The Wolves Howled, The Ravens Screamed

[lizabelle]

Dark soil upturned by raking claws, a shiver of pine needles, glints of white frankincense, and a gleaming black rustle of lavender, cade, and opoponax.

This is a blend of things I never would have thought to put together, and it really, really works. The pine and lavender are not a combination I would have guessed I wanted, but it's beautiful! The pine is strong at first, but the the lavender amps to balance it perfectly. Anyone who likes the lavender in Mari Lwyd, The Air and the Ether, Hidden Purpose, etc. will like this. It's not too herbal or too floral. The frankincense and opoponax are soft and stick to the background, but they warm up the scent and keep it from feeling too icy, which is a problem I sometimes have with pine. This is truly a standout from the Yules I've tried, and I'll probably end up getting backups.

[zankoku_zen]

Pine and lavender. This one is the cooler/icier twin to the Language of Crows, which is a pine-tobacco blend. The pine cools the lavender, and then the frankincense pops out. Cool, herby, foresty. Good throw and wear length. This one codes gender-neutral to slightly masculine to me (I think that may be the pine). Again, another blend for mr. zee_zee to test out.

[VetchVesper]

All in all, this is a lovely scent, and I keep going back and forth as to whether or not to keep it, b/c I know I won't wear it, but it's still really nice. It's a very smooth, dry, evergreen fragrance. Cade is apparently a type of juniper and it's a very well behaved juniper b/c normally it's a death note for me. The lavender is soft and somewhat astringent, yet there's a sweetness to the smell, maybe from the oppoponax? This makes me think of falling asleep in a fairy tale forest.

[lizardskin]

This is a very solid pine forest scent. It's a dark, fairy tale forest, and even without ice or snow notes it gives me the feeling of stillness you sometimes get in the woods in winter.

It has some similarities to Silence of the Woods, but where that one calls to mind dead pine needles covering a forest floor, this one smells like fresh, green needles with the scent of dirt faintly in the background. If you like pine forest scents I highly recommend trying this!

[Dark Alice]

Solid pine forest with a hint of chilly wind and the scent of earth and fur. Very evocative and oddly comforting.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Oh man. I love opoponax. I love dirt. I LOVE the two of them together! And the woods work really well with both notes. This smells like a hike on a gloomy dark day - the kind of day where I manage to get spooked out in the woods, even though I know them like the back of my hand (I actual enjoy the feeling of being spooked, and grin at myself as a startle with every noise). This is really atmospheric, and I like it a lot.

 

 

 

Dry: I friggin love this. It is so dark and rich and menacing, but also lovely and haunting. I will for sure be wearing this in the spring and fall when it is damp and gloomy outside. And just in case it wasn't clear - opoponax + dirt = amazing!

[Aveya]

This is surprisingly lovely. It smells like a forest - in the darkest dampest coldest way possible. It's dirty but light. Initially it was lavender men's cologne. But then darkens up quickly. Longer drydown goes much darker, and much more masculine on me. Warm musky fur and cold slick feathers.

 

For me, too masculine (at least this style of masculine isn't for me). But if I smelled this on someone else I would certainly be intrigued. Solid earthy-masculine scent to me.

[samanare]

I get pine, dirt, and lavender in that order. It smells exactly like a pine forest with freshly turned dirt, and a hint of lavender. Great longevity and throw on me.

[dementia_divine]

In the decant: I’m getting lots of dark soil with some pine and lavender.

 

Wet: There’s a blast of bracing pine, lavender, and then, the soil. The soil note becomes stronger after a few minutes.

 

Dry: The dark soil ends up becoming the most prominent note, with a much calmer pine and lavender. After a while, the white frankincense note emerges and gains strength, so that it is a resin scent with a smattering of dirt, and after a few hours, I get a bit of the opoponax as well.

 

Verdict: I like the Lab’s dirt scents, and I’m fond of pine and lavender, so I was curious about this scent. It’s not something I feel the need to obtain more of, but I do think it is a nice, winter-y dirt scent. I think I’ll hold on to the decant.

Edited June 19, 2018 by dementia_divine