Nuclear Winter

[jizatt]

Annihilation. The ice, desolation and barrenness of nuclear devastation shot through by a beam of radioactive mints.

 

There's a nice creamy sweetness hiding under the initially harsh scent. The first time I tried it, I didnt make it past the first applied wet stage. What a shame! This is surprisingly pretty for such a concept and a nice addition to the snow box =)

[doublehelix]

Wet, this is strong mints and smells a little bit like old man cologne. As it dries down, the pine takes over and i'm left with a nice minty piney blend. Much lighter mints than initially. There is still something cologny about this, though..

[cyanidenoir]

To my nose, this is Crimson Christmas -mint and ozone- without the smoke note and a little spearmint added in with the icy peppermint. I can say for sure that I like this better than Crimson Christmas though.

This scent reminds me of a freezing, winter night spent out doors that seems to drag on infinitely which doesn't offer any warmth, comfort, or sanctuary. Simply freezing cold that cuts to the bone and has no mercy. The ultimate in isolation, emptiness, nothingness, and loneliness all mixed with pain.

Overall, this is a lovely scent but also a bit creepy; maybe because I have a phobia of being alone and isolated.

 

[ljaylh]

2008 version

 

I don't like these 'ice' blends much generally.. they're just not my thing. This one is cold - in the same way that I find Snow, Glass, Apples to be cold - and it has quite a bitter/sharp tone to it (quite ozone-y) for the first hour or so. Eventually that dies down and leaves behind a cool, minty fragrance.

 

I can see the attraction here - if you love those cold, desolate blends that BPAL do so well then this is a definite must-try

[killerklown]

This is for the 2005 version:

 

Initially when wet I get a burst of ice cold mint, but as it dries it becomes slightly sweet with a bit of pine and ozone shot through it. Very chilly feeling and a nice addition to my summer line-up.

[Kit Foxly]

Very tasty! Mints rounded out by something sweet but not overwhelmingly so, and an undercurrent of evergreen and ice. I loved this from the moment I sniffed the 2008 version, and have done just as well with the 2005.

 

A light application of this one can last more than twelve hours on me, which amazes me given how gentle the scent is.

 

It's a serene sort of cold, this one – mist curling gently in the air, but everything else silent and still – and an oddly... friendly cold. What does it say about me that Nuclear Winter seems like somewhere I'd like to be?

[schneagl]

2013 Version

In the bottle: First a burst of mint, then...wow, yeah, that's what I'd think radioactivity and decay might smell like. This could be what it smells like if you lived in the Fallout games. The mint is great, but not sure that I want to smell like the rest of it.

 

Wet on skin: Sharp mint with an undercurrent of other notes that I can't separate out, but thankfully, the "green radioactivity" is far less strong. Something else is developing that smells more like a regular plant.

 

Drydown: Pleasingly biting mint backed up with a eucalyptus-like scent. It's almost like an aromatherapy blend now, and throwing nicely; I'm in a little minty-herbal cloud, which is a good thing in my book.

 

Later on: It took hours for the mint to fade, at which point I started sniffing again to try to identify those background notes. Each sniff gave me a different impression: Tobacco? Asphalt? Chocolate (!?!)?, Dirt? Chocolate again. I'm unfamiliar with the lab's decay and chocolate notes, so it might be all or none of these, but they're working together well.

 

This is easily the scent that's transformed the most for me from bottle to skin. I was worried that this wouldn't turn out well at all after that first sniff, but the background notes bended far better with the mint than I expected. The throw was slightly above average for me, and it lasted about 4-5 hours. This is a keeper for certain.

[dementia_divine]

2013 version.

 

In the decant: Very minty snow... a very ozone-y snow.

 

Wet: A blast of ozone-y snow, but then the mint becomes more prominent the longer this sits on my skin. That said, the ozone-heavy snow is still pretty strong. The mint is actually rather calm, which I am rather surprised by given the description.

 

Dry: A soft mint, a hint of something green (perhaps pine?) and a bit of snow? It's very faint now.

 

Verdict: Not what I was expecting! There are several other snow and mint blends (scent and throw wise) that I prefer over this one, so I won't be needing a bottle.

[joyfulgirl]

i love this! it took me a minute to put my finger on it, but to me it smells like green tree viper minus the snake oil! nice cool, creamy mint! i may end up with a bottle.

[Aviatrix]

In the vial and wet on the skin, this is a sharp mint and some ozone that definitely evokes the barrenness and emptiness of nuclear annihilation. I like it!

It dries down to a more faint mint, but the nature of the scent doesn't actually change very much. It just becomes fainter with time.

 

It was a different scent from what I had imagined, but I actually quite like it, and am happy for my decant.

[DovaKitten]

This is my first review, so bear with me, please!

 

Wet on my skin, Nuclear Winter 2013 smells like my dad. I get a vision of the family bathroom after he took a shower, steamy and smelling of his cologne and deodorant. That usually means something like cedar and lime, but YMMV.

 

As it dries, the mint comes out. I feel it more than smell it at first. It stings my nose and cools my throat and the roof of my mouth, like I've just taken a deep breath of winter air so cold it almost hurts. It's very definitely a masculine, cologne-y scent, but whereas those types of scents often feel warm and cozy, this feels freezing. Still, I don't really get the bracing mint I was hoping for, just a lot of pine and ozone. This is probably going in my swap pile, but I think someone else could really love it.

[Wren12]

Oh, this one is fun. I snagged a bottle from a lovely forumite if the 2013 version.

 

The mints mix amazingly well in the bottle and the scent is cold and icy.

 

On wet: the mints mingle and mix with the labs cold ozone note that I so adore. The mints smell much sweeter wet, out of the bottle.

 

On dry: Now, this is interesting. While I don't notice a huge change in the scent profile the areas which I've applied the oil too, especially the crooks of my arm and my neck, have become distinctly cold, almost like when you use a rub like Icy Hot. It's kinda fun to have a tactile sensation mixed in with Beth's scent sensations...

[The_Garnet]

My first review! Whee! This is the 2013 version.

 

Source: Decant circle

 

I'm glad Beth brought this one back - as a radiation and nuclear history geek, I had to try it.

 

In the vial: Cold aquatics with some mint in the background

 

Ozone and aquatics with me are hit and miss, often with more misses. My skin chemistry seems to make things smell sweet, and a lot of times ozone and aquatics end up smelling like Frebreze on me, which I really dislike. But I love the *idea* of many ozone/aquatic scents. Let's see how this goes.

 

On my skin, the mint starts coming out. When I smell close to my wrist, it feels like it's opening up my sinuses a bit.

 

As it dries down, it smells like cold aquatics and mint. There is something about this that smells not just clean, but *sterile*. It's the different between a pristine mountain stream and a spacecraft assembly clean room. This one makes me think of the clean room.

 

This continues smelling like ozone, cold aquatics, and a bit of mint, and it lasts for a good long time. At least seven hours - then I took a shower.

 

I buy very, very few bottles, and I won't be needing a bottle of this. But I'm glad I tried it, and I will definitely use up the decant. It's perfect for winter, but I can also see enjoying it during the summer, especially on very hot days.

[zankoku_zen]

2013 version

 

Minty toothpaste!

 

.... Yup, that's all I get. Minty toothpaste.

[child of drought]

In the bottle: MINT MINT MINT MINT. That was literally my first reaction, with a few PEPPERMINT’s thrown in. It’s minty in a way that is just glorious and lovely without being overwhelming like mint can easily be. Instead, it’s refreshing, the smell washes over the back of your through like you’ve just taken a cool, cool, drink. So refreshing.

 

On wet: The mint now takes a faintly tangy undertone that’s difficult to describe but still goes nicely.

 

On dry: There’s now also a faintly earthy note and the tangy note has gotten stronger but it is still, overall, that glorious mint smell.

[Astarial]

I have a bottle of the 2008 version, and a decant of the 2013 - I did a side by side test of them.

 

ITB: I don't remember exactly how the 2008 was when I first got it, but I don't remember noticing the mint. It's here now when I sniff it though, but the 2013 is a stronger mint.

 

Wet: 2008 is wet grass, a touch of mint, and a hint of sweetness. 2013 is wet mint, a touch of grass, and definitely less sweet. Neither of them is icy, barren, or desolate - they remind me of standing in a field of lush, green grass with melting slushy snow sogging the place up.

 

Dry: Both of these continue to change a bit over the course of the day - sometimes grassier, sometimes wetter, sometimes sweeter (I noticed a particularly yummy stage of the 2013 that smells like brown sugar). Mint tends to disappear on me pretty quick, so they both lose the mintiness. They're never quite identical, but they're very, very close - if you missed out on the earlier one, the new one is definitely a pair for it.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Ozoney mint.

 

Wet: Minty ozone.

 

The dry-down: The ozone gets a little sweeter as it dries, but not much. Doesn't really morph. I like it, but I have a bottle from a previous year, and not sure I need more.

[brilliantcat]

2013

 

Mint and a little bit of... pine? I like! Oh. And then it turns to men's cologne.

[milo]

Mint with a background of a lovely ice note. I remember a previous incarnation I tried seemed more icy than minty. I like this version, it would be amazing in the summertime, and, come to think of it, reminds me a lot of Polar Bear Plunge, but in perfume version. I really like, this, but it's more of a shower gel/clean guy kind of smell, which I do like to have around, (the scent), wait, the guy too:) But I think I have enough Polar Bear Plunge to get me through the next year or so.http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/icon_smile.gif

 

2014 Version: very nice, as above. I may need to get some next year as my Polar Bear Plunge is officially gone.

Edited August 1, 2015 by milo

[Missy_killer]

2013 version

 

In the bottle: Menthol, eucalyptus and citrus. Reminds me of non-licorice Absinthe and Lavina, the creature.

 

On: A nice menthol, but not as strong and minty as I would like it to be. Slowly the citrus comes out more, but I really wish it would go away! I'm on the lookout for the perfect MINT, and this does not seem to be it

 

A couple of times this is verging on smelling like cleaning fluid, and it does smell fresh and clean. It's just not what I wanted out of this. Oh well.

[sprout]

2014 Version

 

In the bottle: minty paste. remember the paste they had in the 70's (okay, showing my age here) when you were in kindergarten? JUST like THAT

Wet on wrists: minty paste! delicious. Love the wet phase.

Wet to dry: minty paste to an evergreen note (best guess = fir or pine), a fruit note that my nose reads as melon (honeydew?) pineapple or maybe yuzu (sorry, my nose is not sophisticated enough to differentiate, I must sniff more single notes) plus ozone! the ozone/evergreen/fruity note are equally forceful with good throw

Drying: the loveliest minty notes, mixed with evergreen note and ozone. Stays minty fresh for about 5 hours

 

no powder, no dryer sheet ozone note of doom, never went soapy, too sharp or too "high toned" which is perfect!

 

Verdict: bottleworthy! will be well loved through the winter and I am betting that this will be lovely chilled and worn on those blazing dog days of summer when we need a cool, sweet treat

Edited December 31, 2014 by sprout

[Kanashisa]

2014

 

Really nice! I bought Snow White, Rose Red, and Nuclear Winter and I like Nuclear Winter best because it is coldest, freshest, and cleanest. In the bottle, it strikes me of fizzy minty lemon soda, which I think is really fun. On skin, it's a little sweet than it appears and more ozone, but gosh it's electrically chilly. Still sweet though. The throw is excellent.

 

9/10

Edited January 6, 2015 by Kanashisa

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2014 version.

 

In the decant: Chilled mints and cold ozone.

 

Wet: The sweetness of the ozone tries to strike back.

 

The dry-down: This year's version seems to be more abt the ozone and less abt the mints, which is fine by me.

[Nyx_DevineNight]

2015 Version

 

I​​n the bottle: Mint (Spearmint?) and somewhat aquatic.

​​

Wet: Definitely minty. Almost seems floral and aquatic.

​

Dry:​​ ​ Yep, a minty, floral, aquatic scent. This is quite wonderful. Not at all what I was expecting when reading past reviews.

​

I do wonder if what I am thinking as aquatic is what others are describing as ozone? But regardless, this is another winner for me. And this actually has more staying power than a couple other Yules I have tried. Yay!​

[freyasfae]

2015 Version

 

Initial review on 1/21/2015: Beautiful wet and in bottle - ozony, minty, and floral, but within minutes on my skin, the mint starts to overwhelm everything else. After that, it settles down into just a sort of perfumy scent. Bizarre.

 

Second review 1/25/2016: I was really on the fence about this scent so I had to try it again. Overall, this time, it still has the same ozony, minty, hint of floral touch to it, but this time it settled down into this mintyness that just swirls around you, it's a mint on the verge of harshness, but sneaky florals creep in and prevent that. Sometimes I smell it, and it's pleasant, other times it's incredibly chilly. Quite the experience! I think I would like this more in summer than winter, actually. But, I plan on keeping it.

Edited January 25, 2016 by freyasfae