Vinland

[fairnymph]

Crisp northern wind blowing over loganberry, wild roses, prairie crocus, iris versicolor Linné, mountain avens, yellow birch bark, mayflower and maple leaf.

In the bottle: Light herbal-floral, hints of soapy cologne.

Wet: More herbal, in a medicinal way...and I'm getting a whiff of urinal? Astrigent, despite the florals. I can smell the iris and wild roses, and other flowers that have that classic perfume 'white floral' note. I'm not getting any fruit or woods. This is a really weird blend.

Dry: Slightly sweet and fruity, delicate mixed florals. No woods. The herbal scent is much lighter now; no longer astringent or urinalesque.

Summary: Musky floral woods, a wee bit powdery - though it went through a more heavily powder stage. Edited May 4, 2008 by Shollin

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Berries and light wood with a hint of rose.

 

Immediately on skin: The first things that come out on my skin are white floral notes… sharp and dry and almost herbal. There’s a hint of rose, but that’s all I get from this right away.

 

After a few minutes: After a few minutes this scent fades to the loveliness that I got straight from the imp: juicy purple berries with a hint of soft wood and the lightest kiss of rose. It’s a very pretty, airy scent… as if the wind were carrying the scent like the description says.

 

Overall Impressions: I really enjoy this scent after it has a chance to warm up on my skin. The berry note is nice and sweet and juicy, and the wood and rose in the background make this blend a bit more complex and wearable. It’s extremely well blended, and almost reminds me of a berry tea scent. It’s not too sweet and is very well balanced.

[elinox]

First Sniff: Berry with a slight hint of crocus or iris, I'm not sure which.

 

Wet: It's light and smells a touch like fresh spring flowers, that's probably the crocus coming through. The loganberry starts to come through on the dry down. A hint of rose also peaks through on the dry down.

 

Dry: The loganberry is much more prominant than when first sniffed, but not overly so. There are more things that come out after it dried on me, but I can't name them.

 

My Reaction: A very pleasant, springtime scent on me. Unfortunately I couldn't smell the maple leaf which was disappointing. The light smell of the loganberry was very pleasant; not as overpoweringly so like the blackberry scent in Knave of Hearts, but light and very pleasant.

[ouch!]

Whoa! there's a whole lot going on in this tiny vial.

Mainly I'm getting berries (LoganBerry) but there's also whole lot of floral that's verging on headache inducing. It's hella strong though and quite intrusive.

I think it's turning into a soapy mess on my skin...

 

I would like to have been able to pick out more individual notes on this but it's just very very strong and I smell like I've been shoved through a glass counter full of a million bottles of commercial perfume.

 

eek!

 

 

[Aldercy]

Vinland is all tart rose water when wet. It's getting ever more complex as it dries-- with more bitter bramble berries (and almost a hint of hay). The pale, paper-thin rose note is a very cold one, shot through with something almost like an iron-y metallic.

 

I wish more of the birch and maple would appear and give Vinland greater depth, but it's still interesting. I might consider layering this with something a bit more earthy/autumnal.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Aldercy

[reynardine]

This is my favorite scent of all time. I can't believe I never got around to reviewing it!

 

Okay, here goes.

 

In the bottle: Rich, deep, almost too strong. A lot going on--almost too much.

 

Wet: It starts sorting out pretty quickly, though. I'm getting the roses, berries, something else...

 

Drydown: Still roses and berries, very rich. There IS something else that I don't have the experience to place, but my skin is amping the berries and I'm loving the rose notes.

 

And does this stay? Yes it does! ALL DAY LONG!! (So many of these things fade out on me, it's very trying...)

 

I tried this back in 2005 as an imp and got a 10 ml bottle. Still working my way through it (fortunately, I don't slather). It has aged beautifully--the scent is richer and deeper than ever before.

 

I cried when I found out this one was discontinued. If you run across some and have a chance to try it, please do. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised. But like the Viking Settlement in Newfoundland, this scent was not destined to be with us long.

 

Skoal! to the Northland! Skoal! "

 

--Thus the tale ended. --The Skeleton in Armor, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

[filigree_shadow]

Vinland smells like a soft berry scent at first, but then some grassy, sort of meadowy notes come out when it's dry. I like the berry in it, but grassy notes often aren't a favorite for me and usually end up hurting more than helping a blend. I don't mind this scent -- it's soft and pretty, and I can see why people like it -- but it doesn't suit me personally.

[Helas]

Vinland is a cool and bracing Northern floral. The wild roses definitely dominate the blend; they are a little sharp and feel cold to me, as though their petals were laced with frost. The "crisp Northern air" is evoked through a faint ozone note. I've taken to wearing Vinland early in the morning to wake myself up, and it's as effective as a cup of coffee for that jolt of almost electric coolness. It feels like going for a walk on an early Canadian spring morning, when all the snow has melted and the wildflowers have begun to bloom, but they are covered with the last night's frost.

 

I'm not usually a fan of florals, especially when they feature a sharp rose note, but I enjoy Vinland and will probably look for more once my imp runs out.

[angelamaria]

In imp: cool floral, slightly heady at first sniff.

 

Wet on skin: whoaaaa dusty floral. Slightly green, somewhat cool, but not minty. A fresh, natural-smelling blend, were it not for the dusty rose, although the dustiness seems to be quieting down.

 

Dry: sweet--almost syrupy sweet--florals, bright and fresh and faintly cloying. A bright and lively scent, and I can see why this is well loved. Obviously, the rose has disappeared for me, but the dustiness has disappeared, or at least has died down enough to not be noticeable and have the fresh flowers and nature scent shine through unheeded. The green-ness and faint resins ground this scent well.

 

Verdict: if this were still available, I'd probably get a bottle, but by now I'm really not looking forward to yet another discon hunt.

[ObliqueRed]

I apparently amp the loganberry, because on me this smells really strongly of fruit with just a hiiiiiiint of something piney in the background. Not a good match for my chemistry.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: A cold, slightly minty note. Berry (the loganberry, I have to assume). Something green. It's quite pleasant.

 

 

Dry: A lot of the cold note burns off, leaving berries and florals. Pretty! It's not knocking my socks off, but it's lovely and fresh smelling, and I quite like it.

[Casablanca]

I love the different notes I see in the list. Mountain avens? Wonderful.

 

On the wand, I get tart, dry berries in a powdery and fresh floral. Almost laundry-like.

 

On my skin, the berries dominate. They seem less tart, but just as dry as on the wand. This blend definitely gives a cool, powdery meadow impression on me. I don’t pick out any specific flower, other than a breath of roses when I look for it. Unfortunately, this is too powdery on my skin.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: I can smell the loganberry the most, but I'm not able to pick out which flowers I'm smelling. I do not get any of the tree notes in the imp.

 

Wet: This is the scent of loganberry and wildflowers on a sunny, alpine meadow next to a forest (probably the yellow birch bark). The loganberries dominate, followed by the flowers.

 

Dry: This dries down to a predominantly loganberry scent with some florals in the background (I can smell the rose, but I'm not able to pick out the others). I am no longer getting any of the forest.

 

Verdict: Berry scents aren't generally my thing, but I wanted to try this because VIKINGS. I really enjoyed the wet phase of the scent, especially when it was freshly applied and I got the impression of a nearby forest. But the dry phase was mostly just loganberry on me. I am not sure if I would reach for this one – I like Elf more as a scent with forest, floral, and berry notes – but I'm really happy I got a chance to try it. Because VIKINGS.