Un Jardin sur le Nil (2005)
by Hermès

An explosion of summery loveliness; green mangoes, florals, breezy and chic. Quite an abstract composition with a bit of complexity, part synthetic and part as natural as sliced watermelon. The dry-down on my skin veers more towards musk than woods, which is a plus for warm-weather scents. In fact, it blooms quietly in hot weather, with close sillage and admirable persistence for something that seems so brittle. It's similar in vibe to some of the other Les Jardin perfumes, especially Sur Le Toit, but is still utterly unique. A pleasure to wear in summer, and sometimes a burst of joy in the dead of winter.

4/5

The light mix of citrus - mainly a light grapefruit-style one - with a mango - again not sweet - creates a fresh feeling, but the mange is a bit in the in the background on my skin.

The drydown has a hint of while florals in it, which is given a green slant, whilst the base developed a herbal line that is rounded off with a sycamore-style impression that sees it to the end.

I get moderate sillage, adequate projection and five hours of longevity on my skin.

The top notes are the best feature of this summery creation. Their drawback is their synthetic nature, an the whole development for beginning to end is characterised by its aroma-chemical character. Additionally, after the opening notes it becomes very generic, linear, and lacks any texture or depth. Still, the top notes are passable. 2.75

This one doesn't really do anything for me. The carrot note reminds me of the dirt accord in Terre d'Hermes. But, unlike TdH I feel like none of the other notes balance it well. Does it smell like a vegetable garden? Yes. Is that a good thing? For me, no. I've tried better earthy fragrances, this just reminds me of a grandma.

This one starts off with a bang and then kind of goes off the rails for me.

The grapefruit and green mango are explosive at first. The grapefruit is pretty impressive, and I was kind of wowed by it. Very fresh, very vibrant, but not overly synthetic, as many grapefruit scents tend to be in fragrances. I can smell the lotus, which I have always enjoyed the smell of, and it works well in the composition. The sycamore -- not something I smell too often -- gives this a nice base, and rather than smelling like a garden, this reminds me more of smelling a fresh mango and grapefruit while standing in the middle of the woods (no fir trees). That said, here's where my issue lies: the frankincense gives this a funky vibe that just doesn't jive well with the other notes. Outside of the frankincense, this is so green and so fresh, but that incense note seems to pollute the others. I really think that Ellena was trying to replicate what he did with Terre d'Hermes (2006); take a fresh citrus and then combine it with an earthy/dirty feel. Terre d'Hermes did it with oranges and the smell of wet rocks and a dirty ashtray (that's how I've always found it to smell), and this is trying it with citrus and incense, and it just doesn't work the same.

Terre d'Hermes was never one of my favorites, though I own it and appreciate it, and I think the crowd that this would fit would be the same one that likes Terre d'Hermes. Though I believe he is trying to ply the same formula here, it's not working out as well. If this didn't have that odd frankincense base, I would give it a thumbs up, as I really enjoy everything other than the incense in this scent. But as it does have a base that just seems out of place to me, I have to give it a neutral.

Mango and grapefruit make for an unusual, lovely top combo. A refreshing fruit mix. Then, green bitter, sour sun-drops. Lotus & calamus sparkle here. A faraway garden dappled in midday sun. The sycamore note here is a good, woody note. It doesn't seem to cover up the "garden" accord - it adds to it. Incense isn't noticeable for me. UJSLN is summery without a doubt.