I spent most of the day at the lab, blending and bottling, so I was mostly making my skin available for testing while I blend. I hope to write more about the fruit of today's labour - some interesting stuff, mostly involving tea in a perfume context - teas, gardens and rituals that inspired me to try something completely new...

In the late afternoon I have decided to submit my skin to a scent and try Un Jardin Sur le Nil; only to be greatly disappointed, I'm afraid to say. Grapefruit and sharp green notes that are refreshing and intriguing only to a very certain extent, and than a nondescript floral (though quite appealing in its own way). The dryout is perhaps the most disappointing, with its very synthetic musk base that smells more mainstream than anything else from Hermes. Is the Jardins series meant to have a mainstream appeal? The recurring fruit notes certainly hint to that direction.