Snow White

[Venneh]

A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.

 

2005 Blend

In the bottle, this smells like...Play-Doh. That's not a good sign. And on my skin, I'm getting that same Play-Doh scent, with a hint of sharp greenery. Bwa? Why you do this to me?

Swaps/sales. This doesn't bode well for '09...

[Tracelina]

So tonight, I skin-tested a 1/4-decant left from 2008 to see whether I'd like the atmosphere spray (and whether I might want to snag a bottle this year). At first, it was lovely and cold and delicate and slightly powdery.

 

And then it dried. Er, coconut?!? What the heck? Maybe I'm just amping blends as single notes today, but this seriously went to coconut (not fresh, more like coconut-thrice-removed-from-the-actual-fruit) and stayed there for hours. Damn. Maybe I'll just splurge and buy a bottle of the atmo spray, because this was lovely before it decided to go all piña colada on me.

[tragedy]

05 version

 

I have a few other versions on the way in the mail and I hope this isnt a fortelling, this is the lightest thing Ive ever smelled from BPAL... it literally is scentless in the bottle and no more than a faint whisper on the skin

[cecukemon]

I snagged an imp off the forum (07 version) and was very much looking forward to trying it out after all the glowing reviews. Alas .. Wet, I get a lot of coconut; dry on my skin it turns into a sickly-sweet floral scent with coconut undertones. If I could get over the sickly scent it would be a lovely, calm scent but there's something in there that just doesn't agree with me.

[Stormslegacy]

I'm reviewing a decant of Snow White '07

 

All I get is almondy marzipan. Very sweet. I got a lot of compliments wearing this, and boy does it have throw! Use just a drop and people NOTICE. When I read the description for the newest one I thought maybe they changed it, but nope! I don't really get flowers from it. I consider this a very foody smell. Like homebaked goods.

 

Probably going to swap, as I like more resiny and floral scents.

 

 

[ljaylh]

2005 Blend

 

Considering it never snows in the part of Australia where I live, it's really not surprising that I haven't dabbled in many of the BPAL snow-related blends. That is.. until I discovered Snow White '05.

 

I realise This is going to sound very weird, but have you ever come back from a day at the beach - basking in the hot sun, swimming in the cool ocean.. and smelt your skin afterwards? I don't know about you, but for me this is one of my most favourite ever smells - I love how my skin smells when it's been at the beach all day. No.. not all salty and suntan lotion-y, but musky and warm. Well, that's how Snow White '05 goes for me. This might actually be the best match for my skin chemistry that I've found so far in all my BPAL adventures.

 

There's an almost smokey vanilla kinda thing going on, slightly cake-like but not at all foody or sweet, and a slight tinge of something that's a bit like honeydew melon. Just YUMMY. It actually reminds me of hot summer nights when you can smell sweet tropical flowers and the blossoms of fruit trees in the air. Did I mention this is going to sound weird? It's supposed to be a winter blend, right? Yeah.. well..

 

Anyways - this is a definite winner. It just works for me. I'm going to have to try this year's version and see how it compares.

 

Edited to update - Ok, so I tried two newer versions - '07, and '09. Results - '07 was bearable, but very sharp and fake smelling.. I didn't really like it. But oh dear me, the '09 one was unbearable - it did this weird mint/rotting flowers thing on me, then dried down into a smell of burning plastic. In both cases, I could still smell 'my' Snow White in there, but it was all wrong. So my conclusion is that I can only handle SW when it's aged.. and this has been confirmed by getting a bottle of the '04 version, which is just as lovely as my '05. So.. there ya go! For me, it's gotta be vintage only

Edited January 11, 2010 by sunshinedaisybliss

[HamletsKeeper]

2005 version.

 

I can see why people say "coconut, almonds, marzipan" with this blend. There's something in it evocative of those things but I don't think it is those things. What hits me straight up about this scent is it's very floral nature and the flower I smell the most is osmanthus. Osmanthus, my one true love, how I adore thee. Snow, winter wind etc....I don't get any of that or what I expected that to be. I get Osmanthus and other white florals on a creamy background. In the beginning it's very innocent but as it dries on me I can definately see how this could be plastic or vinyl on others. It doesn't go there on me but there is a sharp wood poking through that I'm assuming would give that plastic note. I love the initial stages of this scent, not so big on how it's evolving though. Oh yeah, here comes the wintergreen.

 

Verdict is out until I wear it at least for a few hours.

 

Ok so here's what I think. It's a scent I can wear and I do like it. It's just not a wow scent for me. I'm glad I've bought it because it's an essential Yule but I don't see myself wearing this very often. I think one bottle will last me several years which is saying a lot because I usually rip through a 5ml in 6 weeks of regular wear.

 

Revisited - I'm still not sure about this one. It constantly switches on my skin between a perfumey wintergreen and cake...Yeah that's what I thought too. It may just be one of those perfumes while not turning into something vile just isn't all that happy on my skin either. I"m consoled by the fact that so many people like it, that if I end up wanting to swap it, the feat should be rather easy.

Edited November 13, 2009 by HamletsKeeper

[cfrancesca]

Snow White 07'

 

Wow, I totally understand all the love for this beautiful blend!

 

It's lovely, soft, fluffy and has just the right amount of sweetness. Dry I smell a mix of light coconut, almonds, florals with some slight greenery in the background and I also smell some light musk.

 

A couple of hrs later it turns into fluffy marshmallows, pink flowers and skin musk.. The throw is strong. I got my first two ever bpal compliments in less than one hr. of me wearing it! It's just like I would imagine Snow White would smell. I'm in !!!

 

[KesHiro]

Snow White 2009

 

Oh . . . my . . . :wub: ~Sweet mystery of life at last I've found you!!!~

 

I can see why this has so many reviews. I'm in love! In the bottle and wet, I get cold, fresh green plants with the faintest hint of vanilla. Maybe some kind of white musk too? I'm not sure, owing to the fact that I'm pretty much a musk idiot. As it dries, this goes from being a wonderful scent to something magical. I get snow, faint green florals, marzipan, fluffy cream, coconut, and vanilla. It's so pretty, light, dainty, and feminine.

 

I wore this while out with friends tonight and this is the first time they've given me compliments on a BPAL oil (they tend to prefer department store perfumes). I think I might have to buy a back up bottle of this scent, as well as the room spray from the Trading Post.

 

I totally agree with the previous reviewer about Snow White smelling like this. There is a movie from the late 90s called Snow White: A Tale of Terror, where they replace the dwarves with miners. At one point, one of them says to the others, "She smells good!" and this is what I imagine she smells like!

[biocarolyn]

Well.

 

Now I have a scent to add to that thread about "not getting" the popular scents.

 

On me, 2009 Snow White smells like almond paste. Heavy, thick almonds- the exact note I was hoping would hide.

 

Oh well...you can't win them all...

[kohimame]

Ok then.

 

In the imp, Snow White '09 smells lovely, very bright and fresh, a clean scent. Like happiness in a bottle. Then I put it on and it morphs into Dana O'Shee, which on me is play doh. Faint play doh. I just don't understand what those two scents have in common! Sigh, well I sent the bottle to a good home, where it will be appreciated.

 

 

[Scarah]

2009 here.

 

This is my first experience with a lab snow note!

 

At first I didn't like it. In the bottle/wet it was... dirty parts of snow like dirt/underbrush/ferns.

 

It dried to a vanilla flavored sno-cone! I have no idea how they get it to smell like snow/ice, but it does.

 

I like this. I don't know how much I will wear it in favor of warmer vanilla stuff, but I'm sure I will some.

 

I don't get coconut from it at all, so those who found some years too coconutty might like 2009 better.

[thekittenkat]

For the 2009 version.

 

In the bottle: Gently sugared snow.

 

Wet: There's a bright, sparkling high note at first. It's almost like a dept. store perfume, for a moment. There's some ozone and the lightest hint of florals.

 

The dry-down: It turns a little bit more sweet and more snowy as it dries. The coconut note is present but not as strong as in the 2008 version. I think some aging will work wonders on this year's blend.

[Apple]

This smells almost identical to Dana O'Shee on me. I wasn't expecting that at all, but reading the past reviews, I see I'm not the only one.

 

I get initial almond extract followed by vanilla and plastic, the scented plastic of children's toys. I get a hint of plastic in Dana O'Shee, but it's much more pronounced in Snow White. And there's an almost... peppery? note under the vanilla-almond-plastic. The almond burns off quickly (alas, I love almond), followed later in the dry-down by the peppery note. I'm left with plasticky vanilla. Not so good.

 

No florals, no coconut, nothing crisp or chilly. On me, Snow White is sweet, vanilla, and a little fake.

 

Note: This is a review of the 2007 version.

[topazphoenix]

Although I don't get the hype, this might have been a okay scent, but it's completely tainted by association for me because it smells like an exact dupe of the expensive vanilla lotion some family acquaintances wore constantly, so my nose defaults to hate hate HATE. sigh.

[Siberia]

As the 566th reviewer, I have little to add that hasn't been said already. I almost didn't buy Snow White because of the many reviews comparing it to Dana O'Shee, which did not work for me at all. However, many reviews also compared it to the Candy Butcher, which I love. There is definitely a note in common with Candy Butcher, and I love this note and amp it like crazy. I don't know what the note is, but I think several folks have speculated that it is a lily musk or a vanilla musk. (If anyone knows what it is, please pm me - I need to get everything that has this note!) I think it is a floral component of the heavy cream note in Candy Butcher. Gah, I love this stuff and I'm so thrilled to find the note that I love so much in Candy Butcher. Hoarding will commence.

 

I am so happy I bought this - it's magnificent.

[Venneh]

'09 Blend

 

C'mon, baby, don't do what '05 did to me and go all Play-doh greenery on me.

 

...Fuck. I'm getting that Play-doh smell in the decant. C'mon, turn out different on my skin... Nope. Play-doh greenery. Gah. Whatever's in here just doesn't agree with me. Stupid skin chemistry. :/

[distracts]

In the decant: I don't know what I'm smelling. Something soft and pretty.

 

Wet: Vanilla and ozone, perhaps with a hint of flowers. I honestly didn't expect to like this at all but... I kind of do. At this point I want to eat it.

 

Dry: Gorgeous and creamy! I never expected to love this scent but I'm definitely planning on a bottle of it, because wow!

[writergal969]

2009 Version

 

In the bottle: more floral and snowy

 

On Wet: Almonds, flowers, ozone and strangely...coconut...

 

Dry: Very floral-almondy with a twist of vanilla and coconut...mmm...deliciously light yet noticeable throw and strangely, almonds have never smelled so good!

Edited December 1, 2009 by writergal969

[arlith]

*sigh*

 

Add me to the list that Snow White hates. (I had such hopes for it, with so many glowing reviews.)

 

I also get the Play-Do, plasticy smell. Add in a pile of coconut/almond. It really makes me think of a scented Malibu barbie...if they made such a thing.

[tacey]

Add me to the list of people who turn Snow White into Play Dough.

 

It started out as sweet coconut (not something I care for, actually), and within 20 mins or so went all playdoughy. And pretty soon after that, the playdough went rancid...

 

 

[fairestrocza]

I went back and forth a million times trying to decide if I should buy a bottle of Snow White unsniffed... Turns out I made the wrong decision. Snow White is So Wrong.

In the Bottle: Plasticy

 

Wet on Skin: cheap plastic baby-doll / beach ball

 

While Drying: cheap plastic baby-doll / beach ball, with some underlying funk

 

After a Little While: I need to figure out what note (coconut?) it is that does this plastic doom, and STAY THE HELL AWAY from it. Obatala did something similar, but to a lesser degree (that one may have been wearable - this one is not)

 

Later: Tried this on several friends… only one of them made it anything other than yuck. Is this year's blend significantly different than the glowing-review years, or is my nose (or my bottle?) broken?

 

Final Thoughts: I would have liked the light floral... I would have loved the marzipan... as it is, I just get that evil plastic doom, with not even a nuance of something else. I have a friend who loves coconut. We'll see if it does anything good on her.

Snow White earns a 1.5/5 on my skin, and that is being generous.

[musichappens]

2009 Version

 

This reminds me a lot of LUSH's Snowcake, but much more creamy. It starts out strong, but the intensity slowly starts to turn down. I don't get any type of playdough from it which is awesome b/c on my skin, almond = playdough. Definitely picking up a bottle b/c I can see this being an everyday-type scent for me.

[tajana]

Unknown year. Not 2009.

 

In the Imp: Plastic doll heads, haha! An artificial vanilla with Lush Snowcake-like almond frosting. I love Snowcake, and BPAL almond is nice but usually short lived on me. But I'm not so sure about this... a lot of my favorite BPAL has vanilla in it, but a lot of the fan-favorite vanilla-dominant scents fall flat on me.

 

Wet: Bam. For such a "light" scent, it has an intense sense of potency... I slathered on a bit based on the weak scent in the vial, but a tiny dab would have probably worked just fine. It's a white scent, mostly vanilla, with subtle hints of coconut and marzipan. Reminds me of assorted lotions. If I huff, I can catch a hint of delicate white florals with stems attached.

 

Dry: Play doh. Not a bad odor, but it's definitely reminiscent of play doh... not what I want out of a perfume.

 

Overall: I'm not feeling the love. It smells pretty "cheap" on me, like drugstore vanilla lotion with a subtle hint of sunblock and marzipan. I have a feeling that this would last hours and hours if I didn't wash it off.

[ami226]

'09 version:

 

Ooooh! The version last year turned into plastic immediately, but this one.... Wow! A light vanilla with airy blossoms. After a bit, the blend becomes mostly vanilla. So light.

 

Uh, oh.... it is starting to get a playdoh tinge.....

 

I am going to have to test this one again. It has so much potential.

 

'11 version:

 

On the skin: Again a light vanilla with light blossoms. Maybe a slight ozone wind feel to it. Annnnnnd then it becomes playdoh on me. *sigh*

 

This just isn't for me.

Edited June 24, 2012 by Catseyes