Sun Bleached: For a Cultural and Relaxing Break

Sun Bleached by Une Nuit Nomade
Floral Aldehyde
Jerome di Marino

Une Nuit Nomade is becoming more and more popular in the niche perfume scene. The brand creates fragrances that are inspired by travel destinations, in particular Oman, Bali and Montauk.

Sun Bleached refers to Muscat, Oman’s city in White. The scent is suitable for a dry hot climate. It has a slightly sweet – vanillic character; with clean and soapy nuances and floral touches. The feeling of white cotton hugging your skin is done with ambrette absolute, linen and white musk.

Sun Bleached performs as a skin scent; therefore, it is advisable to spray generously if you want a bit of power. There is a similarity to Levante by Nobile 1942; however, Sun Bleached is less sweet, unisex and more complex, I would say. There are layers to peel. The opening reminds me of Mojave Ghost by Byredo. They share the same musk mallow. But the dry-down is nothing like Mojave Ghost. It is much better. Sun Bleached is a luxury-smelling sophisticated summer vanilla. Well done!

Levante Nobile 1942: Salty Caramel Ice-Cream

Levante Nobile 1942
Marine Vanilla
Marie Duchene

Umberto Nobile represented Nina Ricci perfumes and in 1942 opened perfumery for his wife. Love, unique combinations and in-house craft are essential for the brand. They concentrate on creations that stand the test of time rather than following trends in perfumery.

Levante is my first experience with Nobile 1942. It is an Italian word for sunrise. The mood of the Eau de Parfum is “a whole life on vacation”.

I get a lot of vanilla and caramel but it is fresh soft vanilla. Imagine you are sitting in a cafe close to a beautiful beach. You have a delicious dessert in front of you, and of course vista. You feel the fresh beachy air, and the sun is shining. You are having a fabulous time! This is the vibe I am getting from Levante.

A reasonably attractive pleasant fragrance. Great for summer vacation. It is for gourmand lovers. Basically, you must like your scent sweet.

People compare Levante to Bleu Turquoise by Armani Prive. They are both vanillic; however, Bleu Turquoise is woodier, deeper, more marine and masculine. As a result, Bleu Turquoise is more challenging to wear but more bougie to be precise. Levante is an easy-going niche scent, more on the feminine side. I am crazy about both, each for a different reason.

Riviera Verbena: Pleasures of Mediterranean Gardens

Riviera Verbena by Nicolai Parfumeur Createur
Citrus Aromatic
Patricia de Nicolai

Patricia Nicolai is an accomplished nose, grand-daughter of the house’s founder Pierre Guerlain. She has been fascinated by smell since she can remember. Her brand Nicolai Parfumeur Createur is undoubtedly flavored by Guerlain yet she has developed her own style and sense of uniqueness. Her perfumes are fused with natural ingredients, she takes a lot of inspiration from seasides, forests, gardens and other lovely places on Earth.

Awards-winning Riviera Verbera takes us to the beautiful Mediterranean. It is zesty, lemony, and smells authentic but is neither too sharp nor fresh. The scent lingers on your skin effortlessly, it brings a strange feeling of comfort at home. In addition to florals and earthy notes, it must be the clean herbal lemon verbena which causes this homey sentiment.

The opening is stunning. Verbera sets the composition apart from other citrusy fragrances. The aroma is green, soft spicy with an earthy background. It smells unisex, soft and light; and sadly, it does not cut through the cold. I don’t know if it has been marketed this way but I will wear this fragrance only during summer.

I see similarities with Vetiver d’Hiver by Armani Prive. When Riviera Verbena is brighter, cheerful and juicier, Vetiver d’Hiver is more formal moodier and masculine. My ovasions go to Vetiver solely because it is more challenging to create an elegant citrus which is not too fresh screachy or cologne-like than a casual sunny riviera-like citrus. The sillage and longevity are bad at both cases but we exceptionally pardon that.

Lost Cherry Tom Ford: The World’s Finest Griotte

Lost Cherry by Tom Ford
Amber Floral
Louise Turner

Black Orchid, Velvet Orchid, Tobacco Vanille. Lost Cherry is another love by Tom Ford. Yes, the price is totally ridiculous and we all know it; nevertheless, there is something exquisite about Tom Ford’s perfumery. The scents are daring and wild yet soft and wearer-friendly 🙂 If that’s a word. I don’t know how he does it. Lost Cherry fits right in what makes her another treasure, a shiny “diamonte”.

The fragrance is dark, sensual and delicious. Losing cherry implies losing one’s innocence in a sexual context. The aroma is creamy and fluffy thus many people associate Lost Cherry with fall and winter. I think she makes you a star all year round, during the day and the evening.

Yes, the rumour is true, longevity is crappy but what can we do. Just moisturise your skin before application, spray a lot and start saving for another bottle of Lost Cherry 🙂

So, without all the hype and nice talk, how does it actually smell? The opening is dark cherry, almond and booze. The liquor is sweet and intoxicating. Have you ever drunk Griotte? This is it. Mouthwatering! The mid is more youthful with candy or bubblegum-like cherry and a bunch of florals. It dries to warm, sugarcoated almonds. Powdery almonds. Almost cologne-like concentration, skin scent. And then is officially off. You can see my frustration. Oh well. It is difficult to make a cherry-centric fragrance last. That we know also.

It is a masterpiece anyway. There is nothing like it. Mature, boozy cherry. Lovely on women as well as men. I can’t wait to try Smoke and Electric Cherry. Yummy!

Twilly d’Hermès Eau Ginger: Positive and Inspirational

Twilly d’Hermès Eau Ginger by Hermès
Floral Woody Musk
Christine Nagel

I love the original Twily – such a classy white floral with a kick. I also enjoy the beautiful rose patchouli Eau Poivrée. Eau Ginger is no exception! Another stunner!

It reminds me of sugared ginger tea with a slice of lemon. Fresh, sweet, zesty, and very elegant. It has a floral accord – sweet peony in the opening.

Eau Ginger is the spicier out of the pack, but also the brightest and youngest out of the three. While the original twilly is fall and winter daytime, Eau Poivrée is the evening, Eau Ginger is spring and summer.

I am a sucker for ginger in fragrances. It is a spicy note but somehow comes across as soft and airy yet sophisticated and ladylike. Eau Ginger is a semi-formal cocktail party somewhere over the rainbow in a hot climate.

Give ginger a try! I feel that so many women have slept on this. You are going to smell clean, inviting and joyful. You may not have your Birkin yet but you are close.

Prada Candy Night: The Dark Assassin

Prada Candy Night by Prada
Amber Vanilla

The juice is like its bottle. Sweet and feminine but gradually changes into dark and mysterious. I feel in the air the typical Prada iris but the cold tone is adjusted by warm and smokey tonka.

I am impressed with the mix of iris and vanilla. The fragrance is a tiny bit gourmand, it is an elegant sexiness. Chocolate with patchouli gives it a little bit of Angel vibes but just a hint. It is profound but subtle, not necessarily a clubbing monster but I see an intimate dinner scenario. This is when Prada Candy Night would shine. It also lasts a long time. Oldie but a goodie.

Sadly, I slept on it for too long. I have always been worried about the chocolate note that would be too prominent and too sweet. I could not be more wrong! Prada has discontinued Candy Night but I managed to snatch a bottle. Good for me.

Narciso Cristal: Sultry in an Innocent Way

Narciso Cristal by Narciso Rodriguez
Floral Woody Musk
Natalie Gracia-Cetto

Narciso Cristal is getting a lot of hate for being “basic” among fragrance enthusiasts. In a way, I see where they are coming from but it is exactly the “basic” I admire. It is a lot lighter than other Narciso Rodriguez aromas. There is a significant floral aspect to it – you can find freesia, orange blossom rose and jasmine blended splendidly.

Of course, there is Narciso’s famous musk added. This is what we came for! The musk is soft and fluffy accompanied by velvety creamy cashmeran. The scent is simply beautiful. Soft, powdery yet very hot and sensual.

It smells like your sweeter skin and lasts a long time. It smells like a newly opened baby doll and somehow it manages to be sexy and seductive. It is not a perfume you would wear in a nightclub but rather at home cuddled up in front of the TV. Cristal is not going to grab your attention or give you a headache. What an unassuming stunner!

La Vie est Belle en Rose: A Faint Ghost of the Original

La Vie est Belle en Rose by Lancôme
Floral Fruity
Anne Filipo and Dominique Ropion

I went through different stages with La Vie est Belle. At first, I did not like it – I found it too strong, too sweet, and too generic. L’Eclat was still too potent for me plus heavy on orange blossom. Fragrances strong on orange blossom tend to give me a headache. My favourite so far is Intesement – I like the creamy combination of raspberry and iris.

Based on this, I really thought I was going to adore en Rose, just because it is a fresher less gourmand and more floral version of the original. Which it is! However, being an EDT concentration, its subtleness and lightness are almost extreme. I kind of miss the original La Vie est Belle with all its fullness and candy-like stickiness. You see?! I did the full circle. This is how I became a La Vie est Belle fan.

My advice is if you want a scent like La Vie est Belle, pull the trigger and go for the original or the intense one, just spray less than usual. There is no point in owning every single flanker of La Vie est Belle. It is hard to keep up anyway.

With that being said La Vie est Belle has become a classic in the fragrance world. Its appeal to a wide range of audiences, likeability, longevity and projection are undeniable. Even if you are not into sweet scents, try it, at least for reference.

Blackberry & Bay: Droplets with Leaves and Needles

Blackberry & Bay by Jo Malone London
Floral Fruity
Fabrice Pellegrin

This fragrance has surprised me! I adore blackberries. I like both eating them as well as smelling them. This scent however does not smell fruity, it does not smell like blackberries. It is an aromatic, earthy aroma.

Imagine a spring walk in the English countryside. Rain is omnipresent, you smell grass, moss, bushes, and trees. The scent is very clean and fresh at the same time, like pure waterfall droplets. It is definitely a cologne you would use during spring and summer to freshen up. It gives me the same cleanliness and freshness as Wild Bluebell by Jo Malone. So if you like those types of crispy nature-like moody fragrances, you are going to enjoy it.

I expected juicier blackberries, not necessarily something overly sweet, fruity and girly, just a nice blackberry, a little bit tart and green but that is. Blackberry & Bay smells blackberry-ish from the atomizer but on the skin, it turns more masculine, ozonic and earthy. It is a work of art as it represents a certain mood, a period of time well; however, it is not something I strive to wear.

Save your money and buy Wood Sage & Sea Salt. It is much better.