Hexennacht (2008)

[taramarie]

... This perfume is the scent of the witches' revel: German fir and forest herbs, incense and bonfire smoke, infernal flora, glowing amber, and the wet, glimmering scent of skin warmed by dance.

Wet on my skin, Hexennacht '08 is pine and a hint of herbs. Dry, it's just pine, but a lighter pine than the Yule pine blends. This is perfect for spring and summer.

[Czarina]

In the bottle: fir.

Wet: fir and musk.

Drydown: fir and musk.

 

Virtually no throw or wearlength on me. A bust.

 

If you like this try also: Tintagel, the Black Tower.

 

Sigh.

[lilacea]

Wet, this is fir, musk and soft fruitiness. Dry, the fir mellows not too much (it really is ever present) with a touch of herbiness, and a breath of skin musk. This is very piney, with something warm and just a teensy touch smokey.

 

OK, now that my nose has woken up a bit, I'm getting some very soft florals here too (very similar to the floral element in Zephyr).

Edited May 8, 2008 by lilacea

[yeahbutnobut]

Hexennacht 08

 

In the bottle: clean, wet, cold fir and herbs. Almost reminiscent of Buck Moon!

Wet on skin: fir! Smells almost like Christmas trees…but then I smell sappy resins and smoke.

Dry on skin: ohh, this is really good! It smells a bit like Buck Moon meets Wolf Moon! I smell lots of fir, which has a slightly different feel to it than pine (can’t say why but it does), and it smells like thick green fir needles. I also smell the smoke and incense, which smell wonderful, reminiscent of campfire smoke made more fragrant by adding magical woods and resins to it. I also smell a gorgeous musk, almost like the musk in Buck Moon, but less furry, more clean. It seems to me like the spring version of Samhain.

After a while: the fir notes get drier and I smell more of the incense. It smells like wonderful loose woody-resinous incense, it reminds me of the scent they burn inside the pagan stores that I’ve visited. Wonderful witchy incense, it’s a really magical scent, and there’s that musk and amber adding a warm, sensual glow to the scent.

After a couple of hours or so, the scent mellows into something very reminiscent of Devil’s Night, a spicy smoky musk, but with added evergreen. Think Devil’s Night in the forest, on a warm spring/summer night instead of a cold autumn night. It’s sultry and really does have a scent of glowing skin tinged with smoke and fir sap. The amber adds a golden scent that flickers like a flame through the darkness.

Verdict: I actually prefer this greatly to the original Hex. This has a gentler fir note, a much more pleasant musk (the other one went a bit sour on me?), the incense is wonderful and there’s the addition of amber which makes this even better. This really is evocative of a dark forest with fires burning and witches dancing to wild, frenetic rhythms and the air filled with sacred smoke. The forest notes are cool but not wintry, the incense is complex and nuanced with hints of bonfire, the skin and amber notes make this smooth and sensual, especially at drydown. A fantastic and atmospheric scent, celebratory and magical, I am very glad I bought a bottle of this.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes! Still trying to decide whether it’s a two bottle scent or not, but one bottle, yes.

If you like this, try: Wolf Moon 07, Snow Storm, Mistletoe, Old Moon, Stranger in Camp, Capricorn 07, Devil’s Night

[tinyvulture]

Compared to the original Hexennacht, what I first notice about the 2008 version is the absence of the juicy berries. This incarnation is warmer, softer, and less sweet. The scents of fir and pine are enhanced and heightened by the powdery amber and heated musk. The fir is stronger in this version, and it combines so beautifully with the bonfire smoke, creating an image of the springtime forest after sunset as a mysterious yet comforting environment.

Edited May 12, 2008 by tinyvulture

[autumnbriars]

In the bottle, I get wet pine and woodsmoke, and underneath that, a sweet floral. On my skin, its got a fairly strong throw, and at first, its all pine, all the time. That fades over the first hour or so and it mellows into a sweet, heavy musk cut with herby flowers. It lasts all day (8+ hours), but by the end, its almost all musk.

 

I'm still not sure how I feel about this. I want to love it, and when its in the bottle, I do. On my skin, though, its a little too sweet and musky for my tastes.

[Brighid]

I smell like a bonfire in an evergreen forest. This is a very, very good thing. Right now I'm too BPAL-stoned to elaborate further.

[smallvoice]

This immediately smells like pine and smoke on me, which is unsurprising. Once I get over my initial flinch away from pine, because it always smells like pine sol or car air fresheners to me, it actually does resemble being out in the woods, camping.

 

And then something strange happens. It's threatening me with soapiness- man soap, if you know what I mean- and then... eventually, in the drydown, the opaline notes from To Helen show up, and nonchalantly act as though they belong there. To Helen goes camping on my skin, folks. And she takes a dip in the river with the soap she brought... yeah, that's what this smells like on me. I'm such a freak of nature!

[iiinterstate]

pine and a little tiny bit of smoke is all I get from this. But its a pleasant pine, which is more than I expected!

 

I'll keep this around and see what happens over time. I'm not willing to write this off as a swap/sale just yet.

[zomathesadist]

The first time Hex went live, I didn't have internet, and only found out after the fact. I was really sad because the fir and amber notes sound right up my alley. The SECOND time, I was INCREDIBLY broke. soo...no Hex. =( being a grownup blows sometimes.

 

but....I was able to nab a bottle from a generous forumite!!!!!!

 

in bottle: mild, soft, crisp. slightly sweet, but fresh, kind of similar to the sweetness of fresh cut grass.

 

wet on skin: fir. gorgeous crisp fir! this smells like the forest in fall!

 

drydown: the fir stays strong. the sweetness of the amber and skin musk are rounding it out but the fir keeps center stage. I *love* this. This may be a new favourite!

 

WINWINWIN!!!!!

 

in a nutshell: strong fir notes kept from being too sharp by amber and musk. unsure of throw or wearlength yet.

[Lamia]

Sorrow - this smells like laundry detergent on me I tried washing it off, since it went immediately faint, scrubbing my wrists with Dr. Bronners, and the applied Faiza, The Black Mamba over it, and I STILL had to add a scented hand lotion.

 

This POTENT, I just wish it worked on me.

[anardana]

Um, this smells like light flowers on me... no pine or sharpness or anything

[maribouquet]

Nice at first, but my skin converts it directly to B.O.

[samarablackcat]

I knew this would not replicate the original Hex. That being said, I bought two bottles immediately. I have not been disappointed.

 

In the bottle and wet, it is pine. A green pine, boughs that have been broken by a large passing animal, releasing the scent in the air. As it dries, the smell of a bonfire, but in the distance, gentle swirls of smoke mixing with the pine. As the oil is warmed by my skin. the pine recedes slightly and the musk and/or amber ir released slowly, sensually. The scent produced is very like the description...warm skin heated by the bonfire and the dance, while various herbs and plants are thrown on the fire, releasing their aroma and intent in the air.

[tereshkova2001]

Mmmmm.

I get fir and pine primarily, with a sexy, sensual trace of amber and musk warming and rounding the scent. It's still a sharp and biting scent, but with complexity and depth from the smoke and flora.

I adore this; I love outdoorsy scents.

[juniperus]

bottle: fir, much wonderful, invigorating fir

wet: the fir warms, like the difference between the smell of an evergreen bough outside, and then inside once it warms

dry: the smoke is present, but not overpowering.

later: the fir is still present, but it's changed to something oddly seductive - the 'skin' really comes out. This is wonderful!

[Sarri]

I really didn't get on with Hexennacht when the bottle originally arrived, it was all super sinus clearing pine and not much else. But I hung on to the bottle and prayed that a bit of aging might mellow things a little and I'm pleased to say that's exactly what's happened.

 

Wet on the skin, and for a short while afterwards it's still very very piney, but as it dries the pine softens a lot and the warm smoke and fur scents become apparent. It's quite lovely, makes me think of warm sunny days in Scandinavian forests! We go camping a lot in a little yurt we've made, Hexennacht is the perfect camp fire accompaniment

[dawndie]

In bottle: sweet green pine

 

On skin: lots of outdoor greenery with bits of bark. I like the fresh green fir, as opposed to pine which end up as masculine dark cologne

 

Half-hour later: the greenery sure likes hanging around, but there's a creamy incense warming nearby

 

In conclusion: I didn't buy this when it was initially released, as I have a bottle of Hexennacht 2005 which is awesome and how could this new version compete? Hex '05 is all sweet smoky goodness, and Hex '08 is very green in comparison. This is enjoyable in its own right however, especially the ending, and I'm glad I finally tried it.

[GhillieDhu]

Hmm... I've had this for 5 months now, so it's probably about time to post a review. My notes say:

 

Decadent warm spicy fir (that doesn't go car-freshener!). Almost a minty overtone. One of the infernal flora is really sweet, but not in a bad way. The skin musk is well behaved. This would be perfect if there were a little less fir and more incense, but it will still be good for days when I feel "woodsy" and want something a little more dressy. Very unique and exotic, though not particularly wild or outdoorsy. Might be nice on a man.

 

ETA: I think the sweet note is blackberry leaf? It's similar, but not identical, to the raspberry leaf in Alecto. After a couple months, this has aged and is less minty-firry and more feminine amber/incense. It's an improvement, although now it has a slight tendency to make me sneeze! Strong throw, extremely long wearlength (>12 hours!) even from a roll-on diluted with 60% almond oil. A little goes a very long way. I like this a lot, but don't anticipate using up the whole bottle.

 

This scent is like hiking through a mountain meadow, smelling dry grass, late summer wildflowers, and the vague presence of small burrowing animals. You're sweating a little from the effort and the hot sun on your back, but a clear cool breeze scented with fir trees, snowy air, and just a hint of someone's campfire smoke swirls down from the peaks ahead of you.

[mazikeen]

I've had this for ages and have worn it frequently, but I'm still at a loss how to describe this.

 

Hex is great-- it seems very alive. Floral-ish and fruit-ish but not really; not in the usual way. I usually avoid floral-y and fruity but I adore this. It's as if the strong earthy scents counter the airy/sweet florals. There is the slightest hint of smoke underneath grounding everything, but the smokiness is very very subtle. Hex is both dark and happy. Again, I'm at a loss here. I don't know what to think about Hex other than it is extremely, wonderfully wearable and I'll get a lot of use out of it.

 

I wear it when I'm feeling mischievious.

 

 

Added--

The "fruitiness" is the fir. So... when I said it wasn't fruity in the usual way, it was because it wasn't fruity at all-- this is what fir smells like on me.

 

Also, very long wearlength! I could still smell it on my wrist in bed 11 hours later!

Edited August 4, 2008 by mazikeen

[birdiefu]

In the bottle- Lots of pine!

 

Wet- Woah, pine alert! So much pine that it almost scares me. With the heavy pine, I get a sort of menthol scent along with it.

 

Drying - Hmm. I'm starting to smell the forest instead of just a big pine tree. The herbs are tempering the pine, and I am getting more woods rather than just pine needles. During this stage, I notice that the throw is much sweeter than sniffing my hand, and there are berries in the throw! Yum!

 

Dry - Once this has settled (30-45 minutes or so), it is so nice! Not at all what I expected from first sniff. The musk came out to play (yay!) and is deep and rich. That berry smell gives just a bit of sweetness that balances beautifully with the remaining pine scent. The herbs are sort of spicy/incensy and just add a bit more dimension to the scent. So well blended!

 

Overall, this is a delightful, rich scent, and very evocative of the forest without smelling like I am the forest. Probably something I wouldn't wear as a perfume in public much, though I think it would work fine like that. It feels like more of a scent for me to put on once in a while to relax or to wear in the fall/winter/when I feel like being seasonal.

[Jasminepearls]

In the bottle. this smells like straight up fir trees.

 

Wet, it is not much different. VERY strong.

 

After half an hour it mellows out and I smell amber and herbs, along with the pine.

It is beautifully blended but I was hoping it would be a bit more like the '05 version which it is sadly not.

[donnatron]

Bottle: Sweet pine and fir. Almost sugary sweet.

 

Wet: The evergreen notes go WHOOSH and I am a Christmas tree for a few moments. Then it starts to calm down as the amber warms to my skin and the skin musk (is it skin musk? Whatever that "glistening skin" note is, there's definitely a touch of that buttercup smoothness that comes with skin musk) comes out to play. There's a hint of smokiness but not to the point where I smell like I've been at a bonfire.

 

Dry: I bought Hexennacht on a lark because I thought it would be nice to have on hand as a fresh, fun wintery scent. Instead it turns out to be one of the most mind bendingly inappropriate scents in my collection. It's not overtly sexual or flirtatious, but when I'm wearing it I get the feeling that I smell like a very idealized version of hot sex beneath the stars. It's got a slick, panting lascivious feeling from the amber and the skin scent and the evergreens just add a strange, sexy snow-covered-forest-clearing feeling. It's very sensual and very naughty but has a coquettish "Who, me?" quality as well.

 

Throw: The sweet evergreen scent has decent throw. The musk and amber stay close to the skin.

 

Overall: I didn't expect to like this as much as I did and it wound up taking a long time to grow on me. It's an incredibly sexy scent without smelling earthy or dirty and it doesn't have the same indulgent heaviness I get from some of the most sensual red musk and honey blends. It's crisp, a little naughty, a little outdoorsy and incredibly sexy all around. It's a unisex blend and definitely worth a try if it comes your way.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: A golden evergreeny scent, kinda fumey, hard to get a handle on.

 

Wet: This has a similar piney note to that in Golden Priapus or the Illustrated woman. But without the sweeter vanilla foody components that I like so much in those blends. It has a pale smokiness about it (think herr drosselmer smoke, rather than dark autumn smoke), and also a bit of a furniture polish scent.

 

Dry: This smells like my pop-pops house. He was a carpenter, and made a lot of his own furniture. This is like that hand made pine furniture, newly finished and polished, along with his "old man" cologne. And, well, this part is horrible, but a tinge (ever so slight and fleeting) of urine (he's a yellow-let-it-mellow kinda guy!). Its not an "ew, disgusting" powered urine, and I don't find it horribly offensive, though I know its sounds gross. Maybe its not urine but more of a bathroom cleaner scent that I associate with that? I dunno. The blend has an effervescnce like Pruno or the Hamptons, as well.

 

Overall: Despite my rather non-eloquent description, this scent is not bad. And it brings up some good scent memories. But its not a scent that I would want to wear. For my sweet piney-ness, I'll stick to Golden Priapus or Illustrated Woman.

[MCS4096]

In the Bottle: Wet evergreens, crushed night flowers and slightest musk. Very moist feeling. I don't get any incense/smoke at this point.

 

Wet: MMMMMmmmmm... this is an amazing forest scent... This is a night garden behind a warm cottage in a deep, dark wet woods. It's mostly cold and wet, but there is the slightest warmth under it all.. and it is a skin scent, truly like you've worked up a bit of a pit hiking through a wet forest Still no smoke for me.

 

Dry: Ok, incense is coming out.. it mixes with the musk so it still comes across as hot flesh. I guess I'm getting some amber in there too.. but it seems like the "infernal flora" are the main note on me. But the wet forest is so amazing here.. I'm so happy to have this, it really take me back to growing up in rural western Oregon. (Not the ritual part though )

 

I wish there was a bit more smoke to this, as such it's pretty floral on me. I'd also love to try the 2005 version!