Top Notes 
Petitgrain
Lemon
Heart Notes 
Chamomile
Lavender
Orris butter
Rosemary
Sage
Base Notes 
Musk
Patchouli
Meggi
1018 Reviews
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Meggi
Top Review
23
French Humor and a Lure Attempt
French humor must be closer to British humor than I had thought. But I don't want to get ahead of myself; first, some details about the scent: It takes almost half a minute before Hesperys can even be seriously sensed. The exact opposite of a citrus punchy opening. With the brakes on (so much for 'handbrake on...') it continues - mainly green, hardly fruity, not very sour. The listed spices in the heart note can be guessed throughout. Dozens of others could certainly also apply. Perhaps it’s a kind of multiple choice.
After an hour, a sweet-citrusy skin cream has developed. The synthetic-creamy white of the hesperid fruit peel. A few zests with their artificial twist. A bit of musk, perhaps a bit of orange blossom. With this minimal dosage, you just have to guess. The homeopathic globules all taste the same, after all.
As it progresses, it smells somewhat orangey, again less like the fruit, but more like the peel. By late morning, bright musk with a surprisingly similar aroma joins in. It's quite nice - but it doesn't help: The scent is more gone than present.
According to the description, it is an EdP concentrée. Is that supposed to be a joke? Let's look for an explanation in the marketing text: Aaaaaaaaha, the name does not refer to the scientific term 'hesperidia' for citrus fruits, but rather to the legendary Garden of the Hesperides from Greek mythology. That's it! Just as the ancient Greeks were always denied access to this garden, pushed further to the edge of the known world with growing geographical knowledge, Phaedon keeps any sillage from us. The scent is a hint, a tale, a legend, a myth. And such a 125-euro-per-100ml joke truly requires a lot of special humor, especially on the receiving end.
While rummaging through Greek mythology, a new theory emerges: The picking of the apples of the Hesperides (apples??? Well, see above, any scent can be interpreted in…) was one of the twelve labors of Heracles. So was the stealing of the cattle of the giant Geryon. What that has to do with each other and how Odysseus comes into play? Let’s eavesdrop on the mythical ladies Arethusa, Hespereia, and Erytheia…
Arethusa: “Wow, this is boring. Where is he now?”
Hespereia: “He’s currently being blasted by the sirens. I don’t understand why he isn’t here with us already. We've been letting our delicious fruit scent flow into the west wind for ages.”
Erytheia: “I’ve explained this to you a hundred times: The further the Greeks get on their ships, the further we are pushed away. We are a myth, unreachable.”
Arethusa: “Not unreachable - Heracles managed it.”
Erytheia: “He was a real hero.”
Arethusa: “Yessss. Ah, it was so nice when Heracles was here. What a guy… And this Odysseus is also a hero. Our best, our only chance in centuries! What do you think, why are we trying this with the fruit air?”
Erytheia: “Oh, you mean Odysseus, the cunning one?”
Arethusa: “Pah, ‘cunning’. More like lustful. For seven years, he and that Calypso couldn’t get enough of each other. And we want a guy with some serious wood in his pants again.”
Erytheia: “Hmm. Fruit air… Show me what you’ve concocted.” […] *sniff* “This? It smells like nothing!”
Arethusa: “Nothing? This is our original fruit scent!”
Erytheia: “Exactly, that’s the problem. This artificial fertilizer isn’t going to work. Ever since we used the last bag of ‘Original Geryon’s Cow Dung’, our fruits just don’t taste and smell like they used to. Too bad Heracles stole the critters. No dung, no fertilizer, no tasty fruits, no attracting Odysseus, no wood in the pants. Forget it.”
“…”
So Arethusa and Hespereia had to forget their endeavor.
I do the same with the scent. But first, a quick thank you to MisterE for the sample!
After an hour, a sweet-citrusy skin cream has developed. The synthetic-creamy white of the hesperid fruit peel. A few zests with their artificial twist. A bit of musk, perhaps a bit of orange blossom. With this minimal dosage, you just have to guess. The homeopathic globules all taste the same, after all.
As it progresses, it smells somewhat orangey, again less like the fruit, but more like the peel. By late morning, bright musk with a surprisingly similar aroma joins in. It's quite nice - but it doesn't help: The scent is more gone than present.
According to the description, it is an EdP concentrée. Is that supposed to be a joke? Let's look for an explanation in the marketing text: Aaaaaaaaha, the name does not refer to the scientific term 'hesperidia' for citrus fruits, but rather to the legendary Garden of the Hesperides from Greek mythology. That's it! Just as the ancient Greeks were always denied access to this garden, pushed further to the edge of the known world with growing geographical knowledge, Phaedon keeps any sillage from us. The scent is a hint, a tale, a legend, a myth. And such a 125-euro-per-100ml joke truly requires a lot of special humor, especially on the receiving end.
While rummaging through Greek mythology, a new theory emerges: The picking of the apples of the Hesperides (apples??? Well, see above, any scent can be interpreted in…) was one of the twelve labors of Heracles. So was the stealing of the cattle of the giant Geryon. What that has to do with each other and how Odysseus comes into play? Let’s eavesdrop on the mythical ladies Arethusa, Hespereia, and Erytheia…
Arethusa: “Wow, this is boring. Where is he now?”
Hespereia: “He’s currently being blasted by the sirens. I don’t understand why he isn’t here with us already. We've been letting our delicious fruit scent flow into the west wind for ages.”
Erytheia: “I’ve explained this to you a hundred times: The further the Greeks get on their ships, the further we are pushed away. We are a myth, unreachable.”
Arethusa: “Not unreachable - Heracles managed it.”
Erytheia: “He was a real hero.”
Arethusa: “Yessss. Ah, it was so nice when Heracles was here. What a guy… And this Odysseus is also a hero. Our best, our only chance in centuries! What do you think, why are we trying this with the fruit air?”
Erytheia: “Oh, you mean Odysseus, the cunning one?”
Arethusa: “Pah, ‘cunning’. More like lustful. For seven years, he and that Calypso couldn’t get enough of each other. And we want a guy with some serious wood in his pants again.”
Erytheia: “Hmm. Fruit air… Show me what you’ve concocted.” […] *sniff* “This? It smells like nothing!”
Arethusa: “Nothing? This is our original fruit scent!”
Erytheia: “Exactly, that’s the problem. This artificial fertilizer isn’t going to work. Ever since we used the last bag of ‘Original Geryon’s Cow Dung’, our fruits just don’t taste and smell like they used to. Too bad Heracles stole the critters. No dung, no fertilizer, no tasty fruits, no attracting Odysseus, no wood in the pants. Forget it.”
“…”
So Arethusa and Hespereia had to forget their endeavor.
I do the same with the scent. But first, a quick thank you to MisterE for the sample!
17 Comments
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