Skadi

[Sara]

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

Skadi pretty much guaranteed I'll be investing in the Yule LEs this year. Something I wasn't able to do this past time due to money and time constraints.

Anywho...wow. This is exactly Christmas. I want this scent wafting through my house from the beginning of December until it stops snowing.

Pine fresh (in a non-cleaner sort of way) with a hint of sweetness (the berry?) and just a general clean, "snow covered forest" feeling. This is exactly what Christmas smells like to me.

Now to find a bigger bottle since the imp won't last.... :D

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Berries! Mmm. There is a definite coldness to this...it smells almost like a very faint mint, without the sharp bite that mint usually has.

 

Wearing: Oh yum. It smells like I just opened a freezer full of cranberries. This is wonderful, as I love the smell of freezers, and specifically frosty ice. This definitely has that smell, but it's very juicy. This is winter in a bottle, no doubt about it. I'm very impressed.

 

Later: Allspice! The berry smell is still there, but it's spicy and even more festive now. The pine is very, very slight, taking the form of a deep wood, not Pine-Sol. This is the smell of coming in from a snowy day and sitting by the fireplace, still cold, but with the fire's heat (allspice) starting to warm you up.

 

Overall: I love this. So lovely, and so evocative of the season. Will definitely wear this when I'm forced to go outside on a snowy day, or whenever I want to smell like Christmas.

[LiberAmoris]

Skadi is what I imagine Christmas potpourri would smell like in the afterlife. It’s got the same blend of holiday spices, evergreenery, and berries that commercial holiday blends try to get right---but don’t. Skadi has all those elements, but adds such depth and complexity. Each note in Skadi is so true and rich!

 

Of the new Yule LEs released this year, Skadi is by far my favorite. Please bring this one back next year!

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Cold pine. Traces of berries hidden under the snow.

 

On me: Smells like Bath & Body Work's Winterberry line, but brighter and fresher. It's very crisp, and despite the snowy notes it isn't a cold fragrance. It feels warm - it may be cold outside, somewhere else, but wherever you are is warm and protected. Wonderful!

[saoirse]

In the Bottle: Fresh and sharp; a very winter-y scent. Reminds me of LARPing during the winter - the smell of walking along a moonlit path late on a winter night. (Seems a lot of winter LE's remind me of LARPing, don't they? LOL) A very nice scent, something comforting about it, even in its coldness.

 

Wet: Very pine-y, but (as others have said) not an artificial pine. This is the pine scent that comes from breaking a pine needle between your fingers; fresh and true. Reminds me of the smell that comes from burning a Yankee Candle "Christmas Wreath" candle for a few hours - that warm, sweet mellow smell of pine.

 

Drying: Something very tart joins the pine. A sharp, bright citrus smell. So far I'm not smelling any of the berries in this and I would really like to. Its not a bad smell, actually, but I don't really like where this is going...

 

Dry: Yup. That's what I was afraid of. That's the aroma of Pine-Sol. ::shudder:: Something lemon-y comes bursting through and the two scents mingle, drowning out anything else that might be in the blend. Instant headache. (Lemon-y smells and my sinuses do not mix.) Even after washing this one off, the faint Pine-sol tinge lingers. My skin really abhors citrus!

 

Verdict: Damn. I really was expecting to like this one; but it looks like fate has other things in mind. Looks like this decanted imp will be added to the swap pile...

[Neko]

In the vial: I can smell the snowy, slushy notes that are mentioned in the description and I am impressed. Not plastic at all, instead they make the scent nice and chilly. The pine comes through, clean, sharp, and slightly soapy (like Zest), while the berries add a delicious, subtle, sweet tinge to the scent

 

Wet: My skin draws the berries into the forefront. I normally can't stand berry blends, but there is something unusual about the berries in Skadi. They're sweet without being overpowering, and they don't reek of artificiality. The pine has fallen into the background but continues to add a razor edge to the scent.

 

Dry (10 min): The pine is all but gone, however the cool snowy note remains to temper the berries. Without the pine, Skadi takes on a creamier, more feminine nature.

 

Dry (30 min): Hmm, the pine is making a comeback, though it is still playing a supporting role to the berries. The entire scent is pretty subtle at this point.

 

Dry (1 hour): The snowy note has all but disappeared, allowing the scent to warm up some. The berries have also faded quite a bit, while the pine scent has become more potent. On a whole, the scent has become very faint.

 

Dry (1 hour 30 min): The last of the pine has faded into a gentle dry pine needle and allspice scent.

 

Overall: I agree that this is the best of the Yule 2004 blends. Skadi is phenomenal: bittersweet, subtle, intriguing. Sadly, my skin absorbs this oil at an alarming rate! I put Skadi on a little over an hour ago, and the scent is all but gone.

Edited February 4, 2005 by Neko

[Aurelius]

I think I might actually sell my soul for this.

 

I also think I might cry when I finally run out of Skadi.

 

This is winter in a bottle. I adore this scent. It's piney, berryish, and cold, and it somehow encapsulates the season perfectly. This is my favorite BPAL scent.

 

[darkling]

At first, Skadi is all pine and eucalyptus. It smells almost like cleanser and I came very close to washing it off.

 

The scent begins to change entirely. Everything green vanishes. All that remains are rich, warm berries.

 

The berries continue to linger with a hint of muskiness and warmth underneath. I don't know what happened but this scent is anything but cold on my skin. There is no hint of winter or snow or slush.

 

As a bonus, this scent lingers. I could smell it faintly after 24 hours!

 

From the first sniff, I thought that I would hate Skadi but those berries are scrumptious and I will be very sad when my decanted imp is empty.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: sweet berries and pine. very odd, but very xmassy. lovely.

on: fabulous. i really love pine and that's mostly what i smell. it's very fresh and invigorating.

half an hour later: almost a tiny bit sweet, but still that fresh, clean pine. lovely!

2 hours later: much sweeter, but the pine keeps it from being too thick. i really like this.

6.5 hours later: softer. a nice, light, fruity scent.

overall: this is fabulous! i'm so glad i got to try it.

[phoefromelsewhere]

In the bottle: Pine. Lotsa pine.

 

Wet: Very piney but not like fresh cut pine, more like the smell of a pine forest with the dry and drying needles crunching underfoot. There is a sweetness as well which I am guessing is the berries? I’m getting the snowy feel but this isn’t so much walking in the snow as walking on paths surrounded by older snow. This would smell great as a candle.

 

Drydown: Hrm. Sweetness overdrive. It’s completely dry pine and REALLY sweet berries. Why does everything go too sweet on me?

 

Finally: Ugh, no. Very bad memory coming up of wet dogs, fresh cut pine, carsickness and windy mountain roads. Nothing against the the scent itself, it’s lovely if a bit overly sweet. But it’s not a memory I want to revisit anytime soon.

[Reinaluna]

Skadi, I finally was able to get a hold on a bottle of this on Ebay. When first applied I get lots of pine and grapefruit. Then it mellows down a lot into this christmasy spicy cool aroma. Better than Ice queen for me, it sort of reminds me of a less strong Bewitched. I think I will keep this.

[Gin]

Yup, pine and berries and snowflakes. It's the scent of Christmas tree day, when we go into the forest and pick a tree to cut. The pine is strong and cold at first, but then the berries begin to take over and the scent warms. This is a very festive scent.

[anmorata]

Skadi:

 

Skadi smelled like Christmas on me. It wasn't overwhelmingly evergreen, but it was enough for me to not want to wear it this time of year. Perhaps around the holidays, but not in March!

 

All in all, it worked well with my body chemistry. Whatever the evergreen scent is intermixed with (berries, as others have mentioned?) is a brilliant blend, and it works *very* well.

[plumerai]

I can't add anything to the above reviews but just want to echo my complete and utter love for this scent. It. Is. Perfect.

 

I'm glad it's unseasonably cold so I don't feel terribly out of place wearing it in March..

[Digital_Hypoxia]

Delicious!

 

Sweet and earthy and so comforting!

It starts off sharp, almost like candied lemons and evergreen, and softens into an almost indescribable perfection.

 

The hint of lemon fades quickly into a more subtle form, and the bayberry (?) really warms up the evergreen.

 

 

Its like Christmas snow in a bottle!

[SyringaVulgaris]

As yesterday was the official last day of winter, I doused myself with this before I tucked it away for the season (yes, I am anal about using scents in specific seasons... )

 

So I had it in my lotion, my hair, on my neck, etc.

 

God, it's SO. GOOD.

 

YuleMistleQueen? IceToeTide?

 

The best from all 3 of these, I think, and I love them individually.

 

First the Pine, then the Berries, then the Slush.

 

The LE blends seem to be my favorites. And Yule blends the best of those.

 

[surf-tormented]

Very good, up there with Ice Queen as my favorite Yule blend. It is cold like Ice Queen but definately has more going on. It is the only Yule LE I tried, other than Heath, that didn't have a pluminess to it. Just cold herbal.

[Shollin]

Thanks to ChupaChup for the decant!

 

First sniff: Must agree with everyone who said Skadi smells like Christmas. Like a Christmas tree, specifically.

 

Wearing: Straight-up chilly pine with a very faint hint of berry underneath. The berry comes out more as the scent wears on, adding a lovely plummy warmth I wasn’t expecting at all. Maybe this won’t be one I automatically pass on to my piney sweetheart.

[cricketshay]

In the vial Skadi smelled very fruity sort of like Lifesavers or that fruit striped gum I liked so much when I was a child. I'm not a big fan of fruity scents, but I swiped some on anyway. (must try all of the blends)

 

Wet: The same fruity smell but with a more sour edge. Sour balls! It reminds me of sour balls. A touch of coolness is starting to come through.

 

Dry: The fruits have faded into the background and the crisp minty smell is lingering. I'm reminded of old time ribbon Christmas candy we used to get in our stocking every year.

 

Skadi is not my cup of tea, but if you're looking for a crisp refreshing winter fragrance with a touch of sweet berry this one is for you.

[Sheila]

I didn't order this at Yule because, at the time, I was scared of the berries and the pine. Since then, however, Dublin convinced me that not all piney scents were bad. The very sweet jj_j gave me some Skadi in a swap--thank you!

 

I'm so glad I got a chance to try Skadi--she's like Dublin's softer, less sharp, more fruity sister. It's a beautiful, frosty yet warm scent--pine with the sweetness of berries. I'm pretty sure there's some musk in there too. If this comes back next year, I'm buying a bottle.

[laochodia]

Skadi smells like Ice Queen and a giant selection of berries with a base of wet snow. Unfortunately, it sent me into a sneezing fit. Off to some deserving, non-allergic bpaler it goes.

[Muppetk]

Oh wow.

 

Oh wow wow wow. I have really got to learn to not trade away duplicate imps before sniffing my first one. (I just got inundated with imps and well...)

 

First sniff in imp: oooooh, pine & red berry.

 

Wet: all pine. Waaaah! My skin eats berries curse strikes again!

 

Later: Oh my god, it's an exception! I can still smell the berry and I don't even have to go hunting for it! And the pine is the soft scent now, not medicinal/pine sol or anything like that, just nice. HOW COOL!!!!!! My skin usually just sucks up all berry flavor in anything I tried. (Jester was big time depressing for me for that reason.) I think there's the slightest hint of floral behind it too, but it's hard to tell as all the notes blend well. It's a very yuletide scent.

 

WOOHOO! THE CURSE IS BROKEN! LONG LIVE SKADI!!!!

[dreadeddragon]

I got a bottle of this on ebay without ever having sniffed it.

 

In the bottle: Pine, maybe juniper? A slight hint of something sweeter, but it's all encapsulated in ice. Beth really gets the snow scent down perfectly.

 

First on: The pine still stays at the forefront, but now there is a definite berry I can smell underneath. It reminds me of the Mullberry scent Bath & Body Works had out for xmas a few years ago, only much nicer.

 

Drydown: It reminds me of a cross between Midwinter's Eve and Ice Queen. It stays the same mostly on me, only the berry has its moments of peaking out more from the pine before it retreats again.

 

I like this one, and got rid of both my Ice Queen & Midwinter's Eve when I got it because it seemed like a mesh. I never wear it though, so I might just decant an imp and send the bottle on to someone who can truly appreciate it.

[QueenFae]

Ladies, try this one on your man!! This is my fiance's favorite. It smells so complex on him, spicey and piney and very masculine. It reminds me a bit of Old Dublin on the dry down, but better. It doesn't work on me, but i can't keep my hands of my man when he wears it. Unbelieveably sexy, animal magnetism!

[Sunbear]

Mmm, this is really nice.

 

In the bottle: Evergreen, somehow cool.

 

On me: I don't detect the chilly snow notes; at first I smell like a Christmas tree with just a touch of sweetness in the background. I like that. Soon -- in about half an hour -- these switch places and I have sweet, tart berries with a spicy background of pine needles. Gorgeous. This would be perfect at Christmastime, or maybe even on a hot summer day when something cooling would be nice.

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't have a whole lot of staying power on me, fading in a couple of hours to just a light fruity sweetness. Still, I'm glad to have it. It's beautiful.