Nosferatu

after hearing so much about this fragrance and dreaming of the day i would work up the courage to buy a sample, the universe seemed to hear my pleas and bestowed a wonderful surprise upon me as i was window shopping today. there she was, in all her 30ml glory, ready to be sampled. friends, when i tell you she is everything described and more oh my goodness... it's fragrances like this that make me love perfumery and fragrance as a hobby. it genuinely does smell "cold" somehow. as i got ready to leave this morning, it had been a rainy damp misty morning, but by now the sun had come out as though the rain was never there. yet, when i sprayed this i was immediately taken back to the foggy misty morning i woke up to; the dampness like wet pavement, the dewdrops on blades of grass, the greyness of the morning, all of it. the perfume immediately gives the image of a foggy misty morning in like... i've never been but i'd imagine it's what Stonehenge would smell like lol. the vast open field, and then damp stone. the smell of an open forest clearing in the aftermath or preceding a strong rain, but nested between theres this rock/pavement smell... it brings the imagery of like a crumbling castle overridden with moss and ivy in my head. what shocks me even more though is that even after two hours and a subway ride home, the fragrance *still* sits on my skin like this. i would have expected such a delicate and fleeting scent to have been gone by now, but its longevity is surprising me! it def sits very close to the skin, so no strong silage unfortunately, but when you get a whiff of it it's so attention grabbing. after telling myself no more purchases this week... i walked out with a roller ball and a 2ml sample to tide me over as i debate on purchasing a 30ml of it... i don't know when exactly i'd wear this, but im extremely happy to find that i don't have to rush to make a decision on this now :)

Finally have a bottle of this. It has been somewhat difficult to source in the U.K., given it's produced in The States. It's not entirely what I was expecting, although I am thoroughly enjoying it. I find it bears little or no resemblance to Nosferatu himself, but rather captures the melancholia and dread of Ellen Hutter (played by Lily-Rose Depp) perfectly. Decaying lilacs in a cold dark room. The smell of petrichor seeping through an open stained glass window. Blackened clouds rolling across the valley, rife with the electrical discharge of an impending thunder storm. It is as beautiful as it is forlorn in its wistful sorrow. I would have loved the lilac note to pull slightly stronger, but that is hardly a deal breaker. It layers really well with lilac and/or Violet oils, should I wish it to feel a little less bereft. It also layers wonderfully with Angel Dust by Fugazzi, on my skin at least. I find Angel Dust adds the tiniest sliver of sunlight and hope to Nosferatu's otherworldly broodiness. Performance is moderate, which would feel frustrating given quite a high price tag for a mere 30ml bottle, but this fragrance was never intended for everyday or 'all day' wear. I think it would be a bit much for an entire day given that you really must be in the mood for it. She is not an imposing scent, but neither is she an easy reach. If you're on the hunt for the smell of an immortal Count who lives in a crumbling Transylvanian castle, I'd still class Hermann à mes Côtés me Paraissait une Ombre by Etat Libre d'Orange as the ultimate vampire fragrance. It somehow conveys extreme wealth with your impending demise, and for that reason alone it is well worth a try.

Mildew, fresh, misty, floral, wet. I think this perfume did exactly what it intended to do. My face when I first smelt this was beyond surprised, because it perfectly captured this very nostalgic smell of many buildings in the Philippines: a secretion of this mouldy mildew smell, caused by the heavy rain that the Philippines often receives, humidity and trapped moisture. To many that sounds like an unpleasant smell but to me, I've been chasing that nostalgic scent for years. I'm happy I relived it with this fragrance. Nosferatu smells like an extremely wet day driven by a thick layer of moisture from a rainstorm, the concrete buildings don't stand a chance against the smell of mildew, and theres a lovely floral garden arrangement outside in front of an old church, covered in drops of dew with dark grey clouds beyond view. The opening began with the smell of wet concrete, of course, and something fresh like a minty cucumber?? The dry down is quite wearable. It's clean, sweet and fresh, but still able to portray that sense of melancholy. The florals in this are so cute. I just picture Ellen holding the bouquet of lilacs at the beginning of the film. "Why have you killed these beautiful flowers?" Honestly, if you feel a sense of happiness seeing a big dark raincloud and the distant sounds of thunder becoming louder and louder, you'd love this.

I created an account specifically to review this perfume because it baffles me: it smells wet, and it smells cold. I am genuinely stunned as to how someone achieved the sensation and vibe this perfume gives me. Tried it in a travel size because it was recommended on a list of spooky perfumes, and even though I don't generally like floral scents, the review convinced me. The florals aren't overwhelming at all and give the genuine impression of wilted flowers, though I don't get the notes of decay that some do. What I'm stunned by is what I would consider the most prominent scent of petrichor. I don't know how to describe it other than the sensation of standing in a dark, damp cave. I can see where some people might get a mild mildew out of it, but it's not an unpleasant note to me. I cannot emphasize enough that this smells *cold.* Not in the way mint smells cold. Cold in the way rain and wet stone smell cold. Nosferatu confuses me. It scares me a little. Needless to say, I'll be saving for the full bottle and making it a daily scent. 10/10 what the fresh hell am I smelling and why do I like it so much

Oh my gosh, I love this. However, I agree with some of the listed "cons". To start with positives, I don't have anything else that's similar. I'm fascinated by how the perfumer created the fresh rain (petrichor) note which is an aroma that makes it easier for me to breathe. Wearing this puts me in a better mood. Now then, there is a (very) brief phase that is oddly death-like, but it's hard to describe why. It's not disgusting or repellant, but I get an image of decaying leaves and darkness. Other than the petrichor, there are bright (but light), unique floral notes which must be the lilac and violet combination. I love that aspect. Nosferatu is not a powerful scent, but that's fine as I prefer colognes that don't leave a wake. The longevity should have been better, and for the price, the bottle is too small. Therefore, I'll save this for special nights. I feel wearing this will tell people you're not like everyone else. If you enjoy the smell of petrichor, I would absolutely sample it.