The Last Evening of the Year

[cfrancesca]

Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening– the last evening of the year. In this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl, bareheaded, and with naked feet. When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that? They were very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto worn; so large were they; and the poor little thing lost them as she scuffled away across the street, because of two carriages that rolled by dreadfully fast.

Snow settling on cold skin, tea rose petals, and dusty, threadbare linen.

I mostly get a clean fresh-linen scent from this one, very much like clothes just washed with a soft floral fabric softener, as it dries I start to get a little bit of pine-tinged snow. It settles into just-washed linen scent with hints of snow and pine and surprisingly I'm not getting rose on my skin but it's maybe blended into the linen scent and that's what is making it smell like a soft floral fabric softener to my nose.

I like fresh clean laundry type scents so I find this pretty and actually my favorite from the batch I purchased, but I was hoping it would smell like a Pink Snowballs with soft linen but the fresh laundry scent overpowers everything else.

[sharkdiver]

I have to agree with cfrencesca when she made the laundry fabric softener comparison - I can deifnitely see that. It also reminds me of a very well packages of some expensive french milled soap that you would purchase in one of those quaint gift boutiques. It's not a bad scent, but Definitely not my favorite of the bunch...off to the swaps pile it goes!

[Icefly]

When LEotY just arrived (and was still cold from outside) I sniffed the bottle and said, "sharp and maybe a little generic." It has since grown on me, to be one of my current favorite bpals.

 

I get linen and a hint of flowers (maybe rose, but it's not distinct). There's also a tiny bit of the "snow" note that I've gotten in other winter-type bpals, but hardly any. Basically, I like this scent because it's the best fresh laundry scent I've ever smelled. I used to love Dirty, but now it seems to burn my nose slightly...this works well as a go-to for when Dirty is too much.

 

I rarely buy two bottles of any bpal scent, but I'm seriously considering a back-up of this.

[Invidiana]

This turned out to be a completely unexpected winner. I feared it would end up being mostly dusty rose with a bit of linen, but on the contrary it's an absolutely lovely snowy linen blend anchored by crystalline musk. I definitely recognize the Lab's white musk note in here, and the linen gives it an unconventionally "clean" feeling very different from the mostly soapy blends that are normally associated with that category. It has that cold quality brought on by the snow note, but without being minty or piney. I barely detect any rose at all, possibly because what is here blends so seamlessly with the other elements for a tinge of a floral quality that only compliments the blend. The more I smell this, the more it fascinates me.

[Rho]

I accidentally smashed my decant of this and it became all leaky, so I chose to pour the remaining oil all over my arms and test this. Sadly, this will be the only test I get out of my decant. Kind of sad, because this is pretty.

 

When this was wet on my skin, I got an herbally vibe I couldn't place. I kept wanting to say "eucalyptus," but I don't think that's it. Whatever it is, this element persists to some degree throughout wear, adding a menthol-like "kick" to the fragrance. (Later, I'm pretty sure it's white musk combining in interesting ways with the rest of the notes.)

 

Once dry, I get clean, stiff linens, like other reviewers have mentioned.

 

The tea rose is understated and adorable. I only get the faintest whiff of petite pink roses and I really like them in this blend. To all rose haters; it's BARELY there in this one.

 

As for snow and skin, I think something like white musk is creating a feeling of snow. I don't pick out anything I would label as "skin," such as skin musk or anything.

 

Overall this is cleanest fabric, tinged with tea rose, over a base of bright musk. Pretty, and a complete shame that my supply is ruined. Why couldn't I have smashed an oil I didn't like?

[Iceblink]

Fresh snow and fresh linen. The tea rose is barely, barely there. I can't decide if this is going to be like the best laundry detergent ever on my skin or smell wonderfully clean--I may need to test this again. The snow note here is not as sharp as it was in Yellow Snowballs, so that's a plus!

[coldandsleepy]

On first application, this is nothing but laundry detergent on me. A nice unscented laundry detergent (you know the way "unscented" still has a smell?) but laundry detergent all the same.

 

After a while, it's a little less aggressively detergent-y and I get a nice skin musk and a very, VERY gentle breath of tea rose. If I wasn't looking for tea rose in particular, I might just describe it as "petals".

 

It's a nice clean delicate scent. It does make me think of a little girl-- not a dressup scent but the way an actual child might smell fresh out of the bathtub.

 

Unfortunately, it's just a little TOO delicate for me to see myself reaching for it in the future.

[Leopard403]

I too get laundry detergent, but it is nice laundry detergent. Too masculine for me, but would be great on a guy.

[Antoinette]

I get a very clean, delicate rosy scent. I am reminded of a gentle fabric softener (not in a bad way) and a chill air. It's really very pretty.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Last Evening of the Year

 

In the imp: sour rose cologne and a hint of pine.

Wet on skin: whoa, soapy and dusty linen!

Dry on skin: an intriguing mix of spiced rose, clean linen, dust, and the BPAL snow note. The rose has a hint of cinnamon to it, which is very pleasant. It reminds me of Harlot, but not as strongly spicy, there may be clove here too. The rose also reminds me of Touched Twice, it’s strong but youthful. The linen note is a cross between the freshly laundered variety and something a little more dusty and moth-eaten. There is a hint of the snow note here, the same one from Snow Maiden or Snow Moon, it’s got a pine scent to it and there’s also a hint of red berry. There’s a strange dissonance here between the warm rose and berries and spices with the chilly linen and snow.

After a while: soapy powder. Gone are the snowy skin and the spicy rose, all I smell is dusty but very clean linen, and washing powder. It’s much too detergent-like for me. The powdery scent with the faint remnants of rose reminds me of a kind of old fashioned potpourri smell.

Verdict: this scent does tell a story as I first apply it…I get spices and remnants of Christmas trees suggesting festivities and happiness, mixing with opulent rose perfume, but all that contrasts with the scent of a young but vulnerable little girl dressed in rags shivering in the cold. It’s really amazing how Beth does it. I can understand why she cried when she made these scents. The drydown is disappointing after the poignant first stage of the scent (it turns to a generic washing powder smell with very faint rose) but I’m impressed by how the scent can really capture the emotion of what it describes. Not a ‘Happy New Year’s Eve’ scent by all means, but as a piece of perfumed narrative, it works.

Is it a keeper? probably not, but I admire it for what it is.

If you like this, try: The Pool of Tears, Penthus, Dirty, Snow Moon, Touched Twice, Tears, Idle Tears

[jensdays]

In the imp I got clean linen with a hint of rose. As soon as I put it on it went cheap rose soap and stayed that way. Very disappointing.

[Gateau]

Pure laundry detergent from start to finish. It's a nice laundry detergent, like one I used to use in Paris, but it's still soap. Sadly for me, the aquatics and mints that make up snow scents just don't play right on me. I never got any skin or rose in this.

[angelicruin]

Fresh snow and linen on my skin. Very clean smelling and feminine without being too delicate.

[Blood onmy hands]

The Last Evening smells unusual to me because it's soapy and clean, but also dusty smelling, like someone took soapy, wet clothes from the washer and tossed them into a dusty attic instead of the dryer.

 

I'm not smelling any rose here, just lots of soapy laundry, dust, and a chill from the snow.

[lunaticana]

it is exactly what the description says

it is wonderfull that the Lab made it like this,

before I did not had much trust in that scent of snow settling on cold skin,

but it really happened, just a second ago

there also is rose and washing detergent linen in it!!!

I LOVE this one the most out of all my Little Matchgirls!!!

[caseys]

The Last Evening of the Year smells like clean clothes. Interestingly, the blend feels very warm despite the snow note. It reminds me of standing in my laundry room while the dryer is running - when the air is full of that warm, floral linen smell. LOVE IT. This is definitely a comfort scent, and I'll probably be picking up a bottle to use at bedtime.

[zankoku_zen]

ROSE linen. It smells very clean, and well like ubernice detergent.

[porcelina]

this was kind of an unexpected purchase for me- i usually don't go for delicate, chilly scents, or rose, but my success with the vampire bride inspired me to go for it. and it's good!

 

the snow note is a *bit* overwhelming, to be honest- there's too much pine, that kind of takes over. i would actually like a bit more tea rose. the linen scent is lovely and clean and everything is quite sweet and lovely- i could just do with much less pine.

[reconditarmonia]

Yup, laundry. Floral but not particularly rosy, but I'm getting the watery-detergenty-fabric scent.

[LizMarivi]

Of the LMG scents that I've tried, this is by far my favorite! I LOVE that it smells a little fabric softener-y. If anyone is familiar with the fabric softener Suavitel, it smells a lot like that to me. Very delicate and clean... I think I see a big bottle of this in my future.

Edited January 13, 2012 by MahB

[Monday]

In the vial: le toilet cleaner.

On my skin: this morphs quickly to fabric softener. I guess it's the linen-note. It's quite nice and pretty though I'm not sure if I would wear it a lot.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Linen and rose mostly, with a particularly rambunctious snow formulation and a really interesting dust note. This is an unusual and quirky rose dominant scent, unlike anything I can think of in the catalog. No skin test, rose.

[Ghost of a Rose]

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera.

 

In the imp: The oil is a light, bright yellow color with a golden-brown sediment at the bottom - mix well before using. The scent does remind me of snow, clean linen, and maybe some citrus? It's difficult to pin down, but lovely.

 

On me, wet: A camphoraceous note (eucalyptus? or pine?) comes out right away, that I didn't get in the imp. It's sharp, but not overpoweringly so, and it blends quite nicely with the citrus-y note. The linen is here, too, although to me it smells freshly-washed-and-ironed rather than dusty. So far I'm not noticing any rose, although there's something here that's more feminine that the pine and citrus would indicate.

 

After 10 minutes: Ah, there's the rose, beautifully complementing the clean linen and pine. There's still that fruity note that is either too faint or too unusual to identify as lemon, grapefruit, orange, etc - just a gentle impression of citrus. I notice that one reviewer mentioned red berry - that could be another possibility. It's too subtle to tell for sure.

 

After 20 minutes: All of the same notes are still present, but the clean linen one is quickly taking over. It isn't a generic fabric softener scent - something very similar, but so much nicer. The other notes add some gorgeous nuances. I don't get any dust note at all, and the rose is very delicate, fading into the background of the clean linen scent.

 

After 30 minutes: The camphoraceous pine is gone, leaving the exceptionally beautiful clean linen blended fragrance. There is something about this that is indeed very pure and innocent, evocative of a little girl. In fact, a little girl could wear this, but somehow it's not too childish for a grown woman. It doesn't make me think of the little match girl, though (one of my favorite stories as a child - it always made me cry.) This little girl is cared for very well indeed - tenderly and lovingly, with her clothes so freshly washed and ironed.

 

After 1 hour: Same as above, but lighter.

 

From then on, the fragrance remains consistent as it gradually fades away. The longevity is about average for a BPAL. This is going on my wishlist for a full bottle!

 

My rating: 4 stars

[milo]

Kind of a sharp, florally snow note. This blend is far too sharp for me to enjoy.

[sea_stars]

This reminds me a lot of Demeter's Laundromat, but with rose and snow. Very fresh smelling linen, rose in the background, and a blanket of fresh snow. I couldn't wear this all the time, but it is very pretty and I can see myself reaching for it certain days when I wanna smell super squeaky clean!