To be quite honest, as time has passed, my love for designer fragrances has grown exponentially. I place all the blame on a certain friend of mine who will remain nameless. If you haven't yet explored the world of fragrances, I suggest you take a look. I was browsing the selection at my local Nordstrom, and the manager of the fragrance department began asking me questions about my preferences, and paired me up with the perfect fragrances. When I had made my decision, she told me actual history about the perfumer who designed it, the notes within, and even interesting information about the bottle itself. I am just a lightweight, but hopefully as time goes on, my collection of fragrances will grow to match my collection of sunglasses, scarves, etc. It would have been nice to have this post up before Father's day, as they would have made fine gifts, but better late than never.
So, on to the fragrance department. Any lover of fashion can pick out the best fashion houses in the world. Of course Dior, Chanel, and Balenciaga come to mind, but it's Hermès that really puts class and utter luxury in the fashion game today. I'm sure we've all heard of the elusive Birkin and Kelly bags, and many of us would give our right arm to snag one -- but until we can save up a couple thousand dollars and get our names on that waitlist, we'll have to work with what we've got. Hermès fragrances are amazing, and an easy way to had the Hermès lifestyle to your own life, at a fraction of the cost.
Eau d'Orange Verte: This was my first Hermès fragrance purchase. I much prefer citrus fragrances to more woodsy ones -- even in the wintertime! And Eau d'Orange ("orange" should have given it away) is no exception. The citrus notes really shine through in this one. It's quite light, and fades a bit too quickly for my personal tastes, but I've begun layering it with Terre d'Hermès, so it lasts a bit longer. Searching around on Basenotes, I've found that the general consensus is positive for Eau d'Orange Verte. And it's unisex, so you can get one to share with your lover, brother, sister, daddy, mama, etc.
Terre d'Hermès: Two weeks after purchasing Eau d'Orange Verte, I ran back to the mall to purchase another. I was hooked on Hermès, and just couldn't get enough. I'm going to be honest for a second, and say that when I first smelled Terre d'Hermès (on one of those paper test strips), I was completely turned off. But that orange "H" pulled me in! I sprayed a bit on my wrist, and let it sit for a while. While I didn't buy it that day at the store, I spent pretty much the rest of that entire day sniffing my wrist because it smelled so good! Now Smell This describes it as follows: The vegetable and mineral juice, made without animal by-products or musk, sparkles with orange (specifically formulated for Hermès by Albert Vieille) and grapefruit that blends with flint for a mineral note, and combines with pepper, bay rose, geranium, patchouli, benzoin and vetiver around the central note of Atlas cedar to enhance its Earthly tones. My citrus fragrance loving self couldn't get enough of this. There is a definite grapefruit/mango scent that comes through, with a strong prevalence of orange. It came as no surprise to me to find out that the Fragrance Foundation awarded Terre d'Hermès as the best Luxe men's fragrance in 2007. But aside from the delicious scent itself, there is so much history behind this one fragrance. It was designed by famed Hermès perfumer Jean Claude Ellena, and the bottle itself was meant to portray a combination of the elements. Escentual aptly describes Terre d'Hermès as being "for the man who has his feet firmly on the ground, but his head is in the stars." I couldn't agree more!
