Mistletoe

[CrazyPretzel]

The plant of peace in Norse tradition. If enemies met in the forest and came upon a sprig, they laid down their arms and observed a truce until the next sunrise.

 

I'm reviewing this one thanks to snapeophile, who passed some Yule decants along to me when she found out I couldn't afford to get decants this year

I'm really glad I got to try this one. It's such a perfect Christmas scent despite being far from the usual foody, spicy, piney interpretations. It's crisp, light, verging on evergreen but not quite that. It reminds me most of bayberry candles, though it's sharper and more interesting than that. Such a clean, green-and-white scent! It's not soapy, but I think it would make a fantastic soap scent

The only drawback is that it fades within only an hour or so on my skin. Problem solved by putting it in my hair.

[FandF]

2007

 

If you have ever purchased Frontgate tree spray (or got one free with a tree, or been over someone's house who used it), then you know what this smells like! I'm not saying it's bad, it's just what it smells like. It's a perfectly nice evergreen scent, very pleasant. I'm not sure it's a scent that I would wear though.

 

This also had very little lasting power on me.

[PurringPulsar]

Mistletoe 07

 

In the imp: Christmas tree, just like the last version…but this one is sweeter.

Wet on skin: Christmas tree with hints of something vaguely floral or fruity?

Dry: mmm, smells just like a Christmas tree. Warm pine needles, fir needles, spruce needles…it’s evergreen but without snowy coldness. This is a tree inside a house waiting to be decorated. There’s something else to it which I didn’t get last year…other notes I can’t identify but it’s a bit lemony, a bit floral, a bit sweet and I also fear it may turn a little soapy…

After a while: ack…pine soap! This doesn’t turn to gorgeous pure fir tree, nor does my skin eat this up like last year. Now it smells like pine cleanser, with a nasty washing powdery scent to it, a little lemony and soapy…almost like powdery ozone. No, this is ozone…I even smell that crackly electric smell in it. This now smells like Slobbering Pine without the moss. The pine/fir scent fades away and this turns into pure ozone-y detergent, even with that ‘burnt air’ scent I smell around office appliances, the kind of scent I’d expect with stormy scents, not a festive mistletoe one!

Verdict: I really liked Mistletoe 05, because it smelt like pure essence of Christmas tree, and nothing else. It was short lived though. This one lasts a lot longer on me, but is nowhere near as nice as the 05 version. This smells like lightning-struck mistletoe on me! Yup, fir notes mixed with ozone…and ozone that turns straight to washing powder on me. Now theoretically, Christmas tree scented washing powder would be a wonderful idea…for washing powder and clean linen. But sadly, not for my skin. I sold my decant to someone who would appreciate the scent better.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? No.

If you like this, try: Snow Storm, Slobbering Pine, Yew Trees, Jolasveinar, Shivering Boy, Old Moon

[fairnymph]

PINE, like single note. Not a fan of piney stuff.

[zankoku_zen]

This one... was odd. It had a waxy Christmasy smell to it. It was berries and pine sap, but the pine sap was almost astringent. As it dried, it became this Christmas soap and now it's ended up in dried stick forest land.

 

WTH?

 

Yeah. I don't get it either.

[Coldfire]

Imp: Winter….Winter and evergreen/pine

Wet on Me: le sigh. Le love le winter evergreens with a trace of snow in the background.

Drying Down: I’m standing in the middle of a thick forest covered in snow. But without the damn cold!

Dry: Another total keeper, so glad I got it bottle!

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Oh yum. It really does smell like evergreen tree branch. It’s Christmassy and sexy masculine at the same time. Wet: This is surprisingly rich and masculine. The sap and wood is well defined. I am loving this. As it warms, a faint, tart berry edge comes out along with something ozone. Dry: soft evergreen and ozone.

[RaeiNarcissus]

I love how this smells in the decant, it's very christmas perfect, but on me.......it's instant fade. I will keep it though, as my christmas sniffie, and when I need to feel like it should be cold outside.

[ouch!]

Erm..what can I say reallly. It just smells like pine...I suppose it's more of a real pine. It's kinda fresh too. But that's all really.

 

I get no berries, no wood...not much else.

 

*is sad*

[anna1850]

Mistletoe 2005

 

I smell like a car air-freshener. It's not an unpleasant smell in and of itself; in fact I quite like the smell of pine as it reminds me of Christmas (which is my favourite time of the year).

 

2.5/5 I don't think I really want to smell like a Christmas tree to be honest.

[Schmoozy]

2005: Icy cold pine with sprigs of frosty berries. It is a bright, powerful scent.

 

2007: A little less icy cold than the '05 version. More perfumey if that makes sense. It is softer and a little less "wham" in your face pine.

 

Both are loves though. I adore pine, and this is straight up pine.

[thekittenkat]

This review is for the 2005 version.

 

In the bottle: Like standing in an evergreen forest, at night, no wind, no snow, just the scent of the trees all around.

 

Wet: A very powerful pine/fir/Christmas tree scent. There also seem to be a hint of citrus, very faint.

 

The dry-down: Still very much the evergreen scent. No juicy berries here.

 

This may go into an oil burner, or head off to the sales/swap pile. It's a very evocative perfume oil, but as others have said, I don't want to smell like an evergreen tree with no other notes to calm the scent down and ground it. This scent does not morph on me at all. I'll try it on the bf and post back as to how it works on him.

Edited November 10, 2009 by thekittenkat

[starfish327]

2007

 

this starts out a sharp, high, screaming green note on my skin and then goes to soap. it reminds me a lot of an avon soap that my grandmother used to put out at christmas time that was green and shaped like a wreath. the pine eventually comes forward, but unfortunately it goes holiday scented candle on me, which i can sometimes stand but not in this blend.

 

oh well. off to the swaps with this one i guess.

[puck_nc]

2007 edition

 

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: My 2004 Mistletoe is a treasured Yule scent for me. Hopefully the 2007 edition is the same, especially since I've let it age a few years before reviewing this bottle!

 

In the Bottle: Strong, sharp pine with a hint of winter chill. I'd need to do a side-by-side to be sure, but this one carries an impression of pine cleaner at the end of the sniff compared to the fresh-cut pine tree of the 2004 bottle.

 

Wet: Pine, but again, with some hint of chemical or something that makes it seem synthetic rather than fresh.

 

Drydown: The pine is softened a great deal as the berry comes into play, along with an ozone hint that gives the impression of chill and snow.

 

Verdict: I'll do a side-by-side to be sure, but this dries down nicely enough on me to use when I run out of the 2004 version.

[pekeana]

I was gifted an almost full bottle of Mistletoe 2007 by a dear friend who I vacationed with and I'm just now getting a chance to try it out.

 

HOLY PINEY STUFF, BATMAN. This is the scent of that evergreen that's going to smack the crap out of you as you lose control of your sled and go under the pine tree and get needles up your never-you-minds. It's almost overwhelming, but picks up a light wood note as it dries down - holy freaking pine tree, Batman.

 

And now I'm having sledding accident trauma flashbacks. Thank you, Mistletoe! lol

[Soupy Twist]

2007 decant.

 

If you ever sniffed the Lab's lovely combination of hyper-realistic pine and sweet berries which make up scents like Skadi and Almond Blossom and then thought "Alas, if only this had a layer of cedar pencil shavings!" then this is the blend for you.