Mapaba

Since Thursday, the limited edition Victoire has found a place in my home. Of course, I had to test it immediately and am still glad that I ordered it.

I was curious to see how Patricia de Nicolaï's well-known components and usual suspects would be dosed/used in combination, whether it might have a surprise in store and, of course, how the perfume might smell in the end.

The opening is easy to describe for someone who already knows Nishane Wūlóng Chá: it smells identical and exactly the same. Green tea paired with lemongrass and a little fig. The association for me is a Buddhist spa area, a soothing sauna infusion, regeneration. So this image is pretty much exactly what the fragrance wants to express on the occasion of the Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, this initial mood or the fragrance image changes a little too quickly and gives way to a much more floral, soapy spectacle with a slightly synthetic note. Not unpleasant or disturbing, but still surprising.

What remains in the drydown is a fresh, neat and citrusy fragrance with a slightly woody background note. Exactly what you would want to wear after sport or a spa visit, for example, and never becomes unpleasant. I can also imagine wearing it on hot days at a beach bar or in an outdoor pool.

I applied Victoire in the morning and could still clearly perceive it in the evening at a distance of approx. 20 cm from the skin. The sillage, however, is lost after about 3-4 hours.

Conclusion:

If you already own Nishane, you can safely skip this order, because in my opinion you already have the finest interpretation of the listed ingredients in your wardrobe with a slightly better sillage. I would consider the shelf life to be identical.

However, I find the result much more harmonious than, for example, the highly praised Imagination, which I sold at some point because I could no longer smell the typical fabric softener/cleaning agent vibe, which was too strong for me in the drydown. The Victoire is more sophisticated and straightforward without any rough edges.

As I don't currently own either the Nishane or the LV, the Victoire comes in very handy and will be a useful companion when summer arrives. A solid fragrance without a big "aha effect"

I paid just under €70 in the pre-order, which is more than good considering what you get for it.

Due to the white musk and the subtle soapy nuance, it is also very wearable for women in my eyes.

Years ago, I encountered this fragrance in the form of a sample that was provided to me. Apparently, however, the souk partner had made the mistake of not mixing the molecules or ingredients before taking it out, so my initial reaction at the time was: "cool ice mint, yawn", but as I generally like the concept very much, I took the opportunity a few months later and tested it again. The retailer informed me that I should first shake the bottle for 4 seconds and only then spray it on. No sooner said than done. What can I say: it was love at second sight!

Completely different nuances and notes were revealed to me, which continue to captivate me to this day and trigger the associated feeling that I am calibrated, fresh, grounded and that the day will be mine :)

Cloud Collection No. 2 is not a perfume, but an experience that begins even before it is applied. The separated molecules float through the bottle, I look at them and shake. The liquid, which is no longer transparent, becomes a milky, cloudy compound, which I then apply to my skin and clothes. Stormy coasts, cool forests, icy mountains - I associate all of this with the opening of this great fragrance. A sauna infusion, wellness, ice mint combined with Scandinavian woods and aquatic notes are the associations that follow and last for a very long time. When I apply No. 2 early in the morning, it conjures up this "feel-good freshness factor" in my nose again and again throughout the day and even late in the evening I still catch elements of this unique, unmistakable DNA.

There was once a situation when I was on a business trip and opened my suitcase at the hotel in the evening, which contained a worn sweater that I had soaked in Zarko the week before during another business trip and had obviously not been washed by mistake. When I took it out, I could immediately detect the nuances of this fragrance (very subtle, but still clearly recognizable). Still fresh (as if it had been taken out of the cupboard and washed) and, more importantly, identical to the opening. Do you know perfumes that suggest something at the opening that then goes in a completely controversial direction over time? This is precisely not the case with Cloud No. 2. What remains is what is announced at the beginning. Very unique for me personally.

I wear the cloud at home, at work, at the outdoor pool and in the evening in a restaurant with a delicious meal and a good glass of red wine. This fragrance always works, even my children can smell it, which is a real challenge. It is cooling in summer and refreshing in winter. An all-rounder.

Don't get me wrong: this fragrance doesn't make you smell sexy, seductive or wealthy, nor is it a compliment-getter, even if this does happen occasionally, but as I mentioned at the beginning, it makes you look calibrated, down-to-earth and with both feet on the ground. Never pushy, never arrogant, but always clean and pure. That may also be sexy at times.

I don't own many perfumes, but really only those that I can wear over a longer period of time and use regularly. The Layton is my first choice when we have business events (exhibitions, lectures, etc.), I've only owned the Guerlain Musc Outreblanc for 1 week after I received a sample from a nice perfumo here (thank you so much!!!) and was immediately thrilled and had to buy it, I also like to use On the Beach and California Dream regularly. Imagination, which I think is completely overrated, just sits around. Compared to Zarkoperfume, it is simply too banal, simple-minded and meaningless. Of all the candidates mentioned, Cloud No. 2 is by far the fragrance I wear the most and have never given up on. When it comes to fragrances, I like it uncomplicated and fresh. That's exactly what Cloud No.2 offers

In my eyes, this perfume is massively underrated and misunderstood.

Definitely try it and don't forget to shake it vigorously beforehand :)

Personally, I love the citrusy, aquatic tea fragrances, in which category l'eau can undoubtedly be categorized. Tangy-fresh lemongrass iced tea describes the immediate first appearance quite well. Unfortunately (as perfectly balanced as the interplay of nuances is), the liaison is very short-lived. Back when Kenzo was released, I thought it and Kenzo Power were unbeatable in this category in terms of fragrance. But even at that time, l'eau was for me personally more of a self-serving freshie that you could put on after sport or a sauna session without it being annoying. However, you didn't impress your fellow human beings with it, as it was simply imperceptible to anyone after 15 minutes.

The other day I was in a drugstore again and there it was, so after all these years of abstinence I couldn't resist and sprayed it on. Immediately, the stored associations with this fragrance came flooding back. Somehow, however, I also had the feeling that the fragrance faded even faster than before. But this could also be because I have aged a lot and my skin no longer stores the molecules identically :)

Overall, l'eau would no longer be an option for me today. There are too many much more durable and technically brilliant perfumes on the market that serve exactly this olfactory track. A Nishane Wulong Cha, for example, with significantly better longevity, or the minted by Nomenclature with a more beautiful resolution of the individual components. Strictly speaking, a Xerjoff 400 can also be placed in this category, but without the "tea-meditation-I'm-in-the-pure-with-me" experience.

But if you were looking for a perfume for everyday situations in life such as "oh shit, the letter carrier rang and wants me to sign for it, but I've just crawled out of bed, I stink and need a quick freshness suggestion", this is the perfect perfume for you. Afterwards, you can lie back in bed next to your wife completely relaxed. At least she definitely won't smell the short excursion through the stairwell to the front door and back.