Juste un rêve

A truly adorable fragrance and, faithfully to its name, enchanting and slightly elusive just like a dream would be: if feminine gracefulness should be represented by a scent, this one would win the competition. Juste un Reve opens up as a bright, soapy and slightly astringent aldehydic floral (rose and/or hyacinth, according to some descriptions), almost a warning of seriousness and refinement to the wearer who was maybe expecting an immediate burst of delicious sweetness (me!): but what comes immediately after is a heavenly intermingling of fruity nuances, each one enhanced in their most natural and delicate aspects to convey an understated elegance. Coconut is not extremely prominent to me, probably because I am more used to its thickest, sugariest and creamiest rendition while in here it behaves more like a green/woody breeze coming from some tropical seaside, and apricot feels initially succulent but soon gets dry, powdery and slightly spicy, leading the fragrance to a more shadowy territory. As soon as the tuberose/jasmine accord joins the composition the scent turns a bit more intimate and carnal, acquiring a misty and slightly creamy texture without losing its innocent aura: that’s the part I love the most, as (fruity) juiciness and (floral) lusciousness never overcome each other, creating instead a landscape of smooth colors suffused with romance, mystery and melancholy in the same measure. Juste Un Reve morphs finally into a slightly animalic veil of sandalwood and vanilla, lingering on my skin for several hours. Longevity is indeed very good for an Edt (about 8 hours), and sillage is close to the skin on me: I guess this is one of the very few gourmand that may get magnified by humidity and can be easily worn during the hottest days of summer without inducing headaches (I really can’t imagine it becoming overwhelming or obtrusive). I had the luck to discover this little marvel while searching high and low for an unique exotic scent, aiming to find something unusual and different from the stereotypes of this genre although I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for. “What’s not to love about a fragrance featuring vanilla, coconut, jasmine, apricot and tuberose, some of my favorite notes?”, I thought before placing my order right before my birthday – it was as a gift from my boyfriend - and I am so glad I finally took the chance and get it. Before then, my only experience with Parfums De Nicolai was a sample of Kiss Me Tender, a deliciously melancholic take on the heliotrope/almond pastries theme, and although these two fragrances don’t share any similarities in terms of composition I was relieved to find out in Juste Un Reve the same delicacy and refinery in blending sweet and powdery notes, that peculiar nostalgic vibe recalling something forgotten which is kind of impossible to describe but still you feel is definitely there. I will surely look out for other PDN scents in next future, and the fact a Niche House offers beautifully crafted fragrances for very affordable prices (36-42 Euro for 30 ml: a big hooray for small-sized bottles!) is a reason of authentic joy to me: Patricia de Nicolai's work definitely deserves all the praises and appreciation it gets and very much more, I can't wait to try other fragrances from her and see if I will love them the way I love Juste un Reve.

This is everything I dreamed it would be, and more. Don't be afraid to wear this in fall or winter... it is, after all, just a dream... of warmer weather! I'm wearing it on a rainy fall day; it's only 10C here. Just un Reve doesn't match the colder weather, per se, but compliments with some contrast. Of course I know this perfume suits the heat, but I still don't feel like it's strictly tropical. To me it's so well-made that a tuberose lover (such as I) will find it more versatile. The review below that I most agree with is Emily's. Right now wearing it I feel like a scented doll, or a person that a child could easily adore. The doll: A priceless porcelain one with architecturally curled hair and a lace dress. Not a baby doll. Juste Un Reve is profoundly feminine, youthful but classic, classy and well-made. It's girly but not silly or flirty. To me it represents deep hope, innocent love, and youthful imagination. Juste Un Reve reminds me of a very specific feeling: When I was a little girl, my parents frequently invited their friends over to our house in the evening for drinks. (We had a large house, this never disturbed us kids). My younger sister and I were always dressed nicely for these occasions, or else just bathed and put in clean pajamas if it was late, even though all we were to do was come downstairs, say a polite hello, then return to our bedrooms. My favourite thing to do in the evenings was read. I had very physical reactions to books and was easily lost in the worlds they depicted. It was hard to tear myself away. Just un Reve reminds me of the ache I felt when my mom interrupted my reading to bring me downstairs, combined with the thrill I felt to be allowed to briefly enter the glamourous adult world of dimmed lights, clinking cocktail glasses, conversation, cigarettes and pretty dresses, and the anticipation of knowing I would soon be back in my room (with my porcelain doll collection that my grandma stocked, incidentally) to see what would happen next in my book. It was just a really nice feeling that I wish I could better describe. My instinct served me wonderfully when I blind bought Juste un Reve after reading reviews and looking at the notes on Fragrantica. PdN fragrances consistently feel smoother to me than most other houses besides Guerlain (the smoothest, imo). Juste un Reve is no exception; it paints the air with a sparkle without making me feel as if pins are pricking my eyeballs. Sorry about the ugly simile, but even some of my other favourite tuberose perfumes: L'Artisan La Chasse Aux Papillon and Dior Tendre Poison cut like knives at the beginning! Juste Un Reve is not as sharp as those. The longevity on me is 4 hours, and the sillage is on the softer side of moderate after an hour.

A sweet and pretty tuberose/jasmine that is easy to wear and easy to like, but still holds a bit of the carnal/raunchy vibe you get from Lou Lou or Balahe. I wouldn't necessarily call it clean, but in comparison to others it's far from dirty. The coconut is nicely done here and not overtly gourmand. I don't know how exciting this will be to those who feel neutral toward white florals in general, but for lovers of this genre, it's a refreshing new take on the genre that many would welcome in their wardrobe.

So, this is very much not a floral fruity gourmand, more of a floral green, as other reviewers have mentioned. This has a big 'Wow' opening of fresh, island goodness. Drydown is equally delicious. I need to second previous comments that this doens't last long, and Gosha said it best with 'reapplying a second time to get better longevity'. I would add spritzing it on your clothes as well. this is one i would love to take along on my next trip to hawaii!

This opens with a Lovely "green" coconut that's clean, soapy, creamy and smooth. It's not dessert-like, gourmand or sun tan lotion-like at all. It settles on a nice Sandalwood, coconut and vanilla blend over a white floral background made up of tuberose and jasmine. It's the best coconut scent I've found. It never gets too sweet or gourmand. The longevity is really good too. The sillage can be a little loud so I would apply with care at first.