Perfume Review: Mona di Orio Nuit Noire

It seems to me that not a week goes by without an exciting new fragrance line offering an enticing array of scents. Sometimes, overwhelmed by the amount, the constant flow and the cost of new releases, I actually wish to be disappointed. Often, I am. However, where Mona di Orio’s collection of perfumes is concerned, my hopes for disappointment were in vain. The story goes that Mona di Orio has been born with a “naturally perfect sense of smell”, which she later developed and perfected even further during the twelve years of her apprenticeship with the great perfumer Edmond Roudnitska. It is also said that her perfumes are rich, complex, original creations reminiscent of the golden age of perfumery of the 1920's and 30's (Les Senteurs). I must regretfully admit that it is all true. This new fragrance line is, alas, worth our excitement and our money. Over the course of the next two weeks I will review the other scents in Mona di Orio’s collection, Lux and Carnation. Today’s review is for Nuit Noire, a spicy floral oriental scent inspired by “the souks, gardens and hams of old Tunis.” The combination of orange blossom and cardamom in the top notes of the scent is one of the most striking and appealing pairings of a flower and a spice that I have had a pleasure to smell in a long while. The robust, sweet cardamom note gives orange blossom incredible richness. An indolic quality in perfumery seems to be most often associated with jasmine; however orange blossom is just as capable of smelling downright dirty and earthy. I believe that in the case of Nuit Noire, cardamom is the note that brings out that unexpectedly carnal intensity and warmth in orange blossom. The brightly piquant ginger note serves as a perfect bridge from the striking top notes to the even more intense middle accord exquisitely blending incense (olibanum), spices (cinnamon and cloves) and woods (cedar and sandalwood) with the fleshy, creamy and nocturnal tuberose. If you think that it cannot possibly get any better, you are wrong. It can and it will, in the drydown, where amber and leather combine to make the scent even darker and spicier. Nuit Noire is a pitch black Tunisian night, its darkness resplendent with powerful aromas of exotic spices and sensual flowers. Its selection of notes truly inspired, its blend flawless, Nuit Noire is a stunning, sophisticated perfume that is a must try for all lovers of spicy florientals. Nuit Noire is available at Les Senteurs, £115.00 (a little over $200.00) for 100ml of Eau de Parfum. (The photo is from LesSenteurs.com) Tomorrow- Padparadscha by Satellite.