Aqua Minimes

I am enjoying quite a few of these colognes. They are fresh and light, don't smell too harsh or synthetic (or, at least no the most popular synth notes that seem to be everywhere and I chafe my nose). On the website, it says that they have "up to 92% of materials of natural origin...calculated according ISO 16128 regulations". That may not mean much, I don't have access to the standard, but my guess is that the alcohol and water make up the most of those up to 92%. Anyway, they do smell different than the usual fare- if it's because of the "naturalness" or that Ellena chose a different direction, I don't know. Aqua Minimes is a fresh citrusy cologne, that I actually like. Citrus is something I usually have a hard time with. I cannot wait to try it in the summer. Edit April 2020: This is so perfect on a chilly spring day! The citrus has gone from aggressive to very uplifting and the whole scent is warmer, rounder, more grassy. It went from a like to a love! I crave it now, spray myself first thing in the morning, and when I come home at night.

I tried Minimes in winter, and I was underwhelmed by a bitter lemon. Since I love citrus scents, I found it pleasant, but not what I was hoping. I recently wore it in July while biking in 80°F and this transformed in the heat. I could smell the cool bitter lemon over a juicy sweetness and the dry earthy vetiver! Beautiful and simple. I love spraying it on my husband as well. Try this on a hot day, it really made a difference.

For those who like (or dislike) lychee in fragrances and have read the comment below of Made By Kouros: Litsea is not lychee. It's litsea cubeba, a plant that is often used to mimic lemon because its leaves 'smell more like lemon than lemon itself'. So scratch the lychee and replace it by 'even more lemon, but just a tad greener'.

Try this in summer! Refreshing, clear, simple yet eloquent with the bitterness after.. I mean, who can hate this scent!? I love wearing it on the hot/humid day. Come try Tokyo's summer--you'll be totally convinced. :D

Such a perfect citrus cologne, with depth. It renders other similar ones redundant. On certain days it feels like Terre d'Hermes but with lemon/citrus instead of orange. Just something about the overall feel to it.

Love this one, wish I bought a bigger bottle : ) I realy like the brand aswell as the works of Ellena. I also use it on fabric, very nice.

Similar to Escale a Portofino but smelling more unisex, higher quality, more natural, with more longevity, and less alike a gin tonic.

JC Ellena really is the master of botanical frangrances.Stuning

Of all the little 10 ml bottles I simultaneously got from Le Couvent this one is closest to running out. It's not that I find it that great, I think it's a combination of somewhat weaker performance and me wanting to like it more than I do, that has me coming back and using quite a bit. This has quite a sharp, bitter, stimulating freshness à la Aqua Millefolia, but with a sweeter edge to it that keeps it a little more interesting to me. Still it's pretty simple and light, pleasant but ultimately a bit unremarkable. I think the lavender in Aqua Imperi gives that one a more interesting twist and makes it my favorite among their citrics that I've been able to sample so far. With Aqua Minimes, it's like I appreciate all of the notes but am left wanting more. Speaking of the notes Made by Kouros is right, they're a bit incomplete. Confusingly 'citron' means lemon in French whereas 'cédrat' means citron, but their French page for this indeed specifies both as top notes. Middle notes are litsea (not litchi/lychee) and mandarin (not in the note breakdown, but mentioned in their description), base notes vetiver and cedar.

Aqua Minimes is quite a simple perfume but very well crafted - and it should be, given it's creator is the foremost perfumer of the past three decades. Aqua Minimes opens with it's three notes of citron, vetiver and mandarin. It takes about ten minutes to warm up and project. It starts as a citron dominant perfume with the vetiver in the background and the sillage is moderate to strong for about two hours. It begins to fade after three hours and lasts for a long time with the last drops detectable for nearly eight hours. It's quite difficult to describe a perfume as apparently simple as this but it is in the same vein as his work on the Jardin series for Hermes - there's a touch of the same Ellena vibe that you find in the Jardins Sur Le Nil, Sur Le Toit, and Mediteranee. You're getting something very similar but at a better price. Aqua Minimes has the same lightness of touch and gentle freshness. The Botanical Colognes range from Le Couvent Maison de Parfum is well worth exploring.

Mi experiencia con esta colonia es buena. La colonia tiene una salida a cítrico un poco amargo, luego después de media hora el amargo del cítrico desaparece y queda un aroma liviano, íntimo a limón, le siento un toque a neroli pero no siento el olor a vetiver o naranja. Pensé que era igual Eau des minimes le couvent y me di con la sorpresa que no es igual, me acabo de enterar que está colonia ya no existe, una joya para el verano. Este Aqua minimes no se compara en nada. En general puedo decir que es suave , no dura mucho, después de una hora queda a ras de piel, es bueno como una colonia. Le pondría un 6 de 10.

This is Terre d'Hermes Eau Givree if Jean-Claude Ellena had made it. A water color, light natural cologne version. Simple, fresh summer or sports scent. Lovely. Unisex. Le Couvent calls this "Cedrat & Lychee" and the real notes are: Top notes: Citron & Cédrat (lemon and citron) Heart: Litsea (lychee) Base: Vétiver & Cèdr (cedar)

Uhm just no. Too weak and too boring smelling. It smells “too” natural for my liking. It’s like a weird spicy citrus scent. I don’t like the spicyness at all. The scent also disappears fast. The bottle is nice though - but that’s it.

Sweet. As a fresh/green/citrus lover I'm very disappointed. I thought it would be like Tokyo Bloom, Eau de Lierre or Jardin sur le Nil. I'm still looking for a scent with a similar DNA to these but longer lasting.

Tested it on blotter in winter. It immediately reminds me of Pure Artisan (Varvatos), which is more complex, possibly because I haven't yet experienced many citrusy eaus. Citron and traces of sweet tangerine, with a herbaceous undertone that resembles verbena (may be the litsea labeled on the box). Powdery and slightly soapy (in a very pleasant way). I can't detect much vetiver (is it even there?) or any woody notes. Much better projection and longevity than an EdC. I can see that it's a nice summer cologne.

Bitter citrusy, very natural and refreshing, reminding a bit of Eau de campagne Sisley, a bit of L'eau Artisan. On box Litsea cubeba is mentioned as one of main ingredients, which is definitely noticeable as I had chance to smell it's essential oil. In dry down it's still citrus but sweeter. Overall - nothing super special, but just well done fresh summer cologne for reasonable price.

The heart note per Le Couvent des Minimes website, is Litsea cubeba, or may chang, an evergreen tree. Not lychee, which is a tropical fruit with heady sweet aroma.