CaFleureBon Modern Masterpieces: Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle L’eau D’Hiver Perfume Review

winter mirror

A lot of the comments to our 2013 resolutions piece seem to include the notion we should all take the time to appreciate the beautiful pieces of olfactory art we already have instead of constantly searching for the next new thing. In that spirit I am going to try an regularly write about the perfume I own which I believe rises to the level of olfactory art; I will even go so far as to call them masterpieces. I will try and focus on things that are still available but no promises. To start off I am going to talk about the first perfume I can remember being swept away by the fragrant whole before my analytic mind started picking it apart.

leaudhiver

In 2000 Frederic Malle raised awareness of the perfumers who made our fragrances by putting their name on the label along with the fragrance title. It was, for me, the beginning of asking the question "who is the perfumer?" as I began to care about who made the scent along with whether it smelled good. This line of fragrances is among the best collections currently being produced. In my opinion there is not one boring composition to be found. They might not be to everyone's taste but they will rarely be called uninteresting. It is hard to pick a favorite and I am sure if I do this series for a long time there will be a high percentage of Frederic Malle representatives in it.

eiffel tower in winter

When it comes to olfactory art I have been encouraged to let myself be swept away instead of picking the threads apart of a fragrant tapestry. It is hard for me to turn the scientist inside off and let go. Therefore  the perfume has to reach down inside and grab me at an almost primal level to get me to do that. In 2003 when I heard that Jean-Claude Ellena had made his second scent for Frederic Malle I was swept away by L'eau D'Hiver perfume.

face in snow

L'eau D'Hiver is as the name promises a "water of winter". M. Ellena describes it as an "eau chaud". Those descriptions would seem at odds but if you've ever experienced a hot spring in winter you might realize there is a place where the two intersect. L'eau D'Hiver exists as a watery spring amidst the snow and when left alone with it I float serenely and happily in the warm oasis.

kent shirashi photo

Frozen Pond Japan (Kent Shiraishi Photography)

The signature notes of L'eau D'Hiver are heliotrope and iris. The heliotrope adds the sweet watery aspects and the iris sits balanced on the edge between powdery and metallic. There are moments when it seems really almost too powdery and others where I could swear it wasn't iris but violet as the core floral note. It was L'eau D'Hiver which also made me appreciate heliotrope more. I was not the biggest fan of Guerlain Après L'Ondee as that seemed to be too watery with the same intent as L'eau D'Hiver. L'eau D'Hiver uses the cold aspects to keep the floral duo more compact and intense but this is M. Ellena and so I really mean intense for him.

L'eau D'Hiver lasts all day long with minimal sillage.

leau dhiver frederic malle cafleurebon

There always comes a moment just after the holidays are over and we begin to settle in for the long march to spring that L'eau D'Hiver seems like the perfect companion. The florals promise the heat of spring but the chill of Hiver is still there.

Disclosure: this review was based on a bottle I purchased.

 What fragrances do you consider Modern Masterpieces?

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, EIC

Editor's Note: A vintage perfume is considered  by most perfumers one that was created before 1957, or at least fifty years old

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17 comments

  • Kirby says:

    My pick for a modern masterpiece was created the year I was born (1958)
    Jean Paul Guerlain Vetiver
    I like the idea for the series btw

  • Tatiana says:

    Love this idea for a series of reviews. I consider Chanel No.19 a modern masterpiece, that is, if it’s not considered vintage already. I treasure every drop I have from my older bottle.
    L’eau d’Hiver was the first Malle fragrance I ever purchased. Thanks for reminding me it’s hidden away on the back of my perfume shelf.

  • merlina says:

    I like the idea to talk about masterpieces and not just about new issues. Among Frederic Malle there’s for me a lot of masterpieces (the most part of them), however this Eau d’Hiver … I wouldn’t consider it as one… Perhaps I haven’t wear it in a cold sunny day….

  • ringthing says:

    Nice article, thank you. Now I want to revisit L’eau d’Hiver; it’s been a long time since I sampled and I can’t recall how it smells. My favorite Malle is a tie between Musc Ravageur and Noir Epices, but I’m not sure about either being masterpieces; that’s a lofty description. This series is a great idea.

  • Sujaan says:

    Wonderful idea for a series. Thank you. As much as I enjoy learning about innovation and new releases, I do feel I am lacking a knowledge base on the classics. I look forward to learning more about which perfumes are considered so, and even more importantly, why.
    And the Kent Shiraishi photograph is stunning! It beautifully captures your description.

  • brie says:

    I am always intrigued by what others have as full bottles as I feel that these perfumes always tell a story with an emotional attachment. I loved this post and am eagerly awaiting more! My own private masterpiece (which many might disagree with) would be Nocturnes de Caron. The original from 1981 worked so well for me on so many levels.
    One thing I am curious about, Mark…Why is 1957 the cutoff in order to be considered vintage? So many bloggers refer to other perfumes that were made after that year as vintage (ie; Calandre which I believe came out in 1970). Perhaps the proper term is “discontinued”?

  • Claudia says:

    This is a great way to start 2013, i agree L’eau d’Hiver is definitely a Water of Winter and probably one of my favorite FM fragrances. I also love Iris Poudre. Hard to pick a modern masterpiece these days, so many choices, but I think I will go back to the year I discovered my love for fragrances and I think even though many would call it vintage, I consider the original version of YSL Opium, not the reformulated stuff a Modern Masterpiece.

  • Jim says:

    I’m going to say YSL M7 as a men’s classic. I hated, absolutely HATED this fragrance when it was first released. Every time I went to Nordstrom in 2002-2003, they seemingly sent me home with a bottle’s worth of M7 samples.

    Somewhere along the time continuum, that little note “oud” took on a life of its own – even more so over the past year or two – and M7 became, gasp, more palatable the more and more I tried other oud fragrances. While it may not have been the first to use the note (to my recollection, 10 Corso Como beat it out by a couple of years), but it was certainly the first mainstream fragrance to introduce it.

    Interestingly enough, I don’t recall M7 being all that successful upon its launch. Much like several notable classic films (Vertigo, It’s a Wonderful Life), it seemed to have few initial admirers, building its reputation with a cult-like fervor until years later it’s viewed much differently.

    Part of this is due to putting the whole oud trend into perspective, but at the same time the fragrance has more than withstood the test of time over the past decade having recently been relaunched with an acceptable reformulation and new bottle.

    As much as I despised the scent ten years ago, you wouldn’t find me without a bottle in my collection now.

  • Musette says:

    I have several masterpieces and visit them often. My Malle Masterpiece is Carnal Flower which is funny, considering that I was very resistant to it at first. As with my Amouage Masterpieces, I backed into it via the body cream.

    I won’t go into the classics – we’d be here all day!

    xoxoA

  • mim666 says:

    Thank you for this review! Great art and great start to 2013!

    some of my Modern Masterpieces:
    Ormonde Jayne Woman
    Tauer L’Air du Desert Marocain
    L’Artisan Safran Troublant, Tea for Two
    Gobin-Daude Seve Exquise….all of them actually but sadly discontinued. Still, I can’t write this list even in part without them.

  • Barbara says:

    Great review with wonderful artwork. Bought a full bottle of L’eau d’Hiver in Sept. and am currently obsessed with it. It is my first Malle!

  • Christine B. says:

    I think this is a really good idea for a series. Funnily enough I love Apres l’Ondee but struggle a bit with L’eau d’hiver. Modern masterpieces? – I probably haven’t smelled enough but Ormonde Jayne Woman and Amouage Lyric are two I would put forward.

  • Cynthia says:

    I love my Divine L’inspiratrice. I think Divine’s perfumes have a classic feel.
    I also llike this idea of reviewing older perfumes, rather than always chasing the newest thing out there.

  • Amer says:

    This was a composition I have always admired for the idea to capture that scent of water that is so typical of winter and melting snow. As it is the case with many fragrant loves however, love and wear are two different things. I feel that this wateriness is decidedly feminine when it radiates from human skin and I cannot pull it off.