Niki de Saint Phalle

Picture it: 1982. A twelve year old girl is walking through the old I. Magnin store at Union Square in San Francisco: an elegant, gracious space done up in grey marble and accented with gilded brass. The girl, in love with the glamour of her surroundings, the first giddy flush of love in fact, passes a cosmetic counter; a flask atop it gets her full attention. A rectangular pillar of blue cobalt glass supports two metallic snakes, one gold, one enameled in piebald primary colors. They are entwined in what parents or teachers would euphemistically call "an act of love." A sales lady (That's a sales assistant, for you younger readers) notices her gawking at this revelation, smiles, and hands the girl a sample of what lies within that cobalt pillar. (Yes, there was a time when sales assistants were called sales ladies and they did things like that. Sigh.) At home the girl sits down cross-legged on her bedroom floor and opens the little vial. Even before the fragrance touches skin she knows---something about her is changing, is being changed by whatever is in this tiny plastic vial. She doesn't have the words to adequately describe or analyze what she is experiencing, though words like topnotes, oakmoss and drydown really can't be used to describe an awakening, a coming of age, an epiphany. What is really in that little vial is not so much a perfume but a secret handshake admitting her for the first time into a world of mature sensuality. Sweet flowers with a serrated edge of bitterness, spicy and forbidding with woods thick enough to become lost in: though it will be years before her first real kiss, her first real love affair, her first heartbreaks--this is the moment, the passkey from childhood to what lays beyond. Though I kept the sample for years, I did not buy NdSP; by the time I was in my late teens/early 20s it had disappeared from suburban mall shelves and I thought it was discontinued and gone forever. About a year ago, discovering fragrance again, I wondered, "what about Niki?" and set out to find it. While the EDT is excellent-- lighter than the vintage as I remember it, more green and less complex--the old NdSP lives on in the bath oil--the bitter pollen of marigold that makes this fragrance what it is really stands out. This is a must try for every serious perfumista because there is nothing like it on the market today -- so says my inner 12 year old.

I just splurged and ordered a new (old) bottle of this, after the bottle and name caught my eye and I read just about every review on here, I clicked around all my usual 'fume sites until landing on the 'Bay. Scrolled down a few and not only was it an old, unopened bottle, but the special Zodiac edition Eau Defendue spray - IN THE "CAT" VERSION! IT MUST BE PERFUME FATE! (I am most certainly a crazy cat lady, and a Leo.) I have a soft spot for chypres, the greener and mossy-er the better -- and I've recently begun to discover that contrary to my expectations, I dig on leather accords as well. I found my recent acquisition of Mitsouko to be a disappointment, it's just ~okay~ from what I can gather. It's a vintage EDT and I spent the entire first two days thinking maybe I got a bad bottle or was anosmic, I could barely smell anything! Now I get faint shadows of scent, but barely enough to really fall in love as I was hoping. My fault I suppose, for going for the less expensive EDT. I couldn't find for sure whether the Eau Defendue/Zodiac version of NdSP is EDT or EDP, I'm just hoping to be pleasantly surprised. In any case, I am dying for the beautiful bottle, now I can get rid of my gnarly Katy Perry Purr and Meow that I really only own just to have a cat represented on my perfume tray. (Anyone interested, PM me.) Thank you all for your reviews (good and bad), I tend to be more intrigued by the more uncertain or negative ones I read, and I'm literally bursting with excitement to try NdSP! I can't wait to smell like a mossy old book, left forgotten in an enchanted forest. I'll update once she settles into her new home. UPDATE 3/2015: Perfection! Dark and mysterious spicy woodsy mossy heaven. Earthier than my beloved Coriandre but reminiscent of all of my favorite things about that scent. Projection/sillage and longevity are moderate, probably to the benefit of those around me as I tend to overspray my favorites.

So complicated this scent is, but I am not complaining, no, I am basking! The herbal opening is gorgeous. Adding mint and bergamot to those little fresh cut leaves brightens the scene, and makes it perfect. The peach is hidden, it doesn't shout out with sweetnees-the peach uses itś fuzzy skin, and stays softly in the background, taming the opening notes, keeping them from turning "too masculine". My nose is elated, ecstatic, and stunned, and the middle notes are difficult for me to discern. I can say that the carnation keeps the composition dry. The jasmine and ylang-ylang are slightly overshadowed, but not completely lost, while they mix and meld so perfectly with the other earthen notes of cedar, orris root, and patchouli. The rose reaveals itself only by playing rival to the patchouli, and lending hidden power and velvety caress to all the other notes in play. The drydown comes along and I am baffled by how intensely I can enjoy all the whole three stages of this scent, so thoroughly. The base is like a cedar chest, an antique house with wooden floors. The base itself reminds me of a gentle Azuree by EL. At first the leather note in the base misguided me, I thought of wax or powder, but now I am finding the leather to be a lovely and essential touch. The scent is strong, but itś not forceful, not tacky. This perfume is on edge the whole time, but simultaneously balanced, sublime. This scent has presence, texture. It develops, changes, revealing so many facets-doing so-smoothly at every level. An excellent Chypre, it is never sugary, not for one moment. Wonderfully natural, always keeping you grounded. Oriental in the way the spices and deep eastern notes conjure dreams of 1,000 Nights under an indigo dark sky. Truly beautifully Floral, as it never fails to be profoundly feminine.

Niki de Saint Phalle, Niki de Saint Phalle vintage EDT I once had an instructor say that all good art should elicit an emotional response. It doesn’t matter if it’s a positive emotion like awe or acceptance, or a negative emotion like fear or hate. Art that has an emotional impact is good art. Personally, really beautiful art, art that is painfully beautiful, makes me weep. Niki de Saint Phalle is among the best of the best. I acquired a vintage EDT in a blind swap; knowing nothing about the fragrance nor the designer except that it had a cult following and that it was vintage, which was enough to make me want it. I really had no idea what was in store for me. This fragrance is so beautiful I want to weep. I cannot believe this fragrance hadn’t crossed my path before. It’s so unbelievably green and lush, but also vibrant and unbelievably colorful. On my skin, the carnation arrived first wrapped in green and mint. The heart was a perfectly blended leather, cedar, artemisia and orris with a hint of fruit. The drydown was sandalwood and a mossy green with amber. Years ago, I went to Niki’s sculptural garden Queen Califa’s Magical Circle. At that time I knew nothing about the artist, not even the name of the park, but I knew I had never seen such beautiful structural mosaic before! The pieces were so colorful and whimsical that I remember them clearly to this day. Now that I’ve worn this fragrance and I’ve experienced her beautiful mosaic sculpture in the park, it all makes perfect sense! This fragrance really is a liquid interpretation of those glittering vibrant joyful mosaics. Niki received the artistic equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize in art, and what she created in tile, mirror, and concrete, she has recreated in fragrance. This is absolutely exquisite.

My best friend in high school bought me a spray bottle of EDT (early 80s) right after my tiny sample had run out, saying, "I had to get it for you because it's so weird. Like you." Intelligent and observant as well as generous, that one. :) We both loved the cobalt blue glass bottle, the golden cap with embossed intertwined snakes...even the ads were magnificent. Not for conformists, conservatives, nor the faint of heart, this scent literally turned the heads of admirers, the curious, and the frightened. 15/16-y-old strawberry blonde Michigan girls certainly weren't supposed to smell like THAT! Niki de Saint Phalle is sharp and sweet, light and deep, cool and warm, bright and dark, and all at once. A sweet smile, a rather intimidating glance; a light touch, a profound sexiness. Green, floral, but with a heavy and spicy base. It's simultaneously lighthearted, mysterious, innocent, and sophisticated. It is many things, but it is never submissive: this is for a woman with an independent mind. Only an artist - or alchemist - could create a smooth blending of such diverse elements and make it work. It worked well enough it convinced a miserable punkly teenager at least one more human out there understood her, and they made this perfume. (I have neither owned nor smelled any reformulations.) It lent an enormous amount of moral support and confidence. Wear this for dancing in a meadow, whilst examining those avant garde paintings you've considered for your modern Parisian penthouse, or beret and bongos at a coffeehouse. Yeah!

I first encountered this scent at age 19, and I can see now why it wouldn't have appealed to me at that age, but is very appealing now that I am in my late 30's. Niki de Saint Phalle is a mature woman's scent, with maturity meaning age and experience rather than a number. I was not ready to be that person at age 19 or 20, but I welcome this scent now. Other Fragrantica members suggested I would like this one as it smells similar to Molinard de Molinard, which is one of my favorites. It does smell like that one, with a little more green "Christmas tree" note in the opening. It then dries down to a beautiful, sexy musk, similar to Halston Classic. I can't wear the Halston at all, but Niki also has enough leather in the base to keep it pleasant-smelling on me. It's a bit out of fashion at this time, or perhaps its a scent completely out of time altogether, unless it's the right time for YOU to wear it. Full disclosure: the beautiful packaging is a HUGE part of the appeal for me, too. I never buy scents based on packaging alone, but thankfully, the scent is as exotic, attractive and mysterious as the opulent blue bottle that contains it. I have the EDT and it has decent staying power in this concentration, but I am hoping I can find an EDP or Parfum of this scent to purchase in the future.

Vintage smelling greens/woods/chypres are my obsession, and I happened upon this page-- I have never heard of this?! I read the reviews, and went right to Fragrancenet to buy a 2 oz bottle. Mmmmm... this is good. GREEN, but soapy, earthy, and woody. I don't get any mint (good). I get the "pine" like green but it's so well blended and smooth overall. A little bit of every note put together so well. Along the same lines as Bandit IMO. I just love how it's still clean/fresh but green 'n dirty. Good stuff! Totally unisex. Compared to vintage femininity like Miss Dior, Intimate, Bandit, Aliage, Animale, Dioressence, Charlie, etc... this is very feminine. But compared to today's opinions-- this is masculine. So anyone who wants should wear this! :) This must be a recent formula, it's not very potent (edt). But I def love it! I went over to ebay to check out the other products, and I'm beyond stoked that I got a 100ml bath oil for $25. I hope it's the kind of bath oil that doubles as a skin perfume! (I have Youth Dew bath oil and prefer that as a perfume) Any have experience with Niki bath oil? Update: 3 hours later, this EDT on skin is still going! Only I get a light velvety spicy/wood/patch. I'm going to decant this into a spray when I get home and GO NUTS! I love this!

Niki de Saint Phalle was the first "real" perfume I bought...I was a teen, not yet old enough to drive or only barely old enough, and my mother disapproved very strongly of the purchase. At the counter where I was testing perfumes, she protested my desire for it. I had not seen any marketing for it, nor had I known anyone to wear it; on the contrary, it was completely outside of my provincial experience. She felt, I think, that it was not a genteel scent and certainly not suitable for a girl my age. I persisted. I bought it with my own money, despite her manifest dismay and disapproval. She drew up her mouth. I handed over a pile of five and one dollar notes. I took it home, wore it in tiny spritzes daily and more generous sprays on dates. It suited me, somehow. I didn't really know exactly how i smelled, but I knew that I smelled different than my female school-mates. More...mature? Moer complex? Not so sweet. I LOVED IT. I still have an unholy respect for the chypre genre...I think it's time to search out a new (old) bottle of this, for auld lang syne. I found it intriguing then and I still do. Green and growly, earthy and intricate, bold and remote. Opposites that embrace. Very me...

I’ve finally found my Forever Perfume; the first scent since I got into perfume that I sprung for a full-sized bottle of and wear near-daily. Niki de Saint Phalle (from 1982) is the ultimate dark-green witchy chypre. It’s a jolt of sharp galbanum and bitter-herbal, emerald-green wormwood up top, with a slug of grimy oakmoss and solid, reassuring leather beneath, and oodles of animalics and patchouli in the middle. A few hours in when all the green glow has burned off, the dark leather-carnation-oakmoss base gets pleasantly creamy-soft from the peach and iris, but never goes sweet. It’s just comfortable against the skin. The whole genre of dark woody chypres is catnip to me, but none of them is quite as on-the-nose what I want. Some (Paloma Picasso, Knowing) are too floral and missing the sharp green top; Magie Noire is too transparent and not skanky enough; Aromatics Elixir is beautiful but rather gloomy; Bandit is a bit plain; Mystere is a bit too dry. Maai is a beautiful contemporary black-green chypre but far too expensive for me to get a full bottle. Niki de Saint Phalle, though. The wicked, brainy brew of my dreams. Atavistic yet elegant.

This perfume is a masterpiece. I spray it, and wow...love, lust at first sniff. Starts off really tantalisingly citrussy, warmly, smoothly sweet ( I know it sounds like a contradiction, but that is what I get!!!!!!!!!!). Not a fruity cocktail sweet, warm, hypnotically sweet. I think what captivates me is the bergamot mix with apple/citrus. Then, it dries down to a gloriously composed middle waft of gentle, powdery warmth...must be the carnations...and of course, the 'I love', patchouli, which here just seems to anchor and stabilise the sometimes oversweet notes such as jasmine. And then,, add even more depth. And I'm walking on sunshine, and sweetness, and a fabulous cloud of divine scent. Just ordered 2 more bottles..no way am I ever going to skimp with this one. NB, I wore it yesterday, for my birthday. My darling daughter (aged 21) said to me...'WOW! What is that amazing perfume. It's divine!" Now, she generally likes sweeter chypre and floral fumes. (Currently she wears Lolita Lempicka and Parisienne) So, the allure must be ageless.... Thank you to Niki and the gods of all perfume beauty. Another great love!!!

I found a really good deal on one of the horoscope 2oz bottles. It wasn't my "sign" but it was cheap and these bottles comes with a spray! WAHOOOOOO! Strange, the box/bottle doesn't say EDT. I'm assuming it is. It smells exactly like regular Niki. Except, call me crazy-- but one squirt on a tissue has HUGE sillage. Dare I say-- much more sillage than any of the splash EDTs. Perhaps it's the amount of liquid that comes out the sprayer? Anyways, I'm STOKED to have a spray bottle now. I've previously put my Niki splashes in atomizers, but now I'll just refill these 2oz bottles. Too bad it's not my sign tho. Haha. I also put my Niki bath oil in an atomizer, and it still sprays/works despite being oil. The bath oil is thicker and has this "doughy" aspect to it. So the bath oil smells a bit diff than the EDT. I also have a mini vintage, and honestly-- I can't really find a difference in smell. Gawd, I love this. Minty greeny piney fresh soapy woody earthy. Sublime. I get a lot of mint in this version, which I wasn't sure I'd like/want. But I do. I love! Minty pine! I also love the dark blue shower gel!!

I got so lucky and found this bottle at the local thrift store with about 75% still left in it. It looks like it's an original 1982 bottle but I can't tell because there's obviously no date on it. It is the oval shaped bottle with the intertwining snakes on it and the artwork is beautiful. I love the cobalt blue of the bottle. Now onto the scent, all I can say is that it's vintage in a very charming way. It was very warm in the thrift store yet the smell didn't seem overwhelming so I think that it can still be worn for spring but I would definitely recommend it as a nighttime fragrance. Unfortunately it didn't have a price sticker on it and my local thrift store usually will not sell something if they have not priced it yet.I pouted my lip out and ask them if they could please price it in comparison to some of their other perfumes and they said they'd sell it to me for $2.99. So I got a very good steal! It's a beautiful scent it was made the year I was born and for no other reason than that I love it. The smell wins me over.

Niki de Saint Phalle is a beautiful, complex and well blended chypre of the good old school. Bold and daring, not for the faint of heart. At the same time it is elegant, sophisticated and refined. On my skin it opens with a massive blast of aldehydes and green leaves. Not my favourite phase I must admit, but it fades away within five minutes. Then I smell wormwood and carnations, a bit of peach and ylang-ylang. This beautiful and enchanting combination lasts approximately one hour. And then my favourite phase beginns - oakmoss, leather, patchouli and mellow musk. This smells very autumnal, has a hint of decomposing leaves, something woody and quiet about it. And as a gentle leitmotif through all this beauty - orris root, a bit soapy and powdery. Good longevity, stays 6 - 7 hours on my skin. This perfume reminds me of Ivoire de Balmain, Magie Noir Lancome, Azuree Estée Lauder and alike. Funny that a feminine fragrance of the 80's sounds completely unisex nowadays. Love it!

With such a prominent leather note, I'm shocked at this being compared to Silences over Miss Balmain or Cabochard. Halston classic is a very clear ancestor of this scent, and NdSP could easily be a stand in for an "intense" version of Halston. An easy love for me, with an aldehydic herbal opening that quickly transforms into an intensely mossy leather. The bottle can fool you, smelling only of flowery aldehydes--this MUST be sampled on the skin. I can see why this gets ranked among the best chypres ever, it is THAT sublime. For lovers of leather, wood, and moss ONLY. You won't find many flowers or fruits, here. Smells wintery to me. My only complaint is the lame cap--such a beautiful bottle, but the cap on the splash is cheap golden plastic with a visible seam. Why not a metal cap? Review is for EDT splash, which is plenty intense for my requirements.

Just got my new 30 ml splash bottle, courtesy of a guest newly arrived from the States. I didn't have high hopes for it since it's not the vintage and my last bottle (the 60 ml.vapo-spray)that I had for well over a decade was already a reformulation. This new bottle does smell fresher though and the notes have more definition, AND it has the colorful snakes on it. Looks gorgeous on my dresser. I haven't been without Niki since it first came out 35 years ago but I only just realized that the dry down, after a good 4-5 hours, strongly recalls Halston Classic- (another old love of mine, pre-reformulation). Indeed I just checked the notes and there is a very extensive overlap. I don't get much leather, if any, in this version of Niki. Maybe that's why it recalls Halston now. The oakmoss predominates now in both.

Adding another review, now that I have tried both the Eau de Toilette and the pure Parfum. If you're new to this scent, try the EdT first. It is inexpensive and easily found online. If you like the citrus and pine top notes in the Edt, you'll want to purchase the Parfum at some point. Those notes last much longer in the Parfum concentration and give the fragrance a different effect. The parfum is much greener and a little sweeter. If your favorite part of this fragrance is the leather and musk of the drydown, the EdT gets there faster and those are the notes that will linger. This scent is very long-lasting even in the EdT strength. (And if you're a bottle collector, you'll want both versions! They're just so darn pretty!)

A blind buy based on the reviews of fellow Fragranticans and NowSmellThis. And, boy, does it not disappoint! Gorgeous stuff made before Health and Safety killed the Chypre. Carnation and oakmoss heaven, so much so that it reminds me of L'air du Temps in its glory days (as I remember it was in 1980s), sans the aldehydes and cloves but with the same slight soapiness that sets in in half-hour or so. Artemisia gives it some grown-up bitterness that I love. If you'd wear L'air du Temps in 1980s with a white trouser suit, fedora and killer heels, NdSP can be worn with down-to-earth jeans, a lumberjack shirt and cowboy boots to go hiking or riding and then still empower you to gatecrash an event of any calibre at any venue.

If I could be faithful to a perfume, this could be the one. This is so me, it is more me than me. This is the imagery that came to mind earlier when it was newly on: I am outside and in the near distance there is meadow filled with blooms and scent. But, I am walking into a forest that I have to part the vines in order to enter. It is much cooler in the forest, and smell of damp earth, trees and green foliage prevails. As my feet sink in the compost on the forest floor, I turn to see the sunlight on the wildflowers. I got moderate sillage for several hours. I can still sniff it out on my wrists and it has been 11 hours. This is very unisex, and it is exquisitely beautiful. I wish I could swim in this.

So lovely it makes me wish Niki had made more perfumes. Her only effort is a beauty, from its cobalt bottle with the playful snakes to the lovely stuff inside. The scent reminds me of a sun drenched garden (of Eden?), where drying herbs and flowers perfume the air. This fragrance is completely unisex. Bracing herbs mingle with soft musk to create a unique, beautiful scent. Although this perfume has an artemisia note it still manages to keep the bitterness to a minimum. Ma Griffe could learn a thing or two in that department ... Sillage is average, this scent sticks close to the skin. Niki's masterpiece should be more popular, it's truly a standout.

i'm so blown away, i'm at a loss for words. a chypre lover's dream. one of my most successful blind buys ever. more thoughts, the day after: some reviews mention getting aldehydes. not only are they not listed, i don't get any aldehydes (and i'm very sensitive to them/ don't generally like them). like many, i'm reminded of lancome magie noire, one of my all-time faves; i'm also reminded of sisley eau du soir. in my notes, i eventually wrote: this makes me feel like i’m in the deep, shady heart of the most magical of woodsy forests, near a small glade with aromatic herbs and flowers blossoming amidst the ancient trees and verdant, mossy undergrowth.

Managed to snag a miniature and a tiny dab of this goes a long powerful way. If this is the EDT's strength, I can't imagine how intoxicating the pure parfum would be. I'm one of the people who thinks it smells like Silences (about 60% similar in my opinion) in its green drydown, but with more darkness and earthiness. It also reminds me of Magie Noire with a bit more of a clinical/medical touch. Don't be mistaken - it's a fantastic perfume with its own character in its own right despite the comparisons. Might be a little difficult to wear in hot and humid weather here in where I live but I would love to collect a full-sized bottle one day.

This is one of my favourites, however I have blind purchased it based on reviews and Niki's personlity/. I was not dissapointed, it's a sillage bomb and a very distinct perfume to my nose. It smells with velvety moss, it is so different and potent. I think it is mysterious-one of my reasons to buy it was tagetes note. I can distinhguish it as well. Since then i bought another bottle and another round shape one from ebay. I think it will definitely stand out as unrecognisable in modern crowd, unless you have history with this perfume. I don't, so for me it's new experience and no one from my environment dare to oull it off.

I had been looking at this one for quite sometime But I did not have the courage to buy it. but it was calling my name then I read what Nyoka ( which is my top favorite reviewer) wrote . And I decide to buy it with out trying it. And it was love at first sniff . It is like no other perfume I have tried, It is so natural ,nothing artificial. It does not clash with my animals senses ( horses, goats, dogs , cats chicken) dosnt make them moody or hiper I can use it to go out just to be in the house. It is refine & elegant Ahd I feel good, sexy mysterious elegant in it. It is just wonderful LOVE IT !! LOVE IT!!!!

Along time ago in a galaxy far, far, away I picked this up and spritzed. I was horrified and ran and washed it off. Fast forward thirty years, I remember my reaction and ordered a decant of the edt just for fun and remembrance. Time really changes things, cause I think this could be a contender for a signature scent. It's a masterpiece. I adore the oakmoss which has always been one of my favorite notes and ahh the green notes. Well I will no longer be without this beaut. No matter that it took a long time the wait makes it that much sweeter. Does anyone know what the parfum smells like?

This is gorgeous, reminds me a lot of Chanel Antaeus. I am an Eau Du Soir lover and fan of this genre, having tried Jean Louise Scherrer, Givenchy 3, Chanel Cristalle, Aromatics Elixir etc. This reminds me the most of Antaeus and I'm surprised no one has made this comparison! The smell is glamorous and spicy- no florals here just spicy green moss. I have a mini vial-- If only I could ever get my hands on that gorgeous snake bottle! This also reminds me of Estee Lauder Spellbound, which I have not smelled in 25 years so it could be a false memory :)

I started wearing this in the 80's, I just immediately loved how strange it was, strong and yet really lovely. for a time, it was very hard to find, I looked for a substitute, something similar and was recommended to try Ivoire De Balmain, which was nice enough, but no, not a satisfactory replacement. then someone said, try Cabotine de Gres. and that is also not enough like Niki to please me. now I am able to find it again and am so relieved. there really is nothing else like this. hard to describe objectively. cool refreshing and complex.

Had this one in my early 20's and from what I remember, I loved it and it was one of my "date night" favorites - very sexy and mysterious. It's been a long while since I last wore it, and now I may have to buy another bottle to resurrect my experience. I have always been attracted to fragrances that are sweet and smoky, sexy, surprising, noticeable but not overpowering, and again, from what I remember this was a top fave for many years. Another chypre floral that I have loved - LOL, *surprise!!!* at least I'm consistent!

This was definitely love at first sniff! I bought it when I was 16 or 17 and ever since I have loved it, adored it, dreamed about it! A mystic and sophisticated scent and very spicy. Love it so much! Though it may not be my all time favourite it's one of the best fragrancies I know of. A scent I can't do without. Lovely with a huge personality and even more so in the winter with snow outside ... it kind of brings the scent to life when it's cold and damp ... Another masterpiece - special and unforgettable!

This is SO wonderful. It opened with such a lovely green burst of mint followed by peach sweetness and jasmin. It's sweet, but spicy from the patchouli. The carnation gives a wonderful "green" feeling and I must ask - what's there not to love? It reminds me of forest, of woods, of rain, of nature, it's a real masterpiece and the price? It's extremely well maid and a must for every chypre of floral green lover. Gorgeous. I'm very impressed.

Nearly identical to Halston. On my left arm I have an 80s halston cologne spray. On my right I have Niki, also an 80s spray. Halston is a skosh fruitier than Niki. Niki is a cunt hair more intense on the tarragon-like artemesia. They are only distinguishable because I know what I sprayed, otherwise I admit I would have assumed the Halston to be less green and witchy. Its uncanny, comparing directly. Damn!

the sharpest hit back to when I was living in seattle & found this. at the time I was in the kind of tormented love that makes you want to jump off a building, splattered and gutted as one of NDSP's very own shot paintings XD. this chypre would knife through the rainy days & the green would bleed along with everything. i'm glad i still have the last quarter of it or so

This is one of my favs.THe green notes make my heart sing!The peach and patcholi mingle and make a slight floral scent.I love most the dry down,ummmmmm,irris root,oakmoss and cedar make this a really green wet woody scent.When I wear it,I feel like im in a forest with cool gentle rain falling on nme.My senses feel alive.Always perks me up.

I've been wearing Niki de Saint Phalle since the 80's. It's my signature perfume. I'm told all the time how good I smell. Strangers will stop me and ask what I'm wearing and where they can buy it. I was wearing this when I met my significant other and it's all he he wants me to wear. I *LOVE* Niki D and will wear it forever!

My husband bought this for me in the early 80s. Been wearing it every since. I never have this scent on without being asked what I am wearing. I love the way the scent keeps changing as the day goes on. I wear it year round. I definately don't think it is an old lady scent.

This is my holy grail perfume, and it's near impossible to get hold of!! Such a glorious heady green opening melting into strong woody floral with earthy soil tones floating throughout. Absolutely a POWER fragrance. I wish they would make more!

An excellent litmus test to determine the quality of a perfume; If you moan from pleasure on the exhale, while sniffing the fragrance, means it's the bee's knees!!! And my Niki is an: "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh" 😌😤

Master piece one.Very good unusual.I love green note from one.it has a character, I'm man but it's good smell on me,and long lasting too.Bottle is good design I love to wear.Try it.

Niki is a typical buttery green perfume like Halston & Norell! I think it is a nice perfume, but to be honest, I Love Halston more!

Good stuff! Earthy, spicy and sensual.

Unique.... a lovely masterpiece.

I think they built chypre lovers different from the rest of the human race. Never am I reminded more of this, than when I watch your average person smell or describe a chypre. Really, I could wait all week for tickets to that show. Layers of expressions occur in under a minute, as if I am watching an old Nickelodeon starring Chapman himself. Horror, disgust, surprise, astonishment, sadness...the whole human condition summited in a moment's time. Fascinating, that knee-jerk, visceral experience. I, on the other hand, have a penchant for mossy compositions, and I guess I have always loved the pungent contrast contained within those loud chords. I used to think I was the odd duck, drawn close to scents most scoffed as odd or off putting. My soul might be in the ocean, but my heart lies amongst the trees. I feel as if chypres engage a different part of my brain - a higher dimension, that seems to enhance my creativity and problem solving ability. I also think that, evolutionarily speaking, chypres are the most complex in their representation of a natural environment. Some facts are elemental, just as some of us are particularly coded for sniffing. The chypre lovers of today, would have probably served as look outs and trail guides, in an ancient wild, and certainly long before what we know of humanity even existed. For us, the dirt's aroma is as pleasant as the plant that sprang from it, just as is the sour fermentation to the sweet fruit. I realize this is a long way of saying, perfumes like Niki don't strike me as particularly loud or obtrusive. Minus a moderate aldehydic fog, this perfume is quite tame to me. "Green Notes" in the top could easily encompass artemisia, mint, and carnation. Bergamot, patchouli and oakmoss, by tradition, scuff along. Musk, leather, and amber bring an animalic base. Idolic jasmine, rose, and ylang-ylang simply create direction. Sandalwood, cedar, and peach are barely recognizable, but breeze through the dry-down no louder than a whisper. Top to bottom textbook. I purchased my bottle for $5 in an antique store, and having smelled, but never heard of it, was laid flat when I appraised the bottle. That which was sitting in my hand was worth over $160. Is it worth that? The existential question so many perfume enthusiasts ask themselves right before a purchase. Like a breathing piece of art, it ultimately is worth whatever you are willing to pay. Not a very direct answer I know, but it will certainly have to do. I personally disagree with the market's value, then again, I disagree with any perfume being that conspicuously priced. However, I'm sure there are others for which I would at least consider the expense. This perfume falls in line with Avon's Moonwind and Unforgettable, and has distant similarities with Halston Classic and Cafe Cafe. All of which are infinitely easier to come by on the internet, (the new Oregon Trail of commerce). I will end this by stating that this is, truly, quite pretty, and if you love chypres as much as I do, and can afford it, you will most definitely be pleased. For me, I find it projects far more complex and interesting on paper and fiber than it does on my skin. With the clarity of retrospection, that could just as easily be my chemistry; some ancient DNA, still in service from more furry ancestors - soaking up the smells of the forest floor, and signally to the tree tops, that safety lay ahead - there amongst the chlorophyll sky.

As with a lot of my blind buys, I go on eBay looking for one fragrance, find it for a good deal, then check to see if that same seller has other "good deals". And this is how I stumbled upon this lovely. I had never heard of Niki de Saint Phalle...the woman...the artist...the fragrance. After reading that Niki's first attempts in art involved paint and firearms and seeing this beautiful cobalt blue bottle with the intertwined snakes painted on, I was intrigued. So much so, that before even waiting for the bottle to arrive from this eBay seller, I bought a tube of the bath oil. Not a huge investment for a 3.5 oz tube at $10.99. I read one of the reviewers mentioning that she puts the bath oil in a atomizer (yes, it is thin enough to go through the nozzle of a vintage Devbliss medicinal atomizer) and she layers both the oil and the EDT for extra longevity. And she is right!!! This scent is gorgeous green and woodsey. Finding this site has opened the floodgates to what use to be a moderate obsession with fragrance to an outright addiction. My obsession started in the 70s with my mother's perfumes, then the 80s powerhouses, then it died down in the 90s. In the 2000s I have acquired more than previous decades. Mostly vintage scents associated with my favorite classic film stars, but also indulging in current cheapie celebrity fragrances that I thought I would never go for only because I am not particularly found of or appreciative of these celebs (ie. KK, Sean John, Jessica Simpson, Lady Gaga and the list goes on). However, I am finding beauty in all of tbese fragrances. There are so many more that I want to try, but they would put too much of a strain on my pocketbook. Hey, never say never cuz you never know if a windfall is around the corner or a beauty will be discovered in a dusty thrift shop.

grayspoole and Joshua CB - "Deep, somber and lovely" and an olfactory version of "Nocturnal Me" are dead on. This one doesn't get worn much by me down here in Texas. This is a nighttime perfume - deep, dark night in the deep, dark woods. It's also for winter, and sometimes for Fall if it's not too warm. This is a 40f and below fragrance. It's just so heavy, like putting on a cloak before stepping out into the moonlit world. Deepest evergreens, moss, old and wise, and yet something very warm and alive and feminine quickening under the surface. Like the future promise of Spring as the evergreens stand there alone, waiting and waiting and remembering. I love it. The best way I can describe it is this: I picture myself on a moonlit path at the edge of a wood. I'm very small against the trees. I have a mission to accomplish of great importance - gathering herbs, or maybe just getting to the other side, as that is no small thing in and of itself. It's a magical place full of hidden beauty, but also the promise of beasts and pitfalls and other unseen dangers. To go into the woods means being ready to face whatever comes into the path and charm it, outwit it, fight it if need be. But the myriad wonders of this place await you as well, if you're heroic enough to make the journey. I only wear this one on the cold nights when the wind howls and I'm feeling particularly heroic. It's always rewarding.

As if to bellow out from behind a gigantic megaphone, "Yes, you can have it all!" NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE manages to roll the best of chypre florals and leather perfumes all into one powerful potion. To wear this creation is to go on a raucous ride on a bucking bronco out in the wild, wild west. No one can claim that NIKI is boring or tame. The opening is rather green, with a galbanumesque-edge that introduces a complex chypre which continues to evolve with notes coming and going in wafts of wonderfulness. Meanwhile, the leather begins faint, as almost a soil-like complement, suggesting early on that NIKI will be but another well-behaved chypre. But, no, hold on to your hat, the leather gets darker and heavier as the green dissipates, to be replaced by other tell-tale chypre elements, including oakmoss. The florals are less assertive players in this composition, but essential as well: this is not fruity or sweet at all and at times the carnation and ylang contribute a dash of spiciness. By the drydown, the leather and the woods have more or less taken over, but the oakmoss persists all the way through to the end, many hours later, thanks to the amber and musk. NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE is definitely a composition worth trying--provided that you love both leather and classic chypre!

Review of Vintage EDT: This fragrance was not what I expected from the reviews below. Perhaps there is a distinct difference between the vintage formulation and the current formulation? Upon first application, vintage NdSP, is dominated by clean orris root, oakmoss and a hint of citrus. After an hour heart notes briefly appear in whispers of scent: rose and carnation are the only two I can decipher. Finally at about 1 1/2 hours after application this scent dries down to an fantastic warm cedar, gentle leather, oakmoss and musky scent. My personal impressions of are of clean, chic refinement and elegance, not the haunted/enchanted forest vibe that many note below. I wouldn't call this fragrance "green". I feel the richness of the patchouli underneath the more prominent notes, but I don't actually smell it. Sillage: about 15 feet Longevity: 10 hours on my skin Unbelievably well blended, it ALMOST wears the same from start to finish. Wearable by both sexes IMO. There is something very swoon worthy about the way this smells. This is the perfect scent to wear to an event where you want to stand out in a crowd in a good way.

Feral vegetal. Would perfectly suit Princess Mononoke riding her wolf siblings through the forest. Shocked me the first time, liked it the second—as so often happens with greens, there's a getting-to-know you phase. The opening is strong, bitter and dusty-spicy with the artemisia, chrysanthemum, marigold and mint notes. There's milky sap alongside the green, reminding me of the time I took a natural history pamphlet too literally: on a walk through a Maine meadow, I crushed milkweed leaves against my arms as an improvised sunscreen. After the opening roar, there's a distinct sweetening (rose and ylang?), and the carnation comes in on a bed of cool orris dirt. The drydown is similar to Bandit but more user-friendly, lacking the industrial vibe and staying in nature. I received a compliment from a customer when I layered Niki with some dabs of Papillon Tobacco Rose. Something about it was deeply familiar to her, though she assumed I was wearing Tom Ford. That seems to sum up Niki—weird but compelling, lodged somewhere in the collective unconscious.

On my skin, this has a quality like the dry-down on vintage Molinard de Molinard; about which I am elated because I have been looking for something exactly like this. I love green scents but my skin tends to eat those notes making it a difficult thing to find. In this case, the green start is quickly subsumed by the softer edges of the peach, jasmine, and woods/resins. The balance is wonderful; as this stays nicely soft like the scent of woods after the rain. Dare I say, it has a very similar quality to Apres l'Ondee on me with greater presence and complexity. Progression moves from sharp green to a soft floral- and resin- tinged green. It is really compatible with a wood fragrance that's more linear (I just happened to be testing Ava Luxe No 23 at the same time). Will test this a few more times but for the price, it seems very FB-worthy. Many thanks to MsMaryO for the sample!

This is a very unique perfume. I am a fan of Niki de Saint Phalles artwork, especially her colourful sculptures, but the perfume speaks a very different language, of someone very sophisticated and chic. I read her bio once somewhere and it described how she was a fashion model in her youth and was always impeccably dressed. This chypre fragrance is just that. Impeccably good taste. Extremely well blended, difficult to hone into separate notes, complex, sophisticated. Carnation, oakmoss, little bit of leather, amber. Enough florals to soften it down, make it more easy to approach. Great balance between lighter, herbal notes and the long standing base notes. Not too heavy not too light but just right. The bottle is fun, like her art work. I get the feeling she had this created to her personal, impeccable, taste.

I was eager to try NdSP. How could I not be? The bottle is blue glass (favorite color!) with colorful snakes on it, and I have a cobra tattoo on my arm! How could I not love it? As it turns out, I didn’t, but it is an interesting scent, and definitely unique. The scent is a combination of many unusual notes–pine, grapefruit, marigold, geranium–and thus smells hissingly green and spiky. It’s a bit too acerbic for my taste, even though I love green scents. But what fascinates me is the picture it evokes–that of a garden in late summer, when the only flowers still blooming in the blazing sun are, you guessed it, marigolds and geraniums. Dry, hot, and pungent. It would be the perfect scent if you love the scent of marigolds. But I don’t.

A soft, supremely well-blended fragrance, what I smell is mainly oakmoss, supported around the edges by a very tender marigold, warmed grass, and hay. This is HEAVEN. I usually love oakmoss for the sharp, pungent depth it gives my favorite chypres, but the oakmoss in Niki de Saint Phalle is something else -- a dreamy, pillowy, sunlit mossy green breeze that I just want to float in. I have the round cobalt blue mini with the intertwining snakes, and have just ordered a 4oz bottle of EdT in the same design. I never, ever want to be without this soft, strange beauty, for the rest of my life. P.S. I've just layered this with L'Artisan's Timbuktu, and I think I've just found my summer holy grail.