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.

I need to take the time to really test the whole range but this one was immediately love at first sniff. Probably due to the fact it is the most "feminine" version of the whole range and for the moment, I just need that kind of scents. The Eau Merveilleux contained too much "anise" kind of smell to me, which I disliked but I am tempted to try the Ambre. I love this Eau Claire version, it is fresh, woody/warm sophisticated skin scent. I see a lot of mixed feelings reviews about this, I guess people who loved from the beginning the original Eau will find this flanker just superficial but for people like me who just start to discover, it might be appreciated in a different manner. I really adore it, it blends amazingly well with my skin, provides an incredible silage : nothing can compare with this beauty. It is not a cologne, it is not the typical "fresh citrus" eau, no it is just "merveilleux" on his own manner and I will really enjoy it during the whole spring time !

I don't recognize any citrus in this. Also, even though I really love it, I wouldn't call it sophisticated - smells too much like baby powder. I'm surprised that only one other reviewer smells aniseed. It's light, but definitely there at the open with the pepper. All of which makes it odd that I like this perfume. Every element I can identify is one I usually hate: aniseed, vanilla+amber, powder. Yet, in Eau Claire, they all work really well. I wanted a winter perfume bc nearly all that I already have seem to play up the notes I don't care for when it's cold (e.g. Nuda is too salty & leathery when it's cold). But Eau Claire is just right for cold days, smells good on scarves and, if you manage to warm up at all, the musk develops beautifully. I'm sure it would be fine in warm weather, but I plan to keep it for cold. Update: How about that! Today for the first time I could detect a little citrus. Very faint and gone almost immediately, but quite lovely.

I did not care for the original Eau des Merveilles But this version is just Breathtaking ... simple yet sophisticated. I smell ... Gentle floral notes ... light, bright and fresh. Creamy vanilla ... sweet & scrumptious. Attractive woodiness and amber ... adding depth and sensuality. Besides having an elegant opening, Eau Claire turns into one of the most luxurious non-intentionally sexy skin scent when dries down. It may not be as deep or complex like the original Eau des Merveilles but Eau Claire is sweeter, brighter, more youthful and modern. On my skin, the balminess and spiciness--the notes I loathe in the original--cannot be detected. This magical scent stays close although lasts for several hours. All creatures born with noses ought to like Eau Claire des Merveilles .. Another Skin Scent I love!!!!! ❀◕ ‿ ◕❀

This is by far my favorite Merveilles. I’m very sad it’s discontinued. I loved the startling beauty of the original, which this most closely resembles IMO, couldn’t handle Elixir, found Bleue too blue, and L’Ambre a close second but too dry/masculine for everyday wear (would make a great compliment to this as a his/hers thing if one is into that). This is perfect for me. Polished, feminine, persistent soft/moderate silage, unique. No note has reared its head and started to annoy me, which is a rare statement. I was worried it would be soapy or shampoo-y, I associate soapy with wax and plastic, but there is none of that. There is nothing I don’t like. Going to go all the way and declare this my favorite Ellena creation. Edging close to signature territory.

A delicate beauty. I love this perfume. Like its older, bolder sister, Elixir des Merveilles, Eau Claire will always be in my collection. This fragrance dries down to a lovely, warm, woodsy vanilla. The scent is sooo calming and also very enticing. Enticing in that when I wear this perfume, I catch myself wanting to smell my own skin and when I do, it soothes me. The sillage is not very large, but that is okay with me because it makes it seem like my own skin smells naturally warm and vanilla like--not like I'm wearing a perfume. And, I enjoy how throughout the day, the longevity is great, I will unexpectedly catch a pleasant whiff of this beauty. This perfume is spectacular.

I’m not a synasthete but this starts off as gold to me. It sparkles warmly and then breaks down into an unexpected two part scent. I find it a little strange and I don’t know whether it’s actually uncommon in fragrance or whether my exposure isn’t broad enough but it seems like two distinct accords quickly alternating at being the more apparent. An ambery woody scent plays with a creamy floral. It is like two instruments, a piano and violin complementing each other but playing different aspects of the same piece. Later it dries down to a pleasant lightly spiced vanilla. I haven’t tried the other Eau Des Merveilles fragrances but I find my encounter with this one intriguing.

I really like this one. Its gentle and stays around all day. I bought this because I love vanilla fragrances and wanted to try something from Hermes. This isn't as sweetly vanilla as I'd like, but it works nicely layered with some plain vanilla. Initially I did this because I wanted it to be sweeter, but now I love it just as it is. Its got a nice evolving woodyness to it. This is something I've been wearing everyday and still find very interesting. I love that the drydown is rich and creamy. I agree with other reviewers that this is a good one for hot days.

I've danced around this one a lot at the Hermès counter. This poor little flanker, neglected,shadowed by its other stronger relatives...but something about it compels me to keep trying it. So here it is, the shy little sister is now a team player for my Merveilles collection. Sometimes there are days that call for its delicate quality. Then there are days that it goes amazingly over L'Ambre.It's all golden!!!

this smells like my skin, just better! ;) for me it's a lighter, more feminine eau des merveilles minus the orange notes. it resembles the warm, slightly sweet, slightly peppery skin scent of a woman. it also stays very close to the skin, a bit more sillage would be good. but imo this is still a modern, delicate and beautiful perfume for women who wants a light, in a clean way sexy scent!

Divine said it all so well! :) I just wanted to mention that it may remind some people of expensive soap but this fragrance is in no way soapy. Feminine but not sweet. The vanilla is dry and beautiful. Eau des Merveilles seems to be more popular but personally, it does not move me as much. It shows its true beauty on warm days. Luminous, yes, it is.

I just realised that this perfume has something in common with all the perfumes I used to love and that are discontinued/changed at present: the drydown, the base. Powdery, creamy, warm and woody... very feminine, mature, elegant. Love it ! This perfume evokes me a gold and marsala coloured cashmere collar and a late autumn day.

I love this !!! The first is a little bit masculine. 10 min after changes in sultil close to skin feminine and nice fragrance. It is my second favorite Hermes fragrance after Un jardin sur le nil. I'm loving ...is great for the day that you don't want feel very perfumey... You need reaply during the day, but is ok. Love it !!!!

This is so delicious I want to take a bath in it. The amber combined with the woody/floral notes create a unique scent that's better than fragrances with dozens of notes. Sillage and lasting power are modest, this fragrance is unisex. My sample is tiny, eventually I'll have to get a bottle of this magnificent stuff.

I love this fragrance! I already own Eau des Merveilles and I love that one too. This one is a softer and lighter version. It starts out fruity/citrus and the dry down is vanilla/spicy. Just perfect for hot summer days. It lasts a very long time on me. I think it should be unisex.

Why isn't orange/citrus listed here? The first hour has clearly some orange or something, and it's quite fresh woody amber scent. After some hours the scent dries down to woody vanilla. I didn't expect the vanilla be this strong but on me it is for some reason.