Above The Waves, Not Beneath The Hype: My Real-Life Wear Test

I braced for a briny onslaught when I saw the name Above The Waves. Then I sprayed it, and my shoulders dropped. Etat Libre d'Orange went zen instead of zesty. This isn’t a postcard sea. It’s steam curling off a cup of aromatic tea while a thin ribbon of incense winds through the air. Think serenity with a pulse.

The opening feels like warm vapor. Not sugary. Not loud. A refined tea accord rises first, feather-light and gently astringent, the kind that refreshes without going green or bitter. Within minutes the incense shows up, sheer and silvery. No church walls. More like an open window where smoke drifts and dissolves. The name says waves, yet the sensation is buoyant rather than marine. You float above the noise. You don’t dive.

On my skin, Above The Waves is intentionally soft. Projection is a modest halo that stays close, which suits the mood. Expect a clean mineral hum in the heart and a skin-musk hush by the third hour, as if the tea leaves have dried and the incense ember has cooled. Longevity hit a comfortable workday for me, quiet by afternoon but still present if I leaned in. It reads unmistakably unisex. Wear it to a gallery opening or a 7 a.m. flight and it feels right both times.

What I admire here is restraint. Etat Libre d'Orange has a reputation for audacity. Above The Waves proves audacity can whisper. No aquatic bombast, no laundry-fresh shortcuts. Just the steady breath of tea and a soft column of smoke. If you crave dazzling sillage, look elsewhere. If you want a fragrance that nudges your nervous system into alignment without smelling like spa water, this is your lane.

Is it pretty? Yes. But prettiness isn’t the point. The point is poise. I keep reaching for it on days I need to set the tone rather than match the room. Above The Waves doesn’t demand attention. It earns it once you’re close enough to listen.