MY NEW 'WOW' PERFUME : BARENIA HERMES...

Hermes perfumery has always caused me ambivalent feelings. I could understand and appreciate the quality and high level of perfumes, but they didn't feel like they matched me, and besides, Hermes' fragrances are usually quite watercolor, light and delicate for the most part. But recently, having blindly purchased one of the new fragrances of this house (having succumbed to the interest in changing the direction at Hermes due to the change of the full-time perfumer, from Jean-Claude Ellen to Christine Nagel), I was very surprised and amazed at how much he had sunk into my soul! I'm talking about the Barenia fragrance.

BARENIA HERMES EDP was launched in 2024, nose behind is Christine Nagel. This fragrance belongs to chypre group. Main accords are woody, patchouli, warm spicy.

What a captivating and mesmerizing fragrance! I feel something like a sticky, not sweet and slightly bitter honey here, a little white flowers (if I'm not mistaken, the "white hedychium" indicated in the middle notes is a kind of lily) and a lot, a lot of patchouli. There is indeed a bit of chypre in the fragrance, but this is exactly the direction of modern neo-chypre, a light version, it does not look like old-school chypres. By the way, barenia is an elite calfskin from which Hermes creates some of its famous bags. But I personally don't feel any leather notes, references to leather or suede (and well, I don't really like leather notes). I won't call the fragrance monotonous, I noticed how it plays and changes a little during the day, I don't see any clear dominant notes here, the composition is multifaceted and balanced.

About this perfume, I would like to say "luxurious, statuesque, ruch", while in my opinion it is feminine, enveloping, not gentle / playful, but rather attractive, fascinating. Barenia has its own zest and uniqueness. I was amazed, surprised, and fell in love with myself unequivocally. And if the first place on my perfume pedestal is still occupied by my favorite Etat Libre D'orange Like this, then Barenia Hermes is now claiming the second place.

And by the way, the longevity and sillage are strong! Comparing with other Hermes perfumes that I've tested/used Barenua is the most long lasting ♥︎

Thank you for your attention!