Hermia

[jewelbug]

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

Wet: I get something very citrusy out of this wet. Citrus, golden, and slightly sweet, a bit powdery.

Drying: While drying, there is a distinct “hay” note from this. Citrusy-floral and hay. When DH sniffed it, he said: “Mountain Dew.” You know, there’s something to that. As soon as he said it, I could smell it too!

Dry: Now the hay is gone, as is the Mt Dew-ish scent. I get a sweet, citrus toned floral with a fairly strong wooden note (like sandalwood) and a hit of spice from the pink pepper.

Overall: The waft on this one is actually very amazing. It’s a beautiful and unique scent that I can't describe very well. I can’t see going through a bottle of this, but having an imp around when the mood strikes would be a good thing.

[ankhfangirl72]

The pink pepper is very strong in Hermia, almost to the point that I can't smell anything else. I can just about smell the passion flower but it all goes a bit too "air freshener" on me. This one is definitely not going on my bottle wishlist.

[Leopard403]

Wow, I had no idea! Hermia is bright and fun and sharp; methinks that is likely the pepper. It softens on the skin into something floral and wonderfully spicy. This was a freebie from the lab and I am so glad the sent it! I need a bottle!

[waternight]

In the imp: Amber and a sweet floral.

Wet: Light amber and a sweet, fruity floral. A rich, smooth, calm scent. After a minute, the faint kick of pink pepper appears, but this is still rich and smooth. I think the floral I'm smelling is passion flower - it smells like a juicy tropical fruit masquerading as a flower.

Dry: The pepper flares for a bit, then settles back down. This dries to a very smooth, sweet amber and passion flower blend, with just a hint of pepper.

[kjirstiben]

I never got the pink pepper out of Hermia at all...

 

First out of the bottle, this was a wash of florals and amber. At first, they seemed to be almost competing for prominence, with the warm amber trying to make an almost buttery layer underneath florals that gained an oddness for the buttery backdrop.

 

However, as it dried down, the flowers softened and the amber mellowed into its usual self, sweet and warm without being overpowering (or weirdly buttery). Over the next few hours, this turned into a soft resiny scent with just a touch of honeyed floral. Interesting that in this scent, honeysuckle really does smell almost like honey to me.

[Saya]

In the Imp

The notes of this blend mix in a really smooth way. Each time I sniff it I get something different. First time, creamy passion flower. Second time, floral pink pepper. Third time honeysuckle and amber...... I can’t wait to see what this does on my skin.

 

On My Skin

I really like what the florals are doing in this mix. They are light, not too sweet with just enough pink pepper to keep the blend from being a generic, nondescript floral. It’s also got this smooth, creamy element that smells quite familair, but I just can’t seem to put my finger on.

 

After a Bit

This dries down to a beautiful spicy floral blend that commands attention in a subtle way. The pepper isn’t a hot spicy, it’s more warm which combines well with the honeysuckle and passion flower.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being best)

Scent - 4.5 Throw - 2.5 Longevity - 3.5 4 hours later still going strong.

Overall (not an average) - 3.8

 

Final Thoughts

I’ve got to get a bottle of this soon, I can see myself wearing this blend often.

[obsidienne]

This starts out really peppery and tropical. The golden amber adds a warm, down to earth depth to the vibrant tropical floral, while the pepper has a bite to it that says "I mean business." That business? Being sexy, fun and awesome.

 

As it dries down, it gets ... um... thicker. Sweeter. The amber and pepper blend a bit more and pull it all together, making this a different type of floral. Nose-glued-to-wrist addictiveness.

 

Hermia starts off strong and fades back into medium throw. This scent is a warm, glowing sungold-pink.

 

I don't know what else to say. Uh... Get some!

 

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Ooh, unexpected! It's unabashedly girly and pink--a bright peachy-pink--although there's something buttery yellow about this scent to me, too. It's a floral, but not like most florals; it's fruity-spicy and calls to mind sticky golden nectar, rather than heady petals. This is all passion flower and amber at first, and then I get that warm ginger-spice from the pink pepper. It's very feminine and spirited—sweet, yes, but not without bite. I really was not prepared for Hermia to be so stunning.

On, wet: Amazing. It has an almost buttery-lemony foody quality, I swear, although it's delicious. Passion flower remains the top note to me, followed closely by the pepper and then amber… but I detect a bit of honeysuckle piping up. Still, this is so well blended that it's already difficult to pick the notes apart.

On, dry: Amber and pink pepper are stepping up, while the passion flower and honeysuckle have basically blended together for me. It's warm and ginger-spicy and beautiful—slightly mellowed and less sweet than it was initially, but still a knockout.

Later: Warm amber, spicy ginger, and if I really try, I can smell the sweet florals still in there somewhere… but really, this is one perfect whole. It's a beautiful floriental, fresh and youthful but not immature, and even now it has me sniffing my wrist in search of more of that luscious scent.

Overall: Sweet, sexy, sassy and feminine. What a winner this one is, and where I least expected it. Hermia was one of the few Illyria scents that wasn't on my list, but I got it as a frimp and… wow, I don't know why I underestimated this scent. Like Hermia, it's beautiful and unexpectedly fierce. If you can't stand sweetness or spice, this won't appeal, but I think everybody else will be charmed.

 

 

[Ceri]

In the vial: Amber, floral and lemony.

 

Wet: Floral with spices. Sweetness that has a spicy and citrus aftertaste.

 

Drydown: Amber and floral. A very sweet, warm scent.

 

Overall: I can't see myself having a bottle, but I'll keep the imp!

[asciident]

Wet: Super heavy floral. I'm scared.

 

First on: Rose and lily? Strange...

 

Dry: It's actually pretty nice as a rose-and-lily scent, except that's not what it is at all...

[TheLetterL]

I've never associated a smell with a color, but...Hermia is magenta and jungle green in my head. In the bottle and wet, it's got a fruity juiciness to it. I'm not a fan of fruit, so I was happy that it faded. It's a sweet floral with pink pepper to make it spunky and amber to keep it from being to sticky-sweet. One of my faves to date!

 

(And for the record, I'm 4'10" )

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Pink pepper--very strong--backed by faint amber.

 

Wet on skin: Helloooooooo, pink pepper!

 

Dry on skin: Yup, this is all pink pepper, all the time. This is the one BPAL pepper that always amps to high heaven on me and kills off any other notes. Sadly, it is inevitably too sweet and cloying on me.

[lunaticana]

wow this is SUCH an intriguing scent

very special.. very unexpected, very warm and happyfor some VERY odd reason it reminds me of the old Monastry's in Dordrecht..

one of the oldest villages there are in The Netherlands

it is so special and peppery, but in a light and comforting way

I can def. wear this!

 

 

*wants bottle* (BIG bottle )

[anna1850]

Very sweet and sugary with a dash of pepper. It really reminds me of Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal but slightly less foody.

 

3/5 It's OK but a bit too sweet for me.

[Veronica]

On me, the pepper comes out very strongly, it almost tickles my nose. Equally strong is the syrupy sweetness of the amber/honeysuckle. Strangely, as it dries down, Hermia retains both these scents but also begins smelling exactly like an after dinner mint?! I'm assuming this must be the passion flower, as its the only note I'm unfamiliar with in this mix, and it has a slightly floral undertone. I get no fruitiness from this. I can see how this would work on someone with better/different chemistry, and it is a gorgeous scent, but its not for me.

 

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: Oh, very sweet and fruity and PINK. It must be the pink pepper; I've never tested a blend with it before, but there's no doubt in my mind that this is what it is. The blend kind of comes across to me as Juicy Fruit gum, for some reason.

 

WET: Still very sweet and fruity, slightly bubblegum-ish, with a kick from the pepper.

 

DRY: Warm amber and spicy pepper, with fruitiness and a hint of florals. Very feisty and girly. The pink pepper comes across really strongly. This scent is so cute!

[Gin]

Hermia

 

In the bottle, whoa, pepper! On the skin: rich spicy honey floral. The pepper fades first and I'm left with a gorgeous sweet floral.

[Monster]

Out of the vial: A mildy sweet peppery scent! Wowza! I know I'm going to love this one.

 

Wet: Peppery amber. The amber is very similar to the one used in The Lion. Mmmm spicy!

 

Dry: I'm not getting ANY floral notes at all. They have to be in there...but I'm just not detecting them! I'm left with a beautiful spicy amber scent. I can't stop sniffing my arm. Oooh ohhh! I know what this reminds me of...Arcanas Ganesh (just a lot less sweet)!

 

Verdict: Bam! Gonna buy a 5ml of this with my next order. I want to smell like this all the time. Hermia is really mild, a close to the skin scent that just makes me feel sexy. Mmm ahhhh...this imp isn't going to last a very long time.

 

If you don't like floral scents, don't let the notes scare you away. Try this!!!

Edited June 11, 2009 by Monster

[sylvanusurban]

In bottle: Cripes, it was hard to get that bottle open. I tried to do it carefully, and still it ended up popping open in an uncontrolled manner and spilling on me. Anyway, in the bottle it had a pleasant, fresh, youthful “pink” scent. Not exactly fruity, not exactly floral. I think I smelled some of the pink pepper from the description. Hard to describe.

 

On me, wet: Pretty nice (though there’s more of it on me than I’d like)! I’m getting the light peppery spiciness of the pink pepper, the sweetness of the honeysuckle, the round goldenness of the golden amber and the exotic fruitiness of the passion flower. It’s feminine and fresh, neither in-your-face seductive nor naively super-sweet. I dig it.

 

On me, drying: Somebody mentions “orangey spice” in her review of Hermia, and I can certainly see that. This could almost be a cider or a Christmas tea. It’s festive and zesty, familiar and cozy.

 

Later: Mmm mmm, now it’s getting sweeter and creamier; the spice is mellowing and losing some of its prickliness. Nice nice.

 

Verdict: This is really gorgeous. A possible future bottle. Hopefully one that won’t spill on me every time I open it.

 

 

[donnatron]

Bottle: Sharp and almost nose biting. Definitely getting the pink pepper.

 

Wet: Rich, warm pink pepper and honeysuckle. I love honeysuckle! I also get some of the passion flower--this reminds me a bit of Cottonmouth.

 

Dry: Gorgeous. The pepper adds an interesting zing to a warm amber/honeysuckle base with the passionflower just sort of drifting about. It's a bright, warm, girly floral and I am patting myself on the back for deciding to wear it to a anniversary garden party this afternoon.

 

Throw: Strong. I've had the bottle for a year and a half, however, and it's actually lost some of the intense throw it had when I first bought it.

 

Overall: I love this when I'm in a specific mood for it. Although Hermia is beautiful it's just so bright and peppy and all out cheerful that I have to be in a celebratory mood to wear it otherwise I'm sitting at my desk like, "Why do I smell like I'm ready to party but I'm actually just emailing people?"

[Siberia]

Hermia was not good on me at all. She starts off like pepper-soaked old lady and finishes with a strong soapiness. When I say soapy, it's the kind of soap that you can actually feel in your sinuses and throat - very weird. I get the same soapiness with the otherwise magnificent Fairy Market. I am guessing there is a common note, and my guess is that it's passionflower. But still just guessing. I was sorry this didn't work for me because the notes were very appealing.

[splendidissima]

Someone up above said "sungold-pink," and yes. Hermia is very pink to me, but not blindingly so, and not little-girly, either--a deep, rich, warm shade of pink. The pepper is very prominent, but I've discovered that I love bpal pepper, and it loves me. Balancing the spiciness is the passionflower, which gives it a sweet and tropical edge.

 

Overall: This is a great sweet-spicy scent that isn't overly floral (at least, not on me) and I am happy with my bottle. It makes me smile when I catch a whiff of it drifting up from my skin.

[mhickle]

Hermia is, I think, pretty much a perfect encapsulation of the character. Sweet and gentle and full of love, but with that strong, peppery streak. She's a lot stronger than a woman of her station is expected to be, and this oil communicates that. There's brightness and warmth, but always that spicy, sharp undertone.

 

 

 

[Indigo78]

When wet this strikes me as, well, a foody floral. I get a distinct butter note and a sweetness that I definitely recognize. Even though I *try* not to read other reviews before posting, I accidentally glanced at the words 'Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal' - and, yeah. This has a very similar feel. As it dries it gets more powdery-sweet, and the butter disappears very quickly (which is good, I didn't enjoy that phase very much). The sweetness becomes peach-like and soft, while the amber keeps it grounded and pretty. Not the type of scent that I typically spring for, but I'm glad to have an imp. The throw is probably about an arm's length, not sure of the staying power yet... but I suspect it will be on the shortish side.

[rayvn1]

<Cough> Not quite what I was hoping for I was really aiming for pink pepper and amber but got a heavy dose of pink pepper and powdery flowers. Drat. The pepper was similar to the nice note in Hua Mulan (I think). I recently played Hermia in a production of Britten's opera, and this *is* a good scent picture of the character - plucky and devoted and sweet Lasted a good, long while. Just not my cup of tea.

 

Edit for some spelling

Edited August 5, 2009 by rayvn1