Dark Aldehydes...Natori: Perfume Review
 I haven't been in a mood for anything dark or anything aldehydic lately. Actually, I have been in a mood for anything but. And then something that is both comes along and turns out to be exactly what I am in a mood for. Makes sense, right? My fickleness aside, Josie Natori's new foray into perfume surprised me with its depth, refinement, with the fact that it dared to use aldehydes, dared to aspire to smell "classic" and more than a touch "retro".On my skin, Natori starts dark, becomes lighter, and then darkness falls yet again as a final curtain. The beginning of roses and plums is nocturnal elegance. The fruits and petals smell ripe, longing to be picked and savored...As the composition progresses, this velvety opulence gives way to silky elegance. The aldehydic accord cuts through the lushness of roses, ylang and jasmine like a ray of shimmering light, lending the scent, for a while, a sparse and sparkling feeling of near transparency.  The appearance of patchouli, amber and musk, the sweetness of the base signify the return to the baroque quality of the top notes. The light is off; the scent lapses into delightful, sinful darkness yet again. I do wish that the brilliant incandescence of the aldehydes lasted a little longer; it added something simultaneously unique and classic to the sultry blend. That said, I still think that Natori is rather stunning, a perfect fragrance to open the Holiday season. Much has been said about the bottle, and I can't help but add my rave. The dark purple of the abstractly sensual form, the subtle provocativeness of the picaboo circle in the middle, which seem to reflect the way the composition, with its light in the heart, is structured...the luxurious feel of the heavy cap...the bottle is a pleasure to hold and a wonderful compliment to the sumptuous liquid within.Available at Natori and Saks, $80.00-$110.00. Image credits: Karl Lagerfeld for Vogue Germany; Natori. |
posted by Marina |
12:00 AM
20 Comments:
Thanks for such a nice review and a reminder to give Natori another try. So many people adore it. I liked it, but not enough to buy it, and I usually love aldehydic fragrances. It is a little too sweet and heavy for my tastes. I think that you nailed it when you mentioned the lack of longevity of the aldehydes. I craved a little more sparkle to counterbalance the overall density of the scent. But the plummy and rosy aspects are very nice if I recall, deserving of another wearing.
Sounds amazing and the bottle is gorgeous.
Happy almost Thanksgiving, Marina!
Alas, I have not set foot in Saks for almost a year. I will have to rectify that, if only to finally give this a sniff.
I really love this fragrance. It's my go-to scent for when I'm wearing anything silky ;-)
Melisand61,
More sparkle would have definitely made it even better, imo.
L,
The bottle is gorgeous, one of the few that impressed me lately.
Alyssa,
Likewise!
I think it's worth a trip to Saks...Or better wait till NYC :-)
S,
It demands silky, for sure ;-)
I'd forgotten about this one - I have a 20ml decant that I bought unsniffed based either on the notes or a positive review; I can't remember now.
I pulled it out to sample again and remembered right away both why I loved it at first sniff and put it away for awhile. I love the bright aldehyde opening, but it deepened to much to comfortably wear during the hot weather we were having at the time.
It's just perfect now, though - especially for those days when I'm looking for something classic and a little dark, but don't want to go all the way down that road.
Now, if I could only find the time to actually wear all the lovely things in my ever-growing collection. I might have to make a New Year's Resolution to swear off new purchases for awhile. Of course, the last time that I tried that it lasted about an hour.
Cynthia,
I've never tried that. But I tried to try to try all the samples I have before trying anything new. That lasted a week. If that :-)
I do see Natori as being somewhat seasonal.
I like this one a lot. So many people think the bottle is kind of dirty looking; I think it looks kind of like the Sta-Puft Marshmallow man from "Ghostbusters" after toasting..
I'm not saying that I'll be successful ... it's just a thought. And I don't think that I'll ever get through my sample box period, let alone before I buy anything new.
OMG....you had me at baroque!
I'm waiting for it to arrive in Toronto.
Tom,
The dirrrrty Marshmallow man :-)
Cynthia,
Same here. :-)
Bevfred,
I hope it does soon!
Thank you for this beautiful review. I must say, this is one gorgeous juice and you are right, the bottle is heavy and looks gorgeous. This was one of those fragrances that caught my eyes and then appealed to my nose. I had to buy it :)
Claudia,
I am glad you did. This is one of the few that I felt I wanted lately as well.
Count me in as wanting to try this, i hope my Saks has it by now. I really liked the first Natori scent and i was sorry to see it go away. You had me at plum and roses!
Off-topic (sorry)
but I seriously desperately need the issue of German Vogue that the picture is from ;__;
I even had a friend in Germany at the time and she offered to buy it for me but I was like "oh no that's ok ^___^".
*sigh*
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