Mer & Mistral

I tried this one and almost instantly reminded me of Calanques (also from L'Occitane, released in 2010 but discontinued). Since I really enjoyed Calanques, I bought Mer & Mistral. Lovely salt scent, really has this "beach" vibe.

love it, too bad its discontinued

Ok, this has more than a passing resemblance to Davidoff's Cool Water. I passed through my Cool Water phase 26 years ago without ever feeling an inclination to revisit it. Therefore quite why Mer & Mistral has attracted my attention is a surprise to say the least. I have sampled it 3 or 4 times now, and I still can't decide what it is that's behind my albeit mild curiosity. Maybe I like it - even if I don't yet know it. Perhaps it's just I can't decide how much I like it. Having said that, when I tried it again yesterday, I deliberately went to Debenhams to compare it with CW. I learned several things: the Davidoff smells less pleasant than I remembered (no doubt after reformulation), the Mer & Mistral smells closer to my memory of original CW, and the M&M is far too expensive - especially when compared to CW online prices. I can understand anyone having a preference for aquatics. It happens not to be mine. In any case a gin drinker will not have the same perspective on bourbon as a whiskey drinker, right? I just struggle to escape the impression that aquatics all seem the same. As someone that was raised by the seaside I know the aromas of the coastline - and they are not necessarily those of a so called "aquatic". They probably remind me more of the gym than the beach. Like so much in this life, it is less about what is before our eyes and nose, and more about what goes on between the ears. If Mer & Mistral was half the price I might wear it. Occasionally. But at present, it doesn't make sense. All the same (and for the record), I'll say that I actually do like Mer & Mistral. Probably.

Light aquatic fragrance with a grass shadow, which is vivid in summer and is less evident in colder season. It reminds of Calanques EDT by the same company, though Mer & Mistral is far more simple. As my friend commented on it, "typical aroma of many hygiene products". Safe and fresh unisex. Stays close to skin. Good for sports, i guess. UPD: on my skin it lasts less than two hours, while on my men's skin it lives for 7 hours. Even then it remains crispy, but stays close to skin. Seems to work better on men's skin. PS. I'm really upset with that popular marketing approach, implemented in La Collection de Grasse: simple compositions in pricey 100ml bottles. I think, the price is unreasonably high for these products.

Starts off very aquatic and citrusy; lots of lemon notes. On drydown it becomes much sweeter but still in an aquatic way: the citrus notes leave and are replaced by some sort of floral. The basenotes smell of musk with aquatic notes, sort of like ambergris. Very unisex and androgynous; doesn't lean masculine or feminine overall. Sillage and longevity are both moderate but leaning strong. Overall it's a pleasant scent but a bit sweet/feminine-leaning at times: it is perfectly unisex but I prefer overtly masculine-leaning fragrances. In any case, I like it. 4/5 Oh and it smells nothing like Cool Water (I own both). Also, it's far more natural smelling than Cool Water.