Mainstream Monday – Sniffing a Popular Perfume
“The trees have leaves!”
Well, of course they do. But, this is something that I have heard a few people recount that have had to have glasses from a young age. I relate. I was officially prescribed glasses in the early part of 2nd grade. I needed them much earlier, but when all you know is blurry green or orange blobs on trees, unable to see that trees aren’t composed of “leaves” but all individual leaf/s making up what you see on the tree, you don’t really question the world around you.
I used to be embarrassed by the thought. Even though I had seen or picked up a leaf from the ground, I had never really put together that was what was on the trees. It was like my child brain had thought there were “poofs” on a tree and then with the changing of the seasons, they all broke to pieces and feel to the ground, like old paint flaking off of a barn. This was a very embarrassing thought once I had my first set of (huge) red-framed glasses and could see the world with my myopia corrected. However, I’ve met other people in my adolescence and adulthood with similar experiences as me, we bonded over this shared embarrassment but also because we can see the world in two different views: blurry or sharp.
When I smell Hermes Terre d’Hermes, it’s like I am experiencing some olfactory version of putting on my glasses. Everything seems clearer, sharper and more defined than it once was.
Terre d’Hermes opens with a blast of dry black pepper and orange zest. As it settles, it’s still effervescent and luminous. The grapefruit is sweet and tart. I’d be tempted to say that this fragrance is transparent. But, it’s not. It’s just “clear”, meaning that it has a lightness but it still has presence. It’s not diffused but sharp, with the edges of each of the notes being crisp and clear. For the most part, Terre d’Hermes is a vetiver. But, it highlights so many aspects of vetiver. It’s citrus, green, woody, mineral and even inky. This complex vetiver is highlighted by a sharp rose geranium and cool, damp stones. It eventually dries down to woods and vetiver, almost like a reflection of the opening but with more depth.
Notes listed include orange, grapefruit, pepper, vetiver, flint, cedar and benzoin. Launched in 2006. PERFUMER – Jean-Claude Ellena
Give Terre d’Hermes a try if you like vetiver scents or fresh, spicy scents. Or fragrances like Montale Red Vetyver, Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir, Cartier Declaration and/or Yardley Citrus & Wood. Although marketed as masculine, like all vetiver fragrances, I think of Terre d’Hermes as much more “unisex”. I also find it seasonless.
Projection and longevity are average. I have reviewed the EDT and I’d even argue that it’s above average in comparison to other perfumes of this concentration.
Terre d’Hermes comes in a few sizes with the 1.6 oz retailing for $88 at Sephora and Nordstrom.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Crisp grapefruit, pepper and vetiver. I think this one of those “modern classics”.
Want more reviews? Try…
The Telegraph – A feature on the best fragrance’s for men
*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from Sephora. Louise Brooks pic from fanpix.net. Post contains affiliate links. Thanks!
I love this perfume. I definitely agree that it’s at least average projection/longevity. I don’t wear it to work because I find it too strong for that environment, even though a lot of Hermes perfumes are much quieter. On me I find the peppery and dry woody elements are strongest, but this review encourages me to go back to it and seek out the citrus and the rose geranium. Thank you for sharing your story!
On me, this one is more like a peppery vetiver but I think Hermes does such a great job of disguising elements. I guess what I’m trying to say is that even with the Jardins I noticed one aspect and then one day I was like BAM picking up on things I never noticed before in a perfume I wore frequently. I think it’s because they are sort of abstract. It’s corny but I do feel like a lot of them sort of customize to the wearer. Anyway…
I feel the same. I am actually surprised to see on the online fragrance forums people saying this is light. On me, this is actually one of the few I wouldn’t mind to dab on or even have in a rollerball. I would never say this about the other Hermes (my usual default “work perfumes”).
I think you are right about this one meshing with the wearer’s body chemistry. I once had a delightful conversation at a bar with a man who was wearing this and who seemed to enjoy discussing fragrances. Alas, it smelled better on him, but this makes me want to dig out my sample and give it a second chance.
I def think it wears differently on different people. It’s a lot more woodsy on my spouse than it is on me.