Frau Holle

[Invidiana]

Snow-covered pines, witches herbs, bestial musk, flax, and ethereal flowers that represent both birth and death.

 

This is one amazing evergreen! There is a wonderful cold quality to this scent that makes me feel I can almost touch the cold, crisp pines laden with snow. It's the background that sets it apart from mere Yankee Candle territory--not that I have anything against those, because I hoard them for the house--but Frau Holle is taken to another level by the musky, mysterious background with just a hint of floral sweetness (which, again, strikes me like the florals in Perchta that seem to turn into delicious berries on me, which is what these do is well). Behind the Christmasy pines, this blend has something enticingly sinsiter overshadowing it, like murky shadows in the depths of a forest. Love!

[Schmoozy]

 

At first this all icy, slushy snow and pine. Reminds me of several other previous yule blends, which is ok, because I love snow and I love pine.

After it has dried it morphs ever so slightly. Hints of light florals, herbs and just a touch of musk start to come through. Unfortunately though they barely make past the snow and pine. I feel like there is a berry inside, even though there is no listing of one.

[sihaya09]

This one is pretty nondistinct on me from a lot of the Lab's other trees + snow Yule blends. It's not as perfumey as Snow Angel, but more herby than Snow Moon. Overall... I like it and I'll use up my imp, but overall, it smells very close to about five I already have.

[lensflaaare]

Wet: I get everything except for the snow and pine, unfortunately. It's a slight bit sour too.

 

Dry-down: My wrists feel cold, but still it smells kind of strange. I think the witch's herbs and musk is kind of overwhelming the scent. After a while, it smells a lot less overwhelming and it's actually quite nice. The pine and snow is still floating in the background.

 

Dry: Actually makes for a pretty nice cologne. I just wish there was more snow and pine.

 

My brother's opinion: Smells like Blue Water cologne.

[loubric]

Oh oh oh I am in love. This smells like expensive Raddox bath oil, but better (is that even possible??) Herby and sweet this scent is truly AMAZING!

 

No musk (thank goodness) lot’s of pine, herbs and sweetness. This is just gorgeous!!

[ralenth]

Source: Leftover partial from 2008 circle

 

Wet: Snow Maiden in the Pines! Mmm, I am really digging on snowy pine scents lately.

 

Drydown: The Snow Maiden vibe fades on Drydown, but it remains a lovely, soft snowy pine scent.

 

Dry: Snow, gentle pine and crushed herbs. Very pretty and chilly.

 

Overall: For a desert rat, I sure love snowy pine scents.

[cherrycherry]

I've been craving to try some Yule scents since I got into BPAL and today I got my chance ^__^

 

I have a real thing for snow, let me get that out of the way first. I love watching it fall, I love seeing the outside world blanketed by it and I love the scent of frost on the air. Frau Holle does this for me very well, with added florals and pine. Absoluely LOVELY.

[DifferentDances]

Bottle: Herbs in snow.

Wet: Ah, the Yule combo of frost and pine...Not a whiff of the musk or florals, though. Substantial throw of the frost and pine, though.

Drydown: Just frost and pine. Nothing else is appearing, which is disappointing.

Dry: Straightup frost and pine. As much as I love those qualities in my Yule blends, I kind of want a little extra kick of some sort.

 

Would I ever wear this? No.

 

My rating: 2/5

[filigree_shadow]

Whoa. This one is *cough* strong.

*cough, cough*

*wipes eyes*

 

Herbs and pine trees and snow. Very harsh. Not soft snow at all. Sort of like being smashed in the middle of an evergreen tree and someone is waving sharp herbs under my nose.

 

Yikes. This is very clearly not my fave.

 

*cough*

[nnaylime]

This is one of favorites. There's something incredibly familiar about this - it reminds me of pleasant childhood memories--perhaps walking through the New Hampshire woods in winter when I'd go visit my grandmother. I almost want to say that I smell a mint in here in addition to the other scents--but regardless, whatever is here works very, very well.

[fairestrocza]

(2012 Version)

In the decant it smells bitter with a hint of evergreen. Yules of this ilk are often risky for me, and this one is an instant turn-off on the skin. Something is making me think 'bathroom deodorizer' - maybe a lily behaving badly in there? It dries down to a soapy floral with a hint of something spicy. Not for me.

[mymymai]

ITI: I get cold, crisp snow, followed by pungent pine, and something wonderfully light for the floral aspect of the scent.

 

Wet: Yum, I still get the snow and pine, but the witchy herbs are becoming more pronounced as the ethereal flowers step back a little.

 

Dry: It really is a lovely scent. It reminds of of Cloth of Gold, but slightly more herby and floral.

[milo]

Bright snow note, the nice one that doesn't turn to fungus on me, along with evergreen. This is nice, unisex, but leaning on the masculine side, a little too masculine for me.

[LizMarivi]

Wet, it smells a lot like Pine-Sol (which I like lol) and something lightly aquatic/ozone.

 

As it dries, the pine and snow notes mellow out and the flowers start coming out to play. Everything starts melding in a really nice scent. Wasn't sure about this one at first, but will most likely try to seek out at least a partial bottle. Not bad!

[Nepthys]

The reviews that compared this to Hexxenacht got me excited, as that was one of my all-time favorite scents. This wasn't actually even a cousin to that - not on me, anyhow. It starts out as a severe snow & pine blend that is absolutely, sharply wintry. And a bit masculine (which I like.) Then as the first hour went on, it softened and became more suggestive of spring, like a damp forest and floral scent. I really love this; it's fresh and invigorating and doesn't turn cloying. Definitely don't regret buying a bottle unsniffed.

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Pine and snow.

 

Wet: The pine is a bit astringent, making this a bit on the Pine-Sol side. I don't get any herbs, florals, or musk at this point.

 

Dry: Ugh, men's cologne. I have to wash this one off.

[loubric]

In the bottle spicy cold pine. On me it's sweet and herby the pine and musk quite dominent but not in a bad way. It's ice cold, clean and green. I love it.

[doomsday_disco]

2015 version.

 

In the decant: Mostly snow-covered pines, and it's the sweet, pine-y snow note from Snow Bunny that I smell. I'm getting more pine than snow, though. When this was fresh from the mailbox a few days ago, I smelled grape-y musk (which I'm not a fan of), but I am not getting that now.

 

Wet: Yep, this is the snow note from Snow Bunny and The First Soft Snow, but there is more pine in Frau Holle. But then it changes and becomes a sugary, slushy snow note, and the florals emerge, but I'm not exactly sure which florals I'm smelling here. They are soft and pale, though. The bestial musk I was worried about hasn't made an appearance yet, and I'm hoping that holds true during the dry phase as well!

 

Dry: The floral notes are a lot more prominent during the dry phase, and the musk has emerged now and doesn't seem to be the one I had feared. The scent is not as sweet during this phase, as the snow note isn't as strong anymore. From a distance, it's mostly a pine forest, florals, and herbs.

 

Verdict: I prefer the wet phase of the scent, with the sweet, pine-y snow. I like it, but I don't think I like it enough to grab a bottle.

Edited January 11, 2016 by dementia_divine

[freyasfae]

2015 version

 

A long with some other pine scents I tried, Frau Holle confirms that pine is not for my skin. However, I can't explain why, but I definitely get the idea of birth and death with this scent.

[Nyx_DevineNight]

2015 Version

In the bottle: Snowy Pines. Really pretty.

Wet: A nice smell of Snowy Pine trees and a mix of flowers. The pine is a little stronger than I smelled in the bottle and seems sweeter. I'm also getting a little touch of musk in there.

Dry: It's so sweet. The florals and snowy pines are about equal in strength and it's so pretty... The musk has come out even more adding a nice touch of muskiness to the scent. I really love this. Pines are one of my favorites smells and this didn't disappoint.

​

[Soupy Twist]

2015 version. Pine-sol. Sour pine and a little snow. I love pine and I love the Lab's snow note, but wow, this does not work for me.

[lizardskin]

2015 version:

 

This was my first limited edition scent, bought on impulse because I've always loved the story of Frau Holle, but it quickly became my favorite scent for winter. Starts off with a fairly strong pine that fades to herbs and flax--the flax in particular was the most noticeable and longest lasting note on me. I didn't notice much of the florals or musk. Long lasting but not overwhelming.

[VetchVesper]

This has really grown on me. I think it's the 2008 version (stripey label) but it came straight from the lab and was only recently opened.  

 

It's this very fresh, crystalline, herbal smell, with almost a medicinal bite at first. But it calms down quickly to this very cool but comforting skin scent.   There is a hint of airy floral, but this smells more like the sweetness from bread than what I normally think of as "flowers." More... Flours.  😁🤤  Maybe the flax is giving it that impression?  No idea -- but cold mountain air with some late autumn flowers and a little homey cottage is my take. The pine isn't actually super strong for me.