L'Eau De Hesperides by Diptyque, 2008

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.

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.