Eau de Merveilles by Hermès : A Question of Concentrations

“May I see the extrait?”

“But of course”

The tiny flacon is beautiful but strange, echoing the shape of the original but done completely in metal. It hangs from a saddle tan colored strap so that it may be hung from the neck like a pendant.

The sales associate turns to face me with a smile. “Would you wear it?” he asks. His mascara-ed, intelligent blue eyes shine with genuine interest.

“No, but I would love to have it hanging from my bag, like a charm.”

“But what if it spills? You wouldn’t want your beautiful crocodile bag to be destroyed!”

I can’t help but steal a glance at my bag in disbelief, just in case it has somehow magically reinvented itself and is now posing as a reptile. No, still the same calfskin Cavalli I walked in with. Moo.

I carefully smell the extrait. It is beautiful. Deep, dark and rich... Amazing. Extremely far removed from my beloved Eau de Merveilles however, only paying it a cursory nod in passing, it’s not what I came for; Perhaps another time. (Make that probably another time, its just beautiful)And no, I would certainly not wear the pendant around my neck – it would make me feel as though I am about to join a Live Action Role Playing weekend dressed as a hobbit or elf, equipped with magic potions and all. Nope. I leave instead with the Eau, a bottle of Ambre Narguilé (stunning) and a happy load of other generous 4 ml Hermessence samples, packed in pairs in pretty orange packets.

So why the Eau? And why should it matter? Well, in the case of this particular fragrance, choosing the right strength certainly does seem to matter. The parfum is, as already mentioned, a different beast altogether. The Elixir (read: EdP) whose release came third, after the original EdT and parfum, is meant to be a re-worked version of the original and the official notes differ significantly. I have to confess however, that to my nose at least, the end result is incredibly similar and the main (and quite noticeable, I might add) difference is the intensity. Herein lies the problem. The Elixir feels so concentrated in fact, that its development in turn seems disturbed. Gone is the sparkling effusiveness of the original, which made it so congruent to its commercials, comparing a single spray to a beautiful, magical firework. The Elixir packs a wallop so intense, the nose finds itself too overwhelmed to discover the lovely nuances that make the Eau such a marvel. However pretty, the fact that the Elixir once sprayed on the skin becomes an aporia with its stunted development makes it immediately inferior to the Eau, which kindly lets you travel with it. There are tickets, there’s a road, a finishing line and a reward. Creamy, salty, ambery, woody.... Yummy, strange, warm and cold, sexy and aloof, sophisticated and fun loving all at once... Eau de Merveilles has it all. Why try and fix it?

Are your experiences similar to mine with the Merveilles family?

Images: www.hermes.com

Kelly Calèche by Hermès : Perfume Review

*This post is dedicated to the wonderful, warmhearted, generous friend who recently gifted me with a bottle of Kelly Calèche. She always impresses me with her great manners and thoughtful character. May her generosity find its way back to her tenfold.*

Last summer, Hermès’ newest launch, caused quite a stir among perfume aficionados: Everyone wanted to have a whiff of the newest member of the Calèche family and even though most conceded the juice was not quite what they had expected it to be, most found it a very likeable, wearable scent. And while the perfume world was buzzing, Fragrance Bouquet kept quiet... I just couldn’t bring myself to love it – in fact I hated it. My own excitement about this fragrance had quickly fizzled out when one bright summer morning I spritzed this fragrance on a paper strip for the first time. Disaster. I couldn’t even bring myself to procure a little sample vial to review it – the only words that I could come up to describe this scent were ‘vile bug spray’ and my brain refused to elaborate further. And so I pushed Kelly Calèche out of my mind, unwisely remaining with that first impression I got from that paper strip for more than six months now. It never crossed my mind to try it on myself: the thought of having to live with the bug spray trail emitting from my own skin was too horrible to even contemplate. The months went by. And then it found its way to my doorstep... And I am besotted.

What a difference a spray on the skin makes... The scent of the jus sprayed on the skin bares absolutely no resemblance to the scent on a blotting strip. Where did the harshness go? This is soft, delicate, restrained even. Most have complained that the leather in this composition is almost undetectable, a mere hint rather than an accentuated accord, but Kelly Calèche’s first bloom on my skin is actually full-on leather. It is neither animalic, nor heavy as most leathers tend to be, but it is, to my nose at least, unmistakably leather. It is the whiff of leather you get that first moment when you open the door of an extremely expensive car decked with leather interior, the whiff of leather you can smell on your skin after having worn a supple, black kidskin glove for the first time. Slowly, the leathery scent subsides and gives way to a heart of cool iris, buttery and deep, colored by my mind’s eye in pastel shades of grey and pink – like a sunset that breaks through the clouds of a summer storm. It is surrounded by garlands of tiny flowers I can’t quite identify: their scent is neither reminiscent of the officially listed notes of narcotic tuberose, nor of the honeyed, magical smell of mimosas that has stopped me dead in my tracks so many times when taking an evening stroll in the summertime. The drydown is powdery and soft, with leather brought back to the fore in a subtle manner, which enhances the wearer’s own skin scent.

The overall feel of Kelly Calèche is slightly musty and very dry: those who like me, love bitter scents, are sure to fall for this one. Its finish is soft and subtle – a cultivated and refined skin scent whose sensibilities object to anything remotely vulgar. This coolly sophisticated fragrance is suited for every season, but in my opinion performs –as well as blooms- best in warmer weather, especially during springtime. It's one of those scents that reek of good breeding, quiet confidence and expensive taste. In the daytime, it begs for jodhpurs, boots and silk scarves or jeans worn with crisp white shirts and leather accessories. Those who have not considered this as a nighttime scent though, will be surprised when pairing it with a strapless cocktail dress cinched at the waist with a wide leather belt. Kelly Calèche simply puurrrs on bare shoulders...


Image: www.hermes.com