Archangel Winter

[edenssixthday]

Crystalline, glassy ice whipped by a snowstorm. Piercing ozone, winter darkness.

Archangel Winter - It’s not the typical herbal/lemony ozone of, for example, Thunderbird, or the wet air, lightning-shattered ozone of Thunder Moon or Storm Moon. Rather, it is a cold, biting ozone scent. It is exactly like the scent of nippy air that can be detected hours before a snow storm blows in. It’s not the scent of the snow itself – just the air that precedes the storm. When I first wore this, I applied it and then ran errands on a very cold, below-freezing day. A couple of times as I bundled up against the cold air in the parking lots between my car and the stores, I caught the scent of snow blowing in from the mountains, and it took me a few seconds before I realized that the scent I smelled was not an imminent snow storm. Rather, it was the BPAL I was wearing. It’s a gorgeous scent, full of chilly air that’s ripe with the prescience of a coming snow storm.

[Astarte]

Archangel Winter is one of the best concept scents I've tried lately. It feels like the most ozone, airy and delicate scent I've tried for a long time.

 

Heartbreakingly simple and very effective concept.

 

A total keeper for me.

[Tulliver]

Oooooh... I like this.

 

In the bottle, I wasn't so sure. It's an odd scent - like a kind of fruit tree leaf - but it smells slightly alcohol-y, too.

 

Wet on the skin: The alcohol is still there, but only for the shortest time. I don't know WHAT I'm smelling. It's a feeling rather than an ingredient. It's cold, yet warm at the same time, like being outside in the dead of winter but all wrapped up warm. You know it's cold, but you're well protected.

 

Dry: Much the same as wet. It doesn't morph much on me at all. But I love it. It's cold and dark as it's supposed to be, yet still remains oddly secure and protective with the sensation of warmth through being well wrapped and insulated.

[forspecial_plate]

At first I get a strong blast of ozone. Ozone sometimes gives me this almost choking feeling....not a horrible thing....it's like when you have air blowing in your face and you get that reflex of not breathing in. I get that with Archangel Winter, just a little bit. This is one of the stronger ozone scents I've tried.

 

After a while, the ozone settles down and the scent becomes sweet to me......it keeps reminding me of sugared grapefruit. I have been known to amplify sweet notes, though. Or maybe they just stand out to my nose. Anyway this reminds me a lot of Kingsport, except this is a dry scent. If this is snow, it's definitely not sticking together.....it's too cold for that! This scent lasts and lasts for hours on me.

[maribouquet]

The Unicorn in winter. This is how I imagined Snow White might smell... Really lovely and strangely soft...

[suileach]

All crisp, bleak ozone...at first. It becomes a bit warmer, sweeter, and almost...furry...smelling on me, rather like a wintry version of Coyote.

 

One of the few ozones I've tried that doesn't smell like laundry detergent. After a few hours, it's very muted...hushed...grey. Deceptively calm and still.

[dluszcz]

I really wanted to love you, Archangel Winter! Alas, all I got, in the bottle and on the skin, were Tilex, with moments of cat piss! In the back of my mouth, I tasted metal and chemicals all day- this one really hangs around.

 

I subjected my study hall students to a sniff test. They felt more kindly towards our angel: "really flowery, but for an old lady."

 

Maybe this one will get better with age. Off to the bottom of a basket somewhere!

[ACVail24]

Archangel Winter

 

In the Bottle:

Ozone & oranges?

well, maybe just a little bit citrus, but I definitely pick up on the ozone.

 

On my Skin, Wet:

Citrus! not so much oranges as lemons and maybe a drop of grapefruit.

It smells like BPAL's CG Lightning but with citrus notes....hmm, weird skin.

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Ozone and snow and still a background of cirtus notes.

I smell like I've just showered - yay!

I love that 'just showered' scent

 

Verdict:

9 of 10 ranking!

Love the strange citrus note my skin makes of this - even though there isn't a citrus note listed anywhere

[arabella]

First Impression: Ozone.

 

Dries down to: Just becomes softer and very quiet - like the countryside blanketed by snow.

 

Additional Comments: The visual image I get is of standing in the open doorway on a winter afternoon up at the cottage and looking out at the freshly fallen snow that's sparkling in the weak sunlight. It's very fresh but doesn't really feel cold until you step out into it.

 

Lasted: A few hours.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

[Shannihilation]

I wore this yesterday but totally forgot to do a review, so I'm wearing it again today...

 

I sniff this in the bottle and immediately think that this description can't be right. Because I am getting all florals. I was hoping for something similar to Black ice but this isn't even close. This is all light, sweet, florals and they border on cloying. I'm afraid to put it in because I am so not a floral kind of girl. (well, other than Numb!) But, I push on and apply it to my wrists...

 

Florals. Girly, springish florals. WTH? Where is my ozone and darkness?

 

After it's been on for awhile this is very pretty. And I can kind of see the crystalline description because the florals are very bright and sharp, but soft at the same time. But it is still all floral. The ozone barely comes through for me on this one. I'd swear this is lily and jasmine instead of ice, snow, and ozone. I'm disappointed that it's not at all what I expected and I think the description didn't fit it at all. But it is a nice blend. Probably not something I'll wear often though since I'm not much of a foo-foo scent kind of girl.

Edited January 19, 2008 by Shannon

[iiinterstate]

This was my first bottle purchase, and I think I did well.

 

In bottle: flowery and cool. Reminds me of the Fresh Air scented crayola.

 

Wet: Much the same, I'm a little worried this will be too light for my taste. Now I know what "ozone" smells like.

 

Dry: Its not too light, not too strong, but not as cold as I was expecting. I tend to amp floral notes so its probably cancelling out some of the iciness. Its a nice, clean smell that I will wear often. Yay.

[ImperatrixMundi]

From the moment of reading the descrition for the first time I was set on buying a bottle.

This has turned out to be somewhat different than expected, it is not half as cold as I would have wished.

 

A very clear and piercing ozone scent. If you are wary of ozone, this is not nose-burning and does not smell of laundry detergent or commercial perfume. Unfortunately it is not that cold smelling to me. After some time something beneath the crisp ozone turns very sweet and powdery, like some sort of musk. I am not familiar with all the BPAL musk notes so I cant tell what that really is.

There might be something white and floral in there as well but I cant tell either, to be honest. This review is probably not the most helpful ever written, sorry.

 

This is a clear and delicate scent and might be best worn in the dead of winter. When I walked into a store yesterday and got very warm in my jacket it started to smell a bit wrong in the warmth, like the delicate scent was degrading rapidly in the heat.

Other than that it lasts for a long time but becomes sweeter, the supposed musk note in there smelling more and more like perfume-y powdered sugar. It might be worth trying in a locket because in the evening it was gone from my skin but the plastic band of my wristwatch still smells of it strong and in a nice way this morning.

[Nightgaunt]

Archangel Winter smells pure and clean, like snow, but there are flowers blooming in this snow. In fact, I think I caught a whiff of those rare blossoms that give Snow White its unique quality. Are they flowers that were gathered in Hyperborea, the land beyond the north wind?

[fireweaver]

I'm not exactly sure what ozone smells like exactly, but this scent does smell like being outside in snow.

When the oil drys down it does get sweeter like the reviewer who said flowers peeking out of the snow. I put the scent on last night before bed, and the sweetness is still on my wrist a full 12 hours later. It's faint, you have to put it by your nose to smell, but it's there It's so gorgeous and I love it.

Edited February 3, 2008 by fireweaver

[writergal969]

In the bottle: crisp, sharp ozone (which I adore) and winter flowers (though I'm not sure where these are coming from!) It reminds me of the air before snow, not actual snow.

On: Still getting winter flowers and the ozone has toned down a bit from in the bottle. Still ozone-a-licious, and it has a great throw. It feels clean, piercing and very, very delicate. This is what I would consider the winter equivalent of Parsifal. Smells like the cold earth before a snowstorm, the freezing air and earth trampled underfoot. Somehow it also reminds me of poinsettias. I'd consider this another sophisticated blend, something to wear to parties or out and about.

Overall, this is another gorgeous ozone scent and it is excellent for winter time. I'd give it a 4.5/5 and am loving my bottle of it to death!

 

Edit in 2016: eight (eep!) years later: This smell is so evocative to me of when I used to visit the botanical conservatory at Christmastime as a child. It took me a long time to put my finger on it. I barely wear Archangel Winter--except for right at Christmas usually--but that smell hits me like a memory 18-wheeler and my god, it's exactly why I love BPAL so much. I feel like that 'ozone' is reminding of the intensely fresh air in the conservatory thanks to all the plants, and yeah, I still get poinsettia. And I still think this is 'winter Parsifal' in a way. But it's still in my box, and it's still full to the shoulder, and no I'm never going to part with it -- just pull it out and sniff it when I need a shot of feel-good nostalgia; a kid at Christmastime excited to be out with her parents in the Botanical Conservatory with it all decked out in lights. That was one of my yearly highlights, that visit, and as such this perfume has a super special place in my heart. I love it so much, thank you for this Beth.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Happicuppa

[hkhm]

imp: glassy ozone is right. all i smell is the scent of silver white winter night.

 

wet: this is sharp and brisk once applied, almost astringent. it's like breathing in that piercing, chilling air that is only present right before a hard snowstorm. this smells almost desolate, very lonely and beautiful.

 

dry: this is stark and chilling once dry. very well-represented scent.

[gchris]

In Vial: Soft Floral with the clean-ness of ozone.

 

Wet: Beautiful. Not overly sweet florals balanced by the clean crispness of ozone.

 

Drydown: Very Nice light fragrance. This blend is very similar to Sea of Glass. It seems like the difference is that this one has ozone and SoG has quatic notes. So this is not salty. This has an airy-ness to it that seems to go on forever. The stronger ozone in the wet stage did add a bit of darkness but now I cannot smell it specifically and it is a nice white scent with no darkness. Just lovely!

 

I forgot to add that while I loved Sea of Glass, I could not wear it because it was so strong and sweet that it gave me a headache. I love Archangel because it has the same scent but is lighter, less sweet and more airy.

Edited February 26, 2008 by gchris

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Flowers, ozone, and soap. Wow, that ozone makes my nose tingle.

 

Wet: Ozone and soap, and something herbal. Masculine-cologney.

 

Dry: Musk (crystalline, my favourite!) coming out, and the soap has dissipated leaving only clean freshness. This would be lovely on a man, I think. It's actually fairly nice on me, but it's not feminine enough for my tastes.

 

Summary: Icy, airy, clean, delicious, masculine musk. Great throw.

[TulaMontage]

Bottle: Sweet cucumber (am I the only one that gets this?)

 

Wet: More cucumber and I am positive there is rose or lilly in there somewhere.

 

Dry: I am not getting the wintery darkness I wanted. Just florals and cucumber. I am slightly devistated to say the least.

 

I simply can't seem to write poetic or worthwhile reviews for scents I don't understand. I wish there was an ingredients list...

 

Overall this scent just drowns me in green vegetable jucies smothered in piercing florals.

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): Love this ozone!

 

On facial cotton (dry): This is it. My love!

 

On me: I love love LUUUUUURVE the ozone in this one. It makes me wish I could breathe in a little deeper, hold it in a little longer. It reminds me of fresh crisp snow, that sparkle in the air when it's just about to fall. This is now one of my favorites.

[MaeKitty]

On Me: This smells extremely familiar to me, but I can't seem to place it. Definitely strong in ozone. Cold. Airy. Not for me

[Rovylern]

In the imp: Light and chilly, with a hint of citrus.

 

Wet: Still light and cold, and I'm getting a distinct lemony scent. This is very nice.

 

Drydown: This reminded me a lot of Delousing Powder in the beginning, and I liked it very much. Unfortunately, after about half an hour this turned into very strong soap and gave me a headache.

[Andrea912]

Everyone's descriptions of this ethereal blend are so intoxicating, so imagine my disappointment...ozone hates me. I smell like Irish Spring...period.

 

Not yummy...

[Jia_Mekare]

In the bottle: An impossibly faint smell of cold metal. I nearly have to poke my nose into the bottle to smell it.

 

Wet: Well, I can smell it now, and it smells like metal florals. Almost like someone carved flowers into a cold sword...if that makes any sense.

 

Dry: The metal fades away to leave small, pale flowers in its wake. The perfume gets stronger as it dries, and has a longer than average wear length and throw.

[isisonearth]

Imp: Ozone, Beth's wonderful snow note and a hint of grapefruit.

 

Wet: Cold, sugared grapefruit. this is so odd...I don't remember it this way at all.

 

Dry: As it dries it gets less fruity and turns into more of a fresh, snowy scent. It reminds me of breathing clean, cold air.