Hearth

[Northernminx]

Sweet pipe tobacco, cherry wood, the warm, worn leather of an easy chair and a pleasant, subtle waft of fireplace smoke.

My yule order came in while my boyfriend was visiting so we both had the pleasure of trying this one out. Gorgeous, tons of cherries at first, this slowly mellowed into round, full, smooth cherry tobacco scents. Comforting and warm and very very masculine. This worked MUCH better on him than me, even though I loved it. It very much conjured images of warm fireplaces and leather chairs and men smoking pipes. Totally and utterly stunning and gorgeous and evocative and comforting.

This lasted forever (one application took us both well over 12 hours and we could still smell it.) The bottle is going home with him so I can appreciate Hearth properly on his neck

[diabolique]

this immediately caught my eye on the yule update and i ordered two bottles of it, one for me and one for my boy. i already had my hopes up about ice queen and was kicking myself in the ass for not ordering snow white, so i was desperately hoping this was going to work on me.

 

in the vial, very surprising smell. i get a strong, warm buttery smell. a deep cherry scent inhabits the surface of hearth. on my skin, it's so strong and warm that it makes my nose tingle violently (how does one tingle violently, anyway?). i tried to keep it away from my nose while it dried down, and when i put my sniffer back up to get a whiff.. it smelled like -DUNDUNDUN- used tupperware! that's not to say beth has made something that actually smells like tupperware; rather, my skin hates tobacco (but my lungs love it ). this was disappointing.

 

i put this on my grandpa because he thought it smelled good in the vial, and it did the same thing to him. that wasn't the last stage on his skin, though, it then turned into a buttery pancake. with my blueberry syrup experience with midwinter's eve and my grandpa turning into a 5'10" pancake, i would hate for both of us to be in public with hungry people.

[springsea]

In the bottle: This stuff smells exactly like maraschino cherries. It took me a while to figure out what that was.

 

Wet: It instantly turns spicy on my skin. (And it stung a little on my neck, but not on the wrists.)

 

As it dries it morphed a lot. The fireplace smoke was battling with the pipe smoke and the cherry smell. Close up it smelled really smokey, but in wafting distance it smelled like syrup.

 

It's the next day, I've applied three other scents since then and still all I smell is Hearth. It's a nice cozy smell. It reminds me of Meeting on Christmas morning, in front of the fire with red leather chairs. To be fair, I'm not sure if I would have gotten that without the description.

 

I didn't think I was going to like this but it's a very nice winter scent.

[oceandessa]

This is A LOT sweeter than I expected, and I certainly did not expect the cherry wood to smell so much like cherries. It goes a little craft store on me, but I love the tobacco note. Perhaps I will try it again tomorrow when I am not wearing 500 other perfumes on my arm because I simply cannot pace myself.

 

Another thing, this did not change very much on my skin, and it has been almost four hours.

[Caitfish]

Hearth -

 

Got to agree with everyone else that this is not what I expected.

 

In the bottle: Cherries - like, pure cherries. Nothing woody about these cherries, just cherries. Reminds me of the in the bottle smell of kabuki, without the astringent note (anise).

 

Initial On: Something buttery - I suppose what has been called the "Pancake stage." Nope, this isn't butter or pancake syrup, this is very fine pipe tobacco - exactly. I does smell like that, syrupy in a way - the tobacco leaves are saturated with something. Damn, my boyfriend is smoking so I can not tell if that smoky smell is coming from the Hearth, but it goes very well with it regardless.

 

After a While: This is a strong blend, it sticks around. For hours. The sweetness persists, though it's never as strongly cherry as in the bottle.

 

Overall Impressions: What a fantastic, surprising blend! It's so sweet, warm and lovely. It's sugary and slightly buttery. Difficult to quantify, but delicious nonetheless. I am so glad that I purchased this one!

[Eoywin]

To me, Hearth smells like dark chocolate covered cherries... it is sooo yummy!

[Finny]

I just received this today, and I promptly put it on dear hubby. Mmm, cherry, tobbaco, a hint of leather. I have been following him around, sniffing at him all day.

 

It smells wonderful on him, and I suspect I may be "borrowing" it a bit myself.

 

Another winner.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Just wonderful. Bright cherry, almost a liqueur, over deep wood and curling smoke.

 

Wearing: Purr, purr, purr. On a blanket by the fire in a room paneled in dark wood. Hearth is a log cabin scent, an outdoorsy man sipping whiskey by a blazing fire as snow falls in the woods outside. I really do smell alcohol in this, even though there’s nothing alcoholy listed in the description. It's fantastic.

[Hallows_Eve]

In the bottle- Berry Cherry. Not fresh cherries, more like cherry pie? Spiced and Canned cherries? Its definately cherry with a different sort of oomph.

 

On my husband- Cherry tobacco and little glass of something-something to warm it up

 

Kinda sexy, if you ask me. My husband used to smoke cherry tobacco in a pipe years ago and I associate the smell very closely with the fresh tobacco instead of the smoking tobacco, more "wet" than "dry". I can smell just a faint leather underneath all that. Very Victorian Gentleman, masculine scent. Husband seems to like it a lot.

 

A little does go a long way- husband put some on, did some dishes later and shoveled our driveway from snow, and we can clearly still smell it a few hours later.

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

This is the Yule LE I was most eagerly anticipating because I adore the smell of pipe tobacco and this sounded so absolutely perfect, but I'm a bit worried now based on the reviews. Sweet scents really aren't my thing, so I'm hoping Hearth turns into the pipe tobacco and leather scent I'm craving and not into cherry syrup.

 

First sniff:

 

Wow, that is cherry sweet! I expected this to bear at least a passing resemblance to the new formulation of Hellfire based on the description, but the two couldn't be more different and still share some common ingredients. This really does smell like cherry pipe tobacco inspite of the almost syrup-like sweetness of the cherry note. I find that the further away my nose is from the bottle, the more I smell the tobacco and the less I smell the cherry, which is a good sign.

 

Wet on skin:

 

This is definitely cherry, not cherry wood - it smells like the inside of a chocolate covered cherry where all the gooey syrup is, but there's also tobacco under here and a faint hint of worn leather. It's not nearly as candy sweet as I'd feared, although it's far sweeter than I'd hoped for. I have a feeling the cherry note is going to die down as it dries, though, because it already appears to be mellowing.

 

Dry down:

 

As predicted, the cherry is mellowing nicely, leaving a gorgeous cherry tobacco scent that's very comforting to me. The longer this sets on my skin, the more I can smell the pipe tobacco and leather instead of just cherry syrup. It appears my treacherous body chemistry has pulled a fast one on me for once, turning a potentially "definitely not me" scent into something absolutely gorgeous! This is what I expected from Hearth. I'm very happy with the way this one turned out!

 

The bottom line:

 

Hearth was too cherry sweet for me in the bottle and wet on my skin, but once it dried it smelled exactly like I'd imagined it would. Also, this one isn't as aggressively masculine as Hellfire was, which is wonderful because I don't always want something that screams testosterone. I love this one (at least on me)!

 

ETA: Since I wrote this, I've decided I love Hearth even more than I said in my review. Now it seems the cherry syrup smell dissipates much quicker and I'm left with the most delcious, deep, rich cherry pipe tobacco scent. I wear this to bed and it puts me right to sleep! It's so comforting and peaceful smelling and absolutley wonderful. I've got 4 bottles and 2 imps now and I'm in heaven.

Edited January 11, 2005 by Penance

[spark]

This one is super strong... I could smell the open bottle several feet away, and it's COLD in my house!

 

Sadly, on both testers it turned to something resembling a slightly sickly molasses.

[Scylla]

In the bottle, Hearth did smell exactly like I thought it would. Cherry pipe tobacco, fireplace smoke and leather--and maybe a little brandy or something boozy like that. Definitely a very cozy and warm scent. But, once it hit my skin the cherry note took over--a bit too much! It became a hyper strong cherry pipe tobacco. Which I like the smell of, but don't want to smell LIKE!

[shelldoo]

wow. not quite what i expected.

 

in the bottle CHERRIES specifically cherry coughdrops.

 

wet: still cherries but more or a swisher sweets tobacco cherry smell

 

dry: the swisher sweets smell hangs for a while then the cherry settles down and i can smell a brandy? and a waft of smoke it takes a while to get to a point that i really really like but all in all glad i have it

[Aurelius]

Cherries, cherries, and more cherries. Did I mention cherries?

 

This does not work on my skin. The cherries pretty much take over once Hearth touches my skin. I had my Dad try it out and his comment was "I don't think guys are supposed to smell like Cherries Jubilee." Heh. We must have similar body chemistry.

 

I LOVE the description of Hearth, and I'm sure it smells divine on someone who's body chemistry doesn't tend to amp up berries within an inch of their life. I do not smell any leather or pipe smoke or anything vaguely hearth-like. Stupid body! Off to swap!

[hypothermya]

Hearth

 

Initial Impression

The first thing I smell is smotheringly sweet cherries and tobacco. Not the slightest hint of smoke, and only the faintest hint of wood. It actually causes me to be a bit nauseous, and I had to move it from near my desk since the scent would waft over every now and then. Smells just like a good handful of strong pipe tobacco if you'd dipped it into a bowl of cherry cough syrup.

 

Wearing It

 

I had bought this for my boyfriend, who was really excited by the woodsy/smokey/tobacco description. Sadly, he hated it. When he first applied it, the scent was so strong and so sweet that he had to wash it off after 5 minutes. It was just too strong for him, and he couldn't get past that intial stage -- and being practical, he couldn't see himself wearing it again if he had to endure the first 5-10 minutes.

 

On me, I'm also tempted to wash it off right away, but I'm actually able to sit through the dry down and let it develop more. It starts out as cherry cough medicine. Really strong and medicinal and overly sweet. As it dries, it picks up a lot more woodsiness and just the faintest hint of leather and smoke. The tobacco mellows out a lot. And in the end, it turns into a comfy evening by the fire -- scarred by the after taste of cherry cough syrup. Unfortunately that cherry note just won't leave me alone, and in a typical fashion, my skin turns it very sweet, very strong, and very...off... Almost like overripe, rotting cherries. The same thing happened to the plum note in Kitsune-Tsuki, so this is undoubtedly my skin and not the scent itself.

 

In any case, I suspect that on someone whose skin wasn't so against fruit notes, and who didn't mind a sweeter perfume, that this would smell delicious. The perfect mix of masculine notes (wood, smoke, leather, tobacco) but with just the right amount of cherry sweetness to make it warmly feminine. Pity it didn't quite make it on me or the boyfriend; on the other hand, I'm hoping that the wonderful woman I'm swapping it with will love it.

[ChupaChup]

Well, I ordered Hearth thinking it would be another version of Hellfire. Dumb, now that I think about it, I already love Hellfire and wouldn't want it any different! Anywho, yup, I got the strong blast of cherries at first, which is fine because I like cherry scents. After about 15 minutes, the cherries mellowed and the tobacco appeared, this was the perfect pipe tobacco scent. But Hearth didn't stop at that stage, it kept morphing until I got the same buttery pancakes that diabolique's grampa got . I never got any leather or smoke from this. Oh well, my bottle is on its way to live with someone I hope will love it .

[harlequin]

In the bottle, this was a whole bunch of cherry, and either the tobacco or wood smoke.. I'm not quite sure which one it is, but whichever it is along with the cherry are really strong.

 

On.. well, it's still VERY strong.. something in it seems to slightly burn my nose/make my throat itch if i get to close to it.. It did seem to mellow down a bit after awhile, but I still had to wash some of it off. Now that it's not so overwhelming, there's something in it that reminds me of gluttony and sacred whore, but not nearly as strongly.. I dunno.

 

It's a very... interesting... scent. Not sure how I feel about it on it's own, but I can totally see wearing a small bit of it along with something like O to spice it up a bit. In fact, I think I'll try layering some of that on right now!

[Nadirah]

Out of the bottle I could really smell the cherry as mentioned before. Once I put it on my wrists I could smelll the cherry Wood used in this. In fact it reminded me of Woodshop I took back in High School. The smells of the classroom. Tobacco, Leather and wood. Its not like any other wood (ex sandalwood, cedar) but the smell of expensive cherry wood. Its a light smoky woodsy kinda scent. There is the hints of leather and tobacco in there as well. It is very pleasant and more feminine than I originally thought it would be. This one lasts a good long time too, it lasted a good part of the day for me.

[Astarte]

I was shocked to find this scent so sweet. I fully expected to find a woody scent which wouldnt work on me. But being a LE I couldnt not order it

 

However the first scent which hits me is cherry, (ala queen of hearts *I think*) but its quite lovely, as the blend settles a smokey scent starts to waft from me. Its very appealing to me, and I would love to dab this unknowingly onto my other half except he'd pick up on it pretty soon.

 

Yummy!

[babykitty]

Okay. I'm wondering why I bought 2 of these...don't get me wrong, I like it, that I do. I just cannot possibly use 2 bottles of it since it makes me SO hungry!

 

It smells just like Russell Stovers (sp?) Roman Nougat Chocolate. (Which btw, is usually the last chocolates in the box at our house). Dang. I'm hungry now.

[malati]

When first applied I get the very yummy cherry/almond smell. As it dries out this deepens to a woody scent and finally rounds out to a highly polished wood. I'm getting images of old furniture in stately homes.

 

I did wonder if I wanted to smell like furniture polish but I couldn't stop sniffing my arm. It's gorgeous - it shouldn't work but somehow it does.

 

It lasted an amazingly long time and it's such a deep scent that a little goes a long way. In fact I could still detect traces of it after bathing. I can't see myself using it in the Summer but I very much doubt I'll have any left by then.

Edited December 29, 2004 by malati

[sarahmarie]

Sadly, Hearth was a no-go for me. It's just so intense and sweet, far more than I expected. The cherry is like a thick, syrupy smell that leaps out of the bottle, mixing with the tobacco to create an even deeper realm of sweetness. I didn't get much smoke or leather at all, just a tremendously sweet and heavy cherry/tobacco scent that really throws a lot. It didn't change or lighten very much on my skin, and it wouldn't wash off! I bought it for my spouse, but he couldn't even sniff it - it was way too much for him, as he doesn't like sweet scents and is sickened by the scent of honey, which he swears that he smells very strongly in Hearth.

 

I wish I could appreciate strong, sweet scents, because I wanted to love this. I may give it one more shot, but unless miracles occur, this one's going on ebay to fund a couple different BPAL bottles for Ryan. Oh well.

[Splendid Molerat]

The Body Shop has made some Ayurveda products, and Hearth shares a few notes with the "Air" Element in that line. My skin is quite cold this time of year, so on me the two fragrances are identical (mostly medicinal).

 

Hearth really needs fire to bring out all the scents, so I've got it in the oil burner. Now it's an exact match to the Lab description: burning cherry wood, pipe tobacco, and a cozy, crackling warmth.

 

I could see this as a man's fragrance, if the man in question were a natural radiator. The cold-blooded need to find other applications.

[TygherRayn]

Pipe tobacco. Cherry pipe tobacco ... though unless I'm imagining it, while fresh on, this gives off a bit of candy-cane as well. This was, of courswe, whatfirst drew me to this LE, and it's something that evokes images of men in silk smoking jackets and dark grey britches and boots sitting in a smoky room with a roaring fire, all discussing over snifters of brandy their latest hunt, and the state of their various affairs, social and otherwise.

 

It's a very masculine scent, to be truthful and while I like it, it's just a little -too- masculine for me to wear. Might try it as a room scent, while the season is still right for it. Otherwise, I think this will end up traded away.

[antimony]

This was a headscratcher for me.

 

The first time I tried it, it wasn't sweet at all... in fact, it was almost burnt, like djinn. then the second time I tried it, it was all sweet cherries and wood, and, again, I just wasn't really into it. I rolled the bottle both imes, and neither try was durring my period. I dunno.

 

Anyway, Hearth really just wasn't for me. Though I'm going to keep it around for a few months to add it to my great yule-LE-aging-experiment. If it smells better/different in a few months, I'll update.