Nicolaï / Parfums de Nicolaï
Nicolaï / Parfums de Nicolaï
150 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The initial blast is an aggressive freshness—mint and thyme dominate immediately, backed by a bright lemon-bergamot combination that feels almost industrial in its clarity. There's a deliberate sharpness here that catches you slightly off-guard, like opening a window onto a winter morning.
Within an hour, the citrus softens as blackcurrant emerges with a dark, almost tannic quality, supported by pink pepper's peppery warmth and the quietest rose accord threading through. Juniper and nutmeg add architectural depth, creating a more nuanced composition that feels genuinely contemplative—the harshness mellows into something genuinely wearable.
The base settles into a muted oakmoss-and-vetiver foundation, where musk provides a skin-like quality that anchors what's become a rather transparent, intimate scent. By this stage, it's barely a whisper on the skin—a green, slightly woody reminder rather than a statement.
L'Eau miXte arrives with the clarity of a kitchen garden caught mid-morning—that precise moment when sunlight activates the volatile oils in fresh herbs. Patricia de Nicolaï has crafted something deliberately ungendered here, and the brilliance lies in how the top notes refuse to apologise for their sharpness. The mint and thyme don't whisper; they announce themselves with the candour of crushed foliage, whilst bergamot and lemon provide a citrus scaffold that feels almost austere in its linearity.
What transforms this from a simple fresh cologne into something more considered is the heart's quiet insistence. The blackcurrant arrives not as a jammy sweetness but as a dark, almost mineral counterpoint—something you'd find in the deepest part of a leaf. Pink pepper introduces a subtle bite, never cloying, whilst rose threads through with an almost herbal quality, kept grounded by juniper berry's woody whisper and nutmeg's warming spice. This is where L'Eau miXte reveals its sophistication: it's neither floral nor fully aromatic, but rather something caught between garden and spice cabinet.
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3.8/5 (266)