The Hesperides

[le fey]

The Hesperides are the Nymphs of the Evening who dwell in a verdant garden located in the Arcadian Mountains, guarded by the terrible three-headed dragon, Ladon. Within their garden lives the tree that bears Hera's sacred Golden Apples. Their perfume is that of sturdy oak bark, dew-kissed leaves, twilight mist and crisp apple.

In the bottle:
crisp apples still on the tree

Wet:
apples, mouthwatering.. but this is standing in a grove surrounded by living apple trees - more woodsy than foodie. Gorgeous.

Drydown:
Woods... this is walking through an apple grove just at dawn, with the night's dew still on the ground and the air foggy and chilly. I love this but it smells like morning, not evening. Very evocative.

I don't think this is going to last long...an hour later, it's faded into the scent of apples and greenery in the distance. In spite of the shortness of the experience, it completes the sensory imagery... the return home from the orchard as the sun burns off the early morning fog, ready to begin my day after this refreshing interlude.

I love this. Edited October 18, 2008 by Shollin
Added BPAL tags --Shollin

[sqwook]

Wet: *laughing* My notes here say "very weird." In this imp pack, Hesperides was by far the most unique.

 

Dry: Simple sweet mellow apple. I don't detect anything I'd identify as 'sturdy oak bark'.

 

Nice but not really me.

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: Hmm, I'm not getting as much apple as a lot of people seem to. Oak and what I think is supposed to be the twilight mist and dew-kissed leaves, with a hint of sweet apple in the background.

 

WET: More apple than before, but still a lot of oak and mist

 

DRY: Oak and apple. Nice, and definitely accurate, but not my thing. This blend makes me realize I just don't like the scent of oak very much. Will have to try again later to decide whether to keep this.

[rayvn1]

This is one of the loveliest BPAL blends I've come across! I only get a hint of sweet apples, but it is a delightful balance between that and a fresh plant-like smell. I would have guessed some kind of flowering moss, but whatever is in here it is sprightly and sweet with a slightly bitter tinge of oak in the background that makes you come back for a second sniff. Worth the wait!

[tigerfish]

On me The Hesperides smells like a nice pint of cider. No bubble gum apple or candied apple but spot on "hard" apple cider with something woodsy in the background. And, I realized that while I love the taste I don't really want to smell like fermented juice... alas, off with you to the swap pile, honey!

[Dianora]

I've been searching for a good tart green apple scent, and someone suggested that this just might be it. I thought the name seemed awfully familiar, so I went to my "to try" imp box and behold, it was the imp that the lab had thought I'd like so much that they sent me two frimps of it on my last purchase. Quite thoughtful, really.

 

I had some misgivings smelling it in the imp. It is very sharp, the apples seem to be hidden under a layer of nose-biting alcohol. Still, I wanted my apple fragrance, so I applied a few drops. Wet, it was still sharp, but very green. The apples did indeed seem tart, and the alcohol was wafting away. I was very optimistic. Until, suddenly, it was just gone. So, caution thrown to the wind, I took out the imp and slathered all over my wrists and the back of my hand. Again, it was very sharp and alcoholic, but crisp and green. This time, I got a little bit more of the mellow green apple before, like magic, it all just vanished. Less than twenty minutes later, I can smell the last vestiges of something green and yummy if I put my nose directly on my wrist and try to inhale the skin.

 

All in all, I'm disappointed, Hesperides seemed like it had so much promise, only to vanish utterly before the scent fully developed. I am still on the hunt for my green apples after all.

[crazyredhead17]

In the imp: Apples

 

Wet: Appley! Bright, juicy apples

 

As it dries, the apple stays pretty pure and very wet, possibly the dew and mist. There is something deeper as well, probably the oak bark.

 

A few minutes later, and the wood is coming on fast.

 

And smelling.. burnt? It's burnt wood and sweet burnt apples (definetly not baked apples).

 

Even with the burnt smells.. it's still rather pretty, just not something I'd reach for often.

[akw]

Wet and early on -- very appley with an undertone of something rich that I can't quite identify. Nice though.

 

As it dried, it went through an unfortunate straight up apple Jolly Rancher stage -- very sweet.

 

On drydown, the wood begins to peek out just a bit but not enough to overcome the sweet. The wood brings a welcome balance but not enough to offset the "candle-ish" quality. Others have commented that it's not candles and gift shoppes, so it's probably my chemistry.

 

If you like apple scents and your skin doesn't turn things to Ye Cute Gift Shoppe pot pourri, you might like this.

Edited December 18, 2008 by KateW

[mommy2gabe]

I love The Hesperides. The combination of apple with the oakmoss and leaves works perfectly. It's bright and subdued at the same time. Delicious! I ordered a bottle immediately.

[waternight]

In the imp: Crisp apples indeed! So juicy it makes my mouth water. I seriously want to eat it.

Wet: Crisp, bright shiny red apples, but there's a strong base of oak. A large, rough-hewn oak table with a basket of freshly picked apples sitting atop it. OM NOM NOM. So. Effing. Good. A hint of leaves. I can't take my nose away from my arm.

Dry: Takes on a slightly smoky edge, but otherwise, this is not a morpher. It stays true to itself - sturdy oak and crisp apples. DE.LICIOUS.

[msbcozad]

The Hesperides

 

Oh god, no. An entire world of no. I don't get apple. Maybe I get bark and damp leaves, but I definitely don't get apples. I recoiled from the test spot on my arm and immediately washed this off. No.

[iamblackbird]

Why doesn't my skin love this scent? I read all the apple reviews, and I had high hopes. Alas, no apple for me.

 

I ended up with something that smelled vaguely like a cleaner I once used to polish a floor- I think it's the oak that's turning funny on me.

[masquedbunny]

In the imp: Overpowering apple--like APPLE. This smells drinkable (which I didn't actually do, just to be clear). I feel a certain amount of skepticism about this, because I know I'm not fond of shampoo that's scented like non-citrus or not-tropical fruit (apple, berry, etc.). But it's a much richer scent and hints at fascinating morphing possibilities--so I'm game.

 

Wet on skin: It's still very APPLE, but I get definitely the wood notes and something like vegetation.

 

Dry on skin: Hmm, well, my wrists don't smell the same. On my right it's mostly sweet apple and a little mistiness. On my left, the apple has gone, and I'm getting the note of oak and, again, what I'm interpreting as vegetation. I also scented my hair, and that seems to be getting the more even draw in the dry-down, or at least more what I had hoped.

 

Though, writing this two hours after application, I think it might be a fast-fading scent for my skin; what ended up on my scarf and hat seems to be going strong).

 

It's very interesting, but I don't know if I'd reach for it often enough to need a bottle. Probably not.

[Kimbernunk]

I LOVE THIS.

 

Wet and during the initial drydown, it's quite strong, very apple-y. The mist and dew notes keep it from being hugely sweet and foody.

 

When it's settled in, it's apple trees with a definite wood note, and the mist and dew clinging strongly to it. The throw, which was initially quite strong, has backed off quite a bit so that this is more of a personal scent, something for me alone.

 

It's like the Springtime version of To Autumn (the absence of the nutmeat seems to brighten up The Hesperides quite a bit), and a much lighter apple scent than Poisoned Apple. It's a much damper scent than Nowhere in Particular - whereas Nowhere in Particular (on my skin, anyway) is walking through an apple orchard on a dry night, this is very much walking through that orchard in the very early morning as the sun is peaking through post-raining clouds.

 

I really need a bottle of this!

[anna1850]

I'm sorry to say this, but this really is the worst BPAL I've tried so far.

 

I like apples so I thought I'd like this. I'm realising now though that wood isn't my friend.

 

What I got from The Hersperides was rotting yellow apples on a rotting pile of wood.

 

It was really really hard to wash off and I put it on in the morning so even though I washed my wrist so much that the skin was raw, I still kept smelling it throughout the day.

 

1/5 I think I need to go through my wishlist and make sure I take off everything with wood in it.

[djsiberia]

apples, yum...then leaves...which is a buzz kill for the apples.

 

[topazphoenix]

Crisp, clear green apples..drydown gets softer and more woody. Very pretty scent.

[iiinterstate]

I'm REALLY excited to try this one because so many people have compared it to Lush's Honey I Washed the Kids, which I like a lot!

 

First impression is the crispest, freshest apples ever represented in a perfume oil, backed up by warm oak.

 

After a few minutes I TOTALLY get the comparison to HIWTK. It must be something in the twilight mist that makes it sweetly musky. I'd love a bottle.

[ltrittipoe]

In the imp: Pure, green, tart apple. Maybe a tiny hint of green leaves, but all like a Granny Smith apple - almost too tart to eat.

 

Wet: I was hesitant to try this at first because of the pure apple I was getting in the imp. Although I love foodie scents, I wasn't sure about anything this tart. & at first, I was getting tart apples, a little woody, almost an appletini scent. Then as it started to dry:

 

CARAMEL APPLES! YAY!

 

I love the sweetness that I am getting as this dries. Still apple-y, but a nice warm caramel overtone. The only problem is that it is so light, it seems to be vanishing as I am huffing it all up. We'll see. If it lasts longer than a couple hours, this is a big bottle for me.

[caffinatedangel]

Wet on skin this was a lot like... Eden meets Grand Guignol. And then some faint memory of Miskatonic U. o_O. That must be the wood note. But there's this sort of caramel goo feeling that reminds me of both Eden and Guignol in this note. Its like the happy version of Grand Guignol, and the Eden version with an apple and not a fig. lol

 

I love all these scents I'm tossing out, so that bodes well for Hesperides. It's a crisp, delicious apple. Made a little dark and mysterious by this "twilight mist". The green of the leaves are really making it smell like a real apple, no fakeness for me. And the oak just... i dunno. Where are you? It must just be this general background note easy to ignore, but like a frame for the apple. I think it was caramel/toffeeish early on, but then quickly changed.

 

It just doesn't have much throw, and the apple isn't very strong on me. I was hoping for that POP of fruit like I got from Depraved or Crawdad, but this was more just a mellow blended scent with faint apple. It's only been a few hours, and the scent is dwindling down. Kind of sad, it's really quite beautiful. If only it had more throw, and more staying power.

 

It's actually more of a rain scent. Wet, dewy, non-metallic, I don't know. I feel like its a soft rain in an apple orchard.

Edited July 22, 2009 by CaffinatedAngel

[Lamia]

In the bottle: Gouda cheese

 

Fresh on skin: Wintergreen Certs

 

Drydown: chalky cheap stale candy

 

Fully dried: I guess I can snell apples in there, but it's not a happy apple scent. Guh.

 

Erm, yeah. Trade bag.

[elecktrik]

I just really wish that this scent would stick around on my skin!

 

In the imp, it's so crisp and lovely. The apples smell so juicy, and I don't know what that twilight mist is, but it's mysterious and adds to the scent so much.

 

And it still smells virtually the same on my skin. But it's gone within like 20 minutes. I kept taking such deep sniffs of my wrists at work that my co-workers probably think I'm mental, but it was BARELY there.

 

So sad! I'm sure I'll use up my imp in a hurry, but probably won't invest in a bottle. I wish it stuck around longer, but it's so barely there.

[ljaylh]

 

The apple in this makes me picture a really old, gnarly and twisted apple tree that I just happened to find in a forest - the tree has huge ripe green apples and The Hesperides is what one of those apples would smell like. This, to me, is very much like Snow Glass Apples but with mist replacing the snow - where SGA has that cold edge, this has a wispy soft edge.

 

A must for apple lovers! So very pretty, fresh and lovely.

[Ravenclaw79]

At first sniff, this one's infuriating. It smells like something, something vaguely familiar, something from my childhood -- some sort of candy? Or cough syrup?

 

Eventually, it settles down to something vaguely sweet in a fruity way, a little bit like apple candy (not candied apple).

[Wwindy]

Yikes, something in here really doesn't like me!

 

My experience was much like Lamia's. In the imp, this smelled so strongly off to me -- yes, like stinky cheese, or something rotting -- that I almost couldn't bear to put it on my skin. Once I bucked up and put a dab on, I got overpowering wintergreen Lifesavers mixed with a hint of that foul funky whatever and a very, very faint trace of apples. *sigh*

 

So not for me. So very, very not for me. And while this blend isn't quite as hideous on my skin, sniffing it in the imp is right up there with Badger in my tiny little file of SERIOUSLY BAD BPAL experiences.