Norne

Another person compared this to Serge Lutens' Fille en Aguilles. I agree that it is similar--but not the same. Perhaps the idea is the same, but Norne is even more fabulous. I cannot believe I'm writing this, but it's "better"--a better scent, more evocative, far stronger, lasts longer, and renders Fille "thin" by comparison. I have both. Now that there's Norne, I'm going to splash on my SL FA on with abandon during the day--and save this for cozier colder afternoons and evenings--and elegant, sexy date nights. (Btw--this works entirely unisex). Far more than the sum of its notes, Norne must have some vetiver and honey notes, as well as some kind of woods--I even detect some floral tones of rose with a whiff of cumin and possibly just the merest hint of a white flower, and something dusty and mentholated hiding deep deep within, nose-to-wrist. The top three inches are hay, green and sweet with honey, fruit notes of dried blackberries, plums on the ground, late afternoon sun at an autumnal tilt, crunching leaves. An incense that is not smokey or peppery or headshop, but just the remnants of a burnt wood that remain behind infuse the sweet tobacco-hay quality. I sprung for "Kiste" by this house--and this is of equal quality. I love this house so far, and am highly impressed with "the whole package"--from bottle to wrist to decolletage--the experience is strong, long, beautiful and rich. This is not for the faint of heart, the very young and nubile, but for those who want an experience and who have presence. Quality is way above average and as previous commentators have noted silage and longevity are fantastic--the dry down is not just the usual mall-musky warm-sweet vanilla-nothing--it's interesting. This is a lovely ride.

Okay. I own my Norne for over 6 months now. I’ve been exploring it starting in the middle of autumn, whole winter and whole spring as well. Norne is realistic, brings memories of mine, takes me places. First of all - thick, dark, wet conifer forest (mainly fir if I had to guess) with a lot of moss as the ground floor. Also - trees are covered with moss as well. I remember myself visiting forest like this whole lot of times in my childhood - being with my family while they were collecting mushrooms for eating purposes. Actually it was always during the daytime, but I can easily imagine myself that is exactly how the forest smells after the heavy rain, possibly maybe even after the storm. Then - a picture of dark, broody, evil and mysterious forest like in metal (mainly black metal) songs and bands use as a theme - Satyricon in Mother North as a good example. This is surely niche all the way through. Composed in 2012, when conifers in general weren’t exploited that much in niche genre. That all together makes Norne unique as it is. I have to give Slumberhouse and Josh Lobb due respect - just for that. There is a kind of spice in Norne which you won’t confuse with any other perfume on the market. Most people say it’s clove - I wouldn’t be so sure, but the spice is surely there. It lasts fairly long on my skin, but the sillage isn’t huge. That’s not a bad thing at all. If it returns on the market anytime in space I’ll probably buy a full bottle.

I'm glad to finally have a bottle of Norne, after subsisting off samples and decants for the last 4 or 5 years. It's a wonderful mix of clear, crisp fir, earthy, dirty and liturgical incense and a spice mix, being mostly cloves and or allspice/pimento. So, anyway, as I sit here with Mer perched on my stolen Pure yoga block, I really feel that Norne is something you live in. It will teleport you to a time and place where the wearing of Norne makes PERFECT sense. For me, it takes me to the frigid, frozen Nordic world. Personally, Norne is the smell of a frozen Rauma beachfront, with ice extending waaay out into the distance. No idea where the Bothnian coastline 'would' begin, where the sand 'would' meet the water, it's about 12 or 13 degrees below freezing (I mean Celsius, you uncivilised HEATHENS), and perfectly still. This is where Norne differs to Grev. Whilst both utilise the fir/clove combo, Grev takes me to Tohoku, getting an icy Nihonkai blazzard blast right in the face, whereas Norne takes me to a calm, frozen Nordic tundra. A birch forest, a quiet frozen lake and a winter cottage with a sauna. It's an amazing winter scent, but for mine, it's not something you can wear every day. Not for me, at least. Special occasions and rarely. It really is a trip. It teleports you, it really does. It doesn't transform you, but it certainly alters you...

Stupendous. Sheer bombastic brilliance. I might have been swayed in advance of even smelling this by the forum thread and wesleyhclark's classic review here (scroll down to read it! Please!) ... but every time I sniff this I swear I can hear the relentless banging of giant kettledrums on the Norse longship heaving into view and the grunting of heave-ho heave-ho from a squad of Vikings. It's completely mad. I am utterly in love with it. If Fille en Aiguilles is a Nordic princess then Norne is the tattooed pagan warlord who seizes her and sails away. All of the coniferous, resinous magic of Fille, but minus the red fruits and with elaborate layering of other woods and sacred incense over the top. (So it conjures forest shrines and weird spirit rites, not just a happy walk with a nice bit of mulled wine like Fille. There's also a good bit of damp humidity and a great whack of cloves... ) Norne is domineering and arrogant and assertive and it surely won't go unnoticed. For me, unisex skewing male, but the main thing is: just *how much* do you love to go into the deep dark misty mysterious woods? How brave is your heart? If you can't live without wildness then this one is for you. Be valiant and do battle with it. Scent Valhalla imho. Norne! None!! Long Live Norne!!!* (*it does live long, btw - another reason to submit to it. A force of nature.)

I had a slight idea of what to expect out of Slumberhouse's Norne, a celebrated cold-weather fragrance of a few years back, but I wasn't prepared for how dark or powerful it was. I get a mix of balsam fir, pine, resin, incense, and perhaps even some oud---all the dark elements usually paired with lighter notes are seemingly together in one utterly dark concoction. The blend is outstanding, though, as I can imagine this collection of notes being overwhelming or ugly in other hands. Norne is strictly appropriate for cold weather, and probably just nights. It's slightly dirty but still probably suits formal occasions (again, in the winter), as it's reined-in enough to offer masculinity without being overwhelming. Unsurprisingly, as an extrait, the performance is outstanding, one of the strongest fragrances I've ever tried in terms of both projection and longevity. Again, though, it's not overwhelming, but one should apply carefully, as the word seems to be that the juice stains clothing and skin alike. At $160 for 30ml (at Luckyscent, Twisted Lily), it's not cheap, but it packs a punch if you're looking for an intense winter option that doesn't require a lot of sprays. Norne is dirty enough that I have some reluctance to give it extremely high marks, but it's an excellent fragrance overall in terms of the scent and performance. 8 out of 10

Oh, the joy of finally owning my own bottle of Norne. I was so anxious to have it delivered. I discovered this as a sample, getting it on the recommendation for my quest to find something that smells like the place where I feel at home - in Nordic forests. I would often rub the sample into my skin, giving it a different character than the bottle has. I like this crushed scent more - it reveals the pine-resin like incense accord that I love. It smells as if I had been outdoors all day, almost rolling in pine needles, having burned a fire or something. It's deeply relaxing, and makes me happy. The top notes which are more present in a bottle are that of cloves. My association with cloves is christmas mulled wine - "glögg". If glögg notes are in there, this means there's pomerans in there as well. I percieve the glögg accord as a bit sour, which isn't what I wanted out of this. It seems like a cointoss whether I get sourness out of the bottle or something more balanced. None the less, putting this on transports me home, no matter where I am. It instills a deep sense of calm. I could see a woman wearing it, but it must be someone who feels a similar connection to nature. I think the notes associated with this are more forgiving towards men.

Terrific Gothic Christmastime scent. Piney with lots of hemlock and some incense creating the impression of fog. I hear "Carol of the Bells" when I wear this. I've just put up the Christmas tree in the foyer of the old and thoroughly haunted but nevertheless well-kept family manor house where I live, and I sit down to rest on old furniture that has absorbed generations of dust over the years and sleepily jab a fire poker at one of the logs dwindling in the hearth. Carolers and crows can be heard in the distance. Reaching up to scratch my face, I unwittingly transfer a streak of soot to a spot just underneath my eye, and I notice that I can still smell fir sap on my hands. It's very wearable and not as edgy as some might suggest. Super talented perfumer here, all of whose scents are worth your time, but a friendly warning: avoid engaging with the die hard community that's sprung up around this brand if at all possible. Past comparisons to the mania surrounding the Supreme clothing brand are accurate, and I've noticed folks in forums getting too worked up for their own good. Definitely avoid that rabbit hole. But Norne is legitimately a great fragrance, very redolent of memory, and worth acquiring if you happen to get the opportunity.

Can't believe I didn't comment about Norne back in 2014 when I got my first bottle. I actually smelled it before that and Norne was the fragrance that put me on the road of fragrance collecting in earnest. I wore Polo for many years beginning in 1982 or so and loved the pine note that the original Warner Polo had. I continued to wear it but noticed over the years that it didn't smell the same and the beloved pine note was missing. I finally got frustrated enough that I started looking for a fragrance that smelled like coniferous trees and discovered Norne and fell in love. Now, Norne actually doesn't smell like pine, it smells much more of black hemlock and fir balasam with incense...but oh, what a wonderful deep conifer forest accord it has...just spectacular. And, that was it...I was hooked and began the journey of a lifetime exploring the amazing world of fragrance and what a ride it is! Norne will always be in my top few fragrances, not only because it smells incredible, but because of it's position as the fragrance that started the journey for me...a deep forest crown jewel amidst a sea of so many fragrances that I love and have discovered along the way. Hail Norne!

Wow - INCREDIBLE. Almost goth like deep deep green balsamic. Think SegenLutens Fille En Aiguilles except not as smooth and add cloves and bay leaves smashed to a pulp thrown in - almost a gourmand treat and edible - no where as sweet - there could even be a touch of dry cannabis. Maybe I can kind of imagine it’s a scent that a hippie, a The Cure fan or a Nick Cave fan would wear or a thrash or heavy metal banger would wear - don’t worry I’m one of them but I’d just as easily wear it with my suit in business meetings - that’s what’s special it’s not entirely appropriate but you could just get away with it especially with a personality - despite the note make up this is not a fresh scent - it’s definitely a winter or dark moody scent. This isn’t just fir and incense - like walking through a forest with some faint smoke in the distance whilst you are carrying a chopping board with spices and smashed fresh bay leaves and cloves. If you read my SL FEA review you’d know I’m a fan of this and Profumum Arso. Three similar scents all deserving of a place on your shelf. This will change they way you view scents -!absolute killer - Josh Is a genius - now to get another bottle!

on its own, norne is pretty intense. i like it, but its just...its above my level, you know? im not a medieval wisewoman living at the edge of a tiny village, scaring local children, i'm a 23 year old woman who lives in a fairly populated area and can't walk around in a force field of ancient forest that projects ten feet from my body. i'm not saying i wouldn't like to but. you know. anyway, call me a blasphemer, but i use norne for layering. it takes my other fragrances (largely on the cheaper end of the sephora spectrum, lighter, more "basic" as the kids would say) and makes them deeper, weirder, and a lot more interesting. also makes them last like a motherfucker. my two favorite combinations so far (because...they're the only ones i have and i'm not made of money) + 1 part norne to 3 parts moss by commodity: very fresh and green with a little unsettling edge + 1 part norne to 2 parts gilded fox by pinrose: you're in the middle of the woods in autumn sipping from a thermos of hot chocolate with a splash of rum, reading a very old book norne is weird as hell and i love it, 9/10

I've been wearing this for about 2 years now. It's the most impressive, realistic version of a deep, northern forest that I've ever come across. Dark resins and smokey wood, rich pine and conifers, and brown and green mosses come together naturally to recreate this sacred space. I have the original EDP of Norne, so I can't comment on the current extrait, however the projection and longevity is through the roof. I apply one spray and I'm set. What I really love about Norne is that despite the heavy materials and the realism behind it, it's also quite wearable. It fits the typically masculine mossy-woody-pine mold, but has so much more depth and naturalness to it. I spend part of my summer in New England, in a cabin deep in a pine forest. Norne reminds me of the cool mornings there gathering wood and lighting it in the fireplace. It brings all of those elements into perfect focus. 5 stars for my favorite offering from one of my favorite houses.

I like this. At first it reminded me of Profumum Roma's "Fumidus" but not as pungent. Often reviewers describe some perfumes as "dark and gothic" when they are anything but; however, this can truly be described as dark and gothic. This is what Count Dracula would wear when he seduces his female guests. I haven't tried Fumidus on my skin as it smelled way over the top on card but after trying Norne on my skin, I would go back and try Fumidus. Norne I ike very much - the smokiness doesn't hang around forever and it dries down into a very nice smell. It's warm and inviting I feel. I like the wood and insense it contains. I've been wanting to get a dark incense frag and this could well be it. It's expensive though at £135 for 30ml in the UK! But, it's very concentrated, like vampire blood. WARNING - DO NOT SPRAY ON WHITE CLOTHES The juice is a green oil, it stained my skin so be careful with clothes. A very nice scent, I'll try it again.

As cringe as this is, this reminds me of "Det Som En Gang Var" off "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss" -- I personally don't class this as black metal, but it does feel evil, malevolent and lurkingly unwholesome. Norne has this unholy forest element to it, as if something grim and frostbitten is going on in the nocturnal forest, or something as grim and frostbitten as that. A lot of the BM imagery is laughable by today's standards (and oddly enough, was laughable in the mid 90s too), but this scent taps into that motif and absorbs the legend and mythology around it. Conifers (mostly hemlock, fir and a dry bleached wood), bits of incense (not much) and cloves. Some batches feature the cloves a bit TOO much, but by and large, this is a green spicy forest scent. Now discontinued, it is heavily sought and for good reason. I'm not sure if this started the whole 'unholy forest' trope, but it certainly is a major player in the scene...

Woweee what Strength! This takes no prisoners at all unrelenting dark, dark, green forrest magnificent. The black, Gothic juice finally in my possession it reminds me of a jar of black olives. I could speak about the naturalistic fir, rotten pine needle laden Forrest floor all day. Instead I'm going to speak to the burnt but not smokey, sawdust element which takes me back to school in woodwork class. Norne smells like singed MDF (couldn't be less natural!) or friction burned wood. It has a deep resinous quality and is totally unique smelling with the spiciness and perception of smoke giving a meditative incense vibe. This composition seems simple, and is really...Norne provokes, varying but definite responses which give a air of complexity. I love it and it can stain me all it wants, I'd wear it... not sure when though? The silage and longevity from this extrait are massive.

BEWARE ! It will stain fabrics and skin. NORNE is the strongest, most powerful elixir in the universe. Use VERY carefully and sparingly. A small sample is enough to last a lifetime even if used often. The scent from less than half a drop will fill a large room and last forever. I absolutely LOVE it ! NORNE is the FUEL of a mighty fire breathing Norse dragon. Composed of exceedingly strong dark coniferous wood oils, NORNE contains pure, incredibly fragrant saps and resins with a healthy dose of flammable camphor. This magic elixir includes tiny drops from molten gold and other precious metals. There are remnants of lichen covered iron, black tar, and the dampened cold moss coated hard woods of ships destroyed and washed ashore. NORNE is an intense fuel compound gleaned and blended by a dragon so powerful that even the Norse gods dare not speak its name. Beware, indeed !

norne, you challenge me yo... seriously, you push my limits and patience, but man, you're good. norne is like a smell you like smelling but i don't actually like it. it's like smelling a carton of rotting milk just to see what it smells like. no, norne most certainly does NOT smell like rotting milk, however, it is a hard scent to take. the cloves, as i think i mentioned a few years ago, are just TOO much. we're not talking 'kretek' cigarettes here, we're talking like top end of sheung wan chinese medicine shop. the cloves; they harsh. i can respect them, you know, and all of that, but the harsh truth here is that they're just TOO harsh. they are unyielding and unrelenting. they come on strong at first spray and look, they still here 14+ hours later. the conifer (woods) here are wonderfully pleasant, it's just that they cloves, you know, they too strong yo.

Like the Scandinavian black metal music which partially inspired it, Norne is NOT for everybody, and may scare quite a few folks! The sheer weight of the smoke, resin and camphor can be overpowering. There is some sweetness there, too, but it's a wild sweetness of woods and sap, not candy, flowers or even booze (except, perhaps, Retsina wine). I detected a slight animalic note, despite there being no actual musk or civet in the listed ingredients. If you don't like it, the smell is still stuck with you all day (as is the color if you are not careful---this stains like crazy). Norne is one of the longest-lasting scents I have tried, possibly THE best longevity ever, and the sillage is certainly the most powerful I have ever experienced, even greater than Joop! Naturally, I loved Norne. It smells sort of like Incense Avignon's feral, cannibal cousin.

Like a haunted forest burning to the ground in the middle of a moonless night. Like covering your body in fir sap and rolling around in burnt incense, as the wind carries a chilling breeze overhead. Or maybe like a recently set ablaze church in the middle of the frozen Norwegian woods. Stoic, haunting, sombre, and meditative are all fitting. It almost seems like day to day life is not worthy of such powerful, enchanting imagery. Just to add to the experience, i've never had anything perform like this. It just keeps lasting. Wearing this in even slightly warm weather would be absolutely stifling so I can't justify a full bottle due to my area's tropical climate, but man does this sample make me long for being lost in some snowy, dark, coniferous forests. Truly a masterpiece and makes me excited to try more from this house!

dark, heavy, smoldering - envision yourself walking through the silent, haunted Aokigahara. This is exactly what this fragrance does to me, puts me within a sea of trees where I drown in the seductive mists. no longer is the deep murky liquid available, now packaged in a light caramel colour and for shame! the aesthetic element added to the foray of swampy mixtures in this scent. if you are looking for an entrancing woodsy scent, this one is for you - it is drenched with moss, ferns, hemlock and trees. however, this is not for people looking for a fresh, light-hearted "strolling through the woods" frag. it is deep, intense, magical, forgotten like crumbling castle ruins covered in vibrant mosses. the longevity is impressive, a small drop outlasts the hottest of days and coldest of nights. heavily recommended +++

This scents gets me directly to a dark winter pine forest. It's so evocative. We have been missing cold winters here in France since a few years so I am happy I found a scent that gets me in this mood. I love pine scents. Fille en aiguille from Serge Lutens is one of my favorite but for me it's more summer fire tree forest in the Alpes, when the sun warms up the trees sap. Norne is darker winter forest scent. It's not really projecting like a beast, it stays not too far from the skin (which is fine because it means I can wear it as often as I can) but longevity is phenomenal. I sprayed it on my hand the other day around 7PM. Then had a night sleep, then had a shower in the morning, and I could still detect Norne on my hand in the evening after a day at work. Impressive fragrance