Today's community project: wear something by Hermès OR something by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. What did you pick?
As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you didn’t participate in the community project!
I’m wearing Hermès Terre d’Hermès Eau Très Fraîche, because it's the only choice I have (I'm still on vacation). I smell great but it's probably not what I would have picked if I was at home.
Reminder: next Friday, August 1st, will be Indie Special Friday: wear something from an indie brand. And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2014, where I'll try to always have the next six or seven weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: image is Quaint Cape Cod scene, Cape Cod Mass. via Boston Public Library at flickr; some rights reserved.
24 Faubourg, fortunately not too hot today. The only other I have is L’Ambre, which is a fall/winter secent for me. I’m Hermessence-ignorant. Robin, between Rose Ikebana & Iris Ukiyoe, which do you prefer?
I was not a fan of Iris Ukiyoe…so Rose Ikebana, which I did buy in the 15 ml size but don’t think I’ve ever drained one (unlike some of the other Hermessences).
I really like Iris Ukiyoe, actually. It may be my favorite Hermessence. I haven’t tried Rose Ikebana yet.
Vetiver Tonka for me today. My most loved Vetiver, so crisp yet smooth. This will be a good day.
So glad to see 3 VT picks in a row! One of my favorites.
I’m also wearing Vetiver Tonka, my favorite of the Hermessences.
It was one of the first things I thought of this morning…it’s sunny here but very cool and it would be perfect.
Hermessence Vetiver Tonka. I am not a great fan of Ellena’s pale-and-gauzy aesthetic but there is something wonderful about walking around in a haze of smooth, sweetened, almost edible vetiver.
Same here with the pale and gauzy stuff. He also has a favorite material or two that rub me the wrong way, and a lot of his stuff ends up smelling the same to me after the first 15 minutes or so.
Ditto!
I’m wearing Jour d’Hermes. My Hermes/JCE options are very limited, and I have been meaning to try out this sample out and about. Maybe after work I’ll hunt down a sample of the Absolue.
Like or no like?
I’m not mad about it or anything, but it isn’t making me swoon. Work has its “staff outing” this afternoon so I’m reapplying to see if I like it more outdoors — I have a feeling it might be better suited to a daytime party than my office.
Kelly Calèche, my only Hermès/JCE Combo! I prefer it in spring though.
I think that’s when I wear it mostly too.
Kelly Caleche was one of my very first “perfumista” scents – I thought it was just so pretty. But it’s way too much for the hot weather we’re having!
Happy Friday Everyone! My SOTD is Eau Des Merveilles. This is the only Hermes fragrance I have ever owned. I stumbled across this gem a few years ago while I was in Neimans. Very nice fragrance.
Great scent, & love a few of the flankers too.
My SOTD is Angelique Sous La Pluie by Mr. Ellena. Underrated FM!
Nice, I forgot that one was even JCE!
Trying out my Jour d’Hermes sample. Truthfully neither JCE nor Hermes is really my style but I do like this one, it’s wearing as mostly a grapefruit scent and I love grapefruit.
I know not everybody loves JCE…but what about the older Hermes scents, pre-JCE? Bel Ami, or Hiris (I guess that’s not all that different in style) or Merveilles?
I haven’t tried Bel Ami or Hiris. I didn’t really care for Caleche (and definitely didn’t like JCE’s Kelly Caleche). I do like 24 Faubourg, but then I love Roucel. I also like First, but then JCE abandoned that classical style.
My comment might fit here, since I’m wearing Eau d’Hermes today. An older Hermes, not JCE . The spicy armpit comes on very directly(I guess a spicy armpit would…), but as Kevin wrote, the Eau smooths and spreads out into something more luxurious with tobacco and leather. But the armpit lingers, harmoniously. An amazing effect, I would say. https://nstperfume.com/2012/11/07/hermes-eau-dhermes-fragrance-review/
My main Ellena item is AdP Colonia Assoluta.
Mmmmm spicy armpit!
Have you tried In Love Again? A surprising quantity of grapefruit, otherwise a typical Ellena composition, a clean floral not unlike White Linen, but really very nice.
I haven’t — it sounds interesting! I love blackcurrant/tomato.
Kelly Caleche from a sample. Pretty, not sweet and light light leather. I like it, it ended up being a good choice for a moderately warm summer day. Leather is turning out to be a favorite note – I haven’t tried much yet but I already love cuir de Russie, bottega veneta, and cuir de Lancôme. I just can’t seem to get enough
Do see Angie’s fun Leather Sisters story if you never have…
https://nstperfume.com/2007/04/23/the-leather-sisters-a-perfume-story/
Ah, hilarious! I do like a fragrance with personality!!! Reminds me that I am not finished with trying all the old classics too
I am a Cartier Declaration EDT bomb today! Perhaps I sprayed too lavishly, I am accustomed to everything disappearing! I am at home today, so no one one should suffer olfactively……
Ha, yes, great scent, but it can be too much sometimes!
Me too! Tho I’m just wearing the littlest dab. Actually sprayed onto a card and then applied from that. It’s pretty potent stuff!
It will be Kelly Calleche, just as soon as I can remind myself that vacation is OVER and I need to get out of bed and off to work.
Sigh. TGIF!
We drive home on Sunday and I am NOT looking forward to it. Sorry you’re back to work!
Thanks, me too!
Ha – sometimes I am a Drama Queen
Haha! We are double twins today … I stayed in bed cuddling with my kitties and playing with my phone angry that it wasn’t yet Saturday, then got up and chose Kelly Caleche.
Yes! I blame my cats.
Don’t do it! Stay in bed! Down with work, up with bed!
It is to late for me. Save yourself!!
Kelly Caleche for me too!
EdP, not the original (too much vetiver and vegetation for me, I need extra flowers).
SOTD is Eau de Marveilles. I love this stuff.
Merveilles. M*E*rveilles. I don’t know why my iPad always insists on changing it to Marveilles. I don’t think that’s even a word.
My scent twin! You smell “Merveilles Marvelous”
I don’t have any Hermes, so Dia it is. Dabbed on sparingly it is lovely in a way that reminds me of my mother. Not fusty, but a real perfume, not a modern fizzy composition of fruit, candy and musk.
May try to make it to Nordstrom to see if I can find Kelly Caleche. I love leather scents and it sounds appealing.
Happy Friday to all, and sympathies to those like Robin and nebbe ending vacations. This summer has been exhausting, work-wise.
Thank you! Just spent a full 30 seconds pondering my medicine cabinet, trying to remember which bottle is my makeup remover. Today will be interesting
Probably going to need some Doritos later on to keep my spirits up.
Ha! Never underestimate the bolstering effects of Doritos!
Nacho Doritos = bliss
I must confess, my favorite JCE is one he would rather forget, Van Cleef and Arpels First, a little confused when first applied, but gorgeous in the middle and base. Anyone else like this one?
I don’t have any on hand but I do have fond memories of it from back in the day. I can only assume that if Ellena disdains it, it’s because First is a classically constructed late-seventies big-deal floral and nothing like what his oeuvre evolved into (because First was work for hire, nothing to be ashamed about there).
I have a sample I’ve never tested! I was afraid to try it for the first time at work, but I might test it this evening in Jean-Claude’s honor.
First is my favorite too! I used to have a small bottle, but I swapped it away when I realized that I always chose White Linen instead when I wanted a 70s aldehydic floral. Sort of wish I still had some for reference though.
I still love First. Those crazy aldehydes smell clean and elegant to me.
One of my favourite Ellena creations, the EDP is especially wonderful.
First was a gateway to perfumania for me. When I was in my early twenties, First was worn by a friend with great
sophistic-aah-tion. Years later I persuaded a little store to sell me their half-used tester (they didn’t have any First to sell anyway) for the sake of the memory. I wouldn’t buy a FB now – but glad to have the reference
I have a bottle of the EDT that I came across for cheap at Ross. I was surprised to see it there, so I picked it up. I’ve read that the EDT isn’t nearly as good as the EDP, but I like it a lot, and aldehydes aren’t generally my thing. I had considered wearing it today but decided to go with something else that I hadn’t worn in an long time instead.
As others have said Monsieur Ellena’s creations are lovely but much too fleeting for me to pay the prices asked for them. Which is why I had pretty much given up on them until I was bowled over by finding his one creation that is not only stunning but very tenacious, the Different Company’s Rose Poivree.
When I first sniffed this gem I wasn’t impressed, but thankfully the sample was lost with a few others for about a year and when found and sniffed again I was overwhelmed by how gorgeous a scent it is. I guess my nose needed training to be able to appreciate it and oh how I do appreciate it now. I wear it often and it is one I always get compliments on.
Oh, I LOVED the first version of Rose Poivree. It was so hilariously dirty. They cleaned it up though… a shame.
I thought about wearing this today! But I wore it on wednesday and thursday instead
Hi All at NST!Been very busy at work,wish I could visit and comment more often!SOTD Hermes Hiris,in the old bottle.Lovely Iris,in my Top 5 list of Irises I love!(Iris Silver Mist being nr 1 of course!)It’s been a cold winter here,praying September spring comes along already!Happy Weekend to all!Hi Merlin!:-))
Good to see you Johano. You smell great, of course. I finally bought some decanting supplies, will let you know how it progresses.
Hi Ann!Good to see you too!!We should mail each other soon!Need to get to your package too!Sorry,it’s been a crazy time at work!Hope your Summer is not too hectic!;-))
L’Ambre des Merveilles – my favorite of the Merveilles, although I probably reach for the original more often.
A winter favourite.
Yeah, usually I wear it in the winter, too. Today is cold and rainy, so the bit more depth is perfect.
Kelly Caleche for me today, the only Hermes I have in any form at all (just a small sample). A pretty and light leather – it’s earned me compliments previously.
My first purchase of one of JCE’s scents (and a Malle for that matter) was L’eau d’Hiver. I loved it at first, but then the heliotrope started turning me off to the scent. I still have one of the 3 travel sizes and use it very rarely.
Today I went with Eau Des Merveilles, an Hermes but not JCE.
It’s great for summertime but do wish it lasted longer on me.
There are SO many Hermes I still would love to try!
I know, heliotrope is my stumbling block there too. Sigh.
Scent twins! I’m in L’Eau d’Hiver today as well. I’m on my second traveler’s set since purchasing a few years ago. I loved it so, and there’s this lovely cloud (barely detectable) that is wafting around me. You think it’s gone, and then it’s totally there stronger than ever.
I see what you mean about the heliotrope though… and I eventually got tired (bored, maybe) of L’Eau d’Hiver and haven’t worn it since last summer. It lasts forever on (deceivingly so) and it starts to get on my nerves as well.
It doesn’t last long on my skin either. I sprayed some on my clothes today as well to help it last a bit longer.
The last couple of days have been very warm (by swedish standards anyway) and my SOTD is Santal Massoia which works very well in the heat. It’s too warm for my favorite Ambre Narguile!
After shower, switched to Iris Ukioke.
Hi! I picked Santal Massoia, too. It worked well in the heat here. Very figgy, green and crisp but I was wanting. . .something more floral today. Later I was at Sephora, and stuck on Prada Amber pour Homme, which is nice. Soapy, slightly spicy, and I liked that even better. Overall, I think I like SM better in the spring, when it’s not this hot. Be well.
Love JCE and most of my Hermes are his, but it’s rainy and cold and to me most of his works are for summer. I do have L’ambre merv and Rumba but didn’t feel like either.. SO. Started the day with Angelique Sous la Pluie but it lasted about 20min. Then I gave up and wore Baghari, but that wasn’t right either so before work tonight went for Epic. Amouage nearly always works
I dithered a lot as I own quite a few Hermès fragrances and a fair number of Ellena’s work with other companies. I ended up with La Haie Fleurie which is a gorgeous summery jasmine which should not have been discontinued!
Jardin sur le Nil. I used to wear it fairly often when I lived in TX, and after moving I guess I just forgot about it. But gosh it’s great. So juicy.
Sur le Nil is such an amazing fragrance. I am seriously considering a purchase. My little decant is nearly gone. Normally, I dread things with mango, but I just get citrus and succulent greens out of this, which last quietly for hours. Great stuff!
Balanciaga Rhumba: A fragrance for an evening of salsa dancing in a red dress and of rum-fruit and liquor concoctions. Not for dreary work, but I am glad I am wearing it because it is cheering up the work day.
I am quite curious about this one!
I will go with the Eau Claire today. Hideous 114 degree weather is a challenge on all fronts.
It is one of the few sweet scents I can do. Gentiane Blanche has been in heavy rotation this summer as my sleeping pill but I have to get stuff done today so a sweet and salty snack it is.
juicejones,
have you had a chance to try Gentiane Blanche moisturizing balm or shower gel?
114 degrees? Oh my goodness! Where do you live? I guess I should stop complaining about the hot, humid Texas weather. It felt like we reached the 3-digit temperature today, but not really sure. Juicejones, try to stay cool.
Finished off my sample of Osmanthe Yunnan. Truly lovely for the 15 minutes it lasts on me. Then I put on Knightsbridge which will probably last all day and into tomorrow. Kind of dense for the heat we are having but beautiful.
Funny, I used the last few drops of my OY sample too. I don’t usually find it that short living – it’s very light, but when sprayed on fabric, I get little whiffs of it throughout the day. I think today was a bit too hot for it, though; something with a little more oompf would have probably worked better.
Now I need to start thinking about possibly getting a small bottle because I do I like it a lot.
Another OY wearer here. I don’t wear it frequently, and everytime I do I remember how lovely it is. It disappears about about twenty minutes for the most part, but I do also get the little whiffs throughout the day like Abyss (when I am lucky!).
In Love Again. Haven’t worn it for ages and still have at least one backup bottle. Still good stuff but fells wooden to smell this good mowing the lawn.
That should read: feels weird.
Aaaaand a big thank you to Bat’s paw + autocorrect for making the previous post really strange. Sorry.
It added a little mystery to my day: is that a foreign idiom? Or autocorrect? Corrected from what? And then the mystery was solved with your follow-up. Oddly satisfying.
I had planned on wearing Eau Des Merveilles, but then couldn’t resist the Declaration (I have the Essence version). Love this one! Luckily I don’t have to go in to the office today, as I know some people don’t like the spice/skank.
bastet, can you describe your coworkers who complained about Declaration? (just so I know to avoid them if I see them around)
L’Eau d’Hiver. I love the concept but not the result, it’s a bit cloying on me (in a “transparent” way, of course!) JCE was my gateway to this world so I have owned and hold affection for many of his creations. However, most have been swapped away: the first three Jardins, Kelly Caleche, Eau De Pamplemousse Rose… I think I’ll scrub this and try out the Gentiane Blanche again…
How do you like Gentiane?
I am crazy about its opening stages; the drydown is ok, but not that exceptional.
Austenfan and I are scent twins today. I, too, chose La Haie Fleurie, and I, too, can’t imagine why it was discontinued. Wonderfully feminine jasmine scent.
Shall we send a begging letter to L’ Artisan?
Hermessence Brin de Reglisse…soon becoming my FAVORITE Hermes.
Later on it will be another Hermessence, Paprika Brasil.
I REALLY enjoy Brin de Reglisse. I’ve gone through a few decants. Again, I have the issue with longevity and so hate to lay out the $ for a FB. It’s licorice done right!
And I REALLY enjoy Paprika Brasil
Do you like it, or just testing?
Eau d´Orange Verte – perfection, even during winter.
Today’s theme made me uncork Caleche (not Kelly) – a bottle from the 1990’s. What joy! I remember thinking it was BIG when I bought it. Now, I can stand up to the bigness, and it is very much like Amouage Gold. In fact, going to test the two against each other when I get home tonight. Thanks, Robin and NST for enabling new (old) discoveries!
LA Haie Fleurie du Hameau since it’s heavy in this year’s summer rotation anyway
I can’t believe when I look at his list of creations, that I don’t own a fb of any one of JCE’s fragrances! I have a few samples though – Kelly Caleche comes to mind. I’ve never clicked with it. There are a lot of the Hermescence that I’ve always wanted to test but have not got to yet. I’ve also wanted to test the jardin de toit or whatever it’s called… looks like I have some homework to do!
Lucky for me I have a small decant of L’AP Haie Fleurie. I don’t know if this reformulation of the original HFDH is his, but it’s the best I got. Lot of juicy jasmine for me today!
Wearing a sample of Ambre Narguilé. Second time in about a week I am smelling of gingerbread…
A tiny amount of Parfum des Merveilles in a dab sample that I had been hoarding for years finally was used up today. This is such gorgeous stuff, darker and richer than the original and long lasting, too! I’m glad I used it before it all evaporated.
I feel like you need a bit of applause, or some kind of acknowledgment, because I’m fairly new to this, but already know the pain of finishing a hard-to-come-by sample, or worse, having the last of a sample evaporate.
So hooray for you! You smell amazing! You didn’t let it go to waste! Enjoy every moment!
My new perfume mantra: Use it, don’t lose it!
I’m wearing L’Eau d’Hiver – like a couple others above me. “Beautifully cloying in a completely transparent way” about sums it up.
It was between LdH and Pamplemousse Rose (cologne) for options for me today. I started early and spritzed PR on last night. It’s wonderful… should’ve worn that today instead. Maybe later as I’m about to leave the office. It’s great on a hot hot day and we’re nearing 100 degree! Fairly good lasting power too.
SOTD = Hermes Eau des Merveilles
I’m in Quebec City today, much too short of a day to appreciate its rich history;’it goes on the Places To be Visited Again list.
I have many scent twins today with my perfume choice, courtesy of a generous SA at the Boston Boylston Street Hermes boutique. On me, it lasts and lasts and lasts – it’s now hour 6 and it is just as strong as when I first applied it. Gorgeous stuff!
I love QC! We visited at Christmas and it was just gorgeous!
Special place…
I wish I had more luck at the Hermes boutiques. I need to crack that nut.
Vintage-ish samples of First from my giant sample bag. Tiny dab of Edt on one wrist, Edp on the other, why not?
I usually find this sort of scent too “clean,” but these (especially the Edt?) are kind of funky.
Deliciously funky, I would say! A bit barnyardy with the narcissus and castoreum in the drydown……
Eau des Merveilles today. I am not crazy for any of Ellena’s twists to this masterpiece.
Y’all – we were _just_ daydreaming the other day of a Jardin or Merveilles coffret. I was just poking on the Hermes site and you can essentially create your own now. I knew they offered this for the Hermessence line, but now you can create a set from many of the other scents. Hiris isn’t a choice, nor are all the Merveilles flankers – but this still makes me ridiculously excited! Four 15ml bottles for $118 – which is a great price point
Going to Hermes site immediately to see what can be mixed and matched
Thank you for this info – I’m going to check it out as well.
Thanks from me, too! I’m off to Hermes to see what other scents are available this way
Be well.
I do like “Ellena’s pale-and-gauzy aesthetic” and I like Hermes, so this time I had a good set to chose from. I wanted to go with something that I am not so much familiar with but appreciate — wearing FM Bigarade Concentree. Nice.
SOTD is Un Jardin Sur Le Nil from a sample I’ve had for awhile. This morning I really enjoyed reading Chandler Burr’s ”The Scent of the Nile” as it appeared in The New Yorker a few years ago; I either read it years ago and forgot it or just never read it. But the background story to the creation of this scent was truly fascinating. Never having smelled a mango still on the tree, I didn’t realize that it lost its scent once picked!
Perhaps it’s the age of my sample, or just my body chemistry, but my experience of the scent seems to differ from most others I’ve read about. On me, the predominant notes are incense and woods, with minimal citrus and anything aquatic/lotus pretty much non-existent. Definitely more like a walk through a piney woods than floating on a river. It’s a lovely, haunting scent on a breezy, cool atypical summer day, easily lasting 4+ hours. But I don’t find it to be “refreshing” as most seem to, and I wouldn’t wear it on a hot summer day. Although I love tart citrus notes, the citrus I do pick up in this is sour, not tart, and dry, not juicy, reminding me somewhat of grapefruit (which, along with tuberose, are probably the only 2 notes I dislike in perfumery).
I’m looking forward to trying this one again next time I’m out, wondering if the experience of a fresh bottle will be a different one. Nonetheless, I’ve enjoyed today’s scent experience – both what I’m wearing and what I read – very much!
I decided to go with Elixir des Merveilles today. It’s my favorite of the Merveilles series. I hadn’t worn it in quite a while, so I decided to give it some love today.
I am not a huge fan of JCE’s fragrances, but I did really like Epice Marine when I tested it…
I finished my Hermes colognes a few months ago–so no Hermes at home, and not JCE except First, which I cannot face (nose?) on this hot and humid day.
Settled on Philosykos edp from a sample… and am imagining rocky hillsides covered in fig trees on a small Spanish island…instead of my desk and a pile of unfinished work….
Add me to the Eau des Merveilles’ wearers list! My skin was dry this morning so I decided to try layering it with the Body Shop’s satsuma body butter. I figured it would enhance the orange note that I love it the perfume. I smell great, if I may say so myself!
SOTD is Vetiver Tonka, which I love
I dug out my sample of Sisley Eau de Campagne. Green and a tad on the masculine side, which usually doesn’t bother me but does here. It is the same with Terre d’Hermes, I love it on my DH but not on me.
Many JCE masterpieces are lost on me (too fleeting or too “shrill”) but I love Voyage d’Hermes and would love to own some of the Hermes Eaux. Voyage d’Hermes is the only scent in my collection getting the Kevin Full Five Spritz treatment :).
I had my Hermès / JCE day earlier in the week with L’Ambre des Merveilles. I wear this about once a week at the moment so I reckon my Hermès cred. is fairly high. So instead I settled on Givenchy Ysatis today (vintage), and because I’m by myself, indulged in an extra hearty spritz. Ysatis always makes me smile. Much as I love some of JCE’s work, I would not say that wit is his strong point.
I just received my sample order from Lucky Scent so I put on The Different Company Sel de Vetiver. The perfumer was Celine Ellena. Close enough.
I wore Eau de Gentiane Blanche today. I think I prefer wearing this one in cooler weather. Interesting and counterintuitive because it is dry, relatively light and reads “cool,” yet I think it suits me better in the non-summer months. Glad you folks reminded me of Osmanthe Yunnan and Angeliques Sous La Pluie, both of which I like (although neither of which I own even samples). Happy weekend, all!
Wearing Jour d’Hermes from a sample. Lovely and bracing. I’m not a fan of “pale-and-gauzy,” and I’d read reviews suggesting Jour was somewhat ephemeral, but in my two wearings it’s lasted at least six hours, and it’s transparent but not at all wispy. It’s a great wake-up-and-get-going sort of scent, while still managing to be lovely and interesting. It may be my first full bottle of JCE or Hermes.
I spent most of the day with eau de primer, but tonight I am wearing Doblis as a treat for a full day of hard work outside in Miami summer heat.
Wow! Go, Monkeytoe! You have Doblis! I would love to smell that one someday. (Along with Iris Gris, vintage Jicky, etc) I love Eau d’Hermes, and I’ve heard Doblis is in that ballpark. The reviews would say you smell monied and fabulous. Neato
This scent of the day is fun, especially the community interpretation. It helps me think a bit more about what I’m wearing and in some cases, reach for something I haven’t worn in ages as was the case today.
Since it was going to be pretty warm today, I started out with Eau Clair de Merveilles and then as things cooled off a bit just now, put on some 24, Faubourg. I forgot just how much more I like ECdM far more than the original, and am now curious if the Elixir and Amber flankers are worth a sniff. Are they very close to the original? Or if I don’t care for that one, could I possibly still like them on their own as I do ECdM?
I know L’Ambre quite well and to me it doesn’t much smell like the original except, curiously, when sniffed on paper . Only on paper do is get Eau’s salty orange. On my skin, L’Ambre is warm, ambery and sweet. At the same time it is never dense or sticky, as ambers often are. L’Ambre floats. It’s an intriguing effect.
Thanks. I’ll definitely pick up some samples and see how they wear. I think this is the first perfume I can think of where I seem to like the flanker(s) more than the original.
Today’s scent was L’Heure de Nuit. I do love it but just can’t justify almost dropping $300 for a bee bottle. Now I just have to pick out a bed time scent.
I did not wear perfume to work today but am enjoying a bit of Un Jardin sur le Nil now. It’s so weird that of all the scents of Egypt, JCE chose to replicate the skin of a just-picked mango. This apparently only lasts for seconds, so it’s quite possible that he’s only person who has ever focused on that particular smell in a garden on the Nile. There’s something peculiarly obstinate about that. It’s a very nice citrus scent, but I keep wishing he’d done something with lotus.