Narciso Narciso Rodriguez 2018 Eau de Parfum Rouge

I'm a big fan of the original Narciso in the white cube and still find it so sad that it got discontinued. My bottle is getting lower, so I bought Narciso Rouge as a future replacement. It also has lots of the super-creamy, clean, beautiful musk that defines the square bottled Narciso fragrances, not to be confused with the more sultry musk in the tall bottled For Her line.

The outstandig note in Rouge is a fresh and dewy red rose that mingles beautifully with the milky musk. In the drydown, the tonka gives it some light sweetness, but it‘s not the extremely sweet cherry-almond like tonka that you can find in many other perfumes, it‘s light and nice.

This fragrance smells very chic to me, but in a daytime way. It‘s versatile, suitable for work as well as most free time activities. I just wouldn‘t wear it to a party. It‘s like an uncomplicated, casual, but put-together outfit, like dark jeans with a perfecty fitted black or white top and red lipstick. No, I don‘t see this as a dramatic and passionate scent like the marketing texts say. Maybe it can be a sexy scent, but in a more understated, clean and pretty way. I also like it for more romantic looks with floral embroidery or prints.

Among its white and pink sister scents in the Narciso range, I find Rouge to be the most easygoing and uncomplicated. It‘s not as frilly and sweet as Narciso Poudré, and not as woody and thick as the white EDP. They are all lovely and all have their time and place.

Iris. Gives me the sweetness of confectionery sugar but with fluffiness of a marshmallow. The orange blossom gives just the slightest hint of syrup BUT something pulls it back from being syrupy. Soft but powerful! I think of all from this line this is the sexiest and least powdery. It’s super versatile so an easy reach all year round. The performance is all day without being overwhelming. I was looking for an iris dominant scent and they were all either too powdery or too stiff…Rouge strikes the balance well. I don’t really enjoy the style of musk in NR fragrances but this is a firm favourite!

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ

Narciso Poudrée
Aurelien Guichard 2016

Narciso Rouge
Nadege le Garlantezec and Sonia Constant 2018

I fell in love totally with these cubes (Narciso line) - brands cozy, soft and subtle yet rich perfumes with NR’s signature musk, like the delicate and more simple clean musk scents as well from “for her” line. Both of these two are very feminine. These minimalistic bottles are simply beautiful.

Poudrée opens up with a powdery opulent floral bouquet of white Jasmine and Bulgarian Rose and it’s velvety smooth musky heart makes it so fluffy. It’s creamy, mellow, sensual and it’s clean and cozy in the same time. Poudrée is not fresh and airy like perfumes in “for her” line. It feels that it’s close to the skin but after smelling the clothes next day you notice that the scent it’s persistent and long lasting. The scent has woody base with Vetiver and Cedar. You can’t separate Vetiver here anyway.

Unfortunately discontinued Rouge is a little bit more powerful and Iris brings a different kind of powdery feeling to it. It’s deeper, lipsticky like, even a little bit plasticy, yet Bulgarian Rose keeps it still very soft, feminine and warm. The concoction is still smooth, fluffy and creamy yet the overall feeling is woodier. The colours of the bottles indicate perfectly the character of the scent.

These scents are not like “Rosy”, “White floral” or “Iris” scents like you may think. Both are pretty scents, I like them a lot but the flowers are not like I have used to experience them - in natural way. Scents can be as well cloying especially in hot weather. I have noticed that it’s better not to spray them straight away under the nose or sniff them close to the skin, the moderate sillage lingering in the air is very attractive and indulgent though. Imo Rouge and Poudrée are the most gorgeous on clothes. The smell is irresistible and addictive. People seem to find Vanilla accord from Rouge but I don’t agree. It’s rather that cozy soft slightly sweet feeling in the dry down.

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It smells like a powdery pink marshmallow flavored with rose water, but more womanly than it is girly.

I don't know, I bought an assortment of the Narciso Rodriguez samplers thinking I'd love them, but they're just not for me. There's something very department store about them all. Truly, madly, and deeply ...mid.

December is a month in which I test, buy, and also give away a lot. Since, unfortunately, there are also a lot of birthdays alongside Christmas, the costs for gifts can quickly reach four figures. But that's what you work for.
The Narciso line is no longer the most straightforward. A line that has already earned Narciso a golden nose. Most people don't know much about the brand and only know this black EDT. I don't know much about this brand either, but I have tested some flankers and I also own the men's version. Almost every year, at least one flanker is released, all of which are of good quality in my opinion. Many swear by the black EDT. It is also a timeless work of art that fits elegantly and stylishly for many occasions.

Since I don't give the same gift every year and generally just buy the most convenient option, I chose this version from 2018. Narciso Rouge. In 30ml, the bottle is just so cute. A beautiful vibrant red tone, a lovely cap on an adorable bottle. You can get it for around 40 euros. Fair for a high-quality women's EdP. Even the larger bottles are worth their price, whether it's the EDT, EDP, or this one. A great line that rightly has many fans.
That Rouge comes from the Narciso family is clear to smell. Already in the first minutes. At the start, you can already smell where the journey is heading: sweet, powdery, and a concentrated rose-musk mix. Similar to the original, a lot of musk is used here. The opening begins with iris. Powdery iris combined with a beautiful rose note. Tonka is present in the base, but in my perception, it is present throughout the entire development. It gives this creation a lovely sweet-creamy note. This note makes this fragrance sweet, with which you can also dive into the nightlife wonderfully.
In the base, or towards the end, it calms down with a gentle woody base without losing its core DNA.
Even in the base, the iris provides a nice powdery foundation.
For me, it's a sensual fragrance that suits many occasions. The black original is definitely more suitable for everyday wear, but this one can also be worn well by women. It has sex appeal but also creates a well-groomed, pleasant impression. The sweetness also doesn't come off as too aggressive and playful. Thus, it is not only something for young girls but also for established women. However, it is designed very modernly, so young ladies can wear it well too.
The performance is good. You don't scent the surroundings with it unless you overspray. Normally dosed, it has a good sillage that doesn't turn into overpowering.

As a man, I can say: This is what we want to smell. I’ll speak for everyone here. Definitely a fragrance with which a man can take a woman out. This mix of rose-iris-tonka-musk is simply stylish.

I’ll use this fragrance (which would also be suitable for today) to wish all perfume lovers a Happy New Year, a good start, and all the best for the year 2019.