Ded Moroz

[shelldoo]

DED MOROZ
Grandfather Frost! Accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden, he bestows gifts to virtuous and hard-working people, rewarding their decency and integrity, and punishes those who are lazy, shiftless, and unkind, killing their fields with frost, cracking the trunks of their trees, and destroying their homes.

The first incarnation of Father Frost was not at all benevolent. He was the personification of the darkest aspects of winter, winter's destruction incarnate. He kidnapped unruly children, and slew people capriciously by freezing them to death.

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

The label is the same as all the 06 Yuletide scents.

waaahhhhhooooo, this finally arrived, i couldn't wait!

in the bottle:very light scent, slightly green smelling and something almost
minty, this smells somewhat familiar, yet not something i can readily place my finger on.

wet: hmm, yes there is something slightly minty here, even though i don't see mint as a listed ingredient, but it isn't a pepperminty scent, i am getting i think spearmint? and the very faintest whiff of "snow" and the barest touch of sage.

this is such a soft scent, up close i get something greenish, and minty, but so amazingly light. the waft of teh scent is a soft almost powdery scent, but not old lady powder, more the soft fuzzy powder type feel. not florally, not slushy, just a fuzzy, almosty hazy, minty, goodness. i also at this point can detect an aura of redwood, it confused me at first i was thinking evergreen, but then when the scent settles, i realized it was redwood and teak, more redwood though. the longer this is on, the more the scent settles and melds into this beautiful, comforting scent, it is definitely a cool scent, definitely a soft scent and definitely a scent i am proud to own.

adding after a long drydown time, this does get a hint of rose, it is a very soft rose, not sharpness even hinting at the edges, and teh amber really starts to step forward as teh mint softens

i really hope beth can resolve the component issues, and offer this. i love it.

[edenssixthday]

Ded Moroz - First, I want to thank Shelldoo with everything in me for her amazing generosity of sending me a bit of Ded Moroz. I feel so honored to get to try this blend! And not only am I honored, I am delighted, because it is really amazing. I echo Shellie’s sentiments that it would be fantastic if Beth could resolve the component issues for this blend and release it someday. I would buy a few bottles!

 

This is the perfect blend for amber lovers. It’s not dry and woody the way amber can sometimes be; rather, it’s soft, warm, and almost powdery in a fresh, slightly sweet way. When I first apply it, it comes across as soft, fresh, and cold from the combination of moss, sage, and snow. I also detect something very minty initially, but it’s not the kind of mint that I usually find sharp and "offensive." It manages to be soft, sweet, and adds a hint of chill to the blend. As it warms up on my skin, the cool freshness dissipates and the ambers begin to dominate the blend, with a hint of rose rounding them out. The redwood and teak are so subtle on my skin as to be barely discernible, but they do seem to deepen the overall effect of the scent. This is a soft scent, but I wouldn’t say it’s subtle. I had put the tiniest drop of this on my skin and an hour later went outside, and the breeze picked up the scent and swirled it all around me. It has a gorgeous sillage and definitely leaves me desperately hoping that Beth can find a way to release it. It’s really lovely.

[purplemoonshoes]

Thank you thank you thank you shelldoo for letting me try this at the Pennsylvannia meet and sniff!

This is a light scent, minty at first, mostly spearmint. As it dries down, the mint fades but remains a little, and the teak, moss, and sage come out on me. It's a light winter woods- I can hear the crisp of the snow and see the bare branches. It didn't last more than an hour on me, so I'm glad someone else got it, especially someone as great as shelldoo.

note: I'm not an expert at scents like the previous reviewers, so this is just my impressions

[Reedsong]

I love BPAL amber in the bottle, but my skin usually turns it into baby powder, so even with its rarity I was hesitant to try this one; eventually curiosity won. I mean, come on - it's Ded! And Moroz!

 

It starts with that soft mint that edenssixthday describes so well, like a cool forest wind, and then softens into a light, only slightly powdery (woo!), resinous amber. This scent brings up good memories for me, because it reminds me of an old curio or antique shop full of old woods and dusty knick-knacks. My grandmother had a small antique shop, and I'm reminded of that and her when I smell this.

 

It's a warm, kindly, sweet scent, very appropriate for its name, and I too hope the component issues are resolved one day. I wouldn't often feel like wearing this fragrance, but would keep at least an imp around for those days when I was feeling...you know...moroz.

[Koukla]

So when I finally got around to taking a closer look at the smellie Shelldoo included among the already ridiculously generous frimps I got from her today, I almost peed myself. I definitely whimpered as the realization hit me. "Oh my fucking God...this can't be what I think it is...CAN IT!?!?!?" Uh, yeah, it was.

 

After a few seconds, my brain jump-started and I went tearing into the bathroom to prepare for The Precious. For the record, scrubbing your arms furiously with nail polish remover, followed by a soapy rubdown, works quite decently when you're desperate to remove the last vestiges of any other scent and you don't have any rubbing alcohol. I followed that with unscented lotion, and I was ready to take notes for my very first review ever, of possibly the most coveted, and expensive, bpal ever. Soooo, here goes:

 

My first sniff as I opened the tiny baggie gives me a very soft, gentle mint. It seems to have a very slight touch of sweetness to it, almost subliminal. I rub the swab against my wrist, and as it starts to warm up, there's a little bit of resinous sage that starts to come up, too. After a few minutes, though, that dies down leaving me with just the mint again, and I don't really get any sage again after that.

 

Gradually, it warms up even more and gets mossier and richer and the woods and amber start to come into play as well. Oh, this is sexy! Oh, and now the chilliness is coming back, and the amber and the woods and what's now just a touch of moss receed a little. The chilliness isn't so much discernibly mint anymore, it's all bracing cold air on a sunny snowy day, or that soft dry powdery snow that actually insulates you from the cold, rather than cold wet snow. (I love that there are none of the slightly lemony notes that I've gotten from the other - admittedly few - snow scents I've tested. There are also no evergreen notes whatsoever. Yay!!)

 

OK, and now the woods and moss and amber are back to the forefront. Wow, this bounces slowly back and forth between the two scent "qualities", but neither ever completely obscures the other. TMI Alert: And have I mentioned this is really sexy? I can't keep my nose off my wrist and I'm actually getting really turned on sniffing this and fantasizing about dragging a certain someone out of a sauna into the snow to have my way with! This is pure genius...this is what I've been looking for in a snowy, foresty scent!!

 

Oh God, I can't believe I'll never wear this again!!

 

*Ahem* Towards the end, Ded Moroz loses all its snowy chilly qualities, and becomes a nice warm powdery (in a totally yummy way) amber with woody undertones. Now I keep picturing being snuggled on a well-oiled redwood porch under a warm blanket watching the sun setting and turning the entire world gold for those few moments at the end of the day. Considering this was all from a slightly dried out cotton swab and it still lasted almost two hours on me, I think the longevity is good. I don't really feel able to comment on the throw as the amount I used wasn't much at all, but it's definitely a soft scent.

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to both of you, Beth and Shelldoo, for giving me the opportunity to try this!!!!! It is absolutely beautiful. My only question now is, can it be my signature scent if I'll only ever have worn it for two hours out of my entire life?

 

 

 

*shuffles off mumbling to self about the futility of trying to find a close second*

[filigree_shadow]

Awww. It's so cute and fresh and snowy-smelling. It smells like one of the pretty Yule blends. Cold and crisp, but sweet and lovely too. There's something almost perfumey about it that I like quite a lot. I'm not sure if I like this better than my "cold" scent, Snow Bunny, but it sure is a shame that one of the components prevented BPAL from selling this for Yule 06. I bet it would have been a hit.

 

I'm glad I got to sniff this one!

Edited May 17, 2007 by filigree_shadow

[DangerInRed]

Hey, I haven't reviewed this yet? This must be remedied!

 

I got a lovely sniffie of Ded Moroz with a purchase from Shelldoo, and nearly fainted of excitement when I saw it.

 

Ded Moroz is very warm and powdery, sweet but not sickeningly so, and golden. I didn't get any of the mint, it must have been a little too ethereal for my nose. Alas, it turned to somewhat of an "old lady perfume" smell on me, but I am ever so greatful for the chance to have tried it.

[poisons_sanity]

Shelldo brought this for us to sniff at the may Faerie Festival, and I just found my notes. We were all afraid to touch it incase we spilled it. Anyway, this scent is a green scent. A very, very smooth green scent with a touch of mint and a touch of coldness. I like it, which is rare, because I normally don't like green or mint scents. But it's so smoooooooooth.

[alicia_stardust]

I sniffed this at the C13 Meet n' Sniff. I think it was a little sample that edenssixthday had with her.

 

Ded Moroz is beautiful. It was very familiar and comforting to me. It smells so very cold, but it didn't smell like snow to me. Rather, it smelled like frost. In my mind's eye I could almost see a frost-rimed landscape full of flakes of ice that had crusted onto everything. Beneath that light, frosty smell I could detect just a hint of rose, and just a hint of amber resin. It really was quite beautiful.

[Silvertree]

I'm so pleased that Beth was able to release this beautiful blend! In the bottle, Ded Moroz is very mossy and green. On my skin, it morphs into the crisp cold scent of a perfectly cloudless winter's night, when the stars are brilliant in the sky and the air is as clear as crystal. The ambers and woods ground and warm the cold notes, making the overall scent comforting rather than chilling. I can see myself wearing this year-round, both in the winter and in warmer months, when I'm longing for snow.

[PhantomV48]

Sooo, THIS is the legendary Ded Moroz. In the bottle, it's interesting. Mint and sage in a swirling mass of earthy green, almost vegetable-y. On the skin, the mint fades away, and all the green takes center stage. After a while all the gorgeous woods come out and warm it up a bit.

I live at the edge of a forest, in an area where it snows, and I totally get the snowy forest vibe. I wouldn't call it a super cold scent though. More like snowy forest that has thawed slightly in the sun, just before the night where it all freezes up again. I would call it comforting though. Definitely worth the bottle, and I'll probably get more, just out of fear that it won't show up again for years.

Anywho, it's a great scent. It's exactly what I'd want to smell while cuddled up with someone at a camp fire, or even better, next to a fireplace while a blizzard rages on outside.

::sighs, and runs off to sniff his arms obsessively::

[Cheri]

I love Ded Moroz! I can't stop sniffing my hand. It smells almost like a warm spearmint. Honestly I don't recognize any single note here as jumping out. Its so well blended that it just smells incredibly smooth. This could be an every day scent and not only for cold weather. Its cozy and as its drying the woods seem to be creeping in. Its soft yet dark, and completely wearable.

[Caerphilly]

In the bottle: Snow, white florals, smell a bit of dirt. Smells like cologne more than perfume. I also get a whiff of patchouli and sandalwood, but only the first initial smell from the bottle. When I hold my nose to it, I don't smell it anymore.

 

Wet: Mint, florals and snow. I can definitely smell peppermint gum, not sugary sweet but, peppermint nonetheless. The florals are masculine, a bit like cologne. Very white and crisp.

 

Dry: The peppermint fades and I can barely smell the snow, but the cologne florals are still there. Very light and faint, but lasts a long time despite how light it is.

 

Overall: This starts off very masculine, and dries down to a light floral and snow. I'm leaning more toward giving this scent to my boyfriend. Love it, but a bit on the masculine side for me. Lasts a long time. Overall, great scent. Not my favorite Yule, but definitely keeping this one!!

[saralaughs]

In the bottle: this smells like a woody/herbal (in a good way) warm scent.

 

Wet on: Wood immediately asserts itself followed quickly by a minty scent (peppermint I believe) with moss intertwined. The moss almost gives off a moldy impression, like it's been too wet for too long. That sharpness quickly goes away (thankyoujebus).

 

Drydown: Wow. The teak, redwood, and ambers are coming into play now. The mint has settled into the background but is still there...almost as an afterthought though. It's warm woods (amber+wood) mainly with this backdrop of sage/moss giving a bit of green headiness to it while the mint chills it a bit. A winter day in the forest where the sun is shining so brightly that it's a bit warm yet still cold. One of those days where you've only got a warm sweater to on to go outside yet you can still see your breath? Those days where you might actually like winter (if you hate it in the first place...like me)? Yeah. This is it.

 

Totally thought this wasn't going to work on me when I first put it on. I was so, so wrong. I don't know that it will become one of my HUGE favorites but I'll keep the bottle and enjoy it.

 

I do wonder something now though. I wonder what it would be like layered with The Snow Maiden??

[Kimbernunk]

(obviously, this is the '09 version)

This has a bit of sage-y greenness to it for the first three minutes that promptly runs off to hide. Not sure what the deal is there - my skin usually really likes sage. Anyway. There's a definite frosty note to this - I can't decide if I think it's peppermint or wintergreen. It's a topnote to a very powdery amber/woody base. It's sort of sweetly woodsy powder on me. I hate fresh amber - aged amber is much smoother on me. Once this ages for a year or two, it should be smoothe and woodsy and amazing - right now, all I can smell is potential.

[angelicruin]

On my skin, woodsy peppermint right after application. The amber emerges as it dries. Remains crisp through drydown and ends up mostly peppermint with woody undertones.

 

 

 

 

[anomie]

In the imp: The cold clean scent that I associate with the BPAL snow note, plus undertones of wood and sage. Interesting.

 

Wet: "Stopping by woods on a snowy evening." Yes, I'm a nerd. Minty and snowy and clean and a little herbal.

 

Dry: Really a beautiful snowy winter scent. I might hoard this for summer, actually. Lovely.

 

[gypsyjolie]

Soft fuzzy dreamy mint over some white floral that *almost* smells like honeydew. The mint has a touch of eucalyptus to it, clearing my sinuses when first applied. The white amber and sage are lending the soft powdery fuzziness to the scent, I think. This is like a softer, minty Snow White on me... and also vaguely desert-y smelling from the sage and the slight woody undertones. Winter in the desert?

Edited December 1, 2009 by gypsyjolie

[crebbsgirl]

This was a very green scent. I was a little surprised as I was expecting something a little different here. The ambers weren't very predominant, and instead, the snow note and the bois du rose were at the forefront of the scent, with moss close beneath. The wood warmed it up a little. Overall this is ALMOST going soapy on me.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Herbs and moss, with an almost creamy cologne scent over the top of it.

 

Immediately on skin: This scent is very herbal and slightly woody with a bit of snow wafting behind and crystalline amber. It’s a lot of herbs, but there’s also this almost shattered, snowy sweetness to it. The teak is quite cologne-like through this scent as well.

 

After a little while: The herbal quality to this settles down quite a bit, and this becomes a very amber-heavy blend with cologne-like teak and a little moss and snow.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent is very herbal at first, but it settles down nicely into a glowing dry amber blend with little bits of teak and snow. It’s a bit unisex, and a touch sweet, but nice. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s for me however

 

[hlemonds]

The amber notes in this are totally lovely (i get the soft, cool amber blend reminiscent of The Girl), but there is something that smells very green and cologney that masks the amber unfortunately. Once dry this makes me think of shampoo or soap. Not that this is a bad scent, i just don't necessarily think it's a "me" kind of scent.

[kbrighton]

Sometimes I fall in love with a concept, or am seduced by the hype, and expect a whole lot from a scent--a lot more than it can ever deliver.

 

Ded Moroz smells green wet from the bottle. slightly minty and then morphing to sage. After about 30 minutes it's a light gentle subtle woodsy smell, I can't pick out any amber.

 

I wanted to love you Ded Moroz, but alas you are mildly pleasant and fleeting not awe inspiring. I shall remain content with my decant.

[Invidiana]

This really is both warm and cold at once: there's the warmth of the golden amber and crystalline quality of the white, the warmth of the woods and the coolness of the sage, tree moss and snow. For anyone afraid of rose, because I know a lot of people are, the bois du rose is barely noticeable, if at all. An ethereal and mysterious scent that really makes you want to sniff tiwce.

 

 

 

 

[Prism]

in bottle- sage, snow, mint, woods. I dont get amber here.

wet - ow! This stings a little. What?! I'm getting all sage and mint. It's very herbal on me. Cold, but herbal. it's not very strong either. It reminds me more of a medicine cabinet than a perfume.

later i'm getting hints of amber and rose. Peppermint gum however is the overwhelming impression. And that's not awesome. (and i'm even the biggest Lick it like you mean it fan in the world i think).

dry - rose! what?! rose and mint and a hint of woods and amber. less gum, more winter woods but warmed by amber. However it's gone a little powdery too. Just not my scent.

later - okay, well, now it's amber, cold woods, no mint. a little rose. This is actually a lot better. But the dry down is pretty significant. I would wear this but i'm not sure how often. It gets more amber as it goes which makes me like it better but the wet stage..ehh.

 

In short

 

Rating - 5/10

 

Later edit- I stand corrected. The longer this sits on me the more amber this is. It just gets better to the point I was like, whoa. This stage is definately like 9/10 on me.

 

Question is...do I want to put up with the first half hour enough to buy a full bottle? hrrm.....

Edited December 3, 2009 by Prism

[opticnerd]

This blend was a big surprise for me as it contained some of my doom notes (amber, sage, moss), but turned out to be just gorgeous on me. Very complex and strange and so well blended its almost impossible to pick the notes out. Wet, my boyfriend told me it smelled really good "like watermelon." I think I know where he gets that from. There is something cool, sweet and slightly watery smelling, mingled with something minty and cool. Smells a little like a refreshing sliver of watermelon with a leaf or 2 of fresh mint. As this begins to dry, the ambers and woods begin to come out. And instead of turning powder/dust doom on me, they are warm and snuggly and downright intoxicating. The sweetness begins to soften and the soft woods and ambers take over, maintaining just a bit of that cool/aquatic snow note.

 

This blend is very pretty and could probably work well on both guys and gals. I am so glad I decided to get a decant and I think I may have to get a bottle of it.