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Portia
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Hi there Perfume Lovers,
Jin and I were away, driving around Europe last year, when we met one of our girlfriends in Hanover and we all spent three fabulous days discovering the city. It was ripe with stuff to see including a lift that goes around the interior of their church or town hall (sorry, it was broken and we never got a ride) and the Niki de Saint Phalle sculptures dotted around the town and in their gallery, tulips and daffodils galore and a very nice shopping district.
Celia had never been into an Hermès store so we took her in. It was fun to take her through the Hermesssence line and they had a set of 7 x 15ml colognes that I’d been searching for. As a GWP the SA gave me a mini of Eau des Merveilles Bleue as it was their newest offering. Furthermore, our mate Celia got samples of the WHOLE Hermessence range (she has since purchased 2 FBs but I’m not sure which) to take and try at her leisure. She was so excited Jin and I thought she was going to blow a gasket.
Eau des Merveilles Bleue by Hermès 2016
Eau des Merveilles Bleue by Christine Nagel
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Patchouli, woody notes, sea notes
I can’t believe I bloody left them all sitting here so long. At the first store I do remember thinking Eau des Merveilles Bleue one of the most elegant aquatics I’d smelled. Then there was loads of other travelling before I got home so I bloody forgot how good this stuff is.
Hermès do good fragrance. They have some aquatics already. Epice Marine gives seaside, spices and green herbs, Eau de Merveilles original is an earth, sun and sea story, Un Jardin Apres la Mousson (all the garden range feels a little aquatic). I have bottles of them all and they get wear. What is different here?
The first big difference is the change of perfumer from JCE to Christine Nagel. She takes out the signature JCE for Hermès oiliness and funk leaving a refreshing clarity. Here we have a clean bay on a summer evening after a southerly buster has blown all the heat, smell and remains of humanity away. Waves have scoured the beach of debris and rubbish. We are left with the pristine smell of cool sea water in the air and a little bit of your own clean but lived in smell after a day at the beach.
PDI
I like aquatics very much but this is the most pure smelling effort I’ve worn. Seamlessly beautiful, like a large flawless aquamarine. As it heads towards dry down the woods come in and smell like cold driftwood picked from the beach at night.
Further reading: Now Smell This and Candy Perfume Boy
Hermès stand alone or department store counters
Do you ever do aquatics? Which ones float your boat?
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
I DO love aquatics but at the moment cannot think of which full bottles have been in my repertoire over the years. I will tell you that my recent trip to my local drug store had me sniffing Inis (they just got it in stock) from Ireland and while it reminds me of Cool Waters for Men (lordie! that scent brings back memories!!!!) I really did like it.
And I am beyond jealous that your friend got samples of the entire line! In the States the SAs are beyond stingy in the high end dept stores…one more reason for me to contemplate a move to OZ (in my fantasy life 🙂 !!)
Fabulous review as always….I will have to get my nose on EdMB next time I see it in the wild….wondering if Sephora carries it…..
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So researching fragrantica I see that Ineke’s Derring Do and Kumbaa Made Water Goddess are classified as aquatics….owned, loved and drained both 🙂 (full bottles)
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Hey CM,
YAY! Another aquatic fangirl.
Celia was so freaking lucky, I NEVER got that kind of treatment either even when buying full priced bottles in there.
Portia xx
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Love all the ones you mention and the two Eaus come as close to a signature scent as I can get. Im a total Hermes fangirl but I wish they would last longer!
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Hey Mariann,
Yeah, so many people have longevity issues with the Hermès range. Those Jardins though, last for WEEKS!
Portia xx
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There are a few Hermes I like, but am not a fan of aquatic/ozone notes.
I remember the SAs being super generous with samples in the stores in Europe, I love those vials with the little round stoppers.
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Hey JackieB,
Yes! The 4ml ones. So glam.
Portia xx
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I don’t generally like aquatics so I don’t own any, though not for lack of trying. Your description of a flawless aquamarine has sparked my interest and I shall search this one out.
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Fingers crossed VerbenaLuvvr,
You know what though, I wish there was a genre that really irked me so I could cross it off my test list. HA!
Portia xxx
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Loved the story, Portia! Looks like gorgeous people meet generous SAs 🙂
I have to admit, I’ve never been a fan of aquatics, perhaps because I don’t know this kind of perfumes very well. I’ll try this Eau Bleue when I get the chance.
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Hey Diana,
The aquatics are generally very poorly regarded by perfumistas. Maybe because they were so ubiquitous as we were growing up and into out adulthood.
Bleue is a cut above.
Portia x
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I love the sea and anything connected with it so obviously I also love aquatics very much. Right now I can think of the beautiful Bulgari Aqua Pour Homme and Boss used to have a perfume in the Boss elements line – Boss Elements Water. L’eau d’Issey is also an interesting aqatic perfume which I used to wear in the nineties. Oh yes, and L’eau par Kenzo -mmmm, lovely.
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Neva, I have just seen for sale a Bvlgari Aqua Pour Homme Atlantique. Is this a variation of the one you know?
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I suppose so, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t tell if it is similar.
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Hey Neva,
YAY! How great that you like the aquatic style too.
The sea itself terrifies me but the scent I love. Standing ankle deep in the waves and breathing deep is one of my happy places.
Portia x
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This sounds perfect, Portia – and a beautiful bottle, too.
I need to research aquatics as I have always wanted the perfect beach scent, and this one sounds great.
Thanks to other members for their comments, too, you’ve given me lots of ideas to try.
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Hey Sue,
This is a fabulous option. It’s also far and away from the coconut and jasmines often cited as beach scents.
Portia xx
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I love this one so much that despite already owning the 50 mL (the 100 mL bottle was too big for me to spray comfortably), I bought the 30 mL so I can bring it and CHANEL No. 5 L’Eau (35 mL) as full bottles on my vacation last summer to Vancouver and cruise to Alaska!
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Now THAT is a fabulous story Hajuusuri. I love when we go to great lengths to have our faves.
I bet it was a perfect match to the Alaskan Cruise.
Portia xx
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I don’t get on well with “blue” aquatics, but there’s a handful of green ones I really enjoy wearing. Beaufort’s Fathom V is probably my favourite. I like the salty side too–Heeley’s Sel marin and the herby, wind-across-sea-dunes feel of Miller Harris’s Fleurs de Sel. Hmm, maybe I just like the cold north sea, stinky seaweed, and rock pools rather than perfect white sands and clean ocean breezes…
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I have tried this in David Jones Portia and it is very nice just didnt last long on me. I dont have any aquatic fragrances at the moment but pretty sure I wore them in the 1990’s.
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