Autumn and Winter

[Invidiana]

AUTUMN AND WINTER
Three months bade wane and wax the wintering moon
Between two dates of death, while men were fain
Yet of the living light that all too soon
Three months bade wane.

Cold autumn, wan with wrath of wind and rain,
Saw pass a soul sweet as the sovereign tune
That death smote silent when he smote again.

First went my friend, in life's mid light of noon,
Who loved the lord of music: then the strain
Whence earth was kindled like as heaven in June
Three months bade wane.

A herald soul before its master's flying
Touched by some few moons first the darkling goal
Where shades rose up to greet the shade, espying
A herald soul;

Shades of dead lords of music, who control
Men living by the might of men undying,
With strength of strains that make delight of dole.

The deep dense dust on death's dim threshold lying
Trembled with sense of kindling sound that stole
Through darkness, and the night gave ear, descrying
A herald soul.

One went before, one after, but so fast
They seem gone hence together, from the shore
Whence we now gaze: yet ere the mightier passed
One went before;

One whose whole heart of love, being set of yore
On that high joy which music lends us, cast
Light round him forth of music's radiant store.

Then went, while earth on winter glared aghast,
The mortal god he worshipped, through the door
Wherethrough so late, his lover to the last,
One went before.

A star had set an hour before the sun
Sank from the skies wherethrough his heart's pulse yet
Thrills audibly: but few took heed, or none,
A star had set.

All heaven rings back, sonorous with regret,
The deep dirge of the sunset: how should one
Soft star be missed in all the concourse met?

But, O sweet single heart whose work is done,
Whose songs are silent, how should I forget
That ere the sunset's fiery goal was won
A star had set?

Bitter currant and dry leaves. Winter wind at dusk.

This one hasn't gotten any review love yet? I'm shocked.

Now I am a sucker for anything involving dry or burning leaves, and the dry leaf aspect of this scent is amazing. It really is dry leaves--not rotting leaves, not wet leaves, just dry crackling leaves. The blackcurrant is the perfect type for this type of scent, dark and bittersweet. It adds a hint of sweetness (just like the sap note sweetens October a little), but isn't foody at all. While I love my foody scents I don't feel foody would be appropriate for this particular one. There is also somethign extra in there that indeed reminds me of cutting winter wind; it's very difficult to describe, but that wind during November/December has a distinct cold but dry smell it carries with it and I think Beth captured that perfectly in this blend. For anyone who loves dry leaf scents and October as much as I do, don't hesitate to pick up a bottle of this.

[realafterglow]

I adored this scent. I got to preview it at the last Will Call here in Seattle. It started off as reminding me of cold and wet but then there were warmer undertones after it had time to dry on my skin. It's different but I do like it.

[dawndie]

Wet: bitter leaves

 

On skin: bright and soapy (but in a good way)

 

Half-hour later: a little bit darker from the blackberry, but still very crispy & dry

 

In conclusion: this is another "fresh nature" scent, like Blade of Grass or Halloween: San Francisco. So crisp and light.

[megank4]

Hate hate hate this.

It reminds me of Falling Leaf Moon and Hexennaught.

Bleh. Washed it off.

As you can see, leave/smoke scents are not my thing.

[melange]

This scent smells just like its description, to my nose, with a perfumey quality. While I don't think I'll want to smell like this often, and it's more lonely than I would want to use for an atmosphere scent, I'll bring my decant out at select times when I want to evoke its season.

[zankoku_zen]

I find that this is almost a clash of cultures. I get smoky, dry leaves and the currant adds a bit of fruity sweetness. On the other hand, the winter part is almost 'ozoney' and goes slightly soapy on me.

 

PASS.

[Iceblink]

The winter wind nearly drowns out the leaves and currant here and it's a horrible aftershavey ozoney blast. I do pick up the dry leaves more as this dries but it is not worth getting past that ozone stage.

[Little Bird]

I don't smell anything fruity or currant-like here; it's more ozone and smoky, murky, dry leaf smell on my skin. Ozone tends to go intensely soapy on me, and I'm definitely getting that here, mixed with what smells like damp, molding leaves and a whiff of smoky, burning leaves. It's an odd mix of soapy and dirty/smoky notes on my skin, and has a sharp, harsh feel that I find really off-putting. I like the smell of fall leaves and loved Falling Leaf Moon, but this blend is going all wrong on me. I wound up scrubbing this one off after a half hour, as it was intensely strong and soapy.

[SophieCedar]

In imp: perfect. smells like late november, early december at dusk.

 

Wet: reminds me of something I can't put my finger on. argh! The bitter currant is much sweeter than I imagined it would be. The crackling leaves are there however translate to sweet soap mixed with firewood on my skin. There's a cold wind/ozone note coming out.

Drydown: my skin has turned this into a bizarre incense. Think along the lines of midnight on the midway...It's darker and a bit more empty. Kind of eerie!

[Altaira]

This matches scent description well. It isn't cold like the snow scents, more the promise of cold just around the corner. Dry and melancholy, the changing of the seasons. I'm not getting much currant, just leaves, wind, and darkness.

 

Although it is not something I would typically wear, I really like it. Although I worry as it reminds me a bit of BPTP Autumn Grove atmo spray and my husband had a really bad (respiratory) allergic reaction to that.

Edited January 2, 2011 by Altaira

[Clavis]

Wow... this stuff is absolutely divine on me which is wierd because fruit and I tend not to get along. My other half doesn't much go for perfume, but he goes "Hey, that's really nice!" (although he will admit that Kroenen from the Hellboy series is "chick magnet awesomesauce" on him)

 

Anyway, it starts off pretty fruity, but not sweet fruity. Its like a fruity scent without the fruit.. And then there's that dry leaf scent as it dries... Haunting in a way but with decent throw and it lasts forever... I put it on 24 hours ago and I can still smell it, although what it smells of now (quite clearly) is a very slightly sweet tobacco so I suspect that's what a good part of that dry leaf scent was.

 

I got this as a tester from coffeewithjack (THANK YOU!) and I've already ordered a big bottle. I wonder if it will be enough...

 

Clavis

[pandorasmuse]

In the decant: This reminds me a bit of October, but a little sweeter and fresher (odd—seems it should be the opposite).

 

Wet: Smells like fancy soap.

 

Drydown: The top notes are nice, but there’s a deeply unpleasant undercurrent here that I can’t pin down.

 

The unpleasantness (whatever it is) is a dealbreaker for me. Glad I tried it, but it doesn’t work.

[HerbGirl]

I love the smell of leaves...all sorts of leaves at any point of the year...and wind? Cold wind? I love Autumn and Winter...

What went wrong here? I tried this at Knows Perfume and it was amazing...I thought I was going to have to get 2 bottles. Glad I chose to get 1 bottle - it is VERY difficult to wear, no matter how much I love it in the bottle. Wow. I think it reminds me a bit of October (like other reviews), but it is VERY refined, and cold (which it ought to be!). Like I said, I love this in the bottle, but I can't wear it - makes me so sad!

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: A sharp ozone and aquatic scent.

 

Wet: The bitter currant and dry leaves are rather intense.

 

The dry-down: The currant is still rather bitter, but the leaves have drifted to the ground, and are geting dampened by the cool wind, fraught with a promise of showers.

 

This is a morpher to some extent. If there had been no currant, this would have been a perfect scent for me. Somewhat in the same family as Halloween: San Francisco and Falling Leaf Moon.

[reynardine]

Was really getting the dry leaves as I put this on, and then another note came out (the currant? Dunno what that smells like?) Whatever. It sweetens the dryness of the leaves. One does get a sense of that time of year after the leaves have fallen, but before the snow starts. That is what this smells like. I kinda like it, but probably won’t go for a bottle. Will keep the decant around to use in late October of next year!

[milo]

I really must explore this dry leaf note, as I'm running into it here and there, and enjoy it quite a bit. In this blend, however, the aquatics kind of overwhelm the leaves after a bit. When wet, this blend is amazing, but the ozone just takes over. Will keep an eye out for dry leaf blends, though!

[filigree_shadow]

I don't smell anything that seems fruity in this -- I was expecting more of a currant scent. It's not bitter, though, which is what I was afraid of. It's leafy, and it does seem like there's a soft, metallic-smelling ozone in this, but it's dry. Definitely smells like autumn to me.

[strahlend]

This is all about the dry leaves. Smells similar to Samhain, Falling Leaf Moon, Phoenix in Autumn and others of the similar type.

[angelicruin]

Bitter, dark, heavy smoke, and scorched leaves on my skin. Just too harsh for my tastes.

[Ghost of a Rose]

My imp is a decant from the lovely Mellifluous.

 

In the imp: Oil is clear and a dark golden yellow with a pinkish tint. The scent is woody, with a balsamic tang and a bit of peppery sharpness. It does smell amazingly like dry leaves - more of Beth's voodoo magic!

 

On me, wet: Right at first, I get a touch of the fruitiness of the currant, which is unusual in that it isn't at all sweet or foody. Then there is the woody/balsamic/peppery fragrance that I noticed in the imp, in equal balance. This is a highly unusual and very intriguing blend.

 

After 10 minutes: Pretty much the same, although it is settling down and losing some of the sharpness. The dominant note now is the balsamic woodiness.

 

After 20 minutes: The same, except now with a whiff of smoke as well. I'm betting there's some vetiver in here.

 

After 30 minutes: The currant note is becoming more defined as the woodiness settles down. But the lack of sweetness prevents this from being anywhere near a fruity scent.

 

After 1 hour: I don't notice the currant anymore. But now there's a distinct note of cinnamon, which goes beautifully with the wood and smoke already present. The wood is mellower, having lost the pine/balsam sharpness entirely. I'm liking this even more. It's a holiday type of scent, rather than the dry leaves it was before. It has moved from autumn to winter - brilliant!

 

After 2 hours: Cinnamon is the star, followed by wood and a touch of smoke.

 

After 3 hours: Mostly cinnamon.

 

After 5 hours: The cinnamon note is still noticeably there.

 

Verdict: This is an interesting unisex fragrance at all stages, and is a brilliant concept that succeeds to an amazing extent. I like it best after the first hour, once the cinnamon note kicks in to warm up the scent and invoke a holiday spirit and pleasant memories. It's worth the price of a bottle.

 

My rating: 4.5 stars

[Incendiare]

This has that medicinal, snowy note up front in the vial, followed by a touch of currant. On me, an earthiness comes out,, which reminds me of patchouli, however, I lose the currant, and the medicinal quality stays strong. Very wintery but not for me.

[Celtic Goddess]

I definately get Winter out of this one...it's cold and crisp with a touch of dry leaves. It starts off rather smoky but dries down to a powdery, soapy sweetness. the dry down isn't bad but I do wish it would stay dry leaves and smoke (which is what I love). It reminds me of a stronger version of Samhainophobia.

[ami226]

On the skin: Vetiver? Dusty dirty vetiver? With a breeze of cold.

 

Definitely not for me.

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2011 version.

 

 

In the bottle: Ozone and dried leaves.

 

Wet: Lots of dried leaves!

 

The dry-down: Mostly dried leaves, with only touches of the bitter currant and the ozone. I like this version better than the previous, but think of it as a late autumn scent, and not so much a winter-time perfume oil. It does seem to indicate something of a gloomy mood. Note that I have had this bottle for a couple of months, so it does have a little aging on it.

[mymymai]

2011

 

In the Imp (ITI): The leaves are a little more woody than I thought and the currant exists as an undertone. It’s unusual and very reminiscent of late fall in the Pacific Northwest to me.

 

Wet: While I know that juniper is not in the scent list, it smells so much like it on my wrist. There is a little duskiness to it when inhaled deeply, and just a hint of sweetness from the currant. To my nose, this scent is magic.

 

Dry: Sweetly scented leaves with just a hint of musk. However, when newly dried, the scent takes on a powdery quality that it later loses about 5 hours in. I love it though.