Hearth

[dancink]

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

 

A frimpie from eclipsedeyes over on lj.

In the imp: Licorice & maraschino cherries. I really, really hate both of these, but I'll give this a whirl anyway (as I'm on a holy mission to review each and every imp in my imp box.)

Wet: Still licorice and maraschino cherries. Ick.

Dry: Wow, does this one do a transformation! Smoky, buttery caramel. There's still the occasional cherry vibe, but that's mostly gone. Mmmn, very, very nice.

I have no idea if this will be something I'll wear (since I hate that initial 10 minutes of licorice/cherry), but the dry-down is rather lovely. I kinda want caramel popcorn now.

[edenssixthday]

Hearth 2004 - Wow, this smells nothing like what I expected. It's incredibly sweet -- almost cloyingly so, like syrup or something. It's also fruity and nutty. It's the strangest scent and I can't decide if I like it or not and then it hits me what it smells like. It does not smell like pipe tobacco, cherry wood, a leather chair and fireplace smoke. Rather, it smells like a holiday fruitcake pulled fresh out of the tin! I can smell the sweetness of the green and red maraschino cherries in it as well as the uber-sweetness of the rum the cake has been soaked in. The fleshy nuttiness of the walnuts that have been baked into it stands out as well as the sweet scent of the flour and other cake grains. No wonder I can't decide if I like it or not. After three and a half decades on this planet, the jury is still out about fruitcake, too. This scent has one of the strongest throws I've encountered. The tiniest bit on the back of my hand has everyone I encounter asking, "What's that smell?" every time I walk by. I am not sure if I can wear this one again or not. I'm thinking it might be a good seasonal scent, so I should put it aside for a few months and try it again later this year.

[Voleuse]

On first sniff, this is actually a sweet, buttery scent, not foody, but definitely rich. After a minute, the smoke and leather of the blend comes out--I get the impression of smoldering wood chips, a hazy, pleasant drowsiness. It's not masculine itself, but speaks of a comfortable, masculine sort of environment, if that makes sense. It's very warm, and though I don't love this flavor of smoke, it's comforting, nonetheless.

[Em-]

Cherry wood, almonds and smoke - this smells so much like what I had hoped the 05 version would smell like that it slmost made me tear up when I first smelled it...

[supremegoddessofall]

Still has somewhat of a foody feel, like Hearth 2006, but I definitely notice the cherry here. It's a subtle cherry, wrapped in smoke. Not getting much leather here, but I do get a mild tobacco.

[QueenFae]

This scent has probably been the biggest pleasant surprise for me in BPAL history. I thought I would not just dislike this, but hate it. I normally hate tobacco and especially leather blends. Wow, I was wrong!! This is GORGEOUS!! It's a foody, sweet, creamy cherry smell! Yum! Yup, the top notes are sweet cherry and a delicious, buttery creaminess. The leather note is very sweet as well, and quite subtle. The smoky note is very compimentary, and just sits underneath as a comforting afterthought. This really does remind me of sitting in a red leather chair in front of a fireplace at Christmas time. I am so glad I've got a full bottle, I only wish it wasn't so hard to get more!

[ouch!]

Hearth...

 

This is like pure sticky sugar at first....definately a foody, cookie like sweet smell! It's very thick and has alot of throw! It doesn't smell like what a Hearth would smell like to my nose.

When it dries a bit there is a deeper different smell that comes out, I think it's the smoke, but it's really dominated by this sugary smell that's similar to sugar skull.....

 

I wish it was more like the description but hey.....I don't get wood, cherry, or tobacco at all from this at any point. It's just sugary cookies with a tiny bit of smoke every now and then!

 

[filigree_shadow]

This is the 04 version. (I posted my review of the 05 version over on the Hearth 05 thread.)

 

I can definitely tell the difference between the two. The cherry wood is prominent in this, and I love the tobacco in it. Lightly smoky. But with all that, I don't think this is overly masculine. It just smells warm and comforting.

 

I like the 05 version, but I like this one better. The cherry wood is really pretty.

[funkmoppet]

With HUGE thanks to Ahania for this.

 

This is everything I dreamed it would be. Absolutely nothing like the let-down that the 05 version was for me.

 

The blend is WHOA cherry when wet. Sweet, juicy cherry. But on my skin this barely lasts any time at all before the tobacco wafts up. It's absolutely pipe tobacco - like the kind the old parish priest would smoke when I was in primary school. You could smell him coming a mile off.

 

It's a gorgeous smell, and in amoungst it is the very warm, worn leather and woods, SO evocative of a kind, fatherly figure sitting in his lair reading a good book. It's comforting, and mellow, and I just adore it.

 

I knew there was a reason I was chasing this one, and I'm SO elated to finally have it (thank you Ahania!)! Now to hunt down a backup. I love it that much.

[alterosen]

So happy to finally try this version (thank you Ishtar!)

On me, it's like my beloved Samhain with cherries as the fruit note instead of apples - smokey, sweet and tangy - yum, yum, yum. Must find more...

[suileach]

I'm pretty thrilled to have been able to swap for a decant of this.

 

In vial and wet: WHOA. Thick, rich, *syrupy* cherries. This is like a cherry cordial on speed. I have never before smelled a cherry scent that is so juicy and begging to be eaten.

 

From a distance, I get a gorgeous, resinous wood. Up close, it is all cherry.

 

Dry: After about 30 minutes, there's a dark, burnt quality to it. It's like a burning hearth log or pipe smoke..or quite possibly burnt popcorn, if you catch the scent the wrong way, as there's a slight bitterness to it. The stick-to-your-throat sweetness of the cherry is still present, and it's turned a bit boozy with a smidge of something chocolately.

 

This is an incredibly strong, rich scent, and it's made me hungry for cherry pie.

[Victory]

I got a quick sniff of Hearth '04 from quikslvr at a meet-n-sniff, swabbed some on a piece of paper and then promptly lost the paper- how disappointing. I liked '04 so much better than '05 and thought that it conveyed "comforting" better to me than did '05. The cherry was the predominant note, but it didn't smell like a pie cherry or a tart cherry or a maraschino cherry. The wood and leather were not noticeable on my brief sniff, but they must have been backing the cherry up to make it cherry wood and not cherry pie.

[beachbabealways]

A bottle of this has been on my wishlist since 2006 when I joined and The lovely Cheshirecat sent me a decant in a recent swap and I just can't thank her enough. It's pretty long lasting on me and I'm glad about that because this decant is gonna have to last until I can find a bottle.

 

 

Best damn cherry pipe tobacco ever! My grandfather used to smoke cherry pipe tobacco when I was a kid and I always loved the smell! Still do.

 

[crebbsgirl]

On me this is SWEET! Cherry predominated, but it wasn't tart or juicy. The wood smoothed it out. The warm leather note was gorgeous and the smoke was not overpowering in the slightest. Sweet tobacco note was present as well. This was nice, and I'm glad I got to try it, but I don't need to hunt down any more, and I will probably be passing this one on.

[angelin05]

In bottle: Oooh, cherry tobacco.

On: Bring on the yumminess. Sweet tobacco... This is so warm on me. Makes me want to sit beside a fire wrapped up in a warm blanket with a glass of wine (sorry for the tangent).

Dry: Warm, sweet tobacco with a tiny bit of leather and a spicy backnote. This one goes in the keepers box. SO sad this is an LE... DISO!!

 

Edited March 1, 2009 by GuiltyPleasure

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Cherry cough syrup and cherry candy, in that benzaldehyde-y almondy way. Maybe a little leather and tobacco if I strain?

 

Wet: A little more cherry, a little less almond extract - but still pretty medicinal and almost cherry SN - red, red cherries. There's a bit of leather below - but it's not worn leather, it's the plasticky leather of De Sade.

 

Dry: The cherry's settling more, more like cherry pie filling now, and I am getting a woody note/feel/depth. The pipe tobacco is gorgeous, here, but rather light. A tiny bit of woodsmoke.

 

Later: Whoa, going way more woody and dark - I totally get a mahogany note - with amped tobacco and leather, too. Still a strong, slightly medicinal, heavily sweet cherry note.

 

Summary: Sweetly-smoky rich dark wood, stewed cherries, and pipe tobacco with slick leather on drydown. It morphs nicely, but it's too strongly red-cherry for me personally. Strong throw & longevity.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: I love the sweet pipe tobacco and cherrywood combo. It blends pleasantly with the leather. I’m surprised there are no roasted nuts in this, but I’m guessing it’s an artifact of the tobacco/wood combo. Wet: Lots of cherry. The wood is rich and fascinating. I’m liking what the smoke and leather are doing, but the cherry is unbalancing it on my skin. Dry: This is rich and glorious despite the amping issue. It calms down given time. It ends up evoking a warm study, eating something sticky by the hearth. It manages to be both foody and masculine all at once, which is a pretty tough thing to do. I really do like the sweet pipe tobacco with the wood. The leather note is present, but understated. It really is a lovely blend.

[Invidiana]

This is beautiful. It goes on a s pure tangy cherry goodness. Over time, the cherry remains predominant but darkens into something of a black cherry, and the whole blend deepens and develops rich woody and smoky undertones with just a hint of leather. The leather just blends smoothly into the background; it isn't a butch leather like that in Iago or De Sade at all (both of which are guy-sexy but just not for me). Hearth 04 is just warm, cozy and delicious, kind of like a yummy cherry dessert by the fireplace.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Invidiana

[brwnpaperhag]

Wet, this smells like a cherry tootsie pop--sweet, almost too sweet, but something else lurking underneath. In tootsie pops, it's the chocolate tootsie roll, but with Hearth, it's the leather. As it dries, the leather becomes more prominent on me-I'm definitely getting strong, new, tough leather, rather than soft worn leather. However, with the cherry sweetness, it works wonderfully.

 

Wow, this is good. Had it just been the cherry scent itself, I (a foodie and sugar lover) would have found it too cloying, but with the leather note, this is fantastic. There's a hint of the smoke here, just to connect the cherry and leather, and overall, it works very well; I can't stop sniffing myself, because the morphing is awesome!

 

Sweet candy cherry hits the nose, warming to smoke and leather. Complex and intriguing. A definite love.

[Veracosa]

Hearth has been a household favorite since I got it a few years ago. We try to use it sparingly, especially since a little goes a very long way.

My husband wears it and it turns very masculine and tobacco-ey, and on me it stays lighter, with more of the cherry.

 

I am out, and I could just cry

 

Hoping for a re-issue, or that someone has some to sell someday soon!

 

[Pixie-elf]

It starts out all cherries, with a hint of wood. Then turns to woods with a tobacco note.

 

Eventually it dries down to a prominent sweet fruity tobacco scent. It reminds me of the cigars my Papa used to smoke.

[Deceitfuldescender]

So strange- my imp was marked hearth ‘04 but this smells almost exclusively of buttery chestnuts and some sweetness, which I would think would just be for ‘05. If I come in quite close I can tell there are some things behind the butter sweetness but hard to tell what

[SophieCedar]

Hearth 2017-

Total winner, rocketing to my top 10 on first sniff.

 

Yes, there's a cherry note from the cherrywood, yes there's sweet tobacco and a waft of firesmoke. Yes, there's the smell of a worn leather armchair. Yes, I've been there in front of a hearth smelling like this. Yes, this is incredibly accurate. The combination of all notes is overwhelmingly comforting and atmospheric. Brings me right back there.

 

Thank you, bpal. <3

[achildoftime]

2017 version

 

Woodsmoke, leather, and tobacco. It is really quite strong. It smells like a cozy sitting room on my arm. I love it, but it is a bit surreal. There are some cherry tones flickering in and out. The only real way I can tell is because it does get medicinal smelling at times. It's totally worth powering through, though. Once it settles down, it really is quite harmonious. I don't know how often I'd reach for it just to wear, but I could see putting it on just to read a book. As someone who was worried about the cherry, I think this works wonderfully.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: On first sniff, I instantly said, "Hey, it's ponderosa pines!" But this is probably just a false positive since my grandfather, who is basically Hearth personified, lived in the Sierra Nevadas for many years, and would burn ponderosa pine logs as firewood when we came over. Anyway, this is a warm, homey, woodsy-leathery-smoky scent.

 

Wet: A moment of discord, where the cherry gets sharp and the smoke gets acrid, before it settles down into... pretty much the same as ITI, actually. Maybe a touch more leather? And a bit less smoke, a touch more resinous wood. This is still a warm, snuggly, cozy, "curl up by the fire with a big blanket and a cup of hot chocolate" kind of scent. Perfect for winter!

 

Dry: This is THE winter scent for me. The resins and/or woods are a little more dominant, with the smoke wafting in and out. The leather feels well-worn and warmed. This is the feeling of coming in after a journey through a snowy forest (maybe as in The Forest in Winter at Sunset, another one of my winter favorites) and settling down in front of a roaring fire. It's amazingly evocative and cozy - beautifullly done, Beth!

Edited February 24, 2018 by Lunasariel