It would appear that Hermès is doing a flanker to 2004's Eau des Merveilles every so often, but waiting at least two years, sometimes more, between iterations. In addition to the original, we've now got Elixir des Merveilles (candied orange peel + vanilla biscuit) from 2006, Eau Claire des Merveilles (citrus soda + cosmetic powder) from 2010, and L'Ambre des Merveilles (amber + more amber) from 2012. Eau des Merveilles Bleue is the latest, and the first from house perfumer Christine Nagel. I was only middling excited about it, because it's blue. I like the color, but in fragrance, blue implies a particular smell-meaning, and in this case the description followed the color-coding: "the magic of the ocean and the colour of the sky", plus "washed in sea spray" and "the taste of water on pebbles". That sounds suspiciously like many other blue fresh, sporty, aquatic / ozonic fragrances, which are not generally my cup of tea.
And so it turns out. Eau des Merveilles Bleue takes the original Merveilles' riff on salty-sweet ambergris, and adds what I would call a "salty sea air" note. It's indeed fresh, rather sporty, and has considerably more sillage (and somewhat more lasting power) than the others in this series. It has an aquatic aspect, but it's more air than sea, and there is thankfully no melon. The dry down is recognizably Merveilles, but much cleaner — and Merveilles was not exactly skanky to begin with. The patchouli is lighter and cleaner, the musk is whiter, and there's an intensified mineral/stone/sand note along with some dry woods. The citrus and peppery notes from the original are still there, but they're less assertive under all the freshness, and what I called the "salt-drying-on-the-skin quality" now smells like salt drying on skin right after it was washed with Tide.
It's not exactly masculine — a woman could easily wear it — but it shares its fresh sporty elements with so many popular men's fragrances that it reads as masculine to me anyway.
Verdict: A big old meh. Mind you, it's well done, in fact I'd call it very well done. If someone told me they just had to have a clean sporty fragrance, Eau des Merveilles Bleue would be on my short list of suggestions. But I found it ever so slightly irritating to wear, and even more so worn next to any of the others in the series.
If you like fresh notes more than I do, do give it a shot. I would not be in the least surprised if it turned out to be the best-selling of the bunch.
If you like the idea but want your freshness toned down a notch, you might try Andrée Putman Préparation Parfumée, although I do not know if it has been reformulated since I last smelled it.
Hermès Eau des Merveilles Bleue is available in 30 ($69), 50 ($108) and 100 ($146) ml Eau de Toilette. Presumably it will eventually be included in the "compose a set" 15 ml size.
I’m sure I’ll try this one if/when it hits Sephora. I must say, the bottle is a beautiful color; love periwinkle blue.
It’s a gorgeous color. They did a limited edition blue collector bottle of Merveilles ages ago, wish I’d bought it.
I’ll still try it, of course, but I’m a bit disheartened. I won’t hold it against Nagel though. I of course did not care a bit for Eau Claire, so there’s that too. ????
Don’t be disheartened, you might love it! I adore Eau Claire, even more than when I reviewed it, so you never know.
I’d try Eau Claire again but it was so laundry on me that I was sad. Maybe I should buy a small decant and live with it.
But I have come around to Mandarine Ambree, of all things! You never know.
Interesting — I keep saying that, but it really is interesting how differently we all smell / perceive.
Thank you for the review. I figure I will sniff thsi one when I am in range of a tester. Maybe the next flanker will be Bois de Mervielles .
There are a million things you could do with this theme, really. A light floral would work too.
Respectfully disagree. What I love about the Merveilles series and what makes it stand out from other fragrances is that there are no floral notes but it’s still feminine. I can’t wear Elixir anymore because I associate it too much with an ex, but I still appreciate the artistry of the composition. So help me Donatella, if Hermes releases a pink pepper light floral Merveilles…
LOL — ok, point taken!
Had a spritz and noticed some calonic overtones, enough to give it a pass. Fortunately, as with the vast majority of Hermes, it was pretty fleeting.
Interesting, it really doesn’t smell like calone to me. Glad you commented!
‘Calonic overtones’ scares me. I hate calone with such fiery passion that I smell it even when it is probably not there. Any sort of oceanic or breezy accord, no matter how well done, tends to read as calone to me now.
You might as well skip this one, then.
I got a sample of this from a generous NSTer but have not tried it yet
Looking forward to it
Hope you will love it!
I haven’t smelled this one yet, but your description makes me wonder why does Hermes include it into Merveilles range instead of making it a new masculine pillar – something they haven’t done for a while.
It’s still quite Merveilles-ish, though — certainly as much as Eau Claire, maybe more. Just not in a way I like. (It’s got enough of a mineral note that it sort of connects Merveilles to Terre d’Hermes, too.)
Terre d’Hermes is exactly what I was thinking about when reading your review! That’s what made me think that a new masculine would have been better (commercially, too) than a meh feminine.
Well, interesting — that’s possible. And I do tend to forget that the Merveilles line is not marketed as unisex, even though to me, all of it is, other than the Eau Claire, possibly.
I tried this one the other day and it seems I liked it better than you did. To me it smelled very much like the original (which I love very, very much) with no orange. However, it was very fleeting to my nose unlike the original which lasts all day. I’m now suspecting that I must be anosmic to the white musk in it! Love that pretty blue bottle though…
So glad you liked it! I think nearly everybody will like it better than me, I am particularly unfond of fresh and clean, with some exceptions. It really is very well done.
I bet I would like it less than you. I dislike fresh, clean and salt. To bad, I really really like that bottle!
Ha, we can have a competition to see who likes it least 🙂
I bought a large sample. Nordstrom is having its Fragrance Festival this week and is offering a gift with purchase (I think it’s a set of fill your own rollerball). I asked the SA to set aside a 30 mL and I may get it for the cuteness factor alone.
The cuteness factor is high.
I’m not a fan either Robin! Hermes makes up the majority of my collection and I love the original version of Eau des Merveilles. This is like they mixed it with some sporty, blue, men’s scent the likes of which we’ve smelled before. I was hoping for something much different. A ‘green’ direction would have been more to my liking… Eau des Merveilles Verte? Maybe in a few more years? 🙂
Oh, we can hope — that bottle would look stunning in a jade green! I also wish they’d do it in opaque glass for a limited edition. Opaque peach – gold for Eau Claire would be just perfect.
Oh, opaque peach!!
Is Eau Claire your top pick for the line?
I think the original is still the best, and L’Ambre possibly next, but I probably wear Eau Claire the most, so would be more willing to shell out for the bottle 🙂
Since Saturday my most-loved blue bottle is full of liquid cold medicine. Alas, I can not smell the sample of EdM Bleue that arrived in my mailbox yesterday. (With many thanks to the ultra-fabulous madtowngirl!)
I’m glad to hear Bleue leans towards the original EdM more than the others. I dearly love the smell of the ocean. I hope Bleue for me will be more tidal and less Tide.
Glad it arrived in one piece! Feel better!!
Oh, good luck — hope it will lean that way, and hope you will be better very soon!
Did you get any mint? I wore it again yesterday and this time the “saltiness” reminded me a bit of CK Reveal. Different smelling, but similar “feel.”
How funny that you ask. In the very, very far dry down, only the last time I wore it — which was today — I could swear it was minty. Did not mention in the review because I didn’t notice it on other wearings and so thought I must be crazy.
Agree about CK Reveal, but I like Reveal better. The Hermes is probably the better scent, but it’s cleaner than the Reveal.
But should have asked — do you find it overtly minty? All through, or only later on?
I noticed it the very first time I sampled it, and almost as soon as I sprayed and started sniffing my wrists. I thought I was crazy too and so I started googling reviews and found others that mention the mint (The Candy Perfume Boy was one). I’ve worn it twice since and haven’t noticed the mint as much. So, long answer short, lol, I don’t find it overtly minty.
Ha, it is only in random intermittent sprays, maybe. Thanks, I wish I’d noticed it sooner so I would have paid more attention.
Sounds worth trying for the DC heat and humidity, and my quest to find fragrances for a couple of guys.
Sadly I haven’t managed to love the original Merveilles, which is frustrating given the wonderful name and bottles.
I was just rereading your Iris Nazarena review as I test it. If only that were one of the purple bottles…
Yes, might be perfect for a DC August!
The original EaudM starts out fabulous, but after a few hours on my skin it starts to remind me strongly of a perfume worn by someone I know (and I do not necessarily want to smell like that person hahaha).
So there is my initial problem with EaudM.
But I am not giving up just like that. I have a travel mini right now, and will try again.
The Bleue version does not have that problem AND it has the saltiness I love. And on my skin it actually lasts for a while (could easily detect it after 6 hours). I do not get calone btw.
But I am not convinced yet to buy a bottle. it’s becoming bit dull after a while. It could work in summer, for outdoorsy activities though. So also not giving this one up yet!
You might also want to try Calvin Klein Reveal! It is not as fresh as this one, but has that salty thing.
Thanks for the tip, Robin. I dont know if it is widely available here. Most CK-shelves are always crowded with the latest One and Eternity flankers. 😉 but I’ll look out for it!
Feeling brave and breathing easier today, so I finally tried a few spritzes of EdM Bleue. The white musk projects off my skin, a wafting wall of Tide. Thumbs down for that.
Up close the scent is recognizably Eau des Merveilles minus the citrus plus an herbal note. I don’t get mint or patchouli. It’s fresh oregano leaves. The effect is addictive. I keep huffing my arms. Thumbs up in the end.
I’ll try again next week. Hopefully on a warm day the projection will shift for the better.
“Wafting wall of tide” pretty much cancels every else for me, but good luck — maybe your second time will go better! (And glad you’re feeling better, too.)
Thanks, Robin!
I enjoyed your review (and reading all the comments) very much. The Merveilles don’t shout, but they do seem to polarize opinion.
Being forewarned about Bleue’s white musk softened the blow for me. There’s no sad trombone music playing here, but neither am I buying a bottle anytime soon.
I sampled it via an insert in a Nordstrom catalogue, and was head over heels in love. Fresh, light, clean….nothing related to Tide for me–go sniff before you decide. I never wear fragrance but had to order this one.
Hello! This is my first time commenting, but I’ve become almost literally addicted to reading these NST reviews/comments over the past few months. The Tabu one had me streaming with tears of laughter the other night. Okay, so, I purchased a large bottle of Eau des Merveilles Bleue several months ago, to combine with the gallons of Un Jardin sur le Toit in my closet. I love them separately and together. I find Bleue to be more pleasing the more I wear it – – it’s like a fresh morning rush when I “schpritz” a few pumps on before I run out the door every day. It doesn’t seem to last very long (of course, my co-workers might dispute that), but I enjoy it while it lasts. I know Un Jardin sur le Toit didn’t get great reviews here, but I’ll never forget smelling it for the first time in 2016 and believing it was the best smelling thing I’d ever experienced. I’ve been through 4 bottles now (well two are unopened and waiting; I’m hoarding cuz I’m terrified they’ll stop making it). Although I’ve always enjoyed fragrances, I’ve never done a real study of it until discovering this lovely site. I used Cristalle EDT and Caron’s Bellodgia (sp?) in my early 20’s before I found and started bathing in Aramis’ New West in the late 80’s (yes, the calone-bomb that started them all, lmao!). I’ve also worn L’eau d’Issey, Chanel’s Chance + 1 flanker, L’Instant Magic (’cause I couldn’t find the original L’Instant anywhere), and Lauren’s Blue for a brief interval. I tried Lauren’s Romance but just couldn’t stand it. Anyway, sorry for the blah-blah… Just wanted to encourage people to try the Bleue. If you like it, you will grow to love it.