With the new Extrait de Voyage collection, Une Nuit Nomade is once again sending us on a journey. The fragrance house is known for its travel fragrances, which have taken us to Asia, the Orient and the American East Coast, among other places. I was particularly impressed by the seductive leather fragrance Sugar Leather, which has wonderfully sugared leather notes. The three creations in the Extrait de Voyage line are called Jardins de Misfah, Silver Saffron and Estrella de la Mañana.
Anyone who has already taken a closer look at the French brand may stumble across Jardins de Misfah. In fact, the Une Nuit Nomade portfolio already includes an eau de parfum of the same name, which has now been transformed into an extrait by perfumer Jérôme Di Marino. And since he was already at work, he also created two more fragrances, because after all, three is a gang, or in this case: a new collection.
Jardins de Misfah – Extrait de Voyage
As I don’t have the original on site and therefore not in front of my nose, I have no choice but to concentrate on the Jardins de Misfah extrait, which combines the scents of davana, rose, date, honey, almond and saffron. The ingredients were changed a little in the course of the transformation. There are fewer spices listed – cardamom and nutmeg are missing – but with rose and davana, two new ingredients that are sure to set exciting accents. The Omani mountain village of Misfat Al Abryeen, which served as inspiration, is famous for its impressive location and unusual mud hut architecture. A green, lush oasis in the middle of barren mountain ranges, criss-crossed by an extensive network of ancient water pipes, it is a popular tourist attraction for good reason.
Spicy, softly leathery saffron combines with an airy and soapy rose sweetness in the opening of the Jardins de Misfah extrait de parfum, which is tinged with the subtly peaty whisky notes of davana. The fragrance notes are very dense and finely interwoven, yet the creation retains a certain transparency and lightness. Creamy almond nuances and the fruity sugar facets of the date blend wonderfully into the composition and skilfully round it off.
The Jardins de Misfah extrait de parfum is a gentle, oriental and calm blend of spicy, gourmand and floral notes that is very harmonious in itself. The rose adds lightness to the creation, while the spices and gourmand nuances provide depth, complexity and warmth. Very harmonious, elegant and absolutely modern, the composition is perfect for anyone looking for an oriental fragrance for the cooler months of the year that is not too heavy, overpowering or opulent.
Silver Saffron – In the glow of saffron
You don’t have to guess for long which ingredient the second fragrance in the new Extrait de Voyage line from Une Nuit Nomade revolves around. Silver Saffron is dedicated to saffron, which perfumer Jérôme Di Marino combines with raspberry, iris, papyrus and myrrh. The combination of leather and raspberry is tried and tested and extremely popular, and even if the former is not explicitly listed in the fragrance notes, leathery facets are sure to be found in the nuances of saffron. Incidentally, the collection’s beautiful illustrations in dark blue and gold were created by artist Roxane Lagache, who has been responsible for the brand’s entire image design from the very beginning.
Boom, there it is! Silver Saffron starts with a bang. From the first sniff, the namesake presents itself with a loud roar, wild, rough, with edgy leather notes that have intense oudy traits. I actually perceive a metallic coolness in the fragrance, with a silvery shimmer, which is underlined by the smoky, earthy nuances of papyrus and woody, spicy myrrh. I detect a certain tart fruitiness subliminally, very subtle and restrained, while the iris provides smooth and creamy facets that underline the earthy accents already present in the creation.
Silver Saffron is a rather harsh, masculine and distinctive spicy fragrance that lacks any warmth and sweetness in my eyes. The reference to silver in the name is therefore perfect for me, as I can definitely detect the cool sheen of this metal in the eau de parfum. The composition reminds me of a full moon night in the colder months of the year, not too damp, rather dry, but characterized by a deep darkness with a silvery shimmer. An exciting, mysterious fragrance that will certainly arouse the curiosity of saffron fans. Quite intense and blessed with excellent longevity.
Estrella de la Mañana – Morning Star
Now we come to Estrella de la Mañana, the last eau de parfum from the Extrait de Voyage collection for the time being. It takes us back to ancient Central America and is dedicated to the Tzacopontziza, a princess from Tottonakia. Perhaps some of you are familiar with the princess, as the story of Tzacopontziza is told in a number of vanilla legends. Her name means morning star, Estrella de la Mañana in Spanish. The princess was incredibly beautiful and her father decreed that anyone who laid eyes on her should be executed. Her father’s fear of losing her one day through love for a man was too great. But the inevitable happened. A young man not befitting her status fell in love with her, defied the threat of execution, and she fell in love with him too. They fled together, but were discovered and both their souls were sacrificed to the gods. A vanilla plant grew on the very spot where Tzacopontziza’s blood was found. And now it should be clear which ingredient is at the heart of the composition: vanilla. Perfumer Jérôme Di Marino combines this with birch, cocoa and benzoin resin.
Beginning with a lush and powerful blend of leather and smoke – the birch shows less of its woody and more of its tarry side – Estrella de la Mañana is soon dominated by subtly tart, extremely authentic and delicious cocoa nuances, which combine beautifully with the dark leather smokiness of the birch, soothing and ensnaring it. The vanilla, in turn, provides a gentle, spicy sweetness that also contains smoky facets, while the benzoin resin lends the creation milky, creamy and smooth accents that combine and hold the individual components together in a very harmonious and coherent way.
Even if the opening of Estrella de la Mañana may seem a little rough and lush to some at first sniff, because the leather-smoke nuances are already clearly perceptible and powerful here, it is worth showing patience and waiting to see how this composition develops. Cocoa, vanilla and benzoin resin not only have a soothing function, they also form a wonderful blend that is so delicious and irresistible that you want to dive in, let yourself go and enjoy. A very successful and exciting creation for all those who love not-too-sweet fragrances with cocoa and dark vanilla.
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