Into the Blue, Hermes Eau de Citron Noir

As I was debating in my head about what perfume I should put up next on the blog. In my online musings I stumbled upon a weather forecast predicting a small heatwave in my area. Well, 29ºC is not a real ‘hot’ yet, but it is considering the fact that average temperature for this time of the year is 19ºC where I live. Those 10 degrees make a difference. Therefore I made a quick conclusion that it should be a perfume ideal for this type of weather. Something light, styled like a cologne but more interesting – with a twist. That lead me to grab my sample of new release from Hermes.

At the beginning Eau de Citron Noir is harsh and alcoholic, it takes a moment before fragrant molecules are released. Once they start to evaporate from your freshly sprayed skin the first thing you’ll notice is a citrus accord that packs a punch straight in your face. It’s a lively concoction with lemon being most prominent out there, but lime and mandaryn are present in considerable amount as well. The citrus part feels oily on my skin, as if you cut a fruit with just one move of a sharp knife & the rind would start oozing sticky juice. The citrus accord is quite warm and it doesn’t sparkle.

After 15 minutes the scent is infused with a little bit of herbal aromas that bring the idea of rosemary or tarragon. It feels slightly sweet now, fresh as well (although I detect a talcum-like element in the back). Not many more minutes pass until tannins appear in Eau de Citron Noir and flavor this fragrance with black tea accord. It smells alright but quite flat and the smoky aspect is missing. In fact there’s nothing noir about this new Hermes cologne, which is a bit ironic knowing that black lime (loomi, a dried lime used as a spice in Middle eastern cuisine) was Nagel’s inspiration.

It should smell earthy, smoky, sour and sweet but there’s not even a hint of that. Final element of Eau de Citron Noir is Paraguayan wood (think agar wood) and it just doesn’t smell nice. It’s somewhat bland and ‘stale’ as Kevin accurately pointed in his review. All in all their latest cologne is far from being spectacular. It’s mediocre at best. I’d better stick to my Eau de Neroli Dore or Agar Ebene when I decide to reach for a lovable Hermes. Eau de Citron Noir is lauched in eau de toilette concentration in 50, 100 & 200 ml size. A deep blue glass bottle is the nicest thing about this scent.

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Rose-me-not, Hermes Myrrhe Eglantine

After succesfully retrieving my private bottle of Hermes Agar Ebene during my recent trip to Milan I thought I could tell you a bit about one of the other scents. My feelings towards it are completely different. Myrrhe Eglantine leaves me cold but is still worth including on the blog.

Myrrhe Eglantine starts with an interesting fizzy note that reminds me of champagne or a sparkling wine. It lasts for a couple of minutes after which it becomes tart and tangy with something that smells really close grapefruit. It’s barely there but it makes a difference. This flute of champagne results with a slightly yeasty undertone on my skin whereas this unidentified citrus whisper has something tad sweaty to it. Just like all other Hermessence, Myrrhe Eglantine is faint but present on skin.

After two quarters I can’t smell a grapefruit or wine anymore however fruity-citrusy background still remains on my skin. Myrrhe Eglantine then develops rose tones but it’s not your usual rose. At first it smells sweet like a red-colored hard candy but then evolves into more floral scent. The fact is that it smells more like a rosehip which makes sense as Christine Nagel created an interpretation of Eglantine rose (Rosa rubiginosa). It yields very little essential oil therefore extraction is a no-no.

Nagel admired the flower but decided to recreate its smell through a combination of other materials. I have to admit that it smells intriguing but personally I wouldn’t call Myrrhe Eglantine a rose fragrance at all. Later when myrrh joins the composition the perfume gains a balsamic facet. It smells of a dense resin & introduces the burning plastic impression which is a typical reaction of my skin to this perfume ingredient. It’s dusty, spicy, with a resinous sweetness at the same time.

I would love to tell you that there’s more things to smell her but unfortunately this is as far as Hermessence Myrrhe Eglantine goes. In fact Hermes only provided myrrh and wild rose in their press release. The rest is a secret so please bear in mind that all other stuff that I picked except of 2 given notes may be completely wrong. I find this particular to be some sort of paradox because it smells simple and complex at the same time. It uses oriental elements but it’s light in perception.

Myrrhe Eglantine was composed by Hermes in-house perfumer Christine Nagel. It’s available in 200 ml, 100 ml and 15 ml flacons of eau de toilette. It’s airy but lasts close to the skin for some time. If you like myrrh or the idea of an ‘abstract’ rose you should go ahead and give it a try.