Patricia de NICOLAÏ, Parfumeur

Patricia de NICOLAÏ the nose behind the eponymous French niche perfume house NICOLAÏ wrote in her interview with Michelyn for Çafleurebon that she loves to make Eau Fraîche fragrances as they always inspire happiness. “With L’eau Corail, I wanted to conceive a dynamic fragrance full of contrasts, both fusing and smooth like the velvety of the peach skin. It invites you to a vacation on a faraway tropical island drowned by sunlight and turquoise blue waters. The facets of this Eau Fraîche submerge you with a radiant light and an invitation to the land of sweet life." The perfume combines a sumptuous medley of fruits and fresh herbs in the top notes, a floral heart and a spiced woody base to create a delightful and uplifting fragrance brimming with sunshine

Mme de Nicolai sure does know what floats my fragrance boat! There was never any doubt that I was going to enjoy the fruity/fresh notes in L'eau Corail, but I was genuinely surprised by this perfume, for several reasons. Firstly, I was expecting a bright and splashy opening, similar to that of a cologne. In actual fact, the first few moments of L’eau Corail are like submerging oneself in a vat of ripe mango pieces. It's a sticky, juicy, delicious impression that had me almost salivating from the start. The development is as one would expect for a short while; tart blackcurrant to balance the sweet mango; Petit-grain and orange to add sparkle. But then arrives a cool blast of mint and pepper that offsets all that sticky fruit beautifully. The pepper is especially clever. I don't overly enjoy it in fragrance but here, however, it is needed to give the ripe, unctuous fruit some sophistication. The fragrance almost seems to firm up and grow womanly curves.

The role of the base notes in L'eau Corail particularly impressed me. The perfume struck me initially as having the potential to fall to bits after half an hour, like a mango sorbet left too long in the sun. The woods and spice in the foundations of the fragrance stop that from happening, so much so that I was continually catching drifts of scent all day long and continually wondering where it was coming from. You see, L'eau Corail changes subtly throughout its life on the skin, starting out as a flirtatious fruit and ending as a sultry spiced cocktail. The juicy opening is cooled by the mint and pepper, then warmed into a different form with the use of Osmanthus, cardamom, sandalwood and Amber. These notes meld the fruits into an almost boozy concentration, deepening the bright tropical hues. Don't misunderstand me, it's still a happy, sunlit fragrance, but as Patricia De Nicolaï intended, it's also one of great contrast.

Of course you should try this if you can't resist a fruity fragrance, there's no way you'll be disappointed by that incredible opening mango hit. I would also encourage those of you who spend winters wreathed in boozy, spicy scents to give L'eau Corail a go for summer. All the depth is there, just wearing a headdress overflowing with ripe fruitiness. Life is sweet and happy indeed when one is crowned by a bright cloud of L'eau Corail. .

Disclaimer- Sample gratefully received from Parfums De Nicolaï. Opinions my own.

Susie Baird– Editor and editor of Epiphany.

all images VOGUE BRAZIL– Mirte Maas, Suzane Suzana in Carmen Miranda Reloaded February 2013

Collage and Photo by Susie

Thanks to the generosity of Madame de NICOLAÏ and Axel de NICOLAÏ we have a 30 ml bottle of NICOLAÏ L’EAU CORAIL for any reader worldwide. To be eligible you must be a registered CaFleureBon reader. Please leave a comment with what appeals to you about Susie’s review, where you live and if you have a favorite NICOLAÏ perfume. If you would like your comment to count twice PLEASE LIKE NICOLAI on Facebook Draw closes June 1, 2015

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