Eau Claire des Merveilles

Wow, what a lovely scent! It's really elegant and would suit a very well-dressed and refined woman (aka not me!). I'm all cords and clogs, but this scent is so pretty, I may have to step up my game so I can wear it! To me it has nothing in common with its older sisters, Eau des Merveilles and Elixirs des Merveilles. In fact, if I hadn't known who'd made it, I'da never made the connection. What I find rather interesting about this scent is that there is nothing risky or envelope-pushing about it as with its predecessors. It stays well within the parameters of feminine, sophisticated, elegant and wearable--very classic really, perhaps due to the aldehydes. To me Ellena is an impressionist and an intellectual perfumer who generally makes one think in response to his creations. With Claire, however, I didn't think. I just breathed it in and enjoyed its subtle, lovely aura. There's nothing to figure out--no line drawn in the sand to step over--just pure ease and enjoyment. The first spray hints at the first in the series--Eau des Merveilles with a slight saltiness, but that fades and from that point the scent wears in a rather linear way. The dominant note to me is amber, which is quite prominent here. A great scent for fall IMO. There is nothing new or cutting-edge going on here so if you're looking for a provocative twist on the earlier Merveilles, you might be disappointed, but for those who love pretty ambery scents, Claire is a must-try.

I originally reviewed this scent based on a few wearings of a sample I got back in 2010. Now that I've indulged myself in a full bottle my opinion of it has evolved. The more I wear it the more I get 'dulce de leche' or a salted caramel ice cream. It's a bit--just a bit creamy and a bit salty and when I wear it I can't help but think of those dairy delights. I'm not getting much in the way of vanilla (I would have appreciated more) but a healthy dose of amber. In fact if they had named this scent 'L'Ambre des Merveilles,' rather than 'Eau Claire' that would have been fitting in my opinion. I have yet to smell the actual newest flanker L'Ambre des Merveilles and can't really imagine how much more ambery it could be than Eau Claire. The initial spray of Eau Claire is kind of effervescent and fresh and a bit salty and maybe even beachy. The first few minutes is when it most resembles the original Eau des Merveilles, as others have noted. After that there really isn't much evolution or pyramid development going on here. It wears pretty consistently--sweet, a bit of salt and amber for as long as it lasts. Lasting power on me is pretty good - 6 or more hours. Overall I'd say it is pleasant and fairly easy to wear--significantly sweeter then I remember from my sample and I've also noticed just a touch of pepper I don't remember from before, which I like. An interesting scent for sure and a few unexpected tricks up its sleeve.

While I could write a love letter instead of a review to Eau des Merveilles, with Eau Claire des Merveilles it's not a love affair... just a little crush! The scent on the papper strip and on my skin are totaly different... On the papper strip it clearly reminds me of the opening of Jesus del Pozo Halloween (only the top notes, and without the banana note!). On the skin: The top notes of Halloween are still there but with an orange dominant note wich reminds the original Eau des Merveilles. But this fade away very fast. Then a burst of sugared flowers with vanilla and tons of aldehydes! This is an aldehydic fragrance and I wouldn't expected to be, at all! As for the base, it dries down to a powdery feeling with musk. If I like it? I do! It's clean, it's soapy but somewhat modern and edgy, and most of all, it's clearly feminine! And it's powerfull, I actually find it heavier than Eau des Merveilles. The staying power is good (6 hours at least) and the sillage is moderate. If you find Eau des Merveilles a little bit masculine for your taste, give this a try! If you are like me, a fan of the original Eau des Merveilles (wich is onr of my favourite scent's ever, by the way), you'll miss the woody notes, the ambery feeling and... the magic!

I love and adore it! I think the reviews from Swamp Lily and Sandra Smells Scents-uous are spot on - they have described Eau Claire in their reviews just before me... However, I just cannot be silent, and leave it at that, I have this unexplainable urge to express my own admiration towards Eau Claire. Hope you'll understand and forgive my poor mumbling. I adore it! Eau Claire is so soft and feminine. I want to bury my nose into my skin when I'm wearing it, it's sensual but completely office appropriate at the same time. Strange, but true. I feel oh so wonderful when wearing it. Elegant, but not cold. Happy, but not bubbly. Well put together and confident in a friendly way. Eau Claire is amber + woody + floral + vanilla. It's mostly sweet and dry, there are not too many or not too complex notes to notice indeed. But what is remarkable and what makes it so alluring for me, is the quality, the dosage and characteristics of notes - the amber is warm and inviting, the woods are delicate and soft, the flowers are shy and pretty, and the vanilla is just a hint of it. I think I love it most out of the Eau Merveilles range. :)

This is actually my favorite from the Merveilles series. I love its airy, floral woodiness and its very slight sexy soapiness. It's much more feminine, delicate and romantic than the other Merveilles and evidently so, much easier to wear year round. It's a woody floral water, light and sparkling but respectably lasting for an EDT (6-8 hours on me) despite its transparency and sheerness. I can imagine a lovely young woman with honey golden hair, wearing this on a warm, sunny spring day. She's natural, feminine and a bit absent, lost in romantic contemplation, as she's walking past a florist shop on the way to her first date. Eau Claire des Merveilles is very light, diaphanous and subtle, but nonetheless it bears the unique, remarkable character of the Hermes house. It's got loads of personality, but it will not flaunt it. It's quiet and dreamy, optimistic and intangible. I suggest you also spray this in your hair when wearing it. It lasts much longer, leaves a gorgeous trail and it surrounds you in a fabulous scented cloud for a few hours.