I suppose it is an odd time of year to purchase an Eau de Cologne, which I usually associate with the hot days of Summer or the breezy afternoons of Spring. But, I think I just needed a little lift. Jean-Claude Ellena, the exclusive in-house nose of Hermès since 2004, has created in Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, the most gorgeous olfactory hallucination of sparkling pink grapefruit. One spray and you can't help but smile. As effervescent and intoxicating as a cold glass of Champagne.

I received a generous pre-release sample of Tom Ford Grey Vetiver from a friend who works for Estee Lauder. Insider info: the formula was originally slated to be a Tom Ford Private Blend, but due to some timing issues, they instead chose to use the exact formula for a mainstream Men's release. The plus side: the price is much lower than if it were a Private Blend. Cheers!

Vetiver is a fragrant grass native to India, but cultivated in many tropical climates. It is one of my favorite fragrance notes. I own several vetiver based fragrances that I already love. Is there room for one more? Well, I wore Grey Vetiver all weekend in the country and I think it is an absolute classic. It is an extremely dry and crisp fragrance with a sparkling, dry citrus opening evocative of Champagne. There is some common ground with Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle, but more elegant and refined, with less raw power.

If your tastes run toward clean, crisp, green fragrances with absolutely no sweetness, then Grey Vetiver with its parched, woody drydown will be a must-have. The lasting power is excellent. I detect iris and some light spices to round out the formula, but it is very much a classic, masculine vetiver. No dandified frippery here.

I visited the Diptyque shop on Bleecker Street today because I was desperate to sample the latest entry in their Eau de Cologne series. Spring is the perfect season to launch a new Eau de Cologne---and on my birthday no less! My visit was, in part, prompted by Chandler Burr's amazing 5 star review of the fragrance. Those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Burr should know that he is the New York Times first ever fragrance reviewer. He is a believer, as am I, that fragrance is like any other art form and necessitates critical review. Here is a quote from Chandler Burr's joyous review:

"Tarocco is an astonishingly perfect piece of scent work, an equilibrium of palely spiced fresh air moving through a dusky orange grove. It effortlessly transcends its genre. It is less watercolor, more oil painting, peaceful as a Buddha, elegant as linen, fresh as grass cooling in the evening."

He writes in a effervescent and poetic style that I adore. Read his complete review here.

I sprayed it on and fell for it immediately. There should be a visceral reaction to fragrance, whether positive or negative and this was all love. As the fragrance developed, I loved it more and more. All the elements come together seamlessly so that you are never sure what you are smelling at any given moment. This is a perfect scent. I appreciate all of Diptyque's Eau de Cologne series: L'Eau de L'Eeau, L'Eau des Hesperides and L'Eau de Neroli, but I have never purchased one, in part, due to the giant 200ml size. I am happy to let you know that they are all available in a new 100ml size that I find perfect. The Eau de Cologne series is considered unisex.

I very much enjoyed the store display, which included three apothecary bottle samples of the primary notes in L'Eau de Tarroco.

Diptyque's website.

The world's first Eau de Cologne was produced in Koln, Germany in 1792 by a Carthusian Monk. The word "cologne" is simply French for "Koln" and this formula was dubbed "4711", after the street address of the shop where it was developed. This first cologne is based on citrus and woody notes.

Literally centuries later, we have never tired of the concept of colognes and many artists have used the original template of 4711 to create new effervescent fragrances. Eau de Colognes are traditionally quite diluted, allowing for a liberal application and a light fragrance. They can be reapplied throughout the day to refresh from the Summer heat.

This trio of Colognes from Hermes is the perfect Summer Luxury. The first, Eau d'Orange Verte, is an updated presentation of the 1979 orange and mint classic. Eau de Pamplemousse Rose is a sparkling grapefruit with a whisper of rose and a hint of rhubarb. The final entry, Eau de Gentiane Blanche is based on white musk and gentian with a dose of iris. The final two were created by Jean-Claude Ellena, the new in-house perfumer of Hermes and the master of modern, sheer fragrances. These are destined to become classics.

More info here.