Voyage d'Hermes Parfum

This is the eleventh fragrance from Hermés to be welcomed into my ever burgeoning collection and with the exception of TdH Intense Vetiver, which was, for me personally, an absolute synthetic let-down, they never disappoint me. The house has historically danced to it’s own tune when it comes to developing fragrances and this beautiful creation is no exception. The cardamom is there right from the start in a huge way: an olfactive explosion of warming cardamom and what I perceive to be cinnamon & nutmeg which quite honestly took me by surprise but it’s not just blunt and in your face; it’s amazingly floral and combined with the perfect balance of sharp lemon. The floral/Hedione & green accords just manage to remove any sharp edges as it begins to dry down and transitions seamlessly into the warming woody-amber base, whilst what seems like be a fairly light & balanced musk accord works to bring the cardamom right through into the deep dry-down. Two things that I find amazing with this fragrance firstly, in my experience anyway, is a very heavy sillage, whilst at the same time not being a projection monster. I get around 5 hours of a wonderful scent bubble & trail with this. Secondly, and most surprisingly, I’ve worn it on days with high heat and it really hasn’t been offensive at all. I’m not saying I’d do that very often mind you but nonetheless, it was a very pleasant alternative & a lovely surprise, considering the huge cardamom hit it has. As has been previously mentioned too, it does have a sense of fizz..... an effervescence like a juniper-heavy gin & tonic but also with a good dose of freshly ground black pepper deep down. Although it’s not listed as being a Jean-Claude Ellena creation, I can’t see it not having his genius fingerprints all over it like the EdT but the Parfum takes this to a much darker, slightly more masculine place. That being said however, it would work amazingly for women too as a nighttime fragrance. I think it shines most as an autumn & early spring fragrance but have worn an earlier decant in the winter & it does pass muster well on all but the very coldest days. With its slightly classical leanings, I can’t imagine it would appeal to the under-25 crowd too much but it’s a wonderful creation that warrants a test by anyone who appreciates the style.

I bought Voyage parfum blind, based solely on Hermes' reputation and the unique bottle it comes in. The day I received it in the mail I instantly sprayed some on my arm and took a big whiff and to say the least.....I was astounded. As you can see Voyage comes in a black bottle so it may seem some what odd to smell it and find a beautifully soft and uplifting fragrance that is no where near dark in character. When I smelled Voyage for the first time it felt as if the world stopped. I couldn't believe how bright and inviting this fragrance was. It caressed my nose ever so softly with what I can only explain as the the freshest bright and soft air, a smell of freedom and weightlessness. If the air in heaven were to smell like anything it would be this. I can imagine walking on clouds to see the Almighty and being invited with the gentle pull of this fragrance. Due to my enthusiasm I instantly researched this fragrance and found a song for Hermes' marketing of this fragrance, and boy does it fit the essence of this fragrance to a tee. The song seems to round out the experience in so many ways. An odd aspect to add for a review? Kind of. But I do recommend finding the song. Voyage is one of those fragrances that captures imaginations, it captures your soul and brings you to a place that everything in the world just seems....right. I can't explain it really. I just feel a peace and happiness with Voyage that I haven't gotten with any other fragrance before. No, the projection isn't the best, and on my skin the longevity is about 4-5 hours at most. But these are all none factors to me because I view Voyage as an extremely personal fragrance for yourself and those that you allow to get very close to you. It may seem like I am over exaggerating things, but this is my experience and relation with Voyage and it may very well possibly be that you have a different one. Its even possible that you might not love this fragrance. But the possibility that you might not at least like this fragrance, in my opinion, is very slim. -The Quality -The Character -The Presentation -The Song These are all factors that have lead me to giving this fragrance a perfect: 10/10 It is a superb masterpiece in every way.

Bazı parfümlerin neden çok begenildigini anlayamadığım olur. Voyage onlardan birisi. Hermes in tüm koleksiyonuna beğeniyle yaklaşmama ve bu parfümü defalarca denememe rağmen satın almadım. Geçtiğimiz günlerde bir mağazada uygun bir fiyatla karşıma çıkınca tekrar denedim. Görüşüm değişmedi ancak uygun bir fiyatla alıp kolleksiyonuma katmaya karar verdim. Böylece 2-3 gün üst üste sabah ve akşam denedim. Baskın bir notası olmayan, bağırmayan bir parfüm. Ancak kendine has bir havası var. Yumuşak ve gereksiz bir iddia havasında değil. Biraz zaman ayırmak gerekiyor. Voyage daha çok kullanan kişiye sesleniyor. Etraftaki insanlarla pek işi yok. İlk başta ferah ve "ilginc" dedirten bir havada. Sonra ise sorunlu bir yarım saat başlıyor. Ben bu süreci biraz "yagli" havada geçen dönem olarak tanımliyorum. Kısacası biraz sıkıcı, hava sıcak ise biraz daraltan bir havada. Eğer ilk 45-60 dakikayı anlatırsanız o zaman parfüm kendine geliyor ve o bağımsız-ozgurlukcu diyebileceğimiz havaya bürünüyor. Her zaman cardamom on planda. Açılışta limon ile başlıyor sonra karabiber ile yoluna devam ediyor. " Smooth but not weak" diyebileceğim bir havada. Kullanıcısına rahatlık veriyor. Şişe çok şık. Kullanımına biraz alışmak gerekiyor. Parfüm konsantrasyonun da ama bir edt performansı gösteriyor. Kalıcılık ve koku dağılımı vasat sınırında. Birçok kullanıcı burada yaz ayları için uygun olduğunu yazmış ancak bence her mevsim kullanıma uygun. Genç işi değil. Fark edilme derdi olanları memnun etmez çünkü dediğim gibi parfüm daha çok kullanıcısına sesleniyor. Rafine bir parfüm ama bizim coğrafyanın biraz uzağında. Birkaç defa denemeden almayın. Ben keyif aldım ancak çok özel olduğunu söyleyemem.

I blind bought a 200ml bottle of this after sampling the edt. At this point I'm very comfortable buying blind what ever JC Ellena has done and I wasn't disappointed. The edt is perfect for occasions where you just want to smell very clean and refined, revealing just enough of edge with clean musky base for someone who's close enough in your personal space to smell it. It's very polite smelling fragrance and perfect for traveling in a plane or train where you want to be respectful for the shared space with other passengers. Now this perfume version is distinctly similar, but much more at destination style of perfume. It's less elusive, more complex and opaque profile but has the similar spacious aura which I have learnt is very typical for Mr Ellenas compositions. The lemon & cardamom in the opening has this home like comfort, and over all it opens than much more inviting than the edt. Following the midtones you get delicate flowery aspects companies with green freshness from the juniper and tea. The top and middle notes stand on top of a clean yet slightly darker musky base than it's brother which is more substantive and almost standoffish in a way but still being very soft. There is something immovable and courageous in it's heart that has cleverly brightened with a touch of amber that has this soft orange glow like a setting sun in the Mediterranean sea. This scent isn't loud, it's more introvert but still inviting. It's not going all over places, but feels more like you could pick it up and hold it in your hands admiring it's beaty feeling no fatigue because it's weightlessness. 10/10

How i'd like to explain this is smell is, Imagine being locked in an persian bakery and you slept on the floor for a whole night surrounded by delicious persian cardamom sweets and cookies and empty tea cups wearing your Hermes leather jacket, the inside of that jacket the next day is what VDH parfum smells like. The smell is quite oily and greasy, which is silly to say knowing it's a parfum. This fragrance is a very hard one to explain, the thick rich and oily opening reminds me of a un-lit maduro cigar, this DOES NOT have tobacco don't get me wrong, it's just you know when you smell a cigar and you get that whiff of spice and leather this is what i get from the opening. After 20 minutes in the mid-notes dare i say, it starts to get that generic sweet smell. The leather tones down and the cardamom becomes the center of attention. The dry down relaxes you, the dry down is very calming. This fragrance is very linear it just has it's highs and lows with the notes. The dry down smells like top notes but the lemon is barley there, and no sweet smell what so ever, the dry down smells like beautiful skin, beautiful norished calm skin that just got a massage and have been rubbed with oils. i could smell this all day and just r e l a x. Who wears this fragrance? I see a businessman in first class reading his newspaper, i see a university philosophy professor reading his book in his office hours, i see a very expensive palm reader wearing this. They have really got that Hermes leather smell how did they do that? Genius! 8/10!