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Hermès - Eau d'Hermès

post #1 of 12
9/1/06 at 4:50am
Thread Starter 
I just recently tried this one and immediately fell in love. This is what I expected Frederic Malle Cologne Bigarade to be (haven't tried Bigarade Concentrée). My decant of CB is empty now so I can't compare more than by memory, but the citrus opening of Eau d'Hermès is very very close to what CB gave me. In Eau d'Hermès we also get the sweaty body I've been promised to find in CB but never really did... Cummin they say and I agree, but I also tend to focus on a note I'd like to say is cinnamon.

Eau d'Hermès isn't that long lived, but I think I can manage to live with that whe it gives out a way more full bodied expression when compared to Cologne Bigarade (and also lasts longer). It keeps it's glory all the way down into drydown. The last fragrance to evoke as clear pictures and memories as this one does was Vétiver Extraordinaire. I love many more, but up to this point no other fragrance than VE could set me into child hood forests with such a precision. Well, I don't end up in a forest with Eau d'Hermès either, but I'm laying next to a heated body, wet and warm after a sudden run in the rain. And no ozon helping me out...

From what I've gained here I've realised that this one isn't the most loved one out there. Any one selling their bottle to me?

Oh, and do you think Jean-Claude Ellena could have had anything but Eau d'Hermès in his mind when designing his Cologne Bigarade? I really don't think so, when even editionsdeparfums.com says "Following on the pioneering work of Edmond Roudnitska [my words: creator of Eau d'Hermès], Jean-Claude Ellena based his innovative approach to eau de cologne on an essence of bitter orange which had never been used before."

I just wonder what he felt he added to this already amazing fragrance... I did love Cologne Bigarade but now feel that Eau d'Hermès outdoes CB on every single aspect.
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post #2 of 12
9/1/06 at 5:15am
intertesting, I will have to try some.
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post #3 of 12
9/1/06 at 6:06am
Thread Starter 
I noticed perfumebay.com is selling this one cheaply now and I also found some notes over there: labdanum, sandalwood, cedar, mosses, birch and cummin

That is not at all what I'm experiencing, it feels like a 180 degree turn. But in the very last bit of the drydown I feel incense coming in and that has to be the now mentioned labdanum. But the rest of the notes REALLY surpised me.

What I called cinnamon before might not be cinnamon after all, but it is a spice I connect to baked breads or buns (and no, it is something else besides cummin). Not really saffron, but arghh... I just have it on the tip of my tongue! My grandma always baked buns with this smell.
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post #4 of 12
9/1/06 at 6:20am
It´s a lovely fragrance, balanced to the point of madness - the composition comes across as a work of perfect engineerial and aesthetic genius. And after all this IS from the man who brought us Eau Sauvage...

Probably the only scent with cumin that is tolerable to my nose, even giving it a slightly sexual undertone that is great considering the rest of the overall clean, everyday notes. I also get a subtle sweetness that almost comes across as a pink bubblegum sort of smell...

Great, simple, classic flacon as well. Do seem to remember it lasted fairly well on me - but considering the longevity of other early Hermès releases - this is probably just wishful thinking on my behalf.

MMM
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post #5 of 12
9/1/06 at 7:08am
It's not cinnamon; it's cardamom.

And the longevity, while not great, can be deceptively good. The scent that Eau d'Hermès actually reminds me most of is Habit Rouge. Pretty much all of the same elements of Habit Rouge are there - citrus, vanilla, sandalwood, leather - but there are those vibrant exotic spices notes on top where Guerlain puts civet. I adore Eau d'Hermès. To me, it's like Kingdom Lite, with the animal-spicy madness balanced on top of such an otherwise pretty, well-mannered scent. And it's a scent that can be worn just about anywhere, anytime, with anything, in any season, by anyone.
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post #6 of 12
9/1/06 at 7:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Serpent

It's not cinnamon; it's cardamom.

There we have it! Good God did that ever take long to get right. You are so right... Thanks.
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post #7 of 12
9/1/06 at 7:29am
I do think that cardamom was a mistake on the part of the perfumer.
I would have used azahar instead! I think it goes better than cardamom, but the cardamom gives it a sharper, more edgier feel to it. The azahar would have contributed to the overall "happy" feel and also the longevity i think - but that's just me
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post #8 of 12
9/1/06 at 7:48am
I love this, and appreciate the fact that it is not dated by any means.

To me this smells like one specific cinnamon bubblegum I used to love as a child.
And, if this makes any sense, I take this as an gourmand take on Aramis Classic.
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post #9 of 12
9/1/06 at 8:00am
This Eau D' Hermes-- if it comes in a green bottle was my signature scent for an entire summer several years ago. Of course, post-basentoes-- it's all changed. This reminds me of a fresh, summery, clean scent. It has Edmond Roudnitska written all over it:-)
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post #10 of 12
9/1/06 at 8:20am
Eau d'Hermès comes in a clear flacon. Are you thinking perhpas of Eau d'Orange Verte, which comes in a green bottle the same shape as Eau d'Hermès' (Hiris has the same essential bottle but in cobalt) and used to be sold as Cologne d'Hermès?
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post #11 of 12
9/1/06 at 9:29am
I love this scent too. Like Serpent says, it's super versatile. I find it to be a sophisticated yet restrained in cool weather. But on a warm summer day, this scent feels decadent and over-ripe, like the fruity acetone scent the body emits after a night of heavy drinking and the rich, spicy scent of party platters found half-eaten in the morning. A bit like a pleasant, well-earned hangover.
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post #12 of 12
9/1/06 at 10:09am
What's really great is this stuff is regularly sold for under $30 for a 100 mL NIB bottle on eBay. That's insane! And the boxes comes with these cool little booklets that detail the seven accords and the notes in each, the history of the scent, the bottle, etc.

The seven accords from the booklet are:

Freshness (citrus): bergamot, petitgrain, lemon

Liveliness (aromatic herbs): sage, lavender

Audacity (spices): coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon

Subtlety (flowers): jasmine, geranium

Harmony (amber accord): vanilla, tonka bean, labdanum

Intesnity (woods): sandalwood, cedar, mosses

Tenacity (leather accord): birch, cumin
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