The scent of skin after a day sea swimming.
Warm salt water dried to crystals and then in turn smoothed away with lotions of amber and orange oil.
Departing hot sands in wild grass espadrilles you scale high dunes, where ocean’s air is freest and head for coniferous forest beyond.
Amongst cedars and firs you find yourself jumping pools of light, cascading waterfalls of illumination from the incomplete canopy above.
You break a peppery sweat and stop to recall waves breaking on the shore, the sigh of sand as water withdraws and crackling salt, shimmering in sunlight.
So the sea bids you to return, to accept her effervescent embrace, relinquish the amber and the orange oil to her charms, the waxing and the waning of her watery arms.
At ocean’s reach, you wait a moment, regard the indeterminate horizon, then, on an instant dive and enter the cool blue immensity.
Eau de Merveilles is a minor miracle of a fragrance.
What it may lack in troubling depths and dark complexity it more than makes up for in its spare and precise composition.
This perfume exceeds the mere reminiscence of a beach in high summer, this is sand, and sun and sea and mainly salt.
There are some tones of sweetness too, of amber and orange citrus.
There’s swathe of forest, the needles of towering conifers, their bark, their resins and the wild grasses that the trees protect then give way to on the exposed dunes.
After the initial fruit of the opening, it must be admitted that the fragrance dries down into a fairly linear scent.
But then aren’t the best beach days seemingly constant and unending too?
Oh, and we most beside ourselves beside the seaside when with the best of friends?
Well, they can all – men and women – come along to this elegant party.
You know, I think I may have been just a little affected by all that sunshine and seaside!
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy.
The Perfumed Dandy. 
*swoons*
Dearest Gloria
The Dandy *swoons* too whenever the water is that inviting!
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
That was lovely, Mr. Dandy. I was with you every step of the way, every patch of shade and sunlight and glint on the water. Just lovely. Thank you for the seaside revery. 🙂
Dearest Lily
Why thank you as always for reading.
It’s strange that a review I wrote some time ago should seem to go so perfectly with some pictures just taken the other day!
It was nature’s way of nudging me to post on this really rather lovely scent.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Not strange at all. At least, I choose not to believe in *accidents*.
Dearest Lily
Indeed, as I have said before I am a great believer in synchronicity and serendipity in equal measure.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
I was with you too, breaking into a ‘peppery sweat’ (gorgeous phrase). I might have to revisit this one.
Dearest Ginza
It is a rather minor sort of miracle, and perhaps without the assistance of sun may not work its magic. But there is a tanned sensuality to this that I really find quite engaging.
Do let The Dandy know how you get on if you give it a whirl!
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Dear Mr. Dandy,
As always, a gorgeous evocative review! I adore your writing, and look forward to reading your work every evening. Thank you.
Dear Ojaddicte
*The Dandy Blushes*.
Thank you so much for the kind words and Welcome To The Dandy’s! Do make yourself at home.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Joining the crowd of “swooners”…..
Golly Gosh
Thank you dear Brie.
Wouldn’t “Swoon” be a wonderful name for a perfume!?!
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Oh goodness…Yes!! Perhaps I will use it for one of my essential oil blends!
Dearest Brie
The question is… what on Earth would one put in it?
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Oh this is one of the few perfumes I wear – but I wear it normally in the winter but you make it seem I should also give it a chance in summer! I worry if it is too heady for others – love the ode to EDM!
Dearest Coulda
Welcome to The Dandy’s!! Do make yourself at home.
Now I think that this is certainly one that you could give a go in Summer. I think you might be a little surprised by the result as it is quite a different scent… and in a good way.
Go on, take the plunge!!
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Transported to the sea and sun and salt – oh my! That’s quite a feat considering I’m perched at the coffee table in the middle of my living room. Thank you for the glorious holiday,
V
Dearest V
It is The Dandy’s very pleasure, I do hope I made a reasonably amiable travelling companion…
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
I love Eau des Merveilles, and you’ve captured its freshness – that woody salty tanginess, lovely! The feeling of fresh air reminds me a little of Philosykos, and you’re so right there’s no deep complexity to this – anyway there’s plenty of time to be pale and interesting in winter!
Dear Rose
I’ve just noticed your note, so apologies for note replying earlier.
I am so glad that Merveilles has its fans, it well deserves you.
It is a subtle and different and yet modern scent.
I can see the connection with Philosykos too in that they both conjure images of blue seas and warm sand to me.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Dear Dandy,
You had me with that first picture. I love the ocean, as you know. If this scent is as you have described, and I trust it is, then I will make it my next purchase. If I could have a signature scent, it would be of a relaxing day at the beach – orange and amber oils, and salty fresh air. I think it’s appropriate for this to last, fading on the skin like the summer sun. Lately, everything I wear seems to vanish so quickly, without a trace? My chemistry is betraying me! LOL! (So is everything else having to do with my aging body so I guess that should come as no surprise.)
Gripping
Dearest Gripping
Now that photograph was taken just a couple of weekends ago in a near deserted cove on the Devon Coast.
My the water did look inviting, but the reality would have been a decidedly chilly nine degrees Celsius, too cold even for The Dandy who is well used to open water swimming.
As to Eau de Merveilles, well I enjoyed it very much and unusually for something so linear at no point did it even slightly wear then or annoy.
I must report though that on The Dandy is held fairly close by, not quite a skin scent, but no monster either. However, after the fact I have read reviews elsewhere proclaiming it to be a sillage sensation… it will be all down to the chemistry on this occasion!
I do hope the experiment goes well, for I can imagine this being a splendid, slightly off beat summer signature.
As for the aging body… bah, humbug to it! All I can say is no signs of it are betrayed in your splendid photograph.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Thanks, Dandy. That’s very kind.
(I will make a note of the Devon Coast – gorgeous.)
Gripping