NARCISO - by Narciso Rodriguez

Here were my first impressions about this new release from Narciso Rodriguez...

I love the elegant bottle. There’s something brave about opting for such a simplistic approach and it contrasts starkly with wacky shapes and bright colours that can typically be found adorning your local department store. There everything is competing for your visual attention and strangely NARCISO will probably stand out more than any of the others due to its singular colour palette and simple font usage.
So there’s that. But the most important first impression is going to be what this actually smells like. And let me tell you that on first spray, I wasn't sold. All I could detect was rose and soap. It smelled a bit old, as if the target demographic was a bunch of grannies. Considering the modernity of the bottle, it was weirdly old-fashioned.
What’s even stranger though is just how much this changes over time. Don’t let the first spray fool you – this morphs into something very appealing very quickly. Apparently Narciso Rodriguez wanted to create something “extremely sexy “ with this release and this is definitely what this turns into. It’s a sort of intoxicating blend of creamy rose mixed with a hearty dose of vetiver and musk.
I know, I know, those notes sound so generic don’t they? How many fragrances out there bloat themselves with rose and musk? A lot. But even though this might sound run-of-the-mill it actually isn’t and it’s hard to dupe with another brand.
If I think really hard the closest match might be Dolce & Gabanna’s D&G fragrance – this has since been discontinued but it gives off that same heady, grown-up woman vibe.
With that being said, if your perfume wardrobe consists of clean, light notes from the likes of L’eau d’Issey or L’eau by Serge Lutens then you might want to give this one a wide berth – it’s going to be too intense for you.
If however, you are not shy of spraying an ultra feminine scent that will be perfect during Winter evenings then head to the counter when it’s released in September - just remember not to judge it on first sniff!

PS. I have seen reviews where this is already available in certain markets so if you love Narciso Rodriguez perfumes as much as I do keep an eye out.