Hermèssence Rose Ikebana (2004)
by Hermès

Rose and rhubarb. Hermes has another scent with rose and rhubarb, Eau de Pamplemousse Rose. If I understand correctly, the rhubarb note either enhances the grapefruit in EdPR, or it acts as the grapefruit if amped up enough. In Rose Ikebana we see rose and rhubarb again, but the proportions are completely different. The rose is turned up much stronger, the rhubarb/grapefruit is turned down significantly. Some people see grapefruit here instead of rhubarb, and I think that is understandable. To me, the rose is nice, but I am not really sure the rhubarb integration does anything for me; it drags it down a notch in my mind.

27th January, 2012.

To be worn when feigning innocence.

15th January, 2012. (Last Edited: 29th January, 2012.)

Very pretty & well-crafted but somehow fails to grab my attention.

It can't just be that it has less longevity than you would expect for the price - after all, I fell passionately in love with Chanel's 28 La Pausa and that doesn't last much longer - so maybe it's just a bit too well-behaved: it has no surprises.

It's pretty, but not beautiful. If you want a rose my advice would be to go for something a bit more grown-up.

5th August, 2011.

Very nice yet ridicilously overpriced rose fragrance. It's very simple, cheery and beautiful, and very much on the feminine side. Hard for me to imagine this one on a man, but to each his own.

Perfectly balanced supporting sweet and green notes makes the rose smell very fresh and ripe, and the overall impression is very vital and positive. Little sunshine and ringing laughter, bottled, right in here.

21st March, 2011.

Rose Ikebana seems to be a previous test that Hermés did with a vegetal flowery aroma surrounded by just a pinch of leather, something that they would go a little bit deeper 4 years later with Kelly Caleche. If you remove the powdery aroma of iris and the leather purse sensation that the base gives you, you have Rose Ikebana. It`s a lovely fruity rose fragrance, that doesn`t seem so strong, but doesn`t seem either so fleshless as some of the Hermessence fragrances, like Paprika Brasil for instance. Rose Ikebana starts slightly citrus, then you have a vaguely fruity aroma. The rose shows up fast, and it`s a tea rose aroma, with just a touch of clove that gives the rose accord a warm detail that fades soon. When all the evolution finishes, you get for the rest of the day a musky rose, a chic and harmless one. If you like Kelly Caleche except for the leather aroma, i strongly recommend you this one.

24th January, 2011.

Smells more like green mangoes than roses, in fact it's very similar to Un Jardin Sur Le NIl if one is to do a wrist test of both fragrances. They are both from Hermes. Anyone who uses Hermes fragrances and products knows that the Hermessences line costs 3 times more than the regular Hermes fragrances. There are lots of people who would be willing to pay the price but for those who want to save a lot, I would suggest to get Un Jardin Sur le Nil, instead of this one. No one can tell the difference which one you are wearing; trust me on this one. The savings you would get from getting Un Jardin is more than enough to buy a 100 ml of Terre d' Hermes which should be on everyone's list.

17th May, 2010.