking oil. I'm getting a heady non-berry fruitiness (apparently pineapple) that transported me not to a hut on a chicken leg, but white sand beaches. There's a hint of musky flowers in the background, like a strange native flower placed in a dried coconut shell next to my beach towel.

 

Wet:

The fruit rolls up and out and expands bright and high, with a lower musky middle ground. The power of suggestion has me imagining a crone in a flying mortar careening through an old wood forest, broom held rudder-like out the back. She's got leaves and wind in her hair, her eyes are bright, she's full of joy and mischief.

 

Drydown:

I don't remember much change at this phase, but I'll update when I get a chance to try this again (on my much improved, less snotty schnozz).

 

Much, much later:

Once again, hazy recollection has blurred my responses to the hours-later sniff test. But the next day my jacket collar and my scarf were redolent with that lovely combination of bright, tangy fruit and mellow, languid musk.

 

I'll definitely try this at least one more time (if only to update this review) and I need to dig up my old storybooks again!

[Reinaluna]

I still dont know about this blend yet either. Is nice and faintly sweet, one of those you have to apply heavily if you really want to smell it. I have been using the imp on my Daughter. I dont think that I will get a bottle though.

Edited January 15, 2005 by Reinaluna

[kimmer]

Definitely pineapple. Warm, ripe pineapple that's been sitting in a sunny window (there's nothing tropical about MN right now). There may also be a floral note and/or some musk, but the strongest impression I get is the pineapple.

 

Baba Yaga is a lovely blend but a little too sweet for me, so it's off to the swaps.

[diabolique]

i can't believe i haven't reviewed this yet.

 

i really expected to like this since pineapple is one of my favorite fruits, but i didn't get much pineapple from it at all. it wasn't particularly fruity, and i got more of a.. well, generic cologne type smell from it. perhaps an aftershave for freshening up. it reminds me a bit of a more tropical oberon, but a bit more masculine.

 

not really a keeper for me. sorry, baba yaga.

[sarada]

It's been awhile since i tried this but I have been thinking lately about Baba Yaga so I wanted to write my thoughts about the scent...I always write a review in my head for scents but I don't always get them onto a computer right away!

 

Since I peeked at the reviews before trying it I already had the idea of pineapple established in my head when I tried Baba Yaga. I do like fruity scents though they only work for me if there's a strong incense component in them as well -- Baba Yaga is one of the deeper fruity scents, with an almost honeyed quality to it, but the golden pineapple fragrance is most prominent. When it dries down a muskier note does emerge.

 

But all in all I can't seem to equate Baba Yaga with this kind of sunny, golden scent -- I would think she would be very smokey and dark, maybe with a bite of pepper. I'm assuming there are some aspects of her mythology that I'm not familiar with, that relate to this fragrance but it's coming across a lot like Forbidden Fruit or another golden fruity scent, to me. I wish I knew what the ingredients were!

[girl-zone broker]

My favorite BPAL scent so far is Jailbait, so with that in mind, I adore Baba Yaga. They seem to me like almost the same scent, but with the proportions slightly altered. Instead of being the mostly fruit/bubblegum with a hint of perfume of Jailbait, Baba Yaga is mostly perfume with a hint of fruit/bubblegum.

 

I don't get any florals from Baba Yaga, but more of an incense-like, unisex kind of perfume. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and not at all overpowering. I would definitely buy a 5mL of this scent!

[xochitl]

This is a gorgeous scent. I'm so glad I managed to get it in one of my orders. I would buy this in a heartbeat. It is very sweet and slightly fruity. I can't put my finger on a specific fruit (like pineapple) but it is tart and sweet like a pineapple. I love it. It has a slight musky drydown on me that doesn't negatively affect my opinion of it. (With some scents it does!)

[Miggins]

Baba Yaga was a gift in a swap. I spent ages scanning my "BPAL Catalogue" until I realised it wasn't a permanent scent!

 

I don't get any pineapple with Baba Yaga, but definitely pomegranate. Dry and juicy. Smells like Swank but without the martini note. Into the drydown, I get jasmine. On my skin, they both have an almost soapy note, but it works well here. As the drydown goes on, the soapiness recedes and I'm left with a pomegranate/jasmine blend. Which is very lovely. It seemed to dry quite fizzy and fruity, but that was in middle of the night when I woke up briefly, seemingly just to sniff my hand!

 

I'm not sure it was really the right time of the year for it - a chilly February night - but if it makes it to the permanent collection, it'll be perfect for a balmy summer's eve. Fruity but not zingy, calming but not soporific.

Edited February 14, 2005 by Miggins