Hemlock Shade Lvnea 2024 Eau de Parfum

A rich dark green with swirls of smoky greys and browns. The previous reviewers decribe Hemlock Shade beautifully; she's coniferous, resinous, woody, smoky, leathery. I also get a sweet and spicy anise-like note. There is something ancient and almost spiritual about this. It feels like the forest itself is coaxing me to sleep beneath a large pine tree atop a bed of soft needles. This forest is dense, dark, and brimming with powerful magic. Neither good nor evil, but certainly dangerous and worthy of reverence.

Beware the dark green juice - it will absolutely stain your skin and clothes! That's how you know it's good ;)

This is one my favorites by LVNEA. Dark, freshly earthy, and a little mystical. Hemlock Shade smells like a combination of fresh evergreens, smoky birch, and a slight sweetness from the black hemlock tree (not to be confused with poison hemlock flowers). This opens very green with a nuance of menthol that quickly starts to fade so more of the woodiness can come through. I can detect a bit of sap and and the birch note really seals my love for this fragrance. All of the notes are blended together beautifully and create an earthy scent of living trees and subtle incense. I also enjoy the light sweetness that lasts throughout.

It's mysterious, but not foreboding or gloomy. It interprets a dark forest in a similar way Ghost Pine does: natural, old, and healing. It's the smell of being deeply alone in nature without the distractions of other people around. Just you and the forest.

An even deeper iteration of Lvnea’s classic shadowy pines. If Ghost Pine puts you in the midst of a misty pine grove, then Hemlock Shade transports you to the depths of a Northern evergreen forest, towering spruces and firs swaying in the night sky overhead, a mysterious, sweet smoke crawling through the valley...

Opens fresh, green, coniferous, a tad bit minty/mentholic, with a fleeting medicinal funk which is difficult to place. Soon a soft, leathery smoke begins to echo, painted in subtle streaks of caramel, fruits and moss, with a rich and warm, sweet woodiness welling up from below. I wasn’t able to notice as many of the nuances my first couple times, but this is actually superb. Like Ghost Pine’s sexy, mysterious cousin who sleeps out under the stars every night.

Although dark, the impressive freshness keeps it from becoming too much, evoking the atmosphere of an old growth pine forest lit by the glow of a full moon’s light. I also find that the warm, woody and slightly caramelized features keep it from being too solemn a scent, bringing to mind cozy evenings spent among company rather than by oneself. Sandalwood also provides a fitting creamy backbone for the scent to settle down onto.

Sillage intimate to moderate, longevity great. While sharing similarities to Ghost Pine, the wonderful addition of Hemlock makes the blend worth seeking out for fellow forest aficionados. As a limited edition it’s priced a little higher than their standard line, but still relatively competitively in the niche market especially considering the desirable all-botanical nature of their scents.

Bravo, madames!!! Long live Lvnea!!!!