Thursday, April 28, 2011

SOTD: Hermes Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan, and falling out of scent love


When I first tried Osmanthe Yunnan I loved it. It wasn't in my top five, but I quite understood Luca Turin's very high rating, and I enjoyed spraying it lavishly. I loved it so much on the first sniff that I have a clear technicolor memory of walking away from the Hermes boutique on a sunny San Francisco day. I even considered springing for a full bottle, instead of the bitty 15ml one.

Then, I'm not quite sure when, my attitude changed to "Meh. Kinda sweet." And it's never recovered. I try it now and then in the hope of falling back in love, but, no. Meh. Kinda sweet.

I've finally concluded that the original love was not for Osmanthe Yunnan, but for osmanthus, a scent that I wasn't previously familiar with. Novelty carried me through a few wearings, but now I want more side dishes with my creamy sweet flowers.

Review Roundup: Is here.

Image: By Lyzzy. Wikimedia Commons.

4 comments:

  1. I liked Osmanthe Yunnan a lot, but I was disappointed that it's so faint.

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  2. OY lasts about half a nanosecond on me. Shame.

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  3. Hey, Joan! My apologies; I'm such a comment slacker lately. Yes, it is really faint, though when I loved it that was part of what I loved - I could merrily spray and spray, and never smother anyone. it's why I considered getting a full bottle, but now I'm very glad I didn't.

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  4. Heya, Mals! Yeah, that is a flaw. If I spray enough, it lasts a while, but "enough" is a crazy number of sprays.

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