Un Jardin Sur La Lagune

I really like this perfume for a couple reasons (other than just because of how it smells). The first reason is that this is the first Jardin that Christine Nagel has done for Hermes (the previous ones of course done by the amazing Jean-Claude Ellena), which means this is the first time we get to see Ms. Nagel try to incorporate her own unique style into a very successful line that has been - I don't think with much debate - very successful due to the style of her predecessor. I have a significant amount of respect for Ms. Nagel; she has given us some true gems, like Twilly, Galop and Eau des Merveilles Bleue for Hermes, Une Nuit Magnetique for The Different Company, Elle L'Aime for Lolita Lempicka, and many others - so, I think many of us Jardin enthusiasts waited with held-breath for the Jardins when she took the baton from Mr. Ellena, a heavy baton indeed. As far as I am concerned, and relegating my opinion strictly to Un Jardin Sur La Lagune, Ms. Nagel has taken the baton and carried it high and strong. La Lagune is uniquely Nagel, but slots into the Jardin line nearly flawlessly - and, always most importantly, it smells good! As with most of the Jardin collection I don't understand the name. The inspiration is a walled garden on the water in the Venetian canals, but a lagoon is not man-made it is nature-made. That might seem like a petty bone to pick but you must presume that a garden on the water enclosed by nature-made structures versus a garden on the water enclosed by man-made structures are very obviously different enough in terms of inspiration to lead to a different perfume. Let's set that aside though. The next reason why I like this perfume is because, as far as I am aware, it is the most overtly floral Jardin in the line - and that makes you wonder, or at least it definitely did for me when I suddenly realized it while smelling this perfume - why did it take Hermes so long to create an overt floral for a line called Jardin? Odd. But perhaps that's because they wanted the Jardins to very strictly ride the unisex line, and florals are still widely seen as feminine most unfortunately (although that has been getting better over recent years, thankfully). It does indeed present itself as feminine, but there is plenty more going on besides. The points besides, I believe, lends it to being a darn good unisex fragrance. On to the meat and potatoes (or the flowers and water, more accurately): fans, and the very familiar with the Jardin line and Mr. Ellena's style, will immediately notice that La Lagune is definitely Nagel's composition. It does not have the transparent/translucent, luminous/radiant nature of Ellena's work. La Lagune feels tighter and tauter, far more driven and purposeful compared to Ellena's aloofness (that is definitely not a criticism of Ellena or his work, by the way). La Lagune opens with a wide panoramic view of sea water and citrus. There is definitely a salty element to it, and definitely a lemon/bergamot citrus to it, but Hermes doesn't note the presence of citrus. Weird. Hermes does say we should smell the sea, which they vaguely describe as sea notes. It is in the "water" part of the opening that you get the first sign that this is Nagel and not Ellena. Ellena has done watery elements before, and in his hallmark style the water comes across as a sparkling, mostly transparent, and radiant mist; the water has dispersed and diffused in the air. Nagel presents water, as I mentioned, taut and tight - it is actual water, not mist. That said, it doesn't feel heavy and thick like water, but there is certainly more textural body and substance to it. As these notes dry down, white florals of lily and magnolia spring forth in big, saturated blooms (again, taut and tight), all sitting on a base of sparkling and light woods (Iso E Super, or something very close to it). This isn't like you are smelling the fragrances of these things on the breeze, like Ellena would have done, but like you've stuck your head straight into a bouquet. Tauter and more saturated than you would expect or would be used to for the Jardin line, Nagel takes care to make sure that the perfume never feels heavy, bulbous, or "overworked" i.e. by synthetics. La Lagune still feels fresh, still feels well executed, still feels light, still feels clean and invigorating - and all of the other critically important adjectives that need to describe an entry in Hermes' Jardin line. But, that's my opinion; some will feel that without Ellena's trademark transparency and luminosity that the Jardin collection will fall short. I, personally, am not that attached to those characteristics, so you will have to decide for yourself. I, on the other hand, plan on wearing this consistently with my other Jardins.

I absolutely ADORE this perfume. But it took me a bit to get there. I've been a fan of the Hermes Garden line for years - Hermes in general really. Even recently got myself the Hermes Jour D'Hermes Absolu (a sparkling grapefruit with citrus-sweet facets). I'll admit that the brown bottle put me off for a while, thinking that it would smell more woody than anything else. I've had an Hermes sampler for years with this one included. And for years, my nose picked up such an astringent wood note from the sample. Then one day, as I was reading through reviews on Fragrantica (as one does), I decided to read more into it. White floral but not over done? Aquatic yet not salty? Cool yet warm? Moist yet powdery? What am I missing? So I went back to my sampler and the more I smelt, the more my brain started opening up to those facets. And as the days went by, my nosebuds matured past the astringent woodiness and could finally smell the beauty of the fragrance. I came to realize the smooth notes of magnolia - and what a pleasant surprise to this white floral lover. This fragrance made me fall in love with magnolia. I finally bought a full 100ml bottle this summer. It is November of the same year and I have used more than a third of the juice. I do have to overspray this as she doesn't stick to me nearly as much as other fragrances I own. Sur La Lagune: The white floral pulls through the moist/humid texture of the fragrance at the end of which the not-so-saltiness makes itself known delivering that aquatic sensation without being watery. Upon first sniff, I'm instantly transported to a humid, warm destination. It's light enough to wear during spring and summer while being warm enough to wear in the fall and winter. In colder weather it's projection does get a little more stifled. It opens up better in warmer weather. I will say this that I haven't seen others mention: There is a fresh, clean, powdered-baby-skin like quality to me. Like you just stepped out the shower, and whilst your skin is still damp, the humidity from the shower wafts the scent of your perfumed shower gel off your freshly washed skin. This type of 'skin scent' remains in the background of Sur La Lagune. It's a familiar olfactory experience that makes me appreciate the fragrance more. Can be worn day or night; day time errand-running, church (inoffensive scent for sure), or office; casual night out with your family, or a simple dinner without needing to impress. Effortlessly elegant. Unique, clean scent without being musky. Love how @Vintila R. puts it. This is an easy reach for me.

This was instant love for me. I have lived in so many humid places in my life, and this is incredibly nostalgic. The perfumer here has captured the fragrance of the Madonna lilly quite well. However, I believe this is a representation of the lilly at night, because during the day they smell very clove like, and not heady and green like this. Pittosporum flowers are also here, captured quite well. The magnolia note is not fully developed: it lacks the subtle piney nature of true magnolia flowers. What baffles me about the official note breakdown of this perfume is the lack of a powdery note. I distinctly smell a baby powder/ talcum/ pollen sweet note leaning towards oleander in the top to mid notes. I'm quite familiar with the floral notes listed here, and none of them smell powdery. The sea notes and amber make themselves much more noticable in the dry down. Yes, the "sea notes" are salty, but they verge into "marine" territory. There is a note reminiscent of stagnant water-- in the best way-- of roots covered in moss, submerged,-- of fresh seaweed in a nearby sea. There are not many gardens in Venice. I've read that the perfumer (Christine Nagel) traveled to a private garden in Venice as inspiration for this. Although I've never been to Venice, I would say that she captured this idea very well. I've been to quite similar gardens: swampy gardens in Georgia, where pittosporum and cypress trees thrive. Or, the oceanside gardens of the Florida coast, booming with magnolia, or lemon scented brugmansia. All of these places, to my nose, had a marine, vegetal funk to them, quite like this fragrance. Perhaps, the perfumer chose to add an unlisted oleander note to clean up these notes. My hats are off to Miss Nagel for continuing the Jardin line so well. However, she very much disappointed me with her next release: Un Jardin a Cythere. Perhaps it was the combination of Pistachio and Olive Tree that created an unshakable grainy smell of stale cereal milk. More specifically, Froot Loops. However, this review is not about the other fragrance. I have worn this fragrance once a week since it's release, so it's fair to say I like it. It is absolutely unisex, and appropriate for every season. However, if you are averse to powdery and or/ marine notes: don't get this. I intensely love this combination of smells, so I imagine myself buying more bottles in years to come. I'm betting on the prices going down, as this fragrance is not mass appealing. Good for me. 💗

This is not what all current perfumes smell like and that’s what i like about it! It makes me think of those niche artsy perfumes that are not mass appealing but that if you like what it evokes, or you understand what it is about you might appreciate the fragrance and even enjoy wearing it. The humid note on the perfume doesn’t smells like humidity in a closet but more like water on rocks or how everything smells and feels after it rains. Some other comments bellow have describe the image perfect. Someone mentioned a church and some other mentioned Barcelona, to me it’s like walking on a rainy day near the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. I’ve been wearing this often during rainy days. To me this is a personal scent. I don’t know nor care about the sillage but everytime i move i can perceive the unique smell. Without thinking about the notes, it is a soft, creamy cozy hug. Also it reminds me of some fancy soaps my grandma used to have that looked like a Cameo, a fancy lady engraved in the soap. To me it smells like it’s bottle color. So yes it might smell “vintage” if you pay close attention to it, but in a normal day running around, it just feels comforting, beautiful and unique. To me it does not smell like BO, and I am very picky because I can detect BO in lots of perfumes with fruits, animalic notes and musks.

Have been sampling all the different Hermes jardin fragrances since I discovered sur le nil last year & I have to say I ignored this one because of the rusty brown colouring, which put me off for some reason.... Smelt this in store & was immediately taken aback at how beautiful it was! On first smell it reminds me a bit of TF Soleil Blanc which is one of my favourite fragrances of all time. To me this is more of a white solar floral scent then marine (I love both types of scent but I wouldn’t say this falls into a typical marine scent at all). Agree with others in that it doesn’t really follow the same pattern as the other fragrances in the jardin line, it’s not very garden-esque & performs like a beast. It really has the benefit of being a lot stronger than the other fragrances in the collection, lasting a good 5+ hours whereas the others are 1.5 hours max. It’s also probably one of the only frags I’ve smelt where the notes are identical from opening to dry down. Whereas some others only have that signature first spray scent for half an hour in the opening, this stays true to the original spray for the duration, which I love! I kept smelling the paper sample so much that I had to buy a bottle. I think this will be a staple summer fragrance for me now, warm creamy sunshine & heat in a bottle!