Macaron Bourbon

I have a weakness for Nicolai Parfumeur Creations. I love the quirkiness of their fragrances and the risks the perfumers take with notes and accords. I love the bottles and the atomizers are the best! Most of the fragrances I've owned and/or sampled have been favorites of mine. In an effort to expand my very limited "rose-centric" fragrance collection, I bought a decant of Macaron Bourbon. To my surprise, I really like this stuff. However, I'm not sure if it's me, my chemistry, or I'm growing NOSE-BLIND. But I have a hard time detecting much fragrance after the wonderful initial application spray (and only about 5-10 minutes in). Love the opening of notes which include a wee-bit of almond, DAVANA and rose. The opening is crisp, a bit fresh, dewy and a little green. Within minutes, a lovely rose note pokes through. There's also amber, vanilla, some resinous tonka in the drydown. But on my skin, all of the loveliness ends literally within minutes. There is definitely a citrusy, or bitter-green note repeating throughout the drydown, which I attribute to the tonka. A really nice offering! Just wish it projected more, lasted longer.

A spicy rose surprise! But in the best way possible. I see the negative remarks and unfortunately this is where a fragrance name and cultural references can build a certain expectation and also interfere with the overall perception of a scent. However I do agree that this is not a gourmand fragrance. This is a spicy woody floral. The most famous macarons in france are made with rose oil so this fragrance is a nod to that specific variety of macaron. Just as in Olivier Cresp's Akro Crush creation (which has a lychee rose impression but otherwise goes down a very different path olfactively than Macaron Bourbon.) There is a very jammy, almost raspberry jam impression that is saturated and quite overt within the overall character of the fragrance. The davana here is quite apparent and lends to the depth of this gem. Then there is the spicy, boozey, warm base that drives the depth even further, creating an addictive draw that keeps me coming back for more.

I love it! Rummy opening is just prelude for gourmand almond-vanilla fragrance, which is as sweet as provocative. Roses are jammy, but not sirupy- it keeps its elegance. The base isn't about caramel, more about the musk, patchouli and tonka. It makes the scent deep, actually. It should be celebration of pastry-making but the composition is more than that: it offers feminine, graceful perfume which is optimistic and addictive. Sweet seduction - the light version! --- Strong projection, longevity almost 7-8 hours.

I really like this one. It somehow does translate the colors of a display of assorted macarons into an olfactory language, but the prominent rose note gives it a kind of tanginess and keeps it from being overly sweet. Gourmands don't always move me, but this one is a delight, as it stretches the concept into something unique and really lovely.

The opening is a battle for dominance between a beautiful dark liquor note and a synthetic rose accord (think Atomic Rose, or Montale's Roses Musk). A background of sweet and nutty notes play support. The only thing remaining in the dry down is the rose which at this point is remarkably similar to Penhaligon's Cairo.