Hermès Colognes - Urban style

I won't talk about Mr Ellena's work at Hermès because others have done it at length. But don't get me wrong, I do like quite a few of JCE creations, I just wanted today to talk about the (eau de) cologne offering from Hermès.

What I like about Hermès colognes, as opposed to their Jardins line, is the urban vibe you get from them. They're meant to be worn especially in the summer but would fit any weather really and obviously won't smell like an overheated sidewalk if you worried about the urban tag I put on them.I do think the 3 of them are more suited to the city life : modern, to the point, of high quality, long lasting (yes!) and "people-around-you-friendly". The Jardin is meant to remind you of certain places, whether you've been there or not, it's an escape escapade made juice in a bottle you'll indulge on.

Now on to the three scents

Eau De Gentiane Blanche
This is the least eau de cologne of the lot, because the basic structure of the eau is revamped in a truly strange and wonderful accord of angelica like material (the gentian I guess, but I know this is not your ordinary one, another tailor made material requested by JCE for this composition), raw vegetable and delicate soft musk. Sprayed heavily, the scent will linger for the whole day. This one is the most modern of the lot, with its white musks undertones

Eau De Pamplemousse Rose
Now that's some grapefruit ! Even more realistic than Pamplelune by Guerlain, the true beauty of this one is the long lasting tart pink grapefruit note, relieved by a wonderully fruity rose note. But it's not about juicy fruit, think vivid fruit rind and fresh restrained flower. A light musky note offers it's finishing velvet touch. Wonderful

Eau D'Orange Verte
And last but not least, the former Eau De Cologne Hermès now rechristened Eau D'Orange Verte, my favorite. To make a long story short, my mother would go through a 200ml jug of this stuff every summer,so I was basically raised on it. You could do worse. And to this day, I still can't get enough of this juice made of mint, green citrus, exotic fruit, moss and patchouli. The magic happens everytime I push the spray button. I wear it all the time, at any time. This one seems fleeting. At first it seems so but in fact it stays around you for 4-5 hours which is really good for an eau de cologne. Contains supposedly 70% of naturals, the formula required less than 10 tries and it is meant to be sprayed on clothes (it improves longevity greatly), no stains ! I know people who are so fond of this stuff they would practically drink it if they could. One cologne to rule them all. Well yes, period.

Hermès colognes are expensive, but believe me, they are worth twice the money asked. I didn't give my point of view on The Concentré versions because to me they are different beasts entirely. Well if you'll excuse me, I need to spray some more.