L'Eau de Merzhin

Merzhin means Merlin in the old Breton language. The Water of Merlin is a great name for this perfume since it smells magical, like you’re following behind Merlin in his virgin forest homestead watching the green flora sparkle and effervesce into the air like they are releasing pixie dust as he walks by, sprinkling them with magical life-giving water. The spells he is casting take the forms of galbanum, sweet floral grasses, cassie, and orris. Galbanum is the first flick of his wand, bitter, pale green, hard, cold, a bit watery thick and accented with wonderful hawthorn and angelica notes of almonds, parched musks, and herbal woodiness. It might be a bit jarring seeing a sorcerer do his thing at first, or so L’Eau suggests. But then Merlin leads us into a clearing where we’re greeted with sweet fermented hay, and a gorgeous honeyed and bronzed cassie. L’Eau feels just like that, as if we’ve stepped from a cold and dim forest into the warm light of a floral hay field, the sunlight making the sparkle of Merlin’s spells twinkle even more. Sorry to say it, but it’s at this stage I started thinking of my beloved Une Fleur de Cassie; it is not as rich and strong as UFdC, but the cassie in L’Eau is so wonderfully done I can’t help but want to immerse myself in it more. But we need to talk about the orris, another beautifully handled material in L’Eau. It is present in the top, helping the muskier qualities with its starchiness, and it is present in the heart with all of its buttery, silvery, cool rooty aromas. It and the cassie are hand in hand, the juxtaposition of the cool, buttery, and silvery with the warm, honeyed, and bronzed creating a contrast that make both more vivid and complete. Lovely stuff. As the day grows long and we continue to follow Merlin deeper into his countryside, the warmth imparted by the sun begins to radiate from within the living flora instead of beaming down on them. Earthy tonka and brown mosses invite and embrace. We thank Merlin for his blessings upon the flora, and the warm smile says “it’s my mandate yet my pleasure.” Beautiful and compelling work.

This had to grow on me but it was immediately transportive upon first contact. The carroty quality was just way more amped up than I’d ever experienced but it charmed me in the end. This takes me back to my childhood playing soccer at practice next to this farm that had horses galloping and large bales of hay coloring the air with their aroma. There is a kind of manure thing going on but not poopy so don’t worry! It’s like just very fresh grass and hay so no one will smell feces on you but yeah. The field was lined with magnolia trees too it’s just so evocative of that time period for me only the powdery Iris doesn’t call back to anything but that was makes it a stylized perfume version of that memory and I think of it as sort of symbolic of the grace and elegance of the horses without putting skanky horse stench in it. Which I’d welcome but it’s fine. Really glad I sampled this

Wow. Very pretty, comfortable, evocative perfume, and I’m not usually that big on green scents. Big rooty orris opening, with fresh cut grass and wafts of Angelica. Quickly morphs into a beautiful blend of hay, violet leaf, and honeyed hawthorn, with a bit of powdery orris underneath and hints of anise. Stays that way for a few hours. Late dry down is dominated by orris that takes on a waxier quality. Successful marriage between the realistic greenery calling to mind nostalgic countryside memories and the more grown up, refined, perfumey elements (I understand the references to Chanel). Very French, slight vintage feel with the anise.

I get a visceral shudder of pleasure from this green beauty. If you're into pretty perfumes, this one won't please. It's a hugely bitter, aromatic, funky-musty waft of uplifting freshness with a soft, warm hay note for the first 15 minutes and powdery orris throughout. Hawthorn may be the source of the funky note; it had a similar effect on me in Daim Blond. Hawthorn, Galbanum and Oakmoss create lightning in a bottle; a green djin with zing. Distillation: a green djin with zing it's lightning in a bottle making my toes curl

The blend of barnyard-tinged hay and bold iris is ultra-cold and green ; utterly magnetic and mesmerising. It feels very natural and soothing, yet there’s a dark undercurrent. Think ancient cellar air: you feel safe, but a shiver runs through you. Scents this cold and sugar-free are rare; this beauty is one of them. It’s the best fragrance I’ve smelled from this house so far. They already craft uniquely high-quality scents, and this fits that lineage perfectly. Big love! Tag(s): hay, green, iris, soothing