Scents of Summer

By Tom Well, I'm a week late with talking about the summer scents that I'm looking forward to; chalk it up to lazy summer-ness.. I've talked about some of these before Aqua di Parma, Eau de Sud and Hadrien, and Hermès Eau d'Orange Vert. I've also talked about the one I'm really looking forward to wearing: Frederic Malle's French Lover. French Lover is a green, green, green rooty scent that was created to "attempt to create the ultimate man’s scent." It's all green roots and  smoky woods and a final clean muskiness. It's a very patrician smelling thing- it makes me think that if Cary Grant were somehow alive and 35 years old this is what he'd be wearing. What are reaching for for summer (winter if you're below the equator?) Let us know in the comments. French Lover is called Bois d'Orage in the US because apparently they thought we wouldn't get the joke. So we get the name that sounds translated like a porn star (Thunder Woods). It's available at Barneys in several sizes. Mine is from my bottle. Image: Wikipedia

Hermes Un Jardin sur le Toit - Perfume Review

By Marina A rooftop garden in a big city is on my wishlist. Hermès's olfactory verison of one (Hermès building, 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris) is not. Maybe because I always imagined I'd grow roses in mine, and not apples. I like the beginning of Un Jardin sur le Toit, don't dislike its drydown, and want to wash it off in the middle of its development. In the top, it smells on me like mesclun salad with apples and pears, in the proportion of 90% salad greens, 9% apples and 1% pears. Overall, the composition is very light on pear to me, luckily. And, for most of its life on my skin, very heavy on apple, sadly. I have yet to meet an apple in perfume that I love. In fact, there are only a few that I merely tolerate. And that is why, as soon as "an undetermined mix of fresh and available" salad leaves are eaten up by my green-loving skin, and UJSLT starts coming up all apples, it is a no go for me. Maybe if it were juicy, (over)ripe, high quality fruits, it would have been better, but the apples here smell to me like those fragrance-free, tasteless generic green apples that in our supermarket pass as "Granny Smith". There is some rosy-ness in the middle, but not much, and all it does is make the apples sweeter. When rose gives way to something still florally but greener, spicier, drier, which I'd call a geranium-like quality, apples start to subside too, and now, towards the end, when the vegetal feel returns, I can bear Sur le Toit again. Overall I like it.Well, to censoriously use one my husband's favorite quotations from Mark Lamarr circa 2001-ish Never Mind the Buzzcocks... I say I like it, what I really mean is I tolerate it. I say I tolerate it, what I actually want to do is insert 73 chop sticks into my nose... OK, fine that was a bit too dramatic for a perfume this unremarkable and for the most part inoffensive.  Available wherever Hermes is sold, $90.00-$125.00. Image source, hermes.com.

In The Bag: Terre d’Hermès

By Tom Well, I have an excuse for being really lazy today. It's the LA Marathon and I'm cut off from my usual sources of fumes by hordes of runners. It's also raining cats and dogs. So much so that as I type my building manager is chain-sawing the smallish tree that fall over in the courtyard and is blocking the stairs to my place. And the dog ate my homework.. But I did get some samples when I purchased that bottle of Cravache at Neimans, so... Terre d’Hermès was created by Jean Claude Ellena in 2006, according to Now Smell This as a companion to Eau de Merveilles. I don't know about that, but I do know this is a brilliant scent. It opens with citrus and a mineral note that happily reminds me of Miller Harris Fleur de Sel, which since it's not available in the States anymore is a very good thing. Pepper and cedar join in along with a delightfully earthy vetiver. Like Marina, I don't get a lot of development here, but that's no bad thing since what is here is so wonderful. Trying it next to the Miller Harris, the Hermès is the much smoother, which I suppose should be expected from both Hermès and Ellena. Miller Harris takes that Sel and vetiver and rubs it in. Terre d’Hermès is far more polished. I also think that this one is something that a lady could wear very easily, so ladies, if you're looking for a birthday gift that gives you poaching opportunities, here's an excellent one for your consideration. $110 for 3.4oz at Hermes.com or at Neiman Marcus (oddly, only by phone or in person, not online) My sample is from Neiman Marcus and was received with a purchase.

Amazone by Hermes

By Marina Amazone, originally created in 1974, is said to have been reformulated in the late 80s. Since I have only "discovered" the scent this year, it would be realistic of me to assume that I am only familiar with the later version, and, for my own piece of mind, I choose not too look for the original. I like to imagine that the older version would have been stinkier, skankier just like a "real" amazone, whereas the new one is the urban amazone, as striking and forceful as its mythical counterpart but, shall we say, cleaner. I love it. Love the classic severity of its structure, the traditional transition from (dry) citrus top to (dry) floral heart, to (softer but still not remotely cuddly) woody, earthy drydown. I find it hard to classify this scent, the citrus characteristic is certainly quite strong, but so is the green floral and the austere chypre vibe. It's sharp, verdant, woody elegance puts it for me in the same category as the original Private Collection, Futur and Anais Anais. Of the four mentioned, Amazone might be the most unsmiling. I wouldn't call it a "bitchy" scent or combatant in feeling, but the somber green of its narcissus, the stringency of its vetiver, the leathery nuance of labdanum lend it a definite noli me tangere quality. One would be hesitant to attempt to get too close to Amazone, but if she allows somebody to get close, they might sense a certain warmth and even a hint of sweetness...something peachy in the heart, a delicate caress of orris in the base...Not that she lets anyone to get close often. I wear this fragrance as armour, when I need armour, and I imagine that no one and nothing can touch me. With Amazone, "I am intact and I don't give a damn". Available at Hermes and at various online retailers, for a variety of prices. Image by Helmut Newton.

Hermès Un Jardin Sur Le Nil: A River Runs Through It

By Donna Most fragrance lovers and followers of perfume blogs have probably read the Chandler Burr piece about perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena's journey to Egypt in search of the elusive essence of the Nile river for a new fragrance in The New Yorker in 2005, followed up by the book The Perfect Scent, which chronicled the process of two very different fragrances for a year. Un Jardin Sur Le Nil by Hermès has been out for more than four years now, and I have tried it many times, loved it, but never bought it. Why not? I believed everyone who said it had absolutely no lasting power. I did not want to spend that much money ($125 USD for 100 ml) for a fragrance that was little more than a light cologne. This refreshing unisex scent by the great “minimalist” Ellena seemed to be nothing more than a very pricey summer spritzer. The theme intrigued me of course, because what could be more romantic than gliding along the verdant banks of the Nile River, with breezes carrying the varied scents of riparian life filling the sails of a graceful felucca? A fortuitous sample swap recently brought me a travel size spray of this fragrance, and even though it's nowhere near summer I have been wearing it regularly, and guess what? It has decent longevity after all, and even though it is only Eau de Toilette, it lasts better than some Eaux de Parfum I have worn. I guess my skin has an affinity for this stuff, since it lasts a good six hours or even more on me, which was a nice surprise, and I will certainly be replacing the travel bottle with a big one. I think I will be running out of it sooner rather than later. Un Jardin Sur Le Nil is a fruity-floral fragrance, but don't let that definition stop you. It is not sugary or “plasticky” or syrupy, and most of all it is not boring. It is marketed as a unisex scent, as are the other “Jardins” in the line and it fits that definition perfectly. Its spare, taut structure and highly pitched exhilaration is a welcome change from the usual run of modern fruity-florals, most of which settle into smelling pretty much the same after the first fifteen minutes. This one keeps its unique character all the way through. Its zesty tang comes from the accords of green mango and grapefruit, softened but not really sweetened by lotus blossom, a damp and erotic floral, and even more interest is added by the use of a green note in the manner of river rushes and a base of sycamore and incense. If there were more fruity-floral scents like this, the genre would garner far more respect. With most perfumes, the wearer knows little about how it was actually composed, but I was delighted to read yet again the story of how it came to be and how such ephemeral scents as the aroma of green mango on the tree that disappears within a minute once the fruit is picked can be recreated with alternative materials by a master perfumer and artist such as Jean-Claude Ellena. For it does not smell like a flask of laboratory chemicals; it smells like the juiciest, most deliciously tangy fruit you can imagine, the kind you long for on a hot, breathless dusty day when all you want is something to cool your parched throat. Its green aspect is not the sharp grassy bite of galbanum or other materials that are normally used in “green” perfumes, but the tender murmur of the streamside rushes, with just enough of a floral quality to evoke the slightly decadent (in the literal sense of decaying plant life) feeling of the timeless Nile. (Fear not, this is not a “marine” fragrance, and the watery feeling is quite realistic.) The good news is that now that it's been out for a few years, and even though it is still sold at full price at finer department stores and perfume boutiques, it is also available at a number of online retailers for considerably less. I took a look around and found the 50 ml and 100 ml sizes and a generously sized 200 ml body lotion starting as low as about $40, ranging up to around $70 USD, at a number of discount outlets, so it really pays to do some comparison shopping. At those prices I know just what to do when summer does arrive. Image credit: Egyptian felucca at sunset from tripadvisor.com

Vanille Galante by Hermes: Perfume Review

"That time was like never, and like always. So we go there, where nothing is waiting; we find everything waiting there." Pablo Neruda, Sonnet IV When I really love a perfume, I am reluctant to analyze it. Breaking it into details will rob it of its magic. The tops notes of this, the heart accord of that, the hint of the other, perfumer's intention, the concept, the whys and the hows of it all...no, none of that today! Does any of that matter? I never expected to love a vanilla created by Jean-Claude Ellena, and, having fallen in love with it, I don't want to know why. Nor do I believe it is possible to know why we love something or somebody. I don't mean "like", it is always possible to know the reasons of like...I don't love somebody for his brown eyes, sweet smile and sense of humor. I like him for that. I love him for no reason at all. I like the unripe, slightly salty melon of Vanille Galante, the cold lily note, the almost non-existence of vanilla, the pure, calm water in which the ingredients serenely flow, the pastel colorlessness of it all. But these are details. Details don't always add up to love and never explain it. Why do I love the scent like that, which I was not meant to love at all? I am not a fan of vanilla, I am not fond of pared down compositions, I certainly don't appreciate aquatics. Is it quantum physics, molecular attraction, timing...? When there is no reasonable explanation- it's love. Vanille Galante is available at Hermes boutiques, $235.00 for 100ml or $145.00 for a very convenient set of four 15ml bottles.

Perfume Review: Hermès Eau d'Orange Verte

By Tom I must write that the holiday weekend kind of crept up upon me, leaving me high and dry in a couple of ways. I lazily left that Saturday to hanging out, going to SIP to pick up my bottle of Musc Botanique (which was not available at the time that I visited). This visit went from "pop in for two minutes" to a long chat about everything from ice cream to whether LA has seasons. Suddenly it was 5pm, and I still had to get to Pasadena to feed my friends cats since she was away for the weekend. I've put more miles on my car this weekend than I think I have in the three previous weeks. But hey, gas dropped to under $4 and it's good to log some freeway miles once in a while, right? Of course having wasted so much time this weekend there were a couple things that slipped my mind. Like getting the car smogged. I don't know how the car inspections are where you live, but in California you must get your car smog tested every two years. It actually seems to be the only thing that needs to be tested; I remember in Massachusetts they inspected the headlights, brakes and other mechanical systems. In CA, it's smog. Fine, but I forgot about it and it's due Tuesday. Being a government sponsored thing, they basically have bankers hours. Grrr. The other thing I missed is that some stores have the gall to close on labor day. Don't they know it's all about me? Grrr. So, after lazing away the weekend with "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" on DVD I realised that I needed to review something. Looking in my closet I espied the green bottle of Hermes Eau de Cologne and lo and behold I've never written about it. Much. My bottle is the older version, apparently it was renamed Eau d'Orange Vert in 1997. Like Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien, it's a light and refreshing citrus, this time bergamot and orange peel with a touch of mint and barely discernible jasmine. Actually most of the listed notes (including patch, oakmoss and cedar) are barely discernible; this is as finely blended as a good whiskey. It's as refined as it is refreshing and as coolly chic as a seersucker suit. However, unlike that suit, I will be wearing this long after Labor Day. So should you. Eau d'Orange Verte is available at various etailers at some great prices, I've seen the gigantic 13 oz splash bottle for as little as $60, which should allay the fears that the cologne is fairly fleeting. Note: I find the top notes are, the rest is just very close to the skin.

Perfume Review: Hermes Un Jardin apres la Mousson

If it were up to me, I would change "Jardin" to "Watermelon Plantation". The mousson has passed, and wind and rain wreaked havoc on the field, cracking open huge, ripe watermelons, making them release their syrupy and at the same time watery-fresh aroma.... I bet you are thinking this is going to be a negative review. I absolutely adore Un Jardin apres la Mousson. Not because it showcases Ellena's trademark minimalist style. Actually, as far as I am concerned, the new garden scent is not as pale and bare as the Hermes's nez is capable of making his compositions. The colorless accord of wood and vetiver, which IS very Ellena, serves as a canvas, on which there are thrown, in a very harmonious fashion, splotches of vivid colors: the gold of cardamom and ginger, the crimson of coriander, the black of pepper and the brightest and most delightful of them all- the vivid, moist, shiny pink of watermelon. I adore Un Jardin apres la Mousson, because it makes me think of home. In my part of Russia, watermelons are the summer refreshment and delicacy of choice. From the green, very fresh beginning, to the nectarous heart, to the sharp, almost "savory" base the scent seemingly traces the course of life of a watermelon: from the unripe to the fully matured, brimming with juices and ready for devouring, to the marinated (that's right, we marinate watermelons in salt, preserving them for a year-round consumption...and by the way, nothing cures a hangover like a slice of salty watermelon... don't ask me how I know). The scent is not at all what I expected, and, believe you me, I never expected to wear a watermelon perfume with such enjoyment. I absolutely need Un Jardin apres la Mousson for summer. Available at hermes.com, $85.00-$125.00. Image source, kaydaly.com.

Stink, Stank, Stunk

By Tom Okay, my friend Marietta insisted that I worked that phrase in somewhere into a review. I can't think of a scent that it works better with than with Hermes' Eau d'Hermes, in the best way possible. March reviewed this a few months ago and when I had the chance to try it I of course had to. Its initial blast is very clean, and that lasts about three seconds before the cumin hits. Right between the eyes it hits. March writes that if you don't like cumin you won't like this one. More like if you don't like cumin you will curse the day you ever met this stuff. I love cumin, so I was pretty happy with that drrrty opening. Sadly, that initial come-hither opening after an hour or so fades from Vin Diesel to Vindaloo; it smells on me like something from Taste of India. While I love that smell in take-out, I am not sure that I need to personally radiate it. Oddly, the final drydown is fairly dapper, a complete 180 from it's over-the-top opening. Luca Turin curses it as having a feeling of monagrammed slippers and warns men of my age away from it. I don't think that's quite fair; the scent is briliiant and I think I need a bottle. I just won't wear it to work. Image source, hermes.com

Perfume Review: Hermes Kelly Caleche

On Thursday, Kelly Caleche, the latest release from Hermes, will be unveiled for an exclusive preview at the new Hermès boutique on Wall Street. Created by Jean-Claude Ellena, the scent pays homage to the famous Kelly bag and Calèche, one of the first fragrances released by the house. You know how excited I was when I first heard about the upcoming launch of Kelly Caleche. Floral-leather is my kind of thing, Hermes is the house I adore and Ellena is the perfumer I highly respect. Kelly Caleche is not what I hoped, but neither it is what I feared. It is what in the rational corner of my excitable mind I expected it to be, an elegant, tolerably youthful, understated scent with tasteful hints rather than barbarically generous doses of leather. The beginning playfully slapped me on the nose with an unexpected note of grapefruit. Before I could collect my wits and protest (I am not friendly with grapefruit), the citrusy explosion dissipated into a floral accord of commendable complexity. Kelly Caleche is full of nuances, all of them very subtle. The flowers are done in transparent soft hues and they mesh into a delicate harmony, in which it seems almost impossible to distinguish separate notes ...until suddenly a cold, rooty iris peaks through the pastel mist only to disappear just as quickly ...then a softly-powdery, vaguely gourmand, green and yellow mimosa comes forth and almost immediately goes away ...a sweet, sparkly rose pops up once in a while and hides again ...and thus on and on ...flowers playing games, teasing me. The one note that spends most of its time in hiding is leather. During the first two-thirds of the scent's development, there is not even a hint of the note, and nothing in the gentle and whimsical floral blend seems to herald its arrival. Eventually leather tip-toes in and inconspicuously positions its well-mannered self behind the gauzy flowers. In accordance with the general feel of toned down elegance of the composition, the leather note speaks in a quiet, soft voice, and one has to strain to hear it. The note makes me think not of an expensive leather bag but rather of a trace of smell that the handle of such a bag would leave on one's skin. Kelly Caleche's is a tantalizingly subtle leather that I cannot help but wish was a little stronger. The Kelly Caleche ad with the young modern amazon decisively striding along carrying a whip would make us believe there will be audaciousness and gutsiness in the fragrance, but I found the reality of the scent to be less daring. This is a refined, restrained, ladylike perfume, certainly youthful, simply because of its surprising, smiling playfulness, but not so young and overly girly as to render it unappealing to anyone over the age of 20-25. Kelly Caleche is the kind of fragrance that seems to be as easily wearable and universally appealing as possible without being too bland. If I were allowed to rename the scent, I would call it Miss Hermes, as it fullfils all the requirements - classic structure, elegance, tiny bit of flirtiness- for being placed as the house's offering to its somewhat younger clientele. After premiering at the Wall St. store, Kelly Calèche will become available in Hermès’ boutique network in August, and in September it will be launched for global selective distribution.

Perfume Review: Hermes Paprika Brasil

“I search for subtility, presence, and transparence”, said Jean-Claude Ellena in the interview with Straight. There is a fine line between understated and bland; on the “right side” of the divide are the scents that are tantalizingly elusive, alluringly subtle, fascinatingly minimalist. Many of Ellena’s creations dwell in that rarified land of what Forbes has called “perfumer’s perfumes”. There you would find the delicate and bright Angelique Sous La Pluie, the subtle and surprisingly substantial L’Eau d’Hiver, the uncluttered and strangely concrete Terre d’Hermes. On the wrong side are fragrances, which are subtle and transparent but lack presence, which have the unfussy minimalist quality but no sparkle, no twist, no life…They possess an incomplete, abandoned feel of a draft. And that is, sadly, how Paprika Brasil smells on my skin, too subtle, flat and oddly unfinished. Paprika Brasil is the latest addition to the Hermessence collection of “olfactory poems”; it has notes of pimento, clove, paprika, iris, green leaves, reseda and ember wood (brazilwood, which was “such a large part of the exports and economy of the land that the country which sprang up in that part of the world took its name from them [brazilwood trees] and is now called Brazil. Wikipedia). The spicy notes bear a promise of a scent that is red-hot, fiery, supremely piquant, but Paprika Brasil is much more tame then what the presence of pimento, paprika and clove might suggest. It starts green and dry, making me think of twigs and indeed green leaves. A delicate spicy accord is woven into that greenness, it grows stronger as the scent develops but is always kept in check by the leaves and the wood and the cool earthiness of iris (which is very apparent on my skin). The spice that I smell here is mostly pimento and it is a beautiful note, crimson, dry and appealingly sharp; it saddens me that this attractive piquancy was not allowed to be more prominent. No, I don’t want a scent where other notes are overwhelmed by the spices, but neither do I like the idea of a scent where the spices are beaten into submission by the rather pale and unexciting rest of the ingredients. Dusty-green, too dry, too delicate, dull and fleeting, Paprika Brasil was a bitter disappointment for this fan of the other five scents in the Hermessence series. Paprika Brasil should be already available at Hermes boutiques, $180.00 for 100ml.

Perfume Review: Hermes Terre d'Hermes

Experience taught me that it is better not to have high hopes for new perfume releases, no matter how exciting their descriptions. I also know the danger of trying to foresee (foresmell?) the way an upcoming fragrance would actually smell. In reality, many new launches either can’t live up to one’s high expectations or are completely different from what one envisaged them to be. Terre d’Hermes turned out to be an exception to this Rule of Low Expectations in that it was as good as I hoped it would be and smelled more or less exactly as I imagined it would smell. I must add that, although marketed by Hermes as a masculine scent, Terre d’Hermes is most decidedly and delightfully unisex. Described as a “vegetable and mineral” fragrance, “made without animal by-products or musk”, Terre d’Hermes has a simple, uncluttered composition. On my skin all notes are apparent at once and stay that way from start to finish, and yet this lack of development does not make the scent seem uninteresting. I must also add that when I say “all notes”, I really mean the four that are most evident on my skin: grapefruit, vetiver, pepper and what I call an “earth” accord. The latter is a raw, rooty combination of cedar, benzoin and patchouli, but the blend is so smooth, it is hard to tell where the cedar ends and the patchouli begins; I perceive this combination as a single note evoking moist, clean, black soil and grey rounded stones that are cool to the touch. I have never been a big fan of grapefruit, especially in combination with pepper, but here it somehow works absolutely wonderfully. Grapefruit, vetiver and pepper balance and compliment each other, they are sparkly, spicy, they have a kick, they have a bite and yet they are also remarkably calm and serene. Chandler Burr assessed Terre d’Hermes perfectly when he called it “quietly remarkable”. The fragrance is simple and elegant, light yet somehow satisfyingly “substantial” all at the same time. Terre d’Hermes is the proof that, when done right, with subtlety and style, in other words, when done by Jean-Claude Ellena, less definitely becomes more. Says Pablo Neruda: “When I lived among the roots, They pleased me more than flowers did, And when I spoke to a stone, It rang like a bell.” Terre d’Hermes is available at Hermes.com, $90.00 for 3.3oz. *The first image is from Hermes.com, the second from istockphoto.com. *** An afterthought and further proof of the wonderfullness of Terre d'Hermes: seldom do we all agree so much on a perfume; for other very positive reviews of this scent, please read Bois de Jasmin, Now Smell This, Peppermint Patty and Scentzilla.

Perfume Review: Hermes Ambre Narguile

Ambre Narguile is a part of Hermèssence collection, an exclusive line of fragrances created for Hermès by Jean-Claude Ellena. Meant to evoke cashmere, it does indeed envelope the wearer in a warm, soft, luxurious embrace. The Narguile part of the name refers to a traditional Middle Eastern device for smoking, also known as a water pipe, narghile/arghileh, shisha, hookah, hubble-bubble, or kalian. It is a pipe with a long flexible tube connected to a container where the smoke is cooled by passing through water. The sweet, fruity and smoky shisha tobacco accord of Ambre Narguile is my favorite part of this wonderful scent. Apart from shisha tobacco, there are so many facets to Ambre Narguile. It is a fragrance that never stops developing. Never abrupt, the changes it undergoes are constant; because they are so subtle and nuanced, the changes are also very hard to describe. To depict the development of Ambre Narguile briefly and simplistically, it starts as a sweet, honeyed amber, acquires a deliciously smoky and at the same time caramel-like accord, attains a somewhat drier woody note, gets sweeter yet again, smelling amazingly like the Gerber Dutch Apple dessert consisting of apples and cinnamon that both my three year old and I like so much… Finally, the scent reaches that incredible, almost edible (and smokeable) stage of shisha tobacco that I find absolutely irresistible. It is a mouthwatering accord of amber, apples and tobacco, still sprinkled with a little bit of cinnamon. I absolutely agree with Chandler Burr in his assessment of this scent when he says that ”it is not merely the best; there is simply nothing like it on the market, period. And no one will ever do it as well again.” Ambre Narguile is one of the most delicious fragrances ever created, it is gourmand but not foody, sweet but not cloying, smoky but not overly so, centered around amber but much more complex then simply an amber-based scent. To quote Mr. Burr yet again, Ambre Narguile “warms the air. It renders you mouthwatering.” This delicious concoction can be purchased at Hermes boutiques either as a 100ml bottle (for, I believe, approximately $185.00), or as a part of a Discovery Set of four 15ml bottles (you can choose between Ambre Narguile, Poivre Samarcande, Vetiver Tonka, Rose Ikebana and Osmanthe Yunnan; the set costs about $125.00; correct me if I am wrong). *The painting is Narguile by Alberto Vargas. I will leave you with some more paintings featuring water-pipes. An Algerian and Her Slave by Ange Tissier Algerian Women in Their Apartment by Delacroix Caterpillar Smoking a Narguile by John Tenniel

Perfume Review: Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan

Osmanthe Yunnan, “inspired by a stroll through Beijing's Forbidden City”, is the fifth and newest scent in the Hermèssence Collection, created for Hermès by Jean-Claude Ellena. With notes of yunnan tea, orange, osmanthus, freesia, and apricot, this is a gentle scent of tea subtly infused with osmanthus and fruits. Having seen both apricot and osmanthus (which has a fruity-floral apricot-like aroma) among the notes, I was a little worried that Osmanthe Yunnan would be a little too heavy on apricot, a little too fruity. It is not. It is a tea scent first and foremost, to my nose, with fruity and floral notes only serving as a delicate, gauzy, summery background. Yunnan tea has an intense, thick taste; in Osmanthe Yunnan this almost-spicy richness of Yunnan tea is toned down; in its turn Yunnan tea accord lessens the potential sweetness of fruits and freesia. All that makes Osmanthe Yunnan one of the most understated, light and neutral fragrances I have ever tried. The only bright accord here is the freesia note that, on my skin, is among the top notes. It subsides very quickly however, and from then on the scent is a rather dry, transparent aroma of (mostly) tea and (to a much lesser extent) fruits. As the scent dries down, I can finally smell the orange note, but it is very quiet and muted. Osmanthe Yunnan would be great worn on very hot summer days or in situations and surroundings where scents with more oomph are frowned upon. I am not sure, however, that I am prepared to pay the price ($180.00 for 100ml) for the perfume that has this little presence. Perhaps I will finally purchase a Discovery Set of four 15ml Hermèssences and then I will include Osmanthe Yunnan as one of the choices ($125.00 for four 15ml bottles). Both full bottles and Discovery Sets are available exclusively in selected Hermès stores. *The photo of Golden Osmanthus is from nature.de.