Eau des Merveilles Bleue

One of my all time favorite freshies! Personal: 9/10 – Salty mineral water with soft woods. It’s crisp, airy, and beautifully refreshing. I love how unique this take on an aquatic freshness is. It's an amazing execution of an aquatic. Mass appeal: 8.5/10 – Very clean, breezy, and subtle. Some might find the mineralic angle odd, but most will enjoy its refreshing transparency. Performance: 6.5/10 – It doesn't project heavily or last too long, but you'll enjoy every minute of it. Value: 8/10 – Hermès pricing is mid-luxury but fair here, considering the uniqueness and refinement. It doesn't perform the best, but you’re paying for elegance. It can also be found pretty reasonably priced on most discounters. Uniqueness: 8.5/10 – A salty, mineralic aquatic that feels more like air and water than citrus or herbs. Very distinct compared to most mainstream freshies, and one of the best unisex freshies out there. SCORE: 81/100 Full bottle buy? YES, this is one of my favorite salty aquatics, and I’d happily wear it often. Blind buy? YES, if you like freshies. It’s clean, airy, and safe enough despite the mineral twist. Recommend? YES, as one of the best refined summer aquatics on the market. Date night? YES, for casual outdoor evenings. It’s fresh and unique enough to stand out without being heavy or strange in some way. Office safe? YES, very subtle, clean, and professional. Built for the office. Pros: Crisp mineral-aquatic vibe, refreshing and elegant, refined and unique among freshies. Cons: Performance is weak, leans a bit “watery stone” which can feel strange if you prefer citrus-heavy aquatics. Meant for people with greener taste than a blue taste. Eau des Merveilles Bleue is a perfect example of Hermès doing refinement better than almost anyone else. It’s clean, transparent, and evocative, like seaside air over sun-warmed stones. It doesn't have beastly performance, and it doesn't last for 12 hours, but it'll last through most of the work day, so you and everyone around you can enjoy the remarkably well blended beauty that is Eau des Merveilles Bleue. I think this is one of the cleanest executions of a blue fragrance that doesn't lean on the typical herbal or citrusy notes to make it feel fresh, bright, and summery. I think this could even be worn during the daytime in winter if you want something that morphs into feeling a bit icy and cool from the juniper note. The epitome of a unique, refined blue fragrance. This should be on everyone's lists as a potential summer staple, and the prices on discounters means this is a very attainable freshie. Review #143 in my fragrance journey – this fragrance I own as a decant

My bottle was given to me by a family member who had tired of it. I also own the original EDM, and I find the bottles themselves extremely beautiful! Seeing them on my vanity during the summer always brings a smile to my face. I think the two scents are clearly related, but distinct enough that I can easily justify owning both. As far as the perfume itself goes, it is quite distinctly cool, not sharply cold at all but salty and refreshing like an ocean breeze. I get the feeling that I'm drinking a cocktail rimmed with salt on the beach in the late afternoon. Throughout the wear time, there's an undercurrent of patchouli, wood and moss(?) that I become aware of in waves. I would say the patchouli is fairly prominent, but as a fan of even heavier patchoulis I certainly don't mind it. It grounds the scent and blends well with the saltier aquatic notes - it's so well blended that it has taken me a long time to even isolate the moss. As for sillage, EDM Bleue is moderate to good on me. With three sprays, it can be smelled much further than arms length away on me for half of the wear time. I find it usually begins to fade after 6-7 hours, but I catch whiffs of it verging on 11-12 hours later. My boyfriend has not tested out this fragrance himself, but I do think this reads as unisex. It recalls associations of other aquatics that smell very distinctly male, but it sidesteps those associations. I don't think this is a safe blind buy for men or women-test it first. Yes, even if you like aquatics or the original EDM! I feel like some of the notes, especially the patchouli, can go "strange" on some people, even though they work for me. This is a "yacht club" fragrance for me, plain and simple. Tasteful, with a rugged undertone. Back when I was spending a lot of time on the water, this was a favorite of mine. I still get a lot of wear out of it even in the city, but I miss that special sparkle I felt it had when I wore it in seaside New England, where it made me feel as if I was taking on the natural fragrance of my surroundings. I've worn it on other beach excursions far away from there, but to me that was when it really stood out.

This is another one that excites me when I put it on. When I started exploring scents I was given a sample of this with an order. And it shows what a novice I was/am because I'd never noticed aquatics before. I'm 50 next birthday and have had no interest in 'fumes for decades, merely using what I was gifted. Before, as a teen, I'd only been interested in smelling like every one else and attracting the girls. I bathed in Kouros; Jazz, and Aramis. I stopped in the early 90's (we didn't wear fragrance to raves - the hyper-accentuated senses couldn't cope with beast-mode projection!). And so Cool water et al passed me by. Then earlier this year I smelt Eau des Mervailles Bleau and was rocked by it, an incredibly evocative scent of shoreline and sun, and something else. I was at that time slavishly following the masculine/feminine delineation so didn't buy, exploring Bvlgari Aqva Marine and Acqua di Gio Profumo amongst others. Now my metro-sexual self is content with its range of masculinities so EdMB sits among my collection. I still am not sure what that 'other' accord is in here. I think I read elsewhere of a Driftwood effect being attemptd. I get the salt, and a whiff of sea-breeze, but the edge that this scent has I can't define. The closest I can get in words is the violet/leaf note in He Wood, or the Ivy in Beach Hut Man. maybe the creator of this wanted to reproduce the less than totally pleasant but nevertheless entirely natural aromas that mingle at the shoreline. Others use seaweed notes but the woods and patchouli here create what to me is a scent that sits just the right side of sickly - and I think that's what makes me love it. It's challenging but rewarding. Like I say, I'm a beginner who, for example, has struggled with geranium and violet but loves them now (whereas I've a way to go yet with ambroxan, and lily-of-the-valley!). So overall, I'm very happy to have this one now, and if some warmth finally reaches the Northeast of England this summer, I'll wear this with something coconutty and dream of Magaluf in 1989. Btw, this is going strong after 2 hours, will update on longevity.

To start off, let me update you on the weather over in Sri Lanka right now. It’s 32 degrees (celcius) and because of the humidity the weather app on my iPhone indicates that it feels like 39 (special shout-out to those who deny Global Warming and Climate Change are real!!) So as the rest of the world transitions from colder spring days, us on the equator are BOILING. Because our President is corrupt and drove our country into bankruptcy and the Ceylon Electricity Board is not making enough money, we have 6-7 hour (on average) brownouts (in case you don’t know what a brownout is, they are sporadical blackouts/power cuts) every single day! Now try to imagine a hot as balls day + no AC or even a fan to keep yourself cool. I feel I have now set the stage! I am wearing EdM Bleue today. It feels like I sprayed on the Original EdM mixed with Iced water and sea notes. Stunning, refreshing and just what I needed to feel sane again. There’s so much more than just three notes and this is absolutely stunning. The more I sweat, the more it begins to project so remember to spray your inner elbows, back of the neck and chest if you wear this on a day you plan to sweat ! And this lasts amazing on clothes! Being an EDT it does not have beastly longevity on skin; but it does last longer than most other designer EDPs 😏 Hermès is my most favourite designer fragrance line tied with Guerlain. They can do no wrong but are often misunderstood. The Eau Des Merveilles line is one of the most beautiful perfume lines. What I love most is it suits this super hot tropical climate so perfectly. This is going to be a summer staple for me!

I can't quite put my finger on why I found this to be such a love for me! I don't dislike aquatic fragrances, but I don't think I have a single one in my collection that can be classified that way. Off the top of my head, the only thing I can think of that would come close is Aqua Allegoria Teazurra, and I think that has more to do with it's freshness and the color of the juice. And yet I haven't been able to forget this one since I received a sample about two years ago. Of course, it has the original Eau des Merveilles DNA, and I love that one too, but the aquatic accord is so remarkable that I actually prefer this one. I get a mental image of sitting on a yacht - a sailboat, with the sails billowing, full of wind. Ocean spray is in the air, clean and fresh, and I am wearing a light cotton, sky-blue sweater on, with a scarf (Hermes of course!) vainly attempting to keep my hair from becoming a tangled mess! Sorry for that bit of reverie, but I find it incredible that so few notes in such a crystalline composition could provoke such a strong image. I certainly wouldn't mind having full bottles of both this and the original but if I had to choose one over the other, Bleue would be my choice. PS - reading through the reviews, it makes me happy to see that this fragrance appears to invoke similar imagery and wonder in others! PPS - LOL! I just saw my review from a year ago, which is a less vivid description of all I just wrote! I suppose it really has made an impression on me!

Eau des Merveilles Bleue is essentially exactly what it is advertised to be: marvelous blue water. Personally, I love it, and this is a go-to scent for me when I want to smell sparkly and self-assured, maybe if I want to evoke the lady wearing resort wear on a yacht. For me, spraying this scent is like opening a cold bottle of Sprite: fizzy, a bit bracing, zingy, refreshing... And amazingly, it maintains this character the whole way through. I can see, though, that this aroma may not appeal to everyone. Aquatics, in my opinion, are notoriously controversial. Many people seem to be scarred for life by too much Cool Water in the 90's, or other similar fragrances that, if badly done, could veer into the territory of shampoo or bathroom cleaners. I personally feel that Eau des Merveilles Bleue is saved from the melon-like shower gel territory by its citrusy salty aspect that is tempered to a perfect volume, like a gentle ocean spray. It's hard to describe where these impressions could be coming from based on the notes pyramid. The review by NeptunesWish below that mentions an unlisted note of absinthe seems like a promising bet; while it's not overtly minty or herbal, per se, this fragrance does have some of the same aromatic feeling as a fresh sprig of mint, or maybe a mojito with a bit of salt around the rim of the glass. This is a perfectly unisex fragrance to me, and it lasts all day long. Highly recommend.

Pure beauty. The only aquatic scent I can tolerate, even love. But as others have mentioned before, there is so much more going on than just aquatic freshness: I also get ginger (with some minty sharpness first). After that it stays pretty fresh, salty and marine for about an hour on my skin. After that the stormy sea calms. Just when I thought the perfume had vanished, some soft ambery honey bloomed along with the mildest orange blossom one can imagine.This phase, which I love most, lasts another hour, before deep and dark woody notes appear and remain 'til the end. I get a noticable scent for about six or seven hours. And here is my picture: A clean sky, a lonesome shore, a white beach, yes. A woman walks along the sand, barfoot, she carries her shoes in her hand, the fresh wind whirls her long hair and she sings. She walks a little closer to the nearby gardens, sits on a large, still sun-warmed stone, and she keeps looking at the low standing sun with bright eyes, while the evening sunlight caresses the flowers in the nearby gardens and they unfold the mildest, most beautiful fragrances. And then the night comes: Darkblue sea, dark sky, triftwood at the shores. This day has to end, as the summer has to. She sighs, peacefully, and keeps the memory of the warmth within her heart. I was just looking for a "fresh pick-me-up-scent" on a really hot day, did not expect to become enchanted.

A wonderful, calm and serene fragrance, its also one of the most unusual aquatics that I have owned in that it hasn't got the typical calone/melon notes in it that most aquatic scents usually have and it also (at least to me) doesn't smell like bathroom cleaner. I totally agree with the comments that this scent evokes mental imagery of a calm, starlit lake or ocean at night, there is something very relaxing and soothing about it, not that it makes me feel sleepy, it just makes me feel more calm, pulled together and collected. There are only 3 notes, but, as I have said with Alien, its impressive how compex and deep something with very few notes in can smell, its not linear and boring but its also not difficult or jarring to wear, its a perfect scent in my book. Longevity and silage are moderate with about 7 hours of wear and a soft, bordering on skin scent silage, the first time I tested this in January I actually couldn't smell it, but others could, I carried on my day with 4 spritzes from the tester on my neck and collar bone, throughout the day I kept getting little "bursts" of it and I kept wondering who it was that smelt so good, only to realise it was me, I quite like that about it. Glad to have finally gotten a bottle, which, might I add is beautiful and I will be repurchasing in the future, I adore it so much

I was looking for a beach/summer scent and this is the first time i have tried anything hermes. I was so excited getting my samples that i read the reviews here more than twice! As soon i get to test it, i was disappointed. I wanted to love it but I guess I’m not really into anything salty which is what i got on the first spray. I was hoping the dry down would be better - but no. There’s still some salt in there. I like aquatic fragrances just not anything with salt i guess. *edit* wore it the whole day yesterday and i kind of missing the whiff of it so i tried it again this morning, this spraying mostly on my shirt, it’s been 4 hours and i still get a lot of whiff every once in a while. It’s starting to grow on me. So i might actually keep this. Edit #2 i finally got to test it for a couple of days more and comparing it with Eau Des Merveilles, i find the bleue more interesting, it really smells like the ocean and makes me miss the beach less whenever i smell this. The salt is not as bad as it did the first time i smelled it. I got a small bottle on the way and would be my signature scent until i get sick of its scent i guess. I love how my colleague commented about how it smells so good on me. I also got the eau des merveilles and i find that warm, almost like a good sweat scent on a summer day.

This perfume shapes in my mind the image of a mature person. I don't mean mature as in age, rather emotionally. You went through a fair array of difficulties, disappointments and worried quite a bit about the future. But you overcame it all and have now a wonderful, fulfilling life. You're sat on the veranda of your beach house, in a wonderful location away from the maddening crowd. It's high up on a hill facing the sea. It's sunset. You're alone, amidst the hundreds scents nature is mixing to the iodine lifted by a warm, gentle breeze coming from the sea. You sip your drink with thorough pleasure, in the knowing that your hard work paid off and you're now safe. You don't worry about a thing anymore. You are exactly where you dreamt for so long to be. Your gaze sweeps over the garden below, onto the lemon trees, then the maritime pines in the distance, finally onto that lovely, calm sea. The sun is yet warm and you close your eyes, letting your soul be lulled by the warmth of a mineral, yet balsamic embrace. No regrets, no fears. Just fulfillment and pure happiness. It's here with you finally, and you grew able to understand its nature. Eau des Merveilles Bleue. The end. A happy one at last.

Oh, I love this one ! Perfect little lightweight cooling refresher for summer heat. On my skin, Hermes Eau Des Merveilles Bleue starts out with a sudden cold metallic blast, then instantly settles to a sweet soft wintergreen scent. Wintergreen is my favorite of all mints. It has a natural sweetness to it. Fresh, uplifting, cooling and completely pleasant, non offensive, perfect for office. Great for all ages. Lasts about 6 hours, wearing very close to skin after about one hour. Salty seawater note is faintly present. A touch of minty patchouli and light dry woods keep the perfume from being too candy sweet. Nothing beachy here, but enjoyable. Extremely over priced, but sometimes you have to invest in a scent you feel was made "just for you". I'll be wearing this oddball fragrance a lot during the hottest summer days. If you prefer a more feminine version of this Hermes fragrance, try Kate Spade Truly Dazzling. It's a lot more affordable, too. Recently discovered another much lower priced niche designer's perfume that smells just like this one, but less sweet. It's called Sea Salt by Royal Apothic, from their Heritage Collection. You can find it on Royal Apothic Perfumes website.

Fennel Water. I'm surprised no one else has pointed out the strong fennel note in this one? Some digging revealed that an unlisted note for this perfume is Absinthe, which has a minty-Anis kind of smell (and the famous drink is also know as 'La Bleue') Clearly Nagel wanted to create a sea perfume that was both salty mineral and intoxicating. I believe she succeeded. This is more delicate than I would like, but the hesperidic wafts are a tease much like faint ocean scent on a delicate breeze. Up close on the skin the minty fennel mixes with the patchouli to form something that is both invigoratingly fresh and a bit dank. It reminds me of fresh, rain-filled air. I think that is perhaps the 'feminine' charm of these non-floral scents originally envisioned, and this one in particular capitalises on that very well, as it lacks the orange-candy peel sweetness of the original. It's like the skin of a Sea Fairy: soft and inviting and only present when intimately close. Seashell salt skin, fresh seaweed hair and pebble jewellery.

This is my signature summer scent and I haven’t find a better perfume for summertime. It smells like fresh sea breeze - realistic one, not the air refresher type one. I live near the sea and it mixes with the natural sea breeze beautifully. Tried to wear it in January but winter doesn’t work for this perfume - it feels sharp and chemical. Definitely a summertime perfume - during summer it feel so airy, sea-like and refreshing. This is what I mean when I say I want an aquatic scent. I can smell salty sea notes but also there is something sweet in it, so it doesn’t feel crisp or plain. Works with my skin amazing and is a huge compliment getter. I like that I can wear it anywhere and nobody would be bothered by this scent. Christine Nagel is my favourite perfumer as she creates so elegant yet WEARABLE scents. Longevity: 2 hours (3h max). Poor but what you can expect from EDT when it +25 degrees Celsius outside. I wish they would do EDP of this scent, it would make me sooo happy. Can’t wait for the summer to wear it again!

For me this is complex, refined and unique. It is not a scent for when I want to feel girly or feminine, but rather something to feel professionally confident in. Given the scent I thought it would be unisex. I doubt it’s a crowd pleaser, but i believe it would be a good “clean” -scent for those who generally do not like the typical citrusy/shampoo-ish/green scents. None of the notes sounded like they would attract me, but they do. Something about it just works. It reminds me of mineral water, of stones and somehow fresh laundry. It seems to be very dependent on body chemistry. On me it was brilliant. On my mom it turned into a completely different smell, and not a good one. The bottle is beautiful, and I like that nothing about the ad nor the bottle plays on sexuality or any stereotype for what a woman should be. While the ad or bottle alone won’t convince me. It is refreshing to see. Personally I would wear this when I feel or want to feel confident.

I don't know why I like this, but I do. Quite a bit. Never much of a fan for many aquatic fragrances, and I have a very tenuous relationship with patchouli, but for some reason, this one is far greater than the sum of its parts. I have no idea what Christine Nagel used to create the aquatic accord, but it feels and smells like the light spray of the sea on my face - the kind you experience on a sailboat or catamaran. But the woods and patch lend it enough earthiness that it doesn't feel too watery. When people speak of "beach scents", they usually invoke the smells of the tropics. While I would hesitate to call this a beach scent because of that, there is more than one type of beach. This one reminds me of more temperate climates, perhaps New England, or maybe Brittany since Hermes is French, and spending the day sailing and the evening sitting on the beach in a cotton sweater, with a group of friends and a small fire somewhere near. I need a FB.

this is my favourite perfume so far, and I'm almost forty, so I've tried a few. This scent is not for those who want their fragrance to communicate to others who they are. Anyway, I've always found the idea absurd that we should or could express our individuality via something that is designed by somebody else. I want to be touched and inspired by a scent, I don't want it to define or advertise who I am. It's not easy to find a perfume that I really enjoy. Most orientals, gourmands and heavy florals make me feel claustrophobic, I find them opaque, constraining and closed - as if the designer wanted to control the perfume (and me, the wearer) too much. On the other hand, the majority of "ethereal" scents don't have much of a character, they lack mystery and spirit. For me, Eau des Merveilles Bleue has it all. I particularly like to put it on just before I brainstorm or start writing.

Signature scent worthy! Can be worn in any weather! It’s minus 6 here today and I am wearing it as my scent of the day and it’s projecting nicely! The actual notes on Hermes website: Olfactory emotion: Fresh, Delicate Main raw materials: Juniper berry, Patchouli, Mineral stone Its such a beautiful, elegant, luxurious and well put together fragrance! Fresh, clean, sweet juicy but not soapy nor musky nor perfumey. There’s definitely a fruit here somewhere green apple or melon or both blended perfectly forming the sparkling, juicy, fresh, crisp but light sweetness. A little woody in the base but not dry infact far from dry. Couldn’t possibly offend anyone and it lasts on skin all day and though not loud, it definitely projects. Will repurchase! 12/10 as it projects and lasts all day plus it’s sweet and juicy and the mineral note makes it so interesting.

I was in Hamburg last summer. I stayed near the coast and breathed the cold salty breeze from the north winds. To someone like me, experiencing a sunny day while simultaneously refreshing my lungs with an icy feeling is a different experience, because I'm so used to high temperatures and humidity when I go to the beach. I associate this perfume with that feeling. It is so sea-like but in a cold way. I read (or watched?) a reviewer stating that this smells like the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, and he was right! It has a synthetic note that makes it feel "unreal" but in a "natural" way. Like visiting the Blue lagoon: it feels surreal. Some people might think it's too salty, woody or masculine, but I can only focus on all the magical scenarios it brings back to my mind. It has moderate longevity but great sillage on me.

The beginning is slightly sharp and aromatic, closer to menthol than patchouli. Then is settles into CLEAR WATER. Imagine a small lake in the mountains. After that it starts becoming saltier and saltier overtime. Personally, I love it! The scent is just fascinating to me. Smells like vacation! A definite feel good/relax scent. Performs best in hot weather. The spiciness settles much faster and then disappears. In cold weather the perfume stays very sharp. Definitely DON'T see a similarity with Davidoff Cool Water. There's something about Cool Water and it's iterations that I never liked. Word of caution tho, my mother is allergic and thus very sensitive and she says there's just something in it that makes her nose upset. So, I guess be cautious if you have a more serious respiratory condition.

A gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous aquatic. I've never come across something quite like this. Aquatics or blue fragrances typically come off to me as crazily synthetic, generic, sometimes even sharp. Not this one. It's quaint and nuanced, although linear. Just like what another reviewer mentioned, this fragrance brought me places — a serene lake under a starry sky, or a beach at night with waves slowly crashing onto the shore. I love fragrances that can bring me to places, especially during a pandemic. Projection is good for 1+ hour and longevity probably 3-4 hours. Not bad for an aquatic. I personally find the OG Eau des Merveilles a little too strong, but Hermes added some blues into this and right now it's a perfect balance. A man's summer signature from all-year sunny Singapore.