Winter Nights

Before I start, please note that these are first impressions. I just recently received my bottle from Dasein's relaunch, but am excited to continue testing through the remainder of the winter season here in the northeast. Starting with the presentation, it is simple and somewhat lackluster for the $125 (+10 shipping) that each of these bottles sells for. No box or travel/storage bag, which doesn't feel quite right all things being considered. The cap is one of those cheap, super-thin metal press-fit pieces that you might expect on an 8ml travel spray. Cap also no longer comes with the sticker that was seen on the original release either. Despite my complaints about some of the tactile and convenience aspects of this fragrance and its overall presentation, the scent is, of course, the most important part. And well, I am truly at a loss for words. This is everything I hoped it would be, x10. I am a lover of nearly all resins, especially those of fir, pine, hemlock, etc. This is one of the most enchanting fragrances I have ever smelled. It opens with a blast of thick, sweet, and somewhat dark-fruity fir or hemlock resin - absolutely reminiscent of the sap tears that often form along branches of balsam fir Christmas trees. At the same time, an interestingly fresh-smoky wood note becomes present, almost as if you were burning driftwood, or perhaps a wet balsam fir mixed with aromatic cardamom. Speaking of cardamom, a spicy nuance creeps up alongside the smoky note, which also may be a contributor to the ever so slightly fresh aspect I mentioned. Now, by no means am I suggesting that this smells similar to Parfums de Marly Layton, but the cardamom here definitely reminds me of how it is used in the PdM to achieve that coniferous and slightly camphoraceous feel in the opening. Transitioning into the mid and early dry-down, the notes seem to blend together a bit more. The early blast of slightly spicy cardamom begins to fade, and the rich wood resins return front and center blending with the smoky note I mentioned earlier. By this point, most of the "fresh" aspect I alluded to earlier has dissipated. I will need some more wearings to get a better feel for the deep dry down, but it appears to steer further down the dark, resinous, and slightly smoky direction. And I absolutely agree with all the Christmas comparisons that have come before mine. Thick, sweet, fir-type resin (with slightly dark fruity undertones) and wisps of smoke in the background define this fragrance for me. Absolutely enchanting, cozy, and man, it just puts me in such a good mood. This is some top-notch juice - another homerun for Josh Meyer and the rest of the team over at dasein (and yes, this definitely reminds me of Cape Heartache, particularly the thick resinous aspects. I personally get much more smoke from A City on Fire, but I definitely understand this comparison as well. A beautiful blend with aspects taken from each of these two IA fragrances.) As a final note, I think it is important to note that to my nose, this is in no way overly smoky. And in fact, I smell much more resin than smoke. Of course, try before you buy, but I have a hard time understanding the ultra-smoky nature that others before me have hinted at. As I mentioned, I will need to continue testing this but so far, longevity appears good in the 6-8 hour range. For me, projection is on the lower end of moderate while sillage is on the higher end of moderate, enhanced by the thick, resinous and smoky nature. Overall, I have to give this a 9.5 or 10/10. The smell tugs on my heartstrings and Christmas memories as a child. It brings back fragrant Christmas trees and a slow-burning fire, while feet of snow pile up outside. It is my type of fragrance in every way and resurfaces some of the best memories from my life. Absolute love and must-try for anyone who finds this type of scent intriguing.

Hands down, time and again, my love for all winter fragrances. I was so happy when this luscious beauty was brought back, as I was nursing the last drops of my former bottle with such deliberate care. I cannot help but wonder that not all the notes of Winter Nights are present. To me, Winter Nights is filled with a sticky and resinous balsam sap that is barely dusted with the softest, freshly powdery fallen snow - you surely know the fresh, cold brisk aroma of fallen snow. And not just that awakening of glowing aromas, but Winter Nights also evokes the sense of walking in the quiet dampened silence and stillness that freshly fallen snow brings. All while sparkling and twinkling in a dark, starry night under a full moon blanketed in fog; all seems nearly illuminated as you pass by all that surrounds you. There is no other fragrance out there that transports me the way Winter Nights does. I can almost hear the sound of the snow collapsing and giving way to my weight under my feet, as I hear dollops of snow falling from the tips of trees to the ground in this dark, resonating mysterious forest. I also love this one because in my opinion, it's assuredly not the smoky fireplace you experience via MMM's By the Fireplace (which I also own) nor the intense bonfire bomb of IA's City on Fire. While Winter Nights does carry the distant aroma of a warming fire in the not-too-far and nearly haunting distance, it never takes the front stage like MMM's and IA's, not in the least. And what I find so surprising is how I see so little mention of how this can lean into a bit of gourmand wear. While I also own both SL's Chergui, as well as the church-esque incense of Fille en Aiguilles, Winter Nights is the one I grab, time and again, as it takes you on a more delectable, cozy, and somehow uplifting journey. One person mentions they wonder if there's a menthol note - I suspect they are noticing the lavender which carries the aromatic crispness with each inhale. And when I say lavender, this is not the lavender you find in English potpourri/sachets. I suspect this is an Italian or Spanish lavender, as these can give off a brighter, more aromatic menthol-type aroma. And here, it works perfectly. It's all blended so beautifully, and I am beyond surprised that it does not garner more appreciation. Now that Winter is beginning to give way to Spring, I'll be forced to soon set it aside. I'll once again await the change of seasons when late fall turns to Winter, as this is the fragrance to wear when bundled up in the coziest of sweaters, fleece, or flannels. Longevity for at least 6, if not 8 hours. While projection is not crazy, that's okay because its sillage will linger where you have passed. 9.999/10... It's truly a unisex fragrance, and I hope to always have a full bottle to carry me through every winter for the rest of my days.

Winter Nights, a limited edition (of only 400 bottles) flanker to Winter by Dasein Fragrance, in a collaboration with Imaginary Authors perfumer and director Josh Meyer, has received a lot of hype the past month or so, and I can now confirm it's warranted. The note breakdown is, at first glance, very similar to Winter, in that woods, lavender, and cardamom are in the mix. Winter Nights, like Winter, involves a heavy dose of pine, but its character is substantially darker via the "driftwood bonfire" note (perhaps an imaginary note, like those that usually accompany Josh's fragrance in Imaginary Authors). It's resinous, not in an amber sense, but in a pine resin sense, very natural and heavy without being too acerbic. It evokes the outdoors of a temperate fall or winter---very enchanting yet easy to wear. Comparing further to the original Winter by Dasein, the original is a bit lighter, and a fresh/spicy combo via the lavender and cardamom, respectively, so it lacks the deep resinous quality that Winter Nights has, understandably why Winter Nights has garnered more acclaim than Winter ever seemingly did. It's unsurprising many would make the connection between Winter Nights and another pine-dominant scent under his own label of Imaginary Authors, Cape Heartache--my favorite scent from that line to date. Winter Nights lacks the strawberry sweetness that defines much of Cape Heartache, however, so in this respect they're quite different despite the significant pine overlap, Cape Heartache being sweeter and Winter Nights being smokier. Other connections can be drawn to Profumum Arso, which I already regarded as a more-or-less strawberryless variant of Cape Heartache, and Slumberhouse Norne, which has more of a fir smell in addition the pine resin, and is somewhat darker than Winter Nights, even. Winter Nights still merits special recognition on its own despite great contemporaries like Cape Heartache, Arso, and Norne, and certainly if for no other reason than due to the price, $95 for 50ml EDP, which is on par with Cape Heartache but much lower than Arso or Norne, though their concentrations are higher. Still, Winter Night is fantastic, and I want to grab a bottle now but might have to settle for one next year since it's all sold out. I initially made no mention of performance but connections to the other fragrances ought to suggest that this is very strong on projection and longevity, and should not disappoint. 8 out of 10

I'm glad this is more or less what I expected it to be. Basically it's the smell of your hands after setting up a Christmas tree. I think a lot of people will connect with this perfume, just because that's such a common memory. I get all the notes listed as well as black hemlock, and as several have mentioned, there's a similarity between this and Cape Heartache, which also contains a hemlock note. However, If you happened to be one of those put off by the strawberry note in that scent, and were a fan of it otherwise, then this should be much more your speed. Sub-par bottle quality has been a concern for some, and I definitely get that where the cap is concerned, but I actually do like the frosted bottle itself and choice of lettering. Feels good in the hand and contrasts nicely with the black juice. If you've ever bough a Lush perfume, you've definitely encountered worse bottle-wise. And personally I'm not bothered by the lack of a box, since I tend to ditch mine, but if you're someone who keeps all of their fragrances boxed, it's something you'll want to take into account before you buy. I don't really have any complaints on this one. It's a scent profile I've been waiting for someone to nail for a while, and I think the perfumer did a nice job with it. I will say that a sample for Winter Green was included with the purchase, and I didn't enjoy that one nearly as much, so I'm not sure if the house's other scents are as uniformly excellent as this, but I think Winter Nights is a home run, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone searching for a nostalgic Christmastime signature.

You slowly wake deep inside a forest, just as the last embers of the Sabbat fire flicker and wink out. There's a chill in the air and you can see your breath, but beneath your bare skin, the earth retains the warmth and thrum of those who so recently danced here. Although you are alone, you can see the dissipating ghosts of the breath of others lingering in the air around the charred remnants of the fire. You should feel cold, but despite all the evidence of cold around you, you feel held by fresh memories of warmth, of the recollection of phantom flowers tossed into long since extinguished flames, flashes of anointed bodies intertwining round the fire, sweating glistening spice, remembrance of the piercing heat in the shine of wide animal eyes illuminated by the flames, their bodies hidden in the surrounding, velvety dark. Decidedly gender-fluid, this fragrance is rich, spicy, earthy, and a deep, distinctly green sort of dark - its edges licked by flames that you can just barely detect in your periphery. It may seem heavy at first, until you really breathe it in and realize that, when you close your eyes, it feels like you're floating, and that encircling verdurous darkness beckons, the ghosts of spice and flowers whispering evocative eldritch nothings into your ears, inviting you to follow them into the shadows. Though the Sabbat fire has gone out, it's not because it ran out of fuel, but because it now burns within you. And you carry the ardent spice of its flames with you as you choose to vanish into that limitless, woodland dark.