Sunday, July 22, 2007

Nasomatto Absinth

My most coveted perfume purchase on Italian soil comes from a creator named Alessandro Gualtieri. Upon asking Alessandra at Narcisse if she could show me a line I could not find in the United States, she directed my attention to the beautiful little Nasomatto (meaning literally "crazy nose") bottles. This webpage gives you the best visual of what I encountered. I immediately set upon testing all of them, waiting for one to overwhelmingly capture my interest to justify a full bottle purchase.

Absinth was by far the winner - a rich, decadent, very earthy and interesting mix of notes that truly graced my nose and tickled my fancy. "The result of a quest to stimulate irresponsible behavior" as noted on the box, this one is beautifully unique. Because a list of notes is not available, my description will have to suffice. It offers a simultaneously creamy, nutty and earthy bouquet, slightly resembling almonds but not as sweet. Something green exists there as well as something dirty. I picture fresh moss freshly lifted from the earth with plenty of moist dirt underneath. The effect is undeniably sensual yet the nutty notes add fun and flirtation.

This scent is oddly comforting to me, evoking the sounds and smells of the autumn outdoor parties my parents frequented. I recall leather jackets, golden colors and trees as far as the eye could see, rich food and lots of warm arms to embrace me. Oh, and some "irresponsible behavior." If the bouquet of Absinth had a color, it would be deep aubergine, like the leaves that grace trees at the peak of autumn.

This scent requires a sophisticated ensemble and a plan. I certainly have not found it an every day scent and my reluctance to wear it at all has simply been an effort to do it justice. Triple digit heat would detract from it horribly. I will savor this one during the cool, crisp days of November in the desert, when the days are shorter, the nights longer and the opportunities to wear a leather jacket abound. Nasomatto Absinth will remind me of the season I miss most and the reasons I miss it. Don't get me wrong, this is not strictly an autumn scent. I predict countless perfumistas will want to add it to their winter rotation as well.

Much to my delight, Absinth is offered in parfum concentration. The scent remains fairly consistent yet softens over time. Positively gorgeous!

As I suspected, I have been unable to locate one bottle of Nasomatto Abinth in the U.S. If any of you are able to find it, please let me know!

Image source: yunphoto.net

9 comments:

Divina said...

Hello dear T!
Everyone who has smelled the Nasomatto fragrances seems to favor Absinth. I have not smelled them myself, so I wonder, in your opinion, is it because Absinth is trully the best of a good quintet, or do the rest just fade in comparison?

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

For me, most of the rest faded in comparison. The other two that were in the running were Silver Musk and Narcotic Venus. However, there was nothing superbly striking about Silver Musk to my nose and Narcotic Venus was too much like the umpteen other white floral/tuberose scents I own. I do not even recall whether Duro and Hindu Grass were likeable. Absinth won hands down because it had great longevity on my skin and it was so unique - such an intriguing combination of woods, earth and nuts. I hope that helps!

Have a great day!
T

chayaruchama said...

Patty sells this at fragrantfripperies, but I haven't smelled it yet; so many scents called 'absinthe' feel like letdowns, somehow.
Maybe I just need to hang out in St. Paul-de Vence with some pastis, baby.
Anyone wanna come with ?

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

LOL!! Chaya Ruchama you crack me up! You should try this one. It may not be the let down you expect. :-)

helg said...

Thanks for mentioning the line and signling out Absinth. It was among my favourites as well, when I reviewed them. It has distinction!
Silver Musk reminded me of Narciso Musk for her, somehow. Nice, but I already have the latter...

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

Hello Helg,

Yes it does have distinction - perfect way to put it! Thanks for reading. ;-)

T

Anonymous said...

Barneys New York now carries the entire collection of Nasomatto scents!!!

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

Thank you Sarah! That's great news. :-)

Anonymous said...

All of the scents are amazing Absinth and Hindu Grass are my favorites!