L'Eau de L'Hermine Lostmarc'h 2009

The ermine a.k.a. stoat may look like a cute and furry little animal, but it is in fact a notoriously aggressive predator. It preys on rabbits and birds of much bigger size than itself.

Probably that is not why this perfume was named after this oversized weasel, as its scent character shows nothing even slightly carnivorous or aggressive. It is all harmless and cute here with merely fresh citrus and somewhat sweet aromatic-floral notes carried by an 'ocean breeze' type of musk.

No, this perfume was named after the ermine because -so I learnt- it is a symbol of Brittany, the homebase of this tiny perfume brand. A focus on the aromas of this coastal region. Kind of generic, but pleasant anyway.

Very fresh and summery scent.
Opens with lots of citrus, grapefruit and orangeflower are prominent.the drydown is nice, light lavender and a bit musky to. It is not a overpowering scent to wear. But light and fresh perfect on a hot spring or summers day.

... finely woven and delicate, with a light, buoyant sweetness like a lime meringue, L´Eau de L`Hermine envelops me.

A soft, powdery scent that feels innocent, yet with a cheeky wink, refreshing and not citrusy biting, but soft.
Powdered sugar blown into the air with a hint of lemon... this lightness, wonderful.

I perceive it as a sweet refreshment; I can very much relate to the cotton ball mentioned further down, the stiff breeze by the sea less so.

In the current hot weather, it’s a dreamy companion for all occasions.

If ermine could smell like this, I would want one as a pet :-)

Addendum, June 2013
It has become my favorite summer fragrance, it makes me happy from the moment I spray it. One of the very few candidates that I will keep repurchasing!

Well, Lostmarc’h doesn’t exactly throw around fragrant stones, but rather wonderfully soft cotton balls, and I mean that in a very positive way!

So far, I haven’t tested a bad fragrance from this brand, but this one is definitely one of the best.

The scent progression can be compared to a classic EdC. Yet the composition is wonderfully subtle and extremely delicate.

The top note initially hides the fine remnants of the perfume behind a fresh citrus-lavender accord, but then slowly reveals it.

The heart is dominated by a soft peony note, which is finely supported by neroli. The peony then beautifully transitions into a soft accord of heliotrope and creamy-light musk.

I am very much looking forward to the other creations from this brand!

I have never worn my few fragrances, whether I had them or have them, exclusively in the seasons associated with them. On the contrary: in the 90s, I wore Sun in winter, J'Ose by Eisenberg, my Christmas market scent, in summer.
The lovely addict from the forum has now supplied me with a bottle of L'Eau de l'Hermine. Thank you!
I was very curious.
Yes, it is probably a spring or summer scent. What I miss in winter on long days, the lightness, it definitely possesses.
L'eau de l'Hermine starts off very, very zesty-bitter for me. There could be carbonation in it; it almost tingles on the skin... At the beginning, it has something green, even a bit aquatic. I usually don't like that on myself, but I imagine that the perfumers from Lostmarc'h, who are based directly on the coast in Brittany, washed the bergamot fruits (or is it bergamots? Yikes, please not!) and grapefruits in Breton seawater before processing them, and I am reconciled.
I can clearly smell the bergamot, which initially overshadows the lavender with its grapefruit ally.
The lavender only comes in later and gives the whole thing this - well, how does lavender smell?...-
floral, woody, and not too sweet note. It helps Hermine steer away from the lemonade and seawater.
In a recipe for a French lemon tart, Yotam Ottolenghi also uses lavender flowers, already in the dough, where they are mixed with walnuts and almonds, later on the lemon topping. Delicious! Google it...
For this reason, L'eau de l'Hermine is a very French scent for me that doesn't become too sweet.
A French perfumer once wondered why lavender, which was supposedly reserved for men, is increasingly being used by women. In short: no sugary flower in Hermine, perhaps it is unisex. That could work.
For me, the citrus-lavender note lasts quite a while, and during the first testing, I was a bit disappointed because I thought I wouldn't be able to recognize the further development of the scent.
But then, when the somewhat forward sour fruits recede into the background without disappearing, the true quality of the fragrance reveals itself to me: the transition into the delicate-vanilla, velvety notes of heliotrope and musk.
I forgot: Of course, real Bourbon vanilla also comes into the lemon tart.

Sillage and longevity are average for me, but I find the bottle with the little ermine wonderfully, beautifully... and amusing:
Bold to incorporate an ermine into a perfume name. "Hermine" sounds like the scent smells. It could also be a beautiful, classic, rare first name, but it actually means ermine, like the cute little creature on the bottle.
I doubt that its water smells good. Ermine-, polecat-, marten pee,... Phew!
One more reason to test the EdP, because it is of course completely different!
Lostmarc'h dares to do something.

P.S.: I scoured all of Germany's online perfumeries and finally ordered it directly from Lostmarc'h in Brittany. During the ordering process, I had to agree to receive it in recycled packaging. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the finances), no sample included, but there were shells and snails. That fits!!!