Before I let you take a whiff of Hermès Un Jardin Sur La Lagune, let me ask you something. Have you ever wondered why we cling to photographs so much? Why we save them, revisit them with misty eyes, and guard them like precious treasures? Just a piece of glossy paper? Not quite.
What we really feel is the memory. Frozen in time. We captured a moment we never want to forget – a place we visited, someone we loved, or a feeling that shook us to our core. And don’t tell me you’ve never felt a lump in your throat or a tear in your eye while looking at an old photo. They’re powerful little things – able to blow decades of dust off old memories and make them shine like they happened yesterday.
But you know what can do that even better?
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Scents – living archives of memory
A scent can awaken memories so deeply buried that even your most vivid photo album would struggle to find them. One whiff and – bam – you’re there again. Like the smell of honey-drenched gingerbread cookies my great-grandmother used to keep in a cut-glass bowl. Or that one summer night in Milan, when blooming jasmine took me by surprise with such intensity it felt like someone had hit pause on the whole city.
Or the scent of crispy potato pancakes at the Christmas market in Prague – me and my partner splitting one like two giddy kids on Christmas Eve. Scent is like daydreaming while wide awake. And you get to pick the dream – all you need is the right bottle.
Un Jardin Sur La Lagune – a garden whispered by the sea
Take Un Jardin Sur La Lagune, for example. A fragrance with a name like a poem: “A Garden on the Lagoon.” The bottle alone tells a story – the base is deep reddish-brown, earthy and grounded like the soil that gives life to every garden. The upper half is sunny and bright, reaching for the sky. It’s like watching a seed push through the dirt, searching for light – and the moment it finds it, everything changes.
Perfumer Christine Nagel imagined this scent as a hidden garden in Venice – not just any garden, but a private one, created by an English gentleman on the water itself, tucked away in the Venetian lagoon.
Venice, reimagined in scent
Until now, Bottega Veneta had always been my go-to Venetian fragrance. It reflects the contrast of luxury and decay, echoing the narrow alleys and worn-down buildings of the city. But Un Jardin Sur La Lagune tells a different story.
If Bottega Veneta is the city’s human side – its walls, boats, people – Hermès is the wild spirit of the lagoon. It weaves greenery through the stone streets. Birds singing in hidden courtyards. Flowers blooming defiantly behind every old wall. Jasmine climbing up brick facades, passionflowers winking from balconies. This perfume breathes life into the city, coaxing flowers and foliage from every crack and corner.
Fragrance notes:
- Top: Magnolia, Pittosporum
- Heart: Lily
- Base: Marine notes, Woody accords
What my nose picks up
At first spray, I get crushed grapefruit seeds and a burst of blooming neroli. It’s zesty, radiant, alive. Then comes the sea – salty, fresh, like waves crashing against a hidden garden wall. A few minutes in, something floral surfaces – perhaps the lilies? It’s as if the scent is gently testing you, deciding whether you’re worthy of knowing its full story.
Then, it invites you in. “Sit with me in the grass,” it whispers. “Let me tell you everything.” As the day fades, the perfume softens into warm floral tones and a gentle glow, like the lavender light of an early evening sky.
And the longevity? Impressive. When I spray it on clothes, I can still catch that “garden on the lagoon” scent days later – until the fabric hits the wash.
Who will fall for this fragrance?
Let’s be honest – Un Jardin Sur La Lagune isn’t a crowd-pleaser for everyone. It’s for the dreamers. The women who haven’t let routine steal their magic. Who still believe that one day, they’ll live their dreams – even if others think they’re mad for trying.
She might sit on a crowded train but drift away into her secret garden. Practical, responsible – yes. But also fiercely protective of her inner world, patiently transforming pieces of it into reality, one fragrant step at a time.
That’s how I see this perfume.
Have you tried Un Jardin Sur La Lagune? What do you think of it?
And just one more curious question: How many perfumes do you own? Are you a signature-scent-only kind of person, or do you love to mix it up? I’m definitely in the latter camp – never under 10 bottles at home. While I’m slowly turning into a minimalist with skincare, perfume is a whole other story. 😉
*This gem was sent to me for review – but the love (or eye-rolls) are all mine. 🌞
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