Hi'iaka

[hlinspjalda]

Sister to Pele, Patroness of Hula Dancers, she is a Lady of Hawa'ii, and is caretaker, mother, and beloved of the land itself. The heart of the forest beats along with Her dance, and the air is suffused with Her scent: mai'a, hibiscus, white ginger, akala, na'u, Hawaiian moon flower, yellow ilima, pink lokelani, jewel orchid, and fringed orchid.

In the vial: Sweet tropical flowers (I only recognize something like orchid), but with a very tangy fruity overtone.

Wet: The fruitiness subsides immediately and I smell fleshy flowers. With luck, this won't sour or go headachy on me.

45 minutes: Less intense, and a little bit citrusy. I like it.

Two hours: Most of the intensity has gone; this now smells a little like wilted gardenias. It's fragrant, but somehow limp.

Three hours: Pretty faint now. Pleasant, but not a keeper,

[blacklacestatic]

In the imp: freshly blooming green leaves and flowers.

 

Wet on skin: I get a gorgeous, lush bouquet of tropical blossoms from this. Very fresh and green. This is so beautiful and seems like it would be a perfect spring/summer scent. Reminds me of a tropical paradise. A slight hint of spice in the background (ginger?)

 

Drydown: Sweet, lush and beautiful. This is my favorite kind of floral. These unusual tropical blossoms. It reminds me a bit of the fesh scent of B&BW's Gardenia Lily, a long lost fave of mine. This will need a bottle come spring.

 

Overall: Beautiful, fresh and bottle-worthy. It also reminds me of vacation, especially when it starts to get dark, and everything starts getting so much more magical.

[hkhm]

imp: light, tropical florals.

 

wet: i'm not certain which florals i'm smelling here but they smell very, very tropical. i wish there was more ginger though as i tend to go weak for ginger scents.

 

dry: this smells very lightly orchid-y once dry.

[thekittenkat]

In the imp: heady, tropical florals, but with a sharp note.

 

Wet: already changing on my skin--I'm getting more tropical fruit notes, maybe some mango, guava, papaya, banana, but very sweet, but not with a sugary sweetness. I'm not really all that familiar with the florals in this. Also there's that sharp note that I can't pin down, maybe a hint of green stem? Or ginger?

 

In the dry-down: very light and delicate floral-fruit fragrance with that green or ginger note to balance it.

 

Six and an half hours later: It faded away slowly, but it's still there if I sniff my wrist. The gardenia and ginger really did amp up during this time, but now it's just that creamy scent one gets from a gardenia blossom that's just at that peak moment.

 

This would be a great perfume oil for the spring or summer, or a tropical place such as south Florida or Hawaii. It's very pretty and feminine. It's a little too heady for me, as though there was gardenia blended in as well. Since it's winter now, I'll put this away, and try it again in the spring or summer.

 

(Please note that this was a frimp from the Lab.)

Edited January 25, 2009 by thekittenkat

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Heavy tropical blooms

 

Wet on me – A sweet but high mixture of blooms. I’m not great at identifying floral notes at the best of times and this blend contains so many notes that I just wouldn’t recognise, it’s a bit beyond me. What I do know is that it is giving me a headache

 

Dry on me – It disappears almost instantaneously

 

Overall – This was never going to be my sort of blend so when it disappeared I wasn’t that bothered.

 

[sophie221b]

In Bottle:

Banana Candy and Orchid

 

First Dab:

Still smells like banana candy, warming into flowering leis. Very tart and sweet and tropical. I'm not sure what some of those ingredients smell like, such as the moon flower that it contains, but very floral.

It also has the pungent resin base of most perfumes, a little astringent.

 

Definitely a Spring and Early Summer scent... or just a Hawaiian scent, would go well will all warm and tropical climates, especially in the Morning.

Getting sorta a Channel #5 after scent.

 

1.5 Hour Later:

 

The Lokelani, a type of rose, is definitely coming out now and is giving the scent a very soapy smell on my skin. Rose comes out very strong on me and very soapy.

 

Finally:

It reminds me of a scent a 13 year old girl might wear. Almost a floral white musk, powdery on me!!! No! I really hoped I could wear that one, I still think it would be acceptable to to wear it in the tropics, it just stands out too much in midwinter in Montana. The smell would be compatible with Hawaii definitely.

Edited February 10, 2009 by bakerstreetgirl

[donnatron]

Thumbs up to fairynymph for looking up the notes and pointing out that there is indeed some form of banana in here.

 

Imp: Cold bananas and moonflower. Moonflower is notoriously chilly to my nose so this makes sense! I get a vague sense of the gentle white ginger.

 

Wet: BANANA! Sharp, piercing, BANANA. I can't even type it like a normal person because this is BANANA! BANANA is everywhere! BANANA IS BANANAS! BANANA NO LONGER LOOKS LIKE A REAL WORD!

 

Dry: The banana element burns down to a general creamy "skin" feeling. Definitely a skin-but-better. Skin-but-banana? The florals sit on top of it so it smells like perfume on really beautiful smelling skin. The moonflower is predominant and then I get a soft berry scent just lightly spiced with the ginger. This is beautiful.

 

Throw: Strong. All moonflower all the time.

 

Overall: This is really beautiful. It's not something I would ever even consider for myself (Pele kind of killed my interest in tropical scents) and I'm glad I was frimped it. It hasn't shot to the top of my big bottle list but it's certainly an interesting, heady, womanly scent and I'm glad to have tried it. Will definitely give this imps ome face time during the summer.

[tajana]

Woah that is strong. I dabbed on just a drop and was surrounded by a cloud of aggressive tropical perfume. At first it's bright, sharply lemony (fresh ginger?) and has has high, sweet floral notes with a tropical feel. After it dries down the sour brightness calms down, and Hi'iaka smells like hibiscus and orchid with banana candy on a bed of greenery. There are other florals here too but they all blend together and are indistinguishable as separate entities to my nose. After it's had more time to chill on my arm there's a powdery undertone, but at the same time the ginger seems to have come back in a really, really pleasant way! However, the banana candy phase is still weirding me out and there are just too many flowers here for me.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I liked Pele and I like florals like hibiscus.

 

In the Vial: Lush, white tropical florals with a zing to them that could be the ginger or a fruity note.

 

Wet: Huh...this practically disappears into my skin. After a few minutes, notes start to emerge. I'm getting a banana-ish starchy fruit and a bit of warm spicy ginger.

 

Drydown: A bit more in the way of hibiscus and orchid come out, but this is still predominantly starchy-banana-fruit and a dash of ginger.

 

Verdict: It intrigues me. I must play with the imp some more.

[femmefatale]

At first this smells like banana runts (which to me is a good thing, I love that smell ), but almost immediently it begins to morph into a beautiful tropical floral scent. This smells like a island paradise. It is just gorgeous and such a happy scent. Makes me want to go on a vacation (we need a hula girl smilie). Since I can't though, I will enjoy wearing this. Now if only I was thin enough for a bikini and sarong....

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: Ooh, very lush, tropical blooms, maybe some banana, and a hint of white ginger.

 

WET: Oh, this has much stronger throw than Pele. Very lush and tropical florals.

 

DRY: Doesn't change much on my skin, like Pele. Tropical blooms with a hint of white ginger. Scent-wise, I think I like Pele a little better, but Hi'iaka definitely has much better throw and lasting power.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: There are so many unusual notes here that I did some research before sniffing… so now I can tell you that I get a big whiff of mai'a (banana) right out of the imp, a very true-to-life green banana smell—sweet, but with that little bit of astringency that fresh, just-barely-ripe bananas have. Behind the banana, I get a mix of lush, tropical florals, particularly the orchids, again with a green, fresh, humid quality. The ginger doesn't stand out particularly, and neither does the hibiscus. Yet. Smells like a clean, flowering jungle after a rain, like a Hawaiian version of Phantom Queen.

On, wet: Lush, clean, light floral-fruitiness. The mai'a has died down, so the banana is a much fainter accent, and all the florals have moved to the front, blending together pretty seamlessly with the more dominant orchid note. It's a very soft and graceful perfume, and it does smell like humid air, perfumed with blooming flowers and ripe fruit. This is so well blended that it's difficult to pick out individual notes, because there are no "edges" here. There's a certain airy, light, green quality here that's very reminiscent of The Host of the Air.

On, dry: Clean, soft tropical floral with a pale, spicy streak of gingery green banana. The orchid has backed off a bit to make way for what must be the pink lokelani, a lush pink rose. This has a less humid feel now, but it's still light, smooth and very well blended. Really beautiful and elegant! If I were in a jungle in the middle of Hawai'i, I would want it to smell like this.

Later: Soft, sweet, airy florals, very faint but pretty. Mostly rose and orchid and fresh air.

Overall: If the Host of the Air and Velvet Tiki had a baby, Hi'iaka might be it. As I love both of those scents, I love this. It's very lush and pretty and tropical, with a nice balance of flowers and some unusual fruit, and it has a very airy, clean, ozone-y vibe that suggests rain and green plants and soft breezes. It's an extremely gracious, feminine, smooth and well-blended scent, and light enough to be perfect for summer wear. I can see how this wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea, because of the florals and the clean, "fresh air" note, but on me, it's just lovely. The only thing that's holding me back from getting a big bottle is the fact that I already have Host of the Air and Velvet Tiki, and I'm wondering if this would be overkill.

 

 

[Jupita]

Imp - Haribo Banana Candies.

 

Wet - Still banana candies. It's kind of gross, because not only do I hate bananas in real, but I hate banana candies even more.

 

After a few moments, the bananas fade. They disapear totally, leaving a strong, heady floral scent. It's sweet, very very sweet, very tropical, but without the greenery of the tropics... so, it smells kind of fake.

 

Dry -

Moonflower and Rose,

Sitting on a tree

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

First comes love, then comes marriage,

Then commes Hi'iaka in a baby's carriage!

Really, it's a nice scent, that I don't really see myself wearing much.

It's way too sweet and over my head, even though the hawaian rose is actually delectable.

I just reminds me of my grand-mothers house, somehow, her room has always smelled like this.

I know that she always weared Dolce Vita from Dior, so, it might be similar to that perfume, even though, I'm not sure of that.

I'm too young and careless for this scent.

[bubblefish]

It's a very, very hot day here and this scent is perfect. It's such a light and breezy scent, not terribly floral or overpowering in any way. There's a hint of "tropicalness" to it, but overall it's just refreshing. It reminds me of a more pleasant summer day than this one: shining sun, warm air, and a lightly cool breeze.

[Gin]

Hi'iaka

 

This is so pretty. Lush and tropical, sweet and floral. I can smell hibiscus, white ginger, and orchids. This somehow takes me back to kindergarten... I feel like I may have had scented stickers that smelled similar to this (though not as good, surely). Unfortunately, I think this is a little too 'girly' for me. It'll probably be a hit with my daughter, though!

[mgrazulis]

Dazzling tropical flowers in night air...wild orchid, hibiscus, and moonflower shimmering in coolness. A faint hint of ginger, their nectar is far from overwhelming. Normally I would shy away from tropical blooms, but I am drawn in by the velvety coolness. Soft and sweet...feels very lunar and blue.

[catattack]

Imp: Raw, green, floral (in the imp, it doesn't smell like anything I'd wear)

Wet: Green vegetation and watery florals

Drydown: Soapy flowers

Overall: Started out a bit worrisome. As I expected in the beginning, I didn't like it.

[milo]

At first, I thought this was a banana scent, as this was what it smelled like for the first couple of minutes on. It quickly disappeared into something very bitter and acrid, and then finally morphed into sweet gardenia with other tropicals. Bleh, not a big heady floral lover, and this one is going.

[enui]

On my skin it's banana candy with strong sweet (almost to the point of chemical fake) floral notes. Interesting, but not something I'm going to wear.

 

 

[Ankica]

it smells like YELLOW

summer, tropic fruits, a lot of exotic flowers and fruits...

 

[crebbsgirl]

The orchid notes here are a standout for sure! This is a really beautiful tropical floral scent, and as it dries, the ginger comes out and deepens and rounds it out wonderfully! Sweet and exotic, and a little intoxicating. I like this, but it's not really my style.

[Diva Urd]

Vial: A giant bouquet of fresh tropical flowers.

 

On: I remember some people saying in their reviews that this is somewhat banana-y. It kind of is, but not in a foody way - there is an undertone of "fresh bunch of green bananas sniffed at the supermarket", fringed by orchid and a slight zing, which might come from the ginger. This is drop-dead gorgeous and would make for an amazing summer scent. Now to see how long it lasts.

 

Later: Fresh creamy floral. I enjoy this quite a bit. Not Top-10 material, but low-end bottle list.

[Brianne]

I've seen the word lush used in a review here and I think that hits the nail on the head. I'm not keen on florals but wanted to try this one anyhow because the description summoned up imagery of Hawaii lol. This is a rich, lush tropical floral - it's heady and that Hawaiian ginger really shines through in this.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Sweet, creamy floral

 

On Application

Much greener on first application. Greenery with moonflower

 

Dry Down

Almost a fruity vibe to this. Has a definite tropical feel. I love moonflower but can't differentiate the other elements. Would be a great spring scent.

 

Rating (0-5)

3.5

 

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

imp: heavy floral. white ginger

Wet on Me: very heavy floral. Tropical Floral. Reminds me of Fairchild Gardens in FL.

Dryin Down: still heavy tropical white floral. at times overpowering on me

Dry: stayed a heavy overpowering tropical floral on me. Just too heavy for my tastes.