40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Brand Reviews
Day 16, Hermes
Tussah: I ‘m not sure how it happened. When I was a young hippie-chick in college I somehow got on the mailing list and received a copy of the elegant, colorful Hermes scarf catalog. So there I was in my patched, embroidered hip-hugger jeans, wearing my embroidered suede belt & sitting at my desk in a room full of Yes posters, falling in love with the beautiful scarves that I couldn’t afford.
At some point in a week (for way too many weeks) I would go through that catalog & choose myself a “scarf of the week” instead of studying like I was supposed to. I was taking textile arts classes at the time & we would scavenge at dime & thrift stores for just the right scarf/bandana to wear with our long straight hair. I still like that look. But I could see, even just from the pictures, that Hermes was quality. Wikipedia lists Hermes first scarf as being produced in 1928 & since 1937 they have produced over 25,000 scarf designs. I could say that I got as much enjoyment out of looking at those pictures as owning a gorgeous Hermes scarf, but that would be a stretch.
Hermes fragrances are also some of the most beautiful, quality products available. My personal favorites are Ambre narguile (in the Hermessence series) and Un Jardin sur le nil. Both are lovely, but at two ends of the fragrance spectrum. Ambre narguile is a very comforting, warm, wearable amber, starting out with a cinnamon note that reminds me of warm bakery, but not in an overly foody way. The drydown is sweet, woody and dry. It is a luscious, delicious fragrance that is perfect for fall & winter.
In contrast, Un Jardin sur le nil is fresh & green with lovely floral & basenotes. The opening notes are green mango and grapefruit , with middle notes of calamus and lotus and basenotes of sycamore & frankincense. This fragrance is lovely year-round, but spectacular for spring and summer. Hermes covers the seasons of the year with these two truly amazing fragrances.
Annieytown: Rose Ikebana is a rose based scent with notes of peony, magnolia, pink peppercorn, zest of grapefruit, rhubarb and vanilla honey. The official description states that it is a rose tea scent. It actually does remind me of my beloved rose tea from Takashimaya. It feels like you have received a dozen fresh roses while sipping on the best pot of tea you ever had. Throw in some warm sun and you have the essence of Ikebana.
The grapefruit note is on low volume in Ikebana. It appears crisp, sparkling and bright but it does not distract from the other notes.
It is a zesty and snappy fragrance.
It is a bottle filled with good cheer and hopefulness.
You can not be in a bad mood when you wear it.
I generally wear it during the first week of spring and the hot days of summer.
Hopefully those days are coming.
I can not handle another snowfake.
Photos: Cavewoman and Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: The products were purchased by the reviewers.
Labels: 40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Brands, Ceil Reviews, Product Purchase, Tussah Reviews
posted by Annieytown @ 7:45 PM
10 Inspired Comments
10 Inspired Comments:
Tussah, what a great review! I am picturing you as a hippie with your 60's garb!
Annie, I must try Rose Ikebana again!
My favorite Hermes is Caleche. Again another story involving my Mom, who had some currency to use up before returning home from a trip to Europe. She spent the currency on a bottle of Caleche for me. She had read that Elizabeth Taylor wore Caleche. Good enough reason to try!
Michael Edwards categorizes Caleche as a chypre! Countess Jan Moran calls Caleche a floral aldehyde. I get the aldehyde because opening notes do have that similar metallic top note feeling of Chanel No. 5 to me. Mid notes are florals of rose and jasmine, and the base is primarily woods and oakmoss. Very elegant, sophisticated, worldly. I'm none of those things, but I could be, when I'm wearing Caleche.
Definitely Eau d' Orang Vert! I bought it for my husband, and cannot help but steal some occasionally. I also bought the little towelettes in the same scent - you can get them at Hermes or Sephora, and I absolutely adore them for travel, just to freshen up. A nice crisp, citrusy scent. Think Italian coast in the summer time.
My favorite fragrances by Hermes are polar opposites--Eau de Merveilles which reminds me of a beach as filmed by Ingmar Bergman--grey, subdued, wistful--my other favorite is 24 Faubourg--to my nose it's an exclamation point on the brightest day of spring.
cheers, sara
ps Patti--I think you should edit your comment--you are VERY elegant, sophisticated, and worldly. :-)
Sara, that bottle of 24, Faubourg that you see in the photo is my third bottle! I love that one too.
Whenever I come to NY and hang out with my chic friends, (you know who I mean! You're one of them!) I feel very country-bumpkinny. I think I just invented a word.
But thank you for the compliment, it means so much coming from you, my lovely friend!
Ah, Hermes. Even the sound of the name or seeing it in print makes me feel great.
My favorite product: no doubt it's scarves. I treasure my very few Hermes scarves, and they make any outfit spectacular. I always mourn the ones that get away, but I look forward to the new releases, too.
But for fragrance, it's Eau des Merveilles for me. It was love at first sniff, and I promptly bought the spray, lotion and even the deodorant. I've repurchased many times, and now two of my employees have take up the scent, as well. It's the ultimate sophisticated fragrance to my untrained nose, and, like the scarves, it makes me feel more polished than I really am.
Patti, my twin, your stories are such gems every single day. I am so looking forward to the next letter of the alphabet!
Oh my gosh. I just figured out something weird. I received a sample of Bond's Bryant Park today and just this minute applied it and loved it. Now I know why--it's the twin sister to Eau des Merveilles on my skin. It's not an identical twin, but it's definitely a twin. Anybody else experience this?
Thank you, Miss Manners My Twin, for the lovely compliments.
I do not have any of that Hermes to try, but I surely will next time I see it!
Caleche Eau Delicate is absolutely lovely! I wear it on weekends year-round, but it's also great for every day in spring and summer.
Old age made me senile yesterday. Of course the lovely sample Alesha sent me smelled like Eau des Merveilles. It WAS Merveilles--the
Elixir rather than the EDP. That's what I had begged Alesha for.
As Emily Litella would say back in the day, "Never mind."
d'ont forget the most fantastic Hermes fragrance: AMAZONE (vintage version).
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