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Sniff Fest - NadiaZ

Sniff Fest - NadiaZ 7 years ago
Having obtained a small collection of NadiaZ samples today, I dove right into them. First, who is NadiaZ? Located in Switzerland, she's the artisanal perfumer who posted a blog here recently. In fact, I think it's still on the front page. She's also a lady on a passionate mission -- to create perfume as art, sourced from indigenous harvesters of rare plants around the world, thereby preserving both people and plants. NadiaZ. Her marketing approach is equally unique. In order to suggest which of her unusual perfumes might work best for you, she will want to know you--your age, gender, ethnicity, among other things--the latter on the theory that different racial skin types react differently to particular ingredients, a theory I hadn't heard . Not sure it's right, though, since my favorite among the group so far is Japanese Spring Woman and I'm not Japanese.

Because of the rare and precious materials, the NadiaZ line is expensive, a full bottle running well into the thousands. Glass mini roll-ons are available for about $40 and sample card vials for $20.

Is an FB worth it? Maybe.

The first thing to know is that these perfumes must develop on the skin. In exactly the opposite fashion to the new Louis Vuitons that sweep one instantly and thrillingly off one's feet, the NadiaZ top notes can be a challenge. Hubby sniffed Magnolia Night Ode to Gobi |Unisex and was so repulsed by the odd vegetal/musky top note that he said he never wanted to smell it again. Two hours later, the scent is entirely inoffensive, resting on the back of my hand like a fine kid glove. So don't look for hypnotic top notes, though Japanese Spring Woman was a dream from the start. Simple and lovely, it belongs in my gardenia sniff fest. Also, the wonderful Camino de Azahar Woman and the green and resinous Symphone de Cologne Opus|Unisex are both purring on my skin, especially the former, so I'll wear each of the samples I received and report.

At this point I can say that exploring NadiaZ perfumes is a worthwhile challenge, especially since some of her ingredients may never be available again. Just be sure to have your ancestry ready, because she will want to know. I suppose it's possible there's some connection she's figured out because she's smart, having invented perfumery techniques of her own. We discussed IQ. Turns out she's got a big one. Me, too.
Re: Sniff Fest - NadiaZ 7 years ago
ScentFan:
(...) sourced from indigenous harvesters of rare plants around the world, thereby preserving both people and plants.(...)
At this point I can say that exploring NadiaZ perfumes is a worthwhile challenge, especially since some of her ingredients may never be available again.

I hope you wouldn't mind me 'cropping' your post, ScentFan, if you do, I apologise! It seems to be an interesting experience indeed, and I was glad to read your thoughts both on these fragrances as well as the concept and the actual process of ordering these, also because detailed feedback seem difficult to be found.

One thing that made me wonder, however, is the point I have quoted from you; as far as I could understand, part of the concept is to provide an almost 'mystical' olfactory experience to each human, but I could not fathom in what way harvesting and using rare ingredients should lead to preserving them at the same time, especially if they are of extinct nature, except for raising the demand for those via commercialising and keeping these 'cultivated' by larger sponsors.
At any rate, thank you a lot for sharing your valuable experience! Smile
7 years ago
Good question, Anessa. Here's her page addressing that. What do you think?
7 years ago
Thanks for the link, ScentFan, I had read part of the website as well, but will be doing more of it in an attempt to grasp the concept!
7 years ago
Continuing . . .

Before sniffing through each of the NadiaZ samples, I'll share that she says her perfumes are 100% natural, and are meant for both men and women. Her design philosophy (Not all perfumes are to wear or for seduction) reminds me of my reaction to early Slumberhouse. Though I couldn't wear most of them, I bought every single one because of the brilliant and unique experiences of smell they offered. So, fyi, finding a fragrance personally unwearable doesn't necessarily put me off. Here goes.
.
Anji Bamboo Mist

Nadia calls this a green perfume. I had to look up the unusual notes. In Greek mythology, Aglaia was one of the three "Charities," the goddess of beauty splendor, glory and adornment. She was the wife of Hephaistos (not Aphrodite?). Botanically, the name refers to a Southeast Asian/Pacific tree in the mahogany family so this note is probably a wood. Next is Boronia, an Australian flowering plant in the citrus family, Next is Tuberose then Palo Santo, a Mexican tree, Coffee blossoms, Mushrooms and Precious Woods. The top note is decided freshly green and woody, a hint of tuberose beneath, rising through the smell of mushrooms growing near. It smells like an authentic depiction of being in a rainforest. Any rawness in some of the top notes mellows as this dries and on my skin I'm left with the fresh, woody smell of tropic outdoors.

Camino de Azahar Woman

I can't identify the odd citric, fruity and floral notes here, and the overall bland effect doesn't inspire me to keep sniffing until I do.

Camino de Azahar Oro Woman

The website calls the notes: Vanilla-like, Anisic, Creamy with a Citrus Zest. This scent does have an unusual feel, a hint of dark, sweet fruit. As advertised, it is creamy. It has a dark syrupiness as it dries. It's interesting, but for me not beautiful.

Celestial Violet Man

Pungent on first sniff but not in a lovely way, to me. At least it's not a scent envelope to which western noses are accustomed. In its strong, earthy dry down, the unpleasantness fades after a while and becomes intriguing. The image that comes to mind is of a man swathed in costly robes in some faraway land. Worth a try for those who love the unusual.

Celestial Violet Woman

Here the top note is less pungent, but still not especially lovely—somewhat like dung, to tell the truth. I can't see many westerners waiting for the drydown. It's a complex, interesting scent I'd try but for the dung, which must be contributed by Hyraceum. I have a sample of it here and it alone isn't all that offensive. Well, I guess it is. It's the rock-like feces and urine of the Cape hyrax, which looks like a cross between a rabbit and a wolf. I can imagine florals prettying it up but in this case, not for a good while. For the brave of heart, this scent IS deeply carnal and even hypnotic in the dry down—a scent experience not easily had.
7 years ago
Final installment ...

Fleur de Loukoum Night Woman

So far, I haven't liked Loukoum as a perfume note, but Nadia persuaded me to try hers because it's natural. Must say this is the best I've encountered. Here, the hyraceum doesn't smell like dung. The raspberry and buchu (like strong black currant, apparently) with the animal and resin create a deep and subtle gourmand which eucalyptus brightens a bit. Not my thing, but not off-putting either.

Fleur de Loukoum Day Woman

This is a similar formula with Damascus Rose instead of Jasmine, which makes for a somewhat brighter scent. Again, not my thing but somewhat agreeable.

Japanese Spring Woman

This is easily my favorite of the samples I have. The wonderful gardenia/hyacinth combo is enhance by African myrrh and Hyraceum, creating an unusual and alluring scent. Were the price not prohibitive I'd buy a bottle, but $7.5k only makes me think of the many other perfume wonders I could experience for that amount. I'll swing for a 40,00 CHF 1.8 ml roll-on though.

Magnolia Night Ode to Gobi Unisex

The website calls this, "erotic, primeval, floral and balsamic," and I find that a good description. Once past the potentially off-putting top note, the several exotic ingredients blend interestingly. It is a carnal scent that makes me think of veiled beauties locked in harems. Not for me, but it will surely work for some.

Métamorphose Lilas (Day) Woman

Another unusual combination of notes that becomes agreeable after the top note. It's hard to describe except by reference to the notes themselves. I love the lilac and the lotus. Vanilla, tonka, beeswax and coconut are beautiful. The woods are haunting, but overall it's a tad too raw and rustic for me.

Métamorphose Lilas (Night) Unisex

No lotus, here, but the formula is smoothed and deepened by frankincense and oud. To me it's more appealing.

Symphonie de Cologne Opus I Unisex

Another interesting and agreeable melange of green leaf, resin, animalic and wood that actually does settle into a kind of olfatory symphony. Hard to compare to other perfumes, though.
It's been both an opportunity and a challenge to test NadiaZ scents. They smell of traditions far away from western perfume houses, but for those seeking scent adventures that may be a very good thing. What comes across is raw nature — the jungles, rainforests, deserts from which the ingredients came. On the way to the drydowns, odd or off-putting smells can arise, but all settle into the skin and eventually create their own beauty. The rare ingredients do mildly twitch my nose as if a sneeze might arise, but one never did. Perhaps I'd find myself allergic to repeat wearing of one or two of the ingredients. As scent experiences, though, these deserve a perfumista or perfumisto's test. My personal favorites are the complex Symhonie de Cologne Opus I Unisex and the beguling Japanese Spring Woman.
7 years ago
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, ScentFan Smile You may want to put them on to the individual scent pages as statement / comment as well, so they get preserved there and can guide curious noses in the future. Not many can pay these prices, so without envy I can say that your feedback is even more valuable.

For me personally, NadiaZ's fragrances prices are way off the root, I don't want to afford them. Natural ingredients are way more expensive for certain, I understand that. But there are other natural perfume creators (e.g. Neuffer) who prove that you can produce small batches of fascinating scents without charging beyond-Roya prices. Of course, NadiaZ's approach is a different one with her somewhat-bespoke "it's all custom for you", which is fair enough. For me, though? I'd be much happier with less consultation and fragrances that don't have a rate of 20$+ / ml. At that rate, I can't even rate scents anymore because my brain goes "it's so expensive, it must be good, no?" Wink And, a bit of a personal gripe: With so many synthetic chemistry on the market, every natural perfumer who goes this superluxuary route is slightly saddening for me. I'd love to see more cool natural fragrances available for the crowd to overcome the toxic mass market. If you know some that you can recommend, I'm all ears (maybe per pn to not derail this thread that's rightfully devoted to NadiaZ).

Anyway, nice impressions, ScentFan, cheers.
7 years ago
Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience. It helped to IMPROVE my knowledge about this brand. Sometimes, I m reluctant to try a new brand. No matter how good the brand is. Such reviews help to overcome the fears that we have.
7 years ago
Thanks, OP. I've never heard of this brand before. Nice to discover it Smile
7 years ago
Glad you enjoyed it, Lovefrag and Silvia.

Fluxit, I can strongly recommend D.S. & Durga if you haven't found them yet. as well as Hiram Green and Bogue. All three have fabulous noses behind them producing scents to make you swoon. I'm wearing Durga from D.S.&D now and it's wonderful. Hubby loves their fragrance, Sir, especially (a haunting chypre) and El Cosmico. I wore Hiram Green's Voyage yesterday. I love everything Bogue and wear it often. I haven't bought anything from NadiaZ yet. $7,500 is just not a price I'm willing to pay for an FB with smell-alikes like Kai and Neil Morris's lovely Rainflower.

Fluxit:
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, ScentFan Smile You may want to put them on to the individual scent pages as statement / comment as well, so they get preserved there and can guide curious noses in the future. Not many can pay these prices, so without envy I can say that your feedback is even more valuable.

For me personally, NadiaZ's fragrances prices are way off the root, I don't want to afford them. Natural ingredients are way more expensive for certain, I understand that. But there are other natural perfume creators (e.g. Neuffer) who prove that you can produce small batches of fascinating scents without charging beyond-Roya prices. Of course, NadiaZ's approach is a different one with her somewhat-bespoke "it's all custom for you", which is fair enough. For me, though? I'd be much happier with less consultation and fragrances that don't have a rate of 20$+ / ml. At that rate, I can't even rate scents anymore because my brain goes "it's so expensive, it must be good, no?" Wink And, a bit of a personal gripe: With so many synthetic chemistry on the market, every natural perfumer who goes this superluxuary route is slightly saddening for me. I'd love to see more cool natural fragrances available for the crowd to overcome the toxic mass market. If you know some that you can recommend, I'm all ears (maybe per pn to not derail this thread that's rightfully devoted to NadiaZ).

Anyway, nice impressions, ScentFan, cheers.
7 years ago
Matter of fact, I recently tested ca. 20 of D.S. & Durga's and then started a passaround package on the German forum part, which is running as we speak Smile My favs are "Italian Citrus" and "Foxglove", for which I got ca. 3-5ml decants from parfumo members already. "Sir" is astounding as well but I already have something comparable.
However, their brand doesn't qualify as all-natural. Sorry for being unclear. I didn't mean natural smelling, but actually being without chemicals.

Hiram I'm aware of but haven't tested. Bogue is new to me, looks intriguing.
Thanks for these recommendations!

As a sidenote, I coincidentally got the chance to test several NadiaZ, I have the passaround package on my desk right now. Eccentric and interesting - they remind me of Soivohle - but so far nothing that sparks any wish for a purchase. Which clearly is out of question anyway.
7 years ago
You might try Olympic Orchids then, Fluxit. They're completely natural and several are stunning. I don't mind the subtle and judicious use of good quality synthetics. Chemical horrors that asphyxiate on first sniff are what bother me, especially when they come from so-called major perfume houses, trading on former glories to hoodwink the younger set.
7 years ago
Thanks for the suggestion, I know them, too Smile If you want it more specific, just have a look at my Tested-collection. OO is definitely interesting, I find their Chocolates (Seattle / California) really enjoyable and somewhat comparable to Slumberhouse's Ore both in scent and quality.

However, they aren't all natural. Quote from their website:
All Olympic Orchids fragrances are handcrafted from pure essential oils, absolutes, extracts, high-end synthetic fragrance molecules, tinctures of natural materials, or some combination thereof in a carrier of perfumer’s alcohol. All are parfum (extrait) concentration, varying from 20-30% fragrance concentrate to optimize performance, so they have excellent longevity. When natural oakmoss is used it is the IFRA-compliant low-atranol type. To the best of our knowledge, Olympic Orchids fragrances never contain phthalates, artificial colors, or artificial preservatives, and they are not tested on animals. With the exception of a few that contain natural ambergris or Africa stone, they would be considered vegan. Some fragrances in this line are 100% free of synthetic musks. Some are 100% natural.

It's a bit tricky. To make it more difficult, even all natural doesn't necessarily mean good for you. And especially in the US, the laws are less strict to ensure that (according to Annette Neuffer, a well-known German natural perfumer, I personally don't know the laws in detail).
If you're interested in the all-natural brands that we're currently testing, have a look at my blog (on the German site). Language doesn't really matter for the list of brands after all Smile

\\ Edit
To add to my previous post: Opus I from NadiaZ turned out to be a great scent for my nose. Just to balance my critique so far with this compliment for fairness.
6 years ago
Hello - I'm late to the party but hey - ScentFan - Thanks so much for sharing your impressions of the NadiaZ perfume with us. I've been very curious about them and eyeing her website for a while but have held off because of the high prices - some of those bottles and caps are serious works of art though!

Fluxit - you may know this already Smile Regarding Olympic Orchids I just wanted to mention that the 100% naturals from the range are: Tropic of Capricorn, Kyphi and Dev Three.
6 years ago
Hi, Fluxit and Polyanthes

Haven't checked the Forum for a while. Thanks for the update on Olympic Orchids, Fluxit. The first one I bought was Kyphi and I loved it. She must use high quality fragrance oils, as she says, because my hyper sensitive nose shuts down instantly for most perfumes with serious synthetics. Can't even wear Chanel No 5 because of the overdose of multiple aldehydes.

None of NadiaZ really worked for me, Polyanthes, especially not at those prices.
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