A wave of faux-eaux has been hitting the shelves of late: sparkling hesperidic compositions that cater to the taste for light, gauzy, non-perfumey fragrances while adding a bit of heft, body and lasting power to the traditional cologne. Who's to complain? I'd much rather smell the citrusy version of clean than the fabric softener variety...
With its citrus-floral-moss structure, L’Eau Mixte, Patricia de Nicolaï’s tribute to the fragrances of Sicily and the house’s first explicitly non-gendered fragrance, is a bow to the great late-Sixties hesperidic chypres pioneered by Eau Sauvage. The twist is given by the pairing of grapefruit and rose -- the grapefruit pulling up the citrusy facets of the rose and the rose sweetening the grapefruit’s sulfurous/sweaty edges. True, Jean-Claude Ellena has been working the accord for over a decade, from the 1998 In Love Again (Yves Saint Laurent) to the 2009 Eau de Pamplemousse Rose: but Patricia de Nicolaï infuses it with her particular brand of classicism – the mossy rose is even slightly reminiscent of Guerlain’s late Parure.
Not unlike Annick Goutal’s Ninfeo Mio with which it shares a blackcurrant bud top note, whose greenness is reinforced here by a sprig of mint – the green, slightly sulfurous bourgeon cassis picking up the similarly sulfurous facet of grapefruit – L’Eau Mixte is actually a full-bodied perfume posing as an eau de cologne. As the scent progresses, a transparent, yet fairly substantial rose and jasmine heart engulfs the green/citrus top notes; vetiver tugs the grapefruit facet all the way into the oak moss drydown. Cinnamon warms the blend.
Sillage is discreet, but for a citrus scent, the lasting power is quite remarkable.
L’Eau Mixte may not come off as mind-bogglingly original, but in some ways it’s better than that: a perfectly balanced, pastel-coloured hesperidic chypre with a grapefruit twist. Parfums de Nicolaï has also launching a mood-lifting house spray reprising the same accord, Un Soir en Sicile.
If you would like a preview of L’Eau Mixte, please drop a comment: I will be drawing two samples.
Illustration: the Trinacria, which is the emblem of Sicily.
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Chere D-Does this share the thickness of the base of many PdNs? I generally love the line, but it's been running sweet on me of late.
RépondreSupprimerThat said, I would like a nibble of this!
Louise, it doesn't have that candied citrus peel feel that many PdNs share: it *is* really quite gauzy in feel, but with enough of a satisfying heft to it to make it a real perfume.
RépondreSupprimerCan't resist the temptation of this draw, as I enjoy very much citrus scents, and the combination citrus/grapefruit & rose feels very good, have only tried it in Hermes' Eau de Paml. Rose, but there it is delicious! Own guerlain's Pamplemousse,and am a great fan.
RépondreSupprimerAs always, I like your illustrations, both in the English and French version - Nicolas de Stäel. (A granddaughter of him, by the way, lives in Trondheim and owns a great little shop, Shine.
http://www.shinetrondheim.com/)
Stella, this is actually much more long-lasting than the Hermès because of the vetiver-oak moss base.
RépondreSupprimerNicolas de Staël popped out on a Google image search of Sicily + painting, I'd have never thought of him otherwise...
You say Parure, I say PICK ME! :)
RépondreSupprimerSeriously, this sounds lovely.
Dusan, it's just a faint reminiscence... And Jicky the mad Siamese does the picking!
RépondreSupprimerSounds great! Grapefruit - yeey.
RépondreSupprimerPlease enter me for the draw. :)
Ines, so I take it you're not grapefruit-phobic? You're in.
RépondreSupprimerOoooh! Love, love, love PdN and currently in a citrus eau mania! Thanks for offering this draw.
RépondreSupprimerSpeaking of eaus, D, have you tried Eau de Sisley 3? Thoughts? Thinking of purchasing unsniffed...
Karin, I've only sniffed the Sisleys briefly and wasn't convinced, but of course I'd need a proper test to give an opinion -- I felt they were a bit rough.
RépondreSupprimerCitrus? Grapefruit? Rose? Count me in. Given my unfortunate encounter with Hermes during our Chicago event, I was prepared to sell my Birkins and never try another Ellena again! But Pamp Rose was just so lovely - so I caved.
RépondreSupprimerThis sounds delightful and I do love PdN's line, even though I cannot wear all of them.
xoA
Sounds quite good. For some reason, I have a certain fascination with Nicolai, even though I've only tried a few. I loved New York, found Vanille Tonka middling when my wife used it, and really didn't understand Patchouli Homme -- that one was weird. So I'd love to try this!
RépondreSupprimerWell, you say "I'd much rather smell the citrusy version of clean than the fabric softener variety..." and you get an Amen, Sister from this member of the choir.
RépondreSupprimerI don't mind when various perfumers play with an idea (rose and grapefruit together in the hopper, for example)...if they're good, we'll end up with different interpretations, and I either end up with a better chance of getting "just right," or at least have fun trying.
I'm such a PdN fan...maybe this will provide the something I've been searching for that satisfies the realm that Rose Ikebana currently rules over for me. (It's an uncertain hold to the throne that one has...)
I would love to try this. My favourite citrus? A toss up beteen the lemon/celery of MPG 's Grain de Plaisir and Signoricci(used to be Signoricci No.2, but the they dropped No.1 and changed the number).
RépondreSupprimerI am impatiently waiting for my sample order of Nicolais to arrive any day now. I hear so many good things, I can't believe I've let this much time go by without exploring them.
RépondreSupprimerI love that rose & citrus combo -- it's just about the only way I really wear rose. Yesterday I was floating on a cloud of Rose Ikebana & it was delicious.
I wasn't all that interested in this, given that I'm definitely not a cologne fan...
RépondreSupprimer... and then you say it nods in the direction of Eau Sauvage? Oh. OH. Now I do want to smell it!
I'm mildly amused that people say the only way they enjoy rose is with citrus; generally, the only way I enjoy citrus is with a fair bit of rose, or other florals, for that matter. (I think I'm in the minority.) Add in some moss, and I'm yet more interested, especially since I do tend to do well with PdNs.
Thanks again for offering the draw!
I'm intrigued.
RépondreSupprimerPdN is a little hit-or-miss for me, which is frustrating since the line -- and the woman -- get a lot of love. But several I like very much, I'm a fan of a well-done grapefruit note, love the idea of something being both sheer and lasting, and you're making this one sound highly try-able.
Please toss my name in the hat!
I would love to try this. Grapefruit rose and moss sounds like the perfect summer scent to me.
RépondreSupprimerHow delicious you make it sound! I beginning to think this year was getting quite dull but perhaps I am being hasty...
RépondreSupprimerMusette, March told me about the Chicago incident... Surely one can't hold that against Jean-Claude, can one?
RépondreSupprimerFernando, there are quite a few well worth trying - agree on Patchouli Homme though: the pyrazines (i.e. the green pepper note) are way too strong on me.
RépondreSupprimerScentscelf, look at all the citrus and rose fans coming out of the woods! This is definitely a different take on the combo.
RépondreSupprimerMals86, the nod to Eau Sauvage is more in the structure than the actual olfactory quality -- there are no aromatic notes in L'Eau Mixte. But it could appeal to a l'Eau Sauvage lover.
RépondreSupprimerWaterTiger, I've tried neither of these. Now repeat after me: so many perfumes, so little skin...
RépondreSupprimerAmy, when a house has been around for years, getting to try a significant part of the line-up can become a little daunting... Let me know what you love, if you love...
RépondreSupprimerRobin, I don't like all of them, not by a long shot, but there's a lot of quality there, and for amazingly affordable prices: I seldom leave the shop without at least a room spray.
RépondreSupprimerKrista, I think it'll make it to the summer top ten of a lot of people.
RépondreSupprimerAlexander, it's true we haven't been as spoiled this year as in 2009... but hey, Orange Blossom was great, Ninfeo Mio too, Nuit de Tubéreuse is coming up, and L'Eau Mixte is really lovely! I mean, how much new stuff can we add to the rotation in four months? (Ok, don't tell me: lots, right?).
RépondreSupprimerBefore I even finished the review, I wanted to sniff this-- and then you announced a drawing! Yes, please put my name in the hat.
RépondreSupprimer-- Gretchen
Gretchen, it's in!
RépondreSupprimerThank you for giving me a name for that green pepper note in Patchouli Homme. Pyrazines! Way to strong, yes. I actually wasn't sure what I thought of that at first, but it got onto my leather watchband and would not go away. Ended up needing a new watchband...
RépondreSupprimerFernando, it's actually an entirely different subjects, but pyrazines are really all over the place -- in orange blossom and tuberose absolutes, for instance; in violet leaf too... Bummer about the watch band.
RépondreSupprimerD, put me in the hat!
RépondreSupprimerHope you're well,
Marcus
Marcus, will do!
RépondreSupprimerOh, goodness no! Not blaming JCE! I'm disappointed by(and furious with) Hermes! (and that's a shame, as I am in love with the Bombay). I adore JCE's work, even when I can't wear it - and I adore that he has a daughter who looks to be as talented as he is!
RépondreSupprimerI just wish Hermes didn't encourage that kind of behavior - it's the opposite of elegance,in my opinion.
xoxoA
D -
RépondreSupprimerI was wondering why you focused on JCE, then I saw my clumsy post! I meant "never try another HERMES again". Not Ellena.
My carelessness. My apologies!
xoxo A
Musette, his daughter *is* very talented, and a marvellous person as well from what I've seen of her.
RépondreSupprimerI love Nicolai, I really like/own Ney York and Pour Homme, I'd love to try this new one.
RépondreSupprimerThanks.
Roberto, you're in!
RépondreSupprimerSounds great!
RépondreSupprimer"A perfectly balanced, pastel-coloured hesperidic chypre with a grapefruit twist" is description enough to make me want to try it, please do enter me in the draw!
RépondreSupprimerDatura, Mikael, you're in!
RépondreSupprimerPdN is one of my top three houses (the others being Hermes and OJ). One of my top three most prized possessions is a fb of Week-end a Deauville. I just love her line. Nearly everything works for me. Personally, I find Odalisque to be a unisex. I think its superb on a guy.
RépondreSupprimerSo I am dying to try this! Please enter me!
Gator Grad, I've never smelled Odalisque on a man! Must try to find a willing subject to experiment...
RépondreSupprimerD, I imagine you were with Angela and the gang in Paris at PdN when she bought that big bottle of Le Temps d'Une Fete. It would have been so nice to be there! I have saved both your Right and Left Bank Paris Tour columns so that if I ever get the chance . . .
RépondreSupprimerRobin, actually I wasn't there that day: I was part of the Lutens/Colette/IUNX expedition. But we did spend another day smelling my collection of raw mats. I think March and Angela plan to post about it at some point...
RépondreSupprimerI am not sure about the citrus but definitely the floral-moss. I do hope the Siamese with the great name picks me!
RépondreSupprimerDear Jicky (the mad Siamese) - this sounds lovely, so if you'd like to point a paw in my direction then I'd be very happy. That said I can go into the PdN shop near South Ken and smell it for myself so I might be depriving someone else. Damn!
RépondreSupprimerI'm rather partial to PdN and references (however oblique) to Parure and Eau Sauvage make this sound very interesting. Gauzy but with some heft makes it sound perfect for an English summer.
Denyse - I really enjoy your blog. I gave up perfume for a while (beyond engaging in unarmed combat with over enthusiastic shop assistants attacking me with atomisers in department stores) and rediscovering it has been a joy for me. Particularly now that there are people out there, like yourself who produce such well written, beautifully illustrated, opinionated and informative pieces on it.
Sean's Jo, well you've got to love grapefruit! You're in.
RépondreSupprimerZootgator, thank you very much... Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be entertaining to come into a shop and threaten those atomizer-wielding SAs with something like, oh, I don't know, Sécrétions Magnifiques... "I'll try yours if you try mine!"
RépondreSupprimerYou're in.
It sounds...confusing :-)
RépondreSupprimerLooking forward to it. Enter me for the draw, please.
Maria, you're in!
RépondreSupprimer