Hermès Scents

[tehtimmeh]

The orange Vertes (Eau and Concentree) were good but awfully fleeting, so I sent them off as well.

Just got back from the mall with the Mrs. and I sprayed Eau d'Orange Verte on the wrist to give it a test run. Smelled pretty nice. I am now home 30 minutes later and it's gone. Aventus is the fleet king and lasts longer than this stuff.

Anyone else notice this one serious lacking in the longevity department?

 

[StylinLA]

Just got back from the mall with the Mrs. and I sprayed Eau d'Orange Verte on the wrist to give it a test run. Smelled pretty nice. I am now home 30 minutes later and it's gone. Aventus is the fleet king and lasts longer than this stuff.

Anyone else notice this one serious lacking in the longevity department?

I have not tired it myself, but that's one of the citrus scents at Basenotes that is beloved for the scent, but loathed and pissed on for longevity.

 

[DavyRay]

...
Eau d'Hermes has some sort of cult following as a kind of borderline "nasty" scent in the same vein as Kouros. Let us know if you try it.

I dig Eau de Hermes.

WOW! A cult! Count me in.

 

[nEver-Ready]

Just got back from the mall with the Mrs. and I sprayed Eau d'Orange Verte on the wrist to give it a test run. Smelled pretty nice. I am now home 30 minutes later and it's gone. Aventus is the fleet king and lasts longer than this stuff.

Anyone else notice this one serious lacking in the longevity department?

Yes, it smells wonderful for a few minutes and then is gone. If it was not so expensive, I may be able to justify frequent reapplications throughout the day...

 

[justinp]

Eau d'Hermes has some sort of cult following as a kind of borderline "nasty" scent in the same vein as Kouros. Let us know if you try it.

I have a small (2 ml) decant of vintage Eau d'Hermes (apparently there was a reformulation a few years back, though BN reviewers are split as to whether it made any real difference). I got it off of Mudassir's site after reading about the whole "nasty" vibe. I like those.

Unfortunately, I'm not too keen on it. Huge honkin' cumin note kinda ruins it for me. It's funny, the usual rap on cumin is that it smells like armpit or something. Which it doesn't to me. But it definitely does smell like a pot of chili. Or taco meat. Which is absolutely not something I want to smell like, and once my brain made that association it just hasn't been able to let go of it. If anyone wants to give it a shot, I'd trade it for a similar sized sample of something interesting. PM me.

 

[The Chandos]

I have a small (2 ml) decant of vintage Eau d'Hermes (apparently there was a reformulation a few years back, though BN reviewers are split as to whether it made any real difference). I got it off of Mudassir's site after reading about the whole "nasty" vibe. I like those.

Unfortunately, I'm not too keen on it. Huge honkin' cumin note kinda ruins it for me. It's funny, the usual rap on cumin is that it smells like armpit or something. Which it doesn't to me. But it definitely does smell like a pot of chili. Or taco meat. Which is absolutely not something I want to smell like, and once my brain made that association it just hasn't been able to let go of it. If anyone wants to give it a shot, I'd trade it for a similar sized sample of something interesting. PM me.

+1, I just got Cumin. It's an Eau, so it's all citrus for a few minutes then a handful of taco meat, well put. I don't find it as off-putting as Kouros, but more importantly, I don't find it as Interesting as Kouros, either. For stinky stinks, Kouros trumps Eau d'Hermes.

I got really into the Hermes line a while back and was not overly impressed. That said, vintage Bel Ami is one of the best ever. In fact, I sometimes think it's a Dior or an old YSL or something. I forget that it's an Hermes. But I do love some Equipage and actually prefer the recent formulation over the vintage (not a whole lot of difference, just a shift of emphasis from the top notes to the middle). I really like Vetiver Tonka but I don't think it's worth the price, there are better vetivers in that price range.

 

[joshmpdx]

+1, I just got Cumin. It's an Eau, so it's all citrus for a few minutes then a handful of taco meat, well put. I don't find it as off-putting as Kouros, but more importantly, I don't find it as Interesting as Kouros, either. For stinky stinks, Kouros trumps Eau d'Hermes.

I got really into the Hermes line a while back and was not overly impressed. That said, vintage Bel Ami is one of the best ever. In fact, I sometimes think it's a Dior or an old YSL or something. I forget that it's an Hermes. But I do love some Equipage and actually prefer the recent formulation over the vintage (not a whole lot of difference, just a shift of emphasis from the top notes to the middle). I really like Vetiver Tonka but I don't think it's worth the price, there are better vetivers in that price range.

Fascinating Chris, I always love reading your thoughts!

 

[Masterkova]

I own and love Eau d'Orange Verte, Bel Ami, Eau d'Hermes and Terre d'Hermes.

I also like Eau de Gentiane Blanche and Osmanthe Yunnan - but have yet to commit to full bottles.

 

[Aaron01]

WOW! A cult! Count me in.

We actually have a secret handshake.

 

[tehtimmeh]

+1, I just got Cumin. It's an Eau, so it's all citrus for a few minutes then a handful of taco meat, well put. I don't find it as off-putting as Kouros, but more importantly, I don't find it as Interesting as Kouros, either. For stinky stinks, Kouros trumps Eau d'Hermes.

I got really into the Hermes line a while back and was not overly impressed. That said, vintage Bel Ami is one of the best ever. In fact, I sometimes think it's a Dior or an old YSL or something. I forget that it's an Hermes. But I do love some Equipage and actually prefer the recent formulation over the vintage (not a whole lot of difference, just a shift of emphasis from the top notes to the middle). I really like Vetiver Tonka but I don't think it's worth the price, there are better vetivers in that price range.

Citrus and taco meat does not sound like something I want to be wearing. I live in Austin where there's a taco stand on every corner. I can run into any number of local joints and come out smelling like tacos at any given point in time.

So far Bel Ami has my vote for top Hermes, but I haven't tried them all.

 

[Benaminh]

Just got back from the mall with the Mrs. and I sprayed Eau d'Orange Verte on the wrist to give it a test run. Smelled pretty nice. I am now home 30 minutes later and it's gone. Aventus is the fleet king and lasts longer than this stuff.

Anyone else notice this one serious lacking in the longevity department?

Yes, it smells wonderful for a few minutes and then is gone. If it was not so expensive, I may be able to justify frequent reapplications throughout the day...

That's just the nature of petitgrain and neroli/orange flower essential oil. Hence, they are always used as top notes. You're better off buying the following cheap cologne waters from drugstores and enjoying them as hydrosols.

 

[Aaron01]

Citrus and taco meat does not sound like something I want to be wearing. I live in Austin where there's a taco stand on every corner. I can run into any number of local joints and come out smelling like tacos at any given point in time.

So far Bel Ami has my vote for top Hermes, but I haven't tried them all.

I don't get any "taco meat," but YMMV.

I get a blast of citrus, cumin and civet on the open, drying down to a base of lavender, vanilla and leather with the ghosts of the topnotes coming back every so often. I find bodyheat enhances it, probably due to the animalic notes.

If EdH is too "much," you could always opt for Eau Sauvage, which is supposed to be a more tamed version of the beast

 

[tehtimmeh]

I don't get any "taco meat," but YMMV.

I get a blast of citrus, cumin and civet on the open, drying down to a base of lavender, vanilla and leather with the ghosts of the topnotes coming back every so often. I find bodyheat enhances it, probably due to the animalic notes.

If EdH is too "much," you could always opt for Eau Sauvage, which is supposed to be a more tamed version of the beast

Yikes! I don't like Eau Savage at all. I'll try the EdH.

 

[Aaron01]

Yikes! I don't like Eau Savage at all. I'll try the EdH.

I don't remember it well enough to give an opinion as I haven't tried it many years. The 2 scents probably share quite a few structural similarities however....

 

[The Chandos]

I don't get any "taco meat," but YMMV.

I get a blast of citrus, cumin and civet on the open, drying down to a base of lavender, vanilla and leather with the ghosts of the topnotes coming back every so often. I find bodyheat enhances it, probably due to the animalic notes.

If EdH is too "much," you could always opt for Eau Sauvage, which is supposed to be a more tamed version of the beast

To be fair, nothing about Eau d'Hermes really reminds me of taco meat. Bottom line is that the cumin really stands out and just doesn't get back in line. Not on me anyway. It's like an Eau that should've been designed by Lutens, or something.

If you take the cumin out, perhaps it'll smell like Eau Sauvage, but I've never really considered it. My quick response is that they don't smell at all alike, EdH & ES, but perhaps they do. I think Eau Sauvage is the epitome of Eau's, it's one of my summertime go-to fragrances! Love me some ES, but just can't see the link to EdH.

 

[tehtimmeh]

It definitely looks like EdH is a polarizing scent which makes it all the more intriguing.

 

[Aaron01]

It definitely looks like EdH is a polarizing scent which makes it all the more intriguing.

IMO, it's because of the heavy animalic notes (civet, castoreum, cumin adds to it as well). Some have compared EdH to a tiger who was sprayed with Eau d'Orange Verte, it's probably not far off, and I mean that in a good way.

 

[Koken]

My personal favorites from Hermes are Equipage & vintage Bel Ami, both have a touch of leather and have great longevity...

 

[BRuhling]

I really like Vetiver Tonka but I don't think it's worth the price, there are better vetivers in that price range.

Chris, while I respect your nose, and always enjoy your thoughts on fragrances, I must say I think you've got quite the understatement here. Vetiver Tonka is a well made scent, but it's NOT a vetiver. VT is much more aptly described as a soliflore-ish tonka bean scent... I tried it and immediately looked for a place to PIF my sample as it was simply not what it purports to be (e.g., a vetiver fragrance).

Overall, I've been disappointed with most of the Hermes scents. As much as I want to like them, they seem to lack some complexity compared to many other offerings in the same price range, and most do not have any legs on me. That said, I will acknowledge that I have not spent any real time exploring the vintage formulations...

 

[tehtimmeh]

and most do not have any legs on me. That said, I will acknowledge that I have not spent any real time exploring the vintage formulations...

Vintage or not, I'd be surprised if Bel Ami did not pound on just about anyone. Stuff lasts quite a while for me.