Un Jardin Après La Mousson (2008)
by Hermès

It has been a long time since I tried this fragrance. Without having taken a recording of my thoughts at the time, I ashamedly cannot present to you the list of notes which I perceived. But what I can categorically remember, is that I have no intention of ever trying this fragrance again as a means of being able to do so.

27th January, 2012.

Even fans of JC Ellena should pause and reflect on whether his acumen as a perfumer has not perhaps been diminished by too dogmatic a faith in the ideology of synthetic minimalism. Terre d'Hermès has proven what is possible, but I believe the Jardin series clearly shows the limits of this approach, as the grand nose's supposed gardens evoke nothing but sanitary and detergent products equipped with the default aromachemicals of functional perfumery. With Mousson this doomed enterprise hits rock bottom. Hermès has been known for making some of the most aesthetically repellent luxury wares ever (most of their ties are no sight for sore eyes), but the artisanry in terms of quality was always impeccable. Here, though, we have the banality of a melony aquatic, something Creed did (badly) as far back as the late 80s and which since has been regurgitated endlessly while sinking down to the lowest reaches of the $2,99 drugstore shelf - and M. Ellena's belated contribution to the genre would indeed sit proudly among air fresheners and shower gels.Perhaps he should visit more drugstores rather than travelling to Egypt or India for inspiration - it might convince him to get back to the drawing board and adapt his manifesto of perfume art to real-life olfactory contexts, rather than creating involuntary ready-mades.

26th January, 2012. (Last Edited: 8th February, 2012.)

I've never regarded UN JARDIN APRES LA MOUSSON as very melony at all, certainly not compared to Hilde Soliani DOPO TEATRO MANGIAMI, which is all melon all the time. Although there is a detectable melon-like quality in the opening of this J.-C. Ellena Hermès jardin composition, the peppery vetiver swiftly takes over and dominates the composition, which to my nose is quite dry for most of its life—in contrast to what I would have expected to smell dans un jardin après La Mousson.

I am somewhat amazed at the manifest detestation of this composition by so many reviewers, which leads me to believe, yet again, that how these relatively simple notes work together and express themselves varies quite a bit from wearer to wearer. Melon notes obviously amplify radically on some people's but not others' skin. Another possibility is that the melon note was so off-putting to some reviewers that they could not stomach a full wear and so never made it to the dry down. Others report having experienced melon from start to finish, so that note must be particularly salient on their skin. Many people have complained about what they take to be the “synthetic” melon note, but my understanding is that all fruit notes in perfumes are synthetic, so I guess that the substantive criticism is more that this one does not smell like fresh or real melon to them. I've smelled some pretty awful melon renditions myself, and comparatively speaking, this one smells pretty good to me—but it is rather evanescent.

That said, although I find it wearable and even somewhat pleasant under certain weather conditions, I cannot get very excited about this entry in the Hermès line-up. It certainly fits right in with the minimalist jardin series. In the end, when all is said and sniffed, I myself am more of a big luscious complex perfumey (à la 24 FAUBOURG, CALECHE, ELIXIR de MERVEILLES, etc.) kind of gal.

28th September, 2011.

With Après La Mousson, Elléna takes the Un Jardin series from the limp and inoffensive to the categorically lousy. A failure to exploit the jazzier possibilities here – cardamom, ginger, coriander, lime, pepper – and Ellena’s boasting of an especially loud cantaloupe note, means Après La Mousson is vapid and unpleasantly watery-sweet. This feels like it should be branded with the name of a female pop artist and consigned to the bargain bin.

1st August, 2011.

A modern and minimal fragrance for spring/summer season. The opening is spicy and fresh with bitter orange, pepper, and a tiny note of melon. It rapidly turns into a woody phase then In the drydown I get a stronger melon with vetiver and hints of pepper and cardamom. Surely not a masterpiece or something I would never buy a FB of, but it's somehow nice. If you're into light aquatic scents this could be a good option as while beeing fresh it doesn't belong to the generic "sport editions" category.

11th April, 2011.

i have read all the Bad reviews aBout it
and to Be honest im fiending for more

i tried this at an official hermes retailer

i applied it, and my first imppresion was neutral
i was like ok , we all know jean claude ellena and hermes fragrances are exotic
and might not make you fall in love at first sniff
as my experience with terre d'hermes, first time i smelled it
i was like what the funk is this, Burn ruBBer came to my mind
2nd time i morBidly tried it, i started to like it
By the 3rd time i had to Buy the Bottle, it grew on me

But this one, i don't think so, this is not happening with this one
i started to perceive a pink , sweet, penetrating, cloying note, that reminded me of old lady and something that i had smelled Before
hours kept passin, and it was still strong
sillage is atomic, and i didn't get to the 5th hour with this is my skin
But i know longevity is good Because i went through a struggle trying to wash it off, first tried with soap and it didn't dissapear, then i tried with alcohol and a piece of cotton, and the smell was still there
i finally used detergent and finally got rid off of that stinkyness in my skin.

i wouldn't even enjoy this on a girl

29th March, 2011.