Brisingamen

[calivianya]

The amber necklace of Freyja, Norse Goddess of Love, Sex, Attraction and Fruitfulness. Her magnificent necklace was bought from four Dwarves [Alfrik, Berling, Dvalin and Grer] at the price of four nights of her passion. When Brisingamen graces your throat, no man can resist your charms. A glittering mantle of rich golden notes: five ambers, soft myrtle and apple blossom, myrtle, and carnation.

Initially, I get some strong carnation and myrtle. However, when this scent dries down, nothing but amber is left. The amber goes to powder shortly afterwards.

[JasminDreams2010]

Brisingamen does an odd transformation on me. When I first put this on, it is a clean, non-descript soap. Then, suddenly after about 20 minutes in, it becomes incredibly spicy and the florals start to show up. This is kind of sexy, in an earthy, clean/soap way. I enjoy it but I don't know if it is quite "me"- I generally like loud honking jasmine or tuberose scents. I am keeping the imp though, I can see this being charming in autumn with the leaves changing- it's the kind of scent you'd wear on a walk in the woods with your honey on your arm and a thermos of hot cider in your hand.

[Wwindy]

Wow, this one is a *huge* morpher depending on where I apply it: wrists are totally different from crooks of elbows, neck is different from both of those, etc.! The level of "green-ness" here (the myrtle and maybe a bit of an edge from the carnation, I'm guessing) varies widely, although it's notably sharper and stronger on my wrists -- but that element is elusive and dies down quickly. As most reviewers are noting, the amber is (unsurprisingly) far and away the dominant presence. It's a lovely light, clear, warm amber; definitely evocative of glowing amber gemstones set in gold. And yes, it hovers just on the edge of powdery, although I think it's staying on the right side of the line.

 

The overall effect on me is soft and girly. Nice for spring! It's also very temporary -- this one fades *fast*, and does seem to leave a little bit of that "stale perfume" sort of residue behind, so I feel like I need to keep reapplying.

[Suu4LC]

Hmmm. I love carnation and apple blossom, but amber tends to go VERY powdery on me. And with 5 ambers, there is a high chance one of them will go super powdery

 

Oh wow, in the imp this is VERY ambery. Warm and golden. Maybe a touch of myrtle but not really any apple blossom or carnation. I definitely think this will be powdery on my skin.

 

On my skin, golden ambery powder and undefined florals. Still dont really notice carnation or apple blossom.

 

Yep, like clockwork-straight to sweet powder. Tis my curse with amber!

[mxtine]

This is something I would have never tried because of the apple blossom and myrtle, and I almost didn't skin test it because it didn't smell great in the imp. On my skin however, it's a really nice dark amber with carnation. It does get powdery but I love the amber type of powder rather than "baby powder". There is some green-ness to the scent that turns me off in the dry down phase.

[Ella LaRose]

I thought I would love this!! but for some reason all it smelled like was unwashed hippie lol!! so weird!

[keyake]

I was absolutely determined to love this, no matter what it smelled like, because I had a dream about wearing it before I ever got a whiff. Now, I'm not one for florals and my skin tends to amp amber so my hope was that the amber would be the boldest note along with the myrtle the carnation just a slight spicy backdrop.

 

In bottle: Floral, spicy. I can't really smell the amber very well.

 

Wet on skin: OH HELLO CARNATION. I can't smell anything else, and my dismay is growing - though if I wanted to smell like a flower, this is definitely a perfect carnation smell. I can practically feel and taste the flower laying on my skin.

 

Drydown: Still carnation-y, with a bit of warmth from the amber coming in on the background. This is giving me hope - if the carnation eases back just a bit more, I will love this. Still can't really smell the myrtle or apople blossom

 

Dry on skin: Well, the carnation has eased back a little. I'm not convinced its enough, though I can smell the amber now - I just wish there was more amber scent. I'm also smelling what I think might be the apple blossom now.

 

Conclusion: It's a really lovely scent, and it may be one of the only two exceptions I've found to the "not a fan of florals" rule, the other one being Wolf's Heart. The amber keeps coming through more - if that continues, I'll probably get a bottle of this.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[milo]

Wet, a bit bitter, sharp floral with the warm amber. This kind of reminds me a bit of Jacob's Ladder, but with the added bitter floral. It's a bit like Khrysee too. A little too sharp floral for me, but nice to try!

[ami226]

On the skin: A lovely floral. I don't smell much else. It actually turns quite soapy on my skin. Definitely not for me.

[rawgirl75]

I can't remember if I've reviewed this before...

 

When I first got my imp of Brisingamen years ago, I wasn't crazy about it. Due to the prominent amber note, it was very powdery on me at first. After an hour or so that faded away and I could begin to see potential in this blend after some aging. Instead of swapping it away, I hung onto it for a few years and then last summer I rediscovered it and voila! it had indeed aged GORGEOUSLY.

 

I've since acquired a 3yr old bottle from another forumite that has just started to become ready to wear now. I tell ya, if a cobalt bottle ever comes my way, you can be sure that I'll try to snap it up.

 

ps. I found Hod to be very similar to Brisingamen, but without the apple blossom note.

[whataboutprom]

Wet: I mostly get amber, not a golden scent but cool and white, a little powdery.

 

Dry: The incense starts to come out. This smells to me like a less complex version of Snake Oil. The first couple of times I tried this, the powder became too much for me. However, the more I try amber blends, the more I am able to discern the difference between powdery amber and the actual smell of baby powder. I am going to let this one age a bit and try it again. I have a feeling I may learn to appreciate it.

Edited September 2, 2011 by whataboutprom

[Alethia]

Wet: The most lovely combination of carnation and myrtle. It was soft and floral without being old lady-ish or powdery.

 

Dry down: Still beautiful. I am swooning!

 

Completely dry: This is my first blend with amber, so I am assuming that it's the amber that made this beautiful scent turn powdery. It's not entirely unpleasant, and I so very much adore everything else about Brisingamen that I will be retesting this.

[Klolly]

In imp: A plain, sharp smell with a tinge of green that smells like grass a bit.

 

On wet: Still kind of plain and watery but that fresh plant smell is a bit stronger. I'm assuming that's the myrtle.

 

Dry: So far i'm confused as to why this one is so popular and known as a sexy scent. It smells very dull and sour to me. As it sits it does have a slightly spicy throw but overall it's cheap white bar soap. Not impressed.

 

Hours later: I had to update because it took about an hour and then suddenly the amber came out in this. I find it bizarre that the amber would take that long to come out of hiding. When I first put this on I couldn't even smell a hint of it and now it's the main note and it's gorgeous. Seriously, this is probably the best smelling amber I've tried here. Not the best scent, mind you, but the best amber. I still don't really care for the scent though because it took way too long to smell decent on me.

Edited October 21, 2011 by Klolly

[Monday]

I first tested Brisingamen on my hand and thought it was an okay scent but nothing special. Then I tested it on my neck and the inside of my arms and it bloomed into something amazing! Warm carnation and amber with just a hint of greenness.

[boomtownrat]

When I opened the fresh lab frimp to smell it last night, a drop of it got on my index finger. Not wanting to waste it, I foolishly dabbed it on my throat at the pulse point. A wrist would have been much better, but I was caught unprepared. I'm not fully recovered from a cold and my sense of smell isn't completely back, so I'm not sure why I bothered trying to see what anything smelled like... I was just excited to get my order, I guess. Well, what little I could smell of it was really unpleasantly powdery and reminded me of one of my ex-sisters-in-law, who wore some kind of powdery floral fragrance back in the '80s. Amber isn't usually powdery on me at all, but with five of them, I guess the chances of that reaction are that much greater.

 

What's worse, I could feel myself getting a headache. That could have been from one of the three other frimps I got from the Lab, so I'm not going to pin the blame solely on Brisingamen.

 

I thought I might enjoy this because I like amber a lot, but then I really can't take florals ever since I started getting migraines. Before I decide what to do with this imp, I'm going to let it wait for a bit until I know I have my sense of smell back completely.

 

ETA on 1/15/2012: Brisingamen wasn't the frimp that gave me the headache. Yesterday I wore it with no problems, but I'm still not sure I love the smell. Because I'm still learning to pick out notes, I'm not sure what it is about Brisingamen that I don't like. Amber has always been good on me and I love Morocco with its carnation note, so I'm inclined to say I don't like the apple blossom or myrtle. After trying Brisingamen twice, I might be giving it to a friend or starting a swaps pile.

Edited January 15, 2012 by boomtownrat

[nome]

Wet, this scent is AMBER. Almost solely. Nice if you really like amber, but too strong for me. Half an hour in, that tapers off and morphs into an addicting sniffable like floral, strong on the apple blossom and carnation. Unfortunately, around hour three, it faded to powder on me, and was gone by hour four. I wish it stuck around, the floral stage was great!

[archergrl]

I am kinda eh on the wet stage but about an hour into the dry stage it turns yummy. Bf approved Not sure I need a bottle though we will see how fast I finish the imp I got.

[Floria]

Straight out of the imp, this is rather perfumey in a not entirely pleasant way, although it quickly mellows on my skin. I get mostly apple blossom and something sharp that must be the myrtle, mellowed a little by the underlying amber. Not much carnation, which is a pity, since I like it. The amber isn't very strong, but at least it isn't Doom Powder.

Despite the description, this is more of a cool scent than a warm one to me.

I mostly bought this to see how my skin works with amber-heavy scents, but I do like it.

[venusinfurs]

I got this free from the lab. I will start with saying I was so nervous, considering I have disliked almost every amber I've encountered, except the amber in Bastet, but I think that was because it was hidden by other notes. It usually goes total sweet baby powder on me.

 

In the imp: Smells very green floral. I'm thinking that is the myrtle/carnation/apple blossom. Hmm...maybe promising, although it is actually a bit more sharp than I'd expect.

 

Wet on skin: Wow, I guess that's why I hate amber! I smelled none in the imp, but as soon as it hit my skin it was all amber and flowers. Surprisingly, though, this amber stays sweet and warm instead of dull baby powder. I'm intrigued.

 

Dry on skin: Fresh and sexy! The amber(s) blend gorgeously with the sharpness of the greens and the sweetness of the flowers. Most of my bpal scents are spicy and drop dead sexy, so I've been looking for a more "everyday" scent. I may have found it! Who would have guessed with 5 ambers, which is usually my note of doom. This is a very close to the skin scent, as it doesn't have much throw, soft and sweet but nowhere near cloying, but it's still interesting and feminine enough to enjoy wearing.

[Incendiare]

This is so fresh and summery in the vial. Like a warm summer breeze with apple blossom. There's a touch of mytle in there too. Beautiful. Wet, the ambers really come forth and dominate. After a few minutes, I can even start to smell the carnation. Brisingamen has lost a bit of its initial airiness but it's turned into a classic ambery perfume that makes me think of strength and confidence. The myrtle is a perfect pairing for the amber here and provides an elegant depth to this. I think amber fans would appreciate this one.

[yakiguri]

I think my skin completely ate the amber in this as all I get is a faint, powdery, slightly-spicy soap.

[Rho]

In the imp, Brisingamen smells strongly of what I think is myrtle. It's lovely and breezy. Much like eucalyptus or a mint.

 

For the first five minutes on me, all I get is the myrtle as well. It's sort of sinus clearing.

 

Now, something is creeping in alongside the myrtle to warm it up and muddle it somewhat. Oh, I hope it's the amber, because that's what I want most out of Brisingamen. I'll wait and see.

 

(wait)

 

Okay. While this was drying down it went through some weird phases where notes where whirling and colliding and kind of souring each other. I was quite concerned, if not intrigued. After the dust cleared, I'm left with a mellow amber that is highlighted with myrtle and apple blossom. Like the myrtle and blossom are actually "reflecting" off the amber, if that makes any sense at all.

 

This is not SUPAH DUPAH amber on me, which I was actually hoping for, but it is nice. I was definitely expecting something more distinct, but you can do a lot worse than a pretty, mellow amber scent.

[lolcat]

Intrigued by the idea of amber, a scent with which I'm not especially familiar, I bought a sample of Brisingamen. It smells wonderful in the bottle and even better on.

 

After about fifteen minutes I thought to myself: "hmm, this reminds me of Youth Dew." After and hour, all I could think was *YOUTH DEW*. And I must have over-applied it because I felt like I was lost in a cloud of Youth Dew the whole day-- Brisingamen has a lot of throw and lasts a long time on me. Since I don't know what myrtle or apple blossoms are supposed to smell like (isn't that sad?) I couldn't say what was more pronounced. The carnations didn't stand out.

 

I've read quite a few reviews of this scent, and I'm surprised that I haven't come across any that mention Brisingamen's similarity to Youth Dew. Apparently, Estee Lauder has changed the formula since the last time I smelled it, so maybe the new version smells nothing like its former incarnation, and therefore nothing like Brisingamen. In its defense, Brisingamen smells like a more floral, more complex version of Youth Dew.

 

The thing is, Brisingamen is a glorious scent. It's very strident and feminine-- I could wear this with a power suit or at an event where I was in charge and / or needed to impress people. I'm not so sure I'd wear it on a date, probably because I don't relate to it very well. Which leads back to the fact that I associate this one so strongly with Youth Dew, which I love to smell on other people-- who are usually women over the age of 50. I will probably try this one again with a more sparing application.

[AmethystDahlia]

In Bottle: A bit cologne-y but still feminine. I like it.

 

On Skin: Definitely a more "mature" scent to me, at least compared to my bottle of Strawberry Moon, but also with a sweet floral-ness to it. I smell rose, even though I know that's not one of the notes listed, but that could just be what I'm associating the general floral-ness with. In any case, it's very pretty.

 

Dry-Down: Still beautiful, and also quite subtle. It fades after a few hours on me, but I definitely enjoy it while it lasts.

 

This was one of the two free imps that came with my purchase of Strawberry Moon 2012. It was also a scent I wanted to try anyway, so I'm glad I was given the chance to sample it! I'll definitely be using the rest of the imp, and I can see myself maybe getting a bottle of this at some point too.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Light amber

 

Drydown: Musky amber, dark and soft. Only a very subtle hint of apple, which smells more like the skin of the apple than the fruit. A dose of floral spice from the carnation builds and blends with the amber.

 

Dry: Soft. The amber has yielded just a bit. Lightly spicy and sweet with the sexy glow of amber. The apple becomes a little more noticeable as the day wears on, but remains a side note to the carnation and amber.

 

 

 

 

6 out of 10 bones

Edited July 11, 2013 by BoneBone24