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Augmesimmes33 – :
Hmmm.. Piece of heaven.
Since i love ylang, oakmoss mix, this satisfied my passion. It has that elegant ylang rosy blend with oakmoss to add that earthy factor but not too much, it’s like balancing it with amber, musk, and sandalwood. A vintage blend of eternity.
I loved this fragrance as i am referring to the vintage formula and i wish the new formula is never different than the original.
Edit (8th April 2018) The version i reviewed was the vintage one & the version i am having now is the new version while it’s identical to vintage but the staying power is hideously bad, it stays no more than a 45 minutes.
Viksifa – :
Merry Christmas
Nuit de Noel is a beautiful dark floral Oriental and chypre, with oak moss, incense and amber giving it a full body, richness, longevity and sillage as only vintage perfumes have. This is supposed to evoke Christmas night in a forest deep with snow. There’s plenty of green notes which are suggestive of plant life, green moss around trees, and a mix of scents that revolve around musk but which is not animalic enough to be ‘dirty. This is an absolutely gorgeous fragrance.
The floral notes of rose and jasmine give it a sweet feminine air but they are of the aldehyde floral sort. The aroma is strong from the start. The ylang ylang note at the top is quite fresh and fruity but this scent is hardly about the florals. Before long it turns into an Oriental perfume with amber sandalwood and even some incense/myrrh. Smoky, sophisticated, and religious in it’s air this is the perfect Christmas winter time fragrance. It’s mature and artistic, a beautiful evening cologne for both men and women who prize quality ingredients in fragrance. December through February are the best months to wear this scent.
oiugvbpSAZl – :
This is a review for the vintage 1950s fragrance, which I bought in a splash bottle with the bakelite cap, and decanted into a glass spray. Oh my God, what a beautiful fragrance. I can’t believe how good this is. It has a weird, unpleasant but compelling resinous top note that reminds me of the opening notes of Royal Bain de Champagne (my RBdeC bottle is also vintage, 1960s – don’t know if the modern reformulation is the same but mine gets crystals around the spray from the incense). Then something edible kicks in, like marzipan or frangipane cakes or the gooey filling in almond croissants – even my anosmic husband could smell it. Then after 30 minutes, there is a great bloom of soft flowers – so well blended I couldn’t pick out individual notes. The drydown is soft and creamy and marron-glacé-ish. Wonderful. It is, to me, very sexy – Caron fragrances are very private, like silk underwear – they don’t go advertising themselves like floozies, they’re for the private pleasure of the wearer – and those lucky enough to get close enough to her to smell them!
Murloc – :
typical Caron perfection in a soapy floral aldehyde with bite; spicy, floral, soapy and in the dry down I smell civet on my arm; seems less of a chypre and more of an aldehyde, maybe because a sweet flower like ylang is balancing the woody bitterness of oakmoss; I loathe oakmoss and am not getting any in this other than a dry sharpness that keeps it soapier and from getting overly sweet and cloying, bright
chesnakovdv – :
A few years ago I acquired an EDT spray of this from the 80s or 90s with a stained glass window sticker label on the bottle. All I can think when I wear this is that it smells just like those powdered almond tea cookies that are eaten at Christmas time. I agree with the person below who says there is a nutty, Christmas pudding smell here. I disagree with the people saying it smells floral. It’s very well-blended, I don’t smell rose, jasmine, or ylang-ylang…I just smell those Powdered Almond Tea Cookies eaten during the holidays! For that reason, I think it truly does smell like an old fashioned Christmas and is aptly named!
Fewerol – :
Nuit De Noel
Christmas and the religious roses and floral wreaths and poinsettia adorn this fragrance meant to evoke the silent night before the big day.
I think of this fragrance as having notes that should have been used to complete Parfum Sacre. There is a gorgeous jasmine that stands out whereas the rose was more detectable in Parfum Sacre. And here we have sandalwood. It’s such a beautiful sandalwood. This scent is more floral than Parfum Sacre and was very pleased with the detectable ylang ylang. It’s more of a Christmas floral bouquet.
This is more feminine than Parfum Sacre which can be seen as unisex. This one is a floral sweet and yet mossy fragrance for a mature lady who hosts the Christmas dinners over candlelight. This is a warm but not spicy scent and it turns into an oak moss chypre in the dry down.
Other notes that stand out: amber. This is an amber based perfume and the amber is like gold liquid and soap. It’s clean, and soapy but I like that. In a way it reminds me of Royal Bain which I also like.
Nuit de Noel is not as resinous and spicy or exotic as Parfum Sacre. It is indeed more of a Christmas spent in European capitals like London Paris Vienna and Rome and not Jerusalem. It’s floral, soapy, mossy and very soothing. It can be worn to dinners, parties and at home to relax. If you like amber you will surely enjoy this scent.
A scent of peace, it’s definitely relaxing and soothing. It makes me feel like you’ve already opened Christmas presents, eaten up every meal, and you’re now just ending your Christmas holiday by the fireplace with your loved ones. There is nothing left to do but say good night. It’s Christmas Night perfume, not Christmas Eve.
Beautiful!
qazzaq1975 – :
A true classic beauty filled with gentle winter roses and spices, with a haunting name to match. Love it.
Nastga678 – :
NdN Edt
Oakmoss, Ylang, Jasmine and Rose..there are those florals peeking from the Oakmoss. Refined, chic and lovely.
She tells her story slowly, languidly, like a worldly mature woman that has experienced life. The sandalwood enters and drys out the mossy floral. A cinnamon-spicy warmth of wood gives it a slight exotic touch. In 2016, this scent is very foreign, yet in 1920s it was a hallmark of comfort and celebration. The mousse de saxe base rises and most of the oakmoss has receded at the end of the tale. Its creamy vanillic amber leather musk gives it some body and a slight edge of understated sexiness.
She isnt for everyone. But to the ones willing to understand her story, give her a few tries (It took me 4 wearings to get a good handle on it because NdN changes with the seasons, chemistry, location, etc.) and you will be rewarded. Sometimes the oakmoss takes center stage but when the florals dominate over the moss..its gorgeous. Ive never experienced winter flowers…but its done here. It isnt glam but it is seductive. Hauntingly gorgeous.Blooms in winter
Hopefully one day I can experience the vintage extrait.
great for:
Oakmoss lovers
Sophisticated woody scent
Vintage perfumistas
Men could wear it
Not sweet at all.
init865 – :
Like a warm, beloved woman’s hug. In an antique house.
Yurchanin – :
There should be a picture of Nuit de Noel in the dictionary next to the word vamp.
Maybe this isn’t supposed to be a sexy fragrance, and it doesn’t really give off that vibe on its own per se. However, pair it with an otherwise sexy, especially classically sexy outfit (i.e. little black dress and heels), and it takes the whole thing to a new level. When I think sexy, I don’t usually think oakmoss and ylang together, but it is, especially when rose and sandalwood are added. It’s mature in the sense that the wearer needs to be self assured, but it’s not “old”, if you’re my age (20s), a big personality is required to pull it off. Maybe you need that to wear this at any age, it’s not a perfume that will go unnoticed. Lovingthealien’s review is spot-on, I think. This represents the 1920’s, but only in an overly glamorous, slightly exaggerated way. That’s not a bad thing, I love the excessive side of the 20’s, it was the epitome of glamour, aesthetically speaking anyway. And if Nuit de Noel has anything to do with Christmas, it is indeed a goth Christmas. It’s one of the darkest perfumes I’ve smelled without even trying to be, but it’s also warm enough to be somewhat festive (for someone who doesn’t usually do festive). I get the Catholic Church incense note, and oakmoss reminds me of colder weather in general. The florals complete it, it’s one of the smoothest chypres ever at the opening, and then it morphs into more of a floral-oriental. The base is very similar to Tabac Blonde. I’ll be honest- I didn’t like this or any of the Carons that I sampled on first try, I actually found them kind of shocking and unpleasant but strangely addictive, like, I couldn’t stop sniffing the vial or wearing the stuff even though I thought I probably hated it. It was the first line of perfumes in a long time to challenge me that much, but a few days later I was head-over-heels in love with each of the Carons I tried and Caronade in general. They all have an attitude. They don’t need you to like or approve of them, they enthusiastically challenge the status quo, and Nuit de Noel can’t be properly worn without at least a bit of cynicism in your nature. A legit flapper perfume for sure.
moskalenkoan – :
I know what this perfume was named for. There is an old story about how on Christmas eve all the flowers open and bloom for a brief moment in the dead of Winter. This is that story in a bottle.
I want to rename it NIGHT IN A GREENHOUSE. When you first put it on you get an Oakmoss monster. It reminds me of repotting ferns and orchids using peatmoss and old man’s beard. Dry stuff that is somehow alive. When the oakmoss gets banished back to it’s realm, the sweetest light scent of flowers comes through. Sorry, no roses. But the sandalwood and ylang-yland seem to waft in from out of nowhere. It is very close to the skin. I am using eau de toilette, so the perfume would be much heavier I’m sure.
The next time I see someone looking for a dark and different perfume, I’m suggesting this. It does whisper ancient and dark. No sugar cookies or fireplaces. Maybe potted amaryllis bulbs.
I’m very glad I got this one. Now I have to wait for cold weather to wear it properly. It seems out of place in the heat of summer and I don’t think it would agree with spring.
newodow – :
Fragrance Review For Nuit De Noel Caron
Top Notes ylang-ylang rose jasmine
Middle Notes sandalwood oak moss
Base Notes Musk Amber
Christmas Night fragrance, December fragrance, winter floral. This is a beautiful perfume and I find it easy to wear after having worn Caron Parfum Sacre for years. This is a divine scent of golden ylang-ylang jasmine petals and rose petals. This smells like a floral display of red and white flowers on a Christmas wreath hanging on your front door. The oak moss is really delivering all the best that oak moss can do in a fragrance. It’s the oak moss note that does it for me. It brings everything together. This is what they were trying to recreate: the aroma of a Christmas wreath. The flowery scents are not too flowery just warm delicate and lovely. The amber in the dry down is glowing like a halo. The amber becomes balsamic. I can’t compare this to any other scent I own in my vast collection. It is very beautiful and meaningful it does smell religious but without having incense or the Church connection. It’s Christmas at home, it’s going to sleep on Christmas Eve by the fireplace and surrounded by woods, the Christmas tree scent. It’s like a little cottage, beautifully decorated for Christmas in the middle of a forest. Santa Claus is not far away and already you can hear the sleigh bells in the air over the rooftop. A beautiful scent that I only wear on Christmas Eve, one of many that I wear that have to do with Christmas. Highly recommended.
bodinator007 – :
I seem to only get baby powder with a splash of jasmine. This was a sample, so could it simple have turned? A real question, since I am a newbie. I so very badly wanted it to be what everyone else described.
Адольф – :
My experience with Nuit de Noel hasn’t been romantic or intriguing as others. Oh, I wish it were! I managed to find a vintage extrait in the beautiful black flask perfume bottle. Still intact…and sealed. Nearly broke a tooth trying to get it out. Not very ladylike. Soon after, my face smelled like the adventure of the christmas pudding till the next day. Too bad it was shortly after the holidays.
But still amazingly beautiful. And you know what? It might still be a little romantic too.
kata – :
Christmas Eve begins with nutty Christmas pudding, ends in church full of incence.
Kimberly_fromAD – :
It’s Christmas and I am wearing Nuit de Noel EDP. I bought it in Paris in one of the Caron boutiques the day before yesterday. I compared it to the Extrait and it is exactly the same, except the Extrait should surely last longer. The EDT does not last long on the skin, but it is beautiful and to me, does smell Christmassy. 76 euros isn’t cheap and the Extrait is 4 times the cost for a much smaller amount. Does anyone know if the EDT can be bought in a good London store? Les Senteurs only sells the Extrait (in the pretty Baccarat bottle for £199).
FaraonRamses – :
I keep returning to “Nuit de Noel”. Here it is, the middle of a hot summer and no matter whatever else I try, I’m still craving the smooth, woodsy spice of NdN.
I find the velvet greens and lush, jammy rose far, more pronounced in warm weather, while the spices and woods are so subtle and astringent, that this blend never gets oppressive in heat. The starchy nuttiness and creaminess subsides a bit, its usual smokiness hides (barring the hint of a distant bonfire) and it’s really the astringent woods that take center stage. One breath and I’m deep in shadowy overgrown woods, stumbling upon briar roses on a pine needle path and imagining what those woods look like on a silent, snow-covered Christmas night.
I’m so glad a Florida company agreed to continue making this blend because the idea of it being discontinued would honestly make me sad.
KLennethZ – :
I have a 1ml sample of Nuit de Noel pure perfume. While I’m very pleased I was able to obtain this, I am now very worried because I have fallen deeply in love with Nuit de Noel. I need a full bottle (28mls of pure perfume comes in a gorgeous black flacon), but to own it would cripple me financially. I’m a sucker for Christmas inspired scents, but this one is so dreamy and creamy it’s something else. This could be worn all year round, I don’t find it heavy, it’s snuggly, cosy but not overwhelming. If Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles is a walk in a wintry pine forest ending in front of a log fire, Nuit de Noel is a house at Christmas, where the scent of freshly baked all spice cookies wafts from the kitchen into other rooms – there’s definitely a log fire burning away in the background and there’s some kind of liqueur being drunk…to be honest, I’m a bit lost for words. Forget long winded reviews, let me just say yum yum.
*Happened to read that Marilyn Monroe wore Nuit de Noel, so that was quite an interesting revelation!
Update: I caved in and managed to find a vintage sealed bottle on eBay for half the price of a new bottle. Waiting in anticipation for its arrival.
Dzhuma – :
I was lucky enough to find a tiny black bottle of Nuit de Noel in an antique shop, with the juice intact. It dates to the 1920s or 1930s and is a beautiful little piece of Art Deco history.
The oakmoss in old perfumes is so aching lovely. I am reminded of the smell of fireplaces as you lay a new fire, the ashes of the old fire cold but fragrant. It’s got a sexy, powerful powder heart with a classic rose so unlike the chemical modern roses you smell now that you just want to weep. The ylang-ylang is sweetly vanillic.
Nuit de Noel deserves its name, a perfume of home and hearth, full of promise and grace.
lionross – :
It’s a freezing and dreary day. Not just every day however. It’s Christmas Eve. And a proper one I might say, since there’s a lot of snow around. And what’s more, I got all lucky in my “thematic” shopping this morning. I stumbled upon a near mint antique bottle of Nuit de Noël in a flea market, complete with its jade shagreen case, tassel and stuff, and since I’ve always thought of it as one of the most elegant packagings ever made, I grabbed it without further ado. I guess that wishing it was full too, would be sort of pushing my luck.
With a solid piece of history in my coat’s pocket, I think that having a couple of drinks while sniffing it wouldn’t be such a bad idea on this cold winter day.
So, pretending that it’s 1922, I enter an old bistrot in the city’s most popular square, and order a glass of fine cognac.
From where I am, I can see a girl sitting on the stairs of a building’s entrance, lying opposite to the bistrot’s side windows.
A cascade of fiery red hair is bursting from her beanie.
She’s like a torch burning in the snow…
She has placed her bag on the cold and wet marble and she’s sitting on it. She holds a small paper bag in her hands and looks excited. I wonder what the cause of her exhilaration could be. I take a sip of my cognac and smile.
What she takes out of her small paper bag makes my heart miss a beat. I recognise the plain black-capped rectangular bottle. Or, to put it better, I recognise its label. She opens it and dabs a few drops on her wrists and on the sides of her neck. Now if this is not a coincidence, then it has to be fate signing at me.
Encouraged by the spirit of the day, I decide to be a little more daring than usual and find out which of the two.
…
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Her amber eyes widen with surprise.
“What?…”
“Your Christmas Eve.”
“What about it?”
I sway my bottle in front of her eyes.
“Hey! This has the same name, but it’s so more beautiful and looks so old. What is it?”
“The grandmother of yours. Care to meet her?”
She accepts my offer for a drink. After all it’s freezing outside.
…
“Oh my God… This is magical…”
Although the perfume is long gone, its soul is still lingering. And sometimes an echo can be louder than the sound itself.
She remains silent with her eyes closed for quite a while. Although I suspect where she might have been drifting, I ask her anyway.
“I was trying to imagine some of the hands that once held this bottle and some of the words that were whispered because of its content being worn. Anyway, my bus leaves in four hours. Can you stand me being ecstatic for this long, oh my noble stranger?”
“Noble stranger” is how we agreed calling each other, to maintain some of the mystery that is weaved with this special and magic day.
But in any case, I tell her that I could possibly stand her more likely for four years, if she could be that dramatic the whole time.
She smiles.
“OK, my turn now.”
Although she has it dabbed also on her wrists, she lifts her hair, tilts her head, and invites me to sniff her neck. This upretentious and impulsive gesture warms my heart. But I guess this is what this girl is all about, warming people’s hearts.
I go for the sniff, and…
I don’t know if it’s her gesture, the perfume itself, the surrounding festive atmosphere or any combination of them, but what I smell almost brings tears in my eyes.
I struggle not to kiss her neck, but it’s my apparently cold nose tip that spares me the struggle, cause it touches her skin slightly and startles her a bit.
She steps back and sees my nearly teary eyes.
“Hey you dummy… Stop spoiling me! Do I smell that good?”
“You smell like the angels working in Heaven’s pastry shop, while a forest wood fire is roaring in its fireplace…”
…
She won’t stop giggling and laughing heartily for the whole three hours we’ll spent together. She won’t stop sniffing her wrists either. She looks so happy and carefree.
It’s time for her to leave and catch her bus.
We walk outside and we stand for a while, staring at each other.
I don’t know what to say.
She doesn’t seem to know either.
She hesitates for a moment.
Then she leans towards me and with her frail hand tracing my cheek, her lips brush mine for an instant.
And by this fragile token of affection, I know that her scent will remain on me forever.
She turns her back and starts to walk away.
After a few steps she stops and turns her head back.
“I’m Maria!” she shouts, before vanishing in the crowd. I stand still among hundreds of people who are walking around me hastily. I light a cigarette and lean my back against a wall.
I close my eyes and try to imagine what she might be thinking when she went outside for a couple of minutes to buy a pack of cigarettes.
I close my eyes and try to imagine her surprise when she’ll discover the flacon in her bag…
…
I hope you’re happy beautiful Maria, wherever you are.
I never saw you grow old. I never saw you become distant. And you never saw me either.
Your icon remains immaculate in my mind, just like this little wonder that made our paths cross, that cold winter morning, 28 years ago.
Your laughter is still ringing in my ears.
And like a friendly and beloved ghost, you shall visit me once more this year, on the same day that I will allow myself a dab of the perfume that is you.
Forever young… Forever happy…
Forever my Maria from the Christmas of 1986.
My beautiful Maria of Nuit de Noël…
Romashka2216 – :
I have been curious about this fragrance for some time, as I have the impression that it is one of the more “you either love it or leave it alone” types of fragrance. I just received a sample of the perfume (extrait) which was a pleasant surprise, as I had thought I was going to get an edt sample. I had no idea what to expect, and as soon as I put it on I just thought “you were made for me!” This one knocks me over with its luscious, dark and spicy beauty. I am going to have to purchase the extrait, when I save up the money, lol! This is a sample of the modern formula parfum extrait. I am not going to bother looking for a vintage, as they are way out of my price range. I love this but my only concern is that after four hours it completely disappears, on my skin. I would think that the parfum itself should be more potent and long lasting than that? Perhaps this is the curse of reformulation, then (either that or I have the skin chemistry of Godzilla, which is what I am beginning to suspect). I still want it, and plan to have it with me, always.. This has been a great perfume year for me! From January until now, I have been completely swept off of my feet by two beautiful classic perfumes, Guerlain’s Jicky and now Caron’s Nuit de Noel; both are passionate loves that I will take to my grave! Le Mouchoir de Monsieur, your review is magical!
SHOOGSENCANIA – :
My grandmother started me on this scent journey! She only wore Caron’s Narcissus Noir and Nuit de Noel! I always got to wear some!
tezaya – :
Ralph Ellison references it in his novel Invisible Man (1952): he calls it “Christmas Night” and uses it to evoke the pure desirability of a beautiful woman. It works perfectly on that level (as well as to set up a Christmas-sex metaphor he repeats later in the narrative); Nuit de Noel is beyond sultry and my absolute favorite right now. I just bought an ounce of the extrait at the Caron boutique in NYC during a rare sale, and I could not be happier. (It might be French Christmas, but it’s not American Christmas. For that, I wear Farnesiana.)
N de N is such an amazing fragrance that it vaguely reminds me of my late beloved grandmother in Soir de Paris and I STILL feel downright seductive in it!
Markus-Evgeniy – :
I did not get Christmas either from this scent. I got a soft spring day, not too warm, with a gentle breeze blowing through soft flowers. I put it up with l’air due temps and believe me i dont do that lightly as l’air is one of my most favourite scents! Gently and cuddly, wearable during the day and at night before a warm fire.
lit992JeomiWogkig – :
This is christmas plum pudding and a smoky coal fire in a bottle. So don’t wear it on the beach or in summertime
queuextabilla – :
This is a difficult one. One sniff and I immediately know I’m dealing with a great, historic perfume. It’s dark, complex and intoxicating. I feel like I’ve been touring an obscure old castle with the aim of researching funerary customs of its former inhabitants. I’m passing through one dim chamber after another, searching for clues, then move on to examine gravestones of the small burial ground tucked away in a hidden yard.
I feel entranced by the decrepit beauty of this forgotten site, and also somewhat uneasy. After all, I get exactly what I came here for. The place is really fascinating but everything in it alludes to the passage of time, unfulfilled dreams, regret, grief and melancholy. It almost feels as if I stepped in the middle of a perpetual funeral, the smell of funeral wreaths and incense smoke wafting in the air, musty oakmoss and woods underscoring the mood of general gloom and sorrow. Definitely not perky and light-hearted, but really quite beautiful. Still, not something I imagine to be able to wear outside.
The initial oakmoss blast and the soapy-skanky concoction of (I’m guessing) ylang ylang and jasmine dominant in the beginning are quite something, but would seem absolutely jarring in the contemporary subtropical urban setting such as mine.
I’m also a little perturbed by the perfume’s occasional departures from the mostly solemn and stately course to vague sexiness (good) to the depressing smell of an old and worn bathroom afflicted by some kind of plumbing problem (bad, needless to say). The Christmas Eve reference is pretty much lost on me too.
For me, Nuit de Noel is an honourable, but clearly challenging, perfume. I don’t think I pull it off well, but I’m glad I could play around with my sample (current EdT).
супер1 – :
There’s a fuzzy nostalgia to this blend, that reminds me of the magical feeling of Christmas — of a time in my life when some Christmas tales were, absolutely, undeniably real and palpably confusing and exciting, at the same time. I remember thinking, as a child, how glad I was that Santa was good and kind because he was also so powerful; he could enter my home, unseen and unheard, even after my parents locked the doors and windows. It was a thrilling mystery.
You could say this blend smells like those Swedish, Christmas soaps, with their spicy creaminess, caraway rye rings covered in sugared almonds, dried, old, Christmas ornaments heated by tree lights, mossy and crunchy greens, spicy, dried orange pomanders stuck with cloves and smoky air. But there’s also an intangible and even unsettling air of mystery and night time shadow contrasted against wintery crispness, to the whole thing and it really does conjure up the experience of bundling up and taking a walk on a winter night.
It’s also nostalgic in the general, sense of lost time it evokes, cultural confusion and awe in the face of the vast timelessness of our existence — that time is real, in some sense but also given relevance by the way we measure it, not because of its nature. “Nuit de Noel” reminds us of the witching hours, after the clock strikes midnight, of the shadow weeks night-shift workers live in, the irrelevance of time in dreams and bending of it in fairy tales, how the conventions of the day world, sometimes break-down or get thrown through a loop, at night.
I think of watching old movies, late at night, when wearing this — that groggy feeling of coziness — and it feels like the most perfect, olfactory interpretation of “A Christmas Carol”, I’ve tried; right down to the frosty magic, smokey skies, organic smells of Scrooge’s childhood, hearth cooking and Christmas dinner and in particular, the 1938 film version, with Scrooge flying across a wintry night, with The Ghost of Christmas Past. “Nuit de Noel” is that ghost. A complex, timeless blend of holiday magic.
Komb – :
Have you heard the saying that when things go wrong at a wedding, the marriage will be a success? Nuit de Noel opened with a skeezey/skanky blast that took me by surprise and made me doubt I could like this fragrance– for an instant I considered scrubbing it off. Rather quickly, though, the cacophony settled down into a perfume that is spicy and magical, and my wrist pretty much stayed glued to my nose for hours. Ultimately, the sandalwood, oakmoss and amber were center stage where they remained soundly ensconced for the entire duration. Longevity is good, and sillage seems about perfect.
I’m turned on by the fact that– reformulations notwithstanding– this fragrance was created in 1922. The libertine opening calls to mind jazz babies getting dolled up to go out on the town, rouging their knees and wearing a shocking amount of lipstick. The Second Act of this perfume comes in like an 80s power fragrance. There is a definite vintage effect, the air of a classic about NdN. After a brief, rocky beginning, this chameleon of a perfume is all aces for me and so far, this is my favorite from the house of Caron. At a relatively modest price point, I will soon acquire a full bottle, and I plan to always keep this in my fragrance wardrobe. I’m so glad I gave this one time to come into full bloom– it’s wonderful.
Koryun13 – :
This fragrance is magical. haunting, and it just elevates you to a higher realm. Thank goodness the new formula still captures the magic of the original one. Created by one of the great alchemist of essence: Ernest Daltroff. Please, please forget that its name is translated to the night before Christmas. It will make you think of pine trees, gingerbread, apple pie. But no, Daltroff was French, and lived in France in the early 1900’s. He probably , IMO, was conveying the feeling of the smell of the beloved woman, during that time, in Paris, on such a magical night (Europeans feel that Christmas Eve is the magical time for the adults, Christmas day for the children).
To say it’s scent is beyond exquisite is an understatement.
Frurpareesits – :
WARNING! The GIANT OAKMOSS THAT ATE RHODE ISLAND is on the loose!!!!!
In all seriousness, Nuit de Noel is a mature delight. It is heavy on the oakmoss, but as I am especially fond of that accord, I do not fear the giant oakmoss, but instead embrace it.
I was quite fortunate to obtain a vintage partially-full bottle at a tag sale, for only 50 cents. (Apparently, the newer formulation is not hugely different, according to the reviews.)
It opens with a blast of ylang-ylang, then the oakmoss (with a woodsy touch) takes over. The drydown is a musky incense. I do detect hints of rose and jasmine, but they are not at all sweet. This fragrance is slightly bitter, actually, in a pleasant way.
Longevity is impressive, while the sillage is moderate. Initially the sillage is almost overpowering, but then it quiets down considerably.
freez1992 – :
I have been wearing NdN for many years, and have it in every formulation except the most recent. This is perfume magic.
It is almost impossible to describe NdN with the usual pedestrian perfume terminology. Is it, for example, sexy? Well, I wouldn’t say it is not sexy, or unsexy. But, to call Nuit de Noel sexy is somewhat like describing Katherine Hepburn as sexy: of course she is, but that does nothing to evoke the essential Hepburn. Like Hepburn, Nuit de Noel is too smart, too complicated, too contradictory, too elusive, and too unique, to be merely sexy. Or sweet, or lovely.
Nuit de Noel is like any great artwork: it cannot be easily understood, appreciated, or dismissed. It is not for sniffing or sampling or testing. How does one sample great art? That would be like listening to outtakes of a great concerto, or looking at postcards of a great painting.
Here is a perfume that changes over time, changes with the seasons, changes with the weather, changes with your mood. Changes with you, as you age and change over the years. Always, it is deep and rich, always smoky a