November

[Tulliver]

Autumn leaves damp beneath the first snowfall.

There's not a lot I can say about this one that hasn't already been said.

Wet forests.

Not snowy, but wet and cold. Slushy leaves rather than dried ones.

You'd think that would be a turnoff. Quite the opposite. This is lovely. This smells just like the field outside my house of a winter morning when it's just me and the dog, before the local little thuglets wake up. In fact, I keep getting the impression that all I have to do is turn my head just right and I'll catch the scent of some of our resident foxes too.

It's probably a good thing that I don't. *giggles* I do love our foxes, but they really wouldn't translate well to a perfume. Hmmmm, no.

But yes. This is gorgeous.

[suileach]

Ah, November. I was sad after Death of Autumn and October didn't work on me, so I was hoping against hope that November would prove the exception and be an autumn leaf scent that works on me. Verdict =

 

In the vial and when first applied, it has that unpleasant, nearly overpowering astringent smell that occurred with DoA and October. And yet it also has this deep, amazing *dirt* scent to it that really does smell like cold winter earth. There's also something dry and, to my nose, cedar-y.

 

On drydown, it smells like ozone, snow, and burnt leaves. Amazing. This is just what I've been looking for in terms of leafy-smoky-autumny goodness.

Edited December 14, 2007 by suileach

[damiel42]

This is my first review. I'm fairly new to BPAL and I'm loving every minute.

 

The idea of being able to sniff something that smells like snowy leaves made November catch my eye right away, and the reviews make it seem all the more appealing...! So when the opportunity for me to get a bunch of Yule 2k7 imps came up... *pounce*

 

 

When I first open the imp, I get a lot of unidentifiable men's cologne scent. I don't get anything that's close to snow, or leaves. It's... very wet, and cold, but more like standing on a northern beach in November, watching the horizon where dark gray sky meets dark gray water, as seaweed washes up on the cold, pebbly shore. Smells often give me very specific colors, and this it's lingering somewhere between a wet-forest green and stormy ocean-blue... all washed over with that oppressive, cold gray. This got tossed into the "Try it later, I don't like it" pile for several days.

 

On my skin, at first it's much the same. Very masculine, and actually rather icky... It hangs around, very oppressive and strong, like I just doused myself in it, instead of just a little dab to my wrist.

 

BUT. Here's the thing. As it dries, it starts to 'dry out' so to speak. The aquatics seems to slowly pull back, and once it's been on for about an hour, it's morphed into such a crystalline, shimmery, GIRLY smell - white, sparkly, silver, pale cyan - that I can barely believe that it's the same thing! There's even a very very slight berry-like undertone to it. If I knew nothing about BPAL's Snow White, and someone shoved this smell in my face telling me that it was Snow White, I'd believe them.

 

So, with my weird skin, November turns from a brash, almost unbearably strong aquatic men's cologne into a subtle sparkly princess smell! It went from "Egad, get it away!" to "Hmm. I think I need a bottle of this!" over the course of one trial.

 

I think that it might mix nicely with some of the sweeter, food-ingredient Yule blends - La Befana comes to mind outright - and maybe even the frozen-vineyard bits of The Shivering Boy... I'll have to try that out.

[Jenesis]

This, to me, has a lot of elements of Death of the Gravedigger in it. The snow note is there, along with a warm, leafy, almost rich smell. After a couple of of hours this goes to a gorgeous, sweet-ish, sophisticated scent, with none of Gravedigger's sharp tang. Lurverly!

[polesiren]

Just received my Yule decants and really like this one!

 

I agree with the leaves and a bit of dirt but love that bite that sits on the topnote...

 

Not what I usually wear or even like but I think I need a bottle,it's really a unique and complex scent.

 

Smells to me like "that girl" in the club that looks like she has "seen things and been around" and couldn't even tell you why!

 

Maybe she's danced with more than a few guys and their scents have been absorbed a bit,she's re-applied her own cheap scent throughout the night,and then also sprayed that oh so pricey coveted one on in the ladies room after begging the attendant for a free-spritz?

[PurringPulsar]

November

 

In the imp: the petitgrain-leaves cologne of October, but with a chilly pine/fir note.

Wet on skin: oh, now I smell a gorgeous icy note like Ice Queen creeping in!

Dry on skin: mmm, this is nice. This is the offspring of Talvikuu and October. I smell that crisp 'masculine cologne' from October, with its hints of petitgrain, citrus, moss and woodsy leafy notes. But this time it's chilled with the crisp, cold, ice note from Talvikuu (it's less feminine-smelling than Ice Queen), with it's nuances of fir and birch and that frozen, crystalline, white musk note. The cologne note smells more like fallen leaves in here. Or green leaves trapped by ice.

After a while: now this smells sweeter, like a sprinkling of white sugar over the crisp snow. I don’t smell the leaves as much now, hints of them, but the snow note is much stronger. it's not the Skadi/Snow Moon note, more like the note from Cloister Graveyard, Talvikuu and Darkling Thrush, a less slushy, more frosty note. I smell a hint of cucumber to it, as well as a lovely soft sweetness, and frozen evergreen notes. Over time I smell a bit more of the leaves, they smell like dry leaves now with a little bit of autumn smoke (and is that a hint of vetiver I smell?), but with a frosty coating.

After a few hours, the snow melts, and I'm left with a dry leafy smell which is much more true than the leaves in October, a hint of tree bark and dry moss, and just a hint of crisp winter air and pine needles.

Verdict: October disappointed me but I really like this. It has a similar autumn leaf scent to it but unlike October, this is less cologne-y. And it also has that fantastic ice/snow note that Beth does so well. It smells like the gorgeous cool wet slushy note from Talvikuu over autumn leaves…since most snow scents tend to have an evergreen feel, it’s nice to see a scent that evokes winter in a deciduous forest. The snow gets sweeter before melting away to reveal dry autumn leaves and tree bark. Gorgeous and evocative, I will keep my decant but I’m not sure if I prefer this to the likes of Ice Queen, Snow Flakes or Nuclear Winter, to see if this is worth getting a bottle of.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? maybe-I need to compare this with other ice/snow blends, not sure if it's a favourite.

If you like this, try: Kumari Kandam, Death of the Gravedigger, Cloister Graveyard in the Snow, October, Darkling Thrush, Snow Flakes

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: smells very much like a men's cologne, as has been said. a sharp edge of ozone.

 

wet on skin: the ozone dominates to the point where i can't pick out any other notes.

 

dry down: more of the same. i'm actually a bit shocked, because i'm used to dramatic changes happening from bottle to dry down, but this was not forthcoming.

 

later: the final analysis is that on me it smells JUST like the seaweed-loofa soap i used to get from The Body Shop. it smell like water, but not melter snow to me, like sea water, all salty like.

 

i don't *mind* it, but it's not something i'll personally wear all that often, if at all.

[othelloperrello]

Shocking!

 

Never a wisp of woodsmoke, ozone, the mouldering leaves under first snow, anything tree-related or autumnal. I get overwhelmingly powerful cheap cologne - a vast sheet of brown through which nothing else is evident.

 

My partner smells it the same on me, and she's wiser in the smells.

I feel confused, but have hopes for other months.

[arabella]

First Impression: Soft, cool amber.

 

Dries down to: A very faint touch of something sweet emerges, like a quick dusting of powdered sugar. There's also a hint of pine.

 

Additional Comments: This one is more of an image scent rather than one where I can pick out dominant notes. It's liking walking through the park in early November after a rainstorm; it's unseasonably warm and the leaves are thickly underfoot and still brightly colored.

 

Lasted: A few hours.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5/

[Brianne]

I tried not to hope too much for this one, as "leaves" scents generally end up smelling too dank/wet for me in my experience. It is pretty much as I suspected it would be - it's very wet and dark and smells like decaying leaves in a way (so what it is supposed to smell like!). I had hoped for a slightly sweeter smell (like the leaves we get around here) but it lacks any sweetness at all and instead smells very green and masculine. ALmost piney even, it's so green and outdoorsy.

 

Not a bad scent, just not for me! Almost has a cologne like feel to it, would probably smell great on a guy

[treadpath]

In imp: fallen leaves trampled in the slush

 

Wet: It's very much like October, but where October is dry and cool, November is cold and wet. There's a murky aquatic note I'm not sure I quite like.

 

Dry: Oooh... it's gotten ambery/resiny which I do like, but it still slushy and wet. And cold.

 

Conclusion: I like where November goes, and I love how evocative it is, but October is still my favorite--I think it's a wet vs dry thing. Also, October lasts foreeeeeever on me and November was gone in about half an hour.

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: ozone? That's about all I smell.

 

On me, wet: the ozone smell morphs into a nice, snowy cold note. I get damp leaves along with that, so this is living up the imagery quite nicely.

 

On me, dry: as above, with the added addition of what smells like apples to me. Apples? Weird! But appropriate, i think, for a November scent.

 

Throw and duration: good throw, but short (for me) duration. It lasted about 3 hours on me.

 

Overall: this is a pleasant and interesting scent, and i'm glad i tried it. It feels kinda like jumping into a leaf pile in the snow. I think i'll keep it around for now and again (might be refreshing to sniff in the heat of summer) but i won't be actively searching for a full bottle of it.

[gchris]

IN Vial: smells like a nice smooth mellow mens cologne

 

Wet: Very nice. Smells woodsy with a touch of non-citrus fruit to give a hint of sweetness. Lovely.

 

Drydown: I believe I smell a bit of pumpkin. This is only a tiny bit spicy. It is very nice and mellow. It started out more on the masculine side but has morphed into something really neutral. I"m just sad it is not available anymore.

[aestien]

Bottle: crisp pine

Wet: pine, and surprisingly something floral underneath

Dry: this is a more floral blend than I expected, a white floral, elegant and cool with the crisp pine. It could be the floral note I’m getting is the snow note

 

This is an unexpected blend on me. I love the pine note. The blend reminds me of The Snow Maiden without the warmth. The floral qualities surprised me. It’s elegant, leaning toward a more traditional white floral perfume, reminding me a little of Moon Rose. Beautiful.

[NatCatz]

I wanted this to work, I really really did.. but my body chemistry apparently didn't want it so much.

 

I was strong soapy smell and not a lot else. And then it was gone without a trace. I can't even smell it lingering on my sleeve or skin, its just utterly disappeared.

 

I'll try it again when my hormones are less up in the air, then I'll post again..

Edited February 26, 2008 by NatCatz

[donnatron]

Imp: Sharp pine.

 

Wet: Slightly warmer pine. Still very tree-y rather than leaf-y.

 

Dry: Pine through and through. It's pretty, but not my bag. I get the sense that I'd be all over this had I a headache, though.

 

Throw: Good. I've got it on my wrist and I catch a pretty intense whiff while typing.

 

Overall: If you're into pine/tree scents it's pretty awesome. As it is, it smells really medicinal to my nose and I feel like I should be using it on migraines or something.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Pine, and I think juniper. Juniper is really foul on me, generally, and this that sort. Powerful and astringent.

Edited May 5, 2008 by fairnymph

[MaeKitty]

This one is heart breaking. It is completely soapy and cologne like on me.

[KaliVerra]

Like sloshy wet leaves on your shoes on a chilly night... so sad I only got an impy! Wantz maor!

[filigree_shadow]

Cold, a little bit snowy, and like a forest. It makes my nose tingle.

 

Unfortunately I don't have much else to say about this one... all the cold/snowy ones seem to smell the same on me, and this one pretty much smells like the other ones.

[Czarina]

In the imp: fir trees.

Wet: fir trees. Hemlock? Sugary fir trees.

Drydown: fir trees.

 

No leaves, no snow, no bottle.

[rayvn1]

I've been eagerly awaiting this one. It was one of the first BPAL descriptions I saw that made me think "I need THAT!" It is my birth month after all and I am nothing if not a thorough Scorpio

 

Now that it's finally here, I don't really know what to say. It's a very strong ozone in the bottle and on wet. I almost think of Phoenix when I smell this because it's a little salty on me. There's something there beneath the ozone that's sweet and I can't really pin down what I think it is. I don't get any wood notes as others have...

 

The best way to describe this for me is the sharp bite to your nose as you step out the front door on the day when everything is coated in thick frost. The sweet freshness of a mild dew is gone and winter is fast approaching. It's very dramatic and strong. I really like it though it makes me scratch my head about what exactly that lower level scent is.

[Briarose]

THis smells exactly like ice queen to me but there is more of the pine/spruce tree in this. I get more of a raw winter feel than a girly winter smell as in Ice Queen.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Surprisingly tart and light green. It reminds me a little of Embalming fluid, only with sea breeze and maybe a touch of ivy or mint. Wet: The scent morphs a little and does in fact smell of autumn leaves under new snow, though I can still smell that ghost of ivy or mint. It is delicate and gentle, yet chill and fascinating at the same time. Dry: Vaguely shampoolike, but mostly damp autumn leaves. I’m happy with this. It is atmosperic in a subtle way, not stunning, but certainly pleasant.

[zankoku_zen]

I have to say that the sweet slushy snow note in this blend is almost exactly like the one in Ice Queen and the Darkling Thrush. However, this one is more of a fall blend as opposed to a true winter one. It's got part of the autumn leaves/tree thing going on, that you can smell underneath the snow.

 

I like it well enough, since I do love Ice Queen.