G’Day Perfume Posse! Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies and it is super lovely to be here writing about Brin de Reglisse with you today. I hope this post finds you in good spirits, or at least leaves you in better ones. All calm here in Sydney. It’s Autumn but the colours have been really slow to turn this year and I only stopped swimming halfway through April, so that will give you a fair indication of how lovely it’s been. Life feels back to normal after Europe earlier in the year and now we are gearing up to visit Jin (my partner)’s parents in South Korea, we are taking a small crew of our buddies with us and doing a bit of sight seeing including Jeju Island (known as Quelpart to Europeans), Seoul and seeing the family near Busan which holds a lot of Korea’s history. Why am I telling you this? Today’s fragrance reminds me of South Korea in winter……

Photo Stolen Flickr

The photo above is an annual South Korean Army exercise where they go and have a snow bath to toughen them up for winter fighting. It looks terrible and totally fun, don’t you think?

Hermessence Brin de Reglisse for Hermès 2004

by Jean Claude Ellena

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Hay, licorice, lavender (Orange blossom mentioned elsewhere)

COLD, fresh, bracing. The lavender in Brin de Reglisse is the star player. It smells of all my dreams of going to French Provence, though the hay gives it a dryer and dustier air, like potpourri that has been to gather dust. While being Arctic in nature, the licorice as it blows through manages to sweeten the affair in a bitter/sugared way like a, but in no way similar to a nearly ripe mandarin where you can taste how sweet it will be but right now your lips pucker so you’ve added some sugar and there is a constant vague dissonance both delicious and awkward. The licorice is yum.

 Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Finding myself inspired to write of Brin de Reglisse was a surprise because though I am in awe of the construction that Jean Claude Ellena has put together, it sheer weightiness that feels light as a feather yet creates an excellent sillage, a freaky, old fashioned, “my clothes have been hanging in lavender bags to keep moths away” vibe sillage that is not something I can imagine myself wearing but yet I find my sample disappearing rapidly because I can’t quite believe that such a scent has been created and is popular. As if to know Brin de Reglisse I have to continually come back and probe its depths, like putting your tongue to a sore tooth repeatedly. No, that was harsh, I make it read like I hate Brin de Reglisse, I don’t. I am entranced by it, beguiled and really enjoy its carousel ride but my question is always, Do I want to smell like this? The hay note reminds me of putting fresh straw down in the horses stables that we used to muck out on the weekends after lessons, but still it is lavender, lavender, lavender.

I find Brin de Reglisse goes in circles of ever diminishing strength till there is nothing left but through it all to its 5-6 hour dry down cool, cool lavender is queen.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Perfume Posse
Hermès stores have this exclusively, start saving.
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Does it sound like you could give it a go? Have you tried Brin de Reglisse? Have you been to Korea in winter?
Portia xx