Holy Water

Holy Water is a beautiful fragrance created by Francis Kurkdijan. I am surprised by the reviews that say it has poor longevity, because the oil roll-on lasts over 12 hours on my skin. It doesn't have a lot of projection, but that's fine -- my hubby and I are the only people who really have to smell me. Perhaps many people become anosmic to its scent shortly after applying it? I did too, the first time I wore it, so I thought that it had vanished after a few minutes. But then I noticed it later, and my nose seems to have trained itself to smell it now. It starts out sort of incensy, like an old Catholic church... But gradually it changes to a wholly floral scent that's predominantly roses and lilies -- flowers associated with Our Lady, the Virgin Mary. I was born on the day celebrated as Her birthday, so I feel a special affinity for Her... and I think She'd like this scent. It seems perfect for Her. I really enjoy the way the scent changes, and I love the way it presents roses and lilies -- my two favorite flowers -- separately, not as a blend or mish-mash of the two, but each flower appearing in turn, then allowing the other to appear for a moment. There's a touch of magic in this. Mr. Kurkdijan did a fabulous job creating this very special scent that's both gorgeous and also feels very respectful of the Church. Kudos to him!

I'm just going to ignore the fact that this is called holy water. If Francis Kurkdjian goes to a chruch where the holy water smells like this it wouldn't surprise me in the least. In pictures he's always surrounded by beautiful things. This is actually a very quiet fragrance with a lot going on, beautiful woods and subtle florals with an clean, aquatic element that are combined in a sophisticated and modern way. The fragrance doesn't last very long but it's inexpensive. It's an amazing little find when you consider the fact it's sold in Duane Reade. For $15 you can pick up a tiny bottle of heaven. I think the room spray or the diffuser oil is probably the ideal way to go here with this beautiful scent.

Türk var mı burada bilmiyorum ama tütsü dumanlı kokulara bayıldığım için aldım. İlk sıktığınızda yağlı bir koku geliyor sadece. Sonrasında koku tende oturdukça ( yani en azından benim tenimde ) tütsümsü pudramsı beni huzur dolduran bir kokuya dönüştü. Biraz eski kokulara da benziyor ve hafif de ruj kokusunu anımsatıyor bilmiyorum çok hoşuma gitti aklıma geldiği şekilde tarif etmeye çalıştım. Kötü yanlarından da bahsedeyim , kıyafetinizde yağ lekesi bırakıyor ve yayılımı oldukça düşük :( ama yine de 210 TL ye fena değil ve tekrardan alma olasılığım yüksek. Keşke Türkiyede kolayca diğer kokularına da ulaşmak kolay olsa çok merak ettiğim kokuları da var

Holy Water by Demeter. Let's see, there is no note pyramid for this fragrance. I can tell you one thing, the holy water in my church does not smell like this. I wish it did. All I can say is that it smells really nice, like summer freshness in a bottle. I don't like to compare fragrances BUT it smells like a lighter version of Pleasures for men by Estee Lauder. All in all it is a very safe fragrance.

Petrichor tends to smell like cucumber to me, but I have to say that Demeter has a good way of mixing the fragrance so it all works. I don’t get moldy cucumber for this one. It smells like incense and cool water. As a lapsed Catholic this has the scent I was looking for to bring me back to church without going there haha

smells like very old water in a dusty glass bottle. skin scent maybe? not noticable, makes you smell as though you've spent the day in a basement or old church or something. clean in a dirty way. the opposite of fresh, bright etc. dark and quiet. also only lasts like 20 minutes

Since actual holy water doesn't have a smell, this doesn't smell like holy water. It reminds me of the smell of scented candles that go by names like "ocean breeze" or "seaside". Soft and sweet and flowery. It's gone before you can figure out what it smells like.

I polished off my bottle. I would repurchase if it had greater sillage and longevity, I loved the fragrance so much but it just doesn’t last. The scent itself is extremely similar to Cool Water for her

this smells like an old leaky church after a storm in the best way possible. wet, moody, and musky without being overwhelming. my only gripe is the lasting power but it just lives in my purse now.

Soapy, salty, aquatic. Ocean vibes, soft/mild lilies, leather on cold marble. After several mins, smoky incense adds well-balanced complexity. Mellow and mysterious. Not a fan of thick, soapy notes - but the way it plays with smoke is special. Compelling contrast of clean and dark. Perfect for a witch/goth/vampire/etc. Not cheesy or low class, which is rare enough for Demeter to make it one of their better fragrances. Alas, the smoke quickly turns into juniper/moss/dry floral, reducing the experience to high-end hotel soap. Thankfully, never sweet. Medium projection is fine. Worth trying.

Soft, unsweetened flowers with a bit of green in cool, humid air. A mineral-y, musty smell emerges after about an hour. Calone, my perfumery bête noire, is here, but it's well blended and only occasionally gives off generic "blue." This smells like a high-end hotel soap. Perfectly nice as a non-traditional freshie. Longevity is 3 hours or so, sillage minimal after an hour for the spray. I might try this in the shower gel or diffuser oil. EDIT: I LOVE this with a drop or two of mitti attar. It extends the longevity and adds more cool earthiness.

Smells like a clean girl beauty kinda girl eating her cheat meal in the form of McDonalds French fries. It smells a little metallic, like being in an air-conditioned room, and a teeny bit salty and oily? I was hoping for a sort of aquatic, ethereal cologne here and that's not really what I got. Longevity is alright though for a Demeter cologne. Objectively I think it smells nice. Just not what I was expecting. Funny to think this has the same perfumer as *the* Baccarat Rouge.

I guess my decant must have been from an old formulation because it did smell a little aquatic. But it smelled like marble and old wood. It just smelled cool and calm if that makes sense. Cool and secure like an old sanctuary near pretty Italian women with their heads covered in black lace. Quiet, serene, cool. Give it a try. It's a trip. I don't know how the new formulation compares but I really liked how calming mine was :)

Takes the fantasy note route to capture the concept of holy water. It's for the best--holy water is just regular ol' water that's been blessed by a priest. No note pyramid for reference, but here is my take: Subtle herbal/citrus smell, soapy on the dry down. The herbs smell like juniper to me. This reminded me of gin, which is kinda funny, but it's nice and fresh. Fleeting as all Demeters are, but great for layering.

I'd swear I'd smelled this before--sadly, I never have sniffed the genuine article straight from the source, so I cannot comment on its realness-to-life. Ah, it's another Demeter; two, in fact! This is the love child of Thunderstorm and Wet Garden: cool, damp earth, teeming with tiny pale green sprouts, and an inanimate, minereal twang. I think a more accurate name would be "Garden of Eden".

This fragrance is beautiful. The scent is hard to explain; it smells like cold marble, musk and just the word ‘fresh’. The longevity is not good with the spray, reading the other review about the oil roller lasting all day makes me want to try it. This perfume is truly androgynous. If you have smelled Skin or Rain from the brand Clean, Holy Water smells sort of similar to those two.

It smells fine not very churchy but I see the vision I've never smelled real holy water but I can imagine this is what it smells like. Sadly it doesn't last more than 20 minutes on my skin. Overall I like this scent it comes off as slightly aquatic but flowery at the same time I like to layer it with serge lutens- l'orpheline.

Ghostly lillies, cool water and cold marble. The scent takes me back to visiting the mausoleums in Hollywood Forever cemetery. Sprayed this in room while watching a horror film. Atmospheric! Waiting for a hot day to wear this as I think it will be very cooling and calming.

I like it. Was worried because a few reviews said it smelled like bath and body work cucumber melon. It does not. It smells floral, maybe jasmine? Powdery, clean. Smells like the nice old ladies at church in their Sunday best.

i can’t believe this is the work of francis kudijian but also it’s very realistic to holy water it smells like water contaminated by peoples sweaty moisturised hands. there’s also that kind of old person smell on it too