Jólabókaflóðið

[Tal Shachar]

A dribble of candle wax, distant hearth-smoke, a fleck of chocolate Yule log on a thick wool sweater, and aged, yellowing paper bound by well-loved leather that has passed through many gentle hands.

 

 

I don't really like chocolate in scents tbh, but this really is only a little crumb of bûche de Noël, and it doesn't linger, which is good for me. Very, very soft leather and beeswax with  wool and a slightly perfumey paper note. I don't get any smoke, at least not yet. Very gentle, soft, and cozy, but I'd still call it unisex. I'm going to be very interested to see how this ages.

 

I got a perfectly well-worn paperback copy of Great Expectations (and I admit that a big reason for choosing this scent for me was the fun of getting a random used book).

[VictorianLass]

Lovely fragrance!!

In the bottle: Lots of scents equally blended together; beeswax, gentle leather, something sweet and a tinge of hearth smoke

On the skin: Hint of smoke again, sweet chocolate syrup, beeswax, very soft leather and aged pages.  Really nice!

Dry down: All of the above, but faded. The smoke is almost gone, but not completely.  Same with the leather and book scent.  Beeswax has softened. No more chocolate, but almost a tiny hint of cranberry or some kind of fruity scented candle, but very, very soft.  Lingering wonderfully on me!

 

I received a wonderful used copy of Candide!  I will be sure to wear this while reading it!  

[roseus]

In the bottle I got black tea, a bit of something smoky that made me think of whisky (but I think now is just hearthsmoke), and a little dribble of chocolate. Very cozy. On my skin I get something like the fluffy coconut snow of Snow White for a moment, but it'll quickly settles into creamy candle wax. The smokiness and chocolate hang around it hazily, with a beautiful vanilla and leather underneath that. Still very cozy, and so comforting. 

[RoseThornAndOak]

Guys, kids are getting books, blankets, and plushies, how sweet is that?   I was hoping this would turn out reasonably similar to Wulric the Wolfman: chocolatey, warm, cozy, and comforting, and I'm happy that it did and like this a bit better. It doesn't have that bite of vetiver. Fresh from the lab It starts out chocolate and the paper/book note that reminds me of what I remember Cleo smelling like. The leather in this smells nothing like that new car smell, it just lends a nice base that keeps the chocolate notes from being too cloying.

 

The wool sweater note I was afraid would turn dryer sheets but nope, just lends a nice warm and comforting vibe. I don't find this to be too candle-like, either, not overly waxy. Everything just blends seamlessly. I agree with the reviewer above, definitely unisex. 

 

I received a teen thriller set at a private school called Reconstructing Amelia, a book I never would have picked up but looks like a pretty juicy guilty pleasure. 

[Ethaisa]

I was really excited about this one, but didn't quite turn out how I expected. My skin seems to really amp the chocolate and I was hoping for more wax/smoke and books. Which is very strange because I can barely catch a whiff of chocolate in the bottle and I normally don't amp it at all. I'll skin test it again later, when the bottle has had more time to settle from its travels, but this might be one for the scent locket. (I rec'd a copy of Tess of the d'Urbervilles - been a while since I've reread any Hardy, so it'll go on the TBR pile.)

[Casablanca]

Chocolate, wax, and a soft, powdery hearth smoke. After a moment, lots of wool, and glimpses of yellow paper.

 

Brown leather comes out in drydown; chocolate fades. 

 

Then something in the blend -- the paper? -- starts to turn kind of funky on me.

 

[Mister Azure]

The gift of reading is a comforting and indulging thing.

 

When first applied there is a sweet scent of dark chocolate mingled with dribbling wax. A simple comfort that opens for the experience of running your fingers through the time-worn pages. The scent of the pages is smooth, soft, and slightly dusty in the best way possible. The further down into this comfort I go, I become more aware of the old wool sweater that is so worn, slightly tattered, and used for those winter days of relaxing at home with a slice of serenity.

 

The smoke from the crackling fire is faint. Just left to the background. So subtle that is can easily be missed as it rounds out the quiet, blissful moment held. As this dries down more, the smoke and leather are a bit more pronounced. Then without knowing it, there is soft sweetness that remains. Likely this a result of the chocolate and leather.

 

Out of all the Yule fragrances, this one is the most favored that I have. It is soft while still being prominent and that alone makes it all the sweeter to enjoy. And the book that was received was “Wastelands: The New Apocalypse” by John Joseph Adams, which is a pretty good book mood for 2020.

[frizzlechicken]

I just received a bottle of the 2019 version and I absolutely love it. You know what it reminds me of? Soft woolen chocolate intertwined with notes from Rendezvous with Her Lover Behind the Rice Straws...perhaps the Hay or the Rice Milk, or both? The slight wax is a gentle component as well. The scent is not overpowering, it's library-esque and comforting. I'm curious now about the 2016 version!

[torikitty]

I can't believe i haven't written a review yet. I've been using this as my sleepytime scent lately, so I assumed I'd written one. Wet, it's like cheap milk chocolate with a bit of "wet something", I suppose paper, and possibly surrounded by some cheap candle wax. Admittedly, it's not great when it first goes on. It's also somehow easy for my nose to transmute the "wet something" to hazelnuts. I usually put it on my chest for something comforting to wear before bed. Right now, I'm testing it on my hand, and purposefully smelling it closely. Like, it's weird, up close, it's not very pleasant to my nose. A foot from my nose, where it can waft up, it smells divine. It's like a comfortable chocolate backed up by musky hazelnuts.

 

For the record, the "sweater" note in this doesn't show up the same way that the more recent "cosy sweater" notes do. To me, those smell like artificial yarn with a hint of perfumey laundry detergent. I wouldn't say that I get any "sweater" note from this, but there is something musky, so I think I'm perceiving it differently. The leather shows up later, but it's such a whisper, I don't notice.

 

The funny thing about the book...I got it in my order. I think it was something like "Mr. Murder" or something equally frightening. I was soooo puzzled why they would throw in a well-worn copy of a book with such a ominous title. I was like "Are they trying to tell me something? Is Puddin' saying that I'm killing him with too many orders that year or something?" Then I forgot about it. It wasn't until I brought it up with another BPALer, who asked which book I got, then helped me piece it together. I never read the entire description of this scent. I just saw chocolate, and added it to my cart.

[ChildoftheDarkGoddess]

This lovely fragrance (and accompanying book) was gifted to me by a dear friend during Yuletide 2019. The bottle lasted me until just a few weeks ago! It did fade a bit, but never spoiled.

 

The faintest hint of chocolate cake, with plenty of crisp parchment, wool, and just a hint of smoke. The smoke definitely lingered  the longest. I never quite got the candle wax from it, though.

 

Onward with my BPAL journey!