Hermessence Brin de Reglisse

On my nose, the wonderful bombastic blast of sweet enigmatic liquorice is made docile with the herbaceous fleeting note of lavender with an underlying green note of hay. Conceived in 2007 by Jean-Clause Ellena for the Hermessence line by Hermès, Brin De Réglisse is described as: “A fragrance that blows cool and warm, dry and sweet. A landscape in Provence, dry earth, fragrant purple fields, the wind of the mistral... draped in a luxurious coat of mouthwatering licorice. The fragrance opens with the pure light of stylized lavender only to move into the velvety black of licorice.” The ‘provence’ that is France for Ellena is translated into an entirely different entity on my own terms. The scent of lavender and licorice evokes memories of tea and scones with licorice root tea and scones generously smothered in lavender scented chantilly cream. Whilst Ellena’s conception of this was to gauge the South-Eastern aspects of France, I get my own memory-evoking, or ‘memory-reminding’ scent of complacent periods of my life. -And that’s what I find to be most important; Something as a true testament to the Hermessence line and Jean-Claude Ellena’s ability to fabricate something that I adore not just as a product, but as an art form. The composition overall is linear. It boasts the crisp, gourmand scent of upfront anise, which is almost minty and menthol-like in quality in the sense that it cuts through the receptors unapologetically... but I’m okay with that. The lavender quality acts as the softener in the composition, which doesn’t necessarily dampen the anise/licorice quality, but adds that mysterious perplexing quality of many fragrances that requires even more stern sniffing and professional patience. The final note I detect, hay, is more imaginary than real. What I mean is, it’s not that I can’t smell it, but it’s more of a colloquial term used to describe the green note from the fragrance. It’s a bit like how the stem of a flower is usually more bitter than the actual petals, it’s as if Ellena utilized 2 parts lavender bud and 1 part lavender stem; in turn this delivers a mildly rough quality that works wonderfully with the potent liquorice. Furthermore, the green, ‘cut grass’, hay quality has this warming affect, that is concurrently kind of roasted and a tad toasted by the sun (which happens to be Cis-3-Hexenal & 1-Hexanol that is attributed to the intense grassy note). In turn, it gives the fragrance a ‘dirty’ character; but an Ellena kinda dirty...think Terre d’Hermès; that draws out the molasses character of licorice and syrups. Ellena’s fragrances, whilst story tellers, are novellas, not novels. A message is still received but in a shorter, sweeter amount of time. This is the case for Brin De Réglisse. The EdT carries the cost of an EdP, but philosophically makes sense, seeing how Ellena is the master of understatement and a particularly close sillage. My new signature, 5/5.

جزو معدود عطرای من که هرگز حتی در اوج فقر و فاقه به فروشش فکر نکردم و شاید بتونم بگم هرگز هم بیرون برای کس یا کاری نپوشیدم و مثل دونا از برند لورنزو ویلورسی خودم شبا تنهایی می پوشیدم و می بوییدم و یاد مادرم و بچگی ها و غذای قورمه سبزی و مراحل پختش(اونوقتا که اسم ارگانیک رو نشنیده بودیم چون چیزی غیرارگانیک نبود و همه چیز طبیعی و ناب بود و این عطر هم تمام اجزاش طبیعی و ناب)می افتادم جالب نت هاش فقط سبزیجات خشک و لاوندر و شیرین بیان زده اما نه تنها تمام بوهایی که تو امژایر فوِق بنگال در بخش نت های سبزی ها و گیاهان خشک معطرش با دقت میکروسکوپی کشف میشن اینجا با وضوح تمام سربرمیارن بلکه بوی لیمو خشک عمانی وقتی ریختن تو قورمه سبزی یا چای بهمراه بوی وتیور(بله واقعا) در کنار بوی تمام سبزی های ناب ایرانی که زمانی تو غذا میریختن و بوش صدکوچه می پیچید و الان تو عطاری ها هم نمیشه پیدا کرد و آویشن و جعفری و حتی سبزی خوردن..تک تک میاد و عجیب اینکه دهها نت به ترتیب گویی یکنفر داره میده دستتون بو کنید بترتیبی که برای من یاداور مراحل پخت قورمه سبزی مامانم بودش(از شما چه پنهون من بچه بودم مثل گدا گشنه ها و گربه های محل دامن مادرمو میگرفتم و باید هربار از اون بالا یه تیکه پرت میکرد دهنم و عجیب هم بدون اینکه بگم چی میخوام و حرفی بزنم دقیقا مثل گربه های خونگی مامانم میدونست چی میخوام و اعتراضی هم نمیکرد چون بهترین زمان برای نشنیدن جیغ و واویلای من همین ساعات پخت غذا بود) درعین حال راستش هرگز متوجه بوی لیکرش یا همون شیرین بیان توش نشدم شاید تصورم با بویی که توی نیکولای کویغ کوبااز شیرین بیان داشتم مانع درکم شد(اونم بخاطر رگ و ریشه های کردی من و خاطرات کودکی مشقت بار گربه وار منو یاد روغن کرمونشاهی میندازه و همون روز اول که از عباسی پرفیوم شاپینگ خریدم نوشتم این بوی روغن کرمونشاهی میده و البته کویغ کوبا جزو بهترین عطرای عمرم) هرکی این کار هرمس رو واسه فروش داره من باکمال میل خریدارم

Hmmm.. both underwhelmed and a bit impressed if that's possible? I finally plucked up courage to enter the intimidating Hermes shop today for a long awaited test. As a huge fan of Caron's Eau de Reglisse I wanted a comparison. Brin de Reglisse is certainly LOVELY, soft, warm, comforting, gentle.. but, it seems to have no sillage whatsoever. You would have to spray this really generously to smell it on yourself and possibly spray it continuously for somebody else to get a whaft as you pass. It's gone in an hour. At £150 a bottle that is not good. The only capacity in which I see this this working is to save it for when you are going to get close up to someone. It's scent is very much like a soft natural body smell and in that way it's very sexy. But really, is there anypoint in getting this little fragrance for £150? Sadly, I think not. Though if I ever win the lottery I will consider an hourly dose.. ps. I've just read some of the other review on here and I absolutely agree that it had a pleasantly 'salty' element. I wonder if that's why it is reminiscent of the human body/skin smell?

Brin de Reglisse is such a calming scent. Beautiful, and never too much. It's very much my favourite of the Hermesscence range, followed closely by Paprika Brasil. Paprika Brasil is a soft spicy number something found in a city restaurant, but Brin is... well, it's an intimate morning on a cool farm. I don't detect coffee beans, but working in a cafe must make me anosmic to it outside of the cafe (I'm beginning to hate it). It contains soft, soft lavender and a strong hay accord. The licorice comes through in such a lovely fashion. This reminds me of a very soft, not so spicey Eau Noire. Don't shoot me... I adore both. The Hermes range has been anything but hit and miss for me, consistently getting to me and striking my heart and making me feel great. The Hermessence range is a natural set of scents, ranging from the city to the seaside to the country on a farm with horses and leather. The main lines contain some very special ideas, but the Hermes dna is consistent with them all. Hermes is a very special house and Jean Claude Elena is... so helpful and his ideas are inspiring.

There is a short window during the year when Brin de Réglisse calls me. It's during those dog days of Summer around harvest, an innocent child's playtime. Hiding away laying on a bale of hay dried from the blistering sun, dusty from the ground and infused from inside with gentle flower petals and the scent of wooden twigs. The mouth cheekily full of sweet and chewy aniseed and liquorice bonbons straight from the paper bag. Forbidden delights and moments all to myself cause Mother to anxiously look out from the balcony waiting for my anticipated return for family lunch. The warm breeze carries sweet herbal flavours across from the nearby lavender fields, which melt with the liquorice to form a fine layer of slightly salted caramel on the outside, delicately burnt and bursting with rich aroma. As I close my eyes, for that short moment, the world seems a homely place, even many years later.