Aqua Nymphae

Much more to it than the description on this page.A little watery. Some green-ness, fresh but also warm and a little spicy, very balmy and creamy. Not too soft, not too strong. Lovely in summer, but I imagine it will be really nice in spring and autumn too; lifting different aspects of it. I love it on me, but I would like to let my man try it, too! Perfectly unisex, in the best way, letting your own skin colour it. Spicy colour aquarelle.

My initial thought was body odor. But not at all in an unpleasant way, perhaps this is how nymphs smell. What I enjoy is that the scent has a freshness without being too clean, it blends into the skin. When it has dried down a bit the calamus is clear. I'm transported to a quiet jetty overlooking a still small lake, the vegetation around me is dense and the shore is muddy.

This is very unique IMO. Aquatic, sweet yet light, somewhat fresh but deep. It's lovely for late summer days, certainly not a night fragrance. Persistence is good, especially on clothing it goes up to 10h. I love the calamus-papyrus combo. My husband says it reminds him of liquorice which he doesn't like, so I layered it with Eau de The Vert from Roger & Gallet.

A beautiful aquarelle that is watery, airy and light even though it has distinct warm spicy, woody and leathery notes. They are diluted to a soft, almost floral scent. Especially beautiful to wear in spring and summer, and I love to wear this in the mornings

Love this one. Greenish, floral, airy. Carefree summer and relaxing kind of scent.

Another of the Ellena/Couvent aquas in the recherché niche category, meaning unusual. It took my nose a year to get used to the vegetal bio funk that fills the mids on these artistic colognes. You can't complain because the boxes and publicity announce "Cologne Botanique Instense". Indeed. I researched several aquas and some parfumistas seem to uncover actual noses for each creation, who are not Ellena. Meaning Ellena has creative direction but perhaps does not concoct every aqua. Anyone know? Listed on the Aqua Nymphae box are: Calamus & Cyperus, Water Reed & Papyrus. These sound like four ingredients, but they are actually two pairs referring to the same plants or very close botanical relatives, just under different names or registers. Calamus & Water Reed are overlapping. Calamus usually refers to Acorus calamus — also called Sweet Flag, which is aromatic, spicy, rooty, and slightly leathery. Makes the medicinal rooty note. Water Reed is a more general term but can colloquially refer to various tall grasses near water, including calamus. Cyperus & Papyrus also overlap, and are botanically related members of the Cyperaceae family. Cyperus is a genus with many species, including Cyperus rotundus (used in perfumery for its nutty, woody, earthy notes). Papyrus is specifically Cyperus papyrus — the tall aquatic plant used in ancient Egypt for paper. “Cyperus” might emphasize a drier, woodier, more “ingredient-focused” note. “Papyrus” often evokes a more historical, exotic, or literary image — like ancient scrolls, dusty libraries, etc. I guess le Couvent is complicating a simple blend or just throwing many parfumerie words at the wall to see what attracts a buyer bee. Most Couvent aquas never satisfy me as cologne waters. I can morph them into colognes by adding cologne top notes. They are interesting "botanical" colognes, for sure, so maybe just wear them as created, or don't bother with them at all. They are too weird for me to like on the first or second wear. My nose and brain have to work on the blend for a bit and eventually it snaps into focus. I've been buying any I see in the close out bins, real or virtual, and this hippy chic Nymphae was 20 USD for the large bottle. You'll get something unusual. It might not be a love. Dare not blind buy unless you're rich and have an adventurous nose, or the bottle is 10 centimes the ML. The easiest for me to like has been Palmaris. It keeps the unusual niche smell of this Couvent Aqua line but still smells like cologne water. Imperi is a strong like, and it's not a niche smell, but it is a wonderful cologne water. Did Ellena create such an unusual range of colognes out of artiness and a drive to do as he pleased? I can trace a fils conducteur to his artier Hermès creations such as the pricey Hermessence range. So I can tell myself his aquas here at Le Couvent are like a morph of arty Hermès Hermessence and spritely Hermès Eaux... And now at bargain Couvent prices for all the discontinued aquas.

EDIT, two days later: I've been having a lot of fun these days layering and trying out: -Aqua Nymphae + Aqua Mysteri - love it -Aqua Nymphae + Aqua Minimes - really like it Next, I'll try Aqua Nymphae + Aqua Sacrae... Ooooooh... it's so much fun. These are meant to have fun. Also with the "Singulières" line, I'll give them a try. ------ I love most JCH and Le Couvent creations, regardless that I see myself wearing them or not. I've been using them to "re-awaken" my nose post Covid (as well as sampling tons of other fragrances). The fascinating process is that not all Aqua's in this line are a "love at first sight" (like Minimes that I adore!) but a developed and acquired taste. This applies to both Aqua Nymphae and Aqua Solis. They somehow seem 'female appropriate' but they are not... if are not sure if you like them or not, let the men in your life try them on. They become exquisite. In my humble opinion, it's what they were created for, male skin. Aqua Nymphae on my skin is ok, it's good... nice. Nothing special. But when my husband sprays it on his chest in summer... oh... my... goodness. It's a heavenly scent! It's got the signature of a true JCH "opera d'arte". And, I completely disregarded anyone who said it is not safe as a blind buy. I would buy anything from JCH as a blind buy, test it and sell it on Vinted if I can't really wear it. But so far, I've been sampling most of his Le Couvent creations and I've kept most of them over the years.

The Roman poet Virgil tells of Arethusa, a nymph from Arcadia who fled the river god Alpheus in Syracuse, Sicily leaving in her memory a fresh water spring, which still is to be found in the middle of the city. The spring is one of the very few places in Europe where papyrus still grows and so it is only natural to think of Aqua Nymphae (Nymph's Water) as a olfactory tribute to this particular spring. I find this a lovely and subtle scent, which shows the clear signature of Ellena. It would have perfectly fit in the Un Jardin line of Hermès as well but I'm happy that it's so utterly affordable in the Aquae series of Couvent.

A sample of elegant landscaping. Evokes a riverside setting or an overgrown summer pond. The inspiration could be, judging from the brand's comment and the declared notes, the Arethusa fountain in Syracuse, where papyri grow. Strongly herbal, with an opening of celery, chervil, caraway and fennel that settles in a fragrance of withered meadow, with a persistent acrid and pungent note of liquorice perhaps. I was excited, but I understand that there are those who find it strange. It's a bit like the smell left by herbs and spices in an old Mediterranean country house cupboard.

Hello, so I received Aqua Nymphae today.I just tried it and it IS certainly not complicated nice scent . Beginning was a mystery,in fact you don,'t know what to think in very first time. It was too soon to identify it. And. After 5 minutes I felt something what I know and it remains me so so much my old signature scent Lanvin Éclat d Arpege, definitely not the same of course but on me , on my skin it is greener maybe aquatique and with touche of wood Lanvin Éclat. I like it.

I like this one! To me it is light and fresh, aquatic. Not in a calone way, but like a fairy tale water lily could smell, in some fashion shoot super clean pond... Light and floral, but watery. in the background, and more noticeable in the dry down is a vegetal light musk (I have no idea of how water reed and papyrus smell, this is my interpretation).

A salty and moist aquatic scent. Tropical plant juice mixed with medicinal herbs. It smells natural and realistic, nothing chemical or harsh. Unique and original. With that being said, it is very, very salty, so definitely unsafe for blind buy.

top note: lemon. heart notes: apricot, osmanthus, calamus, violet leaf. base notes: black pepper, cypriol, papyrus, sandalwood, white musk.

Well, it is unique, I'll give it that. And to continue on the positives, surely suggestion plays its part here, but it actually does pull off an impression of smelling 'wet' in a way. It does it so well in fact that it unfortunately also conveys the not-so-fresh side of still water. If there's supposed to be reed and wood in this, we're talking plants that have their best days behind them. While I don't mean to be too harsh, and perfumes are often perfectly fine despite a hint of decay in them and whatnot, I can't lie: this one I find a bit repulsive rather than attractive.

This is kind of a weird one for me. I guess I'm unfamiliar with the notes because I feel like it smells like something that I can't put my finger on. It's watery and green but still sweet. Like... Seaweed candy. There's something about it that reminds me of cactus-flavored soft drinks. It's that kind of "sweet green" to me. It's an unusual scent, and it's kinda fresh and pleasant, but there's something a bit "off" and funky about it... Can't put my finger on it... It's weird.

Beautifully subtle. I tend to keep far from aquatic scents, but this one's not cucumbery at all, it's more like moist woods. The spiciness does come through, but again, softly. It's an unsweetened, unsporty, light thing with decent longevity. Sophisticated and androgynous.