Hermia

[ymmat]

Pink pepper, golden amber, honeysuckle, and passion flower.

I got this as one of my freebies in my first order. I hadn't smelled it yet before I accidentally tried it. I grabbed the wrong imp, heh. I hadn't really been in a hurry to try it because florals tend to go south on me and they wreak havoc with my asthma.

Surprisingly, I really like Hermia.

In the vial, it smells like a light, but rich floral with a slight tang to it. The scent is nice and round - florals usually don't have the low tones that I like so much. The amber rounds this out very nicely.

On my skin, it immediately jumps to HELLO, I AM PEPPER!! The pepper fades just as quickly and the scent softens to a nice light, warm ambery scent. I *really* like this.

Happy accidents.

[Torrain]

In imp: pepper and what has to be passion flower, because I'm pretty sure that's not honeysuckle. On my skin, the pepper really amps (how on earth does pepper smell pink, anyway? I mean, it *does*, it's just kind of surprising.) and there's a refreshing floral—might be passion flower or might be passion flower with a little amber, not sure.

 

5 min: a very bright juicy smell. Still not getting much honeysuckle, which is all to the good for me.

 

10 min: amber and passion flower. Possibly very slightly peppered passion flower. Warm and outgoing; makes me think of Lush (the store, not anything in particular).

 

15 min: amber, and passion flower that would like you to know it's a sweet and juicy smell.

 

30 min: oh, good, the amber and passion flower have come to an accord. Passion flower lays claim to two-thirds of the territory, and has a fling with pepper, while amber sits sedately back and lays wonderful warm groundwork. Has hit its groove and sticks around in this vein for at least another hour.

 

3:25:passion flower's faded; now getting amber with a little pepper. Definitely worth keeping around.

 

Love and coffee,

Frances

[alaitallon]

I got this one in a huge lot of imp's ears, so what it was going to smell like was a mystery for me. It seemed pleasant enough in the bottle, though, so I thought I'd give it a shot and wear it. Maybe my mix is a bit more concentrated than most, but a couple of drops on my wrist and neck was MORE than enough. It was almost embarrassing (though I suppose it would have been more so if it was something that smelled awful, which it didn't). I think this would be much more pleasant if it wasn't so strong on me. The florals aren't bad, and I can kinda smell the honeysuckle, but just . . . too strong. I may try it again sometime, though, and revisit this.

 

Rating: 5/10

[theseagrows]

at first this smells like spicy almonds. i guess that's the pink pepper? once it settles down a bit, the amber and come through more. there is still a nuttiness to this though that isn't doing well with my skin chemistry. the passion flower is very faint in the background. i think i'll swap this one.

Edited February 29, 2008 by theseagrows

[kelpsoda]

I love this! It's sweet and fruity, and spicy like cinnamon (only softer). I can smell the amber behind the peppery-ness, but I only get a hint of floral (from the passionflower? or is that what makes it fruity?). For lack of better description, it's PINK and happy-making.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Warm, sweet pepper and subtle floral notes.

 

Immediately on skin: The pepper hits me first, but it’s warm and inviting. It has a gentle bite… not sharp or overbearing. The warm amber is the base of this, and there’s just a light breath of flowers. It reminds me of something, but I have no idea what.

 

After a few minutes: This is a very fun fragrance. The pink pepper is just girly, but with a total kick; it’s spiced, but sweet and a little soapy. The amber in the background adds a creamy warmth to the base, and the passion flower (honeysuckle is my favorite floral fragrance and I don’t smell it here) adds a subtle fruity floral tone.

 

Overall Impressions: Hermia is girly with a kick… it’s feminine, but not overwhelmingly so and has a lot of attitude. The pepper is peppery, of course, but it’s not really spicy. It’s an interesting blend, and something I wear quite a bit!

[Lavada]

I'd use the word cloying to describe what Hermia did to me, but that would be an understatement.

 

I've no idea what was going on, but it felt/smelled like I fell into a vat of really thick mix-and-match flower scented oil. When I say oil... I mean motor oil. No pepper to ease the suffocation, to pierce holes in this smothering scent... it doesn't even ease off four hours after I applied it.

 

The strangest thing to me, however, was that there was no DOOM POWDER from the amber. I was all ready to duke it out with that pesky resin, but no... nothing. I wonder if the panic-inducing thick quality was an example of how amber should behave.

[hkhm]

imp: pepper, amber, passion flower, honeysuckle... there will be a bottle of this in my next order.

 

wet: peppery passion flower!

 

dry: this reminds me a little bit of tweedledee from the pepper but it is much more glowing than that. it's a warm, ambery pepper with sweet flowers.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Sweet, spicy cinnamon and honeysuckle.

 

Wet: Still cinnamony, but peppery too. It's quite spicy and tickles my nose. The honeysuckle is strong and sweet. There is another floral note that is light and feminine, I presume that's the passion flower. The amber is providing a warm foundation, but it's not an overwhelming note. Strong throw, and a slow drying oil.

 

Dry: Sweet, spicy honey. Nice, but not my thing.

[savage_rose]

Spicy floral...tropical, warm, and sweet. Like drinking a sweet poolside drink at the beach. And it just keeps getting better...more cinnamon, and a deeper scent. Lovely.

[CordeliaSeduced]

I don't know what it was I was initially smelling, but when I first cracked open this imp, I was blown away by something completely and utterly terrible. Maybe the travel and the weather had taken its toll on the little package, but this blend just did not agree with me upon first sniff. It got put in the imp box with no real plans to ever be worn.

 

But something in the air today said, "I want a peppy floral!" and I recalled the notes in this little one--by all logic, this should smell great (even if I've never caught whiff of pink pepper before). I was hesitant to take another sniff, but I was pleasantly surprised--I smelled only an amicable honey-gold floral.

Once it was on my skin, the pepper and amber came out. Together with the flowers, they smell almost like a cinnamon/cardamom mix to me...but then, certain flowers give me that impression anyway. I might just have been cursed with a confused sniffer.

After drying, I could still smell the pink pepper and what I believe was the slightest trails of honeysuckle. It had remarkable staying power and a decent amount of throw.

 

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised, particularly after my initial reaction. It was enjoyable, but I'm not sure this is entirely bottle-worthy.

[azhriaz]

I assumed I would like this one, but the first time I tried it I was repulsed by the cloying sweetness.

 

Tonight however, it is lovely!

 

The pink pepper is very prominent and at first I thought I was smelling Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal. The passion flower is amazing, and does smell like passionfruit. I think it cuts the sweetness a little, which is a good thing.

 

The scent dies down pretty quickly on my skin but doesn't disappear completely.

 

I'm still not completely sure if I like this one... sometimes it smells fabulously unique, but then it switches to 'ick' or just 'meh'. Further testing required.

[veronicafranco]

This is interesting. I sort of like the amber. When wet, I can smell a tangier sweet floral that I imagine is the passion flower; when dry, it’s just extremely sweet, floating over the amber, and they don't seem to meld at any point for me. I don’t get any pepper at all. I think my skin amps sweetness and eats up spice. Not sure this works on me, because of that.

 

eta - have tried this a few more times and it's growing on me. i've had my lab-fresh imp not quite 2 weeks, but long enough for the notes to mingle much better than before. still not as peppery as i'd wish, but i'm liking it more. and, i think, acquiring a taste for amber....

 

editing again after another 2 weeks or so. somehow, this one has really gotten under my skin and become bottleworthy. the pepper lasts longer these days. i have come to think of this fragrance having a shape (kinda new for me, most just have colors) - a thick translucent pale golden layer at the bottom for the amber, topped by thinner and thinner layers of brighter gold for the honeysuckle, hot orange for the passion flower, and a very thin hot pink layer on top for the pepper.

Edited May 20, 2008 by veronicafranco

[cranberry]

I’m so glad that I got this a frimp in a recent order, I’ve been wanting to try this since it was released. I’m not disappointed at all.

 

When first applied, this is a very sweet, amber blend. This reminds me of Hymn to Prosperpine. It’s gorgeous. I’m also getting a bit of a lemony-foody scent, but it’s very faint. The pepper is there too and it adds a spicy aspect to the sweet amber. I don’t know what passionflower smells like, but perhaps it is that combined with the honeysuckle that adds such a candy-sweetness to this oil. This is a gorgeous blend and I’m so glad that I finally tried it. Now to get a bottle…

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this has honeysuckle with a hint of amber and pepper.

 

On my skin, it's all honeysuckle & amber.

 

When it dries, I get both of the flowers, layered over the amber with just a hint of pepper. This is nice, but not a "wow" for me.

[akuaa]

lemon cake! yummmm. creamy light fluffy cakey lemony yumm. i'm not sure i can give much more than that.

 

i'm also really not sure how it manifests as a lemon cake, but it does. yum.

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): Pepper hits in the first whiff and it's yummy! This is my foray with pink pepper and it is lovely! Hermia is a cheeky little girl obsessed with puppy dog tails.

 

On facial cotton (dry): The bite from the pepper is softly dressed in the floral sweetness. Very chic and girly at the same time.

 

On me: I used to think White Rabbit was the only oil with a pepper note I would fall in love with, but Hermia has joined that rank. It is more aloof, a scent that I reckon would carry very well in a high-power office full of MCPs. A woman who holds her own amongst men and doesn't compromise on her own femininity is what Hermia is.

[alterosen]

Scrumptious!

On me, this is a peppery citrus/fruity floral with a background of non-powdery amber. Not too sweet, not too peppery, not too in-your-face floral - another perfect summery fragrance.

[miri]

Wet on skin, I was squeeing internally because it was Lush's Rock Star's exact double. As it dries, the pepper comes out and takes the edge of the sweetness and to add a bit of a kick. If I hadn't smelled it wet first, I might not have concluded 'Rock Star'; having done so, even after it changes, I can see where I'm coming from!

[Enferdame]

As I'm playing Hermia in a local production I just had to try this, and I'm so glad I did!

 

In the bottle- She’s all honeysuckle and fruit, with the richness I associate with amber. She’s sweet, but in a fresh way. Super yummy.

 

On me- I’ve worn this twice now, and it’s acted differently, but that’s more my hormones than anything. The first time the honeysuckle and amber stayed pretty dominant, keeping it sweet but not cloying. The peppercorn gave it a kick that made it feisty. I loved this, although apparently the mosquitoes did as well.

This time around it went through an unpleasant soapy nose-tickling stage that it didn't do the first time. Again, feel like my hormones are doing different things than they did the first time.

I'm going to give this another try to decide whether or not I want a full bottle, since apparently my chemistry is playing tricks with me.

[meaganola]

I almost tried Black Phoenix today, but just before I applied it, I changed my mind and grabbed Hermia. Good decision. It's taken about four hours and a second application to figure out what this reminds me of: I'm another one who finds it very, *very* closely related to Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal, although Hermia is lighter and not as sweet. Which is good, especially in the summer, because heavy, super-sweet scents + me + heat = Not Good. Even though it's actually cool today (I actually needed my jacket when I grabbed lunch!), I still know this will be a good one to grab when the mercury climbs back up the thermometer and I'm in the mood for something sweet.

 

I've got plenty of DoaLTC to last me for a very, very long time, though, so a bottle of Hermia is far, *far* in my future if at all. It will be nice to toss this one in my travel bag for times I think I'm going to want DoaLTC while on vacation but don't want to risk losing one of my most beloved LEs, though.

[caffinatedangel]

I tried Hermia on a whim, to see if -maybe- I could get along with Florals, and to learn more about amber. (training my wee nose)

In imp: Spicy sweet, and a very curious thing.

 

Wet on skin: Wow, spicey yum. If it stays like this I'll be in heaven. This pink pepper is zesty and fun .

 

Drying: The zest hangs around, meshing with I suppose Honeysuckle? Amber? I'm clueless. It's sweet, zesty, and oh is that passion flower coming to give it a full, round feel? It is. How pleasant.

 

Dry, 20 minutesish in: Passion flower and I don't like each other. I smell VERY floral, and while there's tangy-ness underneath it I just dislike florals. So much for trying to prove I could enjoy them <.<. Passion flower BURST out off my skin and is now -the- scent of the hour. bleh.

 

More, more dry: Passionflower calms down, or my nose gets use to it, but it's still overwhelming for me. The pepper is there in the background, as is that sweetness, but it's overwhelmed.

 

Overall: I'm not a floral person, and passion flower tends to take center stage here. I won't deny it can be a lovely scent, and has no major flaws. It's certainly what the description said, just not for me :/ It's very light, girly and happy. It also has a decent throw, for an oil.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: I would never have picked this girl out myself, but I'm really glad I got frimped it!

 

In the imp: Soft, liquid honeysuckle and bright tangy pepper.

 

On the wrist, wet: This is slightly less sweet and not quite so overwhelmingly peppery on the skin, but it's still deliciously feminine with a playful kick to it. This is the kind of wet, sweet floral I like, and the pepper makes it a very characteristically 'me' scent.

 

Drydown: I wore this for a whole day at work, and it felt fresh, vivacious and energetic for hours at a time. Great stuff!

 

Verdict: I want a bottle!

 

Tl;Dr: Sweet liquid honeysuckle and passion flower with tingly pink pepper, playful but bold.

[Iceblink]

The pepper in this is quite something--spicy and gives the blend a great kick. The amber is deep and sweet. I don't smell the honeysuckle and passion flower specifically; there's just a nice sweetness. This is feminine but with an edge from the pepper. Very bright and perky! I'm still not 100% sure how well pepper likes my skin but I'll be giving this one a second try for sure.

[Caerphilly]

I LOVE Helena. When I ordered a big bottle, I found there was also a Hermia oil, so I got an imp!

 

In the imp: I get pink christmas from this. It's sweet, piney, a bit of pepper. Like cinnamon sugar cookies, christmas trees, eggnog, candy canes...Except all pink. And no honeysuckle! I'm glad because honeysuckle turns dirty and sour on me!

 

In 5 minutes: Still no honeysuckle. Still christmas. It's sweet (the passion flower, I'm guessing) and the pink pepper stands out. Lovely. Nostalgic.

 

After 10 minutes: I have red splotches on my skin where I put the oil. Why?!?! I love this and I'm allergic!! I think it's the pepper in this. I have to wash it off.

 

Overall: Beautiful pink floral. Pink Christmas anyone! I'd get a big bottle if I wasn't allergic!