The Hesperides

[hypothermya]

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.

First Impression

Smells like really sweet apple cider, except...With something else. Oh, hey! I recgonize that smell! It's like tanbark, only not so acrid! That must be the oak. I'm finally getting the hang of recognizing these scents. So it smells like sweet apples that have been spilled in tanbark.

Wearing It

Oh, my. At first I was expecting to smell this sweet caramel apple concoction, and it isn't that at all -- instead, it dries out to smell like crisp red apples that have just been quartered. It's actually making my mouth water, that's how much it really smells like apples... And there's a really crisp ozone scent behind that also, which reminds me of cool breezes at high altitudes. Not cool enough for snow, but cool enough for an autumn evening at the top of a mountain. With leaves around you, and apples in your mouth, and... This is actually a bit like Samhain...Not entirely, of course, but if you were to take away the pumpkins, and spices, and earthiness, and keep the autumn feeling; then replace it with cool air, and you've got this.

I like it. It really reminds me of autumn, and twilight, and seclusion. I'm not sure it'll be a favorite, but you can never tell with these. I'll definitely wear it some more, and I'm definitely hanging onto this imp.

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: tart green apple with a sugary edge.

 

Wet: sweet and sharp, the apple scent morphing into caramelised sugar, very intense and strong.

 

Dry: the sharpness melts away, leaving a delicious sweet fruity scent.

 

Verdict: I found the really sharp sugary smell too strong for a while, but I like this once it's dry. I wouldn't wear it every day, but it's definitely good for when I need a bit of zing. It'll be very nice to wear when Spring arrives!

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Crisp apples on the tree and a slight bit of spice. Can't imagine what it is tho'.

 

On me: The apples still have that slight spice, reminding me of applesauce. The oak bark is also there, underneath the apple. After a few minutes the sharp apple dissapates and you can smell the apple tree instead; the apples are still there but they're nestled amongst the branches and the leaves. It isn't very strong so I doubt I'll buy it.

[Witch Baby]

 

In the Bottle: Mmmm, this stuff smells wonderful! It's a cross between apple blossoms and this apple soda pop that I always get when I'm in Mexico. It's very sweet and candy like. I'd want this as a room scent.

 

On: Hmm, the candy sweet-ness dies down a bit when it's on me, it smells more like a very crisp apple that you just picked from some one's yard. There is a slightly sharp note under the apple freshness though. As is drys down a little, the candy smell comes back, but it's a lot richer. Like carmel apples instead of candy apples.

 

 

I think I'm gonna keep this as both a room and personal scent!

[glampyre]

Have you ever been to a campfire where the people were burning an apple tree? Probably not, because it isn't often. It's a rare, luscious treat.

 

The Hesperides from Black Phoenix is an absoluteley (I cannot spell) unmissable treat. You owe it to yourself to smell this at least once in your lifetime.

 

I have so many associations with this smell that I almost cry. It's like innocence with musky, smoky things in the background watching.

 

I think I have to have a big bottle of this.

 

This was a surprise.

[Murron]

Bottle: apple, apple, abit like a granny smith.

 

On skin: this reminds me of a perfume of Yves Rocher. I can only pick out the apple....

 

Few good hours later: it's almost gone...

 

As someone already said, I love apples, but have no desire to smell like them. On the swap pile!!

[miss apple]

Well this will sound like most of the other reviews but here we go:

 

First sniff is crisp, green apples - Granny Smith like Murron said. I can't believe how much this smells like fresh apples! It makes me a little hesitant to wear it since I'm not sure if I want to smell so apple-y. After a few minutes the Granny Smith scent has mellowed and it is quite nice, about fifteen minutes later I can smell something sweet like caramel. There's a bit of earthiness that grounds it so it's not too sweet.

 

A big bottle is definitely on my list

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Kallisti!!! No, I don't smell like Discord--but I do smell like a Golden Delicious apple; Eris would be pleased. This has just a touch of spice, cinnamon maybe? A very autumnal scent; I don't really like smelling of apples but think it'll be great as a room scent. Very harvest-smelling.

[Lorencita]

I wore this to work the other day... it was a pleasant surprise. It starts off very fresh cut apple smelling. Then on me it turns to caramel covered apples that are gooey and warm. I really like this scent alot, I love apples & the caramel surprise was just wonderful! Me likey!

[Lady_Ell]

Hmmmm. I like the idea of smelling like apples, but trying this one out made me realize that I don't actually like smelling like apples.

 

This does indeed smell like Granny Smiths, like the juice that dribbles down after that first bite. Problem is, it's SO strong on me and it doesn't settle down. It overwhelms me after a while, and meanwhile feels very young and bubbly and crisp - but not in a way that I associate with myself. It's how I imagine a stereotypical cheerleader would smell, for some reason. It smells good, but it's not really me.

[pkwench]

The first whiff I had of this was sharp and laden with a dead, wooden twang I did not care for. The second sniff was much nicer. Now, after having had it on for about an hour, all I can say with any clarity is that I love it. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It smells, to me, a lot like the Apple Cider candle that I bought from B&BW. It's a lovely autumn scent and it just makes me very happy. I'm going to add it to the "buy more" list. *G*

Edited September 19, 2004 by pkwench

[sarahj]

The Hesperides

 

in the vial: someone has taken an apple tree, apples, leaves, branches, bark, and all, ground it up and put it in the vial...tart apples with a lot of woody scent

 

wet: same as in the vial, but as it dries the wood scent disappears and the apple turns sweeter, more caramel-y

 

dry: after about an hour this has turned soapy on me

 

verdict: I like the first two stages of the scent but not the final result. I think I may swap this one away.

[metterklume]

This is my favourite scent so far to wear to work – it’s not overtly sexy or too sweet, not booze-y or incenselike – it’s simply clean apple goodness. It makes me feel friendly and calm and able to deal with customers (mostly – it’s not a miracle drug!).

 

This was the first oil I tried when I got my order, and I immediately went outside and took a deep breath of oak woods in July, and this really perfectly captures that with the lovely yellow-apple addition. This is also a scent I love to wear in my hair; the scent stays longer and drifts a little more.

[hadaverde]

Upon application, it smells very strongly of red apple, with a sharp woody subtext. It reminds me of the stems and occasional leaves one finds attached to organic apples in the grocery store, more so than the flesh of the fruit itself...or perhaps like living apple trees at the pinnacle of the growing season.

 

The vivid apple note fades to the background fairly quickly, but doesn't disappear completely, as the woody note moves to the forefront. After an hour or so, the wody notes fade and blend, and the apple takes on equal strength, the result being somewhat akin to a freshly-opened pouch of apple pipe tobacco.

 

I like this one, it is surely a keeper. It strikes me as appropriate for any time of year -- there are aspects of all seasons captured in this tiny vial, and it contains a perfect balance of warm and cool notes, allowing it to adapt to any climate or weather.

[Azrhiaz]

On me, it's entirely apples and wood, and I like it...yet I don't. It's the strangest thing. I think I'd really like it on someone else. It just isn't me, and for some reason I keep thinking "apple-scented furniture polish", which isn't fair and makes no sense, really, because it doesn't smell the least bit like furniture polish. But it still makes me think of it, all the same. I suppose it's the oak wood, which is different from any wood note I can remember smelling (and I love wood notes, btw).

 

Also, I think I'd like it as a room scent. A very nice one, for autumn.

[AnnetteL]

The top notes here are a delicious blend of caramel/honey tinged apple. I was having trouble putting my finger on what the base smells like until I read it in one of the other reviews - hay! Just lightly, the sweet apples are definitely dominant on me.

 

It's very yummy smelling, but somehow I just don't feel right wearing apples. It makes no sense, as I will happily slather myself in the scent of almost any other fruit, but that's the feeling I get. I do think this would make a *superb* room scent, and will definitely be trying that out soon. If it's as good as I imagine I might have to get a bottle.

[Falathwen]

I agree that this smells like caramel apples and is a very memory provoking scent. It makes me think of the Yeats poem about "the golden apples of the sun." I am going to try layering this with Samhain to bring out the apple note of that blend more strongly.

[Mistral]

I'm not quite sure what I can say about this one that hasn't been said already, but I love this scent so much (it's my first 5 ml order!) that I have to try...

 

In the bottle: Apple juice. I wasn't sure about this when I first sniffed it, until...

 

Wet: Crisp apple. The slightly fermented smell that made me think of apple juice is gone - all that's left is a lovely, crunchy, juicy apple. Yum.

 

Drydown: The wood and leaves come out slowly. The crisp apple smell is still dominant, but now it's like an apple tree on a breezy summer afternoon. My mom had an apple tree in her back yard when I was growing up (it's since come down, sadly), and this scent takes me right back there. I only wish it lasted a bit longer, but I'm willing to apply it again and again all day!

[Belladonnastrap]

First sniff

Mmm apples. Sweet ripen apples just lightly drizzled with some sweetness. A lot like apple cider.

 

Wet

A bit sickeningly sweet, there seems to be a bit of caramel that completely overpowers the apple. It's not BAD but that tartness that I initally smelled is missing and I'm sad.

 

Drydown

I SMELL LIKE AN APPLE ORCHARD! Oh that inital tartness is back now but it's enhanced by some sweetness. Oh this is beautiful. Beautiful!

 

Aftermath

I can see why Hera jealously guarded her apples if they smelled like this! Wonderful wonderful and a 5ml for sure

[Morrighana]

It's very weird, but the apple in this actually makes me sick to my stomach...I can barely stand sniffing the imp, and I had to scrub it off of my skin! I think it's a negative scent-memory association related to this particular apple rather than a real physical reaction, though. Very weird.

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

I would imagine this scent to be woodsy with a hint of apples. Not overhwhelmingly fruity, more like walking through a forest eating a fresh picked apple.

 

First sniff:

 

Very strong apple but with a hint of something I can't place...it smells almost dusty in a way. Maybe it's the oak bark? Other than that, I have no idea what it could be.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Oh my God, this is gorgeous! I don't normally do fruity scents, but this is fantastic! It smells like a fresh cut Golden Delicious apple with the slightest hint of bark and leaves behind it. This is a complete surprise for me and I love it.

 

Dry down:

 

Pure juicy Golden Delicious apple. This is nothing like I expected but absolutely amazingly gorgeous. I can see this being a perfect year-round scent. I know I would wear it all year-round. I feel happy wearing this scent.

 

The bottom line:

 

An almost total surprise but absolutely gorgeous, even for a non-fruit perfume lover like me. Definitely a keeper.

[sheelanagig]

This is so lovely... the first one to make me cry.

 

In the bottle, it's super strong Granny Smithiness. So strong that it took me several weeks just to get around to testing it.

 

On, it softens beautifully. Also, this was the first one to transport me to a particularly fond memory of my childhood. Forgive me for a moment while I indulge in that memory.

It was late September, and my grandmother brought me to the mountains to ride horses. In this oil, I can almost smell the cool breeze blowing through the barn as I stood there looking up at this great mare, with her shiny copper colored coat. I was in complete awe and more excited than I'd ever been in my whole life. My grandmother had bought a sack full of apples at a roadside stand and we shared them with the horses. Beautiful.

Somewhere in the background of this scent I can smell my grandma's perfume. Maybe that's just a psychological thing. God, I love this!

 

Unfortunately it disappears on me very soon after drydown. Time to start slathering.

[sihaya09]

A 5ml of this will be in my next order. In the vial, it's a crisp, juicy green apple. But on my skin, it turns to a caramel apple, sweet and smooth without being overly sugary. This scent is truly, truly divine. My only complaint is that it fades too quickly, and for that I need more to slather. Lovely.

[rainbow]

In the bottle this smells mostly of crisp, green apples. Definitely Granny Smith apples- I love that I can pin it down to a particular apple. When I sniff the bottle all I can think of is cutting up a really crisp Granny Smith, and little beads of juice running out, as well as the contrast between the firm, green skin and the white flesh. Lovely.

 

When I put the oil on my skin it instantly takes on a sweet, caramel, honeyed sort of smells that jumps right on top of the apple and nearly takes over. For the first few minutes of application this scent is mostly sweet. As it dries, however, the apple comes back and slowly cuts through the honey/caramel.

 

I've found that most of the changes in The Hesperides take place in the first half hour of wearing. After that the scent settles into a very clean, fresh apple. I find it really, really beautiful. I enjoy wearing this very much. My only complaint is that my skin eats this stuff up post haste- it only lasted about an hour on me. Sigh. I'll still wear it, and quite possibly order a big bottle, as it looks like I'll be applying frequently.

[Morgan]

In the vial I mostly smell apples, tart unripe apples.

On my skin I still smell tart unripe apples, but with a hint of something green...some kind of plants. I don't know if I'm going to like this...

10 minutes later Wow! This completely changed. It smells like shiny and crisp red ripe apples. With a hint of something sweet (caramel?).

It actually reminds me of an apple crisp...

1 hour later It is still there, but very faint. It still smells like caramel apple crisp. This scent actually makes my mouth water