Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Nikki St. Phalle and La Perla - wow!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Nikki St. Phalle and La Perla - wow!

post #1 of 12
12/29/07 at 6:17pm
Thread Starter 
After being in a bit of a snit about new releases and the ensuing disappointment, I decided to venture into some older scents that are a bit obscure to me.

La Perla: I sampled the EDT (old, old bottle), and am getting a warm, sensual, classy, rose chypre scent with wood notes that stays close to the skin. Not as assertive as Paloma Picasso, not as lively as Corps et Ames (a favorite), and more subtle and darker than Agent Provacateur, which is just a tad too rosy for my preference. I'm surprised there isn't more mention of this fragrance on perfume boards; it is incredibly feminine and sexy. I'm not suffocating from amber or musk or patchoulli. It doesn't turn into anything overly sweet or heavy. It's beautifully subtle.

Nikki St. Phalle: Herbal and dry, kind of a "dainty" Yatagan. Perhaps it's the herbs, but I cannot help but think of Goth and Medieval times when sniffing this. It has me quite enthralled and I think I need to test it further.

Anyone wear these scents or have impressions from others? Are any of you familiar with Nikki St. Phalle parfum? Is it different from the EDT significantly? Thanks for any input!
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
post #2 of 12
12/29/07 at 11:06pm
I don't have anything really to add, but wanted to thank you for your take on La Perla. I've been wondering about that one for several years- on and off now. Chypres used to be a big no-no, but my nose finally has opened up to them (well, some of them at least.) I like Agent Provocateur a lot, so La Perla sounds kind of interesting to me now.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 12
12/30/07 at 6:39am
I have enjoyed La Perla for over a year now, and I think it is underrated. I don't know the edt, but the edp I use has reasonably good sillage and longevity. I tend to think of it as an safe scent, one that I could wear in any event, and yet it is still elegant and sexy enough to give me a buzz

My edp is a 15ml bottle in a black velvet pouch. If you can find that bottle it is a little treasure.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 12
12/30/07 at 8:13am
Niki de St. Phalle is one of my all-time favorites, can't be without it. In fact I've collected the entire zodiac collection and blogged on this at Perfume Smellin' Things. It's fascinating, strange, unique, and that says so much these days, doesn't it? Glad you discovered it! The unique bottles designed by this fascinating artist can still be had on Ebay. You can also google her artwork, it's the best.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 12
12/30/07 at 10:41am
Thread Starter 
Artisankey - If you like AP, and I also think that is quite a snazzy fragrance, I would be interested in your impressions of La Perla (I guess they call it "La Perla Classic"); the rose is not as prominent in La Perla (at least in the EDT form), alas, the EDT does not have great longevity (2-2.5 hours on me), so I didn't get a great assessment of the drydown.

Sestra - I agree with you this is an all purpose fragrance and I tend to like those best! No "right occasion" needed; they just feel great no matter what. The store did have the EDP in the black velvet pouch for what I thought was a great price (I think it was probably used and returned - oh, well, that seems to be the way some brick and mortars operate these days) - I purchased it.

Elf - NSP is indeed strange, but in a good way: it manages somehow to smell clean and light and earthy, but still mysterious. Reading over some reviews, it is a love it or hate it frag. I'll check out the artwork for sure. And the bottles add to the allure of the scent for me, I'll admit. What do you think of the parfum formulation? Which formulation is your favorite and why?
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 12
12/30/07 at 1:23pm
my oh bought me la perla edp after I sampled it in Seattle earlier this year. I find it very sexy in an understated way, and it's worked with my skin throughout pregnancy.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 12
12/30/07 at 3:57pm
Had Niki in the past (love the way you describe it as "dainty Yatagan") and noticed that this one opened up differently every time I put it on, or in other words, capricious, moody, having a mind of its own. I guess just like Ms. Niki herself! Do you know that it came in slighly different formulations for each sign of Zodiac (and each sign had its own design on the bottle!), they can be found in Europe for a song.

Still have and love La Perla (note to self: need to wear it more often!).
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 12
12/30/07 at 4:11pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, Twolf - I'm on the lookout for a Leo NSP. I"ll have to check out Elf's blog on this one.


Hebe - if a scent works through pregnancy, it must be fabulous on you!
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 12
12/30/07 at 5:35pm
I have the Niki parfum- and I love it.
Plenty strong enough, but not so much sillage, you kill anyone.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 12
12/31/07 at 2:35am
The NSP EdT is stronger than the average EdP- it's very intense. I have a little of the parfum and for some reason, the tagetes and (I swear, even though it's not in the official notes) cepes/mushroom are stronger. So it's just a matter of taste. I haven't read that the formulations were tweaked for each sign of the zodiac, and since I collect them, please tell me more, that is really intriguing! I noticed Ebay is currently selling a lot of the zodiac collection at a good price, you can just to a USA Ebay search on Niki Phalle and they'll all pop up. I love the lion, too!!
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 12
12/31/07 at 9:17am
I had a sample of NSP and was wowed by it so I got myself a bottle. Then I didn't like it so I gave it to my girlfriend. Now I'm curious again. I'll have to check in with her and see if she can let me borrow it.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 12
12/31/07 at 11:59pm
I should add that the NdSP is still available from the second, Swiss company that produced them. You can directly contact that company and arrange an order. However, it is a cumbersome process. They sell the jewelry/scarves that go with the line and all the zodiac bottles. The name is Prestige Products Inc. of Courgevaux, Switzerland. I can dig up the URL and send it if somebody wants it and sends me a pm. I've gotten lots of complements from the snake necklace, in particular!
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Female Fragrance Discussion

Features on Basenotes

Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Nikki St. Phalle and La Perla - wow!