Himerus

[thebirdofhermes]

The God of Sexual Desire, Longing and Yearning; an attendant of Eros and Aphrodite. A passion-rousing blend of juniper, sandalwood, rosewood, red musk, orchid, bergamot and lilac.

 

In bottle: Honey-coloured oil. Cheap perfume. Very cheap perfume. The kind that makes you glad there's no one at the local drugstore to assault you with perfume that claims to smell just like your favourite designer brand but for less.

On skin: It's… not getting any better. Really, it's not. If anything, it now smells like someone poured cheap aftershave in there with the perfume. If I back off a little, it's almost decent, like a lemony cough drop or hot lemon herbal tea. Key word being almost. Nothing is fixing the fact that it won't stop smelling like the secret love child of Channel #6 and Lectric Shave, who constantly has a cold and thus owns stock in Halls so they never lose their source of honey lemon mentholated cough drops.

Picking it apart, I'm definitely getting something like mentholated lemon. Past that, maybe a little musk. With a bit of drying, I do pick up a woody note that is actually the pleasantest part to my nose. Mostly it's just really sharp, unpleasant cheap perfume. I think I need to go scrub my hands now. Yeurgh.

After looking over the notes, I am going to hazard a guess that it's either the juniper or the musk that's ruining this for me. Will bear further lookings into.

[morinpm]

Oh, this scent was SUCH a disappointing/sad-trombone one. When I first opened the imp I couldn't even really concentrate on what it actually smelled like, because the scent brought up some very vivid memories of a long-gone unrequited longing. With that kind of reaction I expected fireworks once it hit my skin. But no, it disappeared into faintly juniper-scented nothing within a very short period of time. I had it in a scent locket as well, which was...okay. Just okay. The boyfriend wasn't too impressed with it either ("it smells like your entire imp box all at once").

 

Ah well, guess that's one for the swaps.

[aquazoo]

Something dusty at first. The dust settles and I get fruity wood.

[septima_pica]

At first this is a really nice woody, resinous scent with a few sweet florals on top -- I'd wear it all the time if it stayed like this. Unfortunately, the orchid takes over and everything becomes a goopy, boring purple floral. Alas. I wish the juniper and rosewood would hang around a little longer.

[antihero]

This was interesting in the bottle, but on me ... is coming off like fruity sandalwood. I've never really tried a scent with that note in it before, so I was willing to give it a shot, but I really don't like how it's coming out on me. Swap pile, probably.

[donnatron]

Imp: Strong juniper and rosewood. It reminds me of... uh this is crazy, but it reminds me of Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It smells just effeminate enough to make the juniper seem like overcompensation. Odd.

 

Wet: Strong juniper off the bat and then the lilac comes out and sweetens the scent. Very tiny hint of the red musk.

 

Dry: I think this would benefit from further testing. The dominant note is lilac supported by the orchid, rosewood and red musk. The bergamot is MIA and the juniper has dried down to a very, very faint aspect of the scent. It gives this a bit of bite that would otherwise make it too sweet. But it is lovely and totally not what I was expecting (hoping for a good old fashioned red musk/juniper blend).

 

Throw: Moderate. Incredibly strong for a lilac blend (on my chemistry, at least).

 

Overall: I think I am going to try this imp out a few more times and see how I feel about it. I think I'm letting my expectations cloud how I actually feel about the scent.

[impolight]

Hah! Rosewood and Lilac coming together to represent the "God of Sexual Desire"?
You bet'cha!
From the Imp: Oh, this is just NOT playing fair!
Yeah sure, Lilac and Rosewood are frontline, but that does little to prepare the imagination for just how effectively they are made all the more boy-toy with Juniper's presence!

Wow!

Here is a well-defined torso; replete with ripped abs and hip-flexors, deviantly slung over to one side.
Himerus is romanesque facial features, pomaded hair, a million mile stare and an arrogant pout.
Himerus is the bloke that gives the ladies er... Impure thoughts?
And the very same that all the other blokes want to bash in the gob.
Himerus really and truly is everything that it promises to be so far!
This is scary good!
What were the Labbies thinking when this stuff was turned loose on an unsuspecting and instant-gratification oriented public?
This stuff is scrump-diddly-umptious!
The Skinny: Oof! This stuff's the hotter, elder brother of Goldeen Priaprus!
The Lilac at this phase is rather extrordinary!
This is like waking up one morning to discover that you have sprouted a Royal Purple cape!
Himerus is certainly a regal fragrance.
All of the notes arrange themselves in complimentary fashion to relay an unshakeable reputation of competency and prowess.
Himerus is a a great way for Him to beef up his resum'e.
An effortless 5 out of 5.

[tailoredshirt]

Wet: It's got a clean floral feel to it, which I attribute to the orchid. (If I didn't have the notes in front of me, I would have said lily...I guess I can't tell the difference between the two.) It's also got a little bit of citrus from the bergamot.

 

Dry: As it dries, I get some fruitiness...actually, a lot of fruitiness. The juniper and the bergamot? It smells like mangos! Mangos and orchids. Not bad, just....not what I was expecting? :/ I get a bit of wood in there somewhere, but mostly it's mangos and orchids.

 

Overall: On me, this is a clean fruity-floral. I don't feel the need to jump up and wash this off, but I don't feel the need for a full bottle either.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

First sniff in the vial was eucalyptus. I didn't want to put it on my skin. I tested it a few hours later after it cooled down from the mailbox and now I smell juniper, sandalwood, and lilac. The juniper disappears soon and leaves a creamy, woody, fruity-floral scent on my skin that's surprisingly appealing. Upon further sniffing I discover that the magic note is red musk. I don't need a bottle of this but this imp is a keeper.

[Incendiare]

I am immediately greeted by juniper and sandalwood. Whoa, wet it smells a bit medicinal. Reminds me of Tiger Balm a bit! Luckily, that phase only lasts a minute. Now the florals are coming out. They're a bit sharp and undefined, but I do detect a hint of lilac. The warmer woods join in however overall, this still smells cooling and slightly medicinal. I like the end result. It's a pleasant woodsy floral with a slightly cool background.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: rosewood, lilac, bergamont, and orchid. Sweet but manly. The rosewood masks the red musk, I guess contributing to the overall sweetneess and amping of the mix.

Drydown: more sandalwood. Mix becomes drier and the juniper is more prominent (juniper is always super sweet when it 1st hits my skin). I mostly smell juniper and lilac here.

[milo]

Very fresh, light floral on me. There may be a bit of musk and sandalwood here, but it fades in and out. I like this, but it fades really fast, and it is just a bit on the florally side for me.

[Suu4LC]

In the imp, to me, this is mostly woods and juniper. Oof-on my skin this goes sharp for a moment and then settles-I do get more of the floral notes once this is actually on my skin-sweet florals, juniper, and woods. Very sweet. They blend together well though.

 

As it dries, it starts to get a bit powdery and more floral-I actually start to lose the wood notes, which is weird because normally I amp woods like crazy. Still very sweet.

 

However, on drydown this goes SUPER duper sweet powdery. I pretty much lose all the notes and just get sweet powder :[ This was a nice juniper/woods/floral scent but if you powderize things like me, this may be a no go.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Sweet, almost fruity, with a touch of juniper.

Drydown: The florals begin to dominate. I'm getting lilac and possibly the rosewood. It becomes deeper/muskier as it dries.

Dry: A sweet, creamy floral deepened by sandalwood and musk, spiked with a whisper of bergamot.

This is quite a morpher! There's moments I like and moments I'm not terribly fond of. For me the first half hour is the best and after that it's not really my thing.

[symbiosis]

If I were to just sniff this in passing, I'd say it was slightly floral, slightly sweet, and one of those scents that I would quickly classify as not-for-me. But if you take a biiigggg long inhale, I can pick out, in order, the rosewood and cedar, a sweet juniper, and the lilac and orchid playing together. Sadly the musk is so far in the background on me that it's not doing much for the scent besides being a supporting layer. (Musk generally smells pretty good on me.)

 

After a few minutes this almost smells fruity on me. Odd.

 

While this is a very interesting scent, it takes a long, long whiff for me to appreciate it, and I don't want to have to spend 5 seconds inhaling every time I want to smell it. I think this would be interesting aged, as long as age amped ANYTHING but the florals. I think I'll hold onto this frimp for a while.

[surlygurl]

This scent is a changeling.... I dug around my unused HUGE box of imps for something woody & dry but a touch girly. This jumped out at me, so I retested it. (Mind you, this imp is probably 4 years old).

 

In the imp, it's wood and juniper with something lifting it up. *dabs on wrists & chest*

 

At first I get smooth woods with something uplifting. Very nice! Manly yet sweet. As it dries, the sweetness comes out more and somehow mingles with the wood & juniper. Definite fruit. Still a woody base, tho. A feminine scent for those who like woody, somewhat masculine blends (if that makes sense). Wait.... there's red musk in here? Red musk is horrible on me!! This shouldn't work at all. But it does.

 

Not a bottle purchase, but I'll use my imp more often (than once every few years ). It kinda reminds me of Belle Epoque and others in that family.

[velvet]

in the imp, the red musk and wood notes jump out at me. on my skin it starts off the and slowly morphs from a very woodsy scent to a pleasing red musk with some floral. about 5 minutes in it starts to disappear on my skin, and then morphs into a creamy scent. i don't like it in its last stage.

[mymymai]

• ITI: Oh wow, that's sweet, but not cloying; gentle, but seductive. The red musk is nearly candied, but infuses a delightful warming into the sandalwood and lilac that it is nearly brimming with delicate desire. Goodness, this is nice.

Wet: Imagine if Fresh made a sugared lilac scent and you layered this over the musky note in Pink Sugar. Tom Ford's orchid, and threw in sandalwood and a subtle drizzle of bergamot - you'd have this scent. It's just amazing. I love that it reminds me of something sweet and innocent on top, but the minute the scent begins to register, the complexity and naughtiness of the woods and musks saunter in.

Dry: It's still wonderful over 14 hours later - soft lilac, candied red musk, faint, feminine orchid, and a subtle, lulling resin linger on my wrist in such a delightful way that it's a same to take a shower and wash it off.

[theseagrows]

interesting, it's a lot sweeter and light than i expected for some reason. i think it starts off with orchid, bergamot and juniper. light, floral and almost kind of fruity. it seems more traditionally feminine or maybe just unisex. after a few minutes the sweetness burns off some and there is some rosewood now with maybe a hint of sandalwood but the orchid still remains. overall this reads kind of fruity-floral to me and it smells nice but it just doesn't really fit my personality. i am curious to smell this on a man to see if it's any different. it is very orchid-heavy on me for a long time. however, after maybe 30-40 minutes this weird powderiness comes through. i think it must be sandalwood, because it smells dry and masculine. i don't really like that kind of powder (unlike violet and amber) and i am going to have to swap this.

Edited September 13, 2014 by theseagrows

[anaengel]

This is a soft scent. I got this in a recent order form either the Lab or the Post; I can't remember which. Bad me. On me, it doesn't do much along the way of throw, but stays gentle.

It starts off with a light woodsy and rose-ish (not really rose, but reminiscent of it, and not another type of floral) scent. But, it does try to go powdery, so the sandalwood is trying to come out. In the end, I get more soft woods and faint bit of sandalwood.

I will keep this one. The happiest part is that the sandalwood behaves quite nicely in it. I don't know about hunting for more, but it does have a spot for me.

[Myrrha]

Lab frimp - thanks labbies!

 

Wet- sweet with quite a bit of woodyness in the background.

 

As it dries - something men's cologne-ish comes out and gets stronger. After about five minutes this note calms down a bit and I recognize it as juniper. So now there is fruit sweetness (must be the red musk) plus juniper and smooth wood.

 

When it first dries I like the juniper. Not something I really would like to smell like but a nice comforting scent.

 

Completely dry- I can smell the lflowers now but they are not prominent. Juniper has blended in to the point where I can't really pick it out any more. Something has gone slightly powdery, probably the sandalwood. It smells like there is some cinnamon in here, something spicy.

 

So, a sweet musky slightly floral scent with a sort of "hidden fire" underneath. This is softer than some red musk scents.

 

Unfortunately this is just not working well with my chemistry (red musk rarely does). After a while the distinctive elements of the scent provided my the juniper, wood, and hint of spice in the background go away and I am left with a soft, grape-y purple floral. This might be nice for someone who likes warm but soft florals but doesn't want to smell like typical florals if that makes sense.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Myrrha

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Soft, floral juniper.

 

Wet on my skin: Predominantly juniper and orchid, with sweet red musk.

 

Dry: So very pretty on me. Just a bit of bergamot has joined the juniper, orchid, and red musk. Also faint wafts of rosewood. It's an elegantly floral/herbal scent, green and maybe-pink in colour. That rosewood and orchid start to take over somewhat as this wears, and it's so very lovely. Almost seductive.

[freyasfae]

I thought this was mint at first, but that's actually the juniper (and probably me testing a lot of things!), but overall this is just a fascinating scent with so many interesting notes that don't compete with one another, but definitely give the nose an experience - all rounded out by some woodsy notes.

[LizziesLuck]

Love red musk and lilac, but the rest of the notes in this are neither no good on me usually, or iffy at best. But the Lab frimped me this, so I'm giving it a go!

 

 

Wet: Sour juniper. Blarg. I'm going to be patient though, and see what else emerges. This is supposed to be sexy, after all.

 

Dry: This actually dries fairly pleasant, though I don't get much musk or lilac. It's mostly orchid and rosewood on me. Nice, but not something I feel compelled to wear. Glad to have tried it though!

[Casablanca]

My first impression of Himerus on my skin is of blue juniper, bright bergamot, and purple orchid and lilac. On the second inhale I get the rosewood/red musk mix, and sandalwood.

Himerus isn't very me (and I'm expecting the lab's red musk to turn armpitty on my skin in a bit), but it's interesting. I like the cool-toned juniper-orchid-lilac notes, both together and contrasted with the warmer other notes. The overall effect moves from juniper-perfumey to fruity-floral-perfumey, though, so it won't be everyone's thing.

Weirdly, the red musk never goes ill on my skin. That might be a first for the lab's version of it on me. I think this could be a decent winter blend.