Midwinter's Eve

[cherrycherry]

A melancholy, deep scent, poignant and brimming with nostalgia. The perfume of sugared plums over a breeze of winter flowers.

Love at first sniff with this little baby ^__^

I debated it for some time before adding it to my order - not sure about the snow note when combined with plum. Straight away I can detect the same plum note from Bordello and that is enough to make me smile and want to slather myself. The snow note is nowhere near as strong or ozoney as I feared, instead it is light, airy and crisp. This is beautifully blended and a real winner.

[Lorelai1945]

2010 Version

 

In the imp, this is extremely juicy, sweet, and fruity. Almost bubblegummy, but in a good way. On the skin, it loses some of its bubblegummy sweetness, and the winter flowers join the mix. It's definitely a mix of cold, sweet plums and soft floral. Because my skin eats sweetness, it's probably not as sweet on me as it would be on someone with different skin chemistry, but does retain more of the sweetness than I thought it would. There is a teeny hint of plasticy-ness threatening to jump out, but it stays pretty mild, and it's not enough to really bother me. I do detect the lab's slushy show note in there (which does NOT like my skin or vice versa and usually ends up smelling like dirty asphalt snow), but it also stays pretty tame. After it dries, it smells to me like a lip balm that Bath and Body Works had years ago- I can't remember, but I think it might have been called Sugar Plum Fairy. Again, a teeny bit plasticy on me dry, but not bad. This is what I expected Bpal's Sugar Plum Fairy to smell more like. On someone with different skin, I bet this would be amazing. On me, it's not half bad.

[filigree_shadow]

I may have reviewed this for a previous year; I don't remember.

 

I got a decant of this just in case it smells different than my MWE 05, and nope! Still smells the same. Very sweet plummy goodness. Very very lightly floral -- just a breath of flowers. Pretty much just bright pretty plum. It doesn't seem to be quite as strong as MWE 05, but that's probably because I use more oil from a bottle and I'm just doing a decant test here.

 

This scent is one of my favorites to wear in the spring.

[reynardine]

2010 Version:

 

I’d been curious about Midwinter’s Eve since missing the earlier 2007 version, which had the same scent description. I was so pleased that the Lab brought it back. I wouldn’t call this scent melancholy at all. It’s very homey and extremely pretty. Plums must work with me. I’m usually wary of “white flowers” as those tend to be very sharp on my skin, but this scent behaves itself and seems to be stronger on the plum side. I’m going to do a second skin test on this to see if I want a bottle, but I suspect I will.

[thekittenkat]

This review is for the 2010 version.

 

In the bottle: Lightly spiced sugar plums and ozone.

 

Wet: The sugar plums are more spicy now.

 

The dry-down: In the drying time, there's an evergreen note. It's as though someone had brought into the kitchen some pine boughs with snow and ice on them, but the spiced sugar plums are still competing. This is rather evocative of the Eve of Midwinter. However, it's nice, but not quite as a perfum on my skin. I will save this partial for a room scent and also for my locket. The bf thought that it smelled lovely in the bottle.

[boxinghelena]

Midwinter's Eve 2010 version:

 

Yummm... I love this one. I was puttering around the house catching wisps of plummy goodness and it struck me that it reminded me of a similar scent yet I couldn't quite put my finger on it until just now. Remember the Strawberry Shortcake dolls from the 80's? Midwinter's Eve 2010 smells just like the doll Plum Pudding. Awww, memories.

~

Edited January 14, 2012 by boxinghelena

[Larinessa]

I have 2 partial bottles of this won off of eBay, different years, and while there are slight differences, the overall 'tone' is the same. Deep plum is the predominate note, like both Bordello and Sugar Plum Fairy, but while those smell either warm (Bord) or floral (SPF) this is decidedly chill. Frosty. I don't get anything floral, just a cool plum scent. I do like this a lot.

Edited May 1, 2011 by Larinessa

[lohengrin]

This is a review of an aged bottle.

 

In the bottle: Melancholy, this is not. Plum candy.

 

On skin, wet: Still plum candy. No flowers at all.

 

On skin, dry: Yeah, this is still dancing sugarplums.

 

After an hour: Not a morpher, this one. Plum candy all the way through. Not that this is a bad thing, it's really quite nice.

[Aleah]

Wow, I definitely don't find this a melancholy scent. I got the 2011 version this week, and it's very fruity, very plummy. After about an hour, it starts to soften up, and it's just a tiny bit more floral. But it is mostly fruity. Very nice.

[angelicruin]

2011:

 

Plum! with sprinkles of snow covering the fruit. Love this stuff and though I sold my 2007 Midwinter's Eve a while back, I am thinking about maybe getting a bottle of this year's version.

[Sateki]

For the 2011 version.

 

Smells exactly like one of the previous year's versions that I tried (can't remember which year). A delicious, sugared plum candy. Softens up slowly over time, but maintains that delicious plum. Absolutely in love.

[Gateau]

2011 version. Sweet juicy sugary plums and sweet flowers. It's supremely sweet and pretty. I don't find it particularly wintery. reminds me of a deeper purple version of Sugar Plum Fairy.

 

And just as I think I've finally found a plum note that stays sweet and juicy on me, there it is, the Plastic Plum of Doom. I am sad, I wanted this to stay delicious. So I'm still looking for a purple fruit scent I can wear.

[Lorna Brigid]

Does anyone remember the Snoopy Snow Cone Machine? (Stay with me, I'm going somewhere with this)

 

I had this as a little kid, and you ground your own ice in it, and then poured the flavored juice over it to make your own snow cone.

This smells exactly like that.

This blend, and also Frost at Midnight, just turn out to be icy fruit punch on me.

I guess I'll do well to remember that snow+fruits = snow cones on me.

 

ETA: 2011 version

Edited January 8, 2012 by Lorna Brigid

[Altaira]

2011 version.

 

In decant: Huh! Did not expect this. It's sweet like hard candies.

 

On skin: Still candy. Rd with a hint of citrus. Not melancholy at all. Nostalgic in that is smells like a candy shop...

 

I like it enough to try is again for longer wear.

[n3m3sis42]

I'm revisiting all of my bottles and imps due to a major skin chemistry change. This is the 2007 version.

 

Goes on smelling like generic flowers and a muted version of the purple note from Purple Phoenix. Not awful, but not something I need in my life, either. Dries down to a blander, more boring version of Purple Phoenix. I like Purple Phoenix, but I already have multiple bottles of it.

 

No thanks... off to the swap box you go.

Edited January 16, 2012 by n3m3sis42

[lavenderfrost]

Decanted imp from the 2011 version.

 

In The Imp: Plum all up in here.

 

Immediate Application: Pure candy - bubblegum meets Jolly Ranchers. Ironically enough, this is the first time a plum scent hasn't gone totally Christmas-candle on me. ^^;;

 

30-45 Minutes Later: I think I'm getting cavities.

 

Verdict: Cute, but not buying a bottle.

Edited January 24, 2012 by lavenderfrost

[Incendiare]

2011: My first impression of this was a deep red. Dark red, ripe fruits. This doesn't smell at all like most of the plum blends. It's tarter and deeper. The plums are lightly dusted with sugar. They're also juicy and cold, like they're on a bed of snow in the fresh winter air. Last year's was meh but this year, it's really working on me!

Edited February 2, 2012 by Incendiare

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2011 version.

 

In the decant: It's the winter flowers--white and bright.

 

Wet: There's a hint of plums, but those sharp florals dominate.

 

The dry-down: The sugared plums are coming more to the foreground, but those winter flowers are still making this blend sharper and brighter than I would prefer. Some aging will certainly soften the florals.

[Ghost of a Rose]

My 2011 imp is a decant from the lovely meaganola.

 

In the imp: The oil is clear and colorless, looking as pure as water. My first impression is that it's all plum, but then some really beautiful florals show up in the background.

 

On me, wet: Exactly the same as in the imp. It's very lovely - the florals have enough presence to keep it from being overwhelmingly foody.

 

After 10 minutes: The plum has taken over. It's a nice plum - so far, it hasn't gone plastic as usually happens with red fruits on my skin. But I miss the florals, which are almost completely gone. For me, they were the best part, and I'd prefer them to be the primary note with the plum as an accent. It's too foody now to really my kind of thing.

 

After 30 minutes: Still all plum.

 

After 1 hour: Alas, the plum has gone all plastic-y. It was inevitable, on my skin. I'm surprised at how long it stayed nice, actually!

 

I'll try it in the scent locket to see if the florals will stick around that way.

 

Later: It still was more plum than florals in the locket as well. In fact, the florals showed up the most in the first 10 minutes on my skin. They seem to require the higher temperature of my skin to bring them out more. But the locket had advantages as well - the scent stays nice longer (although the flowers are not as strong in the locket, they did stick around; which meant that the drydown scent was not quite so overwhelmingly foody; and the plum didn't go plastic.)

 

Verdict: It is a pleasant scent, and really lovely in the first 10 minutes on the skin. I'll wear it both on my skin and in the locket at the same time - on my skin to bring out the short-lived floral top notes, and in the locket where it stays nice. I like it enough to use up my imp, but it's too foody for me to want a bottle. I have to admit that all that plum is perfect for the concept - "visions of sugar plums danced in their heads." People who enjoy fruity scents will love this.

 

My rating: 4 stars

[milo]

I couldn't figure out what this fruit was until my son asked me what I was wearing, and that it smells like strawberries. This smells more like strawberries than plums to me. It is sweet, fruity and fun, but much too young for me. After a bit, it becomes uber sweet, and is a definite 'no go'. My son likes it though!

[ami226]

2011 version

 

On the skin: bubblegum plum? Reminds me a bit of Sugar Plum Fairy. This really smells a lot like the fruity flavors of Bubbleyum. Haven't had that in years!

 

The bubblegum sweetness fades after a bit and the plum note has grown up a bit. Still slightly sweet and fruity, but not bubblegum-like anymore.

 

Not really for me, but all you sweet scent lovers out there should grab a bottle of this!

[Alaeidrel]

This smells exactly like the Nerds-coated jellybeans Wonka started putting out a couple of years ago. Sweet, fruity, with a tang. It's nor morphing or changing at all on my skin, either. Not what I expected but fun to have around.

[starfish327]

And there will always be the blend that will break all the rules.

 

The lab's snow note is horrible on me, to the point of being pain inducing. If there's a snow note in there that other people are picking up on, I'm not getting it at all. Or any white florals, but a lot more of the white florals that normally hate me seem to be playing nice on my skin lately.

 

I agree that I'm not getting plum out of this blend-it's candied strawberries. It reminds me a lot of the sugared berries I leave in the fridge to break down before I make jam. I like this note more in Mania, but this is nice too. If I try hard I can get the florals muttering in the background but the throw is entirely berries and sugar.

 

Very young, and very early to midsummer, not midwinter.

[BlueberryPie]

Oh. My. God. I didn't think it could get much better than Purple Phoenix as far as plum scents went.

 

I was so, so wrong. This...This is perfection.

 

The florals in this are a lot lighter and gentler than Purple Phoenix -- it never overpowers the plums, it just supports it and buoys it up like it should. And then it slowly fades away and leaves a beautiful sugary plum scent that just...oh god, how do I even describe this.

 

I am in love.

 

SCORE: 10/10

[Aingeal]

I broke out my bottle of this today, and I'm glad I did. I get sweet, red, ripe plums on ice and snow. I don't really get the florals of this, but it is definitely evocative of being curled up with sugar plums at a table with someone who loves you. Fantastic I don't know why I don't reach for it more often.