Narcisse Noir

Le Narcisse Noir

Caron 1911 Extrait

I actually know daffodil as a distinctly floral note, perhaps a bit "scratchy," but if not gentle or sweet, then rather "radiant." I consider "Narcisse" by Chloe to be a beautiful, successful example. I was negatively surprised by the "Narcisse noir" EDT, which I had blindly auctioned, and thought my bottle was off. The scent that came towards me was too harsh.

Now, a wonderful fragrance letter also included a sample of the Extraits. And again, I am met with a rather bitter, woody mixture that seems to consist almost entirely of base notes, with only minimal citrus traces, certainly with animalistic undertones that do not become dominant on me. I can certainly understand why some here feel reminded of the scent aura in Indian shops/markets of the late 70s and 80s; I experienced that time as a teenager (and I used to enjoy being in those shops!). The scent surely came from the incense sticks, fragrance oils, and teas offered there. Despite the positive memories, I don't quite warm up to NN - especially since the atmosphere in the mentioned shops is better captured by some other perfumes.

O.K., the daffodil indeed has many faces! This one is not quite my cup of tea.