Nemo

One of my all time favorite designer fragrances, period. This is a fairly unique blend of warm spices, lavender, woods, resins, florals, and leather that is seemlessly blended, and I mean SEEMLESSLY. This hails from ye olden days of perfumery, before all this "Santal & Vetiver" or "Oud & Rose" nonsense. You are presented a luxuriously spiced accord in which only a few notes in particular stand out, revealing themselves more and more as the fragrance evolves. In the opening, I predominantly get a bright (I almost describe it as "holographic") lavender, deftly woven with cardamom, nutmeg, and "betel pepper" (whatever that is). The opening is ever-so-slightly fresh, aromatic, and what could even be described as "blue" before "blue" came about. However as time goes on, the aromatic nature of the opening subsides and is superceded by the warm richness of the heart and base. The woods, vanilla, resins, and leather come to the fore, though the lavender still "glows" gently through the haze, the beating heart of the fragrance. Hours and hours later, you get wafts of warm, spicy, vanillic lavender deliciousness as the fragrance enters its long drydown. This is an absolutely wonderful, versatile, longlasting, and compliment getting fragrance that could easily be released today and STILL be a hit. It hardly smells dated at all to my nose, despite drawing comparisons to other warm-spicy classics from the 90s and early 2000s. Yes, it does smell like Viktor&Rolf Antidote (or rather, Antidote smells like Nemo), but Antidote is markedly dryer, more powdery, and more incense-based than Nemo. When I smell Antidote I imagine an aristocrat going to the opera, or perhaps an alchemist scrounging for secrets in dusty tomes. Nemo is far more easy-going, casual, and friendly than Antidote imo, though I wouldn't say that either is superior. I do get shades of Gucci Envy, D&G By Man or even D&G Pour Homme, but Nemo stands apart, in my humble opinion. Performance is exceptional, though not too loud or obnoxious; you simply have a perfect scent bubble around you with arm's length sillage that lasts throughout the day. The presentation is super unique and interesting, one more relic of a more adventurous and creative time, when companies were willing to take risks in order to make something truly special and memorable. I cannot fathom (heh) why this fragrance was discontinued by Cacharel. This is stunning stuff that is worth seeking out, even if you never smelled it in the past (I surely didn't, and I love it all the same). Nemo is yet another reminder of the beauty and quality that designer houses were capable of producing just 20 years ago. I cringe every time I spray it on (I just have a 30ml bottle), but I simply can't help myself, especially when the leaves begin to change and the air is crisp. This is one of those perfect fragrances to spray on when you're suited and booted for the cold and ready for a night on the town. 10/10, for me.

Nemo was a fragrance I never owned back in the 2000's not because I didn't like it as such but just because my collection was much smaller and less speculative than it is now, coupled with the fact that this just doesn't stand out all that much. Well that's in hindsight because things that I liked back then, I love now in comparison to the general sorry landscape of men's designer releases. I'm not one of these people who is constantly looking back and banging on about 'vintage'. I very much embrace the future and I'm broadly optimistic about it, however Nemo is one of those ordinary releases that seems like some searing work of genius now. So to me it's a soft woody, spicy take on lavender, Immediately reminiscent of Boucheron (I didn't look before noticing this by the way and when I did it turned out to be the same perfumer! boooya!) Comparisons would be Gucci Envy, By D&G, Dreamer even (This guy did the original Dreamer too) and also Floris Santal, Moubousin homme, Lalique Equus & Homme, basically loads of 90's and early 2000's stuff. It has a hazy sandalwood/cedar aspect with muskiness and an unmistakable smooth nutmeg underpinning it then the waft of lavender over the top. It's lovely. Nemo is really lovely, lasts very well, and smells just right. This is not as out there as stuff like Eden and Lou Lou both very polarising and Then there's the bottle. Either love it or hate it you can't deny that it's an talking point. Also perhaps one of the most ergonomically satisfying bottle fitting perfectly in your hand to the point a creationist would deem it to be created by intelligent design. Nemo *is* intelligently designed right down to the ball bearing supplied separately in the box to push into place and activate your purchase. A modern classic this one.

This is my absolute favourite, however I rarely use it, since it's so special and very rare now. When it was released I didn't care much about it, first impression was not magnefic and the name was off putting for me. I guess the name NEO instead of NEMO would have been better. But later it grew on me. The bottle is absolutely amazing, carefully designed and structured, even the spray button is special as it is a metal ball that spins. The reason why this amazing product was discontinued I think is due to its expensive production cost and it didn't sell that well to raise satisfying profit. It's clear that the bottle was very expensive to produce (next to a simple Chanel bottle) and the juice is of high quality nevertheless. It wasn't that popular to hold up the cost of production. Anyway, Nemo was still a very special release, just take a look at the promo pictures, watch the very expensive and also very impressive video ad (I love it!), the bottle, and the fragrance itself. It's not a playful scent I admit. It's a slightly (not cloying at all!) sweet, and very deep woody and spicy fragrant compositon. I don't know yuzu but if that's what makes the opening so "bright" I would love it. But in general, it makes a masculine and even mystical impression (not because of the inscence). They will never bring it back, I'm sure. Nemo was too sophisticated for mass consumption. Some say that Allure is a bit similar to Nemo but I tell you that I don't find them similar at all, Allure can't be used to replace Nemo at all, they are very different!

It's a perfume so hard to describe! Let's start with the bottle, very particular, certainly not go unnoticed, a big Y, it almost looks like an Indian Totem, with the chrome ball-shaped spray, marbles so fashionable in the 90s. I always wanted to smell it but I never had the opportunity, then seeing the prices on the internet I had to wait for the deal to make it mine. I remember that in the commercial there were so many guys, so I always imagined it as a perfume for the young age but I was wrong, this is a great perfume wearable by everyone. This fragrance has different elements, but the one that stands out the most are the spices, it opens with pepper, a lot of nutmeg, lavender and leather, a sort of mineral notes, accompanied by woody hints, with a very "classic" and solid base, made from cedar and patchouli. The modern intro blends in great with the base, the spices, the floral sweetness and the sea breeze very well accompany the final woodiness, making it a unique perfume. Sweetness reminds me a little of JPG hurts. I have to say a lot about the 2000s, especially the opening brings to mind the videos on MTV, the first CompactDiscs, the first mobile phones, the boyband, the first videogames. Average projection and longevity, a beautiful sweet, sticky and basically aquatic essence remains on the skin. Today it is unacceptable, if you find it as a remnant in some store, buy it without delay, I recommend, those with the Y shape Rated 8.5 / 9

I adore this scent! A charming, stylish smell with a lovely urban feel. It's a nice blend of pepper, lavender, nutmeg, cedar, a soft note of leather and cardamom. It's an autumn-winter fragrance, a relaxed walk in the city during the late afternoon. It reminds me the mood of the song "english man in New York". So it's not your super sweet Cologne, nemo is rich, spicy and sexy in its own way. To me this is one of the best colognes of the new century. Good performance, for people over 28, wearable in every situation. If you love the colognes of the early 00 grab it if you can, it deserves! Secondo me Nemo è uno dei migliori profumi dal 2000 ad ora. Lavanda, cardamomo, noce moscata, cedro, pepe... tutto ciò regala un profumo elegante ma non serioso, speziato ma con garbo. Se amate i profumi di quel periodo è un acquisto molto consigliato. Ha un' anima urbana, sa di una camminata nel tardo pomeriggio di novembre. Tuttavia al porto di Tricase o Leuca ho visto dei frangiflutti con la stessa forma della bottiglia...a me ispira la canzone di Sting " english man in New York". Scent-9 Longevity -8 Sillage-8 Versatility -8 Presentation-7 Uniqueness-8 Backup bottle? Yes Compliment factor-8 My vote-9 In one word- urban Alternative - john varvatos edt, lancome hypnose, VR antidote (different scents, vibe a bit similar...)