Twilly d’Hermès

- Everybody loves the sunshine - ★★★★★ Twilly has been on my purchase list for over a year now but I, for reasons unknown, never found the momentum to buy and wear it myself. I fell for Twilly on the first spray a year back and convinced my equally gorgeous friend to buying it. Needless to say, Twilly complements her carefree sunny personality perfectly and she absolutely radiates with it. Who wouldn’t want a bottle of sunshine? So spring came and I got one. The real mastery in Twilly is how deceptively easy and simple it smells. A tuberose of such size as in Twilly is no easy task to tame and the usual collar consists of heavy oriental bases and lots of spices. Another contemporary mainstream tuberose Gucci Bloom also attempted to switch the oriental riding crop to something else, but the tuberose wouldn’t calm and stayed screechy. Twilly however, succeeded. How the perfumer did it seems easy now that its executed, but it must’ve been no easy puzzle. Here the tuberose is stripped from its, typically amplified, sweet mothball aspects and instead transformed with herbal and soapy accents. The tuberose is immediately lifted from a fatale red velvet gown into an airy summer dress without losing a single drop of maturity or femininity. Who knew tuberose could be joyous and playful without the usual sexual mischief. Tuberose in itself wasn’t a ground-breaking ingredient since it has been a trend for a while now, but the brain of Twilly’s composition lies by the ginger and sandalwood. Ginger is dominantly a masculine note used to improve spiciness without losing freshness and it is deviously used here in that exact same way. In fact, the fresh-sweet and disciplined spicy character of this ginger in Twilly is very similar to the one in the original YSL l’Homme pillar. They both share an elegantly carefree attitude that I believe is achieved with the right dose of sweetened ginger. Now sandalwood is virtually present in every composition and yet again an unsurprising choice but perhaps that’s where simple genius of Twilly (and Narciso with cedar) comes in – it doesn’t try too hard. Why would you infuse the base with more ambitious notes like oud or patchouli when you can just do the trick with some good old creamy sandalwood vanilla. The tuberose in Twilly is genuinely friendly and the ginger is relaxed, a heavier base would just ruin the fun and bury their poor unfortunate souls with unnecessary heaviness. This is what happened with another ginger-sandalwood floral Tom Ford Noir Femme. In Noir the base is yummy enough but it lacks a sense of freedom and seems forcefully sexualized. To smell a fragrance aimed specifically at young women which can actually be taken seriously is something not often done. Twilly is no simple floral nor a loud oriental, but a nimble mix of both. She is smart and well-spoken with genuine warmth, positivity and curiosity that is achieved only on the path to unconditional acceptance of self. Lovely! Now, let the spring bloom! Soundtrack: Bibio - Raxeira

I am testing this from an official sample, sprayed twice to the back of my hand. One word review: CLASSY If more is needed... To me, the ginger isn't particularly strong, even when first sprayed. It's not a "foody" ginger, but more of a warm sensation - a tingle, if you like, at the back of my nose. What I smell from the start is a stunningly beautiful, creamy tuberose. This is not a gourmand, but the tuberose is so delicious, I could lick my hand. It's not "shrill" as in Fracas or Madonna's Truth or Dare. I'm not being negative about either (I love them), just want to establish that you won't find the animalic and raunchy facets of tuberose in Twilly; this is a poised, refined lady who makes her entrance quietly. Fracas (definition: "A noisy disturbance or quarrel") is aptly named. ToD is similarly boisterous and has huge, room-filling sillage (someone at least six metres away from me complimented me on my perfume. Admittedly, a breeze was blowing through the window and they were downwind of me, but still...). After about 30 minutes, I can smell the sandalwood, which can sometimes mimic a light oud (in Vilhelm Parfumerie's Fleur Burlesque, for example); not so in Twilly. This is a gentle sandalwood, there to provide a base for that glorious tuberose. Sillage is moderate at best (or worst, depending on your outlook) and longevity...? I don't know yet. To be honest, I don't care either. It's lasted for well over two hours already and I am happy to respray every few hours - I'm buying it.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! This fragrance is highly underrated. I regret not buying it sooner. Twilly has quickly become my most worn fragrance. It's such an easy grab. It smells like expensive French soap. I'm not into Paris or Parisian things, but this gives me Luxurious bubble bath in a large white and gold claw-foot tub at a prestigious hotel in Paris with a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance as you bathe LOL Very dramatic, but that's what I get every time. It doesn't smell soapy though or like a typical clean fragrance or like laundry. It says ginger as the 1st note. I use ginger daily and don't smell much in this lol However, like many, I do smell rose, but a sweet soft rose. Yes! Add sweet roses to that bubble bath haha It's beautiful. Fresh and luxurious but not so luxurious that you can only wear it for special occasions. This is a daily scent or signature scent. Hermes always blends their fragrances so well. It smells like nothing else I own. Definitely a compliment getter! My #1 fragrance overall but also #1 for the heat. It will keep you smelling fresh and fragrant all day. Also good as a gym scent if you're like me and don't like to smell sweaty. During the Fall season, it thrives in the cool breeze. Though it's technically more feminine, this smells good on a lot of men too. BUT as much as I personally love it, I agree that body chemistry is very important, so I do recommend you test it first.

This is a strong feminine scent to me and I love it. I don't even care if other people like it on me, I like it on me and it makes me happy. Very surprised to see such a mixed bag of reviews with this one, must be one to try before you buy. I've just opened the lid and without spraying, to me the sandalwood is the most prominent note. Maybe a bit too much for summer or hot humid weather. The staying power on this is just phenomenal. I'll quite often use this when I plan to use it or a few days in a row as I just love how powdery it smells the next day. I have sprayed it on clothes and washed them they still had hints of this left in a really pretty way. It smells like a younger version of a perfume an older woman would wear for a special occasion when she wants to be noticed. Probably also a bit too heavy for the office but could be pleasant if sprayed the day before to give it a chance to settle. I wouldn't immediately call this classy or sophisticated as its a bit loud, but I would call it intentional and luxurious. 8.5/10

Wowsers! This...resonates... with me. I can't quite explain it, but just as ginger ale can settle my stomach, this settles my psychy somehow. I get ginger, tuberose and the vanilla mostly. Touches of citrus and wood, but its the ginger that appeals to me. I went to bed wearing this last night and slept very very deeply. Best sleep I've had in...well I can't remember when. I've had it on all day today as well and I am so drawn to it. I can stop smelling it and it's giving me a soothing, peaceful vibe. It's bizarre actually and kind of freaking me out a bit 😳. I've only bought a 30ml bottle as a blind buy. I'm definately going to get the largest one, or multiple 30mls. I can't even say it's love at first sniff because it's not, its actually beyond that. Perhaps this is my true signature scent? Regardless, this will sit besides my bed as my sleeping fragrance for now because I need some more of that wonderful sleep. ❤️