Snow, Glass, Apples

[StrangeLove]

SNOW, GLASS, APPLES
She said nothing. Her eyes were black as coal, black as her hair; her lips were redder than blood. She looked up at me and smiled. Her teeth seemed sharp, even then, in the lamplight.

"What are you doing away from your room?"

"I'm hungry," she said, like any child.

It was winter, when fresh food is a dream of warmth and sunlight; but I had strings of whole apples, cored and dried, hanging from the beams of my chamber, and I pulled an apple down for her.

"Here."

Autumn is the time of drying, of preserving, a time of picking apples, of rendering the goose fat. Winter is the time of hunger, of snow, and of death; and it is the time of the midwinter feast, when we rub the goose-fat into the skin of a whole pig, stuffed with that autumn's apples, then we roast it or spit it, and we prepare to feast upon the crackling.

She took the dried apple from me and began to chew it with her sharp yellow teeth.

"Is it good?"

She nodded. I had always been scared of the little princess, but at that moment I warmed to her and, with my fingers, gently, I stroked her cheek. She looked at me and smiled -- she smiled but rarely -- then she sank her teeth into the base of my thumb, the Mound of Venus, and she drew blood.

I began to shriek, from pain and from surprise; but she looked at me and I fell silent.


Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is thrilled to present a numbered, limited edition chapbook of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed short story, Snow, Glass, Apples, beautifully illustrated by Julie Dillon. Each package includes a 5ml bottle of perfume, created by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, that was inspired by the tale. In Neil's words, 'It smells like green apples and like sex and vampires, all at the same time. (Actually, it smells like sexy vampire apples.)' This set is a limited run of 1000. 250 were sold by CBLDF at San Diego Comic Con 2008, and the remainder are available through the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab web site. Snow, Glass, Apples will be available on the BPAL site as long as supplies last. This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture: proceeds from every single set go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which works to preserve and protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community.

A million thanks and all our love to Neil, and to Charles Brownstein and his staff at the CBLDF!

(Can't find another thread, but if this isn't the first, deepest apologies!)

YUMMY. Juiciest apples(green and perhaps another sort, too), a sort of pale musk, and a touch of mint in bottle and freshly applied to the skin. Dries down to a sort of etherreal, glowing apple scent. Fruity but not too much so. A definite must-snag.

A fruity scent for those who don't like fruity scents. Definitely a masterpiece, I'll be sad if this is never released!

Mod note: This review references a Will-Call prototype scent. Edited July 29, 2008 by Shollin

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fresh, cold green apple. Tart and fruity. Potent.

 

Wet: A little minty - must be partly responsible for the coldness. Still extremely strong and tartly apple, without being at all sweet. Amazing throw. I think a little bit of evergreen of some sort too, something vaguely piney; astringent and mentholic.

 

Dry: This is really tremendously strong. I think I'm getting a bit of ozone, now, and there's something about this oil that recalls Snow White (appropriately enough!). Sadly, the apple has faded quite a bit. It's still there, but no longer in dominance, and it lies close to the skin. A cold, evergreen-mint scent is clearly now in charge.

 

Summary: Oh, this does morph noticeably. Some dark but faint musk emerges, and the menthol wears off. What remains is a sort of a cool, minty, herbal scent over musk and a very faint hint of barely ripe apple. Sadly short wearlength - a few hours or so.

 

If the apple note persisted in the final hours, the mentholic phase were absent, and the wearlength were better, this would be bottleworthy.

 

ETA: I absolutely agree that the mentholic note is eucalyptus as The_Witching_Hour so accurately observed, and I don't like it. I'd greatly prefer a different cool-herbal note. So maybe a wee bit of mint, and something herbal like thyme? And then ozone, more ozone. I think ozone, thyme, mint, and apples would be perfect. *fantasizes*

Edited March 11, 2008 by fairnymph

[The_Witching_Hour]

In the vial: This is all Granny Smith apples with a tartness that leaves you going, "Oooooooooooo!" and makes your cheeks pucker!

 

On the skin, first five minutes (wet stage): I have to mirror fairnymph's impression on this part as it has a 'cooling' smell/feel to it that keeps you guessing...."Is it menthol? Is it Spearmint? Is it Peppermint? Is it Eucalyptus?"....my vote (or guess) is eucalyptus and as it takes over somewhat, the sweetness of the apple fades and the tartness remains. No mistaking, its still going strong!

 

Drydown: The apple is almost gone and can only be felt at close range (nose touching your skin practically) but the winter fresh feel that emerged within minutes of application is what remains the strongest. If ozone had a color (and I usually associate the Lab's ozone note with the color of a deep blue), this would be white/gray just like the hours before the snow storm when there's tons of snow on the ground already but the sky looms gray with the next onslaught of a snow storm.

 

My only wish was that it lasted longer. I applied this almost 2 and a half hours ago and its barely there anymore. Maybe this is a scent that should be captured in 'glass' so it would last forever.....

[MaidMirawyn]

I was privileged to try this as the Whole Foods/Harry's Farmers Market meet n sniff in Roswell tonight! (I think it was AndraBell that brought hers?)

 

It's apple-y at first, but as it dries down i morphs like crazy, as everyone has said! The final note is aquatic, with only a hint of the fruit. Cold, just a touch sharp, and intriguing. Sadly, I'm horrible at describing scents, so that's the best I can do.

 

But five hours later, it's still there. Middle of my left arm, labeled "SGA," carefully distanced from Djinn and Serpent's Kiss.

[savage_rose]

I got to try this at a MnS a few weeks ago!

 

It's a lovely apple scent...true apple sort of a sugary-aquatic glaze to it. Not much mint stayed on my skin at all, it was mainly just really lovely, dreamy apple.

[edenssixthday]

Snow Glass Apples - This opens up on my skin with the scent of crisp, tart, juicy, green apples. I don't like apple scents, but I am totally in awe of how dead-on and perfect this scent is to the real thing. Immediately behind the apple is a strong touch of mint. Mint is another note I don't usually care for, but it compliments the apple really well. After about 20 minutes on my skin, I realize the mint is completely gone and apple has faded significantly. What is really evident at this point, is a snow scent that is quite reminiscent of Snow White, only more watery, like what you might get if you tried to capture the scent of a cold, clean, mountain brook. It is a really pretty scent and I'm so glad I got a chance to try it.

[krystyn]

I didn't explore the notes in this too closely at the last two Will Calls at the Lab, but the oil smells *exactly* like its name suggests, which is pretty cool.

 

I did not try any on my skin, but out of the bottle it was sweet and cool and light and apple-y.

[wren08]

If you took tart apples and froze them, they would smell like this. There's the apple note, very obviously apple! But it is not the cider apple note of Mabon and Samhain, it's much crisper and more tart. And behind it, there is the 'snow' note that I get from Shivering Boy and Snow Storm. On me it didn't morph very much at all!

 

Wear time is fairly good with a nice bit of throw.

 

Sadly, I still don't like apple scents too much when apple is the main note so I will pass on this one. I do hope it's released soon for everyone who will love it madly though!

[delicate_fangs]

I don't usually like apple scents either, but a friend gave me some of this to try, and it so perfectly encompasses the title that I do believe I must love it -- and the apple, miraculously, does not go to compost on me. YAY!

 

The frosty clarity of this scent is pretty amazing, combined with the apples. It's a delicate menacing sweet clear thing, frozen and pretty and dangerous, if that makes any sense.

[jesvet]

This is for the Comic-Con version-

 

In the bottle, it's all tart, crisp apples. It's very fresh and not heavy, cidery apple at all. I couldn't detect any mint; if anything it's a very slight coolness to the scent, but no menthol. Within a few minutes, the apple has given way to a light musky scent- which often goes powdery on me, but not this time. I was surprised how much I like this scent! An apple I can wear!

[UploadedLobster]

I'm actually kind of relieved I didn't really like SGA when I tried it at ComicCon. I'd never be able to convince myself to wear something I'd have no chance of finding another bottle of!

 

The apple is sour, cold, and hard. Perfect encapsulation of the title. There's a lot of white floral and ozone mixed in, especially once the oil is on my skin and the apple burns off like the fleeting top note it is. Left in its wake is a faintly sweet white bouquet over brittle crystalline frost.

 

Not my thing, but wow--if you like your scents white, airy, and wintery, jump on this sucker.

 

 

Lobster Rating

better than: wet wool socks

[prunesnprisms]

It smells a bit like apples, but mostly it smells metallic, like blood or copper. It's got an edge to it like a razor. It's a cold scent, but not minty or anything, just that there's no warmth to it at all.

 

On me, it's still blood-like, after a couple of hours.

[Josh]

Prototype review

I was fortunate to receive a prototype decant of this from a most awesome forum user on here... !

 

This smells more like the fresh skin of an apple than the sweet meat within. It kinda reminds me of The Hesperides... that moist apple skin scent... underneath that is a floral perfume that is definitely not something a guy could pull off imo. It smells very nice.. the throw was better than smelling it directly and each time I caught a whiff I thought how pleasant and well blended it was.

 

While I'll pass on a bottle of this as it would not be something I'd wear, I have no doubt this will be a massively popular scent, not for how rare it is but for how great it smells. It's really quite good.. and I'd imagine the real deal is even better than this prototype.

[oddly]

First of all, I cannot believe I didn't manage to talk myself out of buying the $75 signed set, but I must say that I do not regret that I did...though I did finally learn that I should not be allowed to wander about conventions alone with money. ;D

 

In the bottle: The smell of biting into a cold, crisp green apple. Tart and refreshing, the smell of mist.

 

On the skin: APPLES!!! Strong! But the blast of apple quickly dies down, and a cool minty floraly-ness very much like Snow White starts to develop until it becomes the more dominant scent. Yum, Snow White with apples...

 

Dry: Definitly Snow White with apples; it has the same cooling effect. It is somehow cold and frost-like yet bright and fruity at the same time with out being clashy. Perhaps I can describe the feeling as standing next to a icy window with a mug of warm cider in your hand. I know, I compare almost every scent to some type of food of drink. I think this also makes it work both as a summery scent for warm months and as a cool scent.

 

There is one thing I will say, though this just might be because I'm still getting over a cold and dealing with allergies, I do wish it had a bit more throw, and wish that it did last a bit longer. The scent of apples and cold mist lingered very lightly over night when I wore it yesterday, but the fullness of the scent doesn't seem to last for very long.

 

If it didn't come with the book/was slightly less expensive, I feel I would have to buy another bottle of SGA. It is very lovely!

[stutefish]

I agree with the poster above -- I detect a strong Snow White component, too. It's like Poisoned Apple + Snow White (which would make sense given the context) + vague white floral. And cold. I don't know how Beth makes things smell cold; she is truly an alchemist.

 

And on me SGA has great throw! I wore it all day at Comic-Con and then to a party later and got many lovely compliments. [insert high keening sound incurred by SGA being an LE.]

 

Pure loveliness.

[goddessrobyn]

A dear friend was kind enough to pick me up a bottle at ComicCon and it arrived today

 

Okay... I will preface this review by saying that I've currently got a migraine and that makes smellie things difficult to tolerate at times so this may have to be revised at a later wearing.

 

Despite said migraine, I HAD to try this immediately (thanks to all the drama hype surrounding this scent.

 

On me... its really doesn't smell at all like apples. Its actually a very light floral scent. Extremely feminine and soft. I don't get the cold/ozone/metalic that others have mentioned and there's not the granny smith tartness. Its very subtle, very nice, but not the greatest scent Beth has ever created. I like it. I will wear it, but I don't feel the need to rush out and try to get another bottle tomorrow when these go back up because unless this changes dramatically post migraine, I don't see this getting a lot of wear in my world. It is VERY nice, but there are so many scents that I like better.

 

Oh... and Stellans, if you read this... absolutely no mint.

[alhbooks]

I managed to escape from my booth just long enough to pick up the set from CBLDF at Comic-Con last week, assuming I'd keep the chapbook and swap the scent, but once I tried it on, I couldn't part with it. My take is crisp frozen apple slices with a splash of Aquavit; not too sweet, very subtle, and a bit chilling, in several senses of the word. The label art is a perfect match. Not long-lasting on me, but quite refreshing.

[blacklacestatic]

This is divine...

 

First off, the label art is so creepy gorgeous that I just stared at it for a good long while before I even opened the bottle. I haven't had a scent create such anticipation in me since my very first order.

 

First sniff from the bottle: Crisp, cold, freshly cut apples with some freshly cut blooms as well.

 

On Skin: This is a very "white" scent. Pure, clean, fresh and feminine. I can't help but feel like every time I pull my nose away from my wrist there is a cold sensation left behind. Maybe it's a psychological reaction, but that's the way I feel. Like winterfresh gum but without the mint.

 

Drydown: There may be a bit of white musk to this, the apple is not as strong and it's more of a light floral. This is a great summer scent, as it's light enough not to be overpowering in the humidity, and it's got a great cooling feel to it. I can't wait to put it on again after I shower because the fresh, clean bit is still strong. It reminds me a bit of the Masque.

 

This wasn't what I was expecting, and that's actually a good thing. I thought it would be heavier, darker and I was pleasantly surprised. I love the cold feel of it.

 

LOVE!!!!

[twilighteyes]

Got my SGA yesterday! This is the SD:CC version.

 

Lovely lovely art work and a cobalt bottle!

 

In bottle: Crisp apples. I would say chilly, but to me apples never smell when they're cold. I have to warm them up a bit with my hands or have them at room temperature before fragrance is released. But this is a tart hard apple. Not as sweet as a honeycrisp. No mint or menthol.

 

Wet on skin: Still apple but also slightly musky. A teeny bit of white floral. No mint. No menthol.

 

Dry on skin: the apple has left the building. No throw. If I sniff directly, it's vaguely reminiscent of snow white but not exactly. Soft musk, a little floral.. still no mint.

 

I keep reapplying in hopes that the throw will improve. I reapplied two or three times last night and then slathered it on this morning.

 

I think my skin is eating it.

 

It smells fabulous, it's just very subtle. I'll have to try it in the scent locket next to see if the apple is retained.

 

Almost 8 hours later if I huff my wrists they smell like vanilla. It's quite the yummy vanilla. But faint.

Edited July 31, 2008 by TwilightEyes

[SurrealReality]

Soooo disappointed.....

 

In bottle/decant: Pretty, but nothing amazing.....a clear, slightly sweet spearmint note, tart apples, and something soft and sweet in the background

 

Wet on Skin: Spearmint and sour apple (in the decant, the apple had a tart zing to it, but on my skin, it's just.....sour) and the soft sweet note that I smell in the decant has vanished on my skin

 

Dry on Skin: The spearmint has now turned into menthol (very strong, and definitely not sweet), and the apple is just as sour as ever. There is a lovely aquatic note in the background (like a spring on a cool, breezy day) that continues to get stronger as the day wears on. In the last few hours that the scent lasts, the menthol and apple completely disappear, leaving only the aquatic note

 

My rating in the bottle/decant: 3 out of 5

My rating on my skin: 2 out of 5

 

OK, so if it hadn't been for all of the hype, I would've said that this was a pretty nice little scent (still wouldn't have liked it enough to keep my decant though). But I had been so excited about it for so long, that I was expecting it to completely blow my mind. I do prefer foody, gourmand scents though, so perhaps this just wasn't sweet enough for me

Edited July 31, 2008 by SurrealReality

[quigza]

Tracy is my hero She picked up the SGA set for me at Comic Con.

 

In the bottle: Tart, crisp apples. YumyumYum!

 

Wet: The afore mentioned apples, with a minty chill, and... something that slightly mutes the apple (the "glass," I presume)

 

Drydown: The mint is a bit stronger now. The apples are more muted- almost background. The "glass" impeding the apples is a musk. My skin is doing its usual amping of musk. But, it's an "innocent" musk, if that makes any sense. Airy & light despite that my skin is a catalyst for musk. It's a nice mix at all with the apple & mint.

 

Aftermath: The apples are almost gone & the mint is stronger. I can get the tightly restrained apple if my nose is close to the skin. The mint is faint as well. The musk has settled comfortably at a low roar. And there's now a light floral scent in there.

 

Wow, this stuff morphs. I was wildly in love with SGA as a prototype. But, I never sniffed after initial drydown. I can't decide if I like it or not. I LOVE the story book it came with. That, I will most certainly be keeping. I guess I'll give SGA a couple more tries before I decide.

 

Edit to add: Keeping! I just layered it with Saturnalia. ZOMG, heaven!

Edited July 31, 2008 by Lemonlife

[GypsyRoseRed]

Usually, the Lab's apple scents remind me of apple cider wet and mostly morph down to a very sour imitation of the fruit thanks to my weirdo body chemistry. Snow, Glass, Apples is *completely* different to any other apple scent I've ever tried. This is a freshly sliced Granny Smith apple - the bright green skin, the juicy white flesh and tart aroma. And in the background, a chilly, very faintly floral note that makes me think of freshly fallen snow. Very unique and distinctive.. for fifteen minutes. After that, it turns into Febreze on me. Bah. No apple love for me.

Edited August 1, 2008 by GypsyRoseRed

[scarletgenesis]

In the bottle (and a beautiful cobalt bottle at that!), Snow, Glass Apples is an incredibly tart, fresh, COLD green apple.

 

It stays completely true to this scent in my scent locket.

 

On my skin, it remains a cold, tart, apple for a while. Then something very faintly floral starts to peek out, but it is almost a sweet floral. I will be the first to say that I don't normally like many florals, but whatever this is works so well and as such a minor note here that I actually like it.

 

Later in the day, the apple is much faded (it's still there, just not as prominent), and I am getting the vanilla that someone mentions upthread. This with the floral makes me think of vanilla orchids. That with the apple softens everything down to a very nice finish.

 

This has decent throw, at least for 4-5 hours on me, because I kept getting whiffs of it as I turned my head.

 

I wish the apple stayed stronger all day, but all in all, SGA is a beautiful addition to my collection of BPAL apple blends. Bravo!

[Mordath]

In the bottle and wet on my skin, this smells like frozen tart green apples. As it dries down the overwhelming apple fades back a bit, letting more of an icy (glass?) scent come to the forefront. It didn't morph much after that, and lasted forever - my skin drinks up everything, so it's rare for something to last more than a couple of hours on me, but this lasted nearly all day.

 

In summary? Amazing, and a new top-ten scent.

[fairnymph]

This is a review of the RELEASED version, as opposed to my prototype review, above. There are some significant differences, too.

 

In the bottle: Fresh, tart, crisp apples, cold sleet, and a zing of ozone. A bit of mentholic, Vicks-like fumes - still that eucalyptus, I fear.

 

Wet: Sweeter, more intensely applelicious. This reminds me of the sweet-tart green apple flavoured gummy, sugar-coated candy strings. Still a bit mentholic, but not unpleasantly. The ozone is lovely and almost metallic - there's a sexy sharpness to it, reminding me of Archangel Winter especially combined with the soft-cold snow note.

 

Dry: Flowers, why hello there! Yes, some rather cologney-perfumey, traditional white florals have emerged quite strongly. The apples have faded considerably but linger in the background. Some sweet white mint has appeared to mingle with the bearably biting eucalyptus. Unisex to masculine.

 

Later: A strong, sexy musk emerges - most likely a white musk from its bright, almost astringent quality. The white flowers hold, while the mint and eucalyptus, especially the latter, have faded. Only a tiny hint of tart apples remains, if I strain.

 

Summary: Alluring, powerful white musk, with soft, cool snow, light gently sweet mint, a melange of classic white flowers, and very distant, faint sour-candied green apples. It softens greatly, but maintains a bit of an edge throughout. Unisex. Excellent throw, fair lasting power.

 

It's so sad how the divinely delicious apple note fades so quickly and massively, but I much prefer this version to the prototype. The flowers are a bit generic, but a nice touch, the ozone is stronger, and the mint is the perfect cool addition. The eucalyptus fades away, and the introduction of a sexy musk note is fitting and brilliant.

 

It won't see heavy rotation in my personal use, but I'm glad I have it on hand. If the apples hold in my scent locket, it may see more use...The label art is stunning, and the cobalt bottle thrills me. Plus, it's the only vampire scent to have worked on me at all.