Yggdrasil

[maoric]

The World Ash. Nine woods, nine leaves, and three herbs each for Ratatosk and Vidofnir, with three final herbs to placate Nidhogg.

In the imp: Slightly astringent, young green plants, and a hint of a warmer scent.

Wet: Still astringent at first, but it fades pretty quickly to something that I can only describe as just "perfume" at this point.

Drying: I swear I can smell cilantro very faintly. I haven't had any Mexican/Tex-Mex/etc. food in over a week, so I don't think it's food playing tricks on me, but it fades too soon to be sure. I still get the thought of saplings and perfume, and something is starting to remind me a lot of my mom now.

Later: Powdery, not quite soapy and not quite floral. It really smells a lot like a perfume my mom used to wear often, which is too bad. I really wanted a good woodsy scent, I didn't want to end up smelling like my mom

Not really for me, but I think I'll send the imp down to my mom to see what she thinks of it

[rhubarb3point14]

Ooh, this is so nice!

 

The initial note is a strong hit of minty feel-good wintergreen. I had a nostalgic moment of remembering myself as a child at at Christmas, sparking Wint-O-Green Lifesavers in a dark closet.

 

Then there was a brief period when the scent almost disappeared altogether, and I wondered if I hadn't put on enough.

 

And then the scent re-emerged as a gentle, fresh, woodsy scent that just felt wonderful. I was out doing my farm chores and found that Yggdrasil was very much at home there, as I tramped through the fields of frost-killed plants and smelled the hint of storm in the air.

 

I like this very, very much. I do wish the wintergreen hung on a little longer, because it's very energizing for me. But overall, this is a beautiful fragrance and a definite keeper.

Edited November 13, 2011 by rhubarb3point14

[punkinpie]

In the imp: Someone has cleaned the dentist's office with extra-strength Pine-sol.

Wet: Immediately after putting it on my guy definitely smelled, uh, sanitized. But after about three minutes the freshening elements all went away and he just smelled woodsy.

Dry: It didn't really change much. It was very dry and not sweet in any way. I had to get very close to smell it at all, but then again he puts on a very modest amount when he tries these scents. He liked it!

[elka_knits]

This is my second imp to be tested today.... The first was Satyr which is a very heavy, almost oppressive, resin and I mention that because it might be influencing how I am reacting to this one. YES I showered between them

 

This is slightly lemony on me which I didn't expect at all from my review skimming. Sweet and lemony.... like a lemonade with a few mint leaves thrown in. That just came to me cus my bodaciousness is smelling a wee bit like my Toilet Bowl Cleaner. However I used Method brand Mint and Eucalyptus scented Toilet Bowl Cleaner so it isn't antiseptic or in your face icky cleaner. Now this is the bit where the earlier scent is coming in:

 

It is very light and delicate. I see it as a refreshing summertime scent. I have two imps of this from lab and am putting one up for swap right away. It isn't the sort of thing I wear although it is altogether lovely. I am keeping the other because it is so refreshing and I would like to see if I pull it out during the dog days of summer.

 

UPDATE... in less than 2 hours it is GONE. Very light was right. I cannot imagine it sticking around at all come summer time when I get hot and glow-y. No sense in holding onto this imp despite its loveliness

Edited November 18, 2011 by elka

[Morsigne925]

Got this as a freebie in my first imp order!

Imp: I immediately get a very herbal-minty smell - like a sweet mint mouthwash, or aftershave. It smells very fresh and clean, but almost medicinal at this point

Wet: It smells a little sweeter and more herbal, now it reminds me of like, a sweet minty green/herbal tea; it still has a kind of menthol thing coming off it right now; this is starting to remind me *a lot* of old spice red body wash that my BF uses. As it calms down I'm getting more of the woody smells - if I smell if from a few inches away from my wrist, it smells like..like if you're camping in the woods, and you get up at the crack of dawn to make your coffee, and it's just rained and there's a light breeze. And maybe someone is chewing mint gum nearby. I like it, but I can't decide if it's something I would wear or not - right now it's reminding me too much of how my BF smells just out of the shower maybe I will put it on him instead.

Dry: The smell I get when I'm not directly smelling my wrists, when it just wafts up from wherever I've put it, is close to the light tree-needly smell I pleasantly associate with the holidays, reminds me a bit of the Bath and Body works candles "Winter Garland" and "Winter" but less heavy, and more light and fresh. As time goes on I am really loving this smell, and I agree with other posters about it being gender-neutral - I can't stop smelling my own wrists, but I really want to put this on my DBF - it really makes me think of, if his old spice red body wash got high and made friends with Xmas tree smell, and something sweet.

End of the day: Undecided on this one. Not sure I'd get a bottle for myself, but I want to wait and see if this smells good on my BF. I think I'll keep the imp, either way. IT's something I would enjoy smelling again in the future.

 

Revisit AUG 2014:

 

Wet/imp: Definitely a minty/menthol herby toothpaste sort of scent right off; could be some eucalyptus or something similar to tea tree (but I don't think it is, I'd generally know tea tree anywhere and I hate it). It is a very pleasant, clean, fresh greens sort of smell

 

Drying: As it calms down it really starts to smell the way it smells outside in the early morning, when it's still damp out. I love this - it is such a relaxing, peace-bringing sell. I may get a bottle just to put it in bath salts so I can smell this and relax - perhaps I'll wear it in the winter as well, I love tree-based smells in wintertime. Overall, an unusual scent for a perfume, perhaps not one for every day, but an absolutely lovely smell in any case. I'll have to find a use for it. It would also probably make a fantastic scent for a guy! 4 stars.

Edited August 23, 2014 by Morsigne925

[Floria]

I was expecting more of a dusty-woodiness, but this is surprisingly fresh and sharp in high concentrations - I wouldn't be surprised if it contained eucalyptus or mint, and I'm pretty sure a few of the unnamed woods are evergreens. It has an autumnal feel because of the evergreen, but I can also see it working as a masculine-leaning summer scent if you want a change from the usual mint, aquatics, and citrus.

[archergrl]

I tried this one on myself and my bf.

 

On me: This scent dries to an ok leafy/mossy type smell and disappears completely after a few hrs. Not for my skin apparently.

 

On the bf: This scent dries to a yummy woody scent. Different than fresh out of the bottle but we both definitely like it better on him. First scent for him hopefully more to come

 

I didn't try it in my scent locket but I have so many other scents to test at the moment that I make come back to this one eventually. I'm guessing since we have delegated it as "his scent" probably not though.

Edited December 30, 2011 by archergrl

[Innocuousmold]

Maybe I should give this one another shot, I really wanted to love it... But too bad for me I just smelled wintergreen, wintergreen, wintergreen. I kept thinking about mouthwash or gum the whole time I was wearing it, and I think it kind of ruined me appreciating anything else about it. I think that Yggdrasil + my skin = Trident.

[loubric]

In the IMP it smells like winter in an old bookstore. On me sort of similar, a minty library old book kind of smell. Slight hospital smell with a hint of sweetness. The more I smell my wrist the sweeter it gets and the less medical it becomes. Pretty and minty cool in a leafy sort of way.

[Eschezhivet]

Fresh on my skin, this was puuuuuure sandalwood. Enough sandalwood to knock out a horse. Not particularly dry or sharp or herbal, just... overwhelming. Three hours later it's much more palatable, and I can see (or smell rather, aha) where some people are getting minty/eucalyptusy impressions... I actually quite like the worn-down version of it; perhaps I just need to apply with extreme caution? Deliberately wear it down right off the bat?? Hm.

 

//edit: Hang on, I just reapplied a drop and wow that's different. There's the eucalyptusy thing right up front! And a little something else? Big difference, anyway. I'm guessing maybe it was the temperature... weird. I kinda like it????

Edited April 3, 2012 by Eschezhivet

[Dani87]

Imp: very herbal I couldn't pick anything out though. Very well blended.

Wet: herbs, woods, and something like cocoa powder.

Drydown: the woods come out more, it's cedar, along with other woods, but cedar is all I can pick out. The cedar, and cocoa smell pretty wonderful together.

Dry: the woods amp even more, and the herbal smell is back. The cocoa is pretty much gone, only catching faint wiffs of it .

Overall: this is a very well blended scent, that is so comforting. I wish the cocoa smell I got would have lasted, if it had I would have loved this. Since it didn't this scent isn't really for me, I think it will be really nice on my husband though.

[catalyst]

Wow. So disappointing. On me, it was about the most awful, medicinal, chemical, industrial cleanser type of smell imaginable. It was not light, comforting, or anything ethereal on a warm breeze. I couldn't wipe it off fast enough.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Sharp pine

 

Drydown: At first it’s mainly menthol/eucalyptus, but it grows softer and sweeter as evergreen notes come forward. Possibly juniper and cypress. Maybe some mint too.

 

Dry: Still soft and woodsy but now warmer. Spicy autumn leaves and light herbs join the cooler woods. I’m getting a hint of a deeper wood note too, maybe oak or cedar. Refreshing and uplifting.

 

 

 

 

Lovely woods all around. It starts out cooler and wintery and ends up warmer and autumnal. Two thumbs up.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: It's like a herby, minty Kathmandu.

Wet: Yup. Woody, herbally, vaguely astringent and oddly bubblegummy.

Dry: A manly, soapy version of Kathmandu. Pass.

[Scorianelle]

I was hoping this would be much darker on me but as my skin has a tendency to sweeten everything it ended up being a light stroll through the herb patch rather than a dark bowl of herbal offerings. One thing I can say for it though is that it certainly kept itself interesting. This thing morphed like crazy.

 

At first when it went on it smelt like liquorice. Then after a while that changed to mint, then apple, then coconut. They're not exactly 'herbs', but it was very interesting nonetheless. Ultimately not interesting enough, as it was moved into my swap pile.

 

Colour association: dried-herb green.

[urbantravels]

I'm a total fiend for wood, so I had high hopes for Yggdrasil, but on me it's a bit puny. I'm not getting the mint notes that others are describing - maybe some of the wintergreen (wintergreen is not a mint!) - it's mostly wood in my nose. But it seems like old, dried-out wood that has little sap or fragrance left in it. Sawdusty, even. I'm getting some sandalwood, and some hints of pine or evergreen, but mostly feels like some not-very-resinous hardwood, possibly oak or birch?

 

I don't have a clear mental picture of what ash should smell like - we don't have a lot of them in Los Angeles - but since this is the World Ash, I'd assume there's ash in here. I think there may be one or two ash street trees in my neighborhood, so I'll have to hunt them up and see what I can smell.

 

Overall, sweet and pleasant, but doesn't seem to have much personality on me. Fades relatively quickly after it's on.

Edited April 3, 2013 by urbantravels

[sarandipitee]

This goes from being fresh toothpaste when wet to a bland sort of cologne on drydown. Off to swaps!

[hexnut]

YGGDRASIL

 

A very pale yellow-brown oil. Blind test of a frimp.

 

 

In Vitro Spicy resin.

 

Wet Spice and sandalwood? I was reminded of Plunder.

 

Drying Less spicy and more woody, and still mildly sweet. Half an hour after application the scent was faint but otherwise the same. Five hours on it was barely detectable.

 

 

Yggdrasil has been on my list of candidates for a while so I'm glad the Lab gifted me with this. No bottle in my future but I'll use the imp.

 

 

93

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Fresh green woods with a minty undertone.

 

Wet: Birch beer! I love birch beer. One of these woods must be birch, because this smells very similar to Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, but it’s birch beer, not root beer. I see that other reviewers have mentioned wintergreen, and that’s definitely in here.

 

I would have loved for the birch beer stage to linger, but as Yggdrasil dries down it becomes all dry woods on me. I can’t pick out one particular wood, just a blend of freshly cut woods. My skin does tend to amp woodsy scents, and this lasts and lasts on me. It’s somehow reminiscent of classic vintage perfume, though I couldn’t name exactly which one. Something with lots of woodsy notes.

 

I would never have picked this out for myself, but I like it. It’s both wearable and interesting.

 

Also, I could still smell this on my skin after I showered! The lasting power is fantastic.

[Mokiefraggle]

Just got this as a frimp, with my Black Friday purchase. Hadn't ever really thought on this one as a possibility, though I am trying it out in the name of SCIENCE! (and the possibility that it might prove something to trick the fiance into letting me try on him.)

 

In the Imp: I agree with many of the other reviews--that is definitely wintergreen. Very fresh and green in general, but that's the primary scent note I'm getting at the top. Not terrible, by any means, but potent enough to make my eyes cross for a second.

 

On my skin wet: herby, still a little wintergreen, possibly some eucalyptus. Woody in the very, very back end of it, which has made the sharpness tone down a bit.

 

Drydown: the sharpness is almost entirely gone, and it's not at all as potently wintergreen-y anymore. Crisp herbal, like when I have herbs in the process of drying in the window. Is there mugwort in this? It...kinda smells a bit like there might be, if I'm one to judge.

 

In general, it's not terribly abrasive, nor astringent, nor antiseptic in smell, which such a strongly herbal blend might potentially be. It's crisp, and a little bit dry...it's like a nicer, mellower version of the smell of gin, in some ways. I don't know if it's quite for me, but I think I may see if darling will let me try some on him to see if it goes better on him than me. I'm not much of a "green" scent person, but he goes very well with things that have a eucalyptus or juniper-y scent, and woody, foresty scents are wonderful on him, so this seems right up his alley. Now to be able to try it on him without having to sit on him first. >_>

 

ETA: well, the fiance actually did not protest my applying this to him, and I was right. Much better on him than me; very much evergreens and some slightly dark herbs, with a woody base. He's getting the imp with his Yule gift, methinks.

Edited December 7, 2013 by Mokiefraggle

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Minty woods! The mint reminds me of wintergreen chewing gum.

 

Wet on skin: The woods are a little stronger on my skin, and the mint a little sharper (we're going into peppermint territory here), but otherwise the same. I definitely smell some pine in the woods here.

 

Dried down: This is pretty much a mint party on me with a little bit of woodsiness.

 

Throw: This has some decent throw, mostly mints dancing through the air with a floral or musky, almost grapey edge.

 

Verdict: *** This is really nice, but I don't know that I'm all that into it. IT's a surprising, chaotic scent on me, filled with life, but I'm not sure how often I would reach for it. I thik I'll definitely hang on to the imp, but I don't think I need a bottle.

[rinster]

Hooray for frimps I wouldn't have thought to try on my own. This opens with a very dark, woody, almost vetiverish feel. As it dried I swear it almost smelled like a leafy root beer or sasparilla! Very cool but not sure it's me.

[gasolinemonk]

YGGDRASIL

 

WET: woody, with a hint of freshly brushed teeth.
ON PAPER: clean, but still very woody. clean in the same way that a forest smells clean even though you know it is the precise opposite of clean. a bit of petrichor. very pleasant, really.

WET ON SKIN: minty fresh! the toothpaste smell is back. definitely some leaves and some wood in there too.

DRY ON SKIN: the toothpaste smells fades away (not that a toothpaste smell is bad, quite the contrary). smells like if you peel a section of bark off a tree and sniff. i was expecting a wet leaf smell, but there's none of that. very dry, clean, woody smell.

 

CONCLUSION: I quite like it. I might wear it. reminds me of home (I grew up in the woods).

[gentle-twig]

this starts off smelling sooooooooooooo strongly of pine/eucalyptus/mint on me. very cool and astringent and not necessarily unpleasant but definitely not me. it starts to calm down and some more subtle wood notes come out... birch? sandalwood? it ends up on a soft but still cool and light sandalwood-heavy scent. clean without being uninteresting, it's nice but not for me.

[lady_pandora]

When first applied, Yggdrasil is a big blast of manly mint. It doesn't smell quite like any specific mint I can pin down, but I think it can be explained by a mixture of pine and wintergreen to create a dark green minty impression. In this first stage, it smells like a men's grooming product, like aftershave. Gradually, the really screaming edge evaporates off, leaving a scent that is clearly still the same stuff (dark green mint) but less tingly and more gender-neutral. It smells like an aromatherapy product, like the dark-bottle stuff in B&BW. Really nice and medicinal at the same time.

 

And then something comes out that I really, really like, eventually revealing itself as red sandalwood. It's joined by, I think, some other wood notes I can't identify, plus the pine is still there, and something...peppery? I'm not sure exactly what's ringing peppery to me, but it is.

 

This is a really nice and calming scent that isn't quite my personality. I haven't quite made up my mind what to do with it:

-Use it for aromatherapy, or meditation.

-Give it to the boyfriend.

-Give it to my Heathen friend who'd get more out of the symbolism.

 

Anyway, it's quite well done and worth trying if you like minty and woody scents.

Edited December 30, 2014 by lady_pandora