Les Nuits d'Hadrien

I bought a bottle of Les Nuits D'Hadrien online (unsmelled) based on some great reviews I read here. I can't say enough how glad I am that I made this purchase. Les Nuits is something of a perfect Autumn scent for me... it opens with a mix of citrus and woods and alpines, levels off to a warm greens (something like green tomatoes, juniper berries, verbena and fir) and then tapers off with a light scent of new mowed hay and talc. Like other Annick Goutal fragrances, it's gentle and doesn't last longer than about 2-3 hours, so you'll want to reapply (at least for the men's packaged version). But I have to say that this doesn't bother me - it gives you a bit more control over how you want it to react with your skin (better to add more than have to wash off.) I notice a kinship between Les Nuits and some Hermes fragrances, I'm not certain which notes they share, but there is an Old World feeling to this scent - it brings to mind the herbs and berries indigenous to North Western Europe... definitely not an Oriental scent, but something that one could have smelled in the late Medieval period. This is simply a fascinating perfume that will transport you back into a distant past. Update: Nov. 22/2011: After owning this for a few months, Les Nuits is now my signature scent. I can't say enough good about it, it just compliments me well, distinct, but never loud or brash. It's also perfect to put on in the evening if you've been wearing Eau d'Hadrien during the day. The two are like an outfit that can use for both day and night. I feel comforted and also confident when wearing this: what a great combination of sensations!

The first time i smelled Les Nuits d'Hadrien (Les Nuits) it instantly connected me to something like a forgotten memory. I was baffled for a moment trying to remember what it was...I believe i had a little Madeleine moment with this wonderful fragrance. Before i go on to the smell of the fragrance i would like to make a sidestep to the presentation. Usually i don't care about that too much, most of my fragrances are stored away in big boxes anyway. Les Nuits will be an exception, it is going to be on permanent display. The gold and beige tones of the old packaging go so very well with that deep orange colour, it is absolutely gorgeous. So now on to the fragrance itself. It's comforting, calming and very classy. To me Les Nuits is about tangerine, in the opening bright and fresh and in the dry down creamy and warm. The amber and vanilla give just the right amount of sweetness. It is hard for me to compare this to other fragrances. The opening vaguely reminds me of Devin by Aramis, but Les Nuits is much fresher and far less mossy. Like other Annick Goutal fragrances Les Nuits also has a vague tea like quality to it, very nice. Finally i will say that I love how restrained and refined it smells and how delicate it performs. A nice quiet hum that will get you through the evening. An absolutely wonderful work of perfume artistry bij Doyen and Goutal. Now i will be off to hunt down that Aveda shampoo :)

I LOVE this! Les Nuits d'Hadrien EDP is a wonderfully complex aromatic fragrance and may possibly be one that I will buy a full bottle of for summer. It's neither too citrussy, too sharp, too linear, nor too light... these are the things I look for a warm weather aromatic to NOT be. There are no florals in this either and I thought as a woman I may start to crave just a petal, but the light drop of musk along with mandarine, amber and vanilla provide enough softness and subtle sweetness and an almost-floral nuance. Herbs and evergreens provide an interesting dimension and are so well blended but are still discernable. I always expect that when basil and evergreens are used in perfume that these notes will be too sharp or stand out too much and sit heavily on top or push everything else to the sideline--not the case with Les Nuits d'Hadrien, perfectly balanced without being muddied into the pot. Caraway I think is what makes it for me here--warm, almost nutty with an eeny pinch of spice. LOVE. LOVE. And in combination with patchouli, this really gives a wooded warmth and it just keeps getting better on the skin in the heat. Honestly, it's silly how excited I am feeling to have found this great perfume. I agree with the very first review too that this even feels rather sensual.

This is absolutely wonderful. If it weren't so expensive, I would've bought it in a heartbeat. This frangrance reminds me of the gourmet note in Mitsouko, but isolated and with lots of candied citrus thrown in. The fragrance opens with a very natural layered orange - a sweet note, but not cloyingly so. This isn't candy-sweetness, it's more like ripe fruit and honey. I was actually a little disappointed to find the sugary note to disappate so quickly. The next chord is soapy or extremely powdery with lovely depth. This stage lasts - on me - about an hour or two - after which the drydown shines through. This was absolute perfection: ambery goodness with a flowery background sprawled across high quality chypre. I had absolutely no problems with longivity or sillage. Les Nuits doesn't project across the room, but definitely within arm's length, even after a couple of hours. For me, this is perfect. A great fragrance for all seasons, can't wait to get my hands on it.

Im falling hard for the earlyer AG offerings! Have tried this and Mandrigore so far and loving the aromatics with obviously quite a bit of natural ingredients. Do i blind buy nuit etoilee? On to my thoughs on nuis d'hadrien: Opens with a sweet candied tangerine with a bit of a amber to it. The sweetnes only lasts a few minutes and fades into a savoury aromatic delight that wears close to the skin. Good for understated wear or in hot weather. From the sweet orange opening it goes bitter green. The cypress and juniper comes out with a hint of lemon and basil -remings me of a gin and tonic! I think the above table interpretations are pretty acurate. I cant detect anything else and everything in the peramid is present if i go looking -but bergamot and cypres are the most endurung. Musk and vanilla are very very minor notes. Would get 5 stars if it projected at all or lasted over 4 hours ⛤⛤⛤⛤