Yules?

[scent-sational]

In your opinion what Yule's are the must have's?

[Numanoid]

Well, since I am new to BPAL...this is my first time getting some Yule scents. I did swap a while ago for a half bottle of Snow White 2007 and just fell in love with it, so of course I had to get a bottle this year! I bought 3 other bottles along with that one...just by description, so hopefully they will work out too. Can't wait for them to show up!!!

[scent-sational]

I am new also so not sure what I should order, let me know how your order turns out if it's not to much trouble. Thanks for your input, and happy holidays.

[ivyandpeony]

I am sure you will get more responses as people receive their Yule orders - it looks like the Lab hasn't started shipping Yule orders just yet. I haven't put my order together, either, so I'm looking forward to hearing what the most popular new scents are.

 

Of the scents that are returning, my favorites are Chanukah, Jacob's Ladder, Noche Buena, Rose Red and Snow White. Snow White is unique and to me, doesn't smell like anything I've ever smelled before. It's reminiscent of almonds, but not almondy, reminiscent of coconut but not coconutty. Jacob's Ladder is my absolute favorite resin scent from all the BPAL scents I've tried over the years - it's predominantly amber on me, but of course the versions can vary from year to year with any of these. And Noche Buena was a big sleeper hit for me. It's mostly a white floral with other notes that kind of make it a little spicy. I love it.

 

The Frankenstein and Little Match Girl scents are brand new to the Lab, so I'm also looking forward to reading reviews and trying as many as I can.

[TheMistWalking]

The Frankenstein and Little Match Girl scents are brand new to the Lab, so I'm also looking forward to reading reviews and trying as many as I can.

 

Ditto. I've already begun stalking the review threads (now that they're up).

 

I'm curious about Beautiful and Adored, Pale Student of the Unhallowed Arts, and A Wonderful Light -- plus Yellow Snowballs and Maison en Pain d'Epices.

 

In general, I'm wondering what the favorites will turn out to be.

 

(I'm also stalking the BPTP threads becuase ... hello, Puddings!! )

[skyelyric]

My absolute must-have this year is Woods in Winter. I have a bottle from last year and it's one of my favorites, but I'm probably strange in that. If you've smelled Elf in the RPG series, add a snow note to that (cold, very very faintly minty) and you have Woods in Winter. I'm waiting till I see reviews, but my holiday money bottles are probably going to be WiW, Dust of Snow, Diable in Boite, and I might brave Yellow Snowballs.

 

My favorites virtually never line up with the crowd favorites, so I usually just have to look at note lists and cross my fingers.

[Numanoid]

I am new also so not sure what I should order, let me know how your order turns out if it's not to much trouble. Thanks for your input, and happy holidays.

 

I will let you know...I JUST got my shipping info today, so my order should be here tomorrow!! I am expecting Midnight Mass, Snow White, Lick it Descreetly, and Maison en Pain something something....the gingerbread house one! I also got into a decant circle, so waiting for 6 other decant imps of other yules. Can't wait!!!!

[elka_knits]

You might try and see if you can get into a decant circle. I tend to go for resins and other incense smells so have Jacobs ladder, Midnight Mass, Haloa and the Magi from'06 socked away. All of those mentioned amber, myrrh, frankincense and/or vanilla/tonka in the descriptions. I never went for any of the roses , lick its, or pine/juniper scents. I like to think of my smell as warm [creamy, spicy] and welcoming~ golden if you will~ instead of cool so anything that talks of winter chill or crisp air has been skipped. Unless it was a lunacy. I like the lunar oils in general and am willing to risk weird to me notes. Of all the smells the trading posts bread puddings are calling to me as are the lights from matchstick girl. I hope to get decants of the ones that sound interesting and get in an order before they go down in Feb.

 

Historically lick its and snow white do seem popular but I have never tried either of them and I don't know any local BPALers despite living in a fairly large city.

[angelamaria]

A Wonderful Light is an instant must-buy for me (linden blossom and vanilla are absolute win), but I recently was able to test an earlier year's Pink Snowballs so I'm adding that in when I finally make my before-Weenies-come-down order...and hope that this year's Pink Snowballs is just as nice and plays well with me.

 

My other two Yule scents that I have tested and consider keepers are Snowblind and Waltz of the Snowflakes.

 

Why yes, I love vanilla!

[stellamaris]

Umm, lets see, all of them? You do not want to know my Yule orders. Yes orders. Two already and more to come. It's terrifying.

[scent-sational]

Thank you all for your input, I went ahead and placed an order, mostly stayed with safe things. I also have a few decants coming, not to many. After reading your posts I am thinking I should have added Jacob's Ladder, I was really on the fence about that one. Oh well maybe I will place a second order before they come down in Feb.

[tativa]

Hmm so far hits from this year: ondurius, a wonderful light, winter heavens, and zomg pumpkin rooibos!!! Beautiful and adored was quite lovely too.

 

Chiming in to add my vote to Snow White too... with the absence of trading post items with it this year... I'll be buying a few bottles to add to unscented things. It really is worth bathing/ living in

[orata]

I have bottles of Pink Snowballs (sweet soft rose), A Wonderful Light (warm orange beeswax), and Beautiful and Adored (musky, girly fruity floral) so far and I really love them all. Haven't gotten my decants yet, so this list may grow

[bicyclette]

I'm totally in love with Thousands of Lights. So gorgeous. Warm beeswaxy incense goodness. Also loving Ondurdis and Pumpkin Masala Rooibos.

[tativa]

Mmm pumpkin masala rooibos is totally growing on me. I layered it today with a vanilla lotion... and smell like really yummy bakery treats! Many nice ones... but that is the one I keep craving and coming back to.

[TheMistWalking]

I bought a bottle of Sugar Cookie unsniffed and I love it. It smells just like a warm buttery cookie.

 

On the other hand, I bought a bottle of Snow White, and it smells just like ... plastic. (Is there a cream note in there somewhere? The lab's cream note has been plasticy on me.) I'm hoping that aging will work some magic.

[Mountaingrrl00]

My favorites so far are A Blot Upon The Earth (dark, resinous complexity), Thousands of Lights (citrusy-resin euphoria), and Pink Snowballs (vanilla-rosy comfort scent).

[StevenBoatman]

Well, I only have one so far (Lick It, Discreetly), but I love it! It's a deep mint with soft sugar and tiny droplets of vanilla. It's not precisely what I think of when I think of a candy cane, but more like those soft, almost chewy peppermints.

 

(Now, I only have about eighty gajillion more to go!)

[ladyflash]

Right now, I'm considering getting bottles of Colder & Colder (creamy minty goodness), Midnight Mass 2011 (sweet incense), and Midwinter's Eve 2011 (plum candy). Still working through the other decants I have so I know what I want!

[Eliyetres]

Ive ordered Midwinters Eve but I still have 5 more from Frankenstein and Match Girl I want! It seems to be the most popular ones because all the decant spots are taken. Wonder if I dare to buy them all...

[Altaira]

I got a Lab order and my first round of decants today and tried 14 Yules. Surprisingly, my absolute favorite has been Breathless Horror (icy white musk and thick olibanum with niaouli, carrot seed, white mint, and camphor). It's a really great light musk with a hint of sweetness and woods.

 

Others I liked were:

Deepest Mysteries of Creation (wild frankincense, rose otto, hyssop, and oude) soft resins and a bit of rose

A Dreary Night of November (bone-white sandalwood, ink-black vetiver, Spanish moss, bitter clove, beeswax, and lotus root) warm, almost vanilla-ish sandalwood and wax with a hint of moss.

[stellamaris]

Nocha Buena is pretty darn lovely, and smells like what a poinsettia would smell like, if it smelled like anything.

That said I still think my hit of the season is Gelt with Lick it Discreetly, smelling like Peppermint Bark I can surely die happy.

The Frankenstiens are pretty awesome, so far my favorite is Dense & Frightful Darkness.

[apathygirl]

Can anyone clarify whether Woods in Winter and Ondurdis are similar? I have (and like) Woods in Winter and was thinking about getting Ondurdis as well, but I should probably be wise and not get two identical snow/woods scents!

[Altaira]

Keeping in mind that I didn't care for either blend and BPALs "snow" note smells like like straight up cologne to me, I don't think they are similar at all.

 

I have the 2010 version of Woods in Winter, so that might also make a difference.

 

Woods in Winter: Pine and twigs with a bit of chilly perfume I think is the ice note. The bare tree scent of dry twigs was the most interesting part of this for me.

 

Öndurdis: Mint, cologne, and a warm spiciness I can't pin down. This one triggers a headache, the same way Shivering Boy did, so they probably have a similar snow note.

[patina]

So far, out of the few I've tested, A Wonderful Light is the only clear winner. That's odd because I thought citrus rind would be way too loud and bitter. The amber/beeswax reminds me of Hod Res, except Wonderful Light lacks the carnation note and instead smells like a freshly-peeled orange.

Edited December 29, 2011 by patina