Just when I thought that I've smelled and experienced all that gardenia perfumes have to offer comes Nuit Andalous from Parfums MDCI and shows me what happens when gardenia is paired with violets and a creamy dessert. I have to admit that at first I was sure that a big part of the white floral creaminess was due to tuberose, but apparently it's gardenia under the spell of perfumer Cecile Zarokian. Ms Zarokian is becoming a force to be reckoned with. Her growing portfolio includes Amouage Epic Woman, as well as perfumes for niche brands such as Masque, Jovoy Paris, Majda Bekkali, Laboratorio Olfattivo, and now Parfums MDCI.
Nuit Andalouse is meant to evoke the sensuality of a late night in Spain. Yes, this is a theme we've met elsewhere, but Parfums MDCI takes us on a very different direction than Seville a l'Aube. Nuit Andalous is more indulgent: it's sweet and vanillic, and my skin takes it into an almost edible territory. The creaminess originates in the floral notes themselves- gardenia and ylang-ylang, but the hook of this fragrance is actually the violet. This violet is not quite candied but definitely sweet, and is enhanced by the juicy orange of the opening notes. It's like the way orange and violet colors are opposites on the color wheel and bring out the best of each other. Apparently, they're also good at making white petals stand out.
The blurb on Luckyscent mentions a radiant bride and her flower girl. I'm not sure Nuit Andalouse is quite as innocent as many popular bridal fragrances try to be. But it's something that I would have easily picked for myself: my own wedding perfume was the massive floriental Panthere de Cartier. Nuit Andalouse feels less animalic/spicy and significantly more pared down. It's the modern way, I guess, and I like it a lot for what it is. The end result as Nuit Andalouse melds with the skin is sensual and satisfying. The musk-sandalwood dry-down is soft and long lasting: I get about 10 hours of pleasure out of it, and it's all good.
Notes: orange, green notes, violet, gardenia, ylang ylang, rose, vanilla, sandalwood, musk.
Parfums MDCI- Nuit Andalouse ($250, 75ml in the non-bust bottle) is currently exclusive to Luckyscent.
I love this line, every scent I've tried from MDCI works, and at that price point, that's scary.
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