Nuit Noire (2006)
by Mona di Orio

With Nuit Noire, it felt as if Mona di Orio was trying to do a modern take on a classic type of perfume. Nuit Noire is a powdery floral that has a touch of musk but I couldn't pick out any specific middle notes. Reading the notes listed up above was surprising- I definitely did not get ginger, clove, cinnamon, etc. The base note, however, smelled like just like red grapes.

I kind of see where Mona di Orio was trying to go with Nuit Noire but honestly, it is just not a likeable scent.

Like Lux, this developed in a horrible way on my skin. However, unlike Lux, it remained pleasant for much longer.

I've never been one to state that fragrance X made me feel sick (or even gave me a headache) but, after applying Nuit Noire, it actually made me feel nauseous after a while (and eventually physically sick - quite literally).

I'll think I'll pass on this house.

Nuit Noire opens with a vehemently animalic accord of musk, civet, and sweet white flowers. Rather like Muscs Koublai Khan with jasmine and tuberose on top.

As the heart reveals itself the musk and civet fall into the middle ground, making a dark, "dirty" background for the persistent floral notes. The tuberose has mellowed by this point, and has blended seemlessly with emerging woods and spices in a rich, exotic accord that I find hard to dissect into discrete omponents.

Over time Nuit Noire reveals more and more wood, which brings it into drier and perhaps even darker territory. The floral notes continue to fall away over time, while a very rich amber works its way into the foreground. The drydown is amber, dry woods, and animalic musk (I smell civet,) in an unabashedly lascivious combination.

It's said that this scent was made as a tribute to Serge Lutens. In its daring use of amber and animalic musks it does tip its hat to scents like Muscs Koublai Khan and Ambre Sultan, but there's nothing imitative about Nuit Noire. Its development is complex and nuanced, both drier and more balanced than many of the Sheldrake and Lutens orientals. Very, very nice indeed!

An unusual fragrance, unlike almost any other perfume on the market. If I could make any reference, it would be to the highly unusual Santa Maria Novella Muschio, which uses sambac (a vegetal musk) and has an unusual bittersweet aroma, like butterscotch and bourbon.
Nuit Noire starts out with a brief citrusy,lemony orange, but it quickly develops into something much more unconventional. Cardamom and olibdanum resin appear, followed by amber and a bitter leather note. This fragrance possesses a "fleshy" characteristic all its own, animalic and insistent. The effect is dusty and sweet, like sweaty skin with powder on it. The aroma is deep and mysterious, like spices and ancient wood. Dispite its name and the darkness conveyed by its depth, this fragrance invokes a sweet-smelling haystack drying in the sun. The fermentation of the grass provides the sweetness; it is a balance that can tip too far into decomposition at any moment.
This high-quality blend unfolds, allowing the notes to escape individually. It is not flat-smelling like cheaper perfumes. Provokes waves of nostalgia. Smells like the powdered resins that women of the 1900s used as sachets to scent their closets and purses. This is beautiful. It is strong, however. For some, it will be an acquired taste due to that strange, dusty, bitter undercurrent. Highly addictive. Very impressive. I crave it.

Wow, such different experiences! Like Lux (and most Lutens), this one has amazing development. I found Nuit Noire to start off floral - very floral. I'd say tuberose and maybe jasmine or orange blossom, since those usually seem to be a little funky on me. There's also something a touch peachy at the start. In fact, at first it reminds me of Malle's Parfum de Therese. Then, as it develops the florals somewhat fade out and it becomes nutty. I can still smell tuberose, but it's like tuberouse on top of Patou Pour Homme. Then, as it develops further, the amber and musk come through even more. It lasts forever, it's feminine to start, but unisex to finish. A work of art really, much like Lux. I prefer Lux, mainly because it's more "masculine" than Nuit Noire. Both are wild rides.

The first impression of Nuit Noire (which is dedicated to Serge Lutens) is a big surprise: the top notes are very soapy and citrusy! Then the spices and wood notes start to come out but the soapiness still remains. Nuit Noire reminds me of an exotic and impossibly expensive luxury soap wrapped in paper and packed in a wooden box. Lovely scent nevertheless, just not what I expected it to be...