The Norns' Farmhouse

[Tramp]

The farmhouse was dark and shut up. The meadows were overgrown and seemed abandoned. The farm roof was crumbling at the back; it was covered in black plastic sheeting. They jolted over a ridge and Shadow saw it there.

It was silver-gray and it was higher than the farm-house. It was the most beautiful tree Shadow had ever seen: spectral and yet utterly real and almost perfectly symmetrical. It also looked instantly familiar: he wondered if he had dreamed it, then he realized that no, he had seen it before, or a representation of it man, many times. It was Wednesday's silver tie pin.

The VW bus jolted and bumped across the meadow, and it came to a stop about twenty feet from the trunk of the tree.

There were three women standing by the tree. At first glance Shadow thought they were the Zorya, but no, they were three women he did not know. They looked tired and bored, as if they had been standing there a long time. Each of them held a wooden ladder. The biggest also carried a brown sack. They looked like a set of Russian dolls: a tall one - she was Shadow's height, or even taller - a middle-sized one, and a woman so short and hunched that at first glance Shadow wrongly supposed her to be a child. They looked so much alike that Shadow was certain the women must be sisters.

The smallest of the women dropped to a curtsey when the bus drew up. The other two just stared. They were sharing a cigarette, and they smoked it down to the filter before one of them stubbed it out against a root.

Dusty, ancient wood, horehound, and sage, with viper's bugloss, mugwort, chamomile, nettle, apple blossom, chervil, and ashes.

In the bottle and wet there is a hint of floral sweetness. But that quickly fades as it dries. Dark, dusty woods are the first thing to appear. Later a sort of half sweet spiciness crops up to blend and mellow with the woods. An almost cinnamon scent comes out and settles down in the end. It gets better and better the longer it is on. Edited June 30, 2008 by Shollin

[Lycanthrope]

Ketchup? Tomatoes? What? This is a cacophony of scents, herbal, woodsy, and there's that bite of smoke that is probably what is giving me this... very 'mesquite' feel to the scent. There appears to be a sweeter, resinous note that is emerging the more that I am wearing this, and that first barbeque impression that I got is giving way to a very complex, rich and evocative scent. It's dusty, it's very strongly herbal (chervil?) with a dry leafiness (nettle?), and a hint of sweetness, though the apple blossom does not come out too strongly. This is a rich, wood and spices aroma, just like you'd imagine that little thatched cottage to smell like, complete with hay, grass, stone, and that curlique of smoke emerging from the slightly off-kilter chimney.

 

And agree with Tramp above. This evolves on skin beautifully. I keep sniffing at my fingers and getting wafts from my neck.

[portalkat]

Oh, this is exactly how I would have imagined the farmhouse to smell. It smells like old dusty wood and I can smell the sweetness of the horehound and apple blossom. I love this because it is so evocative of that section of the book, but also because it is rather comforting in a rather odd way. It reminds me of the ruins of a house where a girlfriend and I were poking around when we were about 12 or 13 and some hippies had lived there (okay, this was a really long time ago) and there was the leftover smell of incense and dye from their sandal making supplies which permeated the old wood house. This is how The Norns' Farmhouse smells to me.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is dusty apples ...

 

once applied herbal goodness combined with the

twinge of ashiness, apples and dried leaves is truly a unique combo!!

 

good sillage too...this is a true work of art and worthy of a big bottle purchase for me

[lostluckkitten]

This one was interesting. At first, there was something that gave me a kick way high up in my nasal passage, and it took a while for the boy and me to figure out what it was like... then it hit me - bell pepper. That sharp scent of a fresh sliced green bell pepper. After a bit, that toned down, and it smelled very earthy - dust, wood, earth, growing things, with a sharpness beneath. Very interesting, not unpleasant, but not something I'd wear regularly.

[maribouquet]

At first this is strong, bitter herbs, though think I can pick out a hint of the apple blossom. It changes a few times while wet and drying, and when dry it smells a little spicy and a little sweet, like hay and the sweetness of old, sun-bleached shingles or planks. Really evocative and original.

[alicia_stardust]

I tested this without looking at the description just to see what impressions I got. At first, it's sweet and green... green like herbs and sage, and something like ivy and grass. After that settles, though, I started to get an astringent and earthen quality which I now think was the chamomile and woods. At the last of the life of this fragrance, there is an acrid tone to it: the dust and ashes. The dust and ashes do not take over completely, but they seem to strengthen at the end while still mingling with the herbs and greenery.

 

This, to me, is a shadowy and complex blend that reminds me of hidden secrets, gardens, and summer weather.

[tartchef]

Mmm, yes, I can totally see where lostluckkitten is getting bell peppers - wet, the Norn's Farmhouse has a very green, vegetal feel to it, faintly bitter. The sage is prominent, but not overwhelming, and the nettle & chervil add to the tonic greeness.

 

Within 5 minutes, though, it totally morphs, and the green gives way to this incredible woodsy cinnamon/spice, almost medicinal - hello, horehound! The dust & ashes are kicking up, and I'm getting very faint wafts of an herbaceous, apple-like note, very likely the chamomile. It's a wild tangle of sun-baked weeds & herbs rambling over broken wooden fences - not verdant & green, but a late summer scent, when the earth has hardened & the stems dried & only the hardiest plants survive. Really dry & natural, the scent your hands would pick up if you went digging amongst the weeds, the sun beating down on your back...

 

I adore Beth's botanical blends, and this is a fantastic addition - light & dry enough for the dog days of summer, I hope...

 

Edited to confirm that yes, The Norn's Farmhouse is perfect for late August! I keep reaching for it - that spicy but green, slightly medicinal feel cuts right through the hot, humid air without being cloying or overwhelming... delicious!

Edited August 24, 2009 by tartchef

[iiinterstate]

Whoa! Totally bell peppers when it goes on. Smells as fresh and crisp as though I were cutting them in my kitchen. I also get a little bit of apple in there too.

 

As it dries there is a general cool "green" feeling to the scent, but I can tell there is something waiting to warm it up. Herbal but not too much. I can detect a bit of the horehound but not a whole lot. Its nice!

 

This goes from smelling like the garden behind the Farmhouse into a much lighter but earthier smell. I want to say burning wood, but its not woodsy per se. Almost like the smell of very very dry hay. Now there is more sage.

 

I REALLY like this. I haven't come across anything similar before and I'm glad I snagged a nearly-full bottle.

[nekogrrl]

Slowly working my way through the decants...

 

In the bottle: wet dust.

 

Wet: severely dusty apples.

 

Drydown: The dust settles, and a nice sweetness comes out, dominated by the apples. Under the apples, I smell the sage for sure. Not sure what exactly the other notes smell like, but I like the blend.

 

It has moderate throw.

 

Overall, it's a nice scent. Not sure if this warrants a full bottle, but I like it.

[sadtomato]

in the bottle this smelled peppery and very strongly of herbs with a nice trace of dustiness.

i decided to wear it today to farmer's markets 'cause i thought it would be fitting.

once it got on my skin for about 10 minutes, some lovely florals came out as did a yummy cinnamon scent that is now the predominant note.

i'm still getting a little bit of the dustiness and herbs, bust mostly very faint florals and cinnamon.

it's yummy whatever it is.

not what i was expecting after the initial sniff from the bottle, but purty and delicious all the same.

i smells good!

 

[Lethran]

In bottle: Whoa! Ever walk through a vine infested dilapidated garden in the spring after the rains? This smells almost exactly like that. Bruised greenery, broken vines and wood, with a hint of candy and apple blossoms. It’s beautiful and a little unnerving. Wet: Slightly more foody, with the seasonings coming out. The chamomile gives the impression of tea. I am now imagining an old woman drinking complex homemade herbal tea while looking out at that overgrown wet spring garden. Dry: I was going to thumbs up this, despite it’s floral nature, but then I discovered it went into an ugly powdery dry down, and I’m fairly sure that something in it is making me sneeze. I’m sad, because I really liked it wet.

[slave1]

THE NORNS' FARMHOUSE

 

In Bottle: Dry and planty

 

On Skin: This scent is very interesting… it is very dry and dusty but also the plants note rise out from the dead overgrowth above them. It’s like a mess of weeds, dried out and parched from the sun, but underneath them are fresh plants just starting to peek out. Dirt, plants, sun, and something sweet, that’s the story I get from this blend. I can smells the apple blossom and I’m pretty sure that’s the sweet note. The sage adds to the “green” note and the chamomile wraps it all up in a comforting bouquet. The ashes are light, it’s not a smoky scent… they just create a darker warmth overall. It has a light to average throw and short to medium wearlength.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Light honey coloured. Sweet, spicy, smoky, and herbal. Quite complex and strong. Verging on masculine.

 

Wet: Smoky, gritty, dirty, dusty. Somewhat bitter, dirty. SPICY, quickly, and a bit sharp. Also slightly sweet and floral from the chamomile and apple blossom, and herbal from the chervil and sage and nettle.

 

Dry: That sharp-spicy note appears to be the mugwort, and I don't like it. The nettle has amped, adding an almost grassy, fresh-green note that is rather pleasant. The chervil is more distinct, and rather foody-herbal, recalling parsley, and also cilantro (?) - it's sort of vegetal. Something anisey has emerged, it's sweet and bitter.

 

Later: This has never ceased to be ashy, dusty and smoky, but the amping of the planty/herbal notes has made them less harshly overwhelming. Apparently the anise-note is horehound, and it's quite strong and sweet and a touch bitter; reminds me a bit of wormwood. Apple blossom totally gone, but some very faint chamomile remains.

 

Summary: Softens over time, into a smoky ashes and incense, dusty wood over anisey-sweet horehound, herbal chervil-parsley and bright nettle, medicinal sage, and softly sweet chamomile. Far too generally dry, dirty, as well as biting in the early stages for my tastes. Masculine. Moderate throw and lasting power.

Edited June 18, 2008 by fairnymph

[Eemia]

I thought I'd be giving this one away for certain when I first tried it. Wet on my skin it was so juicy and herbal, but in an oddly sour way. Like dried baking herbs that had been soaked in water for a few days. It wasn't abhorrent or anything, but it was off-putting.

 

After only about five minutes it's like an entirely different perfume altogether. All the initial juicy herbal quality fades completely, leaving a rather dry scent behind. Something floral but not in a flowery, traditional sense. More mysterious and wispy. Shady and soft. I can pick out a hint of the apple blossom, but only because I love that note and really was looking for it hard. It adds a touch of sweet femininity that just floors me. The wood notes are so subtle, but they charge the entire scent. It really gives this a force despite it's softness.

 

The depth in this is amazing, and it keeps changing on my skin the longer I wear it. Each time I've worn this it smells a little different. It's like a little surprise. A mood changer. I pick my scents out depending on how I'm feeling, but each time I've picked this I've been in a different mind set. It's like it changes with me.

[savage_rose]

At first this smells like the grocery store--a strange variety of produce, herbs, and roots. Then that dies back a bit, and it's a sweet herbal scent. With a hint of herbal. And after 10 minutes, it mellows and becomes so balanced. Herbal but not too much so, sweet, but not too sweet. It's a good balance.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, this smells like dry herbs, dry woods, and something like roots that have just been pulled from the ground. I like it, but I was worried that it wouldn't work on my skin. In the bottle, it didn't seem sweet enough, and was a little too dry and dark for my tastes.

 

On my skin, this blend instantly sweetens up and turns into something lovely and wearable for me. The apple blossom jumps forward and adds an apple-sweetness, joined by a sweet, subtle spiciness. It's not ashy or dusty on me at all, though it does have an herbal base that I actually enjoy. The herbal quality is a bit green, but also strikes me as being dried herbs at the same time. A mix of green and dried herbs.

 

It's a bit of spiced apple (almost like cider on my skin), a bit of greenery, and a bit of dried herbs on me. I like this. It's interesting and rather garden-like with the impression that I keep getting of freshly pulled plant roots.

 

The Norns' Farmhouse isn't a top ten and I'm not sure how often I'll reach for it, but I still like it... it really does remind me of growing up in Missouri when I was little, picking fresh herbs, strolling through farm fields & playing in barns full of dry hay. And I do like the hint of sweetness from the apple blossom, and the not-overwhelming-cider-spice that I'm getting from something

[yeahbutnobut]

The Norn’s Farmhouse

 

In the imp: salty herbs. I actually smell tomato here as well??

Wet on skin: still that odd salty tomato and basil smell, but now I smell something reminiscent of the green scent from Allison Gross which I didn’t like.

Dry on skin: ooh, unusual, I rather like this now. The bitter green scent has retreated and what I smell now are the dusty woods (mainly cedar or mahogany/oak, reminiscent of the Haunted House and Ventriloquist’s Dummy, right down to that hint of patchouli) and also the ashes, which have a bonfire quality to them. The herbs now are a mix of the slightly soapy grassy green that I’m not keen on (I think that’s the nettle and apple blossom), and a lovely deeper green reminiscent of fresh basil and drier, wild Mediterranean herbs, a scent which I really like, and there’s a spicy, warm feel to it, a hint of ‘kitchen cupboard’, mixed with sun warmed herbs.

After a while: oddly, now there’s a sweetness peeking through. It still smells savoury and herbal, a mix of mushy wet greens and dry herbs with a dusty woody background, but there’s a sweetness now, almost like a sweet musk, or a sandalwood note, or something nutty. It’s really pleasant and I love the way the herbal notes are becoming richer and warmer and smelling just like a summer’s evening, I can almost see the golden evening light shining on rural hills and old ruined farms when I smell this.

The scent then turns back to it’s slight vegetable-herbal scent from before and now it smells like sun dried tomatoes! Yes, really! It smells like sun dried tomatoes with herbs and basil and a hint of chilli peppers, a little bit of olive oil and something tangy and balsamic which is almost like vinegar, but not as unpleasantly acidic. But it does smell like a kind of home made tomato and pepper pickle, or some kind of salad dressing or appetiser. However at the back, the green scent from before has turned mossy, it reminds me a bit of the Ghastly Garden’s green note.

Verdict: this is such an interesting and different scent. I was expecting a cooler herb scent, greyer and ashier, but this to me evokes a farm kitchen in Spain or Italy with the scent of tomatoes, red peppers and herbs and other savoury condiments. It’s a very warm, welcoming scent, but not in that ‘sweet gourmand’ way, more like golden light pouring into a kitchen full of dried herbs and vegetables waiting to be made into a delicious dinner. I also smell wooden floorboards and ceilings, a hint of the dust from the attic above, and some greenery from outside. This scent fascinates me…not enough to get a bottle (I can’t get over how tomato-like it smells sometimes, and the green note borders on soapy) but I’ll keep my decant.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I’ll keep it for it’s uniqueness and the images it evokes.

If you like this, try: Allison Gross, Forbidding Foyer, Carfax Abbey, Licwiclunga, Ghastly Garden

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Mm, I can smell pretty much only apple blossom in the vial – but that ain't a bad thing.

 

First on:

Apple blossom and something I can't define... But it's a lovely mix!

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it's a creamy cologne on me. It stays that way – cologne with something creamy, and the lightest touch of wood. It really reminds me of Arachne, somehow.

 

Finally:

Not at all what I expected – it's lovely, but not quite what I wanted. Oh well!

[filigree_shadow]

Eek. This one doesn’t smell all that great on me. Holy smokes that’s herby. It has that dry husky leafy scent that I always associate with tomato leaf. I don’t do very well with herb scents usually because they have a tendency to smell too sharp or sour on my skin. Sometimes I get lucky, though, and this one had chamomile and apple blossom in it – those are usually pretty good notes for me – so I wanted to try it. Unfortunately this was not one of the lucky times. Well, can’t win ‘em all.

[Czarina]

Wonderful dusty wood scent with an underlay of bitter herbs, but almost zero throw and zero wearlength on me. Alas.

[alexandra]

In the imp: Cider-doused cologne.

 

Wet: Herbs, yummy apple and a blast of the man-scrunched leaves of October. Gorgeous. M'husband comes into the room and asks what the lovely smell is.

 

Dry: Definitely dusty, this is bookish and lovely on me, far more so then the library-like scents which go all wood-polish. This is like reading old paperbacks in the attic of the Norn's farmhouse while munching on a basket of apples a la Jo from Little Women. Ahem.

 

And?... I really like. It'll be a gorgeous scent for the autumn in particular, especially if October does not return (the oil, I mean, imagine what BPALers what do if the month decided not to turn up? Chaos and uproar, I tell you). Anyway: a bottle when the decant is no more.

[elizabeth101]

This reminds me of Comme de Garcons 3 but with apples instead of citrus, which places it in the category of scents I just can't stop sniffing. Absolutely fascinating. Avant garde. A postmodern perfume.

 

Awesome.

[voodoocatwoman]

In the imp: I thought this was nothing but freshly mown lawn when it starts to sprinkle and the grass gets stuck to your shoes. Then reading the other reviews, I see bell pepper mentioned. Might have some of that, yes it might.

 

Wet: Serious grass but with something very sweet behind it.

 

Dry: The grass is definitely gone. The sweet is tempered by something woody/herbal. Interesting, but not something I smell myself wearing very often. A decant is sufficient.

[zankoku_zen]

Hmmm. It's dusty, kinda woody, and appley. The apple fades away and I get this dusty, almost ashy wood.

 

Interesting.