The opening of Hermes Cedre Sambac made me think it might be homage to Jean Claude Ellena: from the neck of the bottle a green stem-water lily note floats up alongside fresh, incandescent jasmine. But the moment it hits my skin, this Fragonard ingenue turns Titian; creamy, honeyed expanses of white petals, pinches of spice and the smell of warm flesh make me realize this is no Ellena tribute. While only jasmine and cedar are listed in the notes, the nutmeg spiciness of the early stages signals gardenia, while Hermes Cedre Sambac by Christine Nagel butrytic tang would make me swear to tuberose also. This is not a virginal, green, woodsy or indolic jasmine but all of them at different moments. It is jasmine squared. If Ellena’s work for Hermes was the art of a watercolourist, Hermes Cedre Sambac by Christine Nagel opts for gouache: a denser, more pigmented variation on a theme, and one that is very much her own.

Thanks to the generosity of Hermes, we have a 4 ml spray sample of Hermes Cedre Sambac by Christine Nagel for one registered reader in the U.S. The random winner is RinB. Please email michelyn at Cafleurebon dawt com with Hermes Cedre Sambac by Christine Nagel as your subject and your complete mailing and phone details by July 19, 2018 6PM EST. Please use your email from your comment so we know it is you. A kind thank you in your email to Hermes would be appreciated. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LOG-IN AND REGISTRATION FOR CAFLEUREBON SITE IS ON THE UPPER RIGHT 

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like ÇaFleureBon and use our Blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.