Ded Moroz

[LRogera]

Light, darkness, kindness, and malice: golden amber, white amber, redwood, teak, bois du rose, sage, tree moss, and snow.

In The Bottle: Do not like. At all. I smell mainly mint, with a hint of something almost fruity? Strange, and not very pleasing to my nose.

Wet: Hm. Mostly mint, but .. something else?

I actually forgot about this one for a little bit, I must admit I was not impressed at first and wasn't paying the utmost attention to it as I thought it was certainly going in the swaps pile.

Then 1-2 hours later: GORGEOUS! Soft rose, with something, maybe the snow note? adding a little creaminess, and the amber adding a touch of sweetness. Seriously beautiful. The dry-down is just something I never would have imagined from sniffing the bottle, and I'm so excited to have another awesome blend =).

6 hours later I needed to touch up, and that's pretty standard for most perfumes on me.

All in all, I'm so glad I didn't just wash this off immediately and banish it to the swaps pile, love it. Edited March 20, 2010 by Shollin

[heathercaley]

Ded Moroz is just beautiful!

 

once applied, It comes through as an ambery mint note sensation. The rose isn't too noticeable, which is sort of a blessing because I amp rose like whoa.

 

There is a touch of a light and sweet herbal note. I can't get over how lovely that amber mint is though! It's brilliant!

 

As it dries down, a little bit more of the sage pops through. Amber and sage create this lovely incense but with a cool edge. The mint isn't ozoney or watery, it's somewhat sweet.

 

Overall, I love it. It's beautiful and I am happy to have scored a bottle.

Edited December 18, 2009 by Purrsnikety

[DeltaCat]

I definitely get the tree moss, amber, and the sage. Very woodsy, but I wish the amber didn't come out to play as much.

[HamletsKeeper]

This is damp mossy woods, an almost dirt scent but you can tell it’s not grounded enough to be dirt. I get the minty edge which is supposed to be ice and that lightens the scent and freshens it up. But overall it’s mossy wood and mint which isn’t my thing nor particularly impressive.

 

[Venneh]

In the decant, I'm getting mint, herbs, moss, trees, and dirt. ...This probably will not turn out well. On my skin, it's primarily the mint and the herbs and the moss. I'm going to let this one sit for a long while, as it seems to change dramatically, if the other reviews I'm seeing are any indication. Nope, mint and herbs and woods and moss and dirt. Swaps/sales.

Edited December 22, 2009 by Venneh

[MeiLin]

So far, the snow note has not worked well on me; this is the first Yule where I've gotten a lot of the snow notes.

 

In the decant: oooooh. Woods and amber, something green, and cold.

 

Wet: So far, the best snow note of this year's batch. Moss, a very green sage, the woods (especially teak and rosewood), and over all, the snow. Ambers at the back; I think they are what's making the sage more "green" than Thanksgiving-dinnery.

 

Dry: Ded Moroz is one suave mofo. The ambers come forward with the woods and everything's gone sweeter; the snow recedes, and now I smell something almost like balsam. Perhaps that's part of the snow note in this?

 

It's beautiful, and I think it could work equally well on a man or woman, though it's a little sweet perhaps for a man, at least on me. Others are not reporting the sweet and are getting a more masculine blend; I do tend to amp amber, so maybe that's why. This may be a partial. So far I haven't found anything I want a full bottle of.

[milo]

This is a very pretty green, slightly aquatic blend. It's quite difficult to pick out the notes here, but I get a very fresh "woodsy"amber blend with a touch of mint. This is what I wanted The Girl to be like. I will probably enjoy this blend more in the summer months, as it is quite cooling.

[sqwook]

In the bottle: Amber, oakmoss, rich sweet green herbs, hint of mint- Yum!

 

On me: Slightly minty, amber, oakmoss; it's reminding me a bit of Cathode, but I haven't tried Cathode in so long I may be misremembering. Hours later, the brightness fades to something soft, cuddly, resiny, and warm. Lovely.

 

 

[jade_starlight]

This is a light, bright green scent, with just a hint of amber and something else in the background. Then as it dries the amber comes out a bit more, giving it more depth. I think I quite like it.

[MamaMoth]

Ded Moroz is one of the stand-outs from my Yule decants. It's so very distinctive and unusual. Herbal and cool up front, with a warm ambery base. I'm not even sure how to classify it. I think it's a cool herbal that I might be able to wear, because of that warmth. The mint is so sweet and light, it really only registers as a sweet freshness in my nose after it's dry. The amber, too, is really subtle.... I'm sure I'd never have pegged it without the notes list. The stand out notes here are the mint and the sage, but you can tell they're being held in check by something. Completely dry, it reminds me a little of a sage incense I once had.

 

I think I'm going to have to grab a bottle of this, for when it's hot and sticky outside. I just wish it had a bit more throw.

[rayvn1]

I was really thinking I would like this more Amber blends can be my favorites, though they often go the dusty route. I tested it a few days ago and don't remember it being a stand-out scent. Redwood and teak with some moss and a bit of the snow note...but I'll have to try this one again to be sure. I was left with a big feeling of Meh, unfortunately.

[voodoocatwoman]

Wet: Soft mint

 

Dry: Men's cologne

[Katherynne]

This is mint and rose, on me, and very nondescript. The drydown gives me a little amber, but it's not... it's not WOWing me, which is what I thought would happen. On my skin this is a lot like Cloister Graveyard in the Snow, which I already have a bottle of.

 

eta: this has a remarkably short wear-time on my skin, as well. it was gone in a sigh, leaving a faint soapy scent behind it and nothing else.

Edited January 8, 2010 by Katherynne

[forspecial_plate]

I love this scent! My usual MO of dissecting a scent to bits isn't working here, because nothing really stands out above anything else. I smell soft mint, and maybe a bit of moss and woods. I don't smell any rose. But it's the overall effect that grabs me. I agree with those who found this a lighter scent, and it will be great for wearing to work when I don't want to fill the whole room with scent. I do have to say that this comes off as slightly aftershave-y to me. It reminds me of one of the anniversary Phoenix blends, Quicksilver I think, except Ded Moroz is much softer and more agreeable to me. I am very glad I took a chance on a bottle.

[reynardine]

In decant: strong woodsy scent

 

Wet: still has a woodsy scent. Some amber, but the wood smell is heavier.

 

Drydown: Moss and mint, still with a woodsy touch.

 

Later: Light scent, very unusual. I think I might go for a bottle on this one after all.

 

[tajana]

Wet: Minty sage. Not quite what I was expecting. After a moment, a bit of mossiness steps in, giving it a more dark green, velvety feel contrasting with the mint glazed over the top.

 

Dry: As it dries down, the amber comes forward, giving things a warm sweetness that slowly melts away at the chilly mint and sagey moss. There's a slight woodsy, foresty edge from the redwood and rosewood, but it's not nearly as prominent as I hoped. After some time the mint fades away, but curiously, it seems that the snow accord leaves an aquatic feel behind! After an hour: relatively faint, watery amber with a sliver of mossy wood. The throw is gentle and balanced, quite mossy with a hint of sage, but if I huff it, I get a noseful of sharp sweet amber powder. After two hours: faint, but what's left is very nice. Really pretty. A bit cool and green, a bit warmly sweet, a bit cologney. Hard to parse, but very compelling.

 

Overall: It's got ingredients for greatness (an interesting cold-warm tension with an outdoorsy yet perfumey feel) but unfortunately my skin chemistry is not friendly enough with the amber for this really shine on my skin.

[starfish327]

decanted today

 

in the botte: clean. it's hard to describe- it's not like soap or cleansers, it just smells...clean. i'm guessing it's the lab's snow/frost note (i've never tried any snow blends before today)

 

wet: mint and snow, still clean. it does smell like middle of winter when i'm at home and there's not as much traffic.

 

dry: water and watermelons, still with the same biting cleanliness. crap this is pretty. it's not delicate though, this is definitely a guy-ish snow and not a girl-ish snow like the snow maiden was.

[fairnymph]

Pale gold oil. Dry, woody, herbal - masculine. I can't pick out the snow or the ambers distinctly, but I clearly get the impressions of both warmth and cold, an interesting blend. The rosewood, teak, sage and moss (a little musty as well as earthy) are all quite strong - not so much the redwood.

 

Minty! Much colder, and this a minty sort of snow - not piney hairspray or creamy coconut/almond, but spearmint and peppermint. The sage is a bit stronger as is the fresh, almost citrusy redwood - everything else has faded, although the ambers hold. The white amber is cologney-masculine-clean, the golden soft, warm, and almost creamy. Definitely a creamy sense overall here that's very nice. The harsh dryness of the teak and rosewood and those notes themselves is far in the distance now. Still some earthy moss. An instant dramatic change on my skin, overall.

 

This continues to get nicer and nicer on me, lighter and lighter. The sense of coolness has dissipated, leaving a gentle warmth, almost glowing. The amber is truly golden and not at all powdery - reminds me of L'Estate. The sage is the strongest clear note here, along with the mints - unfortunately, the sage is just a tad too herbal in a sort of savoury way, and with the rosewood, it gives too much dryness to this scent. The teak gives warmth but isn't clearly identifiable otherwise, and the moss has faded.

 

White amber, redwood and tree moss hold very nicely, while the rosewood returns to add loads of warmth to the golden, glowing amber. The teak amps up quite a bit, adding warm-dry, exotic sweetness - sadly, too much for me. This evolves very beautifully, but it's just not my sort of scent. Good throw and great longevity.

[Seismogenic]

This, honest to goodness, has a list of notes that are very well things I could have listed as wants for a custom scent. Amber? Yay! Sage? Win! Redwood? GIMME! Teak? Yes. And the BPAL snow note? Gorgeous. Add these notes plus the awesomeness that is Russian folklore, and you get me buying a bottle of Ded Moroz unsniffed.

 

In the bottle: Soft woods, amber, and a hint of snow.

 

Wet on skin: Soft snow, amber, a hint of sage, and an even smaller hint of wood.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, this is a lightly sweet mix of amber and snow, sharpened only a little bit by sage. I occasionally get whiffs of the wood at the base of this, but it's subtle. At one hour in, there's less of the snow and more of the soft wood underneath the amber. I would still say the amber is the predominant scent here, but it doesn't prevent the other notes from being smelled.

 

Five hours later: Much the same as at one hour, though fainter: amber, soft wood, and an edge of sweet snow.

 

End of the day: Plenty of amber left, with a bit of ozone.

 

Overall: Sooo. Goood. This is beautiful and contradictory - it manages to juxtapose cold snow with warm amber and woods, which fits the story, and which somehow still works in scent. I am so pleased that many of my favorite notes work well together (though I also wouldn't have been upset if the redwood had been more obvious). I also like that this works well within the cooler climate of winter, but it's not so unabashedly about winter smells, despite the snow note, that it wouldn't work as a cooldown sort of scent in summer. That unsniffed bottle? Glad I went for it!

[ImperatrixMundi]

Mint and cucumber?? Huh? I even tried it three times to make sense of the cucumber impression. Where is the amber and wood? This is surprisingly light, clean and watery and never warms up as I would have expected it to do. The amber that I was hoping for stays hidden which is surprising, normally I do extremely well with any kind of amber.

Not that it is unpleasant but it is really too light and not what I wanted at all.

[Aldercy]

Ded Moroz is mostly fuzzy moss and minty snow on me, but I'm really fond of it despite sometimes being turned off by mint. It's a natural, herbal mint, not chewing gum or toothpaste, and it's thrown in with this clear, crystalline slush note that I find really nice. Combined with the delicate moss, it brings to mind a hazy glade or woodland stream with new spring sprouts of greenery poking through the last bits of melting snow and ice. Any BPAL that conjures a strong mental picture like that is usually a winner.

 

I also get the wood notes, but they're very soft and subdued. Nothing harsh. And I don't get the slightest bit of amber or rose.

 

This was the only Yule that warranted a bottle.

 

EDIT: I like this more and more every time I wear it. Six weeks later, and I think the amber has blossomed, especially after a couple hours of wear time. This lovely swirl of warmth gradually, gently appears under the snowy moss, and it's just lovely.

Edited April 17, 2010 by Aldercy

[SueTigger]

I wore this for the first time yesterday.

 

When I first sniffed it and upon initial application, it had a nice minty note to it (which isn't in the description, I know). I like mint. Upon wear, though, the mint has disappeared. I definitely smelled the rose and the amber, but everything else seemed to have evaporated.

 

As the day went on, though, the rose and amber combined a little too heavily on my skin. I was inside all day though. I wonder what it would smell like on my skin after being in the sun all day. Something to consider...

 

Sue

[jizatt]

The notes in this are beyond perfect. Its everything I adore in BPAL (minus vanilla hehe) - Amber? Snow? Teak? Moss? yes and yes. When it was released, I practically ordered a bottle in the same breath I discovered it on the website. Then when I received it, I was quietly disappointed, but determined not to give up on my bottle. I got vaguely woody, vaguely snow, not even the snow I love in the other blends. I was so upset, but I have a bad habit of trading a bottle away too quickly and regretting it later. So I waited. I havent worn it since the week I received it, and decided to retest today because I saw it on someones wishlist.

 

SWOON.

 

This is what I wanted. The snow is the wet slushy kind, mildly minty. The wood is beneath, fuzzy with moss and snow. I do get the warm/cold contrast -- starts colder and finishes warm. Very subtle, very sophisticated, very different. Its like smelling the snow melt away, perfect for spring actually.

[tailoredshirt]

I really wanted to like this, but I can't. For the first few minutes, it was floral men's cologne, with some woods and lots of spearmint gum. I was hoping it would settle down into something softer, with the woods and amber, but I'm getting none of that. I've been wearing it for about an hour now and all I get is cheap men's cologne, right up in my nose. The spearmint gum note hasn't faded either.

 

This just didn't work for me.

 

ETA: After a while, the snow/mint started giving me a cold Vicks Vaporub feeling at the back of my throat, so I went to wash the oil off. It didn't go away entirely because the soap was that foaming kind and not very strong, but it made the scent more tolerable. An hour or so later, I got a whiff of my arm and I smell amber! Pure amber. I guess this is what it would have smelled like several hours in, after the cologne/Vicks combo wore off. Oh, well.

Edited April 16, 2010 by tailoredshirt

[TulaMontage]

In the imp this is rather heady, minty and floral. It is staying grounded by the teak and moss thankfully.

 

Wet on my skin this is a glorious minty teak wood! It's so soft and creamy with that slight minty edge. No florals at this stage, whoo hooo!

 

Drying down this is soft powdered snow covering damp mossy teak. It's blended seamlessly and is the perfect vision of sophistication. These notes belong together, on my skin!

 

I really didn't expect to like this, at all. It has several notes of death for me (rose and white amber), but those two don't even make an appearance!