Narciso Eau de Toilette

This perfumes embodies the vision I have for my ideal self! An unreachable one, as it is perfectionism, sadly! It gives an aura of unattainable elegance and refinement. It is austere, more so then Narciso edp (white cube) of which it's a flanker/edt version, yet at the same time speaks of vulnerability and sensuality through its musk. A mix that leaves me dazed and spellbound. The Narciso woman is a seductive, sensitive and grounded creature. With a character full of contrast and nuances. The first two perfumes from the cube line, Narciso edp (white cube) and this one, the Narciso edt (black cube) represent this perfectly, they have delicacy, cleanleness and romanticism but also eroticism, sensuality and warmness all in one. The house itself refers to it as "pure sensuality". In a word I would say they are enigmatic. I envisage the person who wears them as confident, elegant, complex and unforgettable. Eau de parfum and eau de toilete are almost the same perfume but, if you loved them both deeply as I have, some defining differences can be appreciated. In terms of imagery, if Narciso edp was the scent of a fallen angel still yearning for paradise, alone but very much excited to soon partake in his new human sensuality (as I like to describe it in my review), this time, with the Narciso ept, the fallen angel rejects both dimensions...he almost wants to create an hierarchy of his own, and a world of his own. The edt is much more cold and detached then edp version, it is probably the choice of different flowers that makes the musk appear less warm, but still much carnal and sensual. It is also more woody, earthy and clean (a tad soapy/aseptic at tract) which probably are the aspects that makes this appear more remote and cold. To go more in depth: Narciso edt (black cube) is indeed more woody and earthy, the woods are incredible as in the edp, the white and black cedar extract are creamy and humid, they have a pencil shaving facet, even something of waxy...like polished wood, and of cosmetic like the old creamy base of 80's eyeshadow and like expensive body cream (nothing lipsticky, that is the Narciso Rouge edp). You can even say it is a smidge lactonic. But in this edt version they woods are more vivid and projecting, also they have almost a plastick-y vein, which was missing from Narciso edp, and makes me love this version even more. It is a gorgeous blend of woody notes that united with the florals, in both version, made for one of the most beautiful and touching "white" accord ever. Someone described the edp perfume as "white noise" and I think I understand fully what they meant, only I would apply that definition to edt. The florals have the same poetic allure they had in Narciso edp (white cube). They both have Bulgarian rose in it (some source say oil, some say extract, some say the rose is white some say is pink), what I smell in it is a very tender and sweet white rose, almost powdery (surely more powdery in the edp) that is hushed and made somber by the vetiver, a mesured vetiver but still quite hearty in the edp, much more aromatic and earthy in this edt version. The major difference, however, between edp and edt is that here white peony takes the place of gardenia. They are very different flowers so the opening was meant to have their differences. The gardenia added to the edp a lactonic, creamy and sweet touch yet tranforming itself in a more animalic, "cruel" and moody flower in the mid of the scent, here in the edt we have a white peony that smells clean, a tract even soapy; it is much fresh and adds to the scent a serious, aromatic and mineral touch, that is why I think the black cube is also a more unisex and androgynous version of Narciso. This flower can be heady, not rosy and fruity at all like the usual pink peony. It is diaphanous, I can clearly smell that about it but it's much soiled by the vetiver. It is beautiful this mix, it is what makes me think of a more gloomy person wearing it. What remains exactly the same between the two is the heart of musk, clean, creamy and carnal. It is the core of the scent, and I like to describe it as pulsating, a tract animalic but still very much neat. An addictive profound musk, capable of dulling the senses. Here it appears a tad more tamed, probably an illusion given by the different flower paired with it. About the musk, I read it was a mix of different musks materials united to recreate the egyptian black musk dear to Msr. Narciso Rodriguez. It is pretty much embuded in all the Narciso cube line. My review of both Narciso Rodriguez Narciso edp (white cube) and Narciso edt (black cube) will appear as exaggerated but personally I really feel this perfumes were different and 10 span above usual designer fragrances. They were the first perfumes that made me see perfumery as art, not as just another hobby of mine. A world was open to me...so I keep them in high regards and dear to my heart. I find them otherwordly beautiful, and when I wear them all sorts of poetic imagery flow to my head, to the point I do not feel worthy of wearing this beauties! As I already said for Narciso edp, the scent fitted the brand's "high fashion bareness" style quite well. And the iconic colors of the brand were perctly embodied in the scents of the cube line...white, black, bone, beige, gloomy red, powdery pink, grey, blue, dirty salmon. Those detail really matter to whomever loves and appreciates fashion as an art too. The ads were some of the best imagery since Calvin Klein's Obsession, in terms of how the scent pairs with the visuals. I understsnd they were discontinued because of the lilial in it, a material that was banned by Ifra. And I wish the Narciso team could realise again at least one of the two...a reformulation should not be so difficoult since there are now on the market many valid substitute for that material. Unfortunatelly it seems they moved on from this "vision" or style. On my review of Narciso edp I alredy wrote a long list of comparisons between the other brand's offerings, so I won't repeat myself, suffice to say that the one more close to this versions is, in my opinion, Narciso Rouge edt (red cube with transparent cap), then Narciso Poudree edp. The For Her line is much different, both in style and materials...they don't even share the same musk, which in there is more dirty and less multifaceted. Still, great creations which I enjoy a lot. The house of Narciso Rodriguez has a very distinct identity and personality, dna is surely shared between all his offerings, you could blind smell all of them and recognise them as Narciso Rodriguez. And I feel it is worthy of respect when a house manages to do that without being redundant. Their perfume for men are incredible too, most of them unisex, will make you smell like an androgynous angel! I suggest you try them if Narciso edp and edt are your style. In terms of performance, Narciso edt behaves like an edp on my skin. Last me all day, with strong projection for the first 2 hours, then moderate projection from 3 to 4 hour. It is strong, and its dry down remains on my skin until night, the woods and the musk almost a second skin. On me it performs even better then Narciso edp. The packaging was well chosen for representing the line, and in this version its black, glossy color fits the scent perfectly. If I ever find another bottle I shall surely snatched

Update Edit. Has become my favourite perfume of the modern age. Like Elena of Perfume Shrine I can't stop smelling my wrists and we're way past the honeymoon stage. Put a ring on it. It's the Goldilocks syndrome, it has to be 'just right' So, if we're preaching to the converted and you're familiar with 'For Her' Black or Pink, or 'In Colour' or 'Musc Intense' or Narciso 'White' then you are programmed to be quite receptive anyway. Goldilocks went to the Bears house and tried their porridge, came back the next day and tried their armchairs and finally, third time lucky, (or not so) when the little bear's bed was 'just right' she fell asleep. My battle with NR is not with the perfumes, but the naming of them. As with Lolita Lempicka you can't just throw a name at your friends who might enquire after your perfume....ah yes, it's the pink bottle that has a black box, no, no, I've got it wrong, it's the black bottle that has a pink box, oh dear, it's the eau de parfum with the lovely sillage, but no, hang on, it's the EDT that wafts around??? Isn't that right? Confused? It's soap, but not as we know it. Narciso 'Black' EDT benefits from a generous application, more sprays than you would normally use, but suitably nuked it will last many hours. Another reviewer (Christianne) says she wants to hoard it and I have to confess I do too. It's gong to be at your perfume counter, easily sampled, so I won't go into the fragrance notes. My husband loves these summertime musks when I wear them and sometimes in my perfume memory a candle strength of Houbigant White Musk flickers through them and makes me feel young again, now that's got to be worth the money.

Big love for me , I have the white cube and the oil and just bought the new black EDT , I have forgotten how great this fragrance is and pulled out my white bottles again as well. It went ,,,again up to my top shelf and will remain there , simply. Devine ,,, an airy powdery sweet Milky cloud of musk , bedsheets , sugared plums and fairy dust , creamy sweet , sexy and utterly feminine , my husbands favourite. It's fresh and warm and powdery sweet with a woody undertone ,,,, It is comforting , it's a magnet ! I am still figuring out the difference between the two ,,,, I have only had the black one for a few days and if I could only have one I would probably go wit the white. The white to my nose is sweeter and creamier and muskier , the black may be fresher and has almost a honey like note in it but it's so darn similar that they are both truly my favourites lately. I mix them up and wear them non stop , truly a master piece and unlike any other perfume ! As far as the notes go the only changes they made is to switch out the gardenia for peony In general gardenia is more a favourite of mine , it's sweeter and more gourmand and decadent almost an animalic flower , a fleshy feel. Peonies on the other hand are not my thing at all , yet in this composition , paired with a handful of musk rose and ceader it's Devine indeed. Update , wearing this daily and now , for the season being ,love this even more than the white as it is a little less powdery and less heavy as the white. So I would say the black is daytime and summer and the white is nighttime or winter. Both great but my new addiction is the black !

I knew I would love this perfume even before I sprayed it. I received my partial nicely wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in a paper bag, and even before I was done unwrapping, I could smell it. I remember thinking to myself that if this is what the actual perfume smells like, then I’d be the happiest woman ever. How do I even begin to describe this scent? It’s edgy and enigmatic, and conjures the image of a woman who knows exactly what she wants and knows how to get it. I find this almost addictive. The musk is the most prominent note, of course, and the cedar and vetiver keep it nicely grounded and the rose in here is merely humming in the background, keeping this perfume teetering on unisex and stopping it from venturing into masculine territory (although I’d love to smell this one a man) I reach for this perfume on days when I want to feel like a boss woman - one in charge of my life. It gives me a weird rush of confidence and happiness all at the same time, and I love that all it takes is a couple of sprays of perfume to make me feel that way. It lasts fairly well on me, but I also keep respraying simply because whenever I wear it I can’t stop thinking about it. That’s how much I love it. I wear it for me, and I don’t care if anyone else can smell me and if they like what they smell :)

I resisted this for a while after swearing off blind buys, but I have a thing for Narciso fragrances, so I bit the bullet and blind bought a massive, heavy, lifetime supply 90ml bottle (I hate to have larger than 30ml). Discontinued, I knew I'd always regret not getting my hands on it after lusting after that gorgeous black cube for so long. Every Narciso I've tried, I love (some not right away, but always eventually) and this is no exception!! LOVE at first smell. It's dark, which could be power of suggestion encouraged by the color. Dark, warm musk. This might be the most prominent, musk-forward of all the Narcisos I've tried. It's woody and somehow a bit sweet, there's a phantom plum note, or a dark, unripe fruit. Black musky plums and rose. Usually I find peony a bit harsh and screechy, but this is so well blended it's only detectable when I really look for it. It's so clean and cozy. I think perfect for autumn weather. Unisex, definitely. I'd love to smell this on a guy. The white EDP sometimes begins a little wild and acetone-y, someone else described it as Black Swan, but 95% of the time I love it. This EDT gives me none of the strange chemical aroma; just an immediate warm, dark, cashmere robe. If you're on the fence, just buy it already before it's too late!!