L'Ambre des Merveilles Hermès

Amber and vanilla must make caramel because that was my first impression on wearing L'Ambre des Merveilles. I love Eau des Merveilles with its invigorating salty sweetness and find Elixir des Merveilles the perfect evening companion to the original, with it's balmy richness but L'Ambre des Merveilles seems to have ventured out of Nature and into the dessert section . 

With a delightful opening of tart citruses, burnt sugar and a creamy vanilla, it starts off smelling like a lovely orange custard with a crisp sheet of caramel on top. 

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After polishing off the custard, feeling satiated and ready for a siesta, the gourmand notes evolve into a thick warm hazy blanket of soft, sweet wood and a smooth, light amber.  With the vanilla, citrus and amber, it reminds me a little of Guerlain's Shalimar but  L'Ambre des Merveilles is much more tame, less seductive, less passionate. Whereas I would always keep a bottle of Shalimar, I could pass on repurchasing L'Ambre des Merveilles and prefer Eau des Merveilles or Elixir des Merveilles which I find to have more character.  

L'Ambre des Merveilles seems to be the most feminine of the three because of the caramel note but I can imagine this would smell delicious on either sex. All three of the Merveilles series that I've tried have an average sillage but I wish they lasted longer than the four hours I get out of them. 

24 Faubourg Hermès

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I received my first perfume based insult when the one I was dating at that time told me I smelt like a stable while wearing 24 Faubourg. Of course that wasn't the kiss of death for our relationship but it might have had something to do with it. Love me, love my perfume. 

It starts off very fresh and brisk thanks to the icy steel-like hyacinths that make me think of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. After acclimatizing to the bracing green-ness, I smell florals but can't pick them out individually. The florals have a classic vibe, elegant like a crisp white shirt, glowing in its tailored luminosity. As it dries, it becomes a sweet and powdery woodsy smell with a tinge of citrus to tickle the nostrils. When first applied, it seems very potent and a little lofty thanks to the hyacinths but the scent becomes more mellow with time, although lasting quite a number of hours, I typically get about 6-8 hours worth each wear. 

It's just me but I tend to save 24 Faubourg for days when I'm feeling more practical and less romantic, i.e Mondays. There's something about her that makes me sit up straight and maintain perfect posture and decorum whilst carrying out my tasks in a brisk and efficient manner. Not a perfume I'll imagine to romp in the fields or chill out on the sofa with. 

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