Winter Maiden Bath Oil

[ACVail24]

Snow-laden woods, iced blackberry and bergamot, white rose, and crystallized amber.

In the Bottle:
Not a terribly 'cold' scent, but rather warm and inviting.
I can detect the scent of the famous BPAL 'snow' note - as well as the amber and blackberry.
The label is very striking as well - it looks very much like the massage oil labels, but with winter colors and tones.

In the Bathtub:
I poured about 7 drops of this bath oil under hot running water; having never used a bath oil before, I didn't know if this would foam or not.
It did not - but it made the bath water astoundingly moisturized and silky.
Aside from the blossoming scent of rose, amber, snow and blackberry - the water looked like nothing special at all.
The oil made my skin feel great! I could particularly notice the affects on my ankles and calves.

Out of the Bathtub:
My skin is very moisturized and the scent of the Winter Maiden still clings to me as any of BPAL's perfumes would - just ALL OVER as opposed to just the pulse points.
The prominent notes on me are: Snow, Amber and Blackberry - with Rose hiding under the bunch; it's almost indistinct.
My skin feels wonderfully silky and soft too!
I didn't even need to apply any lotion to areas of my skin that are notoriously dry in the winter - that's very impressive from my standpoint!

Verdict:
Wonderful! If I had known that bath oils were this effective I would have tried them long ago.
The Winter Maiden is simply lovely - for me, the scent brings to mind a Japanese hot spring in the dead of winter - but there's still cherry blossoms falling in the bath water, and the snow and white roses are mingling happily together just outside the light of the torches surrounding the spring.
10 of 10 Ranking!

ETA: BPTP Description & Correct the Title.

[alhbooks]

After my disappointing experience with the Ice Prince, I was relieved to find the Winter Maiden my perfect bath oil...the woods here are a gentle background for the fruit and floral and the amber (I'm guessing) adds a lovely warmth. The blackberry and bergamot give the rose some extra depth, but mostly the scents seem evenly matched here. Just lovely....

 

ETA; Just went back to have another bath at looked at the bottle. Oddly, the notes listed are different from the ones on the BPTP site: "snow-dusted woods, fig, white rose, ambergris, balsam, sandalwood and blackberry." But I still love it, no matter what the components are.

Edited December 15, 2007 by alhbooks

[ivyandpeony]

If either of the winter bath oil scents returned as a straight up perfume one day, I would be all over them. They're both absolutely beautiful enough to be standalone scents.

 

The Winter Maiden has a sweet berry quality, but the white rose makes it girly and the very light evergreen notes are what seems to make it snowy, as opposed to the snowy notes that you find in a blend like Snow Moon or Snow Bunny (I haven't tried the 2007 "snowy" Yule scents yet so I can't compare to those). This could be a cousin to Dublin, like Dublin with icy blackberry, but not the swarthy version of blackberry that can have a sharp herbaceous edge. Now that it's been on my skin for hours, I do smell soft amber as the blackberry, rose and snowy notes have faded a bit.

 

Two capfuls in my bath this evening gave me fantastic scent throw and great moisturization. I don't feel greasy at all but when I went to wash my hands several hours after bathing, the water beaded up on the back of my hands. I really like the oil formula - it seems to be an ideal combination of oils, not too heavy nor too light, and it disperses very well in the bathwater instead of making an oil slick that you feel around you.

 

(I reviewed the bath oil experience - amount used, moisturization, scent throw, etc. - in more detail over in this thread for those who are interested.)

[Loligo]

I am in love with this! It's the most evocative Christmas smell ever -- spicy and fruity with lighter rose and evergreen notes. It makes me think of a Victorian Christmas, somehow. I haven't actually tried it in the bath yet, just rubbed it all over myself in the shower, but it's lovely and moisturizing that way.

[ophidiae]

We're getting the start of a nasty little cold front rolling in. The weather is grey and blustery, there has been thick sea fog, and even a spattering of rain, which has my joints aching something fierce. As such, I decided last night that a nice, long soak in a hot bath scented with Winter Maiden oil was just what I needed.

 

Had this been a perfume oil, I would have avoided it because my body amps rose notes so strongly. Even with the bath oil, the strongest note to me is the white rose, but here it's a soft, clean sweetness rather than the cloying, overpowering scent I'm accustomed to getting from rose blends. Beneath that is the scent of cool, damp evergreens, and a crisp, clear note I assume is the famed "snow note" others have mentioned. Being from Florida, I've had precious little experience with snow, but I will say it reminds me very much of the icy air that buffeted the train I took through Alaska's White Pass over the summer.

 

Winter Maiden is a scent that lasts. One small capful was more than enough to scent the entire bath. When I woke up today, I could still smell it on my skin: amber and sandalwood, overlaid with a green, woody note that I believe is the balsam, plus the faintest dusting of rose. I really, really like this one, though it will need to be used sparingly.

[yeahbutnobut]

Winter Maiden

 

The scent: in the bottle, it’s a wonderful frosty blackberry. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t turn to cat pee, but I feel it might not because it’s not as concentrated. Once poured in the bath, the scent absolutely blossoms-just 2/3 of a 5ml decant makes the whole bathroom smell amazing, like Beth’s snow note and pines and berries and a little bit of rose. In fact, the entire corridor smells of Winter Maiden after a little while! When in the bath, the scent got even better…I smelt more of the fig and berries and also the amber. and then I applied the oil into my skin for extra scent…and I can safely say that the blackberry in here is not of the cat pee variety at all! In fact, this smells like the perfect blend of amber, rose, blackberry and possibly fig too, with a twist of winter evergreens (probably some balsam in there) and just a hint of the famous BPAL snow note, and a little bit of citrus from the bergamot. Such a gorgeous scent to slather all over my skin! I’m even considering using this as perfume now…

The oil and texture: seems to dissolve and disperse nicely in the bath. No foam, no colour…just scented bathwater. The water feels silky and moisturising but not slippery or oil slick-y. it absorbs into the skin but not as much as the massage oils-this one feels like there’s a bit more extra moisturisation going on. My skin felt very soft after leaving the bath. In fact, I love the smooth sensation of this oil that I used this, post-bath, as a moisturiser. And that made the scent even better as well. I think this will make a wonderfully indulgent ‘lotion’, especially after a bath or shower. My skin feels so soft now, but not greasy, it doesn’t feel like there’s a film over it.

The verdict: I am so impressed with this stuff, how beautiful it smells, and how versatile it is. I can use it as bath oil, moisturising oil, and perfume. Plus the scent of snowy berries and amber is to die for. I can’t wait to try more BPAL bath oils!

[edenssixthday]

Winter Maiden Bath Oil - Scent-wise, this is my favorite of all the bath oils/massage oils I've tried so far. It's hard for me to describe the scent except to say it's in the same category as King of Spades, Queen of Spades, and The Living Flame. It's warm and woody and fresh-blackberry sweet, slightly floral, but mostly just like warm amber-blackberry. Mmm! The scent stays on my skin for a good 12+ hours and is one of my all-time favorite scents. The oil is wonderful in the bath, making my water soft and silky and leaving my skin smooth and moisturized afterward. I really, really love this and can't stand that it was an LE that's no longer available!

[sookster]

phenomenal...i tried this at WCWC and wept when i realized it was discontinued so

many thanks for the lovely forumite who offered up her back up bottle....

 

lordy, lordy....this is such good stuff...i slathered my aching calves and feet with this

incredible bath oil simply because of the uplifting scent.....amazing.....

 

adore it .. i shall be rolling around in this stuff 'til itz gone....

 

scent = A++++++.... bravo you little cupcake you!! xo

[joseybird]

Stunning stunning STUNNING!

 

Chilly woodsy notes (though no evergreen!), sweet jammy notes, and a lovely crystalline resin.

 

Like a walk through snowy woods on a gorgeous, breezy, chilly day with the scent of frozen blackberries wafting through the air.

 

I can't believe this is LE

[windbourne]

Amazing. Just...amazing. This was my first big splurge on a BPTP item (via a lj community member, bless her), and I could not possibly be happier.

 

The scent is light and delicate (and exactly as described!), chilled berries and woods, with the slightest touches of rose and amber to warm it up -- very sweet and pure and wintry, but with a hidden potential for spring to dawn at any moment. It makes me want to write poetry about it. :9

 

The oil itself is sleek and far more watery than bath oils I've previously used. I usually use around a half-capful, which does very well for the entire tub and leaves me feeling moisturized but not sticky afterwards. The scent has excellent staying power on my scent-eating skin, and the different notes bubble to the surface at different times, which is nice.

 

This is an oil I want to use -all the time-, which is unfortunate, as it's LE, but perhaps the Lab might consider making it a perfume, too? Or bringing it back again next year? One can always hope.

[Emu Nymph]

I was really sad this was an LE as well. But I really don't have to use that much in my tub. It's a nice soothing calming scent.

[zankoku_zen]

I find this scent to be chilly, but not too much. It had a sweet berry quality, and once I toweled off, I got more of the rose. In the tub, it was a nice, light and relaxing scent - hints of chilly pine, sweet berries and subtle rose.

 

I'm going to enjoy the 1 oz of this bath oil I was able to find. Very pretty.

[twilighteyes]

I didn't get to try this last year, but I managed to snag a bottle right away this year!

 

To me this is a chilly winter scent. Evergreens, fruit, and a teeny hint of floral. It is very lovely and I would be wearing it every day except -- my boyfriend seems to be allergic to something in it. When I wore it for the first time (I put it all over right after getting out of the shower) and then got in the car with him, he immediately get very stuffed up and started sneezing. I am going to have to wear it when he is out of town!! It was even worse (for him!) that it is long lasting and has a pretty large throw.

[xoe]

I expected the Winter Maiden Bath Oil to be stronger on the blackberry and amber. But to my nose it is stronger on the floral.

Doesn't matter. I love it anyway.

It is magnificent.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, this smells like softly spiced apple cider and hay, and I'm not sure why :/.

 

Rubbed directly on my skin, this is sour bergamot, spiced amber, and a hint of soft rose. In the drydown, it's dry woods and spiced, sweet amber. In bath water, it's pretty much all dry wood and powdery amber to my nose, and that's the scent it leaves on my skin when I leave the bath.

 

It's pretty enough, but I'm not crazy about it. It's a bit too much on the dry, powdery woods smell for me. I was hoping for more blackberry and white rose...

[angelicruin]

This is just a gorgeous, gorgeous scent. It's so balanced between the amber and blackberry and floral. I don't usually take baths, but I've found this is wonderful to apply to the skin after showering and also as a stand alone perfume. I love slathering it on and the throw is amazing. I'm hoping this becomes a holiday tradition and if the lab ever puts this out as a 5ml perfume oil I'd hoard bottles and bottles and bottles of it. It's just that good!

[tartchef]

Very, very pretty - what I'd hoped Lines Written... from this year's Yules would be - sweet berries, a brush of pine, a breath of warm amber, and well-behaved rose. Just lovely, uplifting & calming...

[gingiemay]

I mix this into unscented moisturizer and slather it all over my body. It smells amazing, blackberry and amber are quite strong, but it seems to me that there is some white musk and cedar in there as well. My roommate always compliments me when I come out after applying.

 

Winter Maiden, apply directly to body!

[Suu4LC]

I absolutely ADORE this oil. It is just beyond gorgeous-it's snowy, but not sharp or icey. Everything about this is very soft and muted-just perfect for a delicate winter oil. Rose fearers, the rose is not overwhelming at all-this has a floralness to it, but doesn't go sour the way rose can sometimes do. Ah, and the hint of blackberry...it is so hard to describe this blend because it is just so pretty and unique! I don't use this as a bath oil-I use it in the shower as a sort of body glaze I rub in and rinse off. Leaves me smelling SO good and my skin super soft. I will be so sad when I finish this bottle but at the same time excited to try more of the bath oils! I can't imagine ever living without this product!

[theseagrows]

i've had a bit of this sitting around for awhile and i finally tried it tonight. it's snowy but warm, with no real pine notes or anything, but definitely something wintry + a touch of sweetness. i mostly smelled the snow, white rose and hints of amber and blackberry. very pretty! even though it's no longer winter, this scent also works in the spring!

[ifinena]

Very, very pretty - what I'd hoped Lines Written... from this year's Yules would be - sweet berries, a brush of pine, a breath of warm amber, and well-behaved rose. Just lovely, uplifting & calming...

 

My thoughts exactly!

It's a great scent and I find it quite invigorating and yes, uplifting (but not calming to me). It has awesome throw because when I dare use it, the whole appartment smells of it. Lasts a long time, too.

I hope they bring it back again. It's Winter somewhere on earth now, isn't it?

Edited April 26, 2009 by ifinena

[patina]

I have a sample of this from '08. I'm a little sad that this is a bath oil, not a regular oil. Don't bath oils have a sleightly shorter life-span? Anyhow, this has got to be one of my favorites.

This blackberry is just beautiful. Iced, with white roses, wood and amber.

Somehow I'm reminded of The Girl, but this has no vanilla.

 

Pleeease, Lab, make this a perfume. I will hoaaard.

Edited November 25, 2009 by patina

[milo]

I really think "Winter Lad Bath Oil" would be a more fitting name. This is very masculine on me, with some kind of evergreen I think, and the snow note which also may be giving this oil it's masculine vibe. This really smells like a generic men's aftershave on me, and I'll see if it's any different in the tub (I used this as a moisturizer), but I'm not holding out hope.

[ralenth]

Icy blackberry. I especially love this mixed with Ice Prince. I will continue to snag this every year.

[hlinspjalda]

In the bottle it's amber-floral and bergamot.

 

When it got wet it was more snowy, with a fruity edge to a mostly white-floral scent that reminded me a lot of jasmine or gardenia.

 

On my skin it left a rather remarkable blend: part green and amber, part floral and citrus. It is very different, but I'm not sure what it is that sets it apart.

 

I liked this very much, but it was incredibly ephemeral, vanishing after half an hour.