The Hesperides

[DarthArwen]

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: green apple and wood notes. Nice.
Wet: apple and.. acrid. I don't really recognise the wood as wood anymore.
Dry: The acrid smell is gone. It's now apple, its sweetness tempered by.. I don't really get a clear woodsy scent from it anymore, but it's probably there in the background. It smells like being in an orchard.
later: it's mellowed out a lot, but still yummy freshly-picked-apples.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Light vapor-like floral perfume and golden delicious apples (very sweet and not very tart).

 

Immediately on skin: This smells of perfume-y apple. It’s light and smells pretty and like apples, but not like a real one if that makes any sense. It’s a very fresh, lovely scent though.

 

After a little while: This has sweetened on my skin and now it’s a generic sweet perfume that smells vaguely of apple. I don’t really get any other notes from this… maybe some sort of floral, but it’s really just very sweet, pretty, and lightly apple-smelling.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a nice, innocent, sweet apple scent. I’ve heard very good things about it, but I think it’s mostly my chemistry that seems to change the lab’s apple note to something more floral and perfume-y than crisp and realistic. I’m sure this is probably gorgeous on the right chemistry, so if you are looking for a nice apple scent then you should try this. It’s an innocent apple to Poisoned Apple’s corrupted feel.

[jupster75]

Why can't I get the lovely apple smell everyone else gets?

 

On me: Oh hi, my name is apple. No, get away from me plastic shrink wrap. YOU ARE SMOTHERING ME! PLEASE STOP!!!!

 

I tried to wait for it to dry down, but couldn't. I washed it off very quickly.

[enderfem]

Imp: OOh. Oak and apple. Nice.

 

Wet: Omg, This is gorgeous. It smells like an apple orchard. Not foody, just clean outdoor apple orchard smell. I love it. A little smoky too!

 

Drydown: This is just beautiful, crisp apple scent and smokiness.

[CordeliaSeduced]

I dabbed this onto my wrists and neck before walking out the door this morning without really sniffing it first. I was wearing a moderately bright print, and most of my other perfumes are either spicy or boozy so I thought testing this might be my best bet. Somehow, I thought I smelled peach...?

Wet, it was very light and almost airy fruit, yet somehow very green. I still thought it was peach, but peach mixed with something mossy or leafy. Upon drying down, it became more woodsy, and I realized the fruit was indeed apple.

Hours later, I was still getting whiffs of it every now and then, so it had a decent staying power on me. Light enough to wear all day without giving me the inevitable midday "oh dear lord, why did I put this on?" that I get with most scents, but still strong enough to cause me to be accosted by horses during my break.

This is on the list of being considered in bottle-form. I think this might make a lovely fall scent.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fresh, crisp apple and a hint of ozone.

 

Wet: Sweet, fruity apple - still somewhat crisp, but riper. No ozone. A little artificial smelling, almost plasticky. A dry sort of woody warmth and a hint of spice.

 

Dry: Spicy, artificial apple and a hint of dry woods.

 

Summary: Sweet, ripe apples, warm woods and light spices. The plasticky scent dissipates, but overall this fades extremely quickly. Decent throw.

[lizardqueen]

In the bottle: a cool, crisp, juicy apple. Not tart, like a Granny Smith, but maybe more like a Fuji, where the emphasis is really on "cool" and "crisp." Something green and wet in the background, like a patch of ivy just outside the woods, coated in dew, first thing in the morning.

 

On me, wet: much the same, with perhaps a bit more spice/woodiness, still very much in the background. I'm struck by the extent to which this is a cool scent, compared to the warmth of most apple-y blends I've smelled.

 

On me, dry: pretty much the same. This is fairly light overall, and I agree with Delirium1009's take that this is an innocent apple scent, and I'd say this is a year-round scent, as opposed to many apple scents, which fall pretty squarely in the Autumn category.

 

This is pretty, fresh, light, and sweet -- a nice staple to have around when one wants a scent that's more subtle.

[Aldercy]

I'm really glad this didn't turn out to be a "Country Apple!" sort of smell. I find it quite authentic; The Hesperides is a cool, succulent scent with maybe a touch of the earthy or woody about it. Certainly the dominant note is apples, but it has more of an orchard-like effect than just pure apple. Like sitting in slightly damp grass under the shade of a tree dripping with ripe fruit. I'm really glad my new BPAL order arrived today-- it's been an icky day, and I think I really needed this scent. I hope it has staying power.

[prrrplegrrrl]

It's an awful lot of apple, a little too much for me, alas. I feel like a touch of this over a more autumny scent could work, though, so not a total lost cause!

[thatpirategirl]

This was my first BPAL! I didn't review it right away, because that review would have sounded like: "Oh my god, it smells like actual golden apples, not fake apple! How is it doing that? How can something smell golden? Hey guys, did you smell me? Did you notice I smell like apple? AUUUGH I AM DELICIOUS."

 

Haha, good times... Ahem:

 

Apple is one of my favorite scents, so it was easy to love this one. It's a very sweet, ripe apple, like being in an orchard at the peak of the season. The woodsy smell makes it unique and really puts me in an autumny mood. And I do get a sense of something very golden and glowy, like these apples are truly otherworldly, unlike any apple we've ever tasted.

[diamondstars]

Oak and apples! I didn't like apple-y scents a few months back, but now it's Summer again I could handle it. I might even order a 5ml..

[Trixie]

SO WARM and enveloping. Like apple cider, and sweet, maybe like the caramel people have mentioned. Like apples and a sweet wood in a dehydrator. Dry, but not green at all which is great for me since green = headaches.

 

I got an imp of this and *love* it; hope that a bottle will smell the same way for me.

[kittycatpurr]

In the imp: Apple-y apple.

Wet: That's a lot of sliced apple. Too fruity for me.

Drydown: Alternates between apple megaphone, and less fruit-tastic -- a little bit of oak.

Dry: The apple is more folded in with a barely-there oak base note. This really is a freshly-cut apple, not sweet or perfume-y. But I still don't like (non-citrus) fruit. This would work well for someone who likes apple, and whose skin can meld these notes better.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Golden apples. Gorgeous. Where Poisoned Apple was red apples these are definitely golden apples

 

On Application

Holy Mother of God, this is amazing. The oak bark gives these apples a mustiness which is so evocative.

 

Dry Down

To me this is apples drying and wrinkling in the sun - nothing twilight about it, perhaps a promise of the end of the day. There is very little sweetness to this, only juicy and slightly tart apples. This does go a bit plastic -y at the end of the drydown but still a lovely summer/autumn scent.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

[clawsight]

Okay, had this one for a while and just now got around to reviewing it. Anywho.

 

In the imp: Golden apples are definitely the dominant note here. There's another note underneath them however that smells, well, like vapor or mist to me. I don't know if this is the oak everyone's talking about. This is a strong scent too -- like the scent of apple juice x 10. This really gives it the impression of fresh apples.

 

Wet: The apples are a little less overpowering, but are still dominant. I can detect the faintest bit of woods, but, this still smells like I've rubbed a fresh golden apple on my wrist.

 

Drydown: Fainter than wet -- the mist notes amp a bit, but, the apple is still there -- again, this is a really concentrated apple. It smells more real than a real apple does, like this scent was distilled from a kind of Ur Apple.

 

A special note about this -- on me a little of this goes a REALLY long way. I have to be careful with it, because my first inclination is the slather on perfume behind my ears. With most scents this leaves me catching whiffs of the scent for several hours. With The Hesperides it leaves me smelling NOTHING but apples and mist for hours and gives me a headache.

 

I like the imp of this, but, I don't think this is something I'll need a bottle of. I don't know what time of year this scent really evokes -- and I think I prefer Poisoned Apple to it.

 

3.85 out of 5 Ur Apples

[VanaEveryoung]

in bottle: Apples! Crisp, tart apples. Just a little bit of something warmer in the background - must be the oak.

on skin: Apples! That's about it.

later: Didn't last very long. I like how crisp and fresh it is, but it probably won't become a favorite.

[savage_rose]

I thought I had tried this when I first started BPALing, but I must be mistaken. I'd remember this one! This is the most gorgeous apple scent...apple blossom, the tree, the peel, the seeds, EVERYTHING. It's like everything that comprises an apple, that IS the essence of appleness, is in this one little imp. Golden Delicious apples! I love love love love love love this.

[Heeroluva]

In the bottle it's apples. Wet it's OMG-OVERPOWERING-APPLES-GET-IT-OFF. But I'm crazy and let it dry. When it dries it's bearable, the apple is there with an underlying bitterness. I'm normally an apple fan but there's some not to this that my nose doesn't like.

[vikitty]

In the bottle: Apples with a scent of tartness to them

Wet on skin: The tartness is gone, so I just get apples.

Drydown: A tinge of woodsiness.

[Iceblink]

Apples and greenery--these aren't overly ripe apples but tart, crisp ones. More like the first apples of late summer than the late harvest of autumn. This is really fresh and clean-smelling! If I wanted an apple scent I'd probably go for this one.

[Happicuppa]

Ohhh...definitely surprised by this one. On me it smells similar to the Yankee Candle Co. Mackintosh Apple candle only with depth. I get an oaky note to it, and also a dewy note. Fresh, crisp, yummy...it surprises me I like it because it's fruity! It's not overly candied apple on me, which makes me like it more. I hate sickly sweet fruits.

 

This imp will be shortly joining some unscented soap to become a body wash! Delicious for the shower, not something I'd wear as perfume, but great for refreshing, clean showers!

 

3.5/5

[rusty]

pretty much a fresh picked apple scent. not artificial or fake at all, it really does smell EXACTLY like a real apple....phenomenal.

 

unfortunately it turns plasticky and gross on me on the drydown D: oh well!

[plunderparlour]

on wet this smells like plastic bandaids. dry like apple plastic bandaids.

[obsidienne]

First post, first review, hi. I’m not very good at picking out the details of scents, but I hope to improve my sniffing abilities via BPAL’s gorgeousness.

 

The Hesperides

 

In the imp, and wet on the skin:

Ripe, bright, crisp-yet-sweet apples, gently smoky autumn leaves, soft mists with a hint of the wood. There’s something intoxicating about it… like being drunk on autumn.

 

Every time I breathe in the scent it’s like a symphony of all the different notes; they sort of sing together and one voice breaks free now and then to sing its special tune. The apples are crisp and sweet but a little tangy, too. For me, the overall smell evokes the image of wooded hills and valleys before sunset or after sunrise, where early autumn leaves swirl about in gentle breezes, and thin mists slightly soften the vivid colours of a landscape of golds, browns, ripe greens, oranges, reds. And of course… I’m thinking apples: their red shiny skins, their crisp white flesh. It’s an earthy, yet effervescent, magical smell.

 

I can’t stop sniffing myself. I hope no one walks by and sees me like this.

 

Drying:

The initial smoke and tang calm down (I wish they wouldn’t!) and the scent sweetens and lightens up a bit… no wait, a lot, and fast. The apples smell... older.

 

Dry:

The scent fades extremely quickly to the merest hint of the initial bouquet… and then virtually disappears. *tears* I have applied it three times in the last hour? I think I need to invest in a scent locket, stat. At 30 minutes or so, only the faintest hint of scent is left on my skin. It might as well be gone.

 

Throw: Light to middling. My skin eats this quickly, like 10-15 minutes quickly. That said, I’d wear this regularly (in a scent locket), because it’s addictive. It really evokes autumn for me.

[Caerphilly]

In the imp: I was going to put on poisoned apple today, and it took me hours to realize I put this oil on instead! I have a pile of tried imps, and another pile to try, and it was the wrong oil. SO all day I was thinking I was wearing poisoned apple. And I could get confused. They smell similar to me in the imp. This is sweeter, more appley, but there is something dark and poisonous in the background.

 

Wet: Yeah, it smells like a poisonous apple. A crisp yellow apple. I think it's the oak bark or something that smells like its rotting on my skin. There's something wrong with either my skin chemistry or my nose. Everything smells dirty to me! And I am not dirty, I shower twice a day most days! Almost every oil from my last order has smelled off to me ...I dunno why.

 

Dry: The oak smell is fading slowly. I smell a bit of flowers. But now it's mostly apple. And not really sweet red apple, it's not overpowering or fake smelling. It's frash, crisp, light. I could wear this. \

 

Overall: It took a while, but I like it. It's refeshing, a bit sweet. I have to go past the dirty stage to get to the enjoyable stage, but it's worth it. Not a big bottle for me, but I will use my imp!