"I remembered the smell of ponds, the smell of jasmine, the smell of wet stones, of plum trees, kumquats and giant bamboos. It was all there, and in the ponds there were even carp steadily working towards their hundredth birthday." — Jean-Claude Ellena1
Le Jardin de Monsieur Li is the fifth fragrance in the Jardin series from Hermès, and reportedly the last.2 I do not know if it is also the last scent we'll see from perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, but either way, smelling it gave me an advance pang of nostalgia. I will miss Jean-Claude Ellena when he retires.3
Le Jardin de Monsieur Li is an aromatic citrus, reportedly inspired by a Chinese garden. The notes (something like kumquat, mint, jasmine and sap) sounded tantalizing, but as is often the case with Hermès and Jean-Claude Ellena, the juice is not quite what I expected. The opening is indeed a tart orange, although much rounder and softer than I'd imagined, and nothing like so effervescent or intense as some of the brand's grapefruit-heavy citrus top notes. If you're looking for the mouth-puckering first bite of a ripe kumquat, I don't think you'll find it here, and in any case the tartness is relatively short lived. After that, think of the most gauzy and transparent Jean-Claude Ellena fragrance you can, and then make it even more soft-spoken. Everything past the opening is like a whisper, or a meditation, or a garden seen through the haze of a long-ago memory. To my nose, it is easily the mildest fragrance in the Jardin series.
So the jasmine is soft and rather watery — I thought of lotus before I thought of jasmine. It's a clean, very modern take on the flower: no indoles, light as a feather. There is a glimmer of pale green, without the herbal edge you might expect from a conventional aromatic citrus, and certainly nothing I'd immediately identify as mint, although you may find it if you go looking for it. The dry down is the palest of pale woods, still faintly green, and again, clean, with a vague murmur of the "wet stones" mentioned above (think of the mineral effect from the base of Terre d'Hermès or Voyage d'Hermès, but far gentler).
On a paper blotter, Le Jardin de Monsieur Li lingers for a few hours. On skin, not so long as that. It's a summer-y fragrance, done in balmy, washed-out pastels that are all wrong for the (ridiculous) weather we're having now. Perhaps it will do better when there's more heat and humidity in the air. I wouldn't bank on it, though.
Verdict: I think it's simply lovely. I'm surely anthropomorphizing even more than usual, but it struck me as having a wistful aura — and a spareness, or economy of notes — that seems a fitting end to the series that started with the far livelier and more direct Un Jardin en Méditerranée. It's the closest yet to a true haiku, even more so than the Hermessences, and I fully expect that many will find it too insubstantial, and many others will find it too short-lived on skin. You know who you are — and I wouldn't buy this one unsniffed anyway. It's going on my buy list and I'll hope it eventually appears in the 15 ml bottles (all the other Jardin fragrances are sold that way now, in the "pocket sets" of four 15 ml bottles). A body milk would be perfect as well.
Rose Amazone, which launched late last year, is not going on my buy list, but I was not a fan of the original Amazone anyway.4 They've basically taken the top notes and replaced them with Jean-Claude Ellena's signature punch of effervescent sour grapefruit, rounded out with sparkling, sweet-but-not-too-sweet red fruits (there is still plenty of black currant) and a touch of bitter greenery. The ad copy promised cheerful, and that's just what it is. The longer it's on skin, the closer it gets to the original Amazone, or at least, the latest versions of the original Amazone. I should think fans of that fragrance might want to give it a shot.
Hermès Le Jardin de Monsieur Li is available in 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette. Rose Amazone is available in 100 ml Eau de Toilette.
1. Quote via the UK Hermès website.
2. Or so says the UK version of Harper's Bazaar.
3. In case anybody missed the news, he is to be replaced by perfumer Christine Nagel.
4. Victoria at Bois de Jasmin called the original Amazone "an example of an utterly sophisticated and elegant fruity floral"; you can read her review here.
It sounds very lovely but very, very sheer indeed! I will definitely try it out though. I have still yet to encounter a “Jardin” that manages to capture my heart.
(However, I don’t think this will stand a chance against my perfume hungry skin…)
Maybe I will be wrong and it will feel more substantial in hot weather, who knows. But it’s not a heavy scent by any means. Smells great on clothes though!
That’s great actually! Helps to have something for the scent to hold on to (maybe I will browse the scarf section while I am at H.
)
Ha, there you go. Although for the price of the scarf at Hermes you could just buy a vat of each Jardin
Touche!
This sounds utterly lovely and I will try it. The only jardin I didn’t fall in love with was Sur le Toit, but I’ve got bottles of the 3 others. I will miss JCE’s work for Hermès, although I’m rather selfishly hoping he’ll do another wonderful fragrance for Malle.
I did not love Sur le Toit or Mousson.
And oh, that’s something to wish for!!
L’Eau d’Hiver Revisited!
Oh, I would go for that.
Or L’Eau d’Ete; a wonderful green, deep, indolic Jasmine
Robin, I’ve been looking forward to this review. Thanks.
I’m working through a sample of Jardin en Med body milk right now and it is truly lovely stuff. I don’t even want to know what they charge for a full bottle.
It will be a pity if this is the last jardin scent. I was hoping they would do three more “Le Jardin” scents. Four un jardins and four le jardins would be perfect. Le Jardin De Madame so and so, etc.
I adore the Sur Le Nil body milk, it’s such a great formulation.
I would not mind more Jardins either. Perhaps under Christine Nagel we will see an entirely new series?
I love Jardin en Med and it is reasonably priced here in the US (not sure where you are). List price is about $100 for 1.6 oz. (even better deal for the 3.3 oz – $only $135 but who needs that much of anything!)and pretty easy to find somewhat cheaper at discounters.
Oh yes, the perfumes aren’t so badly priced. I was referring to the body lotion though. My too expensive threshold is a lot lower for body products.
I found the Sur le Nil body milk at a discounter too…not right away, but maybe a year or so after it came out? Because yes, my threshold is lower for body products too.
I suppose I should read more carefully before I go spouting off
Totally understand about body products – I don’t buy scented ones because they tend to go off quickly and I never use them fast enough since they don’t always go with the SOTD! Hope you can find some at a discount!
Oh, liking the colours on the packages very much & looking forward to trying this! It took me a very long time to start appreciating the Jardins, but now I have Le Toit and Le Nil and am quite happy with them. As to this new one I am already tempted buying blind…
Robin, would you say Jour has a strong presence compared to this one? If they can be compared in this sense? And thanks for reviewing this so quickly
Yes, to me, Jour is stronger and longer lasting — I actually get pretty decent lasting power from Jour. Hope others will review Monsieur Li soon so you’ll get a variety of opinions, but I am a fan of transparent and even I was a bit surprised. It does not bother me, as I’m less interested in the functional aspect of perfume than some — I don’t like scents that fade to bland or boring in 30 or 40 minutes, but I don’t mind things that only last a couple hours if they keep me interested during that time. I like to wear several scents a day anyway.
Thanks, Robin! What you say makes complete sense.
Good!
Funny, after reading most of the review, I got the feeling you didn’t like it! I do love light fragrances, and living in San Diego, it rarely gets cold enough to wear the heavier things I do own. I love Jardin en Med and like sur le Nil (wanted a little more sweetness) so this may be right up my alley.
It does kind of read that way, sorry! It is a) not what I expected and b) I am perhaps overly concerned with addressing in advance what I know are the common complaints about JCE’s more sheer fragrances. If you are bothered by them, you probably won’t like this. I think it’s much softer than Sur le Nil….even more of a watercolor. (And the colors in the image above are perfect.)
The one review I found on Basenotes said “Nothing very interesting…” and “thin” and “fuzzy”. I do think many people will find it so.
It was practically a plot twist when it went on the buy list at the end, lol.
Again, sorry, I did not set out to do it that way at all!
No apology necessary. I thought it was a very good review.
I wonder how much softer Le Nil would smell if he had had the final word. This one sounds lovely. Thank you for the quick review.
Ah, interesting question. Could be that he’s refined his style since, could be he had more freedom with this one, I have no idea.
Call me literal minded, but I’m wondering who Monsieur Li is/was.
I haven’t tried all the Jardins but I own a bottle of Nil and find it a ‘useful’ fragrance to have in summer, nothing more. I wear it to combat the heat. It’s not something that clutches at the heart. If I ever finish the bottle I won’t repurchase. That’s my reaction to of a lot of JCE’s work but the big exception is L’Ambre des Merveilles, which I adore. It is recognisable as a JCE but it is not typical of his style.
Monsieur Li doesn’t really sound like it’s for me but I will certainly try it.
I am guessing that no, this one won’t be for you, but never hurts to try — it should be relatively easy to find by late spring.
I always really, really want to like the Jardin fragrances. I think, ok, these are natural expressions like I think of Goutal as making natural expressions. But I never quite get there. I have LD of sur le Nil, which I wear from time to time in the summer. But none of them have pushed me over, even though I’d love to have one. I’ve not a single JCE in my extensive collection! It’s no comment, obviously, on the skills of JCE, but they’ve never worked for me.
As for Amazone- I only have some vintage edt and don’t know what the current one smells like. The vintage is a green galbanum oakmoss vetiver “wet” floral chypre – like a really dressed up Cristalle edt. Cristalle taking tea in a massive perennial garden? Something like this. I can see if I put on some of my Amazone on one arm, and a rose soliflore on the other they wouldn’t clash with each other. The chypre herbal “hay” accords in my vintage Amazone are very warm summer day – like that smell of a damp field that is getting baked in the sun – and there is nothing about that which would clash with a rose. But I just can’t imagine what you describe above at all. Maybe they just should have given it a different name. I’m sure I’ll want to test it, but I can’t even wrap my head around it right now.
I am guessing you will not love this either, then. His style is very particular, obviously, and this one is his style distilled, maybe!
I never liked Amazone and I adore Cristalle, so not sure what I “missed” in the original. Really, Victoria ought to review Rose Amazone, not me. This one is way less oakmoss-y than the original, I’m sure (I don’t notice oakmoss even in the dry down), but the version of Amazone that I’ve smelled also has a hefty amount of blackcurrant, so that adding a goodly dose of grapefruit doesn’t seem like such a stretch to me. And the dry down is close enough, easily, to warrant the name.
I assume this is the 2nd in the flanker series that includes Bel Ami Vetiver — I do think it’s a nice idea and hope they’ll keep doing them….I’m praying for a flanker to Hiris, although the real thing would probably not make me happy, ha.
Oh, now I really wish I could smell Bel Ami Vetiver! I’m sure I’d like it very much. Is that JCE? Now that I am thinking on the other side of the aisle, with JCE that is, then I believe he did a reform of Equipage, which I’ve been rather curious about too.
It is JCE, and I have not smelled it yet either, but Kevin reviewed it. He made it sound almost like Bel Ami crossed with a drop of Vetiver Tonka.
https://nstperfume.com/2014/03/26/hermes-bel-ami-vetiver-fragrance-review/
AnnS,
I love your description. It fits vintage Amazone to a ‘T’. I have the perfume, eau de parfum and eau de toilette in vintage Amazone and I adore them. What makes the vintage so spectacular is the depth of oak moss, galbanum and vetiver. It plays well off the black currant.
I have a bottle of the newer Amazone, and it’s a very nice (and pricey) room spray.
On Staten Island, of all places, there is a recreation of a Ming-era garden: The New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden. It is stunningly beautiful, with pavilions, rockeries, bridges, ponds, a bamboo forest, and of course, many beautiful plants, including several different types of magnolia and camellias. Some of my wedding photos were taken there. I have often dreamed of a perfume that would capture the atmosphere of this place. Could Jardin de Monsieur Li be the one? The idea of a light jasmine with wet stones seems very fitting.
I have never been there, but Google has some lovely images…do report back if you smell it, I’d love to know if you think it fits the scene.
This sounds lovely! I was at the Madison Ave. Hermes boutique last Thursday, there was no tester nor samples to be had. I am looking forward to trying this.
Looking at the list on Fragrantica, I have a good number (14) of JCEs in my collection, with Paprika Brasil my most recent acquisition. I guess that would be considered “medium”
I can only top your number if we include decants!
I will be interested in trying the Rose Amazone, I love the Jardin series, especially the Sur Le Nil. Will be headed downtown next weekend and hope to try some!
I know Bloomingdales has it too, sorry can’t remember where else.
I hope the Hermes boutique will carry it? Fingers crossed.
Oh, I would think so!
Jasmine is my weakness. Here’s hoping this JCE fragrance will be a winner. Le Nil is “too much” tomato leaf and labdanum. Eau Claire des Merveilles was “not enough”. It smells like . . . the steam from a clothes iron? I must not be able to smell some of the notes.
I was just saying to Kevin that it might be better not to approach it as jasmine & kumquat, but as an abstract Jean-Claude Ellena meditation on a garden. But hope you will like it!
This sounds absolutely lovely! JCE style is a bit of hit and miss for me, none of the jardins has appealed to me, but Voyage is up among my top tens and I really like Narcisse bleu.
Monsieur Li is exquisite. I’m currently living in Luxembourg and received a sample last weekend (btw, they just throw perfume samples at you here. It’s Candyland!) at one of the boutiques here. At first, I was unsure if I would even like this as anything with citrus turns to Lysol on my skin, but I’m so glad I decided to give this a try. In fact, I’ve never sniffed an Hermes scent, so this was my first time (I know, I know!) I get more of the kumquat at first, but it slowly develops a watery, mineral note. As the day goes on, everything sort of gently fades. I think it’s a very serene fragrance and completely the opposite of what I usually like (i.e. rose, rose, rose). I can’t get enough of it and with the current exchange rate, a 50ml is a bargain at 67 Euros!