The Classic Collection

Hermann à mes Côtés me Paraissait une Ombre Etat Libre d'Orange 2015

Hermann à mes Côtés me Paraissait une Ombre by Etat Libre d'Orange

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7.5 / 10 424 Ratings

A popular perfume by Etat Libre d'Orange for women and men, released in 2015. The scent is spicy-synthetic. It is still in production.
Pronunciation

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Main accords

Spicy

Synthetic

Fresh

Woody

Floral

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Black pepper

Blackcurrant bud

Galbanum

Heart Notes

Frankincense

Rose absolute Geosmin

Geosmin

Base Notes

Ambroxan

Vetiver

Patchouli

Perfumers

Quentin Bisch, Givaudan

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

7.5424 Ratings

Longevity

7.7332 Ratings

Sillage

7.0337 Ratings

Bottle

7.5314 Ratings

Value for money

7.5194 Ratings

Submitted by Michael, last update on 07/25/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the "The Classic Collection" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Toy Boy

L'Eau Bleue d'Issey pour Homme

Déclaration d'Un Soir

Dans le bleu qui pétille

Passage d'Enfer

Dirty Money

Reviews

30 in-depth fragrance descriptions

06/28/2016

5
Sillage 6
Longevity 7.5
Scent

Silverfire
130 Reviews

Silverfire

Very helpful Review 6

Aphasia With My Alternate Self

The notes listed for Hermann a mes Cotes me Paraissait une Ombre are not what show up on my skin; I don't get a synthetic vibe at all. For me, it begins as a sweetened guiac wood mingled with frankincense and a faint fruity aroma. The sweetened guiac note recedes, swapping places with pepper. The silage starts at and remains at 6" through the life of the fragrance. Aside from the quick change to a fruit-laden incense, the scent is linear. I enjoy the aroma and it garners compliments from the opposite sex, but the four synthetic notes give me pause. I'm not against synthetics per se, but I am aware that they are being created and launched into a void created by the IFRA and other busybodies.

The Lynchian product video suggests a multiplicity of spiritual tensions in its stark blacks and whites. The fragrance name translates as "Hermann to my sides / Seemed to me a Shadow", which is from Victor Hugo's Poem "What Two Horsemen Were Thinking in the Forest". Apparently I was supposed to get a brooding, dangerous, and yet charming vibe, but I did not.

I am left with a faint sense of loss, a missing the mark, perhaps on the part of Libre Etat D'Orange, but perhaps on my part. I am unable to detect the notes listed and I cannot participate in the effect this was designed to create. I find it appealing nevertheless, but question the need for synthetic elements.

Perhaps I am experiencing aphasia with my alternate self?

03/04/2024

10
Pricing 8
Bottle 10
Sillage 10
Longevity 9.5
Scent

Myrtillajus
530 Reviews

Myrtillajus

Helpful Review 4

An introspective walk through the meanders of our soul

"Dark was the night and the gloomy forest.
By my side Herman was like a spectre."
Line taken from one of the lyrics of Victor Hugo's "Les Contemplations": one of the rare romantic poems of the era that is meant to focus on always having a shadow walking beside us, at all times, and if you read Hugo's biography you will understand that he went through a lot of darkness.
Who this presence might be is unknown to us, but even I am sure that each of us has it, physical or intangible.
An outstanding fragrance, from an exceptional nose, Quentin Bisch.
Spicy, fresh, almost woody scents give the illusion of something misty and smoky, almost incensed.
An introspective walk through the meanders of our soul.
"The two faces of the soul" painted by Siudmak.

04/20/2025

8
Pricing 7
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9.5
Scent

lacflorijan
8 Reviews

lacflorijan

Helpful Review 2

Churchy garden gnomes

I had this one for a while and oh my god I can't seem to stop myself to sniff it every few minutes. I love it so much.
It smells so fresh but not in a floral type of way, but in a clear rain water type of way, or almost like a clear lake near a forest during a fresh spring day type of way.
It smells churchy with the faintest trail of incense, but what you get most is the blackcurrant and rose notes. To me it's almost like you're taking a spring time walk through a mossy forrest and suddenly there's a downpour of rain and the only place where you can take shelter is between a rose bush and a blackcurrant bush.
I also have a feeling that garden or forest gnomes might smell exactly like this perfume.
If you are striving to become a forest dweller you should definitely try this one!

05/07/2021

Theo1995
4 Reviews

Theo1995

2

The Green Patchouli of all green patchoulis

Hey, patchouli can also have a green take-on, foresty, fresh, or maybe like a shadow. Victor Hygo's poetry fits this sent incredibly well. Not offensive at all, reminds me a bit of Perles de Lalique because of the rose-patchouli combo, but way more masculine. I would disagree with it sillage rating here: it has an above rating sillage for a spring-summer scent that it really is. This and portrait of a lady would be my ideal late-spring & summer scents. They smell like freedom, class, modern, chicness, coolness, and inviting.

01/30/2025

6
Pricing 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 5.5
Scent

LastWonder
483 Reviews

LastWonder

3

Basic Man Scent

The ELDO website doesn't have much to say about this fragrance and I think that is because there isn't much to say about it. This is fairly generic fragrance that is coming out of a brand that prides itself on thinking outside the box. That is not to say that this is bad, its just something you can get in a regular department store. This smells like a cedar box that is filled with a bouquet of dried roses that were dusted with some spice. Its a spicy woody fragrance that starts with floral undertones but then becomes a soapy wood dry down that reminds me of really good shaving cream.

This fragrance does lift off the skin, creating an aromatic bubble that stays with you most of the day. The fragrance also lasted about 6 hours on my skin. There are two sizes and price points available starting at 50ml for $110 and a 100ml for $170.

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