L'Eau de Hesperides (2008)
by Diptyque

For me, the opening combines zesty and sweet aspects of orange. At first, it felt very synthetic, reminding me of the smell of orange baby aspirin, but with subsequent wearings, that impression went away. I don't get a celery note, per se, and I am aware of that note in other scents (e.g., Bond no 9, Wall Street). I do get the impression of a measure of saltiness. I am not sure what that comes from. The notes, per Luckyscent are as follows:

bitter orange, mandarin, lemon, petitgrain, aromatic herbs, red thyme, rosemary, peppermint, everlasting flower [immortelle], cedarwood, white musk

I really don't tune into peppermint, immortelle or really much of anything herbal. I suppose my impression of saltiness (and others of celery) is from the herbal accords.

This is not my citrus of choice, but I don't think it is a bad scent at all. I am giving it a thumbs up.

I will whole-heartedly agree with the summation of each of the previous three reviews, but my stance is quite different. There is definately celery... from beginning to end there is a translucent and fibrous effect that could possibly be the combination of certain herbal traits, but in the end you get a mental picture of....... a wonderful bloody mary! This could possibly be the closest olfactory equivalent to playing a round of golf with a couple of your closest friends. There is a hint of freshly cut grass, a hint of salt, and astrigency that could easily be a metaphor for the acid in tomatoes. I can even detect a bit of earth loam seeping up through the bottom. The opening is extremely citric and clean, but as it wears off there is a dirty edge that is both gorgeous and a bit repulsive at the same time. As it dries down the dirtiness becomes even more succinct... I am now on the ninth hole, with a couple of salty cocktails in my belly, splashes of pond water creeping up the hems of my pants, and quite a bit of turf scattered about my arms and chest. I might not be the best golfer on the course, but damn am I enjoying myself. I could never lend it the credence to make it an everyday scent, but it is fun in its unique dirty/freshness and peculiar approach with herbs. Definately worth a try, and I will surely edit once I actually wear it out for a round and can guage experience next to illusion.

Hoos’ review is pretty spot on and I do agree that the celery (salt) note is the main thing about the composition that spoilt my enjoyment of it, as the drydown was quite unbecoming on my skin. On first impressions, however, L'Eau de Hesperides smelt like a cologne version of Oyédo, with the celery (salt) note replacing the thyme and florals notes.

For those who felt that Oyédo was a bit too much, this may be a very good substitute. Well, that’s if you don’t mind the celery (salt) note...

[Original submission date: 26 September 2008]

Listed notes: bitter orange, mandarin, lemon, petitgrain, red thyme, and African rosemary.

The salty celery-like note is prominent, but I don’t have as much patience with it as the other reviewers appear to have. The listed notes do not say “celery” but they do identify thyme and rosemary – the combination of which might very well smell like celery, and the herbal note in the opening and heart certainly smells like celery to me. Regardless of its proper label, I dislike it and it overwhelms everything else in the fragrance, leaving no saving grace. L'Eau des Hespérides is quite too unpleasantly herbal / acrid / salty for me. It might have good sillage and longevity, but I wouldn’t know – I scrubbed it off long before I could tell for sure.

L'Eau de Hesperides seems aptly named, as there are three distinct notes to this scent: orange/citrus, celery, and floral notes.

The scent bursts out in a wonderful juicy, orange fragrance that quickly disappears. But it reappears periodically throughout the life of the fragrance - very lightly and very fleeting.

Next, most notable, interesting, and bothersome is celery. Perhaps celery salt, as there is a note of saltiness to it. But it's strong and long-lasting. This is the predominant note throughout the life of this fragrance. Which is why it's bothersome. The celery scent could have been toned down a little.

A couple of hours into it, though, a truly "floral" note becomes noticeable. It's not sweet, it's not "a" flower, but it's floral. Floral in the way that a bouquet of flowers can scent a room - not in the sense of sticking your nose into the bouquet. It's interesting and is a floral I would love to wear. But it seems to be overwhelmed by the celery.

The best way of describing this is being a in a field of predominantly Queen Anne's Lace and with patches of wild flowers.

The scent is beautifully made, interesting, and lively. It will take a second testing to see if this is bottle-worthy. It may not be a scent for me, but it is beautiful.