Nightingale

Now finally a real perfume (I have more on the way to test) from this brand. A true perfume and not a weird "scent" or boring shampoo not worth the expense of a full bottle since this is a pricey brand. But nightingale is truly beautiful and worthy of the elegant creature the fragrance represents. Nightingale starts off bitter and sharp like the high pitched call of a bird piercing the still night air. It startled the senses but that feeling quickly fades as you realize the sweet melody that the bird song has become. Nightingale is almost indescribable and undefinable in it's beauty. Floral with violet taking the staring role, rose and plum blossom as supporting cast. Think of the most beautifully scented cosmetic cream mingling with fresh cut flowers from a hothouse or someone's well cared for garden mingling with church incense, animalic musks and soft pillowy moss. These scents mingle with one another and drift in and out as if they are dancing on your skin. This perfume starts off bold and piercing like the mating call of a bird then becomes the beautiful and sweet bird song announcing the arrival of spring and the promise of new life to come. As it gently fades away on skin it is the softest whisper of faint florals soft tea like greens, moss and animalic musks. This is a true perfume and a perfume that is deeply connected to the essence of nature. This is a stunning and very elegant creation. Absolutely breathtaking. I am contemplating a full bottle. Edit: Ida Meister describes Nightingale better than I ever could....."Nightingale has several faces: sometimes I feel her as a scintillatingly floral, bright, brash even. Other moments she is a cloud of face powder sheathed in a dusky base, mysterious and haunting." IMO Nightingale is a masterpiece, plain and simple. A postmodern classic with a glorious respect for the past. Right up there with Jean Patou Joy, 1000, Sublime. It is a floral dream just like those greats were and still are. I stopped contemplating and just bought a bottle. I could not resist the siren song of this beautiful, and captivating bird.

Someone on Reddit recently commented that they find long backstories in perfume reviews to be obnoxious. I couldn't help but wonder if they were right. For example, was it my moral imperative to inform my reader of my opinion immediately, so I wouldn't waste their time? Should I put that the fragrance Nightingale by Zoologist is one of my favorites ever, an easy 10/10 Buy It Again and Again? That I will literally own until they discontinue it, at which point I will freak out and buy three backup bottles even if it means I have to keep a little debt on my credit card for a month or two? The notes chart and the rating are right there on the Fragrantica page, after all...was this redditor really trusting a random person with a profile picture of Simba and/or Princess Mononoke to tell them whether or not they should buy a $200 bottle of perfume? Or if they were more reasonable, a sample/decant (sidenote: I recommend the sample from the site if you can get it. TRY this beautiful thing if the style or notes look at all appealing to you)? I don't know, guys, I kind of like reading about your crazy stories and beautiful memories. There was a time during COVID when my favorite part of the day was walking to the park at twilight, finding a patch of grass to sit in, listening to music on my headphones, and sniffing my wrist repeatedly to enjoy whatever Zoologist perfume I was wearing. Those were really special, lovely moments, and this floral wonder - soft as a blossom and rich as a rose garden - became my favorite. It is mystical and gorgeous and it makes me feel like I'm part of the beautiful part of the world when I wear it. And only other fragrance nerds really know how special that can be, so I'm glad that we get to share those things here together.

Where to start with Nightingale. The brand does a far better job than I can (and how nice it is to read beautiful prose in a brand's perfume press blurb for once): "Messengers of spring arrive, bearing gifts that bring smiles to faces dulled by winter’s chill. The joyous song of the nightingale accompanies vibrant fuchsia-colored aromas of Japanese plum blossoms as they spread, infusing the tepid air.... [Nightingale is] a pink floral chypre that will melt your heart. It opens with rich scents of saffron and rosy, powdery, tart Japanese plum blossoms, enveloping the core of the perfume like a luxurious silk kimono. Deep, warm aromas of oud, patchouli, moss, incense and ambergris seek to escape, seeping from the ruddy petals, to create a composition that’s complex and at the same time, simply desirable." That's 100% accurate. All I would add in terms of olfactory notes is that there seems to be a slight oily/fatty note in there of nuts or sesame seeds, but perhaps that is just my imagination playing tricks on me; Nightingale has that rarest and most wonderful of qualities of triggering vivid and illusory images and emotions in your mind's eye. This perfume is gorgeous. It emanates the happiest and most swoon-worthy hues of purple and pink florals and fruits I've smelled in a very long time. I appreciate the technical care gone into it as well, notably being that the base is not a separate act that rushes to the forefront sooner rather than later to create an excuse for good longevity; the heart and base are masterfully stitched together and inseparable. Zoologist has several great perfumes, but I would find it difficult to argue against a statement of this being the best.

I got the full set of Zoologist fragrances which I'm going through one-at-a-time, and I absolutely expect this one to be not-me. Heavy florals, and a heavy feminine skew according to the reviews. Still, I appreciate good fragrance even if it's not for me, so I'm intrigued to give this a go. Moth by the same perfumier is clearly well-composed, but a heavy, too-out-there scent for me personally. I'm eager to experience the same level of craftsmanship, minus the one-step-into-the-Twilight-Zone that is Moth. Here we go... Nightingale opens sweet, floral, heavy, and citrusy. Vintage and appealing, and slightly grounded by either the saffron or the base notes. It's not a sweetness-and-flowers overload. It's not dusty/musty so I although it references heavy, vintage women's fragrances, it doesn't scream "grandma" to me. A woman aged 20-60 could absolutely wear this. It stays sweet, floral, cheerful and charming from its opening onward, for several hours and keeps right on going. The citrus fades quickly as would you expect for a chypre, but the happy florals continue. I almost can envision myself wearing this — despite being a middle-aged gay man who strongly prefers dark, funky fragrances. It's that personable. There's no sneak attack in the drydown either. Overall: high praise for this one even if I'm not the target market. An excellent choice for anyone looking for cheerful and complex floral scents.

When I was 20 I did have a pet nightingale for several years; exactly as the one in the bottle – a Pekin Robin (Leiothrix lutea). The little thing could never stay put, motionless, would jump and hop all day long. This fragrance from the demicrazy-bold house Zoologist pays good honor to aethereal jumpiness, subtle little feet and nuance shades of feathers and song. I love this Nightingale Parfum, I admire its complexity and utter delicate construction. The Japanese plum and violet come immediately to me (actually more so than the head notes described by Zoologist)... the moss, musk and ambergris keep on hopping back for very long. I really believe these notes are hopping, rather than evolving linearly as a mere commercial fragrance does. With Nightingale we can experience notes unveiling and veiling a little again, only to signal their presence later on, and again. Love the geisha kimono and rose-tinted juice that clearly target women, and yet make it so deliciously transgressive to wear it as a man and allow a different skin chemistry (allegedly) play tricks on this bouncy little Jack*. No Zoologist fragrance is, in my opinion, truly “for men” or “for women” as compositions are just too wild for that! Which is refreshing. (*Jack was the name of my long time passed pekin robin, RIP)

Zoologist Nightingale might be my first and, so far, only love at first sniff. It opens with an explosion of powdery rose that transports me to the dressing room of a vintage movie star, where every surface glimmers and every corner is swathed in plush velvet. “Vintage” in this regard isn’t synonymous with “outdated” because this perfume is far from it. (I won't go on a tangent, but I think many people automatically associate powdery scents with “old” women. There are plenty of powder-forward fragrances, looking at you Delina, that aren’t accused of being “mature” like this one has been.) If this fragrance were a person, they’d be the one you might overlook at first glance, but by the second or third glance, you're struck by how absolutely beautiful they are. Nightingale would be someone whose age you couldn’t guess because they radiate the fresh, lively beauty of youth and the sophisticated elegance that only time can bestow. I can imagine someone like Lana Del Rey wearing this. It’s hauntingly nostalgic but with a modern twist—both something familiar and something entirely new. It evokes pure melancholy for a life that isn’t your own. This perfume is far from “grandma-ish”; it’s timeless femininity.

Nightingale is so so gooood. This is probably my favorite from Zoologist, and I've tried almost every release. Some fragrances are sexy, but others are beautiful--so so beautiful, like you are sinking into the scent. The first time I tried Nightingale was a disappointment. It was too vintage and disjointed with prominent moss and patchouli taking over, but, one day I tried my sample again, and all the notes just clicked together into chypre perfection. The delicate, semi-sweet waxy powdery florals are perfectly balanced with the base notes. Like other reviewers pointed out, the color pink feels very appropriate, like pastel water colors. The fruity and floral notes are blended in a way that I've never experienced before. This is beyond "more than the sum of its parts"; this is euphoria over a backdrop of darkness; the ecstatic anticipation of a spring night. What does Nightingale smell like? Mostly sweet (not gourmand) florals on top of dark animalic "oak moss" with a touch of rose, a touch of freshness and iris--very delicate, yet insistent. I've never smelled plum blossom, but there is a springtime tree flower type of note with plum paired with waxy ylang. 5/5 full bottle list

I can't quite put my finger on why I love this fragrance so much. I've been blunt about shying away from sweet fragrances and this one is undoubtedly sweet; the massive punch of unusually sweet roses is almost overpowering on the first hit. But, there is a whole lot going on and it seems to shift and change a lot as it dries down (something my low boredom threshold adores in a fragrance). That's hardly surprising: just check out all of those very complex materials in its base notes. What's perhaps a little odd (to me at least) is that what this fragrance most evokes for me is a strong personal gourmand scent memory. Sure, there are a few notes in there from edible materials (or at least those commonly eaten these days), but it's not exactly gourmand in the usual way the term is used. However, what it reminds me of really old-fashioned sweets, the kind of thing usually dispensed by my elderly female relatives; violet sweeties, pear drops, rose flavoured Turkish delight or powdery love hearts. There is something in Nightingale that has the same combination of sweet floral and almost astringent chemical scents mixed together that I love.

At first, I couldn't smell anything at all. Pressing my nose up against to where I sprayed didn't do anything either. But every now and again I know it's there because I get a sudden whiff of it when my skin warms up, and something about it makes me tear up. I don't know why. Reviews say that this is grandma-like and pungent, but I don't get that at all. On my skin its light, fruity, gently sweet. Like a starburst or a lemon rose tart but with less cloying, gourmand sugar. A faintly sour, floral sweetness. But the floral isn't overpowering, the violet... the faint rose... the plum blossom stands out to me. I've always loved plum blossom. It settles into a gentle, woody musk, like a spring night in the middle of a garden. Petals in the breeze, butterfly wings... This comforts me. It's nostalgic, somehow. I want it. I love it. The rose hints are like a soft honeyrose. My coworker complimented it on me and said it worked well with me. I would wear this to sleep. Pretty, pink. Gentle, comforting pink. It makes me feel at peace in my own skin.

I will never forget the joy of discovering Zoologist perfumes for the first time. Just thinking of them makes me smile. Because they are fun! Delightfully original, great quality and there is nothing safe or consensual about them. You can feel the enthusiasm and sheer joy of the people who created them. I love them all. But my very favorite is Nightingale. It made me think of Cindy Lauper and her songs, of the japanese pin-up girls, well any pin-up could smell like this. Like good old fashioned greasy lipstick, makeup, powder. It smells pink, playful and fizzy. It has that uncompromising chypré structure that I love, the oakmoss and the patchouli, with a touch of oud and ambergris for depth, the oumpf! I agree, it smells vintage, like the classics of the old, the perfect balance of clean, flowery and dirty, powdery and skanky. The texture is somewhere between velvet and suede. Very comfortable, sensual and even in sportswear or pajamas with no makeup in sight, it makes me feel spiffy. It's endearing.

It’s like liquid gold- rich, thick, syrupy and it feels so well constructed and like a piece of art. Very reminiscent of the classic perfumes and smells so familiar it gets in my brain like a little question - where have I smelled this before? An artist created this to make a beautiful perfume, to emulate the tones of the nightingale singing, which range from high and sweet to deep and golden and then a bit of discordant chatter. It’s not created to be a non-offensive perfume a person could wear to their office. As to references to old ladies, which seems to be the most popular dis on this website in fragrance reviews, there were some incredible pieces of art made in the classic perfume period when more high quality ingredients were used and any old ladies who continue to wear those perfumes probably smell magnificent. Longevity is excellent, pretty close to eternal, and sillage on me is extensive- if I was on an elevator wearing this everyone else in there with me would smell it.

I love this one and no it does not smell like plastic. Sheesh some ppl need to clean out their noses. It’s a very nice unique floral perfume. I’m going to buy a bottle soon. It’s on my list. As always I suggest sampling first. Zoologist do sell samples. I bought samples of the entire line. I only really love 6 that I have a bottle of. Bee, Civet, Bat(new version), Hummingbird and Dragonfly(2019 original) Nightingale I only have the travel size decant. I regret deeply not buying a full bottle of Dragonfly when I had the chance. I instead decided to buy their box of 5 decants . So I had purse sizes to take with me. So when I went back to buy a full bottle of Dragonfly, I saw they reformulated it. I tried a sample and didn’t like it at all. It’s not up to their usual standards. I loved original Dragonfly in the purple juice. But can’t find it anywhere. If anyone has a bottle of original Dragonfly and wants to sell it, message me please. Original is a lite purple color juice.

I received a sample of this a long time ago and I thought to myself this reminds me of my grandmother. Mind, my gran was a very classy lady. Conservative in mannerism but elegant and carried herself with class. I didn’t feel the need to purchase it then but it is one of those scents that induced such a strong memory in me. When she passed recently, I had to buy this immediately. I want to keep the feeling that reminds me of her alive. This scent reminds me of all the best parts about her. It is beautiful and classic but doesn’t strike me as an old lady perfume, just that you have a refined taste. Very vintage. I do have a hard time finding an occasion to wear this as I’m not a formal person, but if you like vintage chypre I think it’s actually quite versatile. It is an easy wear as far as Zoologist perfume goes. Nothing weird or out there notes. Just a very pretty and well done perfume. However, it is quite strong and doesn’t shy away from letting her presence known

Finally! After all my searching I have come across a Zoologist fragrance I really enjoy. I’ve spent a long time feeling as though this house wasn’t for me, constantly being disappointed by the hyped up releases - but why isn’t this being talked about more? I suppose because it’s a rather old fashioned, classical smelling scent. A gorgeously deep crimson rose is the star here, it doesn’t go as far as jammy but it’s dense and unashamed to make itself overtly known. Combined with the sweet juiciness of plum blossom and salty ambergris, this is then tempered by the delicate powdery facets of violet, and the creamy touch of oakmoss in the base. It’s gorgeous, I really wasn’t going into this expecting to enjoy it so much. I’m usually quite picky about my rose fragrances so for me to give this such high praise really says a lot, especially from a house that I typically don’t like. I will definitely consider picking this up at some point.

I totally see the comparison between Nightingale and Mitsouko: there's quite an overlap between their scent profiles, except in Mitsouko you smell peach and there's a sort of sourness/moldiness which is absent in NG. I'd say NG smells like wearing Mitsouko while visiting a Lush shop. Not sure how this creation made it into the Zoologist collection but it's a very nice one and I like it slightly more than Mitsouko. Smells definitelly feminine, but I can see myself wearing it if applied lightly. The fact that some female users here find it masculine leaning speaks volumes about how the perfumes of one particular era inform your tastes and, ultimately, your sense of smell: for someone constantly smelling caramelly gourmands this perfume (and Mitsouko) smell "odd", alien if you will. So whenever we smell something we cannot clearly put into a cathegory of our olfactory data base, we tend to attribute it to the other sex.

Ohhh.. It's very, very nice! I'm feeling very generous and giving this one a love. Most of all it is very floral, like the scent of a garden, complete with a bit of fresh watered soil (I think that's the patchouli.) What a charming and gentle, a very sweet smelling floral! It smells like a flower garden but all the flowers are coated in sugar. Not to sound like I'm parroting the reviewer below me, but it does remind me a bit of Hummingbird but much less artificial smelling. It's a little powdery too; makes me think of Putain des Palaces ELDO but this actually shows up on my skin. Like, if you showed me the notes of Putain des Palaces and told me that this was the smell, I'd believe you. I wouldn't wear this, it's too "pink" smelling for my own wear, perhaps it is the bottle color giving me that mental association, but it smells very nice and I want to buy this for my girlfriend just to smell it on her.

My aunt used to have a big bottle of Chanel No. 5 on her dresser. Once, I snuck a sniff and was struck by its powderiness. To me, Chanel No. 5 is the ultimate powdery musk fragrance. Any powdery scent thus always conjures to me an image of glamour and wealth, courtesy of Chanel No. 5 and its wearers; people like my aunt, who sits on charity boards and has never worked a day in her life. Nightingale is Chanel No. 5 with a purpose. A gorgeous scent that harkens back to vintage glamour without being old-fashioned. It opens with a lovely floral accord, buoyed with fresh citrus, and then dries down to a powdery musk. But this time, Zoologist has given Nightingale a job. If Chanel No. 5 is for grandmas and wealthy housewives, Nightingale is for their daughters; working women who are now CEOs of their family firms. It is for someone who wants a very modern scent that still recall a rich, illustrious heritage.

It starts with Umeshu, plum wine. And saffron. Very beautiful opening. The rose follows quickly. The issue with the rose-saffron-oud fragrances is that it is difficult for me to tell them apart after the opening notes are gone. I'm not saying that this is perfumer's fault. Probably just me. Not really an issue, per se. Rose-saffron-oud are lovely together. I'm just always a bit anxious, when I try compositions that I think I won't be able to recognize later, when smelled blindly. We'll see, but I wanna try to wear it later for a streak of days. I can smell something metallic in the dry-down. Sometimes I feel metallic notes in sandalwood, maybe that's why. The drydown still has a woody rose in it. BTW, the rose here is not a fresh garden rose, it's rose oil. This perfume does not smell strange or weird, the composition is beautiful, balanced and wearable. Not mindblowing, but safe, classy and polite.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous girl. Opens with a slightly rattling handful of overwhelmingly vintage petals tossed abruptly into the air, but they flutter down quickly into a beautifully blended substrate of vibrant, warm pinks and oranges. It's difficult to pick out individual notes as Nightingale dries down; the components snap together seamlessly into a comforting, elegant scent that makes you nostalgic for a time you were far more luxurious and wealthy and graceful than you've ever actually been. A juicy plum, still ripened by sun as you bite into it, making the top of your throat hot and prickly with the nearly overwhelming sweetness of its violet mash, the flowers of its tree hanging heavy in the air, undercut ever so subtly by the scent of sun-baked wood, dark and grounded and providing an excellent scaffold for the showier florals here. Just wonderful.

Beautiful neo chypre. Neo Tokyo vibes I could say. Opening is quite sour and spicy (saffron). It lasts on my skin for 30 min or so. Beware, if you cannot stand sour smells you won't like this. The lemon is quite persistent. It changes a bit from most chypre I smelled before which are based around heavy florals/rose. That one is really more about plums, sour lemons, saffron. The dry-down is : powdery, mossy, saffron, plum blossom. Less interesting than the opening but still great. It's actually more unisex than it seems. Longevity is impressive. Last for hours on your skin. Entire day on my clothes. I own a travel spray since I don't have many occasions to wear this one. I like it and find the art impressive but this is still an "heavy" perfume IMO. Not something you grab and spray heavily every day. Probably best worn in Spring/Fall evenings.