Top Notes 
Bergamot
Galbanum
Mandarin orange
Heart Notes 
Lily of the valley
Jasmine absolute
Orris butter
Base Notes 
Musk
Oakmoss
Patchouli
07/24/2012
jtd
484 Reviews
jtd
Helpful Review
3
Sorry to pick on PdN for reformulation, but Odalisque was a scent like no other,
Odalisque was the first of Patricia de Nicolai’s perfumes I tried, and I’ve been a fan from the first sniff. There is something about the way Odalisque is blended that it has a much smoother arc than so many other green chypres. The oakmoss isn’t bitter, and the top notes aren’t sharp. I suspect it’s the use of lily of the valley and what smells like gardenia. I can’t think offhand of other chypres with a dominant muguet note, and I think the dewy roundness of the note eases things. Also, if it’s gardenia that I’m catching, it’s got a little of that earthy almost truffly feel and counterweighs the floral coloratura.
Not to be dogmatic here, but this doesn’t really seem totally like a chypre to me. I definitely find it to be a mossy floral, but, even though the PdN websites lists the notes of bergamot and mandarin up top, I don’t get the bergamot sharpness. The green in Odalisque is wet and grassy and I attribute it to the lily of the valley. The fruit is almost peachy or apricot. I think the fruits and florals are beautifully proportioned and allow the moss to be the gentle counterbalance without seeming too dark or bitter.
Whatever the genre, Odalisque has an hypnotic, almost narcotic quality. This is the scent equivalent of eating lotus flowers. Odalisque makes me want to lay in and enjoy the lazy pleasures of life.
Edit: I've just tried the most recent iteration of this at ScentBar. I now know the despondency of the reformulation blues. It smells as if the chypre portion of the fragrance has simply been removed without any attempt to compensate and what's left is a watered down floral. PdN can certainly do a pretty floral, but the notion that by comparison we suffer is really brought home to me. I'll treasure the bottle I have.
Not to be dogmatic here, but this doesn’t really seem totally like a chypre to me. I definitely find it to be a mossy floral, but, even though the PdN websites lists the notes of bergamot and mandarin up top, I don’t get the bergamot sharpness. The green in Odalisque is wet and grassy and I attribute it to the lily of the valley. The fruit is almost peachy or apricot. I think the fruits and florals are beautifully proportioned and allow the moss to be the gentle counterbalance without seeming too dark or bitter.
Whatever the genre, Odalisque has an hypnotic, almost narcotic quality. This is the scent equivalent of eating lotus flowers. Odalisque makes me want to lay in and enjoy the lazy pleasures of life.
Edit: I've just tried the most recent iteration of this at ScentBar. I now know the despondency of the reformulation blues. It smells as if the chypre portion of the fragrance has simply been removed without any attempt to compensate and what's left is a watered down floral. PdN can certainly do a pretty floral, but the notion that by comparison we suffer is really brought home to me. I'll treasure the bottle I have.
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