Nacre

Nacre refers to the coating oysters apply to irritants. Once enough layers of nacre build up, you have a pearl. And Nacre is truly a pearl. It is glowingly beautiful, elegant in its simplicity, and delicate only in the impression it creates. The spring blossoms really shine in this scent. While clearly marketed towards women, I think that this would be phenomenal on a man. There is nothing "masculine" about it, the notes are just so fresh that this will complement anyone. The opening accord of Nacre is utterly lovely. This is the truest lime blossom I have found in a scent, supported by waxy, bitter orange blossom, and crisp, juicy ginger. The ginger note is almost gourmand. It's not sweet candied ginger, but the ginger you get when you slice into a fresh root, spicy, crunchy, making your nose tingle in excitement. As Nacre develops, the subtle, beautifully rounded pear appears. Normally I don't get fruit from scents, an oddity of my skin chemistry but here I clearly find the fresh crisp scent of a japanese pear- the round, yellow kind, that drip juice down your chin and crunch when you bite them. Vanilla and ambrette play a supporting role, filling out the white flowers and the fruit. The addition of warm ambery vanilla here is beautifully done, and the earthy herbaceousness of the ambrette is an unexpectedly lovely counterpoint. From time to time I get a whiff of pungent rose, which makes an intriguingly peekaboo appearance throughout the extended life of Nacre. With the exception of the rose note, Nacre so realistically presents its notes that it is almost a gourmand- not the sweet gooey gourmands currently popular, but an adult, elegant gourmand, a scent comprised of the flowers and spices you actually encounter in spring, when the breeze freshens and you want to bite life, swallow it down, and savor its juices. Nacre is gorgeous- it remains crisp and clean throughout, and is the perfect springtime scent. In point of fact, I think that this would be perfect anywhere, at any time. It is completely stunning. Moderate sillage, but a lovely long scent trail- Nacre hovers behind you. It is unfortunate that this scent is so difficult to find! I would wear this constantly if I had been able to obtain anything larger than a 1.7oz. This is an amazing scent, and I encourage anyone who has the chance to try it to do so!

Now that Patou has gone out of business, I've been revisiting some of the fragrances I love from this house. Nacre tops the list for me. A beautiful combination of fruit, florals, a little spiciness, with a mild powder dry down due to the lovely orris note, accented with a touch of vanilla. The combination of ripe pear and ginger is downright delectable; and the ambrette is adding an animalic muskiness to the scent from the moment you spray it on until it leaves your skin many hours later. Floral notes of rose, lemon blossom, orange blossom, and jasmine are beautifully showcased in the heart. As far as being too sweet, I don't think this is particularly sweet. It has the sweetness of that naturally found in fruit, which I found just perfect. I'm honestly don't know much about the perfumer, as there are not many scents that he made that I tried. But of those I have tried to date, this is his crowning achievement. There is one very big problem though. Out of all the Patou's, this is the hardest to find. From what I understand, this had a really short run before being discontinued and is in very limited supply. Fortunately, there are still plenty of minis available if you'd like to try it. I happened to luck out on a reasonable (though still expensive) 1.7oz after a year of searching, so obtaining a fb can be done. You just need patience. To me it was well worth the wait because I absolutely love this gorgeous perfume. It really is a gem!

I wanted something warm, cheerful and uplifting on this cold winter day, so I reached for Nacre. I don't wear Nacre very often ( saving it as it is not widely available anymore), but every time i put it on it has a wow effect on me. The pear-ginger combination is really wonderful: very rich, zesty, sunny and juicy. Jasmine and rose add a lot of sophisitcation to the perfume. Usually floral fruity and sopisticated or complex don't go well together, but Patou made it possible and he did it extremely well. Great sillage and longevity goes without saying. Top notch quality. I will definitely miss Nacre when I run out of it.

This is one of the 3 Patous that are quite different from the rest and not so grand and formal, but just as complex and beautiful. Hip is a spicy Patou, Patou Forever is bold chypre, and Nacre is fruity. I love the combination of pear and ginger with a floral bouquet! Just like all Patou fragrances, Nacre is beautiful and unforgettable. And of course the same top quality....noticeable and long lasting. I am so glad I have the pleasure of enjoying it before it vanishes completely from Ebay and online stores.

Hmmm....no one has rated this one and it is already dicontinued. I guess I will be the first one sometimes next week.