natafriden

Did I blind buy it? Yes.

$30 for a 50ml bottle seemed like a pretty good deal and within my allocated budget for blind buys, and I instantly fell in love with the bottle, so I figured -- why not?

What happened after was a pleasant surprise. The fragrance leans heavily on vanilla, but it's not the confectionary vanilla I despise. Instead, it's a rather rounded blend of a slightly balsamic vanilla pod, woods, lilies, and rum. I detect a slight bit of citruses only at the start, and then it's a pretty balanced composition with a slight projection and unexpected longevity. I guess what started as a fun blind buy will now be among my winter picks.

I got a miniature of this fragrance for free as a part of "buy a full perfume -- get a gift" day in my local fragrance shop. Bergamots and limes are my favorite citruses, so I figured, why not -- and took it with me.

The first test gave me a "meh" impression. True to its name, it's a nice bergamote scent, rounded by jasmine and cedar, so it's not too sour, with medium longevity and sillage that's not too overpowering. I decided that it will go in my collection of fragrances for daily wear -- the ones that are more utilitarian and don't evoke any emotions or gather many compliments.

However, as the summer grew hotter here in Ukraine, I noticed that my hand draws Nice Bergamote out of the pile of miniatures more and more frequently. It felt like drinking a cup of refreshing jasmine and lemon tea during the heat, and the fragrance made living through it much more bearable. I also got a few compliments wearing it, a thing that's never happened before.

Fast-forward to today, and here I am, holding a full bottle of Nice Bergamote and claiming it as my signature scent for hot summers and times when the mood is down, to lift it back up.

Now that's a smoky perfume!

Unfortunately, smoke is almost everything I can detect here, it drowns all other notes for the first few hours. After that, I do detect slight hints of caramel, frankincense, and vanilla, but they are still pretty much overpowered by smoke.

Will give this perfume another chance during colder months, although I admit, it gives off a very realistic and long-lasting bonfire scent, so if you're into it -- this is your fragrance of choice.

It took me a few tries to understand this fragrance because of its harsh smoky start. But once I sprayed it on during heatwave and was amazed by how balanced and gorgeous it is.

Frangipani and beeswax create a prominent honey accord that lasts on my skin until the very end. It's accompanied by resins, vanilla, leather, and immortelle blooms that add a slightly medicinal sweet hint.

I almost don't hear neroli here, which is a plus, since it gives me headaches. But I do detect a rich sillage of sweet honey, deepened by resins and other blooms, which create a comfortable evening scent that develops surprisingly nicely during summer temperatures.

If you need to learn what petitgrain smells like or are a hardcore fan of this note — this is your fragrance of choice.

After a brief opening of nice bergamots and oranges, this is basically a petitgrain solinote, with a bit of ambergris. I also detect slight hints of sandalwood, but they aren't able to come through the thick wall of petitgrain.
It really drills into your head.