Kelly Caleche Eau de Parfum

I can't review this without comparing it to the original Kelly in EDT. Let's talk about perfume flankers first. They're almost always derivative, how could they not be? Some are just truly stronger versions of their predecessors, with maybe a few stronger notes or new notes for a boost. Some are worth getting if you like the original, some, if you like the original, aren't worth getting. Some have nothing to do at all with the original perfume, and one wonders why they decided to associate it with their progenitors. So they're tricky. I really like Kelly is EDT, and I think that this version, the EDP, is different enough, and interesting enough, and delivers on what the EDT was supposed to be in the first place, that if 1) you like the original, the EDP is worth sampling 2) you didn't like the original, the EDP is worth sampling:) The EDT to me is a green, woody, earthy, citrus leather. It almost has an austere, chilly, natural feel to it. The EDP, while it has an overlap (after Ellena has his signature on almost everything he does, no?) is allot different in terms of personality and dominant notes. So Kelly Eau de Parfum...Truly she's a plush, rich floral leather. She's sweeter and lusher than the original. The rose is the dominant note here, even stronger than the leather I think. Rose surrounded by violet, mimosa, and the leather. Kelly EDP is just freaking plush and sweetly floral and velvety soft. While I imagine a woman wearing the EDT in the great outdoors, riding horses, turning up fragrant earth, the woman who wears the EDP is inside, in a wood paneled room, already lotioned up and perfumed, hair curled, putting on a red gown, candles burning, fresh flowers cut, surrounded by pleasantly scented warm room air. I think that's the personality difference. The EDP just has a sweetness, a denseness, and a strong floral component that the EDT just doesn't have. Above all the EDP is NOT earthy. And in a way, while the leather notes buzz lightly around the flowers, the leather isn't a strong here. Anyway, I have bottles of both versions and I love them to death. And thanks to JCE's gentle, understated hand, I can wear them to work, around the general public, and not worry about anything being too strong or offensive. Yet these perfumes have tremendous staying power and aren't just "skin scents." And if someone does smell me, I guarantee I smell fabulous.

Kelly Calèche, you really are something else. I got a sample of this and it was love at first smell. I fall in love with perfumes quite easily, but this must have set the record because I went right to "Give me a bottle of this" in approximately two seconds. It's unlike other Hermès perfumes I know and love. Almost all of the Hermès perfumes I have and love are either very vegetal, green, herby or aquatic. This is something else. Kelly Calèche opens with a burst of floral which quickly turns into something very leathery and powdery. The leather and powder blend is very creamy and I'm actually very surprised I love it that much since it somewhat reminded me of YSL's Parisienne and I steer clear from Parisienne because it smells too synthetic to me. However, if Parisienne is like spilling perfume inside a cheap vinyl makeup bag, Kelly Calèche is more like spilling expensive perfume inside an equally expensive, very luxurious leather bag. Anyway, over time, Kelly Calèche loses its creamy, soft leathery-powdery scent and turns more floral; the cosmetics-perfume-leather-bag combination also grows stronger. A caveat, though: this combination is perfectly lovely in colder weather but in hotter climate this could easily become dizzying scent bomb. Thankfully though, this perfume does not have enormous sillage like Dior's Poison. Overall, this is a very lovely homage to both the bag and the original Calèche. This is a very yummy evening perfume and I fail to see how this would offend anyone if worn correctly. Kelly Calèche is elegant and mesmerising, just like Grace Kelly herself. Hermès did a very good job with this. Had I lived somewhere colder, this could very well boot Coco Mademoiselle or my Un Jardin perfumes out of my "favourites" list. PS: the bottle is insanely pretty too! Rating: 9/10

I gambled on this one because of the notes and the nose (Jean Claude Elena). I bought the EDT without smelling it first, and as I'm sure you know; if you are reading this, that was an expensive gamble. But boy did it pay off! I loved it so much that I bought the EDP as soon as it came out. With that said, both of them take you on an entirely different journey. The EDT is so much lighter, and brighter, while the EDP is very soft and deep. I find that the EDT's rose notes are at the top, with the violet lying just beneath. To me the leather smells like a new pair of gloves and isn't dominate after the first few minutes. It settles nicely into the floral notes with a light vanilla just underneath. For me the EDP has violet and leather notes at the top from the beginning, and they stay there for a long time. It does finally give way to the rose, but the vanilla is barely noticeable. With the understanding that one of the differences between EDP and EDT is that there is a lot more alcohol in the EDT...it really seems to make a very dramatic difference in this fragrance. More so then I have ever noticed in any other fragrance. To me they seem almost like two different scents. One is very bright, and light hearted (day time), and the other is very subdued, sexy and sophisticated (night time). If you are looking for a classy and elegant fragrance either one of these will make you happy!! I love, LOVE, love them both, and wouldn't be without either one of them.

PSA: Apparently the KC EDP isn't sold with the (just found out it works!) lock on the bottle. Mine has it and is from June 2017. If you have a bottle with the lock, take it off before you throw away the bottle! This has to be one of my favorite designer scents. I don't like a lot of Hermes' offerings, they don't work well with me. I ended up gifting Caleche to my step-mother and really liked it but it wasn't "me" so when I found Kelly Caleche, I was in love! The leather is very prominent but doesn't make it dark or heavy or masculine in any way. It's a very clean, new Birken bag leather. It works wonderfully with the florals in this. I don't get a lot of vanilla sweetness, but it is there. I feel like it's here to ground the fragrance. To give it a base to hold on to and smooth it out. It's nothing like the rose/vanilla combos that have been offered the last few years. This actually gives me the vibes that the production/promo photo shows. On my skin, there isn't a touch of powder. It really does work for every season and could go into the evening but isn't a "sultry" scent. It's a good signature fragrance! The rose isn't powdery or jammy, it's more of the rose found in Byredo's Young Rose. Also, at least for my version, the sillage and projection is amazing! Lasts on clothes until laundered, on skin I'd say a good 10 hours.

I was gifted a bottle of this, else I'd never have tried it since the EDT is one of those fragrances that I can't stand at all. I was shocked with how much I ended up liking it! I believe the lack of grapefruit notes is the reason for my love affair with the EDP. The EDP is 100% leather, with a powdery feeling, but also a bit sour due to the rose and thus easy to wear it even on a hot day like today. Like another reviewer, I do get strong chamomile notes for the first hour, which later dissipitate but don't disappear completely. For me this a perfect fragrance for everyday wear, especially if you're in the 30+ age group because it's elegant without being stuffy or pretentious but also very close to a skin scent, which makes it wearable in every social occasion, from the meeting room to the playground with the kids. Lasting power is above 12 hours for me (at that point it smells a bit like melted beeswax infused with flower petals, yum!), but sillage is not enormous, which I guess is something your co-workers will appreciate. The fact that it is unlike any other fragrance I own or have tested, as well as not widely used, make this a good candidate for a signature scent in my book. Did I say I was impressed?