Annick Goutal Un Matin d’Orage or “stormy morning” is a wet floral scent. It isn’t humid like most white floral/gardenia fragrance, but “wet”. It is a white floral blend that is green and it has that “wet” note that most Hermès Jardin fragrances have.

This scent was inspired by Camille Goutal’s trips to Japan. It is her interpretation of rain-drenched gardenias drying in the sun.  I really do think of this fragrance as a light and fresh floral. It’s humid and wet, in a rainy way. It really does smell of garden drying out after an early morning storm.

At first, this scent is a pretty white floral.  There’s  blooming gardenias, jasmine and orange blossoms. I take it that the citrus notes are messing with the jasmine. I’m not complaining because it works. It is very crisp and pretty. This is a jasmine that you can get away with wearing in the summer. Really it’s all citrusy white florals. They are crisp and bitter. The fragrance wears very wet, like I said before, like that humid note found in Hermes “Jardins” scents. It smells like clean, mineral water rain evaporating off of citrus blossoms. The blossoms are still on the plants, your nose is picking up the leaves surrounding the plants. The wetness seems to evaporate in your nose. You pick up the warmth of the water evaporating off the garden’s courtyard bricks. The fragrance wears heavily as a citrus, aquatic white floral with crisp greens on me for a long time. It wears light like most EDTs. I get about 3 hours of wear when the weather is about 60-70°.

This scent wears light. It is crisp, cool, and refreshing. This makes it a great floral for warmer weather. This fragrance reminds me of walking through a lush, cool garden in Savannah in the spring after a brief little rain shower. You smell the water droplets, you smell cool ivy and delicate blossoms drying over warm brick, you hear a water feature dripping serenely in the background. That is Un Matin d’Orage. It’s well-done and creates a beautiful environment. Unlike Camille I haven’t been to a Japanese garden after a storm. I’ve been to the Japanese Garden in Portland in the autumn after days of raining. It smelled like soggy moss and rocks.

I like Un Matin d’Orage but I don’t love it. I’m not a huge fan of “aquatic florals”. That being said, I think this is a very classy aquatic floral blend, my favorite aquatic floral that I’ve ever sniffed. I own Gardenia Passion and I’m happy with that one reserving the right to be the white floral Annick Goutal in my collection. Sometimes I think I love Un Matin d’Orage, other times, I’m OK with it. I think I haven’t tried it when it was hot enough outside. I can see this being a very refreshing, feminine floral fragrance. I’m going to use up my sample. It is growing on me. If someone gave me a bottle of Un Matin d’Orage, I’d  wear it. But, I most likely won’t purchase a bottle for my collection. See I have to prioritize, I currently have 10  things I want to buy right now. I have all of the Hermès “Jardins” feel my summer fragrance need. * Oh, I do love the bottle for this one. The delicate white glass bottle is very fitting for the fragrance. I almost want to purchase a bottle to break up the other Annick Goutal’s in my fragrance collection. I am also a collector of milk glass and depression glass and I love this!

Notes listed include: magnolia, Mysore sambac jasmine, Sicilain lemon, Indonesian champac, green perilla leaves, and ginger.

Give this a try if you are looking for an aquatic-floral or if you are looking for a light, refreshing floral to wear in warmer climates. You may like this if you like scents like Molton Brown Davana Blossom, Bvlgari Voile de Jasmin, Prada Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger, L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse Aux Papillons, Les Parfums des Rosine Rose Flamenca and/or Hermès Jardins Collection fragrances.

The 3.4 oz EDT retails for $149 at Annick Goutal. 

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