Buy it: Un Jardin en Méditerinée
In the winter, I tend to stick with heavier floral-oriental scents like Chopard Casmir, but once spring comes around, I want something lighter, greener, even fruitier. For this reason, fig-based scents tend to appeal to me, but I've had a hard time finding the right one. Creed's Millesime Imperial is one of my favorite fragrances in the world, however it lasts an hour on my skin--two if I'm lucky. Acqua di Parma's Fico di Amalfi is also lovely, but its lasting power is even shorter (the candle, on the other hand, is divine). I was told by many people to try Premier Figuier from L'Artisan Parfumeur, and while it did last, it was a bit too figgy for me. Luckily, just in time for the beautiful spring weather today, I tried Un Jardin en Méditerinée, a gorgeously blended perfume created for Hermès by their in-house parfumeur, the incredibly talented Jean Claude Ellena. Meant to evoke a stroll through a Mediterranean garden, it blends orange blossom, bergamot, white oleander, and cedar with, yes, fig. It is gorgeous and sophisticated, and if you close your eyes, you can almost picture yourself sipping a citron pressé in an outdoor café somewhere along la Côte d'Azur. So, naturally, I'm going to buy a bottle--but not from the Hermès store, where it's $125--a quick search turned up a bottle for $60 at FragranceNet. Next on my list? The equally wonderful follow-up, Un Jardin sur le Nil. But since that one is a fruity, grapefruit-and-mango blend, it will have to wait until summer.

1 comment

A-T-G said...

I love both of those perfumes! I had a dickens of a time picking between them myself! I DID pick up Un Jardin sur le Nil for summer and a bottle of the Lavender and Black Licorice...Brine de...something or other! Curse my poor memory! I didn't get the big leather wrapped bottle--I snagged the little travel sized ones (You get 5 of them for one price) and gave a few away as presents for people! Of course, now I desperately want the Mediterranean perfume--since you mentioned it here! Dang it!