Fragrance & Food:

Heeley Menthe Fraiche is a fresh mint fragrance.Don’t let this scare you. It does not smell medicinal or like chewing gum. This is a brilliant mint fragrance. The problem: I can barely smell it after 30 minutes.

At first the fragrance is a very herbaceous mint. It smells like when I go to my herb garden and just snip the herbs to use in cocktails or fro-yos. It’s a pleasant mix of muddled spearmint and peppermint. It has a bit of a “zing” to it. It then gets very “hygienic” peppermint fresh, it slightly borders toothpaste, but it has a burst of citrusy bergamot that keeps it from being like dental hygiene products. It feels cool to the sniffer. Energizing. Refreshing.  It gets more earthy. I get the tea and citrus bergamot notes. It seems grassy, green, and fresh. This is a very nice green tea middle. I think the green tea fragrance snobs out there could really enjoy this stage. It still has the mint. The mint is much more subtle being taken over by the earthy greenness of green tea. The dry-down is very light and I do pick up a bit of white cedar, think the type that Diptyque uses, clean and warm. I still get the faintest hint of mint throughout the wear.

The scent feels so familiar, but not like I’ve sniffed it as a perfume before. For me, it’s summer. It’s approaching the cool “mint patch”, my minty herb garden on the side of the house that gets less sun. I smell the mint but it feels like it is being filtered through the humidity and my distance. I then get the “zing”. This is an invigorating moment. Like muddling and releasing the oils of the mint I’ve collected. It’s a jolt. The “grassy” part is taking the minty beverage (either a Mint Julep or a Moroccan Mint tea) out on the deck on a summer evening. I get the breeze and the grassy smells of the freshly cut lawns from hours before. I get the smell of warm faint, warm cedar from my deck. This perfume goes from invigorating to relaxing. From cool to warm.

I  know I won’t be purchasing a bottle. I have a sample and I’m happy with that. Summer isn’t that long of a season here. And the lasting power is terrible. I’m talking like 30 minutes in mild 60° weather. It should not be labeled as an EDP but as a cologne.  This being said, I must declare that this is my favorite mint fragrance so far. I had no idea that I could like a mint fragrance. This does not come across as medicinal or overly masculine. I think it appeals to me because I love green tea fragrances. If you are looking for a green tea fragrance, you should try Menthe Fraiche. The maté is awesome in this. It’s earthy. This being said, I think mint lovers could like this one and those that don’t like mint. It’s just a light and refreshing fragrance that is wonderful to wear in summer. Maybe I would like that it doesn’t last long on those unbearable hot, sticky days? I’m sure I’ll try it again on a 90° summer day. I’ll see if my tastes change. My tastes may change but my common sense won’t. It’s hard to spend about $140 on a fragrance that I’ll get a week of wear out of.

Notes listed include mint leaves, Sicilian bergamot, maté, green tea, lotus leaves, white cedar.

Give this a try if you like refreshing colognes, green tea colognes, or herbaceous fragrances. Also, give it a try if you are OK with something being very light wearing. Give it a try if you like scents such as L’Occitane Green Tea with Mint,  Annick Goutal Eau du Sud, L’Artisan L’Éte en Douce, Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca and/or Cartier Pasha Fraicheur Menthe.

I have not tried  DSH Menthe Moderne EDP. The description sounds similar to (if not more interesting than) Heeley Menthe Fraiche. It isn’t much cheaper but I would pay that if it lasted for at least 3 hours. I like Heeley Menthe Fraiche but I can not excuse the short wear.

The 3.4 oz bottle retails for $180 at Luckyscent. Samples are also available for purchase.

Want more reviews? Try…

The New York Times

+ Q Perfume Blog (summer fragrances list)

Perfume de Rosa Negra

*Sample purchased by me. Product pic from the brand.