Perfume Diary: Hermes Eau des Merveilles Eau de Toilette

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Lately I've been a tad preoccupied with expanding my fragrance wardrobe. Part of it has to do with being bed bound a lot, I might not wear makeup most days but I can still spritz on a new scent and sniff at myself contently while utterly exhausting my Netflix queue. I've been fascinated with fragrances with salty notes, so Hermes Eau des Merveilles seemed like a good choice because hey, there's got to be a reason why it's popular, right?

Look at the bottle! I think it's quite beautiful, the precariously tilted bottle adorned with bubbles. The color and the look make me expect a fizzy, sparkling citrus opener. I didn't get any of that, at all. Upon first spritz, I immediately pick out pink pepper and sort of muddled wood. Though composed without major floral notes, I detect something powdery and floral. This was so completely different from what I was expecting that I rechecked the label to make sure I had the right perfume. Right around there, the briny salt water note appears. It's quite heavy, nothing like a warm night on the beach where brackish breezes swirl around you. It's not lighthearted and delightful like other reviewers report.

After about twenty minutes, something goes decidedly wrong. That salty marine note? Suddenly it's pungent and animalic. What had been interesting but not completely unpleasant a few moments earlier turned almost fecal. In my life, I've been unfortunate to smell a home that was overrun by cats and it while it pains me to even think about that smell (as I'm typing I'm literally shuddering at the thought), I can't deny that on my skin Eau de Merveilles shares a similar pervasive odor. I had to scrub it all off. It made my stomach heave.

How did such a beloved example of an ambergris impression spoil so quickly on my skin? I have no idea. Pretty much half my fragrance reviews lament my inability to hold on to citrus, I suspect that is a key component to my foul experience. Also, I feel as though the wood notes never fully developed, they were lurking somewhere in the wings of the stage.

Naturally I won't comment on longevity or sillage like I usually do. Even though I tried this fragrance out on two occasions, it just didn't work for me. I'd try to tough it out and wear it a few times more but I don't feel the need to punish myself like that.

Bottom line, this sounds like it smells absolutely divine on other people. On me though, it's quite unsavory, to say the very least.

Hermes Eau des Merveilles Eau de Toilette starts at $66 for 1 oz.

Product featured was purchased by me, for my own use. Post contains affiliate links. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.