Terre D'Hermes Pure Perfume Review

Despite some of the early reviews that announced Terre D'Hermes as the "death of a perfume house" and "lemon dishwater", I think in the few years since its release, it has held its own nicely (I wrote a very long, tangential review of it in the directory). It's one of those scents that is very conceptual and simple-- no musks at all, minimal composition, all the notes can be easily smelled, very unusual aspects of minerals and flint.

I came to find that Terre D'Hermes was also a scent that suited me personally. I got a lot of compliments on it from people at work and from girls that I've dated. This scent is rugged, deep, outdoorsy and most importantly doesn't smell like it's trying too hard. It's unusually hairy-chested for a fresh scent.

The truth is-for me personally- I like my sillage to remain close to me. I like my fragrance to accomplish what I call "the brush"-- which is where somebody only smells my cologne when they have to brush past me-- and in that moment, and only for that second or two, they get the full effect. Terre D'Hermes EDT is perfect-- it smells great, has great longevity and I find that it has good sillage on me--not too strong, but just right. My bottle was getting down to the last 10-15% and I realized that I may actually finish a bottle of something in my lifetime, which is kind of impressive considering how big my drobe is and how conservatively I apply. So I was going to have to get more Terre D'Hermes anyway.

I heard that Terre D'Hermes was released in a Parfum version. I initially misunderstood EDPs to be even more boisterous in the sillage department and I thought they weren't for me. Then I discovered Guerlain's L'Instant De Guerlain Pour Homme Extreme Eau de Parfum-- when I wore it I found it was actually deeper and stronger--yet gave off less unwanted sillage to the far corners of the room. It stayed closer, but kept more of an intensity within a close range.

So enter the Terre D'Hermes Pure Perfume... well, it's not a huge departure from the EDT in terms of smell--I do get the new minty shiso note right off the bat (it does bolster the strangely addictive orange juice and toothpaste combo--it almost comes off a bit like tomato leaf) , and I detect a bit more of a woody-amber base (something like karanal, perhaps). The tagline is something about a "new density" and I agree-- it seems more tightly packed than the breezy EDT. The Parfum seems to have less pepper but more geranium--comparing them side by side, the EDT smells SO much more peppery.

I wore it to the dentist today and I was thrilled at the way it stayed close to my skin. This is exactly how I like my scents to wear. I already felt like Terre D'Hermes was an extension of my personality--now the Pure Perfume version gives it the right kind of energy as well. I can still see myself wearing the EDT at times, but I think the Pure Perfume is going to replace it in the rotation. I also think the close wearing, yet smoldering intensity of the Perfume is going to be better for wearing in romantic situations.

I haven't had a lot of time yet to fully experience Terre D'Hermes Pure Perfume, but right now it seems like a hit.

Blame Canada.

I was wearing it all day and I think that there is a slight green quality (smells like cis-3-hexenol, but it could be the shiso). I tested the EDT on the other arm and I did notice the EDT seemed to expose the iso E super after a while the Perfume did not--it seems built on a different kind of ambery wood base, to my nose.

It's weird stepping back from an EDP/Parfum to an EDT-- I remember that I always thought L'Instant de Guerlain PH EDT was rich and satisfying--never had any issues--until I got a bottle of the EDP and then when I went back to the EDT I found it almost flimsy and spineless. I don't know if I'll feel this way about Terre D'Hermes yet.

One thing though, I don't know if I like the slightly humid green note of the Perfume all that much. One of the things that I always remarked on about TdH was that it smelled very black and white, with all the greys in between-- like an Ansel Adams nature photo-- somehow more expressive without color. The Perfume seems to get away from that purity a little.

But yep, I do think there's something about the way this Perfume sits on the skin that would make it good for a date or for a romp. The thing about TdH is that it doesn't contain musk-- instead it integrates with and adds to the wearer's own chemistry, which gives it a kind of authentic, personal quality. It's kind of like the word "terre" relates to "terrain" in wine terms-- you may be wearing a store-bought cologne but it works with your skin's own "terroir" so to speak. It gives more of a "living" quality.

I also noticed that both the EDT and Perfume list Oakmoss, but the Perfume does not list tree moss, which is in the EDT. The moss doesn't smell especially prominent to my nose--perhaps the EDT is more mossy? I think it's very easy to sniff the EDT and pick out every note that's listed in the pyramid-- not so much with the Perfume--It's much more condensed and compressed.

Wonder if they'd then go the other way and create a Terre D'Hermes Cologne...

I usually go pretty conservative. The reason being that I often apply scents not long after a shower, and my warm skin tends to create a lot of sillage.

Some days when I decide to put my shower off until later in the day, I can get away with more sprays.

With Terre D'Hermes EDP, I normally go 1 or 2 sprays under my shirt and it lasts forever. I typically use the same application on the EDT as well.

My typical application of anything is 1-3 sprays under the shirt, and then I keep a tiny decant of my SOTD in my pocket if I want to refresh at some point during the day. If I want to apply to my neck or wrists, I dab from the decant-- I never spray directly to my neck. This way I never have to front-load my SOTD in the morning.

Well, Zerby kind of exhumed this thread from April, but nice timing -- Terre D'Hermes Parfum just happened to be my scent of the day today and it went over well. One of my female coworkers came up to me, right when I got to work and pressed herself into me, inhaling my chest. A male coworker asked me what cologne I was wearing. They liked it.

Again, it's different from the EDT in some ways, but I like it a lot. Again, the parfum has a different balance of notes, with maybe more emphasis on a somewhat synthetic (but not in a bad way) fixative woody amber base (where the EDT relies more on vetiver in the base). Different kind of density.