Hey Gang,
This is a long awaited treat for me. I have been watching the Eau des Merveilles story and flankers for a while, even ordered a set of decants that I have misplaced, and now I get to share with you my first wear impressions. This is another extra that a friend threw in to a fragrant care package that I am only just getting to now. I don’t even quite know how to pronounce the name, every time I try I laugh at myself for sounding like a pretentious twat. I will ask the French exactly how to say it while on my trip.
Eau Claire des Merveilles by Hermes 2010
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Floral, woods, amber, vanilla
How does Jean-Claude Ellena make so much beauty out of so few noted accords. Opening with a sparkling/brisk floral that feels like there is also some citrus somewhere around but before long the smell I get is the open ocean when you are out on a sports fishing boat. At once salty, metallic, refreshing and underneath a low level humm of warm excitement. To be perfectly honest I am having trouble believing that this is how these accords have combined but maybe my skin or nose is playing silly buggers. I can smell zero vanilla but maybe I’m anosmic to this particular vanilla? Jin says he smells something softly floral but I still get sheer salty sea spray after 3 hours. Clearly this fragrance is not suitable for my skin, even though I really like the way it smells. So light and gossamer soft for summer. On you it will smell different, which is a shame bacause I’m thinking of getting a bottle for my own selfish enjoyment and everyone else will think I smell merely softly, prettily, floral.
Lasting power is excellent, I still get traces of salty tang after 6 hours and the taste in my mouth that you get from a stainless steel spoon. I know, my nose is broken but I don’t care.
Photo Stolen wakacjenateneryfie
Further reading NowSmellThis and GrainDeMusc where Denyse gets the salt but not as strongly as I do.
FragranceX has 50ml/$57
PoshPeasant starts at $4/ml
Have you ever had a fragrance misbehave on your skin compared to everyone else and still loved it? It’s a first for me, tell us about your experiences too.
Till tomorrow, thanks for reading,
Portia xx
The Eau des Marvielles movie
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Eau des merveilles is one of my favorites. I keep thinking I should give Eau claire des merveilles a try, but I can’t resist the original EdM! Wonderful review, Portia. This might just be the nudge I needed.
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Come and tell me how your skin played it please baconbiscuit2. i’d love to hear.
Portia xx
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Will do 🙂
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I was so glad to see this review. Eau de Merveilles is also one of my favorites. I am taking a break from it right now to test all the other fun samples I ordered recently. I tried Eau Claire at Nordstrom the other day and found that it is not as salty at the base, more woody (to me) and a little more “traditional”? I have heard that layering the two makes a beautiful scent that retains the base qualities of the original with the top notes of the new. I am finding that I love Jean-Claude Ellena! His perfumes do not make me have to think so very hard (unless I want to), but are beautiful and unusual none the less… his are like a cup of cappucino made from the finest coffees and perfectly steamed milk as opposed to a huge grandiose coffee drink made by a machine.
Thanks Portia!
Your fan in the PNW.
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Hey yiyiblue,
PNW = Pacific North West?
I love JC Ellena, his work is so surprising quite a lot of the time. I have yet to get to the rest of the Marviellles series but am now very excited to.
See you soon,
Portia xx
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I find his work less and less surprising unfortunately.
The Hermessences, the Colognes, the Jardins, and now Jour, it’s like they’re all the same.
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Oh NOOO! Maybe there is a favourite ingredient of his that rises up above the rest for you and it’s all you can smell.
They are all sheer but I find them very different in smell, I am sad that you don’t.
Portia xx
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I love the whole des Merveilles line- I have tried and bought them all except for this particular one, which I will have to rectify eventually. JCE and Hermes know how to do flankers right!
Portia, if you love how you smell, who cares what the notes are and if they manifest on your particular skin? Spritz with abandon and enjoy!
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I am TOTALLY with you on this Ramona. I have and will Spritz with abandon whatever my nose likes.
Big kisses,
Portia xx
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Hi Portia,
I’m anxiously awaiting samples of the original, Elixir and the new ambre one too. I didn’t know about the Claire, but now wanting to try. This sounds lovely for summer. I keep meaning to go to the Hermes boutique as I’m always too impatient for samples and I need to try Jour de Hermes and some Hermessences. The thought of going to the boutique freaks me as I’d feel like a poor bumpkin in there and just to spritz?
M xxx
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Oh no Madeleine,
They couldn’t be more helpful. Even in my crappest clothing and looking like every man they are always incredible nice and let me spritz to my hearts content. We should go one day.
Portia xx
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This is the only one of the series that works for me and I find it quite lovely. The original is discordant and wrong on my skin, and the new amber flanker is even more kinds of wrong. Headache-inducing musks that actually made me nauseous. Like the time I ate a mortadella sandwich on my cousin’s yacht in circumstances much like your photo! Okay, a smaller boat, but the waves were whipping up a seahorse or two!
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YAY!! One works for you. I pity know the feeling of woozy, not because it happens to me but every time we left dry land my Mum would be driving the porcelain bus and my sister and I would have to look after her till we were safely back. It was awful for her.
Does it happen every time for you?
Portia xx
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Haha, there hasn’t been another time – not a sail in a yacht, I mean. I am fine on cross-channel ferries unless it is seriously cutting up rough…!
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Or do I mean a white horse?
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Recently I realized that somehow I completely missed that perfume and all its flankers. So after reading one more favorable review I went to the store that carried the line, took paper strips, wrote all perfume names and sprayed all flankers that I could find (4 or 5). None of them smelled interesting enough to put it on my skin. I might try them eventually but I doubt any one will be love.
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The difference with these on your skin is marked Undina. I’m not sure if you’ll love them either though. There’s so much out there to try and only so much time, you can’t get everything on your skin. I know.
Portia xx
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