Eau des Merveilles by Hermes

Lionessa

Salty, spicy, and utterly lickable. A taste of your lover's skin misted with sea spray on a hot day, sur la plage.

PricklyAndHot

On me it smells mostly pepper and also something like elemi. Not bad, but I can't wear it, because sometimes it reminds me an old wardrobe scent.

Natalya

OK,I would describe this scent as mandarins in a wooden box sprinkled with pepper on top.Very interesting,but not for me.

floriana

The one of the most wonderful
fragrance composition. So pleasant and comfortartable, wearable in every occasion. For day and night. Ethereal, sparkling, clear, verry good balanced.
Simply - beautiful.

fragaga

This one is hate it or love it.
It is somehow weird, for me in a good way. It is very woodsy and dry, even the citrusses are dry.
I think the reversed notes are a marketing gag as I get the notes as always, citrusses first, peppery amber with some soft flowery notes next and the woodsy notes last.
The whole time I also smell sand and a lot of salt, so for me this is not a "clean" scent.
It has something in common with Lempicka's L, but it's far from beeing that sweet and the base is more woodsy than oriental imho.
Lasting power is okay, about 8 hours on my skin.
I don't lknow if I will really love this but it definately has some magic to it.

edit: Too salty on my skin, makes it smell masculine and disbalanced, pity!

mihailo_vukoicic

oh yeah - this one is truly hallucinogenic. I am swimming in an ocean of time, not worrying about what future will bring. ethereal, entrancing, beautiful... aaah

Happyme2009

So wonderful! A definite upside down fragrance, the opening notes are a bit too rough for my nose, but within 5 minutes it warms to an undeniable femininity and charm. The longer it sits the better it smells, without being overpowering; in fact, I wish it was stronger, I don't find it strong or with good silage, but so lovely and different I cannot help myself but sniff my wrist over and over again. It smells like beach and sun and turqoise ocean, like love and innocence... a very slight resemblance to Kelly Caleche doesn't take away from its personality, but rather enhances it. It's a very "positive" perfume, very happy! I just adore it! lucky me, considering I bought it untried, just because I loved the name and the bottle!

clairdelune

Being an Hermes fan I was really excited to try Eau des Merveilles. Due to my familiarity with other Hermes frags, I was totally unprepared for this totally novel offering.
To me this is a very dry and absolutely unisex frag. It's warm and interesting but also, even with light application, strong to the point of being almost intrusive.
It's staying power is unparalleled and though I can appreciate and respect it for its uniqueness and artistry, I personally don't find it wearable.
I would definitely recommend this one to women who want a scent with no flowers or sweetness, who love woody scents (namely oak) and who need a frag to last well from dawn to dusk, or longer.
I'd equally recommend it to men looking for those same qualities.

marysasmiro

I am already using the 2nd bottle now. This fragrance is really "me". I love the fact that it is so unique and people recognize and remember me by this perfume. It is strong, spicy but yet so feminine and sexy in an elegant way. You feel like a confidence unique person when you wear this. It truly enchance my mood everytime I wear this.Some special people even remember me everytime they smell this perfume.

poppy_vanderbilt

One of my favorites! an incredible fragrance...In the beginning i get a little of the pepper and citrus with some smooth mellow amber and just a touch of delicate tobacco but then it immediately melts into my skin like butter...it beautifully developes into a scent of warm sensual bare skin..i don't detect any of the pepper or citrus in the drydown i think because it is so well made all the notes just blend together harmoniously without overpowering the others...it reminds me of a cologne my Father use to wear i just don't know what it was...I think this would be terrific on men as well ..don't know why it is not Unisex...yes it is great on women but guys you need to try this also for the ladies or men in your lives....EXELLENT FRAGRANCE that should be a classic.

Amanda79

Hermes-Eau des Merveilles starts out with a bang of herbal orange, bitter spice and peculiar dry woods. Merveilles magic REALLY begins as the minutes pass by and the scent gets better and better as the day progresses. Merveilles looses no strength or silage but rather morphs itself through all the layers. The fragrance melts into the skin with caressing hugs of what I smell as fresh orange peel, rice, honey, maple syrup, hot amber and driftwood. It seems to warm up and strengthen with body heat. The sand is present throughout meshing perfectly with the natural smell of skin and the other notes.

Eau des Merveilles is flawlessly balanced by all the elements providing it to wear well in any season and by men or women. I strongly believe this perfume is majorly affected by body chemistry and different climate temperatures bringing out different results for each person. On me it is quite feminine, powdery (floral?) and warm fragrance.

I feel lucky to have this perfume in my collection. The bottle represents the smell fantastically. This is possibly the most unique scent and have quickly fallen in love with it!

guest_guest

It´s too bitter and peppery imho. Don´t like it at all, also becuase of it´s metallic touch. Absoluetly agree that it is masculine.Not suitable for romantic girls at all.

valdano

I do believe it...
This smell is UNUSUAL!
this is an awareness to those HERMES'SAINCE

Strong but bit citrus scent!
I don't really like it, I almost adore it if they don't put the bitterness above the high!

But overall, Hermes is still Hermes...This also got a signature of its scent!

faith24

The most unusual scent that I ever had a chance to smell. An exquisite composition that sounds unattractive on a paper strip but so intriguing on a human skin or when sprayed in the air (but please dont waste it like that!).

The bottle is almost poetic and deserves a separate review on its own. It reflects the contents so correctly- a balance that is so fragile, grey-silver sparkles on a glass remind of salty water drops, and bottom is slightly orange but not too bright- this orange is quite understated as if the sun is just rising on the horizon, just a first ray of sun, just an expectation rather than a presence.

Have I described the bottle or the water of miracles? The composition of this scent is backwards- what normally constitutes top notes in a perfume ends as a base, but the result is very merveilles. Top notes to me are salty but not too much, almost like a wind blowing from the ocean side, bringing mysterious scents of the salty water and some underwater plants maybe; ambra makes almost animalistic statement. Further I sense some wood but this wood is wet, soaked into salty ocean water. All these scents are very light, as if you smell them while walking on the beach, close but not too close- these scents are almost an afterthought, a distant memory. The base is a complete surprise- sunny orange peel, very delicate, never sharp, a very childhood scent, as if you just ate an orange and now you have some sweet residue on your hands.
I have never smelled a fragrance so sentimental and delicate and yet it has such a strong point! Marvelous water indeed

zoka

This is most probably not unisex fragrance but anyway I enjoy wearing it. I love citruses and whole composition is very nice and I like dry-down I find vetiver that is what makes it a bit masculine.

amelie

Feel the smell of fine tobacco, sensual and warm and yet so fresh and elegant fragrance. Excellent base notes in a scent; cedar, moss and vetiver that I really like, I thought it could also be good on the male skin. Reminds me of the late afternoon by the sea and the smell of pine trees. Round bottle is so sophisticated.

Patti9

This is the perfect every day scent. Light, orangey, out-doorsy but with sophistitcated undertones of wood smoke and barley sugar. Fascinating and never boring.

memechose

GREAT NEWS Perfumer Ralf Shweiger who created this and other fabulous fragrances will be interviewed for fragrantica!!!!!! Michelyn-memechoses

dyen

I smelt this on a tester strip and my first reaction was "yuck, yuck, yuck - what fool would wear that?". But all that day and the next I kept coming back to it like a woman obsessed. Eventually went back to the store and tried it on my wrist and ......WOW. I ended up buying a bottle online but kept popping into the store and spritzing every day during the week I was waiting on the delivery - I had no shame! The salty, peppery, softly woody, classy orangey cleanliness of it all amazes me. I LOVE it. Top marks. It makes me stupidly happy and serene.

Robert White

Yes, this makes a good masculine. It's the DRIEST orange perfume I've ever smelled...reminds me of an Indian treat I had once, a very ripe sliced orange coated with chili pepper.Lasts a long time...I sprayed a little on my arm last night and there's still a trace today!

mypersonalharmonics

This is a well deserved triumphant review.I think that Eau de Merveilles is by far the best launch of recent perfumemaking times.
It feels like a collective memory trip around our planet.Indonesian pepper,Peruvian balsam,Italian lemon,the wonderful oceanic grey amber lift you up above to see the Earth's Truth.

Round,euphoric,balanced,perfect.

This is not a perfume of the senses but an illusive concept that is mastefully captured and materialised for us to experience.

BethAshley

I was lucky enough to win this fragrance about a month or two ago (thank you fragrantica!).

The bottle for EDM fits the juice perfectly. It looks like a little sun that fits in the palm of your hand. This is a happy, uncomplicated but unusual scent. For me it has a laid-back chic quality to it that is casual but effortlessly stylish.

On me the most dominant notes are the the wood, musk and salt.

allexa27

It is very interesting frag.The fir an the citruses dominate on my skin,.Very well done,it changes all the time.I dont find it masculine at all.

ktv0926

My preferences seem to change a lot lately - I used to "not understand" this kind of fragrances, and now - I love them!

I find Eau des Merveilles very masculine, peppery and woody. It is strong and confident, but somehow its masculine nature only emphasizes femininity. It's like wearing loose clothes if you are very thin, will only point out how thin you are. I hope this comparison explains my point.

Anyway, I love it! It is not for any occasion, any mood or any outfit. It is something special that you treat yourself rarely.

verity

I ignored this scent in the fragrance halls forever as it never appealed to me. The tester strips put me off, however I smelled this on a colleague and couldnt believe it when she said it was EDM. It smelled completely different on the skin when I eventually tried it. I fell in love. I like Amber very much, and I really get the Ambergris from this. I dont know what salt smells of personally so I dont get that comparison, nor does it smell masculine to me either, yet it does have peppery spicyness which maybe pertains to a less feminine edge than say a fruity floral. A mixture of sultry, warm and sparkly, yet fresh and sexy with a hint of sweet woodyness. I don't much like strong orange notes, but here, this is blended so well, it is in perfect harmony so I dont feel like an orange soda pop. All in all this is a classy, sexy and sophisticated scent, perfect for day, but doesn't last as long as I would like. The elixir is better for that. The bottle is very pretty too and I like that the cap is secure.

cocomademoisellerie

A teacher of mine wore this in summer heat and I liked it very much on her. So I bought it. What a mistake!
I just get the oranges and, strangeways, some flowers. No earth, no wood. Maybe a bit of herbs but they fade away quickly.
What stays is an orange blast, which will not go away for hours. But I still have the hope that other people get a bit more of it's decribed complexity when I wear this.

Ninulia

I tried it on today, and it is kind of heavy and at the same time very fresh... but can anyone tell me is it long lastiing...?? Cause it seemed to me it isn't and BTW it is EDT..

tommy_girl

I want to like this one.the first time that I smelled it and I found it almost masculine,I thought maybe I was wrong.so I gave it a second try.
unfortunately the same result came to my nose.it's full of citrus scent,but not a fresh citrus I've seen in so many fragrances.it's a warm citrus scent with strong backups of spices.
it's very masculine,specially the dry down is a pure masculine fragrance.bitter,woody and pine scent...I believe it should consider unisex.

Zocha

It is funny how true all the reviews here are, the positive and negative. I adore its every stage, so beautiful. I get warm and sweet of orange blossom, gorgeous and feminine scent - my best Hermes and one of the best fragrances I have.
I don't have enough of it and will be buying the Intense version for sure.
On my girlfriend though it's nothing even close to the beauty I get, she gets bold masculine version, but not in a good way :(
We both have learned that Hermes fragrances have to be tested before buying, they are so different on each person.

susieqrj

The smell is fabulous, but between Eau and Elixir, I prefer the second.
Delicious orange pepper, it could be easily nominated as unissex. I don´t feel it as a male fragrance but it is obvious far from the traditional female notes on a perfume.
This perfume gives me a good sensation, it´s smell is perfect, keeps me smelling myself al the time.
As an EDT, the lasting is ok (after 9hrs it disappeared).
The bottle is gorgeous.

mellybee

It reminds me of the moment when you're diving into a luxurious bubble bath, which gives off a herbal fresh scent, the bathroom is full of steam and you can smell your clean wet skin. Wonderful!

wallflower

for me it was love at first sniff. it's such a unique, individual and sophisticated smell! when you wear it, you feel like a classy, chic and intelligent french lady!:)
i love this perfume not only coz orange and amber are one of my favourite notes but because the scent is so interesting and controversial: warm, but cool, strong, but subtle, sparkling, but calm, ethereal, yet down-to-earth. i could go on raving, go smell it yourself and you will know what i'm talking about.

alicektn

This fragrance is a part of me, like memories that escaped and transformed into liquid. Memories from old summers coming to an end... Sunny and bright with a touch of positive melancholy.

When I wore it , I sensed an interesting mix of orange, mountain trees and flowery notes. There was also a hint of "sunscreen" indeed, which appealed a lot to me, and made me consider the perfume quite sexy!Perfect for every occassion,especially for every day.

Auguszta

I love this to bits! Urban Skies described it so well. All I can add is that it has so much character, one unlike anything else... It's instantly recognisable. The reversed development is also very interesting - the notes listed above appear in reversed order, the orange appears in the final stage. Personally, I don't find it aggressive at all, unless someone applies too much, in which case it really can have a killer sillage. I honestly think this is a modern classic. Water of Miracles indeed!

da_markos

wow!

it smells like: sun+beach+sea+sunscreen on beautiful girl skin. i really enjoy this scent.

by the way for me it should be unisex

rebella

This isn´t really a positive rewiev. Having some expectations on it, since I love Ambre Narguillé and also Kelly Caleshe from Hermés. But this one is nothing like them.

I suspect my skinchemistry dosn´t match this perfume at all. On me it is first of all very masculine and that is OK, but after a while it start getting dusty and kind of old smelling. I imagine some kind of forgotten and dusty old bottle of perfume found at the attic of an old and deceased relative. A bottle you only keep of nostalgic reason...

oakmoss

I'm so sorry that I've posted that this scent was so terrible. Today I went to Hermes counter and sniffed it again. I founded it was nice. But nothing feminine. I think it is a unisex scent. And I must did some mistake when I sniffed it at duty free.

oakmoss

At first, I read this perfume review and thought it will be nice. But when I smelled it at duty free yesterday I felt really disappoint to it. I think it has soap - like and medicinal notes more than resin-y, woody note.

alina terec

it's a strong rather masculine scent that lasts quite a long time. good for elegant bussines women. fit for day and evening wear. should be applied directly on the skin for a sensual touch, it developes a very unusual blend. good quality and original fragrance.

veruska

i love scents with a salty quality, and i already own and love The Different Company's Vetiver dd Sel, so i'm afraid i won't need this. I love the lively orange start but after that i can hardly smell anything. Probably i'm just anosmic to it. i only detect something faintly sweet and powdery, likie violet and a very generic vetiver drydown. Urban Skies called this aggressive and i have hard time even smelling it.Mmmmm?

pimentosugars

Seduced by the pretty bottle! And the pretty name! I can't help being shallow, plus I do love orange fragrances, they make me smile. This perfume started a little sharp (*pouf!* like one of those tiny rocket fireworks in the ads) Then became quickly lovely... within the opening seconds, my partner detected a note in it 'Like the sea.' I found myself sniffing and re-sniffing my wrist on the way home as the scent metamorphosed from a genial holiday perfume into some magical spell, feminine and very delicate. The amber and woods are well combined here.

Less than half an hour later my partner was distinctly unimpressed; he found it a bit ordinary whilst I was dismayed at the lack of hold. An hour and a half and it was gone. Maybe it's got no staying power or maybe I didn't put enough on in the first place. It's the first Hermes perfume to interest me. I will have to try it again!

PR

Though it is not that much different from Elixir, I find the feel of perfume to change much more.. more airy, orange less pronounced, overall very classy feel to it..though it comes close to Elixir, but it is not the same

OH, NO... I'm gonna have a Merveilles Little Warehouse on my dressing table! :-)

elgab89

For me this is not an orange scent, although everybody mentions it, the orange is definitely in the background more than the primadonna, here.
It reminds me surprisingly of eucalyptus, although I am not sure if it contains any. It must be the combination of fir, pepper and citruses that altogether bring a medicinal note, that, unexpectedly, is pleasant.
I am sure this could be worn successfully by a man as well, so I could categorize it as universal.
The woods are also noticeable.
I would also classify it as a summer scent. If I had to make a picture of it, it would probably be of a lake in the middle of a fir forest with lots of tree trunks in the water.

LiLascents

This scent had to grow on me, but now I love it as a summer scent!! I kept going back to test it because of the nice reviews I kept finding on this fragance. Now me like!!

Mitsouko

I feel in it far growing orange garden - juicy and sweet, but first of all, salty and woody, subtle scent. In integrity this is very delicate smell, but strange and very intriguing.

Boggi

I agree with Urban Skies description, minus the aggresive. Very pleasant wood with comfortable pepper. I think it would work great as a daytime fragrance, but also at night if you like too. It's a bit on the masculine side and that's what I like.

SandraS

Love it. The kind of smeel that you always love to feel, at all times of day and night. Could wear it everyday without a problem.

I associate this scent with hollidays, happy times and celebration feel. The orange is strong on me, spiced up by the peper. It reminds me of wine and fruit (Sangria or tropical punch) and orange cake. Not exactly gourmand but toying with the idea.

solocha

It is a very pleasant perfume, sweet with orange notes.

matteomac

The first time I smelt this I asked the girl who was wearing it which perfume it was (I never asked it before), and from that moment Eau des Merveilles has became my favourite fragrance for women.

Eau des Merveilles is truly a dream: it leads you to an enchanted land and it shakes your feelings, making you think 'This is Heaven'.

indigo.smile

this is misterious fragance..it makes me feel different, i feel more sensual. The pepper says it all, i must say

cocomademoisellerie

To me, it doesn´t smell peppery or even agressice at all, but like a flower garden.
Funnily enough, because it is described to have no flower notes in it. Strange...

takemyhusbandplz

Eau des Merveilles on me is faint peppery orange and an overload on the vetiver! To me I think the vetiver and citrus mixes to become a bit sour and very manly. VERY MASCULINE is how I'd describe Eau des Merveilles. I love the pretty & unique bottle tho! I swapped this one away! Not my cup of tea.

Urban Skies

Woody and peppery, almost dusty (but in a good way). Dark, mysterious, elegant, and somewhat aggressive.