The Sexiest scent on the Planet IMHO (The Sexiest) starts of with a very fresh citrus note, probably bergamot, which I like. To continue with the woody pine (some say cedarwood to me it smells like pine) and a very sweet and I mean very sweet vanilla, lemon meringue. The Guerlain Shalimar lemon meringue accord is an accord I am very fond of. But the lemon meringue note in The Sexiest, is too sweet for my taste. This smells more like the vanilla in Guerlain Jicky, which I am not too fond of.
The Sexiest feels to me like a very modern wink to two iconic Guerlains Jicky and Shalimar. Personally I prefer Shalimar as I find Jicky much too sweet. On my skin The Sexiest behaved more like Jicky and on paper like Shalimar. Just to be clear here, I see The Sexiest as a wink to Shalimar and Jicky. Maybe it was inspired by it, like a free modern interpretation of these two Guerlain fragrance.
Bottom line, does it radiate sex ? Not in my opinion. The painting shown at the beginning Satyr and Nymph (from 1623) does. But if you associate a Finnish sauna with sex you might associate The Sexiest with sex. And steam. The Finns will not agree.*
Notes: Gin, bergamot, vanilla, woods, musk, ambergris ( according to Lucky Scent)
Painting: Satyr and Nymph to be seen at The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
*Note: the official travel guide of Finland clearly mentions on its website, in the article 10 sauna tips for beginners, that sauna has nothing to do with sex. Funny they mention this so clearly.
The best image to illustrate the scent of Nicolaï Maharadjah is the painting What will tomorrow bring? made by Henriette Hackenberg. The colours in the painting are found in the home fragrance Maharadjah. The blue from the lavender, brown from the cinnamon, dark red from the clove, gold for the warm vanilla and orange for the overall feeling of comfort. The roomspray and scented candle give me a cozy feeling of enjoyment in my house like the painting. They are a perfect match.
Nicolaï Paris is a French perfume brand which was founded by the French perfumer and president of the Osmoteque in Versailles, Patricia de Nicolaï. One could say the Osmoteque is a perfume museum and archive where one can attend lectures, have private consultations and scent old classic perfumes. It was founded by former Jean Patou perfumer Jean Kerleo.
Nicolaï has a large home fragrance collection including room diffusers, room sprays, scented candles, catalytic lamp liquids (for Lampe Berger burning lamps) with at this moment 25 different scents and 3 Christmas fragrances.
It has a perfume line as well, as most of you already know. Except for two, Just un Reve and Rose Oud, Nicolai perfumes do not work on my skin. Her perfumes are not my taste as I find them a tad too sweet.like adding one cube of sugar to my coffee which then overdoes it in sweetness. So I prefer the room fragrances for my home as most of them are perfumed treasures on their own.
Nicolaï Paris has a home fragrance line consisting of candles, room sprays, reed diffusers, essential oils, lamp liquids. It has a bath line as well. My favorite room fragrance is Maharadjah. It is very well suited for autumn and winter and a bestseller in the Parisian Nicolaï shops.
The best image to illustrate the scent of Maharadjah is the oil painting is my living room, What will tomorrow bring? made by my dear friend Henriette Hackenberg. The colours in the painting can be found in Maharadjah. The blue from the lavender, brown from the cinnamon, dark red from the clove, gold for the warm vanilla and orange for the overall feeling of comfort. The roomspray and scented candle give me a cozy feeling of enjoyment in my house as does the painting. They are a perfect match.
Maharadjah comes as a scented candle, reed diffuser, essential oil, lamp liquid, room spray and used to be sold as eau de parfum. I have tried them all. It comes in a more intense version as well, with the same scent but a bit more intensified. The reed diffuser is my favorite.
This is not a fragrance if you are looking for a subtle home scent as its throw off and longevity are amazing. But this is what I personally enjoy. The reed diffuser lasted almost a year. I find it to be well worth its price of 46 euro.* As it is a high quality fragrance and a magnificant scent, a perfume bottled as a room fragrance giving pleasure for a year. What more would one want for one’s home ?
Have you tried Nicolaï home fragrances ? Or do you use other home fragrances ? Which one are your favorites ?
All room fragrances can be ordered on the official Nicolaï website and the Perfume Lounge in The Netherlands.
Writing about fragrances can be tricky as you not always know which version you bought or have.* Some perfume houses claim their fragrances never change and have stayed the same since they were released and others are more open and honest about it.
But due to changing laws or self regulation certain ingredients in perfumes are no longer permitted. Essences have become scarce (even extinct) or due to financial reasons (to cut costs) fragrances are changed. Do not let any sales assistent tell you otherwise.
Personally I own older versions of Dior Dioressence, Dior Diorissimo, Dior Addict eau de parfum and Dior Diorella. Examples of scents which have been altered in the course of time beyond recognition. It is my opinion perfume bottles should have a date on them in order for a consumer to know which perfume version they are buying and if the formula has been changed.
If you go to the perfume counter and buy a completely different version of Dior Addict eau de parfum than the one you bought some years ago, are you being fooled ? Don´t you (as a consumer) have the right to know a formula or perfume has been changed ?
What do you think, do you have a right to know a fragrance was reformulated ? Have you bought a fragrance to find it was changed beyond recognition ?
*note: there is an excellent website to determine the age of perfumes from several perfume houses, Raiders of the lost scent.
