christine nagel – This Side of Perfume

Twilly d’Hermès

November 19, 2017

Notes: Ginger, tuberose, and sandalwood.

Twilly is yet another new launch from a storied fragrance house aimed at capturing a young audience. Compared with Chanel Gabrielle and Dior’s Poison Girl, I think Twilly is the most successful of this group. Twilly was of course composed by Hermès in-house perfumer, Christine Nagel, and it truly does smell like the younger sister counterpart to 2016’s Galop d’Hermès. The rose and leather of Galop were elegant and refined, whereas Twilly is just that little bit more approachable, both in terms of the notes and the price point.

Hermès officially lists only three notes for Twilly, although it is worth noting that Fragrantica adds bergamot, bitter orange, jasmine, and orange blossom to the Twilly pyramid. The ginger is definitely present as the main player in Twilly’s opening. I can sense a sparkling bergamot as well, but I really don’t get orange or other citrus notes here. Ginger really is the star. It’s spicy and effervescent, almost like a fizzy ginger ale. It’s a unique opening that definitely gets your attention.

The tuberose here is appropriate for a young wearer, so no weird facets here. It’s definitely a recognizable white floral, but the ginger lifts it. Tuberose can sometimes become overbearing as it develops on my skin, but it never does here. My nose can’t pick out jasmine on its own in this composition, but I can sense a touch of orange blossom. This is because Twilly takes on a soapy feel, but it’s soapy in a French way. That is, it doesn’t smell “clean” like so many American brands would try to project. Rather, it reminds me of the type of decorative soap you might come across in someone’s very fancy powder room. I have the impression of going to touch up my makeup in the ladies room at a very upscale hotel.

The tuberose blends seamlessly with the creamy sandalwood base note, and makes for a gorgeously smooth dry down. This is what I wanted from the Gabrielle dry down. This sandalwood has quite a bit of heft and depth to it. I have worn Twilly to work and while the ginger and tuberose wear off, I can still smell the sandalwood at the end of the work day. It’s definitely more of a skin scent, but it’s noticeably there.

I visited my old Sephora store during the recent sale and bought a 50 ml bottle of Twilly. Of my recent fragrance purchases, I am happiest with this one. I think Twilly is successful because, even though it’s aimed at a young audience, it doesn’t feel condescending or juvenile. The packaging is adorable and perfectly symbolizes the Hermès twilly scarves. I think the only criticism is that true perfume addicts may be looking for a more complex pyramid of notes. Personally, I think Twilly’s simplicity works because the ginger adds a touch of uniqueness. Overall, it’s a really lovely effort from Hermès.

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Photo taken by me of my 50 ml bottle of Twilly.

Info on notes from Hermès.

Galop d’Hermès

February 10, 2017

Notes: saffron, quince, osmanthus, rose, leather, and white musk.

Galop was released in 2016, and it marks Christine Nagel’s first pillar fragrance for Hermès after Jean-Claude Ellena’s departure. (She did create Eau de Rhubarbe Ecalarte while Ellena was still with Hermès.) I’ve been so interested to try this release but, as with most things Hermès and considering that it’s a parfum concentration, it’s rather pricey. I finally got a small decant for myself, and I’ve been testing it for the past few weeks.

On my skin, Galop actually opens right away with the leather note. There’s no leading up to it, the leather immediately takes center stage. This leather is definitely elegant, but it has a strength to it at this opening stage. I see people commenting on Fragrantica saying that this is a “masculine” leather and perhaps that’s what they mean. To me, it’s the leather of a saddlery here. You can clearly see the Hermès heritage but it’s not quite the refined leather of a Birkin. Not yet. This leather has a peppery bite to it, and just a tiny bit of a wild edge.

Of course this is Hermès, so Galop is going to be about sophistication above all. That opening leather note never turns too harsh, and the rose and the fruit notes quickly come into play to balance it out. I get a jammy vibe from the quince. It’s almost like a blackcurrant jam. It adds some texture to this composition without becoming foody or gourmand. The jammy fruit texture makes the rose comes across as both rich but also delicate by contrast.

In fact, Galop is all about contrast. The leather and the rose are both equally the stars of the show here. As I wear Galop, the rose and leather intertwine with one another, both coming across as strong and delicate in different moments. As mentioned, Galop is a parfum concentration. It has excellent sillage and projection during the first few hours of wear time before noticeably drying down to a skin scent. Some people may want a little more projection out of this one, but I don’t mind because the leather is beautiful in the skin scent stage. The dry down has a refined yet alluring sensuality to it that is both very Hermès and very Christine Nagel.

I love Galop d’Hermès and I’ve gone through my decant alarmingly quickly. I’m still not sure about a full-sized bottle. Again, Hermès is always an investment and, I have to admit, I find the stirrup bottle a bit gimmicky. But, if anything, Galop makes me more excited for future Hermès releases from Christine Nagel. She nailed it in this case.

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Galop d’Hermès is available directly from Hermès and in person at boutiques and counters. It’s a parfum extrait concentration, and is available in the stirrup bottle and a refill bottle. I purchased my small decant from The Perfumed Court.

Image and the info on notes are both from Fragrantica.

Une Nuit Magnétique by The Different Company

April 23, 2015

Notes: ginger, bergamot, blueberry, Egyptian jasmine, Turkish rose, tuberose, plum, benzoin, patchouli, amber, musk, and woody notes.

Une Nuit Magnétique could be just one more in a long line of fruity-florals with a patchouli base but, as the brand name implies, this scent is a little different. The specific notes used here make the difference, specifically the blueberry/plum fruit accord. Une Nuit Magnétique was released in spring of 2014. It was composed by Christine Nagel, and it’s the last project she completed just before joining Jean-Claude Ellena at Hermès. I’m glad she had time to compose Une Nuit Magnétique because it’s a fun little treat of a fragrance.

I sense the blueberry note right away in Une Nuit Magnétique’s initial opening. It’s tart and fresh, and buoyed up by a touch of bergamot. I was worried that this opening might have a little too much going on with the ginger, bergamot, and the tart blueberry (plus any lurking aldehydes) but it’s more smooth than anything else. The blueberry develops to be less tart and more of a sweet, ripe fruit. I get the impression of purple-tinged juice even though this fragrance doesn’t actually have a purple hue. In fact, during this opening stage, Une Nuit Magnétique reminds me of a cocktail I once had composed of blueberry juice and champagne. It’s smooth, just a touch sparkling, and good enough to drink.

The florals gradually make themselves known and form the heart of this composition. I have to admit, tuberose doesn’t always agree with my skin chemistry. It comes off a bit waxy to me here, like a crayon. Oddly, it’s not unpleasant, and it’s certainly not the worst experience I’ve had with tuberose. The ginger is actually more apparent to me here at this stage than during the opening. I think that really helps round out the composition and prevents my nose from getting stuck on just tuberose. The jasmine comes off as quite warm and blends nicely with the ginger. The rose is subtle for me, and I suspect that’s due to the seamless blend of the composition.

The patchouli in the dry down here has to be one of the lightest and most subtle patchoulis I’ve encountered. The base is mainly characterized by a warm, sweet amber and the echo of ripe fruit. The plum gives off more of a dense fruity vibe, while still calling back to the tart blueberry of the opening. Une Nuit Magnétique wears lightly on the skin, sort of like a translucent veil, and it remains light even through the dry down. I’ve found this makes it ideal to wear out to eat since it doesn’t overwhelm the food or the surroundings, but is still noticeable.

The slightly tart opening paired with the sweet dry down lends Une Nuit Magnétique a flirtatious character. I’ve already mentioned cocktails once in this write-up, and I think this is a great scent for happy hour or going out for drinks in general. Christine Nagel pitches it perfectly: it’s sweet but not gourmand, breezy and light on the skin yet still noticeable. And this light nature ensures that it doesn’t become sticky-sweet or cloying. It’s a lovely fragrance overall, and that bright blueberry note is the stand-out.

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The Different Company is a niche perfume line from France. Full bottles and samples are available from Luckyscent, which is where I got my sample.

The image is from The Different Company, while info on notes is from Fragrantica.

Jo Malone’s Wood Sage & Sea Salt

September 26, 2014

Notes: ambrette seed, sea salt, sage, seaweed, and grapefruit.

I’ve been excited to try this newest Jo Malone release ever since it was first announced back in the spring, although I remember thinking at the time that it seemed odd to release a salty, beachy scent at the end of summer. Now that I’ve actually sampled the fragrance, I see that autumn is the right time of year for this. It adds a touch of brightness to the crisp, cool mornings, yet is still refreshing enough for warm September afternoons.

For me, Wood Sage & Sea Salt opens with a splash of grapefruit and a spicy sensation that’s much more like black pepper than like salt. It’s refreshing and bracing, but not overwhelming. I wouldn’t describe this as a fruity scent though. The grapefruit fades rather quickly, and the peppery opening quiets down.

In its place, a briny scent that must be from the seaweed comes to the fore. This is where the saltiness begins to come through. There’s a marine aspect here mixed with a green flavor. The ambrette acts as a musk-like base, and through all of this, salt begin to appear as though in waves (I assume this process is helped by skin chemistry and natural everyday sweat too).

Wood Sage & Sea Salt is refreshing on the whole, and exactly like a sea breeze. I confess I don’t get much sage or anything woodsy here (I find the base more generally warm and musky). Still, this is a well-blended and nicely detailed composition. There’s a bit of an edge to keep this fragrance from personifying a purely sunny beach, with the bite from the salt echoing the tangy grapefruit opening. It puts me in mind of the beaches I’ve visited in Scotland where the wind is bitter and unrelenting, even in July. But, if you’re in the right mood for it, it’s absolutely invigorating, just like the best autumn weather.

Wood Sage & Sea Salt is reportedly perfumer Christine Nagel’s last fragrance for Jo Malone. Despite the lack of floral notes, this scent fits right in with the brand’s current profile, but we will see where Jo Malone goes from here.

Wood Sage & Sea Salt is available from Jo Malone, Nordstrom, and from Saks. The Perfumed Court carries Jo Malone samples, although I don’t currently see Wood Sage & Sea Salt on offer, perhaps they are sold out. I got my sample (and eventually a 30 ml bottle) from my local Jo Malone counter.

Both the image and info on perfume notes are from Fragrantica.