Baba Yaga

[ivyandpeony]

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

Baba Yaga is one that I search for with every update... I've managed to acquire 5 imps through swaps and made one of those into a parfum spray, which I am wearing today. It's perfect for a day like today, bright, sunny and cool, that will fade into a cold night smelling faintly of smoke. After all, it is still February.

Baba Yaga starts out very bright and fruity, if not pure pineapple to me she's definitely candied fruits to tempt little children or to top tiny Russian cakes. The fruit mellows as some creamy floral notes emerge and I get the faintest notes of smoky incense. After a few hours, the incense note is prominent although the fruit and floral notes do stick around to color it.

I can see why Baba Yaga isn't a darker perfume - after all, she seems like a witch with a sense of humor. I mean, she flies around in a mortar and pestle, has a house with chicken legs... she's not totally bitter, hateful and SCARY like Black Annis. If I was forced to meet one of them, it would be Baba Yaga, no contest.

I'd love to be able to buy a big bottle of this one day!

[surf-tormented]

Smells strangely peaceful and comforting to me. Like a warm embrace. It has a very slight yet attractive spice tone to it, like smelling burning spices from yards away. Reminds me a bit of Coyote, but without the strong musk, more the notes of straw and desert.

 

Then I get a little bit of water, like a bitter tear and she is gone.

 

Interesting, not bottle worthy, but I would like to share the scent with others.

 

I got NO pineapple from this at all...just a slight spicy fruit undertone, like cider or maybe Lampades type fruit. I did get a pepper tone as well.

Edited February 25, 2005 by Madame Nyx

[Emu Nymph]

Baba Yaga:

In the bottle it smells slightly fruity and slightly floral.

 

Wet the furtyness dies down but the floral notes come out. And starts to smell like the incense of the old Pagan store that use to be in the town that I loved to go to. And the scent sticks with me. I don't know if I like it enough to ger a bottle but it is a wonderful scent and I will keep the imp and wear it.

[etherealchild]

In the Bottle Pineapple and honey.

 

Wet Yum. hehe. Mmmm white musk, honey.... some floral, heliotrope maybe? I'm not big on fruit but I really like this one. It's not what I imagined Baba Yaga to smell like at all. I was picturing something dark and woodsy.

 

Drydown I really like this one. It is such a fruity pick me up. I am sick and poopy, and yay for Baba Yaga. It would be a wonderful beach scent. I can see it blending really well with suntan lotion. It's so warm and happy.

 

Two Hours Later I'm impressed with the staying power of this one. And it stayed true to my first aplication.

 

Verdict Not a favorite, but really pretty, and dare I say, cute...... I'll be taking this one with me on spring break.

[bellis]

In the imp: Pineapple and coconut, pina colada!

Wet: Pineapple and honey, pineapple upside-down cake!

Drying: Pineapple and a slightly musky floral.

Dry: The florals and musk are calming the pineapple down somewhat, and this is actually starting to strike me as quite elegant.

 

This is very interesting. Playful and elegant at the same time. I'm thinking bright young thing on holiday somewhere exotic and going swimming slightly tipsy. If I liked fruity scents, I would love this. As it is, I'll pass this on to someone who'll wear it.

[shelldoo]

pinapple and a white floral, i am also getting a faint evergreenish resin? and a tad of honey

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Slightly fruit and floral, but I'm not sure what it is that's in there.

 

Wet: Still fruit and sweet but there's some background note that makes it smell a little rotten on my skin. It could be my skin's way of reacting to the oil, but it still doesn't strike me as the nicest scent in the world. This smells like a mix of fruit and the inside of the Wiccan store I used to go to when I was in college. It's a mix of a lot of different smells that kinda get rounded into generic incense by my nose. Not that it's a bad smell but...I don't know. I've never been a giant fan of incense in any way, shape or form.

 

Dry down: Well that incense is dying down a little, but it's still the predominant note. The fruit is behind it and in the throw, which is nice. It is fruity incense, really. Not a bad smell, but not really my idea of Baba Yaga. She seems more wood and smoke and broken smiles to me. With iron for er gnashing teeth. This is more like the girl who defeated Baba Yaga. Young and fresh and determined.

 

Dry: The more I smell this the more I like it even though I am not a big fan of incense smells. This is a fruit incense, and it's bright and clean wit just a hint of something darker under the surface. When this comes out I'd definitely pick up an imp and maybe even a bottle for myself.

[Finny]

Buttery, pineapple floral.

 

It smells wonderful, the floral doesn't take over, the pineapple adds a neat fruity kick, it feels like a wonderful summertime scent.

 

Love it. Now to hoard the imp until it officially comes out.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

I got an imp of this from Harlequin.

 

First sniff:

 

This is beautiful and extremely familiar but I can't quite place it. It smells vaguely like pineapple upside down cake and some sort of incense wiht maybe a sweet wood note, but I'm not sure about any of that. It's one of those scents that I know I recognize but just can't quite place...I'm sure if someone told me what was in this it would be instant recognition, but for the moment my impressions will have to do.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I'm almost positive that's pineapple although it seems a little incongruent (to me, anyway) with the namesake of this particular scent. There's something else here that's wavering between a floral and a sweet smelling wood note and a hint of incense in the background, but I could be mistaken since it's so far back and so covered by the other notes.

 

Dry down:

 

This is so familiar! Why can't I remember this? It's like having a name right on the tip of my tongue...it's not so fruity anymore and the (supposed) resin note has gotten stronger, but it's still naggingly familiar. The best way I can describe it without getting into specifics is as a slightly fruity (pineapple) resiny/wood blend with maybe a hint of pear and possibly some florals. I'm really curious about what's actually in this because it's gorgeous.

 

The bottom line:

 

I can't wait for Baba Yaga to be released. This is beautiful (if elusive)!

[helarctos]

It's fizzy pineapple soda! It almost smells a little alcoholic, on me. Boisterous and light.

[inkstone]

Courtesy of the Oblation Caravan!

 

In the imp: Pineapple mixed with something else.

 

Wet: Stays pretty true to what I smelled in the imp -- pineapple mixed with something else. I really wish I knew what that something else was. I recognize it, but can't identify it.

 

Drydown: Dryer sheets? Um. What? O_o

 

Final thoughts: I really wish I could figure out what that other note was. But yeah, it smelled like dryer sheets. I don't know what my skin went and did.

[misfitroxy]

Wet, Baba Yaga is a deep sweetness with musk behind it. Candied fruits come to mind, but a darker variety without any outside sugar granule coating.

 

On my wrist, as others have mentioned, I initially detect pineapple. But it transforms quickly as a (I believe it to be) white musk steps through. I can still catch glimpses of the fruity sweetness but it’s well overpowered by those darkening elements I picked up on before.

 

It’s fading rather quickly on my wrist into a softer kind of floral musk. There’s nothing cloying or sickening about it (which is odd given my normal aversion to a great majority of musks). And the longer it dries, the more the musk settles into a warm, mild sort of spice that I find compelling and very pleasant (I’m suddenly taken to memories of incense in the Autumn air as I walk about the grounds of our local Renn Fest).

 

The blend strikes me as adult and mature, though not “old lady like” or anything of the kind. I’m receiving very maternal tones from it, and it’s comforting and gently enveloping as may be expected with such a connotation. Even though it’s not the kind of blend I’d typically turn to for wearing out and representing “me”, I’m going to keep this one around. It makes me feel reflective and level-headed.

 

I will note that after composing this I decided to read through the link that Rheliwen posted describing Baba Yaga’s history and known powers. It seems to fit that she’s a crone figure, though I don’t find her terrifying going by this scent alone. Instead I think the final sentence says it best: “Wild and untamable, she is a nature spirit bringing wisdom and death of ego, and through death, rebirth.” I do feel somewhat wiser while wearing this and I think it will be the perfect studying scent for those all-nighter (or at least many-houred) graduate moments.

 

Second note: OMFG. Ultra dry this smells remarkably similar to my beloved Hunter Moon (I swear, I really don't indend to find it in other blends, but I'm always on the look out for a non-LE substitute so I can make my carefully hoarded bottles last. And no, my nose isn't going cloudy from hope, I promise). The faint woodsy incense is there along the sweet, wine-like fruit that keeps it from being too dark. It's like a lighter, less smoke-intense version. LOVE!

[gingersnapp]

Wet, this is juicy, syrupy fruits. I don't get the pineapple that everyone else seems to mention, but I do know that it is sweet.

 

Dry, it's deep and musky. There is a very sharp note in it that I can't quite put my finger on. It's not necessarily fruity anymore, but as musks go, it is still quite sweet.

 

This is very lovely... I would wear it all summer long. I really hope this one gets released so I can buy a bottle.

[anmorata]

Baba Yaga:

 

Wet: Very, very fruity.. some sort of citrus? I'm not sure I agree with the pineapple consensus, but it smells like some sort of tropical fruit.

 

Drydown: Incense? But not the heavy, resinous incense I've accustomed to smelling in BPAL scents. It's very light, mildly spicy.

 

Longterm wear: This scent has me stumped. I'll have to try it a second time before deciding if it's a keeper.

[Tesseljoan]

Man, was I forever searching my spreadsheet and the BPAl website until I realized this was an unreleased scent.

 

Wet I can smell pineapple as well. On my skin, it quickly turns to soap, with a breath of pineapple. I'm wondering if this will turn out a bit masculine... After an hour there's only a generic perfume smell left, so there must be a floral in there somewhere.

[sheepzeit]

Huh. I sniffed my wrist a dozen extra times since reading the reviews... do I have a mislabeled imp here, even though it has the original label? It wouldn't be the first time, but...

 

Anyway. Baba Yaga to me is NOT pineapple. I think I can see where people get that, but the sweetness that I smell is the sweet stickiness of pine sap. This is a very woodsy scent to me, with hints of resins and musks. I think this is so very evocative of a dark wood, when you're walking down the path and have crept up on a little clearing with her chicken-footed hut. I love this!

 

I love all things woodsy, but I have not really found the "perfect" forest scent yet. This comes damn close!

 

As it dries, it just gets to be a lighter version of itself, perhaps more of the muskiness coming through. It's still sweet, but less obviously evergreen.

 

This reminds me of Nocnitsa, but with a different note to the sweetness -- perhaps more green than blue? I want to say Loup Garou without the juniper? Wow I am having a heck of a time placing the notes, but I love Baga Yaga!

[Ishtar]

Once again, it was the lovely Chin who gave me this imp. Thank you so much!

 

Before reading the reviews, I would never have thought of pineapple, but now that almost everyone mentions it, this is indeed what I smell. So far this is a tropical scent, very sweet, almost sugary, with an undertone of something darker. It reminds me of a heavier, slightly darker Xiuhtehcuhtli.

 

As the blend settles down, some floral notes and some red berries come out to keep the pineapple company.

Now this is beginning to smell really fruity, yet this is not your usual bright, playful, youthful fruity scent. It is counterbalanced by what I think may be dark musk and a strong incense note that was probably there from the beginning but that I just recognized.

 

Well into drydown, for one fleeting moment, Baba Yaga tries to pass itself for a somewhat sinister scent a la Gaueko but come on, let's be serious! Sinister, with all that pineapple going on? Hah! I don't think so!

 

After complete drydown, it fades into a light but lasting blend of fruit and incense.

Really interesting. I am looking forward to knowing what the actual notes are!

Edited May 21, 2005 by Ishtar

[tempete]

I got to try Baba Yaga courtesy of the Oblation Caravan.

 

Initially, Baba Yaga is an extremely light scent. I do smell some kind of tropical fruit, but not pineapple, although it seems to have the same texture as pineapple (watery and fibrous). It's also a tiny bit creamy at this stage. As the scent dries down, the sweetness becomes stronger and more intense, much as dried fruit is sweeter and more strongly flavoured than fresh. I'm not a fan of cloyingly sweet scents, so I'll be passing on this one when it gets released.

[FireInCairo]

This scent reminds me of dried fruit....or perhaps fruit coctail. It is a very uplifting-energetic scent. Very fun and bubbly. Wonderful for daytime wear. It is a very suitable summer fragrance.

[PennyPretty]

Received as a frimp from the lab.

 

Wet it is very fruity and juicy, kind of like JuicyFruit gum. Very refreshing with a hint of spice, but without being overpowering.

 

On dry down it mellows to a lovely spicy soft sweet fruit. Its spicy without being too spicy and sweet but not too sweet. I agree it seems mature - but still fun and kind of sassy. Really a lovely summer fragrance. I really want a big bottle of this.

[pkwench]

Baba Yaga

 

In the Vial: Warm and incense-y. Rather reminds me of Bon Vivant minus the strawberry.

 

Wet: It gets a touch fruity and a touch powdery. But it's still warm and smelling of soft incense.

 

After 20: Here's the pineapple everyone mentions. But it only pops up briefly as noticeably pineapple before it settles down into a soft and warm perfumey smell. Though, if you sniff very deeply, you can smell the fruity nature of it beneath.

 

Impressions: Very soft and warm. It's romantic and sweet somehow. It'd be a great scent for a tropical night or a date night where you want to smell soft, feminine, but a little alluring.

[nineveh]

The lab was nice enough to toss in a free imp with my order.

 

I smell citrus, some kind of light floral, and maybe a bit of light musk. It's refreshing and uplifting. Sometimes when I sniff it, I get a cake batter scent. Other times, it has a perfumy quality, but I don't mind that in this case.

 

This isn't really a "me" scent, but I can't wear all my heavy, exotic scents during the stupid heat of the summer, so I will probably keep my imp for that purpose.

 

I imagine that this will be received well when it's finally released.

[Northernminx]

Fruity and berryish, with a touch of crisp evergreen and something cool in it. I get a lot of fruit (berries more than pineapple) at the start and a lot of something green and sharp as this drys down. This was much cheerier than I anticipated, cooling and happy and bright without being too sweet or too earthy.

[Scarlett]

I've really hesitated to do reviews as I do not seem to do well with picking out notes, but here goes:

 

In the imp: mainly resin/incense, with a little musk, and perhaps a little fruit.

 

On me: Unfortunately, I don't get any fruit. It is all resin. Further along, its almost entirely incense-y. While I like incense, I don't like it on my skin. This will be moved along.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Reminds me a very light, bright wood. Like white sandalwood? This has the same dry, light wood note that is in Hakkotsu. Sweetened by a definite fruit note - maybe blood orange? I don't seem to get the pineapple note everyone else is picking up on.

On me: Hmm. For some reason, this is a citronella scent to me - smells heavily of candles my family used to burn to keep mosquitos away while we were camping. Insect repellent. Hmm. Odd.