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Weigh in on your MONA DI ORIO faves

Poll Results: Which are your favourite Mona di Orio perfumes?

This is a multiple choice poll
  • 11% (4)
    Carnation
  • 35% (12)
    Nuit Noire
  • 0% (0)
    Amyitis
  • 5% (2)
    Lux
  • 8% (3)
    Chamarré
  • 5% (2)
    Jabu
  • 8% (3)
    Oiro
  • 23% (8)
    I haven't yet had the pleasure of sampling most of this line.
34 Total Votes  
post #1 of 16
3/11/10 at 2:05pm
Thread Starter 
To my mind, Mona di Orio's perfumes are intelligent and inspired. I adore pretty much all of their line (only Amyitis and Lux I am still coming to terms with). I think there is some very beautiful work here on the part of Mona di Orio, who studied under the perfume master Edmund Roudnitska.

Please choose your favourite(s) from the poll. I would love to read your comments on these as well.
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post #2 of 16
3/11/10 at 3:36pm
My favorite for a long time was Nuit Noire. that being an arresting combination of orange guinee and newly tanned leather. It has a smokiness but none of the usual incense is used. I find it intriguing and I'm not aware of an overdose of civit. (As some have suggested).

The new favorite for me has been Chamarre. It is a bold treatment of sparkling lavender and I don't remember what else, many spices that give a layered effect unlike any lavender I've ever had. It is a "golden" juice, if that makes sense. You just have to try it. It may be too light for a man, but I found it charming.

Perfume Posse says it pretty well: In this perfume, the warm breath of lavender in combination with aldehydes paves the path to sensual treats such as powdered iris from Florence, seductive rose absolue from Turkey and delicate violet, ending in a gentle embrace of cashmeran, opoponax and ambre gris.
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post #3 of 16
3/11/10 at 6:52pm
Well, I've only tried Carnation and Jabu. Fell in love with Jabu, and may be buying a bottle, with the help of a wonderful Basenotes friend. Yippee!!!
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post #4 of 16
3/12/10 at 12:30am
Funnily enough, Lux and Jabu are the two I like best from this line, Dimi! Those two are the easiest to love, to my mind. The others (especially Carnation, but Chamarré and Nuit Noire are guilty too) have a distractingly plasticky edge to them, which I suspect is caused by a musk/civet component.
Lux, though very nice, doesn't really stand out as something own-worthy. Jabu OTOH was an immediate want and I hosted a split of it so I could get my hands on a bottle (preeeetty) and a portion (this stuff is potent!). Anyone who appreciates a quality neroli (or likes Profumum Neroli or the discontinued L'Occitane Neroli EDP) ought to get a whiff of this one, as far as I'm concerned.
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post #5 of 16
3/12/10 at 1:59am
I have only tried the first three. Carnation was lust at first sniff but the more test-drives I gave to Nuit Noire, the more I liked it. Both two are on my wish list.
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post #6 of 16
3/12/10 at 3:22am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by veuve amiot View Post

Funnily enough, Lux and Jabu are the two I like best from this line, Dimi!

Actually your post made me re-check my samples, and I was mistaken... its Lux and Amyitis that I am finding challenging (particularly Amyitis), not Jabu. Jubu is a stunner! Amyitis has a rather complex plastic/burnt/electrical-wire sort of vibe that takes some getting used to.

Carnation is actually a very beautiful scent - perhaps not as "peppery" as real carnations, but it still captures that husky floral perfume that I have come to associate with the flower.
Nuit Noire I am a huge fanboy of! The cardamom is front and center, but as the scent shifts into its heart and base, it transitions into something of immeasurable beauty!
Chamarré has also this feeling of early 20th century opulence - not unlike the vintage offerings from houses like Guerlain and Dior.
Lux is suprising to my nose, in that it is a vastly different style of perfume to the others in the line. Its playful lemon sorbet opening is vibrant and spirited, and it dries down to a remarkable vanilla/musk. I feel like Lux perhaps transitions the least from top to bottom.
Jabu is a beauty whose orange/ylang opening accords are radiant... its dark plum accord adds a richness, and I love the creamy tonka in there too.
Oiro has a stunning floral opening - the sweet pea and jasmin are divine. I really enjoy the journey this one takes into the rich base of immortelle, musc and amber.
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post #7 of 16
3/12/10 at 4:06am
This is a line that I have only just been experimenting with, and I am sorry that it is so difficult to find in New York. I love Nuit Noire. It is a true "grandma's purse" fragrance for me, but with the promise of something delightfully beastly. I have been enjoying Lux, and it will join Diorella as a go-to spring fragrance. It is so clear that I must try others. Where are you guys finding Mona di Orio?
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post #8 of 16
3/12/10 at 4:20am
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I have long loved this line and had the distinct pleasure of meeting Mona in person and talking with her about her fragrances at length. Carnation is not, carnation as in the flower. Carnation is a skin scent and is so named because artists used the carnation flower petals as color references for skin in their portraits. (That's what she told me!)

I wanted another of her fragrances, different from the multipersonality LUX I already owned and loved. Carnation was IT! Linear in it's development, Carnation stays close to the skin, a "snuggle" scent IMO.
I'll never forget my conversation with her & her partner, Jeroen. We spoke for well over an hour, it was wonderful, just wonderful. This took place at Aedes, shortly after The Guide was published, btw.

LUX is the only fragrance I own that wears like six different fragrances. Each and every stage of development has it's own personality and I love and appreciate each and every one. So many people test this on paper, dismiss it immediately based on the top notes and never get to know the scent. It's a shame!

NN is such a sexy scent. A foreshadowing of it appears in one of the drydown phases of LUX, so of course I had to try it. As sample of this one is enough but I love it all the same.

The newer scent, I've not had the fortune to test.
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post #9 of 16
3/12/10 at 7:50am
Unfortunately, Mona di Orio's scents disappeared from the shelves of Aedes. I always loved smelling Nuit Noir and Lux when visiting the shop.
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post #10 of 16
3/12/10 at 11:00am
I am gaga over Nuit Noire!
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post #11 of 16
3/12/10 at 12:34pm
I am only familiar with Lux and politely disagree with Dr.T. assessment of it. Would like to get better acquainted with the whole line.
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post #12 of 16
3/12/10 at 1:03pm
I've only tried Nuit Noire, and was terribly disappointed ( bland, soapy concoction to my nose ).

Carnation and Oiro sound intriguing, but I'm a little wary after Nuit Noire.
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post #13 of 16
3/12/10 at 8:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galamb_Borong View Post

I've only tried Nuit Noire, and was terribly disappointed ( bland, soapy concoction to my nose ).

Carnation and Oiro sound intriguing, but I'm a little wary after Nuit Noire.

Galamb, is it possible you got the wrong juice in your sample? Soapy doesn't sound right. did you smell orange liqueur or leather at all?
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post #14 of 16
3/12/10 at 8:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kumquat View Post

Galamb, is it possible you got the wrong juice in your sample? Soapy doesn't sound right. did you smell orange liqueur or leather at all?

None, just soap - BUT it's worth noting I smelled something very similar in Cuir d'Oranger, and that also has a similar description. Certain leathers smell of nothing but soap to me. I'm really at a loss as to what aromachemical it is, but I suspect it might be a musk or maybe quinolines.
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post #15 of 16
3/13/10 at 9:00am
Mona di Orio is available at Les Senteurs. I believe Oiro is exclusive to them.
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post #16 of 16
3/13/10 at 10:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimitri View Post

To my mind, Mona di Orio's perfumes are intelligent and inspired. I adore pretty much all of their line (only Amyitis and Lux I am still coming to terms with). I think there is some very beautiful work here on the part of Mona di Orio, who studied under the perfume master Edmund Roudnitska.

Please choose your favourite(s) from the poll. I would love to read your comments on these as well.

WoW! Dimitri I love your Display Pic Aswell!! Neato'!! Though, I am soo darn' keen to try this house!! Is it cheap? Also, Can it be obtained in Australia?

Cheers Dimitri...Always the informative one!

And Thanks To Everyone

- Balava -
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Weigh in on your MONA DI ORIO faves