I cannot explain to you how obsessed I am with scent. I must accept, for some reason my taste buds may not be very well developed, or I may not yet know how to harness their potential, but my nose is a whole different story. I exercise outdoors in my neighborhood during the mornings, surrounded by the smell of fresh brewed coffee, pancakes and Panamanian fritters; I swear it makes the experience of working out much more entertaining for me. I have –and use– almost a dozen perfumes, I spend way too much money on candles, diffusers and fabric sprays, and I must confess to having sniffed and followed hunted down strangers once or twice on the street just to ask what perfume it is they’re wearing.
Scent is such a powerful way to mold and transform a space or an experience. Lighting up a candle in my living room, for example, instantly makes it feel more cozy and welcoming. When I lived in New York, I walked by the Gramercy Park Hotel almost every day; that has to be one of the best smelling spaces in the world. It just made me become a cartoon character hovering over the street following a scent trail into the Rose Bar. It is one of the most luxurious aromas I’ve had the pleasure of smelling in my entire life. Until now…
Hermès recently sent me this lovely box of soaps from their new bath collection, simply titled Le Bain Hermès; because when you’re a brand like Hermès, you don’t really need to come up with elaborate names for your products. Or elaborate packaging, for that matter. Nested in a simple, natural colored cloth drawstring bag printed with casual stencil typography was a characteristic Hermès orange box, and inside of it, three additional square boxes wrapped in different paper sleeves, each depicting a different Carré Hermès. Standing above the table where I opened them, I basked in the smell flowers and citrus fruit; I felt transported to an imaginary garden in France. Beneath each box I read: “Eau d’orange verte”, “Eau de mandarine ambré” and “Eau de narcisse bleu”. As much as I wanted to keep the soaps in their beautiful containers, I ran to the bathroom to try each of them on my hands. What an amazing feeling it was, and is –as I still use them on a daily basis. The best part is, even hours after I’ve bathed or washed my hands with them, I can still enjoy their luxurious scent on my skin. It’s like I’m a walking Gramercy Park Hotel and it makes me so happy! Haha!
Besides the trio of soaps, which you can put together as you please from several available aromas, Le Bain Hermès has many other products to make your bath and shower time an unforgettable experience; body wash, cleansing gel, balm and lotion are all parts of the ritual Hermès has created for your morning pick me up or nighttime relaxation.
Photography and layout by me.
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