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måndag 17 augusti 2015

Parfums de Nicolaï - L'Eau Corail

PictureThunderstorm over Corfu - Lightning Strikes
Photo: Simon Q (cc)

via Dorieo from Flickr to, Wikimedia.com 
L'Eau Corail is the summerfragrance for 2015 from Parfums de Nicolaï. The summer eaux fraiches are carefree fragrances for lazy (or busy) days. My favorite so far is the creamy but herbal orangeblossom Eau sOleil from 2013.Well balanced floral fruity fragrances seems to be en vogue in niche this summer and L'Eau Corail is a lighter take in the genre. For example Parfums MDCI Cio Cio San is a more intense version and even more so Neela Vermeire Créations Pichola.

L'Eau Corail starts with a juicy, natural smelling mangonote, the mango doesn't appears as chemical at all, even if I suppose it is. There is also a tangy bite, probably from black currant, just in the right dose as to me, heavy doses of that berry often is too much. But L'Eau Corail also has a dark side, just in the very begining of the top accords, there is also an almost electric smelling note, or mini-accord, glimpses by and this moment evokes the image of the dark sky in the beginning of a thunderstorm, with the flashes, before the rain sets in. There is some of the electric vibe still present also in the later stages of the dry down. Back to the main track: The mangonote is light, not the thick varity as in for example Neela Vermeire Créations Bombay Bling or Montale Mango Manga, L'Eau Corail is an Eau Fraiche after all. The texture is somehow creamy as also the smell and after a while a light boozy element apperars creating an intriguing contrast to the smooth creamyness. A fizzy, light and refreshing also non-chemical smelling mintnote appears as also cardamom from the depths of the fragrance. As L'Eau Corail dries further down the flowery elements steps forward and balances the fruityness, the cardamom is still contrasting and adding a sort of dry spicyness to this airy-creamy-moisty blend. I suspect that the teanote in the base is contributing a lot to the airyness of the fragrance, even if an Eau Fraiche and the ingredients are diluted, many of the ingredients by themselves are heavy in character. The rest of the base is a light regular wooden-ambery accord which act as a discrete background for the light fruity-flowery-spicy mainaccords of the fragrance.

Picture: L'Eau Corail in the regular
Parfums de Nicolaï bottle
Photo: PR Parfums de Nicolaï (c)

Even if contemporary in the notesetting with the fruits and cardamom,  L'Eau Corail gives me somehow a retro feeling. In expression, apperance and the feeling it gives me, this is very strange as it has completely different notes, L'Eau Corail reminds me of a modern and fruity Hermès Calèche Edt, just as the latter it intermediates a bright, confident, timeless, casual elegance which is present but not disturbing (if light applicated). As I got the same Calèche association to last years Musc Monoï which is aldehydic in style and therefore more obvious to be likened to the Hermès classic, there must be an overall similarity between the two Nicolaïs which I didn't caught immediately.

At first L'Eau Corail seems very feminine in style, at least for the first 80% of the fragrance it not at all feels unisex compared to eaux fraiches L'Eau Mixté or L'Eau Chic. Then apperantly something is happening:
In its later basenotes, Mr Parfumista (who hasn't smelled the earlier stages of L'Eau Corail said "Have you borrowed my Armani *) today"  "it smells as a mens cologne". L'Eau Corail is a lasting companion during warm, humid summerdays but I'm sure it will also be nice to cheer up gloomy days in the colder months. Sillage is big and longevity at least a day, very long lasting for an Eau Fraiche.

*) The first Armani, Armani pour Homme, aromatic-citrus with some moss, at least in Mr Parfumistas "vintage" version.

Rating: 4

Notes: Mango, black currant, lemon leaf, orange, spicy mint, jasmine, rose, osmanthus, cardamom, cedar, sandalwood, mate, musk, amber

måndag 3 juni 2013

Parfums deNicolaï - L'Eau à la Folie

Picture: L'Eau à la Foile
Photo: PR Parfums de NIcolaï
It's almost an old truth that you can always count on Patricia de Nicolaï. Well made fragrances to affordable prices, I can't understand all complaints of the bottles, I think they are charming  with their a bit homemade look, as they are just bottled and labled in the lab and then taken out for an immediate sell in the shop. L'Eau à la Foile, the creation of last year in Patricias L'Eau line, (precursors L'Eau Mixté 2010 (citrus/wood), L'Eau Chic 2011 (geranium)), is no exception. It's a wellmade, somehow robust, realible green, slight fruity, floral, slight boozy, spicy, woody light fragrance with a with a surprising longevity, for a day at least even if close to the skin most of the time.

L'Eau à la Folie starts with refreshing, sparkling notes of lime, citrus, a light white ruhmnote and some spritzy floralnotes. The opening is just like a refreshing Mojito a hot summerday. Mojito is also mentioned among the topnotes. As L'Eau à la Folie dries down the flowery impression strenghtens and there is a light spicy fizz that runs through the whole drydown of L'Eau à la Folie, and is also apparent in the light, blond woody base.

Picture: Mojito
Photo: from Gigilicom  
L'Eau à la Folie is such a pleasure to wear, a real wristsniffer that feel natural in comparison with all the fresh chemical laundry stuff out there. The name is well chosen, the fragrance is happy and smiling, ready for some minor madness. L'Eau à la Folie suits perfect for summer daytime wear, both for work and casual. I also think it will suit also in the middle of the cold and dark winter, when longing for summer. From the L'Eau line, I like L'Eau à la Folie best so far.

Rating: 4

Notes: Mojito, citrus, ginger, flowers, jasmine, green notes, fruits, wood

onsdag 13 juni 2012

Parfums de Nicolaï - L'Eau Chic

Picture: Pelargonium graveolens (Rose Geranium)
Photo: Laitche (cc), Wikimedia Commons, some rights reserved

Patricia de Nicolaïs L'Eau Chic starts with a brisk, green blast of geranium. The fragance is fresh but not in the characteristic contemporary laudery or detergent way. This is natural, green, sharp freshness with some minty notes followed by herbal and light spicy notes with a light woody background, blond wood as birch, aspen and linden. Even if Patricia de Nicolaï was inspiered by the scent of her parents geraniumsoaps I don't get a particulary soapy feeling of L'Eau Chic, there just some soapiness in the basenotes that somehow feels a little dry. 

To my nose L'Eau Chic is a woody take on one of my favorite Nicolaïs Week End 
à Deauville 2011. As an owner of that Week-End I'm not convinced that I need even a small bottle of L'Eau Chic as especially in the middlenotes, I feel many similarities between the two fragrances, Week End beeing a bit more flowery-green and with a mossy feeling, where L'Eau Chic is more woody-herbal-green.

Even if categorized as an Eau L'Eau Chic is sharp, distinct and longlasting, it lasts during a whole day. It's the perfect, chic, casual daytime perfume (especielly for spring and summer) that is very pleasent to wear and it feels very refreshing almost germicidal. Just as Week End à Deauville this is a fragrance that is very special and stands out from the crowd.

Rating: 4

Notes: Geranium, lavendel, mint, chamomille, clove, spice, sandalwood, musk