Hermessence range is soon to be joined by Brin de Réglisse. It is a 7th fragrance in the line, which already includes Rose Ikebana, Poivre Samarcande, Ambre Narguilé, Osmanthe Yunnan, and Paprika Brasil. While the name means “a blade of licorice” (as in “a blade of grass”, a small quantity), the composition was inspired by lavender. In the interview the perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena gave to L’Express, he described how he wanted his lavender to be intense and dry, like the lavender one smells in the South of France, when the strong cold wind (mistral) blows through the area in June. His idea was to streamline lavender and render it as a “clean line.” As he concludes, “Nothing is more complex than simplicity.” Thanks to Paola for the link.
Photo from Moosey’s Country Garden, a beautiful website about gardening.
4 Comments
Aline et Valcour: I gave up on JC Ellena ‘s creations, too cold, minimalist, transparent and citrucy. Rose Ikebana, Un Jardin sur Le Nil (a scent that ‘s nothing egyptian at heart), Kelly Caleche, all of them share the same citrucy synthetic coldness. October 10, 2007 at 3:26pm
Joyti: I like JCE, but the description of this scent doesn’t sound very appealing – I havent found a lavender I’ve liked – but it is a very “clean” scent October 10, 2007 at 4:28pm
Madelyn E: Dearest Victoria,
It is suh a joy to see your newest posts. I can only speeak for myself -but I’m sure all your many readers agree. I am curious about this lavender Ellena creation. I’m not so impressed with the others in this line …However it’s been a good discovery to combine them like Poive Samarkand and Vetiver Tonka.
Can you tell us if you will be attending the Sniffapalooza . Also would you be able to list your Fall Favorites?
Hope you are well. October 11, 2007 at 1:17pm
suzy: I’m not a big fan of JCE, as too many of his creations simply don’t work with my chemistry. Most of the Hermessences completely fail on my skin -they fall flat and fade away quickly, without developing at ALL. Of the Hermesessences, only Ambre Narguile “works” on me–but it is does it so magnificently that it makes up for all of the others (and I am not even a great lover of amber!). And I must say, the other JCE scents that do function properly upon my skin end up being great favorites, although it often takes me awhile to realize that I love them. I seem to have the best luck when he teams up with Malle, as FM’s in general always agree perfectly with my chemistry. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high for Brin de Reglisse–the odds are not in my favor. Only 2 scents JCE has ever done for Hermes have ever worked for me (aforementioned AN, and Un Jardin En Mediterranee)! But I am a great lavender lover, and Brin de Reglisse sounds absolutely PERFECT to me on paper, so you can bet that I will be doing whatever it takes to get my hands on a sample as soon as it’s available!
Best wishes. October 21, 2007 at 7:55am