Frederic Malle - L'Eau d'Hiver

A snowflake on the tounge that melts away in a few seconds. Ice cold cherries covered by a thin layer of hoar-frost. A small childrens winter pale skin, but with bright red cheeks. Lovikka-mittens. Dried flowers in washed out colors, brittle as old paper. The sun, small and dirt-yellow on an enormous greyweather sky.

Frederic Malle´s L'Eau d'Hiver (Winter water) takes me on a winter trip. It´s strange that such a subtle scent can make such a large impression. It´s like the perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena have manage to take every single accords smallest smellable part and turned it into a perfume. On em, L'Eau d'Hiver is so discrete that I can´t smell it if I don´t sit with my nose up close. Still, it´s surprisingly longlasting. I kind of expect that it would fade away and dissapear as quickly as a snowflake on warm skin, but no, L'Eau d'Hiver is going on for at least 6-7 hours on me.

The topnotes are a little sweet, with some cherry (heliotrope) and citusnotes. In the heart notes I can detect almond, something milky and a dash of vanilla. Sublte but very soft floral notes comes and go, I can´t really tell what flowers, on me they become a very well blenden vague floral note. There is something in L'Eau d'Hiver that reminds me of Bois Farine, but much more subtle.

L'Eau d'Hiver is that kind of scent that you can wear when you shouldn´t wear any perfume at all. It is so discret, that it is that kind of scent you wear mostly for your own sake. I doubt anyone can actually figure out that you wears a perfume, if you haven´t drenched your self in it...

I do like L'Eau d'Hiver, even though I generally prefers perfumes with a little more power in it. For me, L'Eau d'Hiver would be a great bedtime scent, really comforting to sniff at when I try to sleep.

pic: Sjöfartsverket