Hermia

[Em-]

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

Hermis is a truly beautiful blend - a light rich almost perfumey amber that sifts into light perfect powder tinged with pink pepper, and the beautiful tropical flowers, warmed with the honeysuckle. This is a gorgeous blend, although a little too feminine for my regular tastes, and I tend to amp amber beyond what I really care for - or maybe I'm just a wee bit too tall.

[willowtreeling]

prettier wet than dry, on me, as juicy floral notes seem to disappear...but still nice...except, i get this odd nutty note that pops in and fades out and i have no idea what it could be...hmmm

I am going to wear this today, but I don't see this being in my regular rotation--I like things a little smoother more serene and this is def. not a smooth, calm scent--it seems emotional and passionate.

[Little Bird]

Surprisingly, the amber in this doesn't go insanely powdery on my skin. I *do* get a hint of powder, but it isn't painfully dry or overwhelmingly powdery. The florals are a touch perfumey on my skin, but mostly sweet, warm, and golden. The whole blend has a dash of sharp pepper laying over it.

 

This blend is really not me, but it's not as awful as I was expecting. It's almost a sugared floral perfume with a sprinkling of pepper - a very warm scent on my skin. It gets more powdery & perfumey in the drydown, but the sweetness makes it bearable for me.

 

Hermia gets points for the fact that I didn't have to run and wash it off, but I still don't see myself choosing to wear this in the future.

[kawaiiferreto]

In the imp I wasn't sure about this one, but I'm really glad I gave it a try.

When I first put this on I get mostly pepper with a little bit of sweetness. But after 15 minutes or so when the oil has dried this is divine: the amber, honeysuckle, and passion fruit blend together seamlessly to smell like a tart tropical fruit. The pepper dances around the edges giving the juicy fruit smell a bit of a bite. I find as I wear it the pepper fades in and out in strength, but it's nice in all of it's stages.

 

Another keeper for me!

 

 

ETA (7.6.2012): As this ages I like it less and less, sadly. (Or perhaps not sadly, since it's been disconned? ) The amber has gotten stronger as it ages, and the tart, peppery notes have faded more. I loved it when it was mostly tart/ peppery, with that amber as an undertone to smooth it out, but with amber prominent this is sooooo meh!

Edited July 6, 2012 by kawaiiferreto

[filigree_shadow]

Hunh. Not what I was expecting. This smells kind of foodie on me. A bit like caramel and amber. I can't smell any floral notes at all here. The pink pepper gives it a really tiny kick but it's barely noticeable.

 

Mostly it seems like a really smooth, warm amber. I'm not complaining! Golden amber is my favorite amber -- it never goes powdery on me. Just smells deep and rich. The pink pepper comes out a little more when it's dry, and yes, it is definitely PINK.

 

Wow. This is a surprise winner. Wasn't sure I'd like it, but I really do. It has great throw, too.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Passion flower and the raw heat of the pink pepper

 

Wet on me – A kind of sweet and sour fizziness that bounces off the skin. As a whole it’s hard to get a grasp of the scent, but I the passion flower remains the dominant scent

 

Dry on me – Soft warm honeysuckle, with just a smattering of the pepper

 

Overall – A warm sensual scent that lingers on the edges of your perception

[Magda]

The first note I get is amber. I love amber and amber loves me. Despite the fact that I'm just supposed to be sniffing and planned on trying another imp first, I slather this on.

 

The amber is very similar to the amber in Hymn to Prosperine -- a bit less heady and sweet. The pink pepper comes out right away, giving this a slight herbal edge, but as it dries the florals come out to play. The combination of floral and spice makes me think of carnation, though I doubt there's really any in this blend.

 

This is a gorgeous amber with a hint of floral overtones. I'm not a floral girl, really, and this isn't really floral, either. It's just there mingling with the amber and the spice. I think this will be a good daytime amber, just enough creamy sensuality without hitting anybody over the head with it.

 

Amber + what my nose thinks is carnation = delicious!

[zimaeah]

I pick up the pink pepper first and strongest, with the other notes blended together in the background. This is a strong scent, but not overwhelming. I think it is a more "womanly" scent than a girly one. I need a bottle of this.

[Katinka]

This is just YUMMY -- a lush, fruity amber with a bit of an initial kick! I've got a bottle on the way.

[AliBabble]

wow, this is a fun, sparking, happy scent. it reminds me of a fruity soda - grapefruit soda? like "fresca"! remember fresca? anyway - this must be the passionfruit. oh no, wait - that was passion flower - why does it smell so fruity and citrussy? not that i'm complaining. the pink pepper is mixed in so well - it's not particularly "biting" the way pepper can sometimes be - really this scent feels very playful - i get candy and bubblegum from it, though i don't mean to make it sound cheap or childlike. it's lovely, fresh and summery. as it dries down, it doesn't completely fade, but it does soften quite a bit, and feels like a very, very soft amber. this stage is lovely too! and a bit more "womanly". two very distinct stages, and both of them quite feminine and lovely.

[Jilara]

In the imp, it's almost bubblegummy to my nose.

 

But on, wet, we immediately go to pepper and something citrus-y and spice. Very tart, but spicy!

Drying down, the amber and honeysuckle come up and blend, and the citrus quality fades.

Dry, it's amber and honeysuckle leavened by pink pepper and a hint of spice, with something a little fruity and tart in the background (passionfruit?). After a few hours, it's just amber with a hinting of pepper, but the final stage lasts most the day.

 

Hermia is tart and peppery, with just a a touch femininity, so appropriate to the character!

[minervaish]

In the imp, this was a little sweeter than I care for. Once on, though, the pepper just jumped out and balanced the sweetness a bit.

 

As it dried, there was some mellowing of the pepper, and the sweetness came back. It's exceedingly pleasant, but too pert and girly for me to be interested in actually wearing it. As some folks on this thread have been making height connections, I'll add that I'm far closer to 6 feet than I am to Hermia-height (though, sadly, Helena didn't work for me either.)

[Eemia]

I'm not sure which note didn't agree with me, but I'm guessing that it's the pepper. My overly sensitive skin has given me grief...only ten minutes of wearing this and I had a reaction. It was on turning out really nicely so far too. Of course I had to like this one. It couldn't be one I didn't like. *sigh*

 

From what I could tell in the first few minutes it was a very spicy but sweet floral. Bordering on fruity too.

 

But I didn't get any further than that to form a full impression.

[Miss Lynx]

Ooh, I really like this! I hadn't been entirely certain about it, because while amber and pepper are always good on me, most florals can be a little chancy. But honeysuckle has turned up in a few scents that I like, so it seems to be a relatively non-evil floral. All in all, it seemed worth a try.

 

It does come across as fairly floral in the imp, and when first applied, but the floral notes settle down quickly, allowing the amber and pepper to shine through, so that the end result is warm, rich and sweet, with an earthy peppery kick giving it depth and a bit of edge, and just a light floral overtone on top of it. And there seems to be something almost fruity in it, some note that's slightly reminiscent of Kuang Shi (one of my favourites) -- not sure where that's coming from, but it's nice.

 

As someone else mentioned, the particular amber in here is quite reminiscent of Hymn to Proserpine, which is one of my favourites, and with the pepper kick behind it, it's almost like the lovechild of that one and The Tell-Tale Heart.

 

The overall impression is one that's simultaneously light and feminine and sensual, but with an unusual and aggressive edge behind it from the pepper that it's clear that, girly thought the scent may be, it's for a girl who you really don't want to piss off. It quite suits the quote that appears in the description.

 

All in all, definitely a keeper. Not sure if it merits a bottle or not, but I will enjoy using up the imp, at the very least.

 

Grade: B+/A-

[CrazyPretzel]

In the imp: tropical fruit! Passion flower and the pink pepper, which smells like sweet cinnamon to me.

 

Wet on me: Juicy passionfruit and sweet spices, like you'd get from gingerbread or cinnamon toast.

 

After a few minutes: Passionfruit, with a sharp tingle from the pepper.

 

Drydown: Passionfruit and now, finally, some amber.

 

Predominantly fruity on me. Not bad.

[MaidenGenevive]

Hermia

 

Warm and spicy, a soft floral. This really is Hermia, lovely and more than a little bit spunky. This dries strong, so I'd apply it lightly, and I get the impression it will have decent lasting power. This scent truly oozes a confident femininity.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

3 / 4 : This is girly without being mature or demure.

[starwild]

I bought an imp of this because of the pink pepper. I love pepper scents and thought this might be interesting. And IS IT EVER.

 

You can really pick out the different notes in this one, the sweet passionflower, the undertone of amber and the high spiciness of the pepper. It lingers and it makes me smile. For some reason, it almost goes citrus on me, but a light citrus, a tiny bit like Cheshire Cat. I'm average height, but Hermia seems to like me anyway.

 

This scent makes me feel cheerful and vibrant, but it's not childlike. Hermia is, in a single word, "moxie." Happy and bright and will roll over you like a pink steamroller.

 

I shall wear this whenever I wear pink! (I might, therefore, begin wearing a lot of pink. )

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Florals

 

On Skin: Florals, hint of amber, hint of pepper

 

On Drydown: The hint of pepper becomes a little more distinct and the amber turns powdery. So this is a mildly powdery and peppery floral.

 

Verdict: Erm. Skin chemistry is not cooperating with this one. Ah well.

[KaliVerra]

Am I the only one getting Sudha Segara's sassy sister here?

 

Wet to drydown for me, Hermia is ALL Sudha w/pink pepper and cheeky fruit!! OMG... AWESOME!!!

 

I wish it went with my day to day attitude a little more (I'm 6ft. tall, covered w/tattoos, and a Scorpio/Scorpio) It would be in for heavier rotation!

[karihan]

In imp: *first sniff* mmm ... *second sniff* mmMMM!!! This is a beautifully balanced blend of sweetness, spice and flowers, with a nice hint of fruitiness to it, probably from the passion flower.

 

Wet on skin: The pepper-spice surges to the fore a bit, but it doesn't overwhelm. The other notes are still quite present.

 

Drydown and dry stage: This one is a rather subtle morpher. One minute it's amber-honeysuckle, the next it's more flowery, then more peppery (though without the harshness black pepper sometimes has on me, yay for pink!). But it remains a really nice, warm, rather flirty-zesty scent throughout. Hermia sticks fairly close to the skin, not a ton of throw on me, though I get little wafts occasionally. Moderate-to-good staying power, I'd probably have to reapply this two or three times over the course of a day.

 

Conclusion: The Illyria blends continue to do delightful things on my skin. Hermia, you is one spicy-sweet-sexy short woman!

[Thursdae]

Hermia added a hint of spice to a fruity/floral blend, in a way that stands apart from pie-and-cinnamon blends. It was quite gentle, yummy without being cloyingly sweet or foody, and I'm looking forward to slathering it and seeing what effect that will have. I'm certainly enjoying the light touch of it on my wrist!

[Christine Daae]

I've already worn Hermia a couple of times, but have yet to write a review of her!

 

In the imp and wet, this is practically perfection - candy-sweet, almost, with the spice from the pepper. Oh, how I love thee. It's very pink and golden.

 

As it warms to my skin, it becomes something even lovelier - the amber warming up, maybe? It's fruity and sweet and warm and just oh so lovely. After about ten minutes, the pepper amps up a little bit, making it just a little bit spicier. That bite with the fruity floral is so unexpectedly pretty.

 

Oh Hermia, how I love thee!

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

As a character, I think Helena probably has more fans, but I've always identified more with Hermia--she's the spunky one with good self-esteem. Plus, I would most definitely defy everyone and run away with my Love if that was the only way I could have him. I thought the notes sounded fascinating, but I also wanted this one for the concept.

 

Wow, this is really fantastic, and also a great interpretation of Hermia: the pepper note is strong and spicy--"feisty", if you will--and the florals are girly and pretty and fun. The passion flower reminds me of Beth's pomegranate note; this is a bit like Swank with the pepper note from Three Witches and a swirl of sweet floral to tie them together. I'm wearing this for Date Night with my boy tonight, as it's a scent that says, "I'm sweet and feminine, but I am nobody's spaniel!"

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Fruity and floral

 

Wet: Very fruity, touch of floral and pepper.

 

Drydown: This is lovely, great for springtime, I think. It's very punchy!

3.5 outta 5

[RogueBelle]

This scent makes me happy all over. I literally squealed when I saw BPAL had released a scent based on Hermia, one of my favourite Shakespeare gals, and the scent itself did not disappoint!

 

The honeysuckle and amber are coming out the strongest, and I'm just thrilled to pieces with it. It's youthful and mature at the same time – girlish romantic ideals with a touch of womanly sensuality, a degree of practicality, and plenty of zing! BPAL totally nailed this one -- it's absolutely perfect for the character. I just wish it had been out back when I played Hermia two years ago!

 

This is a really happy scent -- bouncy and playful without verging into silly, girlish without being annoyingly feminine, plenty of energy, a little fiesty, a lot wonderful.