Blue Talisman Extrait de Parfum

The fragrances that stay with me the longest are almost always the ones I happen to test when I'm at my lowest-physically exhausted, sleep-deprived, or under heavy stress. The interesting part is that I never plan it that way.More often than not,I spray them on my skin spontaneously,forget I'm even wearing them, and then simply let them do their work. I've noticed that in those moments a fragrance leaves the deepest subconscious imprint on me.I either embrace it completely or reject it to the point where it becomes almost unbearable. That's exactly what happened with Blue Talisman,which is why I felt compelled to share this experience. The first time I bought Blue Talisman (EDP), it was a blind buy last summer. Coincidentally,I tested it on a day when I was completely drained and severely sleep-deprived after a night out that probably shouldn't have happened. Instantly I knew it wasn't for me. Its pronounced synthetic character became forever linked to that feeling of exhaustion that had been haunting me for days.As the night went on, helped by some terrible drinks, the experience only got worse.Blue Talisman became permanently associated with nausea and fatigue.My first association was Xerjoff Erba Pura—another fragrance I simply can't connect with;but Blue Talisman added an icy blue synthetic edge that I found even harder to tolerate. It reminded me of sickness and discomfort from the very first spray until the end of that night. I decided to close the chapter with Ex Nihilo altogether.Their DNA simply didn't work for me.I sold the bottle and moved on as if the experience had never happened. Then, completely by accident, I ended up with the Extrait version-again as a blind purchase.Interestingly, fate repeated itself.....The day I tested it was once again a day of extreme exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and complete lethargy.That evening we went out, I sprayed a few times, and what happened next completely changed my perception. At first, I immediately recognized the familiar EDP DNA and thought, "Oh no... not again." But what followed felt almost like a fragrance-induced trip. If the EDP left me with one of my worst fragrance memories,the Extrait created one of my best.From the first few minutes I was completely immersed in what can only be described as an olfactory rhapsody. I've learned that when you wear a fragrance without consciously focusing on analyzing it, you often discover its true personality. The opening resembles the EDP with its pear accord and slight synthetic touch, but that's where the similarities end. The Extrait immediately introduces an entirely new level of depth. Imagine someone wrapping the EDP in the softest, richest thick blanket imaginable on the coldest winter night. That's the feeling. If the EDP is three-dimensional, the Extrait feels almost four-dimensional. In the EDP, Akigalawood and Ambrofix combined with pear create a noticeable synthetic impression. In the Extrait, amber enters the composition almost immediately and completely transforms the fragrance. To my nose, this amber reminds me of the beautiful marine amber found in Xerjoff 40 Knots and Dior Ambre Nuit, yet here it's blended with the pear so seamlessly that it feels almost magical.I genuinely believe the amber amplifies the sweetness of the pear enough to erase most of the synthetic edge that bothered me in the EDP. The floral notes remain in the background, adding just enough softness to keep everything perfectly unisex. Initially I thought the fragrance might lean feminine—but I couldn't have been more wrong. This fragrance transports you into pure luxury. Imagine dressing the EDP in a heavy royal cloak woven from velvet and silk. Everything becomes richer, deeper, darker, and infinitely smoother. The fragrance develops in an almost perfectly linear way, and its biggest strength is that you simply can't stop smelling yourself.The pear and amber combination becomes completely addictive. Later, vanilla and sandalwood appear, rounding off the composition beautifully. Together with the florals they unexpectedly pull the fragrance firmly toward the masculine side-something I never anticipated considering the note pyramid. Pear,flowers and vanilla hardly sound masculine on paper, yet the result feels incredibly confident, elegant and undeniably masculine. As it approaches the drydown, it becomes darker, more seductive, smoother and increasingly irresistible. Imagine the EDP dressed entirely in deep black instead of bright blue. Even the bottle perfectly reflects the fragrance itself. The transition from the blue EDP bottle to the black Extrait bottle feels symbolic. The fragrance evolves from bright blue into elegant darkness. It's fruity, creamy, mysterious and incredibly juicy. As someone who usually isn't attracted to fruity fragrances, I was genuinely surprised by how much this one captivated me. In fact, despite being physically exhausted that night, the fragrance somehow lifted my mood and my energy. There's an undeniable aura of confidence surrounding it.It makes you feel stronger, calmer and more self-assured. This is how I imagine people of influence smell. People whose presence speaks before they do-modern, elegant, sophisticated without ever trying too hard. At one point I almost felt like I wanted to consume the fragrance rather than simply wear it. It literally awakens that feeling because it's that addictive. The longevity is simply extraordinary. After an entire night out, a shower and a full day's sleep, I could still clearly smell it on my skin over 30 hours later. Even more impressive—I never grow tired of it. I hesitate to call any fragrance "the ultimate discovery" because my fragrance journey is far from over, and I'm sure there are masterpieces waiting to surprise me in the future. But this is undoubtedly one of the greatest discoveries I've made. Among cold-weather masculine fragrances, I would comfortably place Blue Talisman Extrait just below Puredistance M and Kilian STHE, alongside Arso. Easily one of the top three masculine fragrances I've ever experienced. What surprised me most is how a composition that appears almost feminine on paper ultimately delivers such a masculine result. Ex Nihilo truly surprised me here, perfectly matching the fragrance to the bottle's color and capturing its essence. To me, this smells like a dark, moonless night embracing you with the warmest, sweetest fruity hug imaginable beneath a pear tree. It balances uncertainty and comfort, darkness and warmth, tension and security. It radiates pure charisma-provided the wearer knows how to carry it. This is the kind of fragrance I'd wear before going to bed when I need comfort, or during special evenings when I want my presence to speak before I say a single word. Now to the price. Is a €400 fragrance worth it? If you're a genuine fragrance enthusiast, I honestly believe the quality of the composition and materials justifies the investment. For the average buyer it's undoubtedly expensive-but perhaps that's also part of its charm. Very few people will smell like this. However, there's one aspect I simply cannot forgive. The presentation. For a house positioned in this luxury segment, the packaging is frankly disappointing.Whether Ex Nihilo is pursuing sustainability or minimalist design, the box feels remarkably underwhelming for such an expensive product. It lacks the sense of occasion you expect when buying a €400 fragrance. When you purchase something at this level, you expect the presentation to sing—not whisper. This remains the biggest negative in my overall experience. I sincerely hope Ex Nihilo does two things in the near future: improve the presentation... and discontinue this irresistible masterpiece. Finally, I found exactly what I'd been searching for—a fragrance that comforts me when I need it most, lifts my mood, gives me confidence and sophistication, and allows my presence to quietly stand out. Overall rating: 9/10. The fragrance itself is outstanding. The presentation, unfortunately, feels far below what such a prestigious house should deliver. Insta : @be.gentile

Very good. I mean, having the EDP and the Extrait makes absolutely no sense unless you fall into any of these categories: 1. Die-hard Ex Nihilo collector - you praise even back up bottles 2. You make content on social media Not to say they smell the same, but their main characteristics and scent profile are so similar that redundancy is only in the nose of someone that doesn't want to smell the redundancy. In summary, I prefer this over the EDP. Is it worth the increased price tag for a bit more longevity, not even necessarily more projection? I don't think so, but in picking one of the two in smell alone I'd go Extrait. Ex Nihilo Extraits, in my experience with the exceptions of Brompton and now Blue Tali, tend to actually either be different enough or VERY superior to their EDP counterparts (ie. Hedonist, Gold Immortals, Outcast Blue, and possibly Fleur Narco). In this case, for Blue Talisman Extr. the expectations and the pattern I've seen just didn't match reality. Likely more versatile than the EDP, the Extrait goes beyond with less (thankfully) muskiness and actually more nuance into the typical Ex Nihilo DNA that I love. When I say versatility I mean even in colder weather. It's actually one that some would easily grow out of, but it's certainly super well rounded. Smell alone describing either the EDP and the Extrait evokes the necessity of knowing what the akigalawood (signature of the brand) and pear smell like - if you have that understanding, then BT Extr is that plus a tinge more of sweetness and smoothness, followed by the stretching of the zing of the original that I liked so much. Anyways, will I pick it up? Likely at some point and once I can find it (hopefully) under $300 like the other extraits can be found sometimes but I do not crave the scent profile and even sold my EDP with not a lot of remorse to be honest haha It performs okay for ~8h with soft projection but enough detectability to never be annoying/inconvenient. My 7.5ml travel of it should still be enough for a few months.

It is such a beautiful scent, I bought a full bottle today. One needs to try it at store and on skin. I will update this review after i test it. Update-1: The fragrance opens with a bright and very pleasant pear-forward, fruity accord. As it develops, the intensity softens, and the sillage settles from strong to moderate, projecting to about an arm’s length. This effect was observed after 3–4 sprays and around two hours of wear. Longevity is solid, lasting well beyond 7–8 hours, though not on par with something like Oud Maracuja, which can exceed 12 hours with only two sprays. In terms of scent profile, I enjoyed it enough to consider it suitable for daily wear. It strikes a balanced character, neither too sweet to lean overly feminine nor too heavy or spicy to feel distinctly masculine. Instead, it rests comfortably in the middle, making it versatile for both men and women. It’s wearable in almost any setting—whether during the day at work or in the evening at a café. Overall, Blue Talisman Extrait is a very pleasant fragrance, and I’m pleased to have purchased the full bottle. I can see myself reaching for it often. Rating: 9/10. Update-2 (31.10.2025): I wore my Blue Talisman Extrait today for the second time, and this time I had the chance to really test it properly. It lasted incredibly long. It’s been 11 hours now and the scent is still radiating off my skin. Projection and sillage were strong for a good 8 hours. In fact, while walking outside with colleagues, they actually noticed the scent trail and complimented how beautiful it smelled. I got 3–4 compliments today, and that’s saying something because I don’t usually care whether others like my scent or not. If I enjoy it, that’s enough for me. Still, I felt this performance and reaction deserved an update here. Solid 9.5/10 from me.

Got a 10mL decant and this has pretty quickly soared up to one of my favorite perfumes in my entire collection. Once I rinse the decant out, I'll definitely pull the trigger on a full bottle, even with the insane price. I have never smelled the original Blue Talisman, so if you're looking for a review from that perspective, look elsewhere. To me, the most prominent note I get from this is like a rich pear. Not like a juicy fresh pear, but like a thicker and more rich pear extract. This is what makes it so addicting to me--I absolutely love the pear in this. It's complimented by a good amount of woods and white florals, but on my skin the pear is definitely the star. The general consensus seems to be that this is slightly masculine leaning, which I agree with. It's not a masculine cologne overload though--it just slightly leans masculine. It's pleasant. I've asked multiple family members and friends who aren't into perfumes about it, and they have all thought it was masculine leaning (also, in general they loved the scent, for the record). The performance is actually weirdly hard to measure, because I go nose blind really quickly and it's pretty much impossible to tell how far its projecting without explicitly asking people around me. What I do know is that it is an overall good performer; the performance won't be an issue for anyone unless you're expecting a beastmode fragrance. Expect to go noseblind pretty quickly though. This is also extremely versatile... really the only place that I don't see this working is on a hot summer day. For literally any other occasion this works. Overall, I definitely recommend trying this out, especially if you're a dude. Once I get a full bottle, I'll probably make this my signature.

One of the best things I have ever smelled. Truly versatile, both for elevated occasions and casual. Day or night, all seasons. This smells like money. Possesses the versatility and appeal of Baccarat Rouge 540 without all the viral hype. People will not know what you are wearing, and they will ask. Do not tell them. We don't want 80 million cheap clones and trash people ruining a gorgeous scent like this the way they did with BR540. Citrusy, musky, juicy, warm, and somehow light and translucent. There is something otherworldly about this. Longevity is almost eternal, sillage is enormous but never suffocating. I can totally see the comparisons to Guidance, but in a sportier, fresher way. I would say this is less synthetic-smelling than Guidance, and more appropriate for high heat. Also more masculine than Guidance, though this fragrance is definitely unisex. This is the only scent I gatekeep. The price point is prohibitive, anyway. This juice is pricy but despite its truly obnoxious price point, it is somehow worth every penny. A masterpiece of warmth and versatility. This just smells great, there's no other way to put it.