Parfums de Nicolai is a line that is so much under the radar it is really a shame. I blame the packaging, because once you get past that, the perfumes are exquisite and very well worth your time and attention. This just proves – for me at least – that a) many people are highly visual and b) packaging is important. (This discussion allows a similar conclusion.)
I only reviewed one of Guerlain niece and Osmothéque president Patricia de Nicolai’s perfumes until now, Sacre Bleu, but I definitely want to expand my knowledge of the line a bit more in the future.
Week-end á Deauville was created by Patricia de Nicolai and includes notes of Italian bergamot, petit grain, galbanum, lily of the valley, rose, mimosa, pepper, pink pepper, clove, oakmoss absolute and styrax balm.
There was a first, limited edition of this perfume, that has been reformulated due to ingredient restrictions. This review is based on a sample of the new, permanent addition to the line.
Upon first spray, it is clear that Week-end á Deauville is a classic, sparkly, citrus chypre in the manner of Chanel Cristalle, Bel Respiro or the new Vero Profumo Mito. The green opening is sustained for a long time, citrus notes and galbanum holding up well and only slowly being fleshed out by a more floral accord of lily of the valley and hyacinth, before – hours later – segueing into a leather-tinged, mossy base that preserves the idea of cool, green freshness until the very end.
Week-end à Deauville is a breath of fresh air, a long-awaited and very much needed one after a long, cold winter. Imagine the first days of spring sunshine, the air is still crisp but clear, there is a sense of new beginnings all around.
I have never been to the French coast in Normandy, where the city that gives name to this perfume lies, but when I wear Week-end á Deauville, I can easily imagine a leisurely stroll at the seaside, the air, the water and the newly sprouting grass equally fragrant. This perfume is fresh and clean in a way far removed from the way we have (unfortunately) learned to use these words. This is the fresh and clean of nature, not of shampoo and soap.
I have a hard time with change, even when this change is something I have longed for. So every spring I find myself absurdly reluctant to just enjoy it. Although I moaned and groaned about the long and dark days of a grey winter only last week, I now stupidly cling to it, and all the rituals that came with it.
Week-end á Deauville helps me to just relax and give in to the changes nature is going through, to take a deep breath and let go of the old, embrace the new and just let myself be blown into spring on its gentle breezes.
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