Milou

I briefly tested this wonderful fragrance shortly after its release last autumn/winter and found the combination of orange and amber to be beautiful, but overall much too light and fleeting. That was it, I never thought of it again.
Last week, my neighbor stopped by for a moment and exuded an incredibly pleasant scent, delicate and somehow "neutral," not floral and not as intense as what she usually wears, and I asked what she was wearing. "Eau des Merveilles by Hermès" was the answer. I was thrilled and at the same time shaken: because that was her fragrance and thus taboo for me. Yet it would have been exactly what I had been searching for so long: non-floral, not green but also not too woody - just good-smelling without making a statement... Why had I never tested it before?! Then I remembered the Ellena flanker and gave it another chance - wow! Although I usually don't go for sweet scents, the sweet-salty combination here is simply genius! It smells to me like skin that has been freshly showered in the morning and perfumed with an orange-scented cologne, and then has spent the whole day soaking up the sun on the beach and swimming in the sea. Like "salt on my skin" as the sun slowly sinks into the sea...
For my taste, it is very suitable for summer. In winter, despite the amber, it is too light for me. There should be a perfume version of it for winter, which would then need to contain a lot more patchouli, which I don't perceive directly here, but which probably ensures that the amber doesn't come across as sticky-sweet. I also have the "Elixir," but the candied fruit note bothers me, so that's not the winter alternative.
Conclusion: beautiful orangey-salty summer amber...

Almost forgot: and the bottle is the most beautiful of all time :-)!

Since this fragrance has not yet been honored with any comments here, I take this as an opportunity to make my first attempt. This wonderful oriental evokes many images and emotions in me.
First, however, to the pragmatic: the depicted bottle no longer corresponds to the current design (I have submitted a picture of the current version). In 2009, the formerly transparent glass was tinted midnight blue, which on one hand emphasizes the name of the fragrance, but also aims to protect the contents from harmful sunlight and electric light. Personally, I like the bottle much better this way, and it does much more justice to the fragrance. For this is by no means a light, playful little water, but a wonderfully sensual oriental with considerable sillage.

In other forums, "Bleu" is often compared to Shalimar, even referred to as a fragrance twin, which I cannot fully endorse. More discerning tongues would say that Bleu is the Shalimar for teenagers. While Shalimar comes across as sublime, soft, and perfectly balanced, "Bleu" behaves like the rebellious teenage daughter wanting to break free from her overly perfect, overly beautiful, overly elegant parental home.
Perhaps a comparison can be strained in the base notes. The opening, however, is simply delightfully 'nasty'. This is how we wanted to smell in our youth, some leaning towards patchouli, others towards musk, sandalwood, or jasmine. (My God, just imagining how it must have been for our teachers to teach in classrooms that smelled so much like a hippie market... :-)! In any case, the opening heavily reminds me of my time when I roamed the hippie market in a purple skirt and wild hair, looking for incense sticks, Indian silver jewelry, and oriental fragrance oils. It was the time when we desperately wanted to distance ourselves from our parents, finding their pursuit of prosperity superficial and embarrassing. We wanted to lead an intense 'authentic' life, always pushing our limits. Some did so by immersing themselves in other realities with not entirely legal substances, others by self-harming and refusing food. Some of us are still alive, others are not.
Just as we, who have made the leap into adult life, have integrated ourselves into society as much as necessary and as well as possible and contribute to a functioning system, so does 'Bleu' calm down over time and becomes a sociable, gentle, and cuddly companion, and only if you look closely do you discover that a few sparkling rhinestone skulls are winking at you from the supposedly cozy pashmina scarf...
In short: "Bleu" starts loud, patchouli-heavy and herbal, reveals in the heart its beautiful jasmine, ylang-ylang, and rose-blossom soul nestled in heliotrope, ultimately merging with the skin in earthy, sensually sweet woody amber and musk notes.
A beautifully oriental-tinged fragrance that cannot deny its French origin - at an absolutely affordable price.