Nymphéas

This was the first Kismet Olfactive sample I tried. I pulled it at random from a pack I received in the mail and it proved to be the Kismet promised. I sprayed it on and was instantly struck by this magical dew. The light watery facets made me feel like I was swimming through air. It drapes over the skin like silk chiffon, cool to the touch and so soft as to elude a true grasp. Ineffable. There's real depth to this softness, which unfolds with time and the languid movement of molecules in space around you. The experience of wearing this scent is refreshing and transporting, perfect for a languorously hot and humid day. The reference to Monet's water lilies in Nymphéas is palpable. When you first look at this series of paintings, you may get only the general impression of blue water or green lily pads, but the magic is in the splashes of shocking fuschia, serene lavender, pastel yellow and rusty red. During Monet's time, an impressionist painting was something avant-garde and shocking. This is where the small sun-faded print in your dentist's office sadly drains the lily pond. In person, the paintings are large panoramas spanning the length of an entire wall. It's an immersive experience that's anything but watered down. Translating that experience into olfactory art is the alchemy I wished for as a child when I gathered rose petals and steeped them in water attempting to make my own perfume. I have tried many perfume samples, but this is one of only two full bottles I own. It's also the most complimented perfume I wear. Shabnam Tavakol is a true artist!

I imagine a water nymph wading in the pond, draped in white flowers stolen from a wedding. Thick buttery petals remind me of Do Son. It has a greenish element, like snapped stems or under-ripe fruit. There's something, not synthetic exactly, but addictive-fantasy about the watery profile. The water nymph is actually made of plaster, the pond she wades through is housed within a mini-golf park. Through the memory of a child it is all UNBELIEVABLY gorgeous!!

i will be purchasing this as my spring scent, it is a heavenly white floral that is gives me a fizzy effervescent feeling of excitement and anticipation. all of Shabnam’s creations give me a feeling of hope and they all give off a bubbly giddy delightful vibe to me.

a beautiful aquatic floral, my fav lotus scent i’ve tried! very pretty and clean but floral. excited to wear this a lot more in the spring! haven’t been wearing it much lately because i associate so strongly with spring lol

This reminds me so much of the perfume my mother wore when i was little: 90s georgio armani Aqua di Gio. Aquatic and fresh and womanly. Nympheas has a very pleasant / enchanting innocence about it too. A young, dewy spring scent.