The Snow Maiden

[LittleGreyKitten]

THE SNOW MAIDEN

 

Ylang ylang, osmanthus, spring berries, and daffodil cloaked in hoarfrost.

 

The Snow Maiden is toe curlingly lovely on me. It's like Snow Moon minus the birch and fir notes. It's like Snow Bunny with no pine. Or yes, Skadi, minus the pine. Obviously, I don't get pine out of this one! Which makes me ever so happy. While I don't dislike the snow+pine thing, there were so many good ones last year I will never need more! I would say the blend that Snow Maiden reminds me of the most would be Snow Moon, which was always a bit sweeter after it dried than the others, due to the frozen floral undertone. This has the same frozen flower note, which I adore (oddly, since I'm usually not a fan of florals... but coat 'em with frost, and I am in love, I guess!) The Maiden also has a hint of berries, which I seem to recall from Skadi the most. Really this is a gorgeous blend. I love Beth's snow note, as I keep repeating it seems... well, she keeps making snowy goodness, and I'll keep enjoying it!

 

5 out of 5.

Edited January 7, 2008 by Shollin

[maribouquet]

imp: berries and osmanthus?

wet: snowy sweetness

dry: pretty, sweet floral ice

 

Very pretty and light, and I think it suits the story perfectly: a young, melting heart. Doesn't really suit me, though. Glad I got to try it, but I'll be swapping this one.

[cinderfallen]

At first, I was afraid that this would go into the dreaded crafts store scent because of the sweet pine, but that fades quickly. It's definitely a cold scent, just a *hint* of pine with some frosted sweetness to balance it out. It's lovely!

[sophia_helix]

Just because this is from a definite scent family, I feel like the way to review it is to compare to the others. So... the same pine and minty-edged coolness of the others. Less fruity than Ice Queen, more watery than Skadi but not as watery as Nuclear Winter, less birchy than Snow Moon, less sugar-sweet than Snow Bunny.

 

What Snow Maiden brings to the table is a floral sweetness, which I really love, actually. The first few minutes were heaven, and then it turned into more of the pine-mint I've come to expect from any BPAL with "Snow" in the title, but the flower bouquet stuck around in the background. I'll hang onto my imp at least, and perhaps wear it with Snow Moon or Skadi on the other wrist for comparison before I decide on a bottle purchase. But it's delicate and lovely, for those who like this type of scent.

[bristlecone]

At first, this reminds me a lot of other snowy BPAL scents, particularly Nuclear Winter. However, it changes on my skin to something that's almost warm and amber-like, which I was not expecting. Aside from the big dose of ylang ylang that I'm getting, it doesn't even strike me as a floral scent. And I can barely smell the berries.

 

I think I like it, but I honestly thought I was going to be blown away, and I'm just not. I'd be interested to see how it layers with Nuclear Winter; maybe that will create the "cold" feeling that I was hoping to get.

 

*edit, 2/28/07* I've tried this again and maybe it's just a temporary skin chemistry thing that messed things up the first time, because I totally smelled the berries the second time around. I liked it much more on the second wearing. I'm sorry for doubting you, Snow Maiden!

Edited March 1, 2007 by bristlecone

[phedre]

In bottle: Pine, and sweetness

 

Wet on skin: florals come out, and a bit of mint. I don't get ylang ylang from this at all, it's more like dryer sheets i'm afraid.

 

drydown: Dryer sheets. Yipe. Swaps for this bottle!

[yeahbutnobut]

The Snow Maiden

 

In the imp: Snow Moon's little sister! This smells like Snow Moon/Dublin/Skadi with a hint of the lemony scent of Snow Angel!

Wet on skin: fresh snowy pine-menthol-citrus with a creamy floral undertone.

Dry on skin: this really is like Snow Moon-a floral, snowy scent. This one's a little sweeter and fruitier thanks to the berries, which smell both sugared and tangy. The ylang might be what's making that heady undertone and I can smell the freshly floral and distinctive osmanthus. This actually reminds me of Snow Bunny, that fresh 'snow note' with tangy fruits and florals, a youthful snowy scent. There's a fruity-dry crispness to it that reminds me of white wine or cranberries.

After a while: this seems to almost the bitter, olive like note I got in Talvikuu but it doesn't go too far. The scent is now frosty osmanthus with a hint of sugared, frozen berries. Soft icy flowers and fruit, it's very pretty and fresh. The scent then loses it's odd olive scent and becomes an airy, sweet frozen berry scent with a hint of iced juniper, maybe some pine and osmanthus too, and then at the end it's fruity ice with hints of osmanthus and juniper.

Verdict: this is Skadi's cousin, Snow Moon's younger, more innocent sister, Snow Bunny's twin (SB being the loud, extrovert, giggly one and SM being the shy, retired and gentler one) and Talvikuu's girlfriend. Snow Maiden is a very pretty, delicate, glacial and feminine fragrance, containing the famous 'BPAL snow note' with its now familiar pine/juniper/citrus/ozone/menthol/sweet aquatic components. The frosty note, of course, is the dominant note, with the osmanthus peeking through and the berries coming out at times. Because of the berries, this scent is pretty close to Skadi but the florals make it more of a Snow Moon type scent. There are moments when the scent turns a little bit odd on me (so it's not my favourite wintry scent this time) but otherwise this is another lovely adaptation of the snow theme, and Yule just wouldn't be Yule at BPAL without at least one scent with that particular snowy note!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes, just the decant. Smells similar to a lot of snowy scents I have which I prefer.

If you like this, try: Snow Moon, Snow Bunny, Dublin, Death of the Gravedigger, Talvikuu, Darkling Thrush, Black Ice, Jolasveinar, Snow-Flakes

[medvssa]

I should first say that I don't have much experience with the famous "snow" bpal note.

 

This blend is very chilly and light, airy, also a bit aquatic to me, it reminds me a bit of Szepaszzony and Annabel Lee (as you can see I also don't have much experience with aquatics ) and also and even whiter, colder and kind of watered down (in a nice way) Snow White, withough the coconut or vanilla (I guess that leaves the snow and the flowers) A lot less flowery than I feared, perhaps because the flowers are kind of "frosted". It is subtly beautiful. Drying down, it becomes a little more flowery and "cologney", keeping the watery quality. I find it very nice, I will have to test more to know if I want a bottle or if the imp will be enough.

[for_the_nonce]

Daffodils poking their heads out of slushy, melting snow.

 

Snow Maiden is a really pretty soft floral, but it faded very quickly. I couldn't even smell it with my nose pressed up against my wrist after about an hour.

 

I like the scent alot, but I think I'll have to swap it because it just fades so quickly on me.

[themerrybaker]

Snow Maiden is a fruity, light (yellow) floral on me. I usually hate berries, but they contribute something good to this perfume. I will definitely enjoy using up this imp.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

bright, sweet berries!

 

On me:

I can't put my finger on what kind of berry that is... maybe blackberry? It's very bright though and gives this a fruity kick in the pants. That frosty smell kicks in rather quickly too - snowy and like blustery wind carrying a slight aqautic note on it. I'm not sure what daffodil smells like, but I imagine that must be the soft floral I'm smelling in the background. It's quite faint. Mostly to me, this scent is berries and icy wind.

 

After a while I get a piney scent - like trees but it's not terribly strong. Definitely present, but still behind the berries and snow.

Some people have said they feel this is a little masculine, and I have to say that I think it could be taken as a unisex scent. Aside from the initial blast of berries, I could see a man or a woman wearing this well.

 

Final note:

Beautiful and actually very similar to Knecht Ruprecht in my opinion. This is pine, berries, snow, and something sharp and biting like cold wind.

[theseagrows]

i tried this one at a friend's house. i tend to not be great at finding notes in aquatic scents, because my skin amps that note. the only aquatic yule i own is talvikuu and it reminds me of that because it has the icy scent to it, but it's less minty and intense. i dont get ylang ylang but i think the berries are apparent. so i guess berry aquatic. not a bad scent, just not really me.

[LiberAmoris]

The Snow Maiden is just so pretty. It's an elegant white floral tipped with ice but with something definitely warm and glowing at the center that gives it a bit of radiance. It doesn't last very long on my skin, but I'm so happy that the ylang ylang behaves itself here (as it is not normally wont to do) that I wouldn't mind reapplying halfway through the day.

[azhure]

In the vial: Chilly florals.

Wet: The florals stay, and the berries come out slightly.

Drydown: This one fades away to nothing within about 30 minutes on me.

[dronzeka]

In the imp, I get pretty florals covered in ice. On, initially I get flowers and ice and the berries come out as well. This first stage is really lovely - someone above compared it to Knecht Ruprecht, which I agree with - at this point the Snow Maiden is like Knecht Ruprecht's little sister. I thought, "I will HAVE to get a bottle of this." Alas, ylang ylang is not a good dominant note on me, and as it dried, the ylang ylang started screaming. Oddly enough, Ice Maiden got more masculine and in fact, turned into aftershave! Knecht Ruprecht stays beautiful pine-berry-snow on me (even if it's a little masculine), but his sister turns into a drag queen? After a couple of hours, the smell on my arm has calmed down and softened quite a bit, but it still smells like I'm sitting amidst a cloud of aftershave, even if it's gone from my skin. It's a really strong scent on me with good throw - just not really quite what works for me. Oh well - one fewer bottle I need to buy!

[savage_rose]

I am in love! Snowy mint, berry, and something that smells lovely and creamy. Innocently seductive, if that makes any sense. A perfect winter scent...very balanced between the sharp hint of mint and the sweet berry. So, so beautiful.

[blueroses]

I love almost all of BPAL's "snow" scents, so I had to give this one a try.

 

In the bottle, Snow Maiden smells an awful lot like Ice Queen, only stronger. Pinier. On, the berry scent comes out, and a light floral mixes with the snow. Luckily, the berry scent is strong enough to counter the pine.

 

I like Ice Queen and Snow Bunny a lot, and Snow Maiden is like a mix of the two.

[Eemia]

I wasn't sure how I would like this b/c of the berries....I shy away from fruity fragrances. But the berries in this aren't at all fruity, they are just crisp and fresh smelling and don't overwhelm the other notes at all. This is very cool and refreshing and has a nice roundness to it.

 

I don't get any pine at all, nor is there any other foresty notes. On my skin this is just cold berries and strong daffodil. I can barely detect the ylang ylang (I usually can right away b/c that is one of my favorite notes) but maybe that's what is softening this up on me a little. I do love this one....next to Stardust 2006 this is my favorite of the Yuletide fragrances.

[euterpe414]

This one turned out to be very foresty on me- foresty in a way similar to Nocnitsa. There is a certain sharpness which I am guessing is the "snow" notes on me that lingers for a while and then mellows out to let the pine and flowers come through (phew! it was a bit scary). Thankfully the flowers are behaving themselves! I was worried about the dandelion b/c it is in Roadhouse and that was a disaster on my skin and also ylang ylang which has ruined many blends for me (Lust and La Petit Mort, I'm looking at you!), but here it is just gentle- a mere suggestion of flora lying beneath the snow. The berry is also somewhat of a suggestion as well- it is deeply covered in the ice.

 

This is a nice blend and I am glad that I snuck in an order of a bottle at the last minute. I can see this working well as a room scent, too.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a bitter berry scent. odd.

on: about the same as in the bottle.

half an hour later: i'm assuming that this i'm smelling the osmanthus, since i can't pick out the other notes. i don't really like this on me.

2.5 hours later: soapy.

overall: clearly, my skin does not like this one.

[TheIceMaiden]

Snow Maiden starts out frosty (less aquatic then other snow notes and no pine) with berries (cranberry maybe?) As it dries, the florals come forward. Snow Maiden was the perfect scent to wear while shoveling snow today. Its cool and crisp but underneath there is the promise of spring.

[QueenFae]

This is gorgeous! At first sniff, I immediately thought of Ice Queen, one of my all time 10 ten BPAL favorites. This is like a lighter version of Ice Queen, but instead of the heavily fruited undertones, Snow Maiden has a more piney undertone. The sweet, frozen, amazingly lovely winter note in both blends is identical. This has medium to strong throw, and lasts a long time just like her big sister, Ice Queen.

 

I am thrilled to have a bottle of this, since I can no longer get my hands on Ice Queen, this is an excellent replacement. Wonderful!!

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: bright, cheery and yellow vibes come to mind.

 

On Skin: It smells very much like Snow Bunny on my skin, minus the pine. A little more floral.

 

On Drydown: The snow note fades. I get soft, powdery florals and again the yellow vibe coming from this scent. There is a teeny plasticky hint to it.

 

After two hours: It's a pretty indistinct white floral.

 

Verdict: I've tried loads of the BPAL Yule scents with the snow note, and so far, Snow Bunny is the one that likes me the most. This one starts out remarkably similar but ends up in lovely white florals. And yes, it holds the promise of spring as oppose to being a truly wintery scent. Pretty, though

[mspixieears]

This is delightful! I don’t really associate this so much with winter but seeing as it has daffodils (which smell divine!), it could also be associated with the beginning of spring? Mind you, daffodils are put into the ground in late winter… Anyway, I can’t really get the ylang ylang in this but instantly do get the spring berries which are tart yet juicy. That fades after drydown, and the daffodils and osmanthus linger around more. There is the gentlest hint of spice in this – it must be with the berries? Expected this to be a chilly fragrance but it’s actually quite warm and I think it would suit a lot of people. I absolutely adore it.

[Mimicake]

THE SNOW MAIDEN

 

I love this one, it surprised me from beginning to end.

 

In the imp- A candy pine, softened with green floral. Even with the softening however, it is still a little sharp.

 

Wet- MMMMM. Green florals, berries come out a bit. Soft and sweet, but not too sweet.

 

Dry- I can't keep my nose out of it! I don't know which note in this is making me so delicious for me, or smell so good on my skin because I'm not singularly familiar with any notes it contains. I love it. This one is a keeper, and I would buy a gallon of it. It breaks my heart that it is no longer mad! Luckily there is someone out there that can enable me as I crave more. This one is also boyfriend approved and encouraged.