Category: Limited Edition: Yule

In the bottle: It's hard to describe...I'm wanting to say it's an 'herbal' smell at first, because the light, fluffy notes that I would normally associate with florals aren't there. It's a very down-to-earth scent, instead, though as I huff deeper and longer, that sweet note does rise to the surface; I'm assuming that's the gardenia.

Wet: This scent has warm tones to it; it speaks to me of a candlelit ritual or gathering, one that centers around radiance and joy, where wreaths of olive leaves and pure white flowers adorn everything. It is verdant without being excessively flowery; all of those thicker, heavier notes blend together and come to me; while I can't pick out olive blossom, honey, lemongrass or patchouli exclusively, I can definitely tell that they're *there*, based on the 'texture' that the scent gives off. I'm afraid this really isn't doing a very good job of saying what it *smells* like, other than that it's warm and earthy and OMG so nice.

Dry: Unfortunately, after a while it wears off and gets very faint, with just a hint of sweet floral remaining. I'm sort of surprised that I couldn't detect the citrus notes at all, but that's okay.

Verdict: This scent is divine! I'm so glad that I got a bottle of it; the very down-to-earth quality of it is what makes it beautiful to me. This is another one that I would recommend for people who do not like traditional 'sweet' florals, who like a bit of solidity to their scent.

What I liked: I'm definitely a fan of scents that have 'body' to them, which this one does. To me, it's a nice mix of sweet flowers and warm, crisp herbs; it completely makes up for the disappointment that was Alecto. I'm also pleased that the patchouli behaved itself; years of being around people who over-apply patchouli has made me wary of it, so I'm absolutely happy that it's worked out in this blend.

What I didn't like: Though it would have been nice to have smelled the nectarines and oranges, it probably would have made it a completely different scent. I'm happy with this as it is, really.