Hetairae

[kakiphony]

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.

In the imp: This is a syrupy sweet in the imp with just a hint of patchouli behind it. I'm actually worried it may be too sweet for me. It's more a classic perfume smell than a foody one.

Wet: Still very sweet, but the patchouli is stronger on my skin than in the bottle. It's a sharp high patchouli at first and reminds me more of the patchouli note in Spanked than that in Vixen or (heaven forbid!) Shadow. It's a complex scent and seems quite elegant to me.

Early dry down: After about half an hour this has faded beautifully into my skin. The patchouli is there as a subtle background note tempering all the sweetness with its woody stability. (I love it when patchouli morphs on me to turn into a kind of ginger and cedar mix. It's such a wonderful chemistry reaction!) And over the top, there is a subtle green floral scent sweetened with what smells like orange blossom honey to me. The only complaint I have is that this faded so quickly that it was hard to smell. I slathered more on at the 45 minute stage to see what an added concentration of oil on my pulse points would do.

Late dry down: An hour later, I'm glad I out more of this on. It's elegant and complex. It's the little black dress of bpals. The top note is definitely floral on me (probably the ylang-ylang), but the patchouli in the background keeps me from sneezing. It's sweet without being cloying, and is just generally fabulous. It reminds me a little bitty bit of Ma Griffe by Caraven, an old green chypre blend from the 1970's which was my godmother's signature scent. It's not so much that they smell the same as that they convey the same things to me: A strong sense of self, understated elegance, and brainy grace.

Conclusion: 5ml please. This is will turn into my formal dinner party perfume. It screams for pearls. Edited February 3, 2006 by Shollin

[kiio]

First of let me say, I love Honey. I'd probably pay a stupid amount to get my hands on a honey sn. And then I'd roll in it. Hetairae holds up with the honey. I can smell it in the imp and while wet. then it turns into a storm of ylang ylang, which about an hour in dies of and it drys down to a light floral honey. It's nice, I might wear it in the spring, but its just not calling me at the moment, even with its sought after honey note.

[ABrokenAngel]

In the Bottle: I’m not sure exactly what’s going on here. My nose is still a bit confused. I smell the ylang ylang just barely but it’s covered up by something sharp and biting I can’t figure out what it is.

 

Wet: I expected this to be nice but not nearly as nice as it really is. Especially with the patchouli in here. It’s all held back, mingled and blended wonderfully. I’m accounting it to the honey that is known to tame anything and everything on my skin.

 

Dry Down: It was nice up until it dried and then it was just a little blah.

[PeshaRocha]

My skin amps up the ylang ylang so much that I can barely discern anything else, just a tad of honey with no patchouli to spice it up. Reminds me of cheap, over-perfumed soap, not a pleasant olfactory experience. As I'm learning that I'm not really happy with floral scents on me, I'm still hoping to find a blend that has a bit of a floral component but will work well for me. This one is definitely not it, but I'll keep trying with other blends.

[Celogrl]

A most pleasant surprise! This was a gift from a friend. I love the sweetness of the honey and fig, with the patchouli bringing it a touch of darkness. This is rich and warm on the skin. Hetairae is sophisticated but not unapproachable. What a lovely combination. I am so glad I got the chance to try this imp and to use it happily!

[loves_requiem]

hehehe

 

well, this is an interesting scent to say the least. another one i wasnt exactly fond of at initial application...

 

BUT.

 

It started out with a sharp, herby almost medicinal note...with an underlying sweetness. Totally reminded me of a toned down Nephilim.

 

after sitting for a while, i kinda get that day old vapo-rub taste from it...

 

THEN....

 

it suddenly changes. took a lil while, but it changed into something deep, very slightly sweet and soft.

 

I like it enuff to want to play with it for a bit before i make a final decision.

 

i had thought it was the cypress in Nephilim that hated me...the same note in Hecate that hated me too...but Hecate has no cypress...so I am wondering if it is the fig that is the culprit...

[gingersnapp]

This was a sweet but dirty blend. I really loved how well the honey, fig and patchouli were blended. It's deep and warm and slight sticky sweet, but not overwhelmingly or cloyingly so. Just rich and sensual and earthy.

[tinyvulture]

I loved the honeyed, powdery, intoxicating sweetness of O. Then I tried La Petit Mort, with its addition of spicy ylang ylang. I thought it couldn’t get any better. But now I smell this. It’s O+ylang ylang+more. An amazing, sexy blend. Hints of clove, patchouli and bitter fig add just the right amount of earthy complexity. Swoon-inducing.

[Diva Urd]

I was already very sceptical about this when I got it (I didn't pick it out myself) - fig, clove, ylang-ylang? That doesn't sound like something lil Urdy can wear.

 

Sadly, I was right. I smelled as though my body was made up of mushed-up raisins and fell head over heels into a huge vat of extremely sugary honey. The scent was extremely cloying and wouldn't wash off...

 

Conclusion: Waaaaaaaay too sweet for me. Off to the swap pile! Maybe someone who likes fig and ylang will love you more than I do...

[elphaba]

Spicy with a fruity undertone. The ylang ylang is pretty prominent at first for me. It is definitely a golden, yellowy scent although I can't place what it is that makes it that way. Throw is minimal. While I like this enough to give it another shot, I'm not sure it's a keeper. There's something in it that reminds me a bit of Hellcat...the honey, maybe? It especially comes out in the drydown. I might try the two side by side to see what suits that sort of mood better. Overall, I like it, but it's not inducing spontaneous orgasms or anything.

[harmonyfb]

In the imp, it was all sweet-spicy, golden and lush. I dabbed it on, and suddenly...whoa. Cleaning fluid? Wait a few minutes for it to dry, and...bleah! Now it smells like those fake cinnamon brooms! Dammit! I lovedlovedloved the way this smelled in the imp - I'm so disappointed.

 

An hour later, the 'cinnamon' smell is finally receding, and I can smell the fig and clove, but it's still harsh and fakey. Woe.

[storme]

In the imp: honey honey honey honey ylang ylang.

 

On me, wet: honey, clove, and ylang ylang. There's a sort of menthol effect going on in here somewhere, too.

 

On me, dry: Smells like walking past a Lush shop; that rush of powder and soap smell that wafts out of the doors. The patchouli's really come to prominence, too.

 

Verdict: The SO mysteriously likes it. I think it smells like soapy perfumed baby powder. Shrug.

[brownbear]

mmmmmm It is very sweet. There is also a spice underneath. There is also some fruit here too. It changes a bit on my skin. The clove and cinnamon come out more later on. I like this a lot.

[Wyndi]

Honey and clove and patchouli, oh my! It's boldly sexual in all the good ways that O and Snake Oil are but with a slightly innocent and sweet overlay. The patchouli works so well with the other notes that it's almost more of the gentle woodsy sandalwood that I love about Anne Bonny. This is exquisite. Oh lord, is it ever.

 

This is bright, languidly sensual, and very cultured. Whereas O embodies all the things you do behind closed doors, Hetairae is all the more socially acceptable forms of flirtation and teasing that might earn a few clucks of the tongue and a well placed blush but nothing terribly harsh in the way of judgement. It's more than a little playful - the skilled seduction goes on for awhile before retreating to allow the bright and innocent notes to come forth and dance in the sunlight. Then the seduction returns, teasing with a slightly longer stay before darting back out of reach once more.

 

This is one stunningly beautiful blend. Almost heartbreakingly so. I am completely awestruck by Beth and her ability to craft these little vials of liquid heaven. This is artistry on a par with any other craft, be it painting, songwriting, leatherworking, or writing.

[sh1mm3r]

I have put off trying this on my skin, because in the bottle I smell spicyness, patchouli, and ylang ylang, all bad things for me.

 

And that's what it smells like right at the beginning on, but then it warms into a slightly spicy, sexy honey. Almost better than Honey Moon or SN Honey because it isn't as sweet.

 

My only issue is remembering to put it on early enough so that it gets through its ugly stage quickly!

 

Happy for another BPAL honey scent....

[Gale]

I took this out of my keeper imp box and tried it on.

 

In the bottle: Honey, flowers, and spice.

 

On wet: A really nice honeyed floral.

 

Dry: Ahh, now it's all about the honey. I don't get alot of patchouli, but maybe that's what keeps the honey from being cloying.

 

7 hours later: The honey is still there, it hasn't changed one bit. (Thanks, skin!)

 

Verdict: I have posted an ISO on the wanted board. I am in love. 5 ml coming up. I will try as best I can to wait until the update, but no promises!

[lysistrata]

This was a frimp from the Lab, and it wasn't to my taste at all. The ylang ylang and patchouli clinched it for me. Much, much too incensy-strong.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Frimp from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: Patchouli tends to scare me, and I've found very few scents with honey to work on me, but let's give it a try.

 

In the Bottle: Very strongly patchouli with a honey undertone.

 

Wet: This pretty much screams "patchouli" for a minute, then some clove and honey start to emerge.

 

Drydown: Eventually the patchouli fades, leaving a herbal honey scent that reminds me a bit of Osun, but perhaps sweeter.

 

Verdict: Well, it's not bad at all, but I'm not sure I'd wear it. Must consider.

[furygrrl]

In the imp: Not quite sure *what* I'm smelling - maybe something...figgy? It sure ain't any of the other listed notes...

 

On wet: Okay, weird smell overload - kinda clovey, kinda patchouli-y, but mostly (and I hate to say this about *any* BPAL blend) icksome burnt playdoh mixed with paint.

 

Drydown: Reeeeally tried to give this one a chance to morph, but, aside from softening slightly, the strangely stinky factor hasn't gone away.

 

Overall: I smell like spicy charred playdoh.

[WaltzforZizi]

I'm going to have to agree with the previous poster on this scent. Playdoh, but on me its a very sweet, sweet, cloying playdoh. After noting the similarities between this and Honey Moon, I think this is just going to be how Bpals' Honey notes are going to work with me. I didn't get any patchouli or clove at all.

 

Final thoughts: An overwhelmingly sweet mix of honey and ylang ylang.

[juniperus]

Bottle: patchouli and fig. I so like fig.

Wet: I can catch hints of the clove and ylang ylang, now, as well.

Dry: I am catching the sweet of the honey, but not too much of it yet (the amping has not yet begun?) This is complex, almost indescribable...I keep sniffing my wrist with rapt attention.

Later: the actually honey remains unamped, which is an amazing thing, let me tell you. This is sweeter than I usually like, but damn interesting. I think I'll keep it and try it again - it's a fascinating blend.

[lunareclipse]

In the imp: almost all honey and fig sweetness, but with a sharp underlying spiciness that's quite nice.

 

On the skin: Florals come out and play a bit more (could this be ylang ylang?), but the sweetness still predominates. The spices balance all that honey and fig very nicely, albeit in an understated way. Very sexy indeed. Beloved says it's "all right," which is relatively high praise from him. I might very well need more.

[septima_pica]

This one's just a little too sweet for me, I'm afraid. It's got the lovely honey from Athens, but that plus fig and ylang-ylang just makes this waaay too sweet to be controlled by the other notes. I can't even smell the patchouli or clove at all. Pity, 'cause I was hoping those would mend it. As it turns out, though, this is just too feminine for me to wear, although in an impeccably classy way. Oddly, there's the same slight lily smell that I get from Anubis; it's not listed there either. I wonder what it is?

And now, 15 minutes in, there's a hint of clove. Not enough, though. Bah. Still too sweet-floral for me. Looks like Athens will be my honey scent, since the incense there can at least beat the honey into submission and keep me from smelling quite this sweet.

[Nekomata]

A frimp from the lab.

Wet patchouli is the stongest note, but that fades the instand it hits my skin. The fig and clove take over with a backround hint of honey. It's a very pleasant scent but the throw isn't terribly great. I think I would really like this if it weren't so weak on my skin.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Hetairae is a pretty reddish-orange color in the vial. I can detect the lovely honey note from O, and also a touch of fig. It's warm and pleasant, but a little murky (patchouli) and a little floral (ylang), and therefore not as fantasticly distinctive as O. I don't *mind* smelling of this, but it's not a must-have.