FRAGRANCE | Eau de Rhubarbe Écarlate Eau de Cologne by Hermés:

As much as I admire the ombre bottle design of the Hermés Un Jardin Line, I also enjoy the vibrant, solid colors of those from the luxury brand's Colognes Collection. They look so playfully cute together but nonetheless each one is a standout on its own, much like the strikingly red flacon of Eau de Rhubarbe Écarlate Eau de Cologne. That the coffret I got looks just as nice is but a bonus.

I have never seen a rhubarb plant or any part of it, and I have no idea how it smells like. All I can say is that the fragrance opens with a fruity, sweet, and succulent accord. I'd like to believe that it is rhubarb that I'm smelling. And it's delicious! After a few minutes there's a tinge of green that comes forward but it doesn't stay long. I would have wanted this facet extended even just a bit because it adds another dimension to the scent, cutting through the sweetness in the subtlest of ways.

Somewhere between thirty minutes to an hour later that characteristic rhubarb note (at least I believe it is) eases out, and for the most part I'm left with basically a juicy, fruity-sweet scent that's still lovely for me, though. Overall the cologne is soft in terms of projection and is quite sadly a skin scent in maybe one or two hours. Longevity is just as dismal given its cologne concentration. It's practically gone in four or five hours, so perhaps spraying on clothes can help prolong the scent.

All things said, I still like the scent profile of Eau de Rhubarbe Écarlate Eau de Cologne. It's an uplifting, fruity kind of fresh that's perfect for warm weather, and totally inoffensive at that. This being Hermés, a full bottle doesn't come cheap, and that's something worth considering for most of us ordinary folk. Nevertheless I'm happy to have it in my collection.