Here's the backstory: Whilst shopping at a fancy-schmancy department store, several Hermes samples were very kindly included with my purchase. Upon returning home and going through the bag, what to my wondering nostrils did appear but the most intriguing, the most beguiling, the most likable scent that I had stumbled upon in years and years? I tore through the samples, unstoppering each to see which was responsible for the aroma that had me swooning. It was Eau des Merveilles, and I think our re-creation is every bit as good as the real thing.

Eau des Merveilles is unusual in that the perfumers who created it purposely built it upside-down, so that bottom notes would be the top notes. Thus the fragrance opens with woody notes of vetiver, oak, and cedar, which quickly lead to a sweet, sultry middle of ambergris, with lemon, orange, elemi, and pink pepper in the finish. The lack of floral notes in the blend -- while being interesting, and unusual -- also makes the scent unisex for those who have a metrosexual bent.

Why the Hermes original version of this scent isn't on every neck and wrist in the free world is beyond me -- yes, it's that good. Our re-creation isn't cheap (although it's much cheaper than the "real thing"), but it's well worth the price -- if you can even put a price on transporting yourself to a nirvana of gorgeous, mind-bending scent!

Flashpoint: 186º F.

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