So how much do you care about a perfume’s lasting power? If it’s an important issue to you, you probably weren’t impressed with Jour d’Hermès, the 2012 release from French luxury brand Hermès. I’ve seen it described as radiant, and translucent, and luminous (all fitting adjectives for a scent from from perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena), but nobody claimed it was a powerhouse. Personally, lasting power is only rarely a concern of mine. I’m disappointed if a perfume fizzles out in 45 minutes, but I’m not at all concerned if a perfume doesn’t make it through the day — ideally, I’d like a perfume to smell lovely for about 4 hours and then disappear altogether. I’m not sure if Jour D’Hermès actually manages a full 4 hours, but it comes close enough for my purposes.

Still, a slightly more full-bodied version would be appealing, and the new Jour D’Hermès Absolu sounded like it would fit the bill, and might also provide an interesting variation on the original — sort of like the Eau de Parfum version of the original Kelly Caleche Eau de Toilette. And that’s about how it works out…

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