Odalisque by Parfums de Nicolaï
We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.
7.6 / 10 74 Ratings
Odalisque is a popular perfume by Parfums de Nicolaï for women and was released in 1989. The scent is floral-chypreartig. It is still in production.
We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Floral
Chypre
Spicy
Green
Fresh

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
BergamotBergamot GalbanumGalbanum Mandarin orangeMandarin orange
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Lily of the valleyLily of the valley Jasmine absoluteJasmine absolute Orris butterOrris butter
Base Notes Base Notes
MuskMusk OakmossOakmoss PatchouliPatchouli
Ratings
Scent
7.674 Ratings
Longevity
7.756 Ratings
Sillage
6.954 Ratings
Bottle
7.242 Ratings
Submitted by Bergamotte, last update on 06.10.2023.

Reviews

2 in-depth fragrance descriptions
7
Bottle
4
Sillage
6
Longevity
7
Scent
Annarosa

93 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
Annarosa
Annarosa
3  
From young Odalisks and Rahat locomotive
Odalisque is not a chypre scent - no way, even if it should contain oakmoss (which I don't smell)! It is most likely a gourmet fragrance and boudoir fragrance and that at the same time: for sweet mouths where stomach and sex drive are on the same wavelength ( ;) a joke)
The name is program and suggests already the suitable picture:
A young, pretty, white-skinned woman-a Circassian odalisque (concubine) in the Sultan's harem. She spends her days expecting the hour when the Sultan will visit her and in leisure. There is not much to do other than to take care of yourself and nibble on oriental delicacies, excellent sweets. The Odaliske loves to feast on the powdery-sweet Rahat-Lokum with nuts (almonds or pistachios) and violet pastils. Then she gehnt and disappears behind the curtain to have her nap. In the evening she appears again in the chamber, now the scent of Rahat lucum has vanished and what remains is the sweet scent of violet pastilles. Now the sweet woman hears the Sultan's footsteps...he's about to eat them.
(I realize that this image is conditioned by all stereotypes and does not correspond to historical facts, but it best illustrates my image of scent.)
In simpler words: the fragrance is consistently floral-sweet (but jasmine doesn't really stand out from the mix); temporary, in the heart, it's sweet with nutty hints (gourmandig), then it completely disappears from the scene and after some, longer time, suddenly comes back with soft (mochus), warm, less sweet (through oakmoss), floral (iris and corn bells) base.
The fragrance is feminine. He sits very close to the skin all the time and probably has very little Sillage, if any. You have to get very close to the laundry to register it. The durability, despite the sweetness is also not intoxicating. It would be best to bathe in it, but it is much too expensive for that.
Interesting for sugar gossips, but doesn't have to be.
2 Comments
jtd

484 Reviews
jtd
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.
0 Comments

Statements

1 short view on the fragrance
KuraiKurai 3 years ago
7
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
7
Scent
Retro Lily-of-the-valley with a dirty soap vibe. One of my big loves despite its fickle behaviour
1 Comment

Charts

This is how the community classifies the fragrance.
Pie Chart Radar Chart

Images

6 fragrance photos of the community
More images

Popular by Parfums de Nicolaï

New York Intense by Parfums de Nicolaï New-York by Parfums de Nicolaï Patchouli Intense / Patchouli Homme (Eau de Parfum) by Parfums de Nicolaï Sacrebleu Intense by Parfums de Nicolaï L'Eau miXte by Parfums de Nicolaï Vanille Tonka by Parfums de Nicolaï Sacrebleu (Eau de Parfum) by Parfums de Nicolaï Vie de Château Intense by Parfums de Nicolaï Ambre Cashmere Intense by Parfums de Nicolaï Eau de Yuzu by Parfums de Nicolaï Number One Intense by Parfums de Nicolaï Cuir Cuba Intense by Parfums de Nicolaï Fig-Tea by Parfums de Nicolaï Kiss Me Tender by Parfums de Nicolaï Eau d'Été by Parfums de Nicolaï Riviera Verbena by Parfums de Nicolaï Amber Oud by Parfums de Nicolaï Le Temps d'Une Fête by Parfums de Nicolaï Musc Intense by Parfums de Nicolaï Maharadjah by Parfums de Nicolaï