Athens

[fairestrocza]

A reformulation and modernization of a true Classical Greek perfume, myrrhine: voluptuous myrrh, golden honey, red wine, and sweet flowers.

Note: The imp I tested was at least a year or two old, possibly older. I liked this enough to buy an imp of my own, but this review is based off the aged version...

In the Imp: powerful, sweet and boozy

Wet on Skin: sweet wine and honey

While Drying: Wine in the forefront, softened by honey. I don't think I am detecting any myrrh. If the flowers are present, they are just adding to the sweetness of the blend… oh wait, I spoke too soon. There they are, just faintly peeking out in the background.

After a Little While: 1st test: Fairly powerful scent, but sticks close to the skin. The myrrh is starting to come through, taking the edge off the boozy note and easing up on the sweetness a bit. 2nd test: I wore this again while I was out and about, and realized that a fine taper candle scent wafts about, but the skin scent is so powerful that it overwhelmed my impressions while I was busy sniffing every few minutes the first time around.

Later: Scented wax. It is not quite beeswax (I was thinking it was the honey giving this impression, but I don't think that is it). It is not a cheap smelly candle, but a subtle, delicately scented, red candle. This has the feel of the end of a dinner party. The candles have been blown out, the dishes cleared, and just a few, mostly empty, wine glasses remain on the table.

Final Thoughts: I like this scent, but I don't think I'd want to wear it for a big drinking night (or smell it the morning after). On second thought, it might not be too bad since the boozy note goes away before final drydown. I put this on in the evening, and the scented wax smell is still there in the late morning. 2nd test: The end-of-a-cozy-candlelit-dinner-party-with-wine impression is even stronger this time around. Love it.
Athens earns a 4/5 on my skin.

Edited to add lab description Edited April 5, 2010 by Rocza

[impolight]

:::ATHENS:::

 

http://www.iho-ohi.org/wp-content/athens-greece.jpg

 

Athens smells alot like a revelry round a fire!

The Red Wine is VERY prominent, hinting at debauch in a classical sense.

The Myrrh and Honey are dribbled over the whole shebang with a sweetness that verges on cloying at moments, but drags you around by the nose for one of the wildest rides of your life!

The floral aspects of Athens are subtle at best; perhaps even of a viticultural persuasion, but they are beautiful nonetheless.

On the Skin: Mmmmmm... Athens is GORGEOUS!!! The combination of Myrrh, Red Wine and Flowers is in the same neighborhood of Obsidian Widow or Lilith... Loving this!

The Honey has been the most downplayed in this blend, but it suffers NONE.

The longer that Athens sits on the skin, the better it gets!

Something starts to emnate from the skin like tendrils of spicy smoke, and the florals almost start to resemble Cereus... Amazing!

Athens is a strong recommendation for anyone, Him OR Her.

Magnificent!

5.5 out of 5!

[tailoredshirt]

Wet, this is a slightly dusty honey-wine combo. As it dries, some of the dustiness fades a bit. This reminds me a lot of Fairy Wine and a bit of Lady Una (both of which smell similar to me, except that Lady Una is softer with the vanilla). Mostly Fairy Wine, but perhaps not as a sweet. I think the myrrh is helping with that.

 

I don't know how often I'll wear this, but I think I'm going to keep the imp and see if it grows on me. Also, I passed by my co-workers desk to see what she thought, and she gave this one the thumbs up!

[reconditarmonia]

Starts out OMGWINE in the imp but dries into something very unpleasant. Myrrh?

Edited June 12, 2010 by reconditarmonia

[MinxyMinou]

Holy wow! This is STUNNING. Big bottle required.

 

Wine, honey and spice from the myrrh. Almost no morph on me at all and boy does it last. I absolutely adore this!

[sunlitgarden]

Athens

Smelled like raisins when first applied, but quickly turns into gorgeous sweet honey and spiced wine. May go on the bottle list.

[SophieCedar]

This has been on my list since I started buying imps but it's taken me this long to actually commit.

Wet: Honey and red wine hit first. I can smell a swirl of wet floral in the background but, as usual, myrrh is waiting it out. Very womanly, very sweet.

Drydown: red wine tends to amp on me.. it and the myrrh are dominant. the flowers and honey have subsided. nice blend. Not really bottle worthy, but a nice experience.

[calivianya]

I will try this again later to see if my initial bad reaction may have been a fluke, but something about this really turned me off. I don't know if it was the wine note or what, but this smelled sweetly spicy in a very bad way. I didn't have time to let it dry down on my skin and see what it smelled like later, though, so it's possible it will get better on me with time. I hope so - I really thought this was going to work for me.

 

...Two days later, I have to say that my nose obviously was broken. Though Athens is very harsh at first to me, it mellows out into a beautiful spicy wine scent that is slightly addictive. This may be a bottle purchase.

Edited November 6, 2010 by calivianya

[Teaotter]

Wet: The first scent reminded me overwhelmingly of home-made honey mead. I love mead, so that's a good sign.

 

Drydown: The florals start to come out a bit, taking the edge off the booziness and giving it a hint of a candy-like smell. Something tart and fruity and sweet.

 

Dry: Honey mead + soap. It is doing exactly that soapy thing that rose notes do, only instead of amping rose-soap I'm amping honey-mead soap. It's odd, because I've never gotten that soap scent on anything that doesn't also amp rose before, but this is definitely soap. Too bad, because otherwise the honey-mead scent is perfect.

[Floria]

On my skin, this was fruity, aromatic honey, although my dad smelled something like aromatic pipe tobacco. It was pleasant in its way, although I would have liked it better with a stronger ratio of the other scent notes relative to the honey to cut the overwhelming sweetness. I think in the future I'll mostly use this for layering or blending with drier scents rather than wear it on its own.

[a_llb]

In vial: Strong red wine, I feel a bit woozy just smelling it!

Wet on skin: The edge of the wine dulls, and the spicy myrrh emerges.

Dry: The wine hangs around for awhile but on me this is all myrrh. At the end of the day I'm left with pure honey.

 

Verdict: I tend to be leery of myrrh because it so easily overpowers everything else- here it's done in one. I liked the idea of Athens- but it just doesn't thrill me the way so many other BPAL scents do.

Edited March 22, 2011 by anyseka

[milo]

Wet, very much honey and wine blend, very reminiscent of Gluhwein, actually. As it dries, a lovely spice comes out, though I'm guessing it's probably the flowers. Less wine, still honey like with spicy herbal flowers. I really like this, but probably don't need more than the imp, as I still have a bit of Gluhwein left.

Oh, just read the post above. I didn't k now myrhh was supposed to smell spicy, but that is what must be the spice I'm getting.

[imaginepageant]

In the Vial: Sweet, sticky honey, brightened by the tartness of the red wine and softened by a subtle floral note. The myrrh is giving it a general smokiness. This is definitely evocative of ancient Athens versus modern Greece.

 

Wet: The honey goes powdery right away. Sigh. It deepens into a very warm, dusty scent, and the flowers start to come out a bit more - but overall, it's powdery.

 

Dry: The throw is straight-up red wine, full-bodied and fruity and really fantastic - and I don't even like red wine! Up close, I still get the powdery sweetness of the honey, the softness of the flowers, and the smokiness of the myrrh, with the red wine giving the whole thing just a bit of a sour note.

 

An Hour Later: I can't really pick out any of the individual notes anymore, but I'd say it's leaning more towards the red wine end of the spectrum. It's still pretty soft and powdery, but that sour note can't be ignored.

 

Overall: Eh, I'm not that into it. I think if the honey had stuck around and been prominent, I could have really liked this. As it is, it's headed for the swap pile.

[holborne]

In the imp: Smells a lot like Manischewitz to me. Uh-oh -- I hate Manischewitz.

 

Wet: Much less wine smell than in the imp; smells sweet and floral, but with a quickly developing woody scent, which I take to be the myrrh.

 

Dry: Ah, now the myrrh is coming out very strongly. I can definitely pick out the honey scent, although I probably wouldn't have identified it as honey had I not already known the note was in this one. The strongest notes are myrrh and wine; it makes me think, probably rather incongruously, of the scents of my family Seder -- wine mixed with spice and nuts. The throw is medium-strong, which is probably a good thing, since it's a fairly aggressive sort of scent.

 

LOVE. Must have a bottle soonest.

[KakashiMorph]

In the bottle: I smell the honey, mingled with myrrh. I can't make out the wine or the flowers yet, but it smells delicious.

On my skin: In the beginning it is the same as the bottle. The honey starts out as the smell of honey I get in wax candles, but it turns pure and delicious after a few minutes while a bit of the wine makes itself known. I go through a brief phase of honey and wine ( which is delicious) and then another one begins, of spicy myrrh and honey (which is also delicious).

Drydown: The spicy myrrh is always there, accompanied by honey or wine in random bursts. In the end it is lovely and I enjoy it a lot.

I think I will be getting a bottle of this.

[stellamaris]

????? I must be broken.

Athens = Fig Newtons for me. Don't get me wrong, it smells amazing, and people keep wanting to hug me when I wear it. A bit alarming as I am not a real "huggy " person, but ok.

I love this and it does not smell like any other BPAL I have.

[MadameFaye84]

Sooo...I think my body chemistry messed with Athens . The whole time I got a churchy incense smell. Coming from the myrrh? Took me back to mass on Christmas Eve. Not a bad scent, but just not for me.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: A very strong wine scent, but I can definitely smell honey, and something incensey, which I assume to be myrrh.

Wet: Wow, sour wine! I was initially concerned that this would make me smell like an alcoholic.

Dry: My skin amps incense (which is great, because I love it), so I get the myrrh most strongly, though it is sweetened by the honey. The wine is still there but not nearly as prominent - it just adds a short of richness in the background. I have worn this to work and received several compliments (one a good eight or so hours after I'd applied it, so good staying power!) and no-one's taken me aside to ask me if I have a problem with merlot. Def considering getting a bottle of this.

[Circaea]

source: frimp of unknown vintage. Seems fairly new, judging by the label condition.

 

Wow, I think I may have found a wine scent I can wear! This smells like honey and spice, with a touch of grapiness. It's making me think of baklava and the last drops of wine in a small glass. The myrh for once behaves, too, and translates into a kind of clovey warmth. I almost can't believe this scent has two death notes, and it's still so delicious. I will keep this imp and wear it.

[romarin]

On me, it starts as a good heather honey - which meets my skin and starts to flirt with baby powder until the wine and myrrh come in to pull it back. It has a richness that on another skin could be fascinating, but on me somehow becomes more "95% DEET" than voluptuous.

[captnklaus]

A friend of mine gave me this one after she sniffed it and really didn't like it. And to be honest, in the imp it didn't smell too pleasant to me either. But today I was going through which imps I had yet to try and decided to give it a chance.

In the imp it has a kind of sour smell, which I am thinking might be the wine. It smells pretty unpleasant on me for the first few minutes- and its pretty strong. But after giving it a couple minutes to start drying and calm down, the sour note disappears and is replaced with a really warm, sweet rich honey. From what other reviews have said, I am guessing the warmth and spiciness is from the myrrh (its pretty yum) and I also get some faint pretty floral notes that keep the sweetness of the honey from being sickening.

After a couple hours the warmth starts to fade, but the sweetness of the honey hangs around for quite a bit. It's grown on me, so I will most likely be holding onto this one to test a couple more times.

[LyndaFEB]

This is a mature imp.

 

In the bottle: MEAD... yum!

On wet: lovely mead, sipped in a room where myrrh is burning as incense - the scents play verrry well together, and I can't stop inhaling my wrist.

On dry down: the wine has evaporated, and the incense it out, and now it is gorgeous honey and non-smoky myrrh. There's enough throw to let me enjoy it, but it doesn't seem to be broadcasting outwardly unduly.

It makes me feel almost catlike, the sensory experience here is so pleasurable.

 

I really love this and may decide to invest in a bottle.

[BoneBone24]

Dry: Sweet honey and wine

 

Drydown: Sticky, golden honey sings as the dominant note. The wine fades into the background and the flowers come forth a bit. I’m not sure what type of flowers these are but they are light and blend nicely with the honey. After the first 30 minutes the smoky spiciness of the myrrh comes forth to become the main supporting note to the honey.

 

Dry: Golden and glowing. Sweet, smoky honey with tart wine and spicy myrrh adding a wonderful depth. Barely-there soft floral notes acting as a whisper in the background, which I think helps make the overall scent more sophisticated rather than over-the-top indulgent.

 

 

Athens is for a feminine yet assertive woman who knows how to get what she wants. A perfect scent to be wined and dined in. I like this a lot!

[alyelle]

This is one of the Wanderlust scents that calls its namesake to my mind perfectly.

 

In the imp: oil, olives and salt. None of which are listed in the description, but every time I smell it, that's exactly what I get, like the beginnings of a mezze plate.

 

Wet: I can make out the honey if I concentrate, and the sharp, salty 'olive' smell quickly morphs into a very sweet, heady wine.

 

Dry (1 hr): this is definitely going to be a lasting fragrance. It's strong and sweet, with lots of florals but nothing to suggest it's going to go soapy (floral scents often do on me). It's a sharper, clearer sort of floral, given body by the honey-wine blend.

 

Dry (3-4hrs): finally some of the strength backs off - I have to actively sniff for it now. The florals and wine have softened somewhat, the honey is as sweet as ever, and there's a lovely light smokiness starting to emerge. Nice to see you, myrrh!

 

Overall 4/5. It's not a scent that's perfectly me, but it's one I'd consider buying another imp of when this one runs out, and it does what it says on the tin flawlessly.

Edited June 29, 2012 by alyelle

[Scorianelle]

I tried this blind and afterwards was surprised to discover what the listed notes were. I felt this was more fruity than floral, and the myrrh, which usually dominates on me hardly made an appearance. I think it was for the best actually as it made the perfume seem more unique than most other scents I've tried.

 

First Sniff: Juicy fig and wine. It's very sweet with a little twang from the wine.

 

Second Sniff: Tart wine with sweet fig. They've swapped places as to which is stronger. Interesting.

 

Wet: Wow! Not sweet at all, it's like the juicy/honey note just disappeared. Instead there are dirty spices and sharp rum. With pepper. In a way it's good because I was worried it would be cloyingly sweet.

 

Dry (30 mins): The fig is starting to come back, and the spices have mellowed so they don't bite so much anymore (just a little). I think there's clove. It's also a little powdery (that would be myrrh, which powders on me).

 

Dry (1.5 hours): I keep getting whiffs of wine around me, but if I stoop to smell my wrist there lurks the fig, with a smidgen of spice (no bite, more like mulled spices) and honey.

 

Dry (3 hours): Now there are figgy whiffs, but they are earthy and not juicy or sweet. At my wrist the honey is strongest, but some background note is morphing it to smell a bit chocolatey.

 

Throw: Mild.

 

Colour association: Sweet Red Wine.

 

I'm shocked the florals didn't show up to ruin things. Flowers never seem to like me. I have no idea why I could smell fig - I think it must be an unlisted note. Also the myrrh really kept to the back seat - I'm amazed. Altogether this is an interesting scent and it is reminiscent of Greece to me - mostly because of the wine. That said, I'm still not sure if I'll keep the imp. It's not bottle worthy for me, but I'll give it another go or two before deciding whether or not to swap. For all it's interesting qualities, it is just okay overall.