In the Wild North

[Nepthys]

Ivan Shishkin

Snow-draped fir, spruce, and pine.

I love pine and snow scents, and this year there was a lot to choose from in that department. I went with this one and it was definitely the right choice. It's the perfect blend of a snowy softness and a fresh winter air/forest scent. Some tree scents are far too sharp for me, and sometimes the lab's snow scent doesn't work for me - this completely sidesteps both of those issues. Really glad I blind-bottled this one because it's just gorgeous.

[Casablanca]

Oh gosh, what is that, besides the snow and conifers?

 

In the Wild North is lovely, but in the bottle, and especially on me, it opens with a bright, unexpected floral mingled with snow. On my skin, at first it makes me think of lotus, like a pale lotus -- and then almost like opium. Behind this, I smell a soft blend of conifers, more woody on my skin than green.

 

The bright floral fades quickly in the drydown (again making me think of the way lotus plays on me), leaving behind a lovely, wintry snow-and-conifers scent, with only a hint of flowers.

 

ETA: On a later application, I seem to smell strawberries in the mix, too.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Casablanca

[Dove]

This really reminds me of Snow White but with more trees. First applied, I get a lot of cold tree smell with a hint of the sweet snow note. Dried, the snow is upfront and center with a hint of trees and the flowery smell of Snow White. I like Snow White but it tended to border the plastic vanilla smell on me. In the Wild North is perfect. No plastic. Sweet snow and woods. Best of all, it lasts forever on me and has great throw. It's not quite the in your face forest smell I expected but it is beautiful.

[achildoftime]

Woah is that sweet to start. In the bottle it's a very sweet snow with the suggestion of trees. Not what I was expecting for sure!

 

First applied, while it's still sweet and snowy the fir, spruce, and pine all make their appearances in order. I'd have to agree that there seems to be a lotus note to my nose, but I could be wrong. It's not floral-forward on me, but I do think there is something tucked under the branches boosting the sweetness in the snow.

 

As it dries, it doesn't change much. It's sweet and outdoorsy. I wouldn't reach for it to smell like a tree, but it is a true winter-y scent. It's very nice, but I don't know if it's what I'm looking for.

[Atrous]

Coniferous forest covered in a thick blanket of fresh snow.

There's some winter berries in this that sweetens the blend.

This reminds me a lot of Skadi.

[roseus]

The pine is especially noticeable at first but this is a nice mix of evergreens with sweet snow. But not at all like Snow White to me (I tested them together to compare). This is definitely sweeter than I expected but I love it all the same!

[mrsrevshamwow]

From the notes, this was an instant win for both my husband and myself (I prefer unisex/masculine-leaning scents). When it arrived, in the bottle it was all sweet with the faintest hint of pine. I'm not good at identifying sweet notes since I don't often wear them, so I can't put my finger on the note exactly. So that was unexpected.

 

We'll see if this changes when it's rested - I'm wearing it after about two weeks of sitting, and it's become winter bubble gum on me. Not to say that it's plastic-y or overly fake, it's just much sweeter than I normally reach for. I might try to find the perfect piney scent in my collection (there are legion) to layer this with.

[Akurarei]

I also am getting some kind of mild fruit from this, which does a great job of keeping this blend from being too over the top green and snowy.

 

It is a gorgeous blend of cold, crisp greenery and sparkling white snow and ice.

Those berries (?) make this blend interesting beyond pure wintery coldness.

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant from Trailer Trash Princess' circle

 

Initial Thoughts: For years in my BPAL journey I would always try an evergreen/snow scent without deal-breaker notes, hoping to find something close enough to the elusive Skadi. Since Skadi reappeared a few years ago, I now try these scents out of habit.

 

In the Vial: Very cold, spruce and pine. The evergreens are ramped up to almost sour levels.

 

Wet: More spruce than pine, maybe. Not as cold and not as sour as in the vial.

 

Drydown: The snow is staying hidden, leaving this predominantly evergreen on me. Like with some of the other reviewers, this is going a bit sweet on my skin. Definitely unisex potential.

 

Verdict: An interesting variation of the theme, but I don't know that I need a bottle of it.

[Jenjin]

The Fir, Spruce and Pine are dancing in a snow filled plastic BERRY field. I gotta say, unless that snow is in a fruity meadow, the notes really aren't jiving with the scent. I'm getting a strong, menthol, medicinal smell at first with a weird sweetness underneath. After application, the menthol is still very strong, along with that artificial berry note. This smells like opening a stored box of pine scented Christmas tree limbs, where you accidentally left your hot pink, scented sex toy. This doesn't work on me and thank the stars I only went for a sample

Edited January 21, 2017 by Jenjin

[sailthetethys]

OH HELLO PINE OF MY DREAMS

 

I was recently betrayed by pine when Wolf Moon left me smelling like a neglected litterbox. Pine clearly feels badly about what it did and wants to try again.

 

This is sweet, cool pine, and yes, there is a fruit/berry note that weirdly makes me think of Juicy Fruit gum. I say weirdly because I totally dig it. It's different from all my other evergreen scents, and it's very sweet and pretty.

[sunlitgarden]

In the decant: I'm an evergreen lover and this is wonderful! They are all here! (except juniper I guess, but that's okay). I can't exactly pick out the different evergreen notes but I can tell there's more than one in here. And something sweet, like berries? It's reminding me of Old Moon 2008 with the evergreen and berries.

 

On my skin: Yeah, there's definitely some kind of berry in here. Blackberry? It made me think of sour gummi worms candy briefly, reminding me of Blue Snowballs. I think the snow note here is that same note from Blue Snowballs. And I'm smelling vanilla? or something like it, a little bit. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting from this scent but this is sweeter and fruitier than I was thinking it would be on my skin. I already have some scents in this vein (Blue Snowballs, Old Moon 2008, even Waltz of the Snowflakes) so I don't think I'll be needing a bottle of this as I'm trying not too have too many similar scents. It does smell good, though! Evergreen notes with sweet snow and berries.

[Soupy Twist]

Spruce in the bottle. Goes on as sinus-clearing SPRUCE!!!!!!!! And for a little while that's it, just spruce. As it dries more, some of the Lab's snow note comes in, and the whole thing slowly sweetens. There's a flash of juniper/gin, but it doesn't stick around.

There's a definite sweetness, but not an actual berry like Skadi or Almond Blossom. Very likely FBW.

[halation]

I've had great expectations for this one -- hoping for something in the vein of Wolf Moon 07 or 11 -- but in the imp this one is scaring me a bit if I'm honest. There's spruce, but a strong plastic berry / fake grape scent, almost acrid, overwhelms it. I'm getting flashbacks to Soothing System, and I'm scared.

It's *very* light when applied to my skin, and the Dimetapp notes are fading a little as it warms up and dries. It's a very pleasant snow / sweet evergreen after about ten minutes -- less heavy than a typical Wolf Moon, and with less body / warmth / 'furriness' (because there's no musk). It's a pretty scent, more refined than 'wild' to my nose, but still very natural. Throw is low. I'm very relieved that the berries just turn to a slight underlying sweetness, because they are AGGRESSIVE in the bottle. They do peek out every now and again but their fake quality is greatly reduced.

Edit: after a bit of time to calm down, I am finally getting the sweet spruce party others have enjoyed! There's still about a minute of 'oh nooooo' when I first apply, and in the imp I still get an overwhelming fake-grape, but once on the skin, it becomes much nicer.

Edited February 2, 2017 by halation

[HerbGirl]

Gorgeous frosty evergreen needles!!! This is somehow sweet without being candied. It smells just like sniffing crushed fir needles! Awesome.

 

Eta: I get no fruit or berries from this...just smells like slightly sugared crushed fir needles

Edited January 21, 2017 by Herb Girl

[JazzieCazzie]

I continue my quest to try to find the perfect green scent that smells like a Christmas wreath, and so bought one decant of this.

 

IN THE IMP: Yup, there's first and spruce and pine.

 

Applied lightly to one wrist and the crook of the arm.

 

WET: Wait a minute ... fruit? Am I going crazy? (Thankfully, now that I've read the reviews here after making my own notes, I am relieved that NO, I am NOT going crazy). A very strong throw from the get-go that, to my nose, is more round and elusively fruity than it is forest-like and deep green. I guess it's a legit fir/spruce/pine combo along with whatever berries are growing in that forest.

 

DRYDOWN: Fruity green ... both a little too fruity and a little too perfumey (which may actually be one and the same for my nose) for me but I think there will be plenty of people who really love this. Not sure fruit-green lovers will know to explore this one, though ... but hopefully they read reviews and will realize this could be a hidden gem for them!

 

Not for me, though, sadly. To the bag of amazing imps/decants to find a new home soon with you!

[zankoku_zen]

Spruce, pine, fir, and a super perfumey fruit note that reads like fake holly berries. I was sort of enjoying the SUPER SPRUCE/PINE/FIR extravaganza, and this fruit note is killing my vibe. Good throw and wear length.

 

ALSO SPRUCE. This is probably the spruciest spruce BPAL blend.

[kattalog]

Wet: Soapy, fake evergreen. Probably the snow note and fir, pine. Cold on skin!

Dry: Just dried, it got quite some strength and I get a cloud of something that reminds me of those Wunderbaum smell felt trees: sharp, fake soapy (which again, I think is the snow note not working well with my skin) and greens. The spruce, fir and pine being in the background of the soapy snow.

Dominant notes: Spruce, snow (which goes soapy on me!)

Lasting: 3 hours

[Little Bird]

I think I have fatigue from all of snow/pine blends. They all smell so much alike to me. In the Wild North isn't one of my favorites, because it goes a bit sharp and perfumey on my skin, with a soapy undertone. Slightly minty, slushy snow note. Dries down like those pine shaped air fresheners and dryer sheets on my skin.

[thekittenkat]

IN THE BOTTLE: The forest notes are bright and clear, touched by the somewhat sweet snow note.

 

WET: The pine just amps like crazy, but that snow note lingers to temper the pine forest.

 

THE DRY-DOWN: The fir, spruce, and pine finally co-mingled into a winter forest, with some sweet snow clinging to the branches. This is more piney unisex on me, and more snowy on the bf.

[DarkMagelet]

I'm actually glad I made a blind purchase on this scent, as I was looking for something that reminded me of the smell of my grandmother's pine and bayberry candles during the holidays. That also pretty much sums it up on my skin as well.

 

Wet in the bottle I was having second thoughts about this scent. It's very pine-scented with a slight menthol undertone. Like walking through a spruce forest during winter and watching your breath fog the air. It's a completely different smell once it hits my skin. It actually warms up once I put it on, more like sitting around a Christmas tree inside during the holidays. It becomes sweet with berries on the dry down for me with still that hint of a spruce wreath on your front door. Spruce-y and, what first came to my mind, bayberry.

 

It's relatively subtle, the scent itself doesn't have good throw as I had to walk over to my boyfriend in order for him to really get a good whiff. And it doesn't last very long on me, maybe one or two hours at the most.

 

I suppose it's not for everyone, but I don't really get the soapy artificial scent others are getting. I guess I just got lucky and it works very well with my body chemistry, I'll be whipping this one out for the holiday season for sure.

Edited October 31, 2017 by DarkMagelet

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: I get snow-draped evergreens, but there’s this fruity sweetness in it that is not listed in the description… maybe grape?

 

Wet: Powdery snow upon fir, spruce, and pine, with something fruity in the background. I hope that the fruitiness does not gain prominence, as I am here for snow-covered trees, not fruit. As it begins to dry, I start to get more of the snow and fruit, which still reads as kind of grape-y to me. Ugh, trees, please reassert yourselves during the dry phase!

 

Dry: Mostly powdery snow and some kind of berry note (it no longer makes me think of artificial grape). Only a hint of the evergreens remain. Woe!

Verdict: I almost bought a bottle of this back in 2016, but other Yules (and Liliths) were calling my name more. I am glad I passed on the bottle. I was really hoping this would be a sweet snow + forest scent, but sadly, it is sweet in a way I did not want it to be (fruity sweet) and the evergreen notes are not very strong on me once the scent is dry.