Hanerot Halalu

[saralaughs]

Olive oil, beeswax, and smoke.

This would be a nice beeswax scent for me if it wasn't for the olive oil and smoke. It takes on this powdery yet oily feeling and is a bit too pungent for me. I'm starting to come the the conclusion that I do not care for olive (the fruit, blossom, or oil).

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Mmmmm. Smoky, waxy beeswax paired with the pineapple-like pale sweetness of olive.

Drydown/Dry: Smooth, smoky, almost a bit spicy, and not quite fruity, but leaning in that direction. The smoke helps ground it, I think. There’s a subtle glow to this, like candlelight seeping through the outer edge of a pillar candle. So beautiful and just perfect on my skin. Thank you for making this, Beth!

9 out of 10 bones

[lizabelle]

2017 version: This is an incredibly beautiful scent. I wasn't sure what to expect out of "olive oil," but it reminds me of a softer, less-sweet osmanthus note. The beeswax blends with it to make a very smooth, comforting whole. Just smelling it makes me feel relaxed. The smoke is subtle, threading through just enough to be reminiscent of candles burning (which is perfect, given the inspiration). There really is a gravitas to this, and I completely believe it as a spiritual/religious scent--in fact if someone covered the label and asked me to guess, I might have pegged it as a TAL.

 

I've barely managed to talk myself out of more bottles, as it will eventually come around again, but this is a masterpiece and has rocketed to the top of my favorites list.

[kscha2017]

Very pretty and rich, more "perfumey" than I was expecting, and quite strong on me. I get beeswax prominently with a tiny bit of honey (which I suppose is the olive oil). No smoke at all. This also gives me a strong flashback to a pink, wax pomander in the shape of a Japanese woman that my mom had for many years when I was a kid.

Edited December 10, 2017 by kscha2017

[achildoftime]

It's a very soft-spoken scent. It's a very smooth beeswax, which I'd attribute to the olive oil. It smells like a candle that was recently burned, but the wax is already starting to solidify. It's not very smoky, though. I really like it. Even though it doesn't have great throw, it lasts a long while and I was noticing it all day.

[LizziesLuck]

I've had this on my wish list for ages, really glad it made a comeback this year! I adore beeswax so much.

 

2017 version:

 

Wet: Oh wow, that's beautiful. I didn't know what to expect from the olive oil, but it comes across almost like olive blossom, which is gorgeous. The effect is a slightly floral, slightly smoky beeswax. Not too sweet or high pitched. Perfection. So far, I am wishing the throw was a bit stronger though. Usually beeswax is really strong on me, this is more subtle.

 

Dry: This gets stronger as it warms on my skin. The floral olive note is simply gorgeous with the beeswax - I would say they are both equally the star of this, with just the tiniest hint of smoke. LOVE. There are too many loves so far this Yule season (rare for me!) so I don't think I will manage a back-up, but if this comes back again another year, or if I have a chance at another bottle later on, I won't hesitate. It's quietly stunning.

[gwynethr]

Oh, this is just devastating. I've been out of the buying/posting loop for a long time due to finances and such, but I got so excited when I saw two favorites were on this year's list after so many years, and Hanerot Halalu is one of my top 3 scents.

 

But this version smells awful to me. It's soapy and way too perfumey and there's no smoke or beeswax at all. The original version is so wonderfully smokey and beeswaxy, and there was this almost orange-like note in it (I remember someone else looking for the first batch of HH, too, at the same time I was, because we both coveted that faintly orangey smell, and the later batches didn't seem to have it).

 

Ugh, it's just staying soapy on me no matter how long I let it go. There's just no candle-smoke smell at all. It does have the throw and seems to last as long as the original, I'll say that. I feel like I threw money away, and now my hoarded bottle will run out without a real replacement.

[LiberAmoris]

2017 version:

 

I’ve never tried Hanerot Halalu before, so have no previous version to compare this experience to. Wet, this is a light floral beswax on me, delicate and subtle. As it settles down, what previously came across as a floral note appears to be at least partially the olive oil, as the scent becomes more golden and substantial, and a thin olive note floats up. I’m not getting any smoke, although perhaps it’s just because I’m expecting smoke-smoke, and not the dainty smoke of a burnt-out candle. The floral note remains into drydown. A gentle scent, one that would be perfect for me to wear to work.

[virginstitch]

2017 version: I am disappointed. I expected the scent of blown out candles with a creamy finish. I got a very flower-y scent - no beeswax, no smoke.

 

On the bright side - if florals are your thing, you will like this version. There is a ton of throw and a ton of staying power. I could still smell this on me after washing three times and using rubbing alcohol to get it off. So if you like a creamy floral, HH2017 is for you.

[roseus]

Golden warmth. The olive oil is soft and buttery as opposed to sharp and green and blends with the soft honey sweetness of the creamy beeswax. Has just a touch of that delicate candle smoke. 

[donkehpoo]

(2018 version.)

 

Wet: Warm, smokey beeswax. It smells a little bit plastic-y as well...

 

Dry: Bye, plastic! Every note I can smell now. I would say, in order of strongest to least: beeswax, smoke, olive oil. 

 

If you're a fan of beeswax, this is a must try. Don't let the olive oil note throw you off! This is a really lovely, comforting type of scent. 

[Leopard403]

I can’t believe I’ve been a BPALer for this long and I’ve never before sampled Hanerot Halalu. So, finally, I’m testing the 2018 version.

 

One of my very favorite scents is The Lights of Men’s Lives and I find this eerily similar, if a bit sweeter which is surprising looking at the notes. At times, HH is almost floral in nature, more olive blossom than olive oil. I don’t really get a smoke note here, either, whereas with TLOML there’s a heavy whiff of just-extinguished candle.

 

I really like this, but not quite as much as TLOML.

[mishi-bear]

2018 version.

 

This is very similar to the GC scent Mithras on me, because of the olive oil.

 

This is a lot more gentle than Mithras is, though. A good amount of olive oil, oily and savory-sweet, but softened considerably by the beeswax. The beeswax is creamy and soft. There's also just the tiniest whiff of a smoke note. Very mild, a lot more mild than I was expecting. I just get a hint of it in the background.

 

Overall a very pleasant scent, but I couldn't really justify a big bottle purchase when I already have a 5ml of Mithras. I also wish there was more of a smoke note to it. I actually might try a decant of this again in the future though, to see if it's different in future years.

[doomsday_disco]

2018 version.

 

I was going to come in here and say the same thing as mishi-bear: this is similar to Mithras, probably due to the olive oil note, but sweeter.

 

I am also getting something distinctly orange-y to this (I mentioned orange in my review of Mithras, too, so maybe it is from the olive oil, or an orange-infused honey?), in the vial and on my skin. It's like orange sherbet beeswax on me. There is only the barest tinge of smoke if you go looking for it, but otherwise, it's a creamy, orange-y olive oil and beeswax scent.

 

I like it! But I may like Mithras more. I'll have to deathmatch the two one of these days. It's definitely different than The Lights of Men's Lives, though, which truly smells like beeswax candles. This one, with its sweet, creamy orange, is kind of making me hungry.