The Snow at Midnight

[space girl lost]

Silence: frozen blackcurrant bud, myrrh, ciste absolute, frankincense, and oudh.

This one isn't quite what I thought it would be at all. When I was scanning the Yules two things jumped out at me - blackcurrant and a lotta resins. In the bottle I smell a softer blackcurrant... not as rich and sticky as I normally go for, but still a bit fruity. There's an overall softness to it all. Wet on the skin and on dry down the fruit scent amps a bit more on me (not complaining!) and the rest is there backing it up. Again, they aren't the usual thick, sticky, linger in your nose types I adore either. Everything is just.... soft, quiet and understated. Not a huge amount of throw on me but not exactly a skin scent either. On further dry down the blackcurrant bud is fading out to be balanced with the rest.

Overall I do love this. It hits all the right spots for me and yet someone fills a void in my collection when I want something that isn't as heavy as Mme Moriarty (my fave), as sweet as Eat Me, or as rich as a Snake Oil type blend.

[PrinceofcatS]

This goes on frozen blackcurrant with a faintly woody, very cold snowy background. It has an almost fizzy, bubbly, chilly smell to it that reminds me of elderflower liqueur but doesn't fall into a lemon-lime soda scent, thankfully.

 

As it dries later the resins make it shadowy and velvety and the blackcurrant gets a little sweeter, but not quite unfrozen. It's quite pretty and feels a little fairy-esque, but it's never particularly complex.

 

January 17th, 2016: I'm so disappointed saying this, but this has gone soapy on me every time I've worn this since. I don't know what I'm doing wrong! It was so nice the first time. >:{

 

February 22, 2016: I'm wearing this for the first time in about a month with some trepidation, and it's lovely! my skin is so weird. It still starts out "frozen blackcurrant" - i recognize now the same ice/snow note that's in The Snow Maiden mixing with blackcurrant - then softens into sweet blackcurrant and velvety resins/woods again. I think I am glad I got this.

Edited February 23, 2016 by PrinceofcatS

[Hystrixia]

In the Bottle: The Snow at Midnight is an almost colorless oil that smells very cold, rich, and bittersweet in its container. The black currant bud present in the blend gives off a soft, fruity but spicy green smell while the background is predominantly cold, almost pine-y woods. It reminds me slightly of fruity turpentine.

Top Notes: Freshly applied, it starts off as icy blend of tart black currants and slightly coniferous frankincense. The snow note in this one is definitely not like the sweet, fluffy one in The Snow at Dawn or The Snow at Dusk. This is the hard, crunhcy iced over snow in occurs when it refreezes overnight.

Middle Notes: An hour later the greenness of the black currant bud has mellowed from the addition of the sweet and woody qualities of the oudh, ciste, and other resins. It’s fruitier, smoother, and less cold than before but still comes off as being very dark and slightly on the velvety side. Smelling it reminds me of being outside on cold starless winter’s night.

Base Notes: Six hours later and sweet, velvety woods and resins are all that remain. Soft and somber.

Overall Impression: The Snow at Midnight is such a wonderfully cold, dark scent, making it my second favorite in the Snow Falling Faintly collection. It teeters on the edge of being unisex with the amount of green, resinous notes but just barely wins out at being feminine. It is one of those fragrances that makes you think of things like black velvet and india ink; things that are rich, dark, and smooth with a bit of bite. The Snow at Midnight’s scent colors are crystalline sapphire, inky turquoise, and pitch black.

The Snow at Midnight has a low to medium sillage but has a great longevity thanks to all those luscious resins and woods.

P.S. It smells absolutely gorgeous layered with Midnight Mass.

Final Verdict: Anything full of resins and with black in the scent colors is good in my book. In my collection it shall stay!

Edited January 6, 2016 by Hystrixia

[Little Bird]

I bought a full bottle of this unsniffed, because I absolutely love black currant and myrrh, especially when mixed together. I don't get any fruit or resins from this scent, though. None at all. And the 'frozen/snow' note isn't as gentle, sweet or slushy as it usually is. In this blend, it's dry, sharp, and soapy - like huffing dryer sheets. It's like a really bad, aggressive, sharp, dry, high pitched, soapy ozone single note...

[jensdays]

I was hoping for more of that snow note in GTSD and SW, but I’m getting soapy florals. Dark, heavy florals. Smells more commercially perfume than I like, and seems to be getting soapier as it dries. I ended up washing it off after roughly an hour.

[Smaragdina]

 

Wow. I've never really understood what people meant when they said a scent turned "soapy" on them before now. This is aggressive, screeching soap on me and nothing but. Nope!!!

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Immediately I think this snow note reminds me of the one in Mat Night, which I adore. It's very soft though, mainly snow, not getting much of the other notes yet. A little floral/fruity. Simple and beautiful. I like it a lot, but it's not blowing me away yet.

 

Dry: Really light on me, no throw. Soft snow and sort of a fruity floral. None of the incense I had hoped for. This is nice, but I can't see myself reaching for it.

[Dark Alice]

French Milled Black raspberry and black currant soap. YUCK. Washing it off now.

[SophieCedar]

Wow.

 

Having experienced blizzards living alone in a rural cottage in Maine, I can clearly attest The Snow at Midnight is an accurate impression. The eerie feeling of an absolutely violent amount of snow falling, yet complete silence inside.... You have your very loud emotions surrounding the real life-threatening environmental occurrence yet nature isn't matching up.

This is a crisp,hushed, vaporous scent that smells like a tinge of fear in snowy silent darkness.

 

Excellent job, Beth.

[Pittseminole]

I have to start by saying I love soapy and aquatic blends. On my skin, this is definitely soapy. It smells clean, fresh, and slightly sweet. I would put this in the same vein as Creed Silver Mountain Water. This would be great to wear on hot summer days or after working out at the gym. When I close my eyes, I can smell the blackcurrant and water - which I'm guessing is the snow note. But, overwhelmingly I smell crushed sweet tarts and soap. As Little Bird said, "like huffing dryer sheets"

Edited February 16, 2016 by Pittseminole

[zankoku_zen]

Snow at Midnight smells like a slushy, more resinous version of Black Snowballs. Black currant, oudh, and myrrh. If you loved Black Snowballs, but it was too much black currant, this one is softer, and much more muted. Good throw, good wearlength.

[annemathematics]

many of the notes listed are favorites of mine, but this combo as a whole went detergent-y on me. soft, snowy soap.

[Cali]

Yep, this one's definately soapy. But, not in a bad way. However if I use my imagination beyond the whole soapy thing, I can just close my eyes and be transported to a night looking out of the window with flurries of snow falling from the sky.

 

Dark purple. On my skin however the soapiness kinda buggers off after a while and amps up the myrrh and frankincense. Great longevity, lesser throw. I love it!

Edited April 4, 2016 by Cali

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: A pleasant mix of all the notes.

 

Wet: Iced blackcurrant backed by spices.

 

The dry-down: I'm getting a hint of the soapiness that others have mentioned, but at least the blackcurrant isn't amping on me. Undecided about this. May try on Mr. Kat.

Edited June 30, 2016 by thekittenkat

[pommelo]

this one is a huge morpher, over hours :> 

 

wet: the snow here is sharp and pungently clean, like a car perfume. the blackcurrent smells artificial, in that bath & bodyworks kind of way. this stage is quite masculine on me.

 

dry after hours: the snow and blackcurrent have mostly vanished, thank god, and i'm left with this really soft, dark, sweet, purpley oudh & frankincense, which i absolutely looove. I'm quite certain it's the oudh, it's always a strangely extreme hit or miss on me, if it's a hit, it's a hugeee LOVE, and if it's a miss it's a scrub for me. this one lasts all day and all night.

 

anyway, this is one bottle i'm keeping, maybe i'll learn to love the opening notes too.. 

Edited October 18, 2020 by pommelo