Poudre de Musc Intense

Holy moly, folks! I can't get over this one. It is so, so beautiful! The first time I sprayed it on my hand, a single spray, I wasn't wow-ed but I did like it. Once I decided to douse myself in it, I was completely blown away! The perfume came to life. As gourmandnotes below put it - it is indeed ethereal! Like nothing I have smelled before, it is powdery but not in an iris or violet kind of way. I think there is some powder magic going on between the aldehydes, hawthorn, and this incredible musk. I will admit, I have never smelled real deal musk but this musk is not like the white musk of modern day. The animalic quality is there, especially in the drydown. It is so harmonious with the powder accord Patricia so deftly put together. If you love powdery and/or musky perfumes, you must give this a try. Longevity is stellar, the sillage will have others trying to track you down.

This is one of the prettiest musk perfumes I've ever smelled. The opening is a gorgeous blast of creamy pink roses and orange blossom sprinkled with soapy aldehydes that settle into a bed of fluffy white musk. Raspberry (not listed here) is present and adds a bit of demure sweetness. The notes are perfectly balanced and the scent isn't too soapy or too powdery. It conveys warmth, clean sensuality and elegance. Anyone hugging you would be delighted to smell this. It's a versatile perfume, easy to reach for in any season or climate. A terrific addition to Patricia Nicolai's two other gorgeous musks: Musc Intense and Musc Monoi.

beautiful, light, alive, super joyful, I just love it!

Howthorn in a full blooming! Herbal-musk accord on the soft Santal base. Perfect for the spring days.

Musc Noble without saffron. Softer, luxurious, inoffensive.

Smells like old fashioned soap. I tested Jovoy's Musc Pallas on the day. That one also smelled like soap to me but it is not old fashioned like this one (probably due to the rose in here).

I got a sweet ripe pear at the opening before the adehydes. The pear is very short, but adds toward the sweetness.

Wow. This is the first Nicolaï fragrance I've tried (I have a bunch of samples to go through). My first impression was one of admiration, just at how powerful and bold it was. But, even as it settled down, I felt like it was far too intense for me. I can feel the powder eventually coming through, but the whole is simply so loud that it's hard to appreciate the layers. Not for me. Onto the next one(s).

It’s giving stinky fermented pear, without having a pear note. Not a fan, glad I only ordered a sample. It’s a hard pass for me...

Generally speaking these days I am quite sad because of serious reasons so I thought that some fragrance shopping/browsing will get out of my mind all the sad thoughts. I had read on the internet about a shop in Athens which had the Fragonard perfumes, and some of them were recommended to me in some past posts so I thought that it would be a nice chance to have a go. I went there, I looked around and I headed first for Fragonard's perfumes. The shop owner asked me what kind of smells did I like and I replied that mostly I preferred the light ones so she proposed to me a couple of them. (Due to Covid -19 it was still forbidden to touch the testers). Anyway, I did try some of her recommendations on the blotters and finally on my skin but they were truly very strong for my liking. I looked around for some other brands that the majority of them were totally unknown to me, she told me that they were niche mainly from France and eventually from this brand she recommended as the safest, this one. I tried it and in comparison to all the others (heady florals) seemed the safest choice, the most serene one. The second choice from this brand was the musk intense and just from this word I could tell that it would be louder. Anyway I gave it some time and it seemed nicer in comparison to the other. I kindly asked her if she had some samples to take home with me and she said no. Being puzzled and sad I decided to purchase the smallest size (30 ml bottle, which still costed a serious amount of money). To make a long story short, I can not say that I am thrilled with my purchase, it is true to its name, a musk perfume, close to the skin, with 4,5 hours of performance. I am not sure what really puzzles me (which note, puts me off) and makes me uncertain about my purchase (maybe the aldehydes or the hawthorn ?), I have not smelled a perfume with aldehydes before. I am afraid I can not return it because the return policy is very strict so I will try to use it because I can not do differently. I do not think that I will try to explore any more niche brands because, it is quite risky and I am afraid that the majority of them, are too strong for my taste (I would kindly ask you not to strictly judge me, this is my personal/subjective opinion). I have learned my lesson, not to go for perfume shopping when my judgment is clouded and my nose is fallible (error - prone). Also, imho, I have learned another lesson too, that niche does not always mean that the result will be for sure superior in comparison to other cheaper and more affordable brands.

Smells really good - like the idea of a really fancy schampoo. Poudre de Musc Intense starts off really similar, rose and pear, like Musc Intense. But 30mins in it's really different. Aldehydes and hawthorn have taken center stage. Hawthorn can smell quite bad, but here the floral fresh natural aspects are highlighted. Later on in the wearing the wood from the base brings just the right coarseness to support the florals. Lasting power is good, 8h+. I really love that Nicolai have maintained their quality and integrity. It feels like a true Parisian niche house. Even if they nod to the trends, the fragrances always seem a little bit from another time. And tying in to the theme of Paris - isn't there a chapter in Proust's A la recherche where he goes on and on about hawthorn trees in some village.. anyway I find it could be a suitable nod?

Poudre de Musc from Parfums de Nicolai is all shimmering, gossamer aldehydes and soft, musky rose, and a gorgeous arrangement of sandalwood and orange blossom that a particularly artsy florist composed. It lights up a room with scintillating conversation, it’s both lively and restrained, people would invite it to parties and no one would ever give it weird looks or call it “extra,” or say, ",man you were acting weird last night." Mothers-in-law would love it. It would never ever forget its mother-in-law's birthday, as a matter of fact, it probably calls its mother-in-law once a week to say hello. Objectively, it is beautiful. It’s perfect on paper. But it makes me feel awful about myself because those attributes are all of the things I am not.

The opening is dominated by a strong soapy accord — the scent of classic feminine bar soap, richly lathered in the hands. With my eyes closed, that is almost all I can smell at first: soap with a somewhat cheap cosmetic undertone and very little depth. However, as time passes, the soapiness slowly fades away and the fragrance begins to reveal a far more beautiful side. A distinctly Guerlain-style violet appears, intertwined with rose and pear. Gradually, that characteristic vintage gourmand sweetness emerges — soft, powdery and deeply retro in mood. The perfume is genuinely beautiful. It carries that refined retro elegance that, to me, defines many creations from Nicolai Parfumeur Createur.

Addictive, clean, beautiful feminine musky clouds. A perfume to live for. Became a love in 3rd 4th try. Perfect for men/women looking for a clean heavenly musk perfume with a little florals. Aldehydes lifted this one up to perfection. I would give this one 9/10 just because it is a skin scent that sits very close to skin very light and price point is higher for what it gives. If you are ok with that I highly recommend. I can not think of a person who would get offended by this scent.

High on ethereal aldehydes! It smells like a well-to-do, woman-of-a-certain-age's collective sum of all her beauty products in her hair. Reminds me of my mother after a day in her favorite salon, where she would return home with a short perm and in her wake would be this sillage of powdery soft, radiating floral musk that is at once comforting and befitting of the womanliness she embodied of her time through scent.

I think this is misnamed. It’s not that powdery. It is quite sweet, with raspberry and rose in the opening, but soon I get a nice aldehyde and wood combo that reminds me quite a lot of VCA Oud Blanc. It is really nice and easy to wear, and not like laundry detergent to me at all, because of the slightly smoky wood. It wears close to the skin. Good for every day but leans a bit feminine because of the sweetness.

Soapy clean, aldehyde and musk bomb. Feminine and wearable if you like very clean scents. I don't get any fermented note, no harsh notes detected. Just a very well done clean scent, like the fanciest soap you might find in a Spa. I like it very much.

Top notes were beautiful but after a couple minutes, the drydown is straight baby powder. I had to change my shirt and it’s still somehow on my skin under my shirt. Do if you like that dusty, powdery baby powder smell, this is a good one.

Pretty, delicate aldehyduc floral powder at first, then devolves in powdery laundry musk.

Reminds me of a aldehydic feminine version of Amouage Lyric man, really pleasant.