EX NIHILO Venenum Kiss by Olya Bar©
When I think of EX NIHILO Venenum Kiss, I imagine Agatha Christie’s famous character, the world-renowned retired detective, Hercule Poirot, boarding the famous Orient Express train. The journey begins, and the passengers are settling into their roomettes. Buckle up; your sensory buds are about to be shaken up by none other but murder itself, and the plot was set up by one of the best olfactory storytellers, Quentin Bisch. Bravo!
via Unsplash©
The night has fallen, and guests have gathered in the dinner car, slowly sipping on the cocktails in anticipation of a hearty dinner. A woman is sitting in the corner. She is traveling alone and has not spoken a word yet to anyone. Her lips are painted crimson red; she is dressed in a long silk dress with an elegant, chocolate color velvet robe thrown over her shoulders. Her lips touch the rim of the glass as she half-smiles in the pleasure of tasting what looks like the most delicious apricot liqueur. She seems to be ambivalent to the curious and prying glances of the crowd, desperately trying to figure out her story.
What is she running from on this decadent train? Where is she heading? And most importantly, who is she?
That is the opening accords of EX NIHILO Venenum Kiss, and it only gets better from here on. The story begins to unfold. Will the poison be involved, you may ask. Perhaps it will be the preferred method of murder. But who will be a victim of this delicious plot…
via unsplash©
Half-past midnight, as Mr. Poirot lay there tossing and turning, he heard someone running past his door, unable to fall asleep. In the early morning, the cries of maids were heard far across the mountains surrounding the moving train as the body of one of the passengers was discovered. He was a handsome man in his late thirties, full of life and charisma just the night before. He was murdered in cold blood, still dressed in his night robe, ghostly pale skin. You guessed it; there were traces of deadly venom on his lips. The poison killed him instant, paralyzing his senses one by one. Were there any clues left at the scene of a murder? As Hercule Poirot stepped into the room, he felt a slight whiff of spicy amber fragrance wafting in the air, a touch of rose perhaps and a pinch of vanilla in the base. This may just be the clue he needs to solve this murderous puzzle. All that is left is to find the person who wore this intoxicating fragrance.
EX NIHILO Venenum Kiss by Olya Bar©
The day was spent interviewing the passengers, but no useful details were uncovered. Except that everyone heard footsteps in the middle of the night and a slight whiff of the fragrance described above. As it turned out, a mysterious figure was seen walking down the hallway on what turned out to be the night of the murder. After too many cocktails, was it a real clue or a result of pure imagination? The only real evidence is the trail of her venomous perfume. Perhaps she wore the EX NIHILO Venenum Kiss before planting the final kiss of death on her victim.
The turn came to interview the mysterious woman we had seen earlier in the dining car. She was hard to read, even for Mr. Poirot. She was traveling to Istanbul and would be staying there for the duration of the summer. Her posture, behavior, and story left our detective puzzled. Her alibi was spotless, yet he couldn’t shake off a gut feeling that she was not as innocent as she tried to portray herself.
Later that night, the train arrived in Istanbul. The last dinner among the passengers promised to be an awkward one as everyone suspected each other. The atmosphere was filled with tension as the bloody steaks were served, but after a few cocktails, everyone seemed to relax, and it was almost time to arrive at the station.
EX NIHILO Venenum Kiss by Olya Bar©
Most of the guests had left the dining car, and there were only a few still lingering by the bar. Hercule Poirot was quietly nursing his glass of wine while watching the travelers through the train window as he saw our mysterious, lonely passenger woman getting into the taxi. It was almost as if she felt his piercing eyes on her and turned around. She gave him a long stare. Her eyes were of the most beautiful shade of golden amber, and without saying a word, she slipped into the cab and was gone. As Hercule Poirot was exiting the dining car, he walked by the table she sat at during dinner. Suddenly he felt a familiar whiff of the fragrance and picked up her napkin, with traces of her lipstick. It smelled of perfume he noticed at the scene of the murder. Opulent and poisonous, it was impossible to forget, just like her amber eyes. The fragrance felt electrified and thunderous. Like a sweet taste of apricot liqueur on the lips of a woman you desire. A spicy whiff of saffron and suede-like smoothness of the sandalwood and vanilla in the base. It smelled of lust and danger, of risk and love. It smelled of pain and betrayal. It smelled of murder. It was her all along. He knew his intuition was never wrong, yet he couldn’t quite find the reason to detain her any longer. Perhaps their paths will cross again, and he will not let her go so quickly this time. That intoxicating EX NIHILO Venenum Kiss fragrance of hers will be all the trail he needs to find our beautiful murderess.
Notes: Saffron, Neroli, Nutmeg, Rose absolute, Davana, Amber, Vanilla, Styrax, Sandalwood.
Bottle sent for my review, the story…my own
–Olya Bar, Editor
EX NIHILO Venenum Kiss Photo by provided by the brand
Thanks to Indigo Perfumery, we are offering a 50ml of EX NIHILO Venenum Kiss for one registered CaFleureBon reader in the USA (if you are not sure if you are registered click here.). You must register or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please tell us what appealed to you about Olya’s review and if you have a favorite from the brand. Draw closes 06/4/22
PLEASE NOTE OUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT HAS CHANGED @cafleurebonofficial
Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebonofficial @olyabar @exnihiloparis @indigoperfumery @quentinbischperfumer
More from Olya: EX Nihilo Explicite here
Please read Lauryn’s review of Iris Porcelana here
Please read Sr. Editor Lauryn Beer’s reviews of Fleur Narcotique, Lust in Paradise, and Honore Delights here
Video Fragrance Editor Steven Gavrielatos review of Atlas Fever here
EX NIHILO The Hedonist was a Best of Scent top ten from Olya Bar
This is our Privacy and Draw Rules Policy
We announce the winners only on our site and on our Facebook page, so like ÇaFleureBon and use our blog feed, or your dream prize