Frau Holle

[themerrybaker]

Snow-covered pines, witches herbs, bestial musk, flax, and ethereal flowers that represent both birth and death.

Frau Holle needs some time to settle on the skin. It starts as an herbal rush and eventually mellows out to subtle sweet herbs. I don't get pine, but can detect faint musk and something that smells a little like masking tape (maybe the flax is a grain?) I like it a lot, but it evokes kitchen witch more than Yule when I wear it.

[zankoku_zen]

At the beginning, I got a strong impression of Ice Queen familiarity (my favorite Yule) with the snow... except it was snow and a strong fir note, instead of sweet pine. As it has dried though, I get more of the musk shining through and a yellow floral impression.

 

Oh, but if it had stayed true to the wet stage, it would have been an IQ and Darkling Thrush cousin.

[forspecial_plate]

Frau Holle starts off very much like Ice Queen without the fruits, but as it dries, it becomes its own scent. So, it's icy/floral/pine at first, stronger pine than I was expecting. But the pine backs off eventually, and the flowers and musk come forward a bit more. It's a fresh and slightly sweet blend of notes, but lots of things turn sweet on my skin so take that with a grain of salt. Actually, pretty far into the dry-down, I smell a note that reminds me slightly of marshmallows, kind of herbal and sweet.

 

It's a striking scent, and I consider it somewhat feminine. I think if you've always wanted to try Ice Queen, this is a chance to get an idea of what it smells like. Not exactly alike, but close, especially in the beginning.

[theseagrows]

i get mostly snow and sweet pine and sap. the herbs make up most of the background, and the flax and flowers are subtle. most yule scents are too piney/snowy for my tastes, but i still like this. just would only wear it at this time of year.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Deep golden oil. PINE, herbs, and rather high-pitched florals. Reminds me a bit of L'Inverno with the sharp hairsprayish thing (snow note, maybe?), but this is not as sweet.

 

Wet: Softer and nicer, with more of the gentle, almost honeyed oily-flax sweetness shining through, and less of the PINE and chemical-y flowers. Still quite herbal and on the whole very woodys-outdoorsy.

 

Dry: Very slow to dry, with the musk emerging quickly - it is a really nice, deep, sexy musk. This is feeling decidedly masculine, and even going a bit soapy-aftershave. The sort of sweet-spicy-planty flax offsets this a bit. I love the flax. It gets sweeter and sweeter over time.

 

Summary: The flax and musk, sweet and deep and sexy when combined, rule in the final drydown. But enough of the pine and sharp flowers remain to make this unworkable for me, which is a shame because I adore the concept and the flax and musk notes, and the sweet, rustic herbs are lovely too.

 

I think this is pretty unisex, and it has good throw and staying power.

[Coldfire]

Decant: herby with a touch of floral

Wet on Me: woah baby..Pine now! Pine with Herbs!

Drying Down: Pine! Oh how I love thee! Pine is Winter love! And herbs filling in the gaps.

Dry: Piney Love. Piney love with Herbs! But wait there’s more! Lil wee floral whisps dancing

among the piney love with herbs. I may need a bottle of this as well!

[Phaedra]

Wet this is snowy pine, a bit sharp. It's very similar to Snow Bunny. When first on it smells the same- a nice snowy pine, crisp and bracing. There might be a hint of berries in this too. After a few hours a creaminess develops. It's like a more floral version of Snow Bunny. On the dry down this is a nice creamy/icy/floral blend. It's similar to Perchta but without the musk.

[sarahmarie]

I didn't buy a bottle of this because I have Skadi, Talvikku, and Jolasveinar and I figured I was set in the snow-and-pine department. But I did get a partial imp of this, and I'm glad. It has that same snowy-piney goodness of the other guys, but with new and different company. It turns out, I really like the snowy-piney scents, as they are very evocative for me. This one has a more...feminine feel than some of the other ones, less room-scentish and more *perfume*. (Not that all of the above aren't beautiful as perfume, they're just more..foody or atmospheric to me, where as Frau has that musk-and-floral thing going on that makes it feel more traditionally like a perfume.) I haven't decided if this one stands out enough as a good match for my skin chemistry that I should get a bottle, but I am definitely going to enjoy my imp.

[Suu4LC]

Snowy pine and herbs. It has this harsh note that was in the L'Inverno room spray that just isn't my thing, but I am going to see if it mellows on my skin.

 

Hmmm, yeah, it has this sharpness to it that just turns me off. I need to figure out what note that is...if you enjoyed the L'Inverno room spray, this is very reminscent!

 

Overall, not my thing-sometimes the snow-covered pine note in bpal just does not work for me, and this is one of those times. As I said before though, this totally feels like L'Inverno room spray in perfume form, so if that's your cuppa, check this out before the yules go down!

[dreadpiraterustypants2]

This is strikingly similar to Moon of Small Spirits on me wrist!

(Snowbunny is a far sweeter/bubbly pine to me)

 

[FallDaze]

In the imp -> Strong, sweet pine. Almost a mascline scent, but not quite there yet.

 

Wet-> It smells like a sticky sweet pine forest. If you can't tell, the pine note completely dominates on me. No herbs, no musks, just pure pine.

 

After a while -> The herbs eventually come out to play, lending a bit of sharpness to the pine. That sharp phase is quickly absorbed by the sweetness though. A bit too sticky sweet for me.

[nekogrrl]

In imp: PINE

 

Wet on skin: PINE sharpened by the florals. It's rather strong, as well.

 

Dry on skin: pine softened by the musk, but it's still very strong and sharp.

 

10 minutes later: same as dry.

 

Final verdict: really not my thing. Was hoping this would be slightly heavier on the florals. Good winter scent, though.

[Zeljana]

It's very evocative of a beautiful snow-covered pine forest in winter. For that matter it is wonderful and as a room scent it is downright stunning. It's the scent of a Christmas tree in wilderness. It feels solemn but untamed, if you understand what I mean.

I used it as a perfume but felt it was a little bit sharp. It works if I'm in the right mood, but it's not the scent you would grab on any occasion.

I hope it will age wonderfully, though.

Edited January 16, 2009 by Kosyena

[obsidienne]

This smells like an adult version of Snow Bunny, where the herbs, musk and pine mitigate the perfumey florals. Frau Holle is beautifully snowy & piney in a very gorgeous, "I can't believe pine isn't a flower" sort of way. And of course, quite floral. My nose can't define the actual notes of the flowers or herbs, but the end result is as above, and extremely addictive. I'm so glad I went pine-nuts and ordered so many pine perfumes!

[modillian]

This is reminding me a lot of The Jersey Devil. Sweet, floral, green. It has the same "evergreen" note as The Jersey Devil. More perfumey though. *looks at notes* Ahahahahaha, it's PINE, very cool pine though, almost unrecognizable, like obsidienne said. Lots of herbs and flowers too. I'm not picking up any musk or flax though. These are "garden at dewy midnight" herbs and florals, though, not spice-cabinet smells. There's a heavy first blast of floral waft going on before it settles into softer florals, the mildest pine, and the delicious slushy note I've just begun to love.

 

The staying power is formidable, about twenty hours for me. It sticks close to the skin after eight hours, but lingers and lingers and lingers after that. Amazing. Must get a bottle.

Edited March 15, 2009 by modillian

[Eemia]

More snowy than musky on me. Sigh of relief. Not that i don't love musk, but I was really hoping that this would be a cold scent with hints of forest and sharp pine. I was in the mood for a really cold fragrance that just felt wintery and stark. I think that's what I like best about the snow scents. Even when they're filled with heavier notes they still seem sort of sterile.

 

It's actually more sweet than I expected, like there's a honey note in there. The florals really stand out on my skin but I can't figure out what they are. Something with a powdery drydown. The musk does seem prominent when it's been on my skin for a few hours (not a ferocious musk though). But the same powdery tone overall.

 

My favorite Yule scent from 2008, along with Perchta.

[voodoocatwoman]

GORGEOUS!!!!!

 

The good Frau starts out very piney... and that pine note reminds me of cola syrup for some reason. When she dries down, a musky floral emerges that is quite lovely.

 

This is going to be a favorite. What a shame I didn't spring for a bottle when it was available.

[aedes]

Wow, I'm incredibly impressed with this scent. Normally, scents don't change too much on me. What I smell is what I smell til it's gone. But this one has been a journey, and I've loved it every step of the way.

 

It travels from a slushy snow storm, lost out in the pines, to a tiny cottage that's practically out of a fairy tale. And in the cottage lives a kind, confident, beautiful woman, spinning linen under bows of dried flowers, who offers you food and lodging until the storm passes.

 

This might just be heaven.

[thelaurenator]

OMG! This is Goblin of Yuletide Past Atmospheric Spray, minus the sugar cookie. SO dead on. I also see the snow bunny reference, this is very much like that with a piney element added to it.

[savage_rose]

This smells like Mistletoe reincarnated as a cologne to me...you get the green "bite" of the Mistletoe with the sexy wearability of the cologne notes. Nice!

[ouch!]

This smells like the Lab's classical snowy note with some pine. It's a very clear crisp pine though. This scent smells cold! There is no musk to speak of on my skin..and I'm waiting for the flowers to come out so I'll give it a while. The wet stage though is kinda alot like some of the other snowy scents. There's no real standout difference for me...

 

The snowy side of things does fade slight when it's dry, there's a sweetness to this scent that's very slight. And the flowers are here now too. It's a nice floral for sure. It's not a crazy floral. Quite feminine and still holding onto the whole feel of it being a wintry scent. It's very crisp.

 

Not a massive stand out scent for me, there are others like it. Still pleasant though..and I love the description and idea.

 

 

[tinyvulture]

ooh, another snowy, slushy scent, chock-full of pine needles. at first, this one reminds me somewhat of Snow Bunny, with a breeze of floral, girly perfume, although it’s subtler. then the warm, slightly sour animal musk appears, and i’m reminded more of Snow Maiden (although there are no berry notes in Frau Holle). can i ever have enough wintry pine blends? probably… but i nevertheless enjoy having so many to choose from!

[Monster]

In the vial: Sweet pine!

 

Wet: Snowy, pretty, soft pine mixed with sweet herbs. I'm not detecting any of the floral notes and I'm unsure what flax is supposed to smell like in perfume...no musk yet either. Just sweet, pretty pine with herbs

 

Dry: After 30 minutes this is pretty much the same. I've been waiting for the musk and flowers to arrive but they've decided not to come. Oh well, the party is just fine with the pine and sweet herbs.

 

Verdict: This is like a softer, less chilly version of Snow Moon on me. I really like this one! I hope it makes another appearance this Yule!

[juniperus]

bottle: forest, dried (nor fresh) herbs

wet: a sweetness that is neither fruit nor sugar... is it the flax?

dry: whatever flowers these are, they are aggressive and sweet on me. nooo, please don't go there.

later: the forest has come back to the fore, but with that aggressive sweetness behind it, it's just nauseating. I hate my skin - this should have worked.

[symphonyinsilence]

I had this in March and loved it so much that I wore it 3 days in a row - once for a St.Patrick's Day gathering, next day, for a concert and again to go shopping. It was also the first time a complete stranger complimented me on how good I smelled. *lol* I'm not good with identifying specific notes yet, but it was an awesome representation of pine (not at all reminiscent of Dettol!). Like a damp and dark, yet sweet forest. A little goes a long way, though.