The First Soft Snow

[Caerphilly]

The first soft snow!
Enough to bend the leaves
Of the jonquil low.

Heavy drifts of snow blanketing winter's narcissus.

I want to start by saying I just love snow scents. So pretty much any BPAL that smells like snow, I will love, and have loved.

<b>In the Bottle:</b> Very similar to other snow scents (mainly Snow Moon, Snow Maiden, and Snow Bunny). Pine, sweet powdery white snow, and light delicate florals. But this is the purest form I've smelled. Snow Moon had a bit of astringent in the background and Snow Bunny is heavier on the pale white floral. But this is purely snow and flowers, just as the description says. Lovely!!

<b>Wet:</b> Smells the same as in the bottle. Doesn't morph at all.

<b>Dry:</b> This is the fastest fading snow scent I've tried so far. The prettiest and lasting the least amount of time on my skin. But it stays true for that 1/2 hour!

<b>Overall:</b> This is by far my favorite snow scent. I just wish it lasted longer. I'd get another bottle of Snow Maiden or Snow Bunny before getting another bottle of this, though. They all smell similar, but the other two last longer on me.

[Lucretia]

I was a little bit hesitant about this one because I've not been crazy about narcissus in other scents, but I'm so glad I took a chance on this one! I also really love all the snow and winter scents and this is just perfect. I haven't tried the above mentioned ones, but it reminds me a tiny bit of some of the notes in Knecht Ruprecht (sp?). It's really evocative of a cold snowy night. I don't understand how it can smell like snow, but my nose definitely confirms that it does. If you like the snowy scents I think you'll like this one!

[Pika]

I'm getting a *lot* of pine from this one, which I know is part of the "snow" in the blend, but the whole scent is a lot "sharper" than I imagined. I guess I kind of thought First Soft Snow would resemble the cool sweetness of Snow White, perhaps with a kick more floral from the narcissus and a touch more "cold", but it's actually more forest-y than anything I expected. Definitely makes me think of dense winter snow banks, but less of narcissus poking through. The dry-down is more rounded and smooth, and I think if I layered it with something sugary, it'd turn into more of what I was expecting.

[angelicruin]

I do love snow scents, though I am finding out that they all end up smelling a lot alike once dry on my skin.

 

This one does closely resemble Snow Bunny on my skin. I get a sweet, sharp pine and light snow, but nothing really aquatic either.

 

Very nice scent, but I will be content with my decant.

[sihaya09]

This one is identical to Snow Bunny. Slightly perfumey florals under the lab's minty-piney "snow" note. I've noticed that a lot of the snow blends from the last few years have been virtually identical on my skin chemistry, with the mint/pine always taking over.

[Cheri]

With my first test of The First Soft Snow, I thought it smelled exactly like The Snow Maiden, but it's only similar until it dries. After it dries is when it really shines as it's own scent and it's really pretty. I think narcissis likes me. It actually smells similar to Skadi, and I'm happy I have a bottle, but I think one will be enough.

[crebbsgirl]

This was very pretty. The snow note was similar to that in Death of a Gravedigger for me. It was cold but not overly minty. As it bloomed on my skin, the narcissus came out, turning this into a rather interesting floral. Very cool and stunning. I liked this, but it was very elegant for me.

[samarablackcat]

The First Soft Snow is not a soft snow at all. It's a sharp, piercing cold which has frozen the narcissus, covered in ice, its beauty hidden under the ice.

 

 

 

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant from eviltemptressdq's circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I love trying snow scents, though not many smell pretty on me. I am not very familiar with narcissus, but I love florals in general and am very willing to try narcissus as a starring note.

 

In the Vial: A strong snowy scent that has an evergreen edge to my nose, with a very sweet, fresh and delicate floral threading through it. It reminds me of other cold green scents...I think I'll be digging out my Mistletoe '04 and my precious half-decant of Skadi for some side-by-side comparisons.

 

Wet: The first whiff of this on my skin is breathtaking! The evergreen is muted a bit without losing any of the cold impression and the sweetly fresh floral is stronger.

 

Drydown: The evergreen strengthens again and now my impression is of a Christmas tree, decorated with lovely garlands of fresh white flowers.

 

Verdict: I like it, but I think I will be doing a few side-by-sides with my current arsenal to decide whether I need a bottle.

[Schmoozy]

This is alot like Snow Bunny. Perfumed florals (daffodils) and snow. It is really icy at first, and then the unmistakeable scent of pine come through. Unlike Snow Bunny, The First Soft Snow is quite airy. I can smell ozone, which is always a crisp, clean scent. Very, very nice.

 

 

[kbrighton]

Piney and minty with something lightly flowerly underneath. After about half an hour the pine/mint has faded and I'm left with a faint clean floral. Interesting enough that I'll wear it a few more times to see how it behaves. I usually apply a scent to my wrist and swipe the wand through my hair, with The First Soft Snow I much prefer the flowery notes on my skin to the pine/mint that remains in my hair.

[Saya]

I totally agree with the previous reviews that compare this to Snow Bunny.

 

It's mostly the Lab's snow note, with a bit of pine and a touch of floral. It's okay, but I prefer other snow notes so I think I'll pass.

[tartchef]

Sugared pine! I'm not much for pine/evergreen scents on my skin, as a rule, but this is nice & clear & sweet. As it dries, I get a bit more of the sticky, spicy sap, & a brush of yellow pollen. Pretty

[izile]

in the decant: peppermint citrus! I swear, it reminds me of when we used to stab orange halves with the old style soft peppermint sticks to suck the juice out through their hollow centers. Not quite that sugary-sweet, but I get a bright citrus right at the front of this one.

 

wet: OK, it's pine, not citrus, but it's not like the normal pine that I really dislike in BPAL oils, it still smells a little fruity, like pine needles dipped in citric acid. The mint is mellowed a lot and I smell more of the floral notes ..

 

dry: cut off the last one because this sucked dried fast. I really like this, the notes are very well balanced, not at all like what I expected from first sniff, however. Cold, please forget that I'm mint - mint, some distant flowers adding sweetness, and a very different kind of pine tree that could probably grow sour oranges.

 

Muy Bueno!

[Blood onmy hands]

The First Soft Snow has turned out to be one of my favorites of bpal's snow blends, much to my surprise. I usually amp up the snow note, making a lot of the snow blends smell too similar on me, or they go sharp thanks to the other notes. The narcissus is really strong in this blend, though, and manages to overpower the snow note in a good way.

 

The snow note is like slushy, chilly aquatic, almost pine-y, but not quite. It's a good smell. I like the snow note more than I like most aquatic/ozone notes. The narcissus smells like a sweet, perfumey, yellow flower poking out from the snow. I like the sweetness a lot. It's almost narcissus single note on me in the drydown, with just a hint of the snow giving it a fresher feel. It makes me think of daffodils, which are my favorite flowers.

 

This is a really pretty scent <3.

[lunaticana]

ohw nooooo.. cinnamon?! I didn't really expected that I smell like a firecracker now

[angburfield]

I have trouble describing this scent but it is one of my favorite Yules this year....I love pine so I think the combo of the snow with the floral (narcissus) and the pine is amazing...My skin does not amp one note but they blend really well and are just beautiful with great throw and wear length!

[ami226]

On the skin: Pine and a floral that must be the narcissus. Also, a coldness that is in the lab's snow scents.

 

Interesting, but not really my thing.

[musichappens]

Just like Winter Chrysanthemums, I get a chill from this .. so neat! Anyways, I get a nice blend of pine and mint from this. Not a bad scent in the least, but I think it would work better as an atmosphere spray.

[edenssixthday]

The First Soft Snow - This is a sharp, icy-cold, piney, snow scent with a hint of floral in the background. It's actually quite lovely on me, but fades uber-fast.

[VorpalBunny]

I absolutely love this one! It is a wintry smell with a strong hint of narcissus, but with none of the cloyingness that narcissus sometimes has. It reminds me of Chiroptera, only a softer, gentler scent.

[Upstart Crow]

As many have said, this is a vibrant narcissus with BPAL's signature chilly/snow scent. It's just BEAUTIFUL! And perfect for people who liked Christmas Rose (2007 Yule) but thought the hellebore was a little too acrid. One of my two favorite scents released this season!

[reynardine]

In decant: Very bright clear floral

 

Wet: Almost too-perfume on that floral there! Very sharp, almost unpleasantly so.

 

Drydown: Getting the pine (which must be the Lab’s “snow scent”) on top of the floral. But they clash.

 

Later: Nope, this one isn’t working for me at all. The evergreen/pine scent clashes too much with the floral. Almost headache-inducing.

 

[HamletsKeeper]

To me this is identical to the Snow Maiden. BPALs snow note smells like berry sherbet and toilet cleaner on me. Yeah not what I had in mind either. There is some perfumey floral valiantly trying to fly the flag for good smells in this but it's just not enough to overpower the "snow" weirdness.

 

So far the only snow scent which has worked on me has been Snow Flakes which does indeed remind me of snow. I can't even write out the image this one gives me. I wonder if this was the scent which also gave me a cracker of a headache last night....

[zankoku_zen]

This one is a bright, icy narcissus. I get a lot of minty snow on wet, but as it dries the snow gets sweeter and then the narcissus pops up.

 

Soft, feminine, floral.