Winter-Time

[crebbsgirl]

Sweet, soft snow.

Minty and piney, but with a touch of sweetness. I can also detect a hint of smoke once it dries on my skin. This is a really hard scent to describe. I've not smelled a yule scent like it. I actually quite like it, and I am not a fan of ozone, or slushy scents.

[cuervosueno]

In the bottle this has an aquatic note, but I don't get that when I put it on (which is fine, as I don't like aquatics). On me, this is very like Snowblind, except this one fades faster and goes plasticky in a way Snowblind does not. (I'm noticing most of the lab's vanillas are turning plasticky on me these days). It is kind of like a soft, muted vanilla mint. Like Waltz of the Snowflakes without the wood/pine note.

 

But it doesn't last long, goes kind of plastic, and then it just fades to a soft sweetness that is almost slightly floral.

 

Not a keeper.

[thekittenkat]

I always have to wonder which snow note will be used in these snow scents. After some of the previous Yule winter scents did not work on me, when they had in the past, I now know better and am getting decants to test first.

 

In the decant: Just a little sweet sugar, not vanilla (at least, not the foody type), a hint of woods, a touch of a mint.

 

Wet: Wow, transmuted to ozone and bitter woods.

 

The dry-down: Thank goodness the bitter woods are fading somewhat. I don't think that these were any kind of fir or pine woods, but more like oaks that have been hit by the frost. This snow note is the icy ozone note, which I love. And there's now a hint of the sweetness, but only a hint. The mint never came back. This may end up as a scent locket scent, or something that will smell fabulous on the bf.

Edited December 30, 2010 by thekittenkat

[Eemia]

I was hoping this would turn out to be the embodiment of all of my favorite snow notes from Snow White, Snow Maiden, Snow Bunny, and Pink Snowballs. I'm drawn to the powdery, sweet, vanilla-laced versions of snow. The ones that have the crisp, translucent quality that reads as cold and ice. But this one turns out to be much more temperamental with my skin.

 

In the bottle this is strongly medicinal and sharp. Less sickly than cough syrup but hovering within that scent memory nonetheless. I still have a deep seated aversion to liquid cough medicines left over from childhood and this doesn't bode well. But the sharpness in it screams cold and green so I plunged onward.

 

Almost immediately it loses that medicinal/chemical/liquor mixture of scent that had me cringing. It's high pitched and cold with a nameless green. Something about it reminds me of breathing the air at night when it's brittle with cold. Your nose is numb at the tip, inhaling borders on painful, and every smell has a thread of similarity. I don't think this is something that would be in constant rotation if it only ever stayed in this stage, so luckily it morphs into something more along the lines of the soft snow fragrance I was craving.

 

A thin, powdery snow, tinged with sweetness, emerges after a good amount of time. It's more relaxed and familiar now, and it smells better on my skin. This is the point where it finally seems like a snow scent to me. And then there's an odd addition of something else... there's no vanilla that I can make out, but it does have a gourmand quality that reminds me of malt balls or nougat. It's not front and center, or even that noticeable at all, but I can pick it out when I really try.

 

I don't think I'll be wearing it as often as my other snow fragrances only because it takes so long to fade into something that works for me.

[reynardine]

Looks like the Lab’s snow note doesn’t like my skin. Winter-Time smells delicate and lovely in the decant, but once it hits my skin, it goes very sharp and then fades into a light powder. Pass.

[ljaylh]

Wow.. this is just gorgeous!

 

It never snows where I live, so I haven't really gotten into many of BPAL's 'snow' blends but I thought I'd give this one a try. So glad I did! When first applied it had a slightly sharp or medicinal note that reminded me a bit of Tulzcha, but that very quickly disappeared.

 

There's a beautiful softness about Winter-Time - it smells clean and fresh, but also slighty sweet and ethereal. It would be interesting to know what's actually gone into this blend - I suspect there's a light touch of vanilla, and something green-ish, but it's hard to pinpoint things because the overall smell is so smooth. If I take a big deep sniff, I can detect something slightly mentholated right at the bottom - not eucalyptus, not pine, and not mint.. just that menthol kind of smell. But that just adds an interesting dimension to the scent, rather than taking it over.

 

I'm not sure how much I'd actually wear this.. as lovely as it is, it's one of those very close-to-the-skin blends and I like my perfumes to have a bit more oomph.. but it sure is pretty.

Edited January 12, 2011 by sunshinedaisybliss

[paradoxicaljlb]

Winter-Time reminds me of how, when it snowed, my grandmother would gather some clean snow and add a little sugar, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract to it to make snow cream. To me, this smells the way snow cream tastes. The cold of the snow translates to the delicate mint in the scent, and the rest makes it soft and sweet. Very pretty and ephemeral.

[DifferentDances]

Decant!

 

Imp: A very light, faint sweetness. No hint of mint or chill.

 

Wet: Airy sweetness. Slight minty edge. Not a whole lot of sillage.

 

Drydown: Oh, pooh. It's becoming a very generic perfumey sweet scent that only appears when close to the skin.

 

Dry: Faint powder. Reminds me of Snow Bunny.

 

My rating: 2/5

 

Not terrible, but not really strong enough or 'me' enough to buy a bottle of.

[CitizenBree]

something sweet and aquatic. i definitely get that winter feel to it. it sort of cools my nose as i sniff it. it's not unpleasant but it's not my style of perfumes. if you like aquatic, though, you might need to try this one.

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant from a circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I'm always looking for that absolutely perfect snow/forest scent to substitute for Skadi. I know this one doesn't advertise the evergreen side of the equation, but I was curious about a pure snow scent.

 

In the imp: A sweet ozone-y floral, with just a hint of mint. This is a cool scent, but definitely not cold.

 

Wet: Mintier and much chillier on the skin. Where the impression in the bottle was of spring leaving winter behind, it's now winter with the barest hint of spring. Very little throw.

 

Drydown: The mint backs off and the sweet vanilla-y floral returns. The ozone does as well, but it's not as strong as it was in the vial. After a while I get that hint of smoke that someone else mentioned, as if there's the barest hint of musk underneath.

 

Verdict: While it's not the snow scent I had imagined, it is quite lovely and delicate. A great work scent, I think, since the throw is so minimal. If I use the imp up fast enough I may have to go looking for a bottle.

[Invidiana]

I do love this one; it is soft sweet snow as advertised, minty but not too minty, ozone somewhere but not blasting, and with sweet vanillic undertones. There definitely has to be some of that beautiful BPAL white musk in here, which could account of the tinge of vanilla, or a nonfoody vanilla, or both. Whatever it is, this is definitely not a wintry ozone assault on your nostrils; rather, it's the olfactory version of a winter wonderland.

[mxtine]

Imp: Soft mint toothpaste

Wet: Sugary vanilla wintergreen and mint. Very light musk.

Dry: A lot of the mintiness fades, and I'm left with a cool musk with a hint of vanilla-infused sugar.

 

I usually don't wear minty stuff because I feel like Burt's Bees lip balm, but this is a wearable minty scent because it fades into a cool white musk. Not really my thing, but pretty.

[Evilynn]

In the bottle: wintergreen-y vanilla

Wet on the skin: This is an oddly warm acquatic on me. There's winter green, slushy snow and a hint of vanilla, but...warm.

Drydown: Aquatic vanilla.

 

The drydown is pretty nice, but the wet stage is decidedly odd on me, and I prefer Waltz of the Snowflakes over Winter Time, so off to swaps it goes.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Evergreen, but sugary. Odd juxtaposition, not sure if I like it.

 

On skin: Is there such thing as "evergreen sugar"? If not, I've found it. Winter-Time is fluffy sugar overlaying a cold, fresh evergreen base. Very similar to Waltz of the Snowflakes, but it's gentler and definitely much more blended. Some reviewers mention white musk; if so, it must be softening and warming what would be otherwise quite a discordant scent. Even so, the blending can't hide the fact that evergreen and sugary vanilla are really disparate notes that just don't harmonize. Colour impression is a real clash of dark hunter green and pale, powdery pink.

 

Verdict: Between Waltz of the Snowflakes and Winter-Time, I realize that the evergreen/sugar combination is just not for me. Swapping this.

[ami226]

Hmmmm, definitely smells a vanilla mint to me.

 

It reminds me of my vanilla spearmint gum, but the mint goes slightly weird on my skin. Definitely not for me, so this is going to a better home!

[achromance]

In the vial: It's not snow I'm picking up, but it's something sweet, soft and pure. A very pleasant scent.

 

On my wrist: Creamy and mildly sweet. Still no signs of snow. I think there's some mild vanilla bean in it, but I can't really pinpoint anything else. I feel like I'm smelling a vanilla candle rather that a perfume.

[maoric]

In the vial: I don't exactly now! Cold and very slightly sweet, as described.

 

Freshly applied: Something very rich and almost but not quite floral, but still with a bit of a cold bite as I smell it. This is definitely different from anything I've smelled before.

 

Drying: The not-exactly-a-floral-slightly-sweet smell is warming up, now being not exactly like a musk/cologne. My skin chemistry makes any blend smell warm . There's still that cold bite to it which is so interesting, especially since the base is fairly warm now. Like being frozen and toasty warm at the same time.

 

Later: The warmth is there, but it's in the back seat to whatever is causing a chill in the back of my nose/throat when I'm smelling. I know mint can do this from brewing strong peppermint tea, but there's no mint I can smell in this. I've read that eucalyptus can do this, but I don't think I've ever smelled it by itself to know how it smells/if it's causing this. As time goes on, the warmth fades more and more, leaving the biting cold smell to do its thing, but eventually ~3 hours or so the scent seems to start to fade entirely. I'm not sure if this is just my nose being accustomed to it and it'll pick it up more later or if it's just fading.

 

Definitely a different, interesting scent. I like it enough to keep the bottle I managed to get, but think I'll look for different scents when this year's Yules come around, or when I feel like buying older Yules

[Gateau]

I usually avoid snow notes, which are wither too aquatic or too minty for me, but this one came in a swap so I gave it a try. It's a real morpher.

 

Wet and into the initial dry down, it's softly minty with a touch of vanilla sweetness. If it stayed like that it would be a keeper. However, once the mint wears off, a light musk comes out, and something floral emerges. It no longer feels particularly cool, and becomes a warmer, musky, sweet perfume that isn't very distinctive. Pretty enough, but not something I'll wear.

[Aviatrix]

A nice, sweet mint with a touch of something sugary - probably vanilla. The mint wears off rather quickly, and what's left is an extremely faint, sweet perfume that's difficult to place...

 

I did a side-by-side comparison with Waltz of the Snowflakes, since the two are very similar to me, at least during the wet stage. I do think I prefer Waltz, however, because it remains stronger and lasts longer on me.

 

Winter-Time is very pleasant, and ironically rather warm, though. Just a shame it doesn't last.

[Jeni Mullen]

2014 version!

 

My nose and scent preference disclaimer: I have three distinct camps of scents that I love: baked goods, earthy spices, and woods/forests. My favorite scents are currently Captain Lilith and her First Mate and Eat Me for the foody category, Morocco and Scherezade for the spices, and Druid and Isle of Demons for my woodsies. Notes I dislike are vetiver, civet, leather, all of the peppers, most florals, sometimes tobacco, "wood" scents like rosewood and sandalwood because I amp them so so much and kitchen spices like sage (and by extension, frankincense because woah I get sage from that).

 

In the bottle: Vanilla mint...it smells exactly like vanilla breath mint in the bottle.

 

Wet on the inside of my wrists: Now the mint's become toothpaste. I'm really not fond of this at all.

 

Fifteen minutes dry: The sugary vanilla hasn't turned plastic. In fact, it's bright and sparkly and very sweet. The mint is almost an after thought, sort of feeling like you do when you suck in a deep breath with a mint in your mouth!

 

Thirty minute dry: One word: Refreshing. So this is what the lab's snow note smells like? As much as I didn't like this at first, I really like it now!

 

Verdict: Keeper!

 

Edit: so I decided to fully test today by wearing it to work. It's giving me such a headache. The mint is very strong it seems when not regulated to just one wrist. The moment I'm in the office I'll be taking a sink bath. This officially makes 0 of 8 bottles purchased a keeper for the Yules.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Yojenitan

[sprout]

Okay, another review for the 2014 version, in case you were contemplating it.

 

Go easy on me, I am a noob reviewer, but I am doing this in the interest of science, yo!

 

In vitro: hmm, fruity, almost drinkable, delectable, is that pineapple or maybe honeydew melon? and slightly sweet, maybe vanilla, it smells like fruity juice with an undercurrent (slight) vanilla extract

Wet: wish I could capture the wet phase longer, but I get a blend of mostly fruit (can't decide between tropical citrus or melon, a hit of vanilla, a lesser hint of mint, spearmint perhaps, and a wood, maybe cedar, but not quite I am guessing fir or spruce it isn't pine or cedar

Drying: The wood note amps for a minute or two, then I get the ozone/fabric softener sheet smell, and I can't unsmell it, it is quite dominant

Drat, this note may kill the blend for me--it may be my skin chemistry

 

 

If I hold my arm away I get the sweet, snow note, slightly fruity, aquatic, with a *hint* of spearmint, but if I lean in close I get fabric sheets--BAH! with soft, almost, but not quite vanilla, powdery resinish fluff note

 

Final drydown is a mixture of that ozone note (it really amps on me, drat) hints of the fruity component, less hint of vanilla, the fir or wood note, and finally, dead last, a hint of vanilla

 

As a prior reviewer said, it smells much better at a distance...then, more like citrusy, minty aquatic slush/snow note

 

I am hoping aging will improve the ozone note, so I will report back. The note that is mysterious and amping is somewhat between ozone, clean fabric softener, and a pretty powder similar to the powder dry down of Snowflakes, so I am hopeful that aging this will get us closer to that note.

 

Edit: I tested again, a year later than my first reviews and I am happy to report that the ozone note that made this blend off putting has aged out. Initially this is that sweet, slightly fruit, slightly evergreen, slightly mint, slightly vanilla, and a touch of hairspray or dryer sheets that is my nose trying to pick apart the components of "Lab snow.". It's delightful! It dries to a nonfoody vanilla kissed powder with a hint of spearmint and amber. More mint than" Snowflakes, " but very similar. It's become one of my favorite snow scents.

Edited January 17, 2016 by sprout

[Nepthys]

I love the idea of a snow scent, but actual snow scents - from BPAL and elsewhere - rarely hit the mark for me. Maybe because I grew up surrounded by the real thing.

 

Anyhow. This is my favorite snow scent from the lab so far. (2014 edition.) It's very soft and comforting, like slipping into new sheets - cool but cozy too. It's what I imagined Snow Bunny would be like years back. It's not terribly mint on me, but more like a soft, powdery snow sweetened by a breath of cinnamon and spearmint. My only complaint: it fades quickly. On the upside, it's not overwhelming to others.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Nepthys

[AmyAngel]

2014 version:

 

In the decant, it smells like cool clean fresh air. It's definitely "cold" smelling, and makes me think "spa".

 

On, it's warming up a bit, but still there's a hint of cold. Mint, I think. It makes me think of snow on trees, though I'm not recognizing any specific sort of evergreen scent really. It just smells like outdoors. I need to test this against The Snow Storm - this is much less evergreen, more mint and much sweeter, but they feel similar to me. Similar concepts, I suppose... this is the day after the storm when everything's settled out and the sun is making the snow sparkle.

 

This is gorgeous, but as I rarely wear The Snow Storm (which I think I like slightly better) and I have more BPAL than I could ever wear, I don't think I need more than the decant. Also, I feel like when I sniff too deeply it's trying to do the stabby-headache thing, but not succeeding. I am going to try a full-day wear on this before the Yules come down, but on a day I'm at home so I can jump in the shower if it gets headachey. I think this might actually be better as a room scent than a personal scent, for me.

 

However I could see this being wonderful for hot summer days, it's definitely cooling!

[poofie]

2014 version.

 

This is clean and cold smelling, with a bit of evergreen at the back which does very much make me think of snowy days outside, and pine trees weighed down with snow. I have been hankering after snow scents and this does it for me, very light and clean and a little sweet!

[TallGrrl78]

2014 version - This is a hard scent to describe. I have a 2010 decant though and finally broke down this year to buy a bottle. It's a soft vanilla powder type scent in both versions. Like what you would imagine freshly fallen snow would smell like if it really had a scent. In the 2014 version I can smell a hint of possibly spearmint which gives it a little more of a fresh cold edge. There also seems to be a slight woodiness to it as well. Not sure if the mint/wood was around in the 2010 version and then just died down with age or not as I don't tend to get those from that version.

 

Overall this scent reminds me of a quiet winter night during a snow storm. Decent throw without being overwhelming.

Edited December 26, 2014 by TallGrrl78