Nina Ricci L'Extase Eau de Parfum Spray 80 ml

Product Information

Well, I recently tried the new perfume and had high hopes that it would make me swoon at first whiff, instead it left me feeling a little unsatisfied (wink wink). Pepper comes right behind and displaces this seductive note. Like I smell a pepper mill. Pepper doesn't usually bother me in perfume. Here, however, he becomes a lot to me. To me, I got a strong focus of Red Berries mixed with romantic Rose, soft Musk and sweet Vanilla. It is warm and inviting and wraps around you like a cozy sweater. It isn’t dark and brooding, nor mysterious, but instead more approachable and would make an excellent neutral Winter fragrance that would suit a wide variety of tastes. Sillage seems decent; longevity is good. It takes a while for the perfume to go from top to middle to base, so unfortunately, I was left with the peppery note for a good while.

Smells like herbes?! Rose oil mixed with pepper. Not a sweet rose, no, it's kind of bitter. Is that the Taif rose? Well, it's interesting, but it's not mine. Pooh, the smell's really heavy. I feel the need to let him move on, but the beginning drives me crazy. The first minute smells so damn good haha ;) The note also runs through the entire course of the fragrance but unfortunately weakly :( It's my motto right now. I hadn't bought myself any perfume in a year. Wanted to be thrifty again and use up a few scents before I buy new ones. I also did then That being said, I don't dislike it either, I just wish that the caramel was stronger. I was expecting more sweetness; it is hardly sweet at all on me. Caramel is one of my favorite perfume notes, and I was hoping for more of it in this scent, based on what reviewers have posted. I guess I really will have to commit to that full bottle of Luna!

Nina Ricci's first fragrance, Coeur Joie, was introduced in 1946. The perfume was presented in a beautiful crystal bottle designed by Lalique, and marked the beginning of an historic partnership between the two companies that would last many years. A living room table with burning vanilla scented candles on it. In the middle of the table there is a huge bowl with potpourri. Now I feel like I'm at home with my grandma. I was curious about L’Extase, the latest, which is geared older than Nina but younger than L'Air du Temps. +1: it's a musky floriental from perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. -1: the advertising, with Laetitia Casta, is the usual drearily predictable writhing we've already seen a million times over. The rose is more of a musty rose, I must confess, not the clearer rose of Stella, which is what I was expecting and honestly what I prefer. This perfume is reminding me of something my aunt has worn for 30+ years. I don't love it.

Although these notes are sumptuous, it’s almost as if they were all added in the exact same proportion. There is no structure and differentiation in the ratio of notes, leading the scent to muddle and create just an indifferent fruity-floral. The other strange thing about L’Extase is if you read the notes listed, you’d be fooled into thinking it was going to be a real sexy mysterious fragrance. Notes like warm Amber, romantic Rose, sweet Caramel, glowing Benzoin, sultry Jasmine, soft Musk, and vibrant Pink Pepper, Raspberry, and Pear. So far as I know, there are no plans to distribute L'Extase in the US. When distribution plans were detailed in Women's Wear Daily earlier this year, the US was not mentioned. The rest of the world should either have it already, or will have it by the end of the summer. Nina Ricci is a French fashion house founded by Italian-born Maria "Nina" Ricci and her son Robert in 1932. Maria served as the house's designer and was known for her elegant, feminine gowns. Robert managed the business and finance end, and made the initial foray into the perfume world.

The Ricci family's perfume legacy has also extended to the current generation. Romano Ricci, great grandson of Maria and grandson of Robert, produces fragrances under the brand Juliette Has a Gun. Nina Ricci's perfume distribution in the US is spotty. You can find the old classic L'Air du Temps at Nordstrom or Macy's, and Macy's also has the youth-oriented Nina. That's about it. Bloomingdales, Saks and Neiman Marcus don't have anything (although Neiman Marcus has some lovely items from the fashion line at the moment), nor does Sephora. I never saw Ricci Ricci or Mademoiselle Ricci here at all, although admittedly I did not look all that hard.