Nuit D'Orient by Honore Payan

I received a sample of this when my bottle of Patchouli arrived last month. I wore it a few times in order to form an opinion of it. After 3 wearings, I'm still not quite sure if I like it or not.

Normally, I can decide one way or another by now. Overall, Nuit D'Orient is pleasant enough, but it's the vanilla rendition that hasn't convinced me. After 10 minutes, it resembles the smell of a vanilla candle that has just been extinguished. I admit to not liking the smell of any candle that has just been blown out. However, the vanilla note is fine during the opening and drydown. The hour or more in between I find it mildly irritating.

Nuit D'Orient comes in a huge bottle. It's a bulk purchase of 250ml and comes with a 30ml. spray bottle from France. It lists Bergamot, Cedar, Lemon, Patchouli, Rose, Musk, Vanilla, Benzoin and Amber. Upon application, I get a noticeable citrus note along with vanilla. The vanilla rendition is slightly scratchy until the drydown when it seems to smooth out. I prefer creamier versions of this particular note. It's not a bad rendition, just not my preference. The citrus evaporates within 2 to 3 minutes to reveal a vanilla with very subtle amber.

The cedar is buried in the mix and I would have enjoyed a more prominent display of it. The rose and patchouli notes are also lost on me and I can't chalk that up to fatigue. I've worn this multiple times over a few week period and the results have been the same. The totality of Nuit D'Orient is a blast of citric vanilla to be replaced within a few minutes with vanilla-amber.

Even though I rate this scent as a neutral, it could be considered a viable option for a work fragrance if you are seeking an economical vanilla. Linear? Yes indeed, but as I wear this, I can see where this would be appropriate for situations where your scent had better be understated.