Vanithe by Nez a Nez

Verveine, Rosemary, Bergamot, Jasmine Tea, Cedar, Gaiac Wood, Vanilla, Honey, Tonka Bean.

I take, with a grain of salt, the categorizations of scents on sites such as LS, since I find numerous ones unsuitable for one gender or the other in spite of it being tagged "unisex".

Vanithe is a feminine fragrance and while nice, I wouldn't attempt full wearings simply because they are countless others that smell as good or better and genuinely straddle the fence of gender. Naturally, there are many more parfums that wear more "feminine" than Vanithe and some men may find Vanithe completely appropriate to wear. That's a personal choice that has to be made. I have already made mine.

With that said, Vanithe is a well made floral woody that, on my skin at least, showcases a Jasmine with citrus, herbal elements and a very, shadowy tea note.

The opening of Vanithe affords me the best glimpse of the tea rendition. It's intertwined with an extremely likable citric accord, with a soon-to-be prominent Jasmine nipping at their heels. It's a solid opening and one that, unfortunately, is too feminine for me to wear. I sure wouldn't mind smelling this unfold on the female persuasion.

The herbal components are downplayed here and work more as nuance notes on me. I like the way they are tuned as they leave room for the wood to gradually unfold and be accounted for very easily. While in the heart accord, the Jasmine is still the focus with whiffs of tea and oncoming gaiac. It seems that, other than the floral center, all others are here to surround, accent and spotlight the Jasmine-Tea combination. I will say that, at this stage of the wearings, Vanithe is more viable as a shared scent.

Any changing of the guard to signal the appearance of base and drydown notes is done with discretion. Vanithe is inevitably heading down the path of an Oriental finish. The vanilla and tonka are not used overtly. Their particular ratio permits them to contribute rather nicely and allows the Jasmine-Tea-Gaiac triumvirate enough breathing room to be the essence far into the life of Vanithe.

So far, Nez a Nez has impressed me with their depth, regardless of whether or not I liked what I sampled or found it wearable. Well made is just that and it ensures that I will explore this house further. Vanithe's sillage is good and the longevity is 5 hours plus on me. Overall, this is a very nice scent that just happens to be a little too feminine for me to pull off.

Thumbs up from Aromi for Vanithe. A sample wear ( as always ) is recommended.

Comments

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...

Teatro Alla Scala - Krizia

I tried Comete by Chanel today and wanted to write about how Chanel is going by the way of Roger Dove - copying old masterpieces. I did not know where to post that and then I realized I have been neglecting this blog. When I logged in I saw an unfinished post I wrote a year ago about Teatro Alla Scala by Krizia. Teatro is the best full bodied floral - better than any Chanel or Patou. Even better than Gucci L'Arte. A brief background: Teatro Alla Scala is an Opera theatre in Milan. The bottle's design is an homage to the theatre and the perfume an homage to its sophisticated patrons. I wanted to write a symphony for it. Maybe some day. For now here are few notes I wrote comparing EDT vs EDP. And if you don't have Teatro, your wardrobe is incomplete Rose, Jasmine, Tuberose. Jammy berries (more in EDP) . Honey note listed is probably the jammy part Vetiver & moss - more in EDT Rose and carnation is more than jasmine and that is what separates it from other florals like J...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog