Nocturn

Nocturne is everything: goth girl, grunge girl, 2am clove cigarette girl. It smells like rose petals left on black lace, like incense curling through vintage flannel, like your favorite tee that’s been soaking up record store air and mystery. It instantly takes me back to my 90s grunge days—dark, sexy, sweetly defiant. The rose here isn’t prim or polite—it’s moody, grown, and a little wild. Paired with plummy richness, a kiss of clove, and smoky incense, it becomes this vampy, lived-in scent that’s both nostalgic and edgy. And then there’s that unexpected, addictive clean note—like laundry that’s been air-drying in a room full of vinyl, candles, and secrets. It’s not your fresh-out-the-dryer “clean girl” scent; it’s the cool girl who lives above the record shop, who listens to Mudhoney and Soundgarden, who leaves behind a trace of patchouli, incense and mystery wherever she goes. The patchouli in this? Sinfully good. The pink pepper, ambrette, and benzoin just wrap it all in a warmth that lingers like your favorite song on repeat. Out of all the MDA fragrances I’ve tried (and loved), Nocturne might just be the one. A total LOVE love.

Wow, what a fragrance. It smacked me in the face with smoke on the first spray, but quickly settled into a deep, dark, moody rose scent. The rose is really prominent, but the smoke and clove notes stay strong throughout and give it that undeniably gothy edge. It's surprisingly clean-smelling but not too powdery. Nocturn is ultra-cool without even trying. I have to disagree with the Mudhoney and Soundgarden name-drops from below. This fragrance is for people with Sisters of Mercy and Clan of Xymox in their vinyl library, who go to the local goth nights primarily to smoke Djarum Blacks outside and bitch about how the DJ never plays anything good anymore. (Bonus tip: to get really bold, spritz just a tiny bit of Tomboy on top of this. Takes that goth girl and puts a black leather jacket on her.)

This is if Eva Green were the combination of a dominatrix and a CEO. At first whiff it's definitely leather, incense, heavy masc but then the spicy rose rounds things out beautifully. My husband was overwhelmed by it and thought I was burning incense - but I love this. It's not a girlish floral at all, it's a woman. Savage, feral and incredibly sexy. It will make you feel very powerful. But if you're not a fan of leather or animal and tobacco, I'd suggest steering clear.

This is beautifully layered and constantly evolves during wear. I can smell each of the listed notes, but I could swear there's also something animalic here. The plum is ripe but not cloying. Simultaneously unisex and voluptuous. Good but not monstrous sillage, great longevity. An immediate addition to my favorites.

This is for edgy folks. It’s balsamic vinegar made liquid smoke. This is not blind-buy safe, nor is it mass appealing but it’s damn good. If you like “By the Fireplace” or Nest’s “Black Tulip” in the subcategory of fruitchuli’ (aka fruit patchouli) scent DNAs, you might like their more badass cousin. This is unisex and VERY smoky, in like a leather jacket and a cigarette kinda way. There’s a stinky incense with cloves and pink pepper. If the candied plum and ambrette were not present, Nocturn would be unwearable. It’s also very perfume-y. I think this would shine on deep autumnal nights on skin. This house is new to me, but what I’ve learned about MdA’s fragrances is that they truly excel at gothy/alt and dark scents that yearn for the coldest or darkest times of the year. Whereas most cold-weather fragrances fall under the warm/spicy olfactory family, and Nocturn contains clove, which is a warming spice, it’s by no means warm. Nocturn is about as comforting as riding a motorcycle through a cemetery under a new moon-darkened skies. Sample first. I think $10 mil for $22 is a good cold weather night scent for me. Very witchy.