Nightcap

Ah yes, once again the perfume community has determined that a fragrance I love is hot garbage. Don't worry, that only serves as encouragement to me since I am a contrarian of some repute (ill repute admittedly, but it still counts). I get it. Nightcap is loud. It's aggressive. It's opinionated and it doesn't give a hot fart whether you find it obnoxious. This is what I would consider a dark green scent. It is vinous and cold and leans synthetic. That's what makes it interesting to me. In order for something to feel edgy it has to veer into territory that many will find unpleasant. Does Nightcap smell of aroma chemicals? Obviously. Is that a bad thing? Not if you grew up inhaling markers and diesel fumes for fun. This is the smell of ink copy sheets and hairspray and the mechanics office where you waited for your Mom's 1984 Renault to get its oil changed. It smells like the past and the future at the same time. It's what the androids from Blade Runner probably smelled like. If you don't like it that's ok. There are many things in this world that I don't like and it seems to trouble the powers that be not a whit. For me, however, Nightcap is intoxicating and I have to be very strict with myself lest I take a curious sip.

This is really well blended and gorgeous. Woody pear and cardamom. I don’t know exactly what Vetiver smells like but whatever it is, I like it! Very unisex and wearable, leans a little masculine.

Upon first encounter, “Nightcap” greets you with a robust, woody embrace, reminiscing leather’s timeless allure, despite its absence from the listed notes. A burst of sharp greenery, intertwined with the succulence of what could only be pear, makes a fleeting yet memorable introduction. This initial vivacity is but a prelude to the main performance, where rich cedar and spicy cardamom take center stage, supported by a chorus of delightful, earthy undertones. “Nightcap” presents itself as a unisex fragrance with a masculine edge, versatile enough for those who dare to defy the ordinary. Its presence is assertive without being overbearing, offering good longevity that whispers rather than shouts, making it an impeccable choice for the confines of an office. As the hours pass, it settles into a comforting, soft woody-earthiness, a lingering whisper that accompanies you throughout the day. “Nightcap” is not just a fragrance; it’s a statement of quiet confidence, a companion for those moments when you choose to stand out with subtlety.

Here, the top notes are first very juicy/aqueous pear, then violet, a little spicy (cardamom, yes, certainly somewhere, but not only). I can't quite make out the iris root aspect, but the evolution is very much on the resin/incense side, that slightly sticky cedar-type thing, and personally, that's one of my favorite accords. The woody/vetiver notes that follow are very dry, very present, and the finish is very, very good. I don't have much original to say about it, because there's really nothing original about it (really: this exact composition, already smelled ten times - it's almost like copy-and-pasted Dyptique, a very trendy chord of notes), but it's portable with pleasure.

I find this hard to describe. It’s a sandalwood scent with a heavy dose of spices, but it’s not dry or oriental like many others of that description. Instead to me it almost has this dense/earthy/damp character; I think it’s probably the orris root and pear. Almost like a muddy wood forest after heavy rain? I don’t really get much Cyprus or vetiver but the orris and amyris really come through. Great longevity.