Skadi

[sarada]

The Snow-Shoe Goddess, Giantess, the Norse embodiment of winter. Frost-rimed winter berries, crisp pine needle, and a slush of bright snowy notes.

This is one of the most beautiful things that I have ever had the pleasure to smell.

Truly, they have encapsulated winter in this one fragrance. I don't know what the snowy notes are, but they are sparking and glittering throughout this icy-white/pale blue fragrance. It actually smells like SNOW. Pine is in the forefront, of course -- an evergreen forest, branches heavy with snow. There are hints of other evergreens that I cannot quite name -- spruce perhaps? The berries may account for the slight hint of warmth I get as an afterthought...bittersweet, frozen berries. Perhaps bayberry?

This is absolutely an outdoor winter fragrance -- you can practically see the swirl of snowflakes escape from the bottle when you open it.

One of my absolute favorite fragrances ever, and I only just opened it today! Pine/wood scents never change on my skin, but it has been going strong for a couple of hours now and just getting more and more beautiful, like a candle has been burning and it just strengthens as it warms.

I hope I can get more when I run out!!

[any_old_actress]

WILL TRADE ANYTHING IN MY BPAL COLLECTION FOR ANOTHER BOTTLE OF THIS!!!

 

FIRST SNIFF - grapefruit & pine

 

WEARING IT - sweet and SO nice. it’s a really smooth scent, faintly chilly. the pine is really sweet, not harsh in the least. i have no other words to describe this except perfect, it works so well with my skin. hours later it smells so inviting and comforting on me. if you were to stand in a forest, in winter - skadi would be the whoosh of clean, cool air whirling about. the winter berries come out towards the end of the scent, but are really light and REALLY gorgeous.

 

VERDICT - need more bottles of this. like i mentioned above, if this doesn't work on someone, i'll pay or swap you for your bottle!! please

Edited December 21, 2004 by any_old_actress

[Scylla]

If there were ever a true expression of winter in a scent, Skadi would have to be it! It is fresh, chilly and piney (without being Pine-SOL-y) at first, and upon drydown I detect the berries and a light floral note.

 

Upon first sniff, my husband said, "It smells like Ozium." What does HE know! He wears AXE!

 

I'd have to say this is definitely my holy grail of winter perfumes! Love, love, love it! And please, please, please bring it back next year!

Edited December 21, 2004 by Scylla

[inkstone]

In the bottle: Minty pine.

 

Wet: The pine comes out a lot. It's a very invigorating scent, almost medicinal in tone.

 

Drydown: Oh, this is pretty. This is snow-covered pine in the far north. The strong pine note mellows into something prettier. Something a little sweeter has come out and I can only assume that's the berries.

 

Final thoughts: Between Ice Queen and Skadi, I far prefer Skadi. It's still "cold" but it doesn't have the off-putting hauteur that repelled me from Ice Queen. This is something elusive and vaguely wild. I really like it.

[sarahmarie]

Skadi really does smell like snow. That part of the scent fades quickly on my skin, but in the bottle it smells just like snow. It's amazing. I also smell pine and a very tart, red berry, and there's something else I can't put my finger on. Something vaguely spicey. It reminds me of potpurri, but it's a good thing (though I bet it sounds bad). At first, it's strongand so bright it sort of overwhelmed me - but it smells so good! And it doesn't take long for it to fade to a softer level.

 

Skadi is perfect. It's festive and wintery, and it manages to be both warm *and* cold. It's bright and cheery, but there's also an air or something mysterious about it - something like a silent forest full of freshly fallen snow. Even though I can't smell the snowy note on my skin, I love how this oil wears for me. I am going to be quietly hoarding it, and hoping it returns next year so I can snatch up some more!

[pekeana]

Skadi is spruce and warmth -- it's very similar to Ice Queen, but warmer and not so much like breathing in an icicle. After a while, I get spruce, but then there's that lovely pine note from Hemlock that I adore, and an undercurrent of orange that just might be my skin having fun. Overall, a winner.

[linaerys]

Skadi is perfect. It's festive and wintery, and it manages to be both warm *and* cold.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That's just how I feel. It starts off piney and fruity, but it is frozen fruits, and pine like being in a pine forest, not like artificial pine at all.

 

After a few minutes it goes to a very generalized spice on me, but still with a hint of coolness underneath. I really like it in both stages, but wish the wet stage stuck around longer.

 

All in all, I am in lurve.

[nevermore]

I adore Skadi. I was nervous of the berries in the description, but I'm very glad I ordered it. It smells like walking into a house with a real Christmas tree and mulled cider on the stove, after being out sledding or skating all afternoon. On me, the berries and pine are most prominent, with a touch of spice. The "snowy" notes are apparant in the bottle, but not on my skin. Still, it's lovely.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Crisp cold pine.

 

Second Impression: This is the hands down winner of the Winter 2004 Limited Editions. This is winter in a bottle. Beth has captured the ice and snow covered trees in a magical Disney-esque forest in this scent. It's clean, crisp and beautiful. It morphs on the drydown, from icy snowy pine to slightly sweet frozen berries, a touch of something creamy but always but always staying true to the wintery intentions.

 

Final Analysis: This is more Ice than Ice Queen, more Snow than Snow White. I adore this scent, it is PERFECT.

[oceandessa]

I am completely and utterly in love with Skadi.

 

Not much left unsaid except that it really surprised me. I did not expect to like this scent as much as I do. Just as Samhain is fall in a bottle, this is a frosty winter in a bottle. Love it, it's like nothing I have tried before.

 

 

 

[Astarte]

This is very sharp at first and I can smell pine very strongly. Then a tangy citrus scent permeates through, then as all scents mingle together and settle down onto my skin, the slight sweetness from the berry comes through. At first I was quite hesitent because of the strength of the pine but after everything settled down, it became quite lovely.

[Imbrium]

In the bottle: Pine, and something I can't put my finger on. It's not berris, so I'll assume it's the "snowy notes."

 

Wet: Still very pine, and snow; it's almost a little too sweet for me.

 

Dry: Now it's absolutely perfect. I still smell the pine, but it's not overpowering, and now I can smell the berries too.

 

This scent is absolutely delicious - it's winter and Christmas in a bottle, and I'm so glad I ordered it. Now I just have to make it last..

[leslie260]

Skadi is the epitome of a December scent. Overall, the first thing that hit me was the ripe berry scent...a crisp, tart berry scent. Then the pine kicked in...but it never drowned out the berry. Even after a couple of hours, Skadi smelled gorgeous on my skin. I got many compliments on this one when I wore it...mostly from men, strangely enough.

[silverangel]

Ah berries! Noooo, where'd my berries go? bring the berries back! The berries have been hijacked by the pine! The pine is slaughtering the berries and the flowers and taking over the land! Yes, it was a battle, the pine won, and thus it has left for a new home.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Skadi smells just like Christmas. It is the first bottle I reached for from my Yule order. It is how you smell after chopping down your own Christmas tree in the midst of a fresh fluffy snow. Simply gorgeous.

 

Wearing: The pine was at the forefront to begin with, and the scent was true to the bottle. As it dried, the wintery berries peeked their heads out and the tart sweetness started taking over. The pine is still there, along with a soft spiciness.

 

Final Impressions: You know that warmth you feel when you are crouched in a snow fort as a kid - the insulation of the snow combined with the exhiliration and exertion of playing outside and the sharp cold of the air? That is what this scent feels like. It is an absolute masterpiece!

[lorajc]

I'm absolutely in love with this scent. Despite it having pine in it (which I don't get along with), I ordered a few bottles anyway thinking that it would be blended well and it is. It goes on a bit strong, but the drydown is really lovely on me. Slightly sweet, slightly aquatic with a berry tinge and the pine hangs out in the background just giving it a christmasy feel. I love the sweetness this gets on the drydown. Lovely scent!!

[Diana]

Skadi, how I love thee.

 

Seriously. One of my most favourite goddesses in Norse mythology, I was a total sucker for this oil just because of the name.

 

In the bottle, this is sharp, strong pine. Like you've just crushed up handfuls of pine needles or walked up against a fir tree.

 

Initially, wet and for the first 30 mintues or so, this stays true to the bottled scent. Sharp, strong, wonderful pine, that still has snow clinging to the branches. Shortly after this, a soft berry creeps up to the surface and mingles with the pine. They do a little dance together and mingle so perfectly.

 

Now that this has been on for a while, the pine moves to the background. It is still a strong note, but it's softened remarkably. It almost smells grapefruity at this point. I am so glad I made myself order a 2nd bottle before it sold out! This oil is truly worthy of being named after a goddess.

[klowey]

My first review. Inspired by the scent that's getting me through the day after the office Christmas party.

 

In the bottle and first application it was cold and sharp - very citrusy, like white grapefruit?

 

As it wore on pine and vanilla and softer scents came out, but it's still very grapefruity.

 

It's definitely one of my favourites of the small number I have and I'm really glad I have a 5ml bottle. Now I'm just going to be torn between using it a lot and using it very sparingly.

[FireInCairo]

I love the boldness of this scent. It hits you very hard-and is almost violent! It's also very fresh.... and seems to be the true essence of winter-in full bottled glory. Very nice indeed...

[Macha]

I picked up this scent almost as an afterthought (well, as long as I'm buying Ice Queen, I suppose I'll pick up Skadi too.) Ahh...I'm so glad I did.

 

In the bottle: Skadi smells like spicey pine, with subtle notes that I'm having a harder time picking out. I don't really smell any berries, although something smells like mulling spices.

 

Wet, on skin: The spices really stand out, with a cold undercurrent of pine. Smells like...winter. Not the glacial winter of Ice Queen, but more of a 'by the fire with friends' winter, while it's very cold outside.

 

1.5 hours on skin: Sarahmarie was absolutely right when she said this was both warm AND cold. This is...wow...well, a memory of a magic moment for me. Imagine being up in the mountains in a room with a cheerful fireplace, with one wall open to the elements, watching the snow fall down and cover the pine needles while you drink spiced cider and listen to the boy you have the most incredible crush on playing Mozart on the baby grand. Warm and tingly and spicy, with the cold snow just over there....

 

Drydown: This is a complex scent that really encapsulates a lot of what I associate as the "best" smells of Christmas. In the hands of someone less skilled, I expect that this would smell like cheap christmas pine potpourri, but fortunately for all of us, Elizabeth is truly a master.

 

Conclusion: I will have to carefully ration this scent to make sure I have enough to last me through the year. Simply marvelous.

Edited January 27, 2005 by Macha

[Kaowolfie]

In bottle: Cranberries and pine and a little snow. Pretty and spicy and v. v. v. Christmas-y.

 

Initially on skin: Cranberries! The pine tempers, but it's mostly tart, slightly sweet, succulent cranberries.

 

Ten minutes later: The cranberries are becoming a background note, while the cold pine takes the forefront. It really /does/ smell like snow, I feel like Christmas.

 

Twenty minutes in: I smell like an amalgamation of snow, pine, and cranberries.

 

Sixty minutes in: The scent suddenly got really faded and soft. I smell like a little bit of the outdoors lingering around you, after you've stomped snow off your boots. The cranberry is there, like someone was scenting the air with it. I normally don't like to give touchy feeling descriptions of scents, but that really is what this smells like.

 

I like it a lot, but I'm not sure how much /I/ want to smell like it. I might take to using it to scent my room somehow -- I might have to get an oil burner. I do have to say, it's kind of nice to wear now that it's started POURING DOWN RAIN outside. (Yes, all the caps are necessary.) It's very much a "it's cold and miserable outside, but I'm inside where it's warm." scent.

 

I almost smell a similarity between this and Niflheim. I think the snowy notes in Skadi are akin to the misty-gloomy notes in Niflheim -- the main differences are the different top notes.

[xoe]

Skadi is beautiful. Starts out very piney and then the berries which were in the background come to the foreground. After several hours it is mainly sweet, soft, warm, glowing, goodness.

 

So good.

[VorpalBunny]

Skadi is winter in a bottle! On me, it is PINE PINE PINE with subtle sweet hints underneath. Absolutely lovely. It's certainly a very seasonal scent. but wonderful, and would be great in one of those simmer things.

[Rheliwen]

In the bottle: Christmas trees galore!

 

Wet: It smells similar to Mistletoe to me. I get the fresh pine scent along with juicy berries. I get visions of holiday wreaths.

 

Dry: The snowy note comes out a bit and the pine dies down a bit but is still the focal point of this blend on my skin. There berries are still there, but are fading away

 

This smells exactly as it was described by the lab, just a little less berry and more pine. I would love it more if those 2 would swap. This is still very pretty and is definitely a Christmas tree in a bottle!

Edited December 24, 2004 by Rheliwen

[Northernminx]

I wanted to love this so very much. The berries never really show up on me and my chemistry ate the pine and then there was just this wierd grapfruit like smell. I'm not huge on grapefruit and I'm just sorta crushed my chemistry hates this one so much. Where's the snow? Where's the pine? Where's the berries? Why do I smell like frozen grapefruit? :Sob: