Hamadryad

[Damask Rose]

Nature spirits and protectors of the world's groves and forests that appear as breathtakingly beautiful women. Hamadryads are born into a tree that serves as both a home and an anchor for the creature's soul. They are sometimes tricksters, sometimes seducers, sometimes helpful and benign, but they are always fierce and furious protectors of the natural world. Seven dry woods with mossy lichen and a gentle breeze of forest flowers.

 

I got this as a freebie and I'm glad I did as I would never have chosen it based on it's description as I don't like "woody" scents. It smells nothing like its description though and is actally a sweet aqautic floral with a hint of root beer!!

I really like this one but unfortunately I'm allergic to it. It made my skin go bright red and itchy! Shame as I maybe would have bought a bottle of this.

[Lucretia]

amaaaazingly beautiful... I put this one on my wishlist due to the name more than the notes, as nothing really caught my eye, but this is wonderful. At first warm dry cinnamon and then some sort of soft woody floral that reminds me of something that I have no clue what it is, but I love it! Sweet and soft and woodsy. I wish I knew what the floral notes in here were.

Lasted me almost all day too.

Definitly goes on the 5ml list!

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Wood. There's almost something spicy about it, like I could swear there's cinnamon in it. Reading the other reviews, it looks like there simply must be, but when I first smelled this I was so confused, because I wasn't expecting that at all! Hamadryad is brighter and less 'deep forest' than I expected.

 

On me: This is the sun shining down on a tree's bark. There's little green in it, just warm wood. Cinnamon wood. This scent was scent by the Lab as a freebie and I didn't expect to like it at all, but it is a lovely summer afternoon captured in a bottle.

[closedacct]

I think someone reviewed Hamadryad as smelling like cinnamon pencil shavings. I am so glad this smells like that on me! I had a cinnamon pencil in school when I was little and I would sniff it constantly. I personally love wallowing in the past...and this is pure nostalgia. It lasts a very long time and isn't sweet at all. It is a dry cinnamon. Exactly like my cinnamon pencil. Beth is so awesome. I will never buy scents from anyone else.

 

Thank you, Beth.

[Fyre_in_Winter]

Thank you to the Lab for sticking this in with my order!!!!!!!

 

In the vial it smells so nice and sweet, almost innocent with a smile. On the skin it explodes into cinnamon-goodness. This is one of the best cinnamons I have ever smelled, and one of the most unique. It has the dustiness of a cinnamon stick, but the sweetness of the oil used in cinnamon brooms. Then as I inhale deeply off my wrist, a soft scent brushes my nose. Yes, it produces a physical sensation, like burying your nose in a soft cat's fur.

 

The cinnamon slowly dies down over the course of 3-4 hours. Then all that is left are the soft woods, very light but still detectable. This is a perfect everyday scent for me, cinnamon at first to wake me up, then it dying down to unobtrusive levels.

[Splendid Molerat]

Hamadryad is a dark, velvet-y brown. I can imagine when the Black Forest was vast and impassible via this oil.

 

The cinnamon bark subsides quickly, letting the other woods come forward. Florals are of the woodland shade type, growing close to the mossy ground, with only a tiny amound of sweet scent that disappears if the flower is pulled.

 

I can see wearing Hamadryad on a day when I need to feel tall and beautiful.

[wolfie13]

You know what - I think I'm going through a BPAL dry spell. Everything I've gotten lately has really not been working out for me.

 

I think I have a problem with cinnamon. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE cinnamon,

especially the "real" cinnamon note of bpal, but my skin just seems to eat it right up. I've tried many blends that contain cinnamon and only a few of them register even a hint. (Any suggestions for the strongest ones you've tried, feel free to forward them to me!)

 

I get no cinnamon at all from this - and barely any "wood" either. This comes off as more of a light to medium-weight green floral on me. More spring/summer than the fall/winter I was imagining.

 

It's not bad on me, just not what I was hoping for.

[fairywingmaker]

Soft Floral, but a gentle woodsiness at the same time. Very green...there is a scent in there that reminds me of something....I can't figure this out. This is such a dreamy scent. I think this is one I could wear on a daily basis and not get tired of it. I also would like to see what my husbands chemistry would do with this scent.

[Sheila]

This is lovely and soft--and not at all cinnamony on me. (In fact, is there really cinnamon in this blend? It's not listed in the ingredients. I was hesitant to try this because I heard it contained cinnamon, which isn't my favorite scent.)

 

It starts spicy and then fades into a gentle, powdery, posh scent. It reminds me of a musk perfume my mother wore in the '70s. It captures the feeling of a very ancient, silent woods, with lots of vegetation and fallen logs. Lovely!

[Julilla Regina]

Oh wow...this is cinnamon, woodsy deliciousness. I love this! When I first put it on, it's almost pure cinnamon, and then it dries down into a rich, woody cinnamon with a deep base that I'm having trouble identifying.

 

The only problem I have with this is that my skin is really eating it up. I have to find a way to make this last longer! Maybe putting it on my clothes rather than my skin would be better. I love this. It's warm and spicy goodness.

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Hmm. This is spicy, and just a bit woodsy, nowhere near as much as I was imagining. There's some sweetness, too. For some reason I'm thinking a craft store.

 

Wearing: Didn't really change from the bottle, other than the fact that I don't smell any woods at all. If there's floral here, it's an unusual type that doesn't smell like your typical flower. This is very potpourri, but it's a good-quality, homemade potpourri, not a cheap manufactured kind you get at Wal-Mart for a dollar a bag.

 

Later: Darn moss is turning powdery on me again. In this instance, however, it's not too bad. This is a hazy fragrance, but it still manages to smell solid. It has an incredible amount of throw as well--in fact, I used six swipes of the imp wand and it seems to have been too much! It's elegant, feminine, and natural, without smelling too fieldy or foresty. I will wear it when I want to feel pretty.

[Finny]

I love this when I first put it on, it is woods and cinnamon. Very lovely and delicious.

 

But as it dries the florals crowd out the wood and cinnamon, and all I smell is florals. They are beautiful, but I am not a floral person. Stupid skin chenmistry.

 

Off it goes to someone who will appreciate it more that me, I have so many scents I love there is no sense in keeping one that I only like for the first half hour.

[rainbow]

In the bottle- pure cinnamon.

 

Wet on the skin- wood and cinnamon, which is surprisingly pleasant.

 

As this develops I'm getting some white flowers and then a hint of lotus, still with the cinnamon. This definitely smells like a forest, though oddly enough not by smelling like the components of the forest- it doesn't smell particularly like wood or moss. Rather, it conjurs images of the forest, hidden alcoves, moss, wood, forest sprites, etc.

 

This is a lovely blend. Everything mixes together very well. I'm not sure about a big bottle, but I'll certainly use up the imp.

[Lit Chick]

My post was eaten!

 

Grumble.

 

Wet: This was really promising. Lovely woody fragrance, spiced with warm cinnamon. Smelled heavenly.

 

Dry: And ths cinnamon starts to take over - I smell like cinnamon imperials. It's very sweet - too sweet. I'm not liking it.

 

Full Dry: DH said I smell like potpourri with cinnamon sticks thrown in. I still only smell candy. Etiher way, it's far too sweet on my skin - and it has lots and lots of throw. This gave me a little headache.

 

To swaps!

[anshara]

In the imp: ::swoon:: woodsy spice!!! YUM!!!! Cinnamon!!! I LOVE cinnamon!!!

 

On me swiped on both wrists: smelling cinnamon!!! fresh warm cinnamon stick! Warm woods

 

Drydown:10 minutes: Soft, sweet, dry cinnamon with a hint of warm woods!!!! LOVELY!!!!! I promised this to someone! Broke my heart to have to give up the imp but I WILL get a bottle.... If not now, then soon!!!! :D

Edited November 3, 2005 by Shollin

[goddessrobyn]

I got this a a gift from my birthday Sprite and OMG I love it!!!!

 

its the perfect mix of cinnamon and floral... the perfect blend of sugar and spice... the ultimate duality of a feminine scent...

 

LOVE!!!

 

totally going on the big bottle list~!~

[scourgeotheseas]

Well, I thought Tarot: the Lovers was going to be my happiest cinnamon scent, but I think Hamadryad will give it a run for its money.

 

In the bottle: Hmm. Spicy, dry, kind of a men's cologne feeling. Maybe that's the wood notes or something.

 

On me/drydown: I get an immediate hit of dry, spicy cinnamon. Definitely the stick, certainly not the Red Hots. There is also a hint of woods and florals, but the cinnamon is the big hit! After a long while, the extremely strong cinnamon stick smell starts to fade and is slowly replaced by a light woodsy, warm scent. However, the slow morph doesn't begin for a long time. Hamadryad stayed true and strong on me for hours.

 

It smells like baking at its best, like a homemade applie pie bursting with cinnamon. I'm in love with this one.

[requieminblack]

First sniff out of the bottle- Dry wood and lots of it.

 

After 10 minutes Ok, now I smell the cinnamon but the wood scent is dominate. The mix of the dry wood and spice is quite nice. It’s like a cinnamon tree amongst a mossy forest. It sort of smells like men's 'Old Spice' cologne.

 

After 30 minutes- It's still a warm and spicy wood at dry down. I don't detect any floral in it at all.

 

Summery- Yum! This one is a keeper for sure!

[Scylla]

In the vial: Ha! Apple Jacks cereal! (Which really is a cinnamon/nutmeg smell and is not apple-y at all)

 

Wet, on my skin: Cinnamon, nutmeg and leather

 

On drydown: Leather and wood with spices and light florals in the background. This is such a complex, wonderful scent. I wish I had discovered it in early autumn instead of January--I would have worn it all fall and winter long! To me, it's definitely a "cool weather / get cozy" scent.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: for some reason, i was expecting this to be green, but it isn't. it's an almost a sweet, mossy scent. very light.

on: all cinnamon. what the hell? it's a bit itchy on my wrists and is making them red.

2.5 hours later: more floral now, with just a hint of cinnamon.

4 hours later: very faint. a bit spicy, sweet, and floral.

7 hours later: still fainty spicy and floral.

overall: aside from the fact that i'm afraid of this oil (and a lot of oils containing cinnamon), i just don't really like this very much. it will be swapped.

[Rheliwen]

In the bottle this smelled oily with a touch of cinnamon. I have been looking forward to this one and it dissapointed me in the bottle.

 

Once I got it on, things started to change. Cinnamon is definitely in the forefront. It's very dry and I can't pick out a specific tree scent. It's the same sort of dry like the bone part in Dragon's Bone, but less revealing.

 

As it dried, the florals really started to sprout from the background. Oh my god this smells so wonderful now! The cinnamon against the light, green florals is to die for! And for some reason, Hamadryad is proving to be both dry and creamy at the same time. The top notes are very dusty, but underneath it all, lingering beneath the soft florals, is a creamy center.

 

This one was on the verge of being a cinnamon potpourri scent. It reminded me of the holidays. But, the florals saved it and is now a more complex, well-rounded scent. This is a keeper for sure...yay!

[ashtonrose]

SoapyRN gifted this too me. I am so in love with this. I couldn't pick out the notes very well, but I do smell cinnamon. Smooth and lasts a long time.

[Renny]

In the bottle - This smelled very much like Bewitched when it was in the bottle, just without the berryness.

 

On me - It smelled good at first, but it started to die down quickly. It turned into something very warm and subtle, kind of like cinnamon. I love cinnamon and Hamadryad is a nice scent, but there's something I don't like about it that I can't quite put my finger on. Haven't decided on whether or not I'm keeping it.

[misfitroxy]

Once popping the cap on the imp, I instantly exclaimed “Ooh!” at this. I’m getting a lovely almost aquatic spice that’s reminding me of nutmeg or something similarly food-y (glancing over the reviews now, I see that this is a consensus for most first whiffs of Hamadryad).

 

On my wrist, I start to pick up more cinnamon, but as others have noted, it’s a “smooth” cinnamon, very sweet instead of sharp. An aquatic kind of floral is coming to light now but it merely balances the spice instead of replacing it entirely. It is very cool, very wintry. But I don’t see it as out of place for any time of the year.

 

I was worried that the woodsy part would turn dark or musky on me, but it’s more like the mosses mentioned in the description. In terms of a color, I see a pastel mint green. It’s earthy and comforting and playfully breezy. I’m definitely a fan and will be getting my hands on more of this in the future.

 

ETA - After a few hours (once the spice dissipates), this turns into an almost exact replica of Anais Anais by Cacharel on me. I've always loved that scent, but more because it was what my mother wore when I was a little girl so I associate it with her. Wearing it myself seems a tad too strange. But it's comforting, so I might still purchase this in bottle form. Until then, I'll experiment with scent lockets to see if I can keep the blend from changing so radically. Again, not a bad morph, just a tad too personally nostalgic for me.

Edited March 9, 2005 by misfitroxy

[ianastar]

At first whiff....very spicy....on the dry down.....faint florals. A spicy floral....Im not a fan of spicy or floral. So this is just not for me.