A easy yet warming cologne. A winter mist to chase away the winter mists.

Listed notes

Cedarwood, patchouli, sandalwood, ylang-ylang.

Top notes

In the fragrance community, cologne strength fragrances (that is to say scents which have a lower concentration of essential oils than EdT or EdP ones) sometimes get a bad reputation as they can be considered weak or less prestigious than more luxury concentration scents. Brume d’Hiver by Marie Jeanne bucks that trend though and brings us a scent which can be sprayed liberally, but which offers a hardworking scent without a luxury fragrance price tag.

Brume d’Hiver opens with a pleasingly nuanced top. In essence it’s woody with a warmer undercurrent, but there is a spiciness present which makes it feel more complex than you might imagine. A whisper of something with similarities to cardamom or nutmeg warms through the opening. The cedar sits under this, blonde and even – especially at the start – feeling a little sappy and shot through with touches of green.

The fragrance isn’t going to linger forever, but actually, given how delightful the start of it is, spraying it several times throughout the day becomes a pleasing ritual, and something to enjoy so you can savour that top all over again.

Heart notes

The patchouli (two different types from Indonesia and New Caledonia) is beautiful in Brume d’Hiver, and it takes up most of the heart of the fragrance. Both earthy and grounding, the patchouli retains a classiness and a vein of sweetness which at times feels sticky and almost like some form of sap or resin.

The feeling of wearing Brume d’Hiver is like taking a deep breath or really good air in a forest, but being wrapped up warm and cosy in a big scarf at the same time. Whilst its name might reference winter, there is a definite warmth and cosiness here which feels protective and comforting.

Base notes

The final remnants of the fragrance are warm, sweet woods, overlaid with a green, stemmy sappiness – hinting at perhaps spring more than winter. And whilst Brume d’Hiver doesn’t have the power or diffusion of a EdT or EdP, it is really satisfying and easy to wear yet delivers a much more than its cologne concentration would suggest.

This is the sort of fragrance you wear to a relaxed weekend away with friends, a spa day, the sort of day where you slip into your loungewear and read the paper or perhaps the sort of day where you get breakfast in bed. Brume d’Hiver will allow you to smell good, to smell chic, but not overpowering whilst you do that. Relaxing and grounding, it manages to uplift and satisfy the wearer without being distracting or stealing the show.

The other stuff

The longevity of Brume d’Hiver is pretty good considering that this is a mist rather than a full-bodied perfume. It lasts for three to four hours following an application, longer on clothes. The fragrance can also be used as a home or room fragrance should you so desire, and a top tip from The Sniff is to spray in your bedroom and on yourself before retiring for a lovely, fragranced and restful sleep.

The projection of the fragrance is fairly mild. It’s more than a skin scent, but it doesn’t go too far – perhaps to about handshake distance at best and with liberal sprays.

Brume d’Hiver translates as winter mist, but this is a scent perfect for year round wear and at any time of day. Whilst it might lack the punch of a stronger fragrance, it would be perfect for someone wanting an easy yet hardworking and relaxed scent for the daytime, or a lovely scent to wear for bed.

The brand

Marie Jeanne are a young perfume house which has grown from the perfume ingredient suppliers and brokers, Robertet. Robertet deal in fine, natural perfume ingredients from all over the world and now, one of their family, Georges Maubert, has branched out into perfume creation as well.

Marie Jeanne have a range of perfumes, mists (from which Brume d’Hiver is drawn), and candles. We’ve previously reviewed Marcel and Marcelle by the brand.

Buy it

Brume d’Hiver is available from Bloom Perfumery London where it is priced at £40 for 100ml of 6% Eau de Cologne. The fragrance is also available from Marie Jeanne’s web boutique.

We were gifted a sample of this fragrance by Bloom Perfumery, thanks to them for their generosity.

Image by jplenio on Pixabay.