Hetairae

[Lady_Ell]

The sublimely beautiful, fiercely independent, impeccably cultured, fascinatingly worldly and witty courtesans of ancient Greece. A seductive and dazzling blend of golden honey, fiery patchouli, sweet fig and clove, and a blushing touch of ylang ylang.

I had such hopes for this - it contains all of my favorite elements in the description, but Hetairae is quite different than what I expected. So far it smells like soapy dandelion greens with a hint of spice. It's settling down a bit and there are ominous hints of That Craft Store Smell starting to appear, but I'm not certain they will make their full debut. The jury is still out on this one; I'll let you know in a few hours.

A few hours later:
Hetairae doesn't go totally craft store, but it does disappear within an hour and the soapy dandelion smell doesn't go away.

Poo.

Maybe I'll try it again in a few weeks and see how it goes then.

[lorajc]

Let me try this, but my sinuses are not really cooperating. Hetaire is mostly honey on me with some clove in the background. I can also pick out the ylang ylang but it really blends in with the honey. The patchouli is not prominent at all on me, but rather just gives the blend a spiciness and depth. I'm not sure if I'll be able to wear this, as some honey blends tend to be a bit overpowering on my body chemistry. I'll have to test it a few more times before deciding whether or not to keep the 5 ml I have on order.

[Scarica]

I, too, am modeling Hetairae.

 

I get the sharp, dandelion-y smell, and I like it. I also smell underneath that a very human, sweaty smell, but just a ghost of it. The sweetness of the fig is very distant but necessary against all of the aggressive, spiky smells. It is almost like there is a bit of O under, maybe, Roadhouse. It reminds me a little of Queen, also. This is the kind of perfume that I really like, kind of sharp and complicated. Yet strangely it isn't forming an identity on me. At least not on this first wearing. And sadly, I can't really smell many of the constituent scents...I would never guess the contents (patchouli, clove, honey...)

 

I wish this smelled the way I pictured it smelling, but that doesn't mean that I won't grow to like it.

[lavinia]

Well, I love this one

It has a base note of O which I am crazy about and then the ylang ylang in there reminds me of La Petit Mort.

Wet and in the the bottle, it does smell herby and sharp.

The patchouli is the strongest note when it is wet and drying on my arms.

It is lovely almost like a single note.

This mellows out quickly for me. The amber comes into play and it becomes a cousin to Queen of Sheba and Bastet.

It is a very warm and sexy skin scent and I can't stop sniffing my arm

Quite lovely indeed-

It wears on me rather like Lush's Amazonian massage bar minus the tangerine/citrus note which is great and if you love Flying Saucers bbs like I do, this is very close

 

eta: forgot to write about the patchouli

Edited April 7, 2005 by lavinia

[wolfie13]

I love the notes in this and and hoped it would be perfect for me, but it just isn't working out.

(It's one of those blends that i just know will be great on some of you folks - but not with my wacky chemistry.)

 

Honey gets really loud on me in many of the blends, and in this blend it sort of overpowers everything else (I too would never guess the rest of the contents - and they are notes that i'm very familiar with and love in other blends!). The rest kind of blends together to create this grassy, almost swampy note mixed with the honey. Not good.

 

This is already on it's way to another home.

[Gin]

My preconceived notions were way off on this one. I think I did selective ingredient reading and only read "honey" and "clove". On, there's a green edge at first, and I can smell the honey and ylang ylang and it reminds me of Lush's Flying Saucers. I get a hint of fig, which is pleasant, but I went into this thinking it would be sweeter with a clove edge, and that's not what I got at all. Not disappointed, just surprised. The final stages are a kind of honey "skin scent", which is quite nice.

[miss apple]

Hetairae

 

Ahh, this is such a beautiful mixture of smells. This isn't green or dandelion to me but rather a spicy incense with a faint touch of sweetness. No one note takes over but the patchouli, honey, and ylang ylang are the most prominent. This pairs very well with Lush's Figs and Leaves soap that I used this morning. A definite keeper

[ivyandpeony]

I was surprised by Hetairae when I tried it, but not disappointed, since I didn't know what to expect from the patchouli. On me, the honey note is very prominent at first, but as it dries down, I get a gorgeous blend of sweet - spicy - and woody notes, which I think must be the fig, clove and patchouli. This is one of those oils that truly blooms on your skin. It can't be judged just from sniffing the imp or even from the first 10 minutes of wear.

 

It's funny, the thought that popped into my head, verbatim, when I first sniffed my imp: "These smells all just met each other." Meaning, they almost seemed a little disjointed, a sensation I also got when I first tried Euphrosyne (which I would liken to a giant jasmine SLAP). But after I had put it away for about 6 weeks, lo and behold, a gorgeous, balanced vanilla-floral blend that's now one of my favorites.

 

My feeling with Hetairae is that a month from now it is going to be INCREDIBLE... mellower, and those smells are all going to know each other really, really well. I will wear it again in the meantime (and I actually have a 5 ml on the way, a custom purchase from a swap), but I'm looking forward to seeing this one age too.

[hepkitten]

My skin just does the oddest things with some fruit notes...on me, this is my beloved O, but it has the smell of rotting grapes on top.

 

It can't just be the fig, as I can wear it well in Dragon's Heart. ??

 

Bleah, bleah. Grrr.

[ChupaChup]

Hoo boy, Hetairae is a good one! I am crazy for all the listed notes except the fig, so I had to take a chance, can't miss trying one of Beth's honey blends . And this one is quite the morpher. It goes through some stages, some I like, some I don't, but the end result is fabulous. At first, the honey is really strong, it smells just like Beth's single note honey. It's not sweet at first, but then it develops the sweetness of O. Then a woody note develops, it's probably the patchouli, along with the fig. At this point, it's like Intrigue, a scent I liked at first but got tired of. But wait! The woodiness recedes and a tiny touch of ylang ylang emerges, now it's reminding me of La Petit Mort. Finally, after about 15 minutes, it settles down, a tiny touch of patchouli returns and it turns into something completely unique but reminiscent of Desire and maybe even the very late stages of Samhain. Give this one a chance to bloom on your skin before you judge it, I think it's yummy !

Edited April 8, 2005 by ChupaChup

[synaesthesia]

Wow, I did not expect this one to be so damned nice!

 

When first applied it's all honey, all the time. Once it dries down, however, I'm left with a spiced sweetness that lasted for hours and hours. The patchouli gives it a sort of electric edge, while the ylang ylang sweetens the deal. The honey lingers as a backdrop. On me, all the notes blend so nicely that I had trouble (not that I'm great at it in the first place) picking out any of the notes -- once I got to school I couldn't remember what was in it other than honey.

 

This is such a winner with my body chemistry: delicious ("what's the yummy smell? Oh, it's me!"), good strength, and long life. I did not expect to fall in love with this one!

[kmasden]

Ohh, i wish i had a better nose to pick out all the different scents. My first whiff of this I think was the patchouli, deep and a bit earthy, within a few minutes, the honey. I don't know if it's mixed with the ylang, ylang and that's why it's so sweet or not (or is that the fig) I just know that it smells so much like Lush's discontinued bnever to busy to be beautiful shower gel that I just received. Very honey. It stays that way to me, mellowing a bit, but that sweet, rich, honey smell. It's a scent I am still having to get used to, but not one I'm ready to give up on. I think it is one that I will appreciate over time. It really is very beautiful and I think even elegant and luxurious.

 

ADDED April 14:

 

First Impression:  HONEY!

 

Second Impression:  Why do I do it to myself?  Why do I love that thick, honey scent and why does it hate me so?  The honey and patchouli combination is gorgeous, but fleeting.  Then it turns all honey and ylang ylang on me and starts to go all sickly sweet, powdery and day-old dirty sex.  Just like O, just like La Petit Mort, just like every honey blend in the catalog.  I've tried them all. 

 

Final Analysis:  I'm going to keep trying and hoping that someday a honey blend is going to love my skin.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

LOL Andrabell! I can't help it - I love smelling like dirty sex (although I'll hush about the day old part LOL)...and every time I see your Ron Jeremy avatar I just crack up...all I can hear is a lilting "yooohoooo" in Ron Jeremy's voice!

 

I find Hetairae is the only honey blend I've tried thus far that actually stays true. Jezebel and O don't work on me at all....and yet this, does okay.

Edited April 16, 2005 by Shollin

[phaedrine]

Oh, so wonderful...

 

I adore honey scents. My all-time favorite is O, of course. When I read this description, the thought that crossed my mind was "this sounds exactly like ME"...though for some reason I didn't order a bottle, just an imp. Silly me.

 

In the bottle and wet on the skin, it smells an awfully lot like Jezebel does once it's dry. Luscious wet honey and sweet flowers. Yum.

 

After it dries, the warmer notes of the fig, clove and bit of patchouli come out, though all they do is make the honey deeper, I never have any of them take more than a supporting role.

 

After 10 hours, it's still warm, sweet honey. Perfect.

 

NEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed bottle!

[Reinaluna]

Hetairae; This one is very nice, It reminds me of a spicy version of La Petit Mort. When first applied it is streight honey of course, then The clove and patchouli creep through. The Ylang ylang kind of dominates like it does in most of the other blends that it is in. After about 30 min or so I get the herbal sweet smell. I did not really get any fig at all and I wish that I did but none the less a keeper for me.

Edited April 10, 2005 by Reinaluna

[empi girl]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this. I got Jezebel because of the honey, and it turned to powder. I got this one for the honey too, and was hopeful at first, because it went on very sweet honey, with a spicy kick to it, which I thought was ginger, but might have been the patchouli? When it dries, it remains very sweet on me, almost cloyingly so, with a touch of the fig and spice underneath. After about 30 minutes, it becomes powdered honey with fig. And they all smell really nice, but I don't think honey is a note I can wear well...it is a little too sweet for me, and develops a powderiness I don't like. I'll be swapping this away, because on the right person, this would be beautiful.

Edited April 11, 2005 by empi girl

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: HONEY!

 

Second Impression: Why do I do it to myself? Why do I love that thick, honey scent and why does it hate me so? The honey and patchouli combination is gorgeous, but fleeting. Then it turns all honey and ylang ylang on me and starts to go all sickly sweet, powdery and day-old dirty sex. Just like O, just like La Petit Mort, just like every honey blend in the catalog. I've tried them all.

 

Final Analysis: I'm going to keep trying and hoping that someday a honey blend is going to love my skin.

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Wow. This is, like, Discount Honey Warehouse over here. And a floral, which has to be the ylang ylang.

 

Wearing: Definitely smell the honey, but! There's this note that makes it funny smelling and musty...which has to be the ylang ylang. Darn it, I was afraid that was going to happen. The note hates my skin with a passion. Well, with that aside, I smell something sweet that isn't honey, probably fig. And...apples? Odd.

 

Later: Powdery, yet foody. And kind of perfumey.

 

Overall: I love honey, but I hate ylang ylang. This one is definitely not me, and will be swapped out.

[Phaedra]

I was drawn to this one because of the ancient Greece theme (I'm half Greek) and also the notes in it. I bought a 5ml unsniffed and am really glad I did. When first applied it smells slightly resinous and spicy with some floral undertones. There's also a fruity note which I guess is the fig but it smellls more like deep purple grapes to me. This has really good staying power and changes alot the longer it's on. In the very final stages it smells very faintly of figs drizzled with honey. This is a real stunner for me, beautiful and complex!

Here is an interesting link more info about the Hetairae link

Edited April 13, 2005 by Phaedra

[isyche]

Hetairae is honey, fig and patchouli on me, in that order. Sweet and spicy-woody, like some kind of dessert involving honeyed figs and spices.

 

It's also very much like a sweeter Nemesis on me – Nemesis but with honey. I like it, but the honey makes it a bit too heavy-sweet and I think I like Nemesis better.

[AnaisSatin]

Hetairae was lovely with its honey notes

 

until...

 

.... something surfaced that resembled myrrh.

 

Myrrh. The bane of my existence. Poor imp. ETA I'll find it a good home.

Edited April 15, 2005 by AnaisSatin

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Sweet golden honey and figs. This smells just like a Greek pastry shop!

 

After 15 minutes- All I can think of while sniffing this is 'Baklava!'. The honey in this smells just like actual honey, not like honey scented perfume. The fig and clove mixed in is what is making me want pastries. I don't smell the patchouli and ylang ylang in this at all.

 

Summery- Yummy. I this one! I never thought I'd like a scent with Patchouli in it but this is divine. This is going on my next order.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Honey, fig and ylang ylang in the vial. I know that I don't usually get along with scents that have fig, clove and patchouli so trying this one is really just e experimentaing. It's a interesting, warm smell that perfectly matches the lovely color of the oil in the imp.

 

Wet: Oh, and then it goes all funky on my skin. And yet not. Hmmm...fig and...honey, I think mostly. In the background is the patchouli and the ylang ylang.

 

Dry down: This dries fast. And the fig has decided that it's in charge. I'm not a big fan of fig. Something about it just bothers me. It doesn't smell bad; it just smells off to me. That doesn't make any sense. Fig and honey. Everything else has basically disappeared from this. It does have a slight, odd tonka lingering note to it as well.

 

Dry: Fig and honey. This blend isn't at all bad. In fact, it's one of the best honey blends I've tried so far, but it really isn't me. It smells like food and, besides Eggnog, food scents and I do not really get along very well. And, oh, here comes the patchouli and the inevitably patchouli headache. Washing off.

[luxuria]

This is so pretty. In the imp I smell honeyed figs..on my skin, it remains the same, but a wee bit of patchouli and clove comes out. The patchouli doesn't smell like patchouli or really announce its presence in any way, it just grounds the blend a bit more along with the clove. I only get a wee bit of ylang ylang which makes this smell a little more feminine and sweet.

 

This does smell foody, or sort of craft store-y, but in the most beautiful way. I'm not sure if I want a bottle or not but this was certainly worth the imp!

[UltraViolet]

~Hetairae~

In the bottle

Ohh. Honey, and fig.

On

honey with deep lushious fig primarily. It's a sweet blend, a deep ripe fruity scent, and a spicy with some fresh floral bottom note. It gets more floral as it dries.

30 minutes

So good. It fades and I so don't want it to. This is one I'd keep on slathering ALL DAY LONG. It's not floral at all now just spiced honey and fig. The clove isn't present much but I can tell it's in there somewhere working it's magic as well.

If it had a bit more lasting power, just a bit, not too cloying, this would be a 5 star scent to me.

Throw:

little

Scent category:

fruity/floral/foody

Summary

The honey and the fig are absolutely fabulous together.

Dries down to a syrupy sweet spiced honey. I like this much better then "O". It's less cloying and it doesn't have that ylang ylang thing that ylang ylang can get sometimes. The clove is not very present as in some bpal clove blends.

It's not a strong scent, it's medium light.

I'm impressed with this blend, I did not expect that heavenly yum factor.

Purchase again?

Yes a 5ml

1-5 rating, 5 being best.

4.5

[helarctos]

This review may garner me some flames, or a few looks askance. But ... I have to say Hetairae was one of the more interesting scent experiences I've had with BPAL. Not the must-have-big-bottle variety. The wow-my-skin-chemistry-is-bizarre variety.

 

In the vial, Hetairae is gorgeous.

 

On me, it is ... an overwhelming mixture of honey and unwashed human behind. Let me stress I was freshly showered when I tested this blend!

 

And then ... the drydown was ... mushrooms. Like the kind you get on a pizza. Except drenched in honey.

 

Very odd. Off to swaps -- if anyone wants my imp after hearing what it smelled like on me