Spiky Muse

Spiky Muse smells amazing. It is much better in person than when reading the notes and trying to picture smelling it. It is definitely unisex. I am a guy, and I love it. The dominant scent to me is a beautiful, realistic and non-synthetic tart citrus accord. I get a grapefruit/yuzu aroma intermingled with an ever so slightly sweet light strawberry accord. The rose comes through in the mid. I don't really ever get the base notes ... just citruses, strawberry and rose. It reminds me of the style (not the exact scent) of several of my favorite Xerjoff citrus fragrances. It is also one of those "pick me up" mood scents. I was having a stressful day today. I sprayed this on in the afternoon and it absolutely helped refocus me and improve my overall mood, as I repeatedly sniffed my wrists. This will be one of my primary spring and summer fragrances this year. And my wife likes it on me. She likes less than 5% of my fragrances ... so if you have a picky partner/spouse, maybe this is for you. My wife also says that it projects like a mofo ... I wore it the other day and we went out to a shop and a restaurant for lunch, and she said I blew the places up lmao. I highly recommend getting a sample and trying it out. 9/10 and a Fragrantica score of 4.5 from me.

Received a sizable sample of this when I purchased Dries Van Noten "Soie Malaquais" x 100ml. I am always excited and appreciative to receive nice perfume samples when I make an online purchase EVEN if I know the samples are not my style. Ex Nihilo is not a house I'm very familiar with, so I was excited to try Spiky Muse. Surprisingly, I really really LOVE this stuff! I originally wore it and dismissed it. But I find myself going back for more of the inviting citrus opening, the glorious rose and "whatever other notes make it this way" middle. And to my nose, there is an incredibly smooth, creamy, woody, slightly bitter (thank you tonka and ambroxan) and musky base, or dry down that adds depth, some warmth and complexity to the fragrance. As others have said, the fragrance opens as an extremely cool, crisp, aldehydic, floral, fruity, light and airy rose fragrance. There is something in the mid-notes that adds interest to what is otherwise a linear development. The base is predictably lovely based on the notes listed. Super-duper, uber femininity in a bottle. Unfortunately, the longevity seems poor. Pleasant, appealing to the masses. Exceptionally safe blind buy for anyone who loves rose fragrances.

I've tried quite a few Ex Nihilo fragrances over the years, and while I appreciated some of them, none ever made me think, "I need a bottle immediately." Spiky Muse changed that immediately. The opening is all about red berries, but not in the way I usually expect. They're not syrupy, candy-like, or overly sweet. Instead, they're airy, bright, and incredibly elegant. It's the kind of fruity opening that makes you keep going back for another sniff. The real magic happens in the drydown. The berries slowly melt into the most beautiful sweet woody scent. It smells smooth, luxurious, and expensive without trying too hard. There's something so refined about it that it just feels effortless. This is one of those fragrances where I found myself enjoying every stage, but the drydown is what completely won me over. If someone asked me what "quiet luxury" smells like with a modern fruity twist, I'd happily point them to Spiky Muse. This perfume has the same DNA as J'adoube by mind games so if you like one the other will appeal to you as well.

Spiky Muse is a dreamy creation around the queen of flowers, the rose. From the initial spray you can detect they amazing fresh and romantic smell of the roses surrounded by bitter tart bergamot, slightly spicy pink pepper which elevates the smells of the roses and a lot of fresh, slightly sweet, slightly green, extremely natural strawberries 🍓 The strawberries feel so realistic fresh cut like I can almost smell the strawberry stalk. In the heart is where the roses are blooming combined with green nutty savory pistachios. This unexpected and unique combination of rose and pistachio literally blew me away. An ambery woody base harmoniously complements this fragrance. If you are searching for a unique fragrance to make you feel special and unique, perfect for a signature scent, elegant, with high quality, then don't look any further! The perfumer of Spiky Muse, Louise Turner, has also created Lust in Paradise, Magnetize and Musc infini.

This is so pretty! Spring is in the air and this fragrance is perfect for it! I love the opening, it’s fresh and vibrant with a burst of citrus, strawberry and green accords (to my nose). It’s not screechy or sharp but just very effervescent! As it dries down, I get a mix of rose and peonies (though that’s not a note, my nose gets peonies), very feminine and floral. It’s beautiful! The dry down has a slight touch of woods but it is slight. The florals are still there and there’s a bit of warmth, maybe from the tonka beans? I didn’t detect any pistachio but then again, this is my first wear so maybe as time goes, that pistachio note will make an appearance? 6 hours of good projection. After that, it’s more of a skin scent but I love it!! Springtime, here I come 🤍🌿🍓🌹🪵☁️🤍

I am in love with Spiky Muse. It starts off with a fresh green pistachio and a green vegetal rose/strawberry leaf then proceeds to the velvety red rose which then starts to bloom with the juicy strawberry kicking in and then eventually drying down to a surprisingly long lasting fruity patchouli rose scent that maintains a hint of greenness. This would be so refreshing in the spring and summer but as I tested it out in the winter I was impressed to see it cut through the cold weather making it quite versatile. Reminds me a little bit of Rouge Trafalgar. It's also worth mentioning that this fragrance features real strawberry obtained through upcycling which is quite revolutionary in the fragrance industry in my opinion.

I fell in love with this today. I went to my Skins boutique to buy Bal d'Afrique by Byredo but walked away with this instead. It's juicy and tart, with a hint of roses, and a peppery accord that makes it different from everything I have in my collection. The strawberry is not synthetic at all but lends the perfume a beautiful sparkly not-too-sweet accord that fits perfectly for sunny spring and summer days. It lasts moderately long (after 6 hours I can still smell remnants on my skin) and projects moderately. The dry down is ever so slightly peppery and warm and sweet - the tartness of the opening dissipates. It turns into a lovely skin scent, but only at the very very end.

I really really love this perfume. It’s so elegant, feminine, nostalgic. For some reason when I smell it I imagine a photo of a pretty girl in the 90’s wearing a simple black long dress with pink roses on it. She is standing in a rose garden but the colours of the bushes is darker green. I am usually not a big rose fan but this perfume really makes the rose smell so special. It’s a bit sharp it’s not a soft powdery rose, but more a young rose that just started to bloom and still looks a little bit green. The name it’s really fitting. It really is spiky. I really love it, I own only a sample but hope to one day get the full bottle.

If we want to talk about elegance brought with class, but at the same time leaving you speachless, Ex Nihilo is one of the Brands representiung it at best. Spiky Muse is a perfume that struck me right away, with its slightly acidic and realistic opening, with strawberry as a forerunner. A fresh and newly bloomed rose slowly makes its way, surrounded by amber nuances and a slight pistachio grain. A fragrance that I bought, among other things one of the most persistent of the Brand. I imagine it as a sparkling cheerfulness, a candid portrait of the beauty full of life. "Basket of Strawberries" painted by Chardin.

This was one of those - not on my radar - scents that I probably wouldn't have tried, had a sales person not given me a test strip to try. I was bowled over by the most photo-realistic, juicy strawberry note (I disagree about it not being realistic - to me it was spot on!) that soon transitions into a deeply fruity, gorgeous red rose! I'm a huge fan of pink pepper and rose, and the bergamot and strawberry give this a youthful joie de vivre: this is a very bright, happy, optimistic rose! Spiky Muse bewitched me enough to buy a 50 ml. This is the perfect Spring and Summer rose perfume. LOVE!!!

This is a huge love as I am addicted to Louise Turner's spicy, woody, ambro-floral DNA. To enjoy Spiky Muse, you MUST love rose. The pistachio is not nutty or gourmand, it is very green and fresh like how a pistachio seed would smell on a tree before it is processed and roasted. If you like the works of La Perla Possibilities, Ex Nihilo Lust in Paradise, or Hugo Boss Scent Elixir, then Spiky Muse will probably make you very happy. I also would have to disagree with the "Reminds me of Section" - Spiky Muse goes in its own direction, but it still has that bright musky, synthetic Ex Nihilo DNA

I own both Delina and Delina Exclusif. In this perfume, you can sense a Delina vibe underneath, but they are definitely different fragrances. Spiky Muse is a peppery, spicy, and strawberry-tinged tart rose. I absolutely disagree with those who say it smells like rotten fruit. This perfume is perfect, and its longevity is excellent. It is very similar to YSL Baby Doll — the scent of a very elegant and beautiful woman. Luxurious, and it gives instant happiness the moment you spray it. I could wear this for the rest of my life without ever getting bored. Flawless and amazing.

When I first sprayed this, I was transported back to helping my grandad with his tomato plants - there was a peppery green note that I wasn't crazy about. When I braved a wear test, however, I fell completely in love with the fruity rose notes that linger after the sharp greenness dies down. I receive non-stop complements from men and women of all ages whenever I wear this. I feel like this is a great hot weather option for Delina lovers. Where I live, the summers are over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes humid, and Delina gets syrupy and heavy. But this is perfect!

UPDATE: Spiky Muse is GORGEOUS in warmer weather! I first bought and wore Spiky Muse during the winter. But now that temps have been in the 70's, I am totally enamored with it! I definitely get the strawberry/pink pepper note for the first hour and then it settles in to a beautiful rose perfume with a twist. And if I feel like I want to add a hint of sweetness to SM, then I just spray a couple of spritzes of YSL's Blouse over it. Talk about mind-blowing!!!!

This is so beautiful and feminine but still has a sexy kick to it. I originally came to get a sample of the new lust in paradise extrait and all day I kept wondering what smelled this good and I realized the SA sprayed a bit of Spiky muse on my wrist and it literally took over the scent of lust in paradise. Never thought I would love a rose scent this much. To me it is not “greeny” it’s very woody and definitely resemble Delina!

WOW! This is so tangy with red currant /black currant and other summer berries (not listed??). Like a very dense Rouge Trafalgar. It does have some reminiscence both the Fleur narcotique but also Lust in paradise. If you like ex nihilo dna, and berries, you will enjoy it. It does slightly remind of baby doll, but the presence of red currant, mostly sour berries is just mouth-watering. I detect zero pistachio

The name is so befitting for the fragrance as YSL's Blouse clearly must have been the inspiration behind Spiky Muse. Nevertheless, I prefer SM over Blouse because it doesn't have all the muskiness of Blouse. It actually dances on the skin and has an effervescent, sparkly quality to it. I will keep both in my collection for sure. I just hope it has the longevity of Blouse because that thing is a beast!

Opens slightly soapy and citrusy. The rose is jammy with an overload of sharp bergamot and peppery akigalawood that fades into the most beautiful, fresh, dewy, woody rose. Definitely has a green aspect about it. This was the first rose fragrance I ever fell in love with- there’s something so beautiful about the way it evolves on skin. Hefty price tag- but it’s worth every penny.

Rose, strong citrus vibes and freshness from fruits without any sweetness. There’s woods in the background accompanied by a peppery and green aspect that makes this fragrance perfect for warm days to cut that heat. I love Spiky Muse, it’s a beautiful fragrance with great longevity and protection. But definitely sample before committing to a full bottle...

This reminds me of eating freshly picked rhubarb dipped in sugar and sun-warmed strawberries when I was younger. I immediately get rhubarb although it is not listed in the notes. I really enjoy the dry down which is cosy and warm. I love this isn’t overly sweet. I’m cautious with tonka but love the way it’s done here.

Bright floral fruity with a sweet nutty trail. I love this for boosting my energy at the gym. Still smells great after getting sweaty. CrossFit Barbie with a strawberry almond protein shake.

My favorite rose fragrance, rose is a note I don’t like. But in Spiky muse after I sprayed the tester on my arm, I couldn’t stop smelling it. It also seems to last for a very long time.

This perfume smells amazing on my colleague. Wherever she walks, she leaves behind a beautiful trail. Not only me, but many of our coworkers have complimented her on her perfume.

Bang Bang! What a nice long lasting sweet floral fragrance. It projects loudy and smells fantastic. Well worth the price! A safe blind buy for both genders.

Man patiko šis kvapas,pradžioje lyg kartumas jaustųsi, paskui gaivėja, salstelėjes., labai gerai gerai laikosi kvapas. As norėčiau jų. Bet kaina kiek didoka

Wonderful, sparkling and very long lasting perfum. It is unoffensive and office appropriate too. Easy reach, total love!

Spiky Muse ignites in a crackling burst of pink fire—strawberry, but not in its usual form of sugared innocence of fruit pastilles. This appears as tart, pepper-dusted, bristling with aldehydic brightness and the vegetal sharpness of strawberry leaf. Dewy yet bitter, this is most surely a green strawberry tangled in its own vines, almost snapped-stem fresh. I get very strongly a cassis note right after—an inky darkness seeps in almost immediately, intense vegetal quality staining the edges, tannic and ribes-heavy, thick with blackcurrant bud’s sulfurous bite. The heart unfurls into a rose draped in shadows, its petals damp and bruised, reminiscent of L’Ombre Dans L’Eau—less romantic bloom, more crushed stems and wild overgrowth. There is practically no strawberry left at this stage, and any traces still present are merely strangled fruit flesh stemming from the brutal thorn-lead massacre, berry blood muddled with soil and used as paint. Along with a pine-tinged and spiced ghost of balsamic fir which only amplifies the pepper’s skeletal structure, red juices and forest-green overgrowth jam craft our spiky muse—the tyrannical rose. A muse, indeed—restless, elusive, never quite the same. So, let's address the phantom note—pistachio. I got it maybe once on my first test spray, fleeting, a trick of ionones and lactonic whispers. But it is now absent. What comes forth on these subsequent sprays most strongly is instead something darker, rootier, a patchouli-like earthiness that anchors the brightness with a touch of damp soil and shadowed bark. You could call that nutty and raw, sure, but it's earthy more in the vinous sense, crushed plant spice on fingertips. A lingering impression of wildness, of untamed hedgerows brushed by wind and rain. This scent is perhaps best described as restless, mercurial, a shifting mirage of tart fruit, spiced stems, and dark green tendrils, each inhale catching something new. Conventional by no means, atmospheric and deep by all.

Smelt this in store a couple of days ago and it reminded me most of Meliora / Lalique Amethyst with it's very tart, green leaning blackcurrant / cassis-like opening. It's definitely spiky, but has a slight juiciness which stops it from being straight up astringent. It's quite a linear scent and seems to project reasonably and last fairly long. I het the rose and almost a geranium type scent with the sharp fruitiness as the scent dries down. I own lust in paradise and that is much softer in scent profile, that is way more romantic feeling, this is much more green leaning and sharp. I do like it but I think it doesn't feel particularly new or different from the scents above. I got no pistachio or strawberry either so for that I think this is nice but a bit disappointing, although it's very spring-like and would also be refreshing in hot weather. The store assistant said it's the first time ever in perfumery they have used a naturally derived strawberry note and I almost wanted to say I don't think it was worth the effort as you can't smell it.

Sweet, spicy, artificial fruity, citrusy and woody. Intense, long lasting and very radiant in the air. Objectively speaking, Spiky Muse is a well composed rose fragrance. A more complex approach to create a rose dominant perfume, but still overpriced on a oversaturated market when it comes to (possibly) the most used floral note in perfumery, rose! I have acquired a couple of weeks ago a 7.5 ml of Spiky Muse and as much as I like the idea of finding a new rose focused perfume to fall in love with, Spiky Muse isn’t the one for me. I love the phenomenal performance and the complexity of the juice, but I don’t love the juice enough to pull the trigger and get a bottle. It’s nice and it’s a rose that’s not Delina derived, which I feel we should appreciate, but it hasn’t grown into a perfume I crave to wear after a few wears. Also, I struggle to find similarities between Spiky Muse and Lust in Paradise. Even though performance wise Spiky Muse is clearly superior to Lust in Paradise, I much prefer Lust in Paradise! It smells simply divine!!!

Super pretty, easy to wear fragrance. Has a burst of tart fruits in the opening. Becomes sweeter and more grounded after about an hour of wear. Good longevity and decent sillage. Wears 6-8 hours on my skin. Most prominent notes are citruses, tart fruits and tonka that makes it slightly powdery. I can see how people think it's not groundbreaking and they have smelled similar scents before. But I think it's a pretty scent, very fitting for transition between spring into summer. I keep layering it with BDK's 312 St. Honore and it brings out a more effervescent character in both. Beautiful combination. As for Spiky Muse - it's a solid fragrance and worth trying for sure, especially if you don't have anything like it in your collection. Not a safe blind buy though, get a sample before you buy.

The pistachio accord is very very promising at first spray!! But it fades away in like 20sec which is a shame ... I don’t think the pistachio is even in the middle notes more like at the very beginning. It then turns into a very familiar musky rose on my skin a bit sweet but not as sweet as I’d thought it’s nothing really groundbreaking if you’re looking for an everyday grab and go rose with good performance and lasts long (especially with this house their musky dna helps the fragrances last) this would be a good choice . The notes breakdown look very promising with strawberry and pistachio but it’s nothing special after testing it on my skin... I was hoping more from Louise Turner since she’s my fav nose for floral fragrances. The dry down reminds me a lot of YSL Blouse

Everything with a rose is not Delina. Spiky Muse has a bright opening and the rose is prominent but well balanced with the strawberry. I love it, as I do enjoy a good rose, and it’s nothing like any of the others in my collection. Perfect juicy, bright fragrance for a spring/summer day if you don’t want to go tropical or white florals, but I don’t find it lasts more than 4-5 hours on my skin and I expect anything from a niche house to be long lasting. Worth buying if you can find it on sale but I would not recommend paying full price.

Ex Nihilo's Spiky Muse is a fragrance that has left me with mixed feelings. The opening is delightfully floral and fruity, with a refreshing coolness. However, I was disappointed not to detect the pistachio note, which I had been anticipating. While it leans feminine, I believe it could be appreciated by men as well. Its longevity is impressive, and it develops beautifully over time. Overall, I would give it a 7/10.

A bright, fresh rose. Every part of the rose, including its surroundings. This scent is very nostalgic for me, it smells like the garden from my childhood. A huge pink rose surrounded by the green scent from the other plants and bushes. The smell of the wet earth. The smell of chlorine from the hose water still floating in the air.

Have only tried my sample on the blotter so far, but I would describe this as as a green rose with some juicy summer berries. The pink pepper adds a tang to it. Interested in what this would smell like upon drydown, especially on skin as akigalawood can get really overwhelming.

i love when fragrances with rose aren’t overpowering, just noticeable. this is super sweet & feminine, i get the strawberry, rose, bergamot, pink pepper, the pistachio and woody notes kind of linger in the background. this fragrance is the vibe of 90’s or early 2000’s

If you like rose, I suspect you will like this perfume. Projection and longevity is cray. I’m just not really a rose girl, so it lost points in my book but it’s not the perfumes fault.

Very floral, fruity, light, airy. Very pleasant for daily use. Not too heavy, very universal. I can imagine it fitting to any occasion.

To be honest, it's literally Lust in Paradise How do they differ from each other?

Such a stunning opening, but the rest of the ride is very blah.

For context, I like strong masculine fragrances. This is definitely not that, but I do think while it leans feminine, a guy could wear this fairly easily if this was their style. It opens with almost a green bitter rose, before settling down into a sweet rose with a citric base. This lasts for hours, settling in a sweet woody smell that leans feminine. Not for me, but it is pleasant enough, and I can see some people loving it and it does have a niche quality to it, particularly in the way that it develops. Smell: 7/10 Projection: 7.5/10 Longevity: 9/10 Value: 6/10

This smells so delicious of sweet roses, until that pesky akigalawood comes into play. Pesky because it’s irritating my nose and makes me anosmic to the beauty of this fragrance. Same problem with BDK Impadia, which is also a beautiful rose fragrance. If it wasn’t for that little ingredient, Spiky Muse would be my new signature fragrance.

While this is an absolutely delicious scent, on my skin it lasts, at most, 2 hours. I cannot justify the price of such a perfume when the longevity is so abysmal. I have read other reviews that contradict my own beliefs, but on my skin this simply will not do.

Lust in Paradise but with a green, acidic, tomato leaf-like accord added on top. Not offensive, not amazing. I would use up a sample but not buy a full bottle.

You take slightly underripe strawberries and some fresh tomato leaves and mash them together in a mortar and pestle.

Reminds me of Delina PDM, same fruity note that is too spiky for me

Ok, this is big disappointment for that price. Literally smells like women’s deodorant and sweat. Recommend get a sample before buying. And don’t be like me sprayed and went to office, do it on the weekend! P.s: I understand what idea....and how it’s supposed to smell bc of beginning first 2 seconds, but later it’s just sweat and cheap body mist

Bulgarian rose and ambrofix - I thought we have already moved past this trend. Nothing new here - just another mix of harsh synthetics dressed up as innovation. Similar profile but done with more character and depth has ELDO.

A sharp, metallic rose with a stemmy green edge and a synthetic, aldehydic sheen. The rose reads cold, soapy, and chemical. It stays harsh and linear, leaning more detergent‐rose than floral.

Who am I, but the consumer, to say that my nose is over these loud, screechy, sharp, neon roses. That concludes my remarks.