L'Eau d'Hiver (2003)
by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

Now this one caught me totally off guard. I bought it and the first week I wore it, I thought I'd made a dreadful mistake. I found it linear and dull and even rubbery. I was ready to renounce Ellena and his minimalism. And then suddenly, something about it clicked.

What fascinates me about L'eau d'hiver is that it manages to be both serene and remote at once. Its genius lies in its affectlessness, its sheer neutrality. The composition itself is remarkable: there's a burst of opening powder and some recognizable almonds, but after the top notes burn off it defies comparative reference points. Though frequently compared to Apres l'Ondee, there is no violet in this perfume and much less vanilla. There are some gestures in the direction of "floral" that never quite read as flowers, and lots and lots of musk that never quite reads as animalic.

L'eau d'hiver reads "cool" rather than "warm" to me. Oddly, it suits me better in cold weather. It is also relatively long lasting, but would be mild enough to be warn in the winter.

26th January, 2012.

Heavenly, smooth, transparent, clean, watery, refined, spohisticated, impeccable, gentle, whispered, elegant...sexless.

Have you ever wondered how heliotrope smells like? Here it is in all its glory with just a little addition of other flowers and white musk. Not my cup of tea but I can't deny this iteraton of the heliotrope is terrific. Just next to Apres L'Ondèe.

18th December, 2011.

I love L'Eau d'Hiver. For me it vacillates between warm and frosty.... I think that is what Jean-Claude Ellena was after (?). Others have deciphered its notes better than I could, but nobody has mentioned what comes to mind to me. Somewhere in this, I detect a hint of licorice. I love that close up, it is wonderful on my skin. I haven't purchased anything beyond a sample of it, so haven't been lavish with it enough to know how it comes off to others. I DO want some for Christmas!

9th November, 2011.

L'eau d'Hiver has the typical Ellena's DNA.

This one starts out with a semi-sweet floral aspect. Very transparent, very bright, as expected from Ellena. A very delicate and well constructed fragrance.

Like many has described and I agree, L'eau d'Hiver is like drinking a cup of floral tea sweetened with a little bit of honey and vanilla essence in a not so typical sunny morning in the winter, near a river and a not so far away orris garden.

An excellent fragrance that does not deserves a thumbs down just because it lacks longevity.

6th November, 2011.

As I am always looking for fresh, unobtrusive fragrances, this one appeals to me by its fine, elegant freshness. It is sweet, but in a very subtle, delicate way. It reminds me more of a pleasant summer morning than of winter time. After a while, from the sweetness remains something like a light vanilla or caramel note - it is probably the honey.
However, the scent lasts on me only a short time or iin a too fable way, and I'am afraid my partner doesn't smell it at all...

25th March, 2011.

There are not all that many heliotrope-themed fragrances around and so a comparison with the inaugural one, Après L'Ondée, feels unavoidable. However, L'Eau d'Hiver is no simple imitation: it is muskier, its jasmine is far more indolic (though as part of a quieter floral section overall), and L'Eau d'Hiver has a completely different consistency to Après L'Ondée, even if they do share the same palette of dove-like hues. L'Eau d'Hiver feels and smells increasingly like a pale honey as it dries down, threatening to obscure its almond cadences completely. It is not at all unpleasant, this musky nectar. But the problem with L'Eau d'Hiver – which feels like it has taken its ghostly Guerlain predecessor as a sort of negative guide – is that it has the strong whiff of artificiality about it and its notes feel unnaturally prolonged, especially when compared to Ellena's evanescent, entirely natural smelling, Angéliques Sous La Pluie. This, unfortunately, smells a little plasticky.

1st March, 2011.