I wore Lust in Paradise by Ex Nihilo every day for a week so you don't have to. This is what happened...
The Results in short
Source: Impulse-buy full bottle, Selfridges
How much I like it for daily wear: 10
How much I like it for occasional wear: 9
Composition rating: 10
Lasting power: 9
Did my view change as the week went on? Yes - I loved it more and more
Did I get bored of it? Not at all
Any Compliments? I may have forced a few - i.e. 'I smell great, don't I?'
In three words: Musky, beautiful, contemplative
Cost and value for money: High end but pleasing quality
Will I buy a full bottle? Already have
Notes from Ex Nihilo site Top: Pink Pepper
Heart: White Peony, Lychee
Base: White Cedarwood, Musk, Amber
The Week's Review
First thoughts first
I purchased this on second-ever sniff. The first time I smelled it was in Harrods perfume department, when I had probably twenty other fragrances up my arms. Even then, a little bell went off in my mind that Lust in Paradise is a romantic, musk-forward fragrance: an olfactory group that happen to be my weakness. Indeed, Narciso Rodriguez for her eau de toilette (2003) was my favourite for well over a decade: the one I always returned to.
Something about that first visit to the Ex Nihilo counter had got under my skin, and I found myself itching to return my nose to their wares. I actually hadn't been sure if I was hankering for Fleur Narcotique which is also a great floral - (gorgeous but with a kick, just the way I like my modern florals to be), but this time, Lust in Paradise revealed more of its pepperiness, and almost a creamy iris under the marriage of lychee-peony. That was it. The twist I was seeking to elevate this fragrance from merely gentle and romantic to something more complex and surprising. It was in there: I just needed to find it.
Image: Ex Nihilo
And here, I want to spend a moment on the parfumer, Louise Turner, who I must admit hasn't been on my radar much, but who seems to really be hitting her olfactive stride. Hailing from Kent (Yay, go girl! Another of the rare species: the English parfumer!) it looks from her output like she specialises in feminine, sexy, fruity, musky, punchy, easy-to-love scents by choice: and that she completely understands what makes these perfumes work. That's what strikes me the most about Lust in Paradise: dialling up the pepper in this kind of fragrance DNA is genius. You somehow really get the sense the parfumer was in absolute control.
She's behind the blockbuster Good Girl by Carolina Herrera; Tom Ford's Lost Cherry; Chloe Love; Lazy Sunday Morning by Mason Martin Margiela's Replica line etc. I mean, if those four fragrances plus this one were your sole fragrance wardrobe, you would smell amazing, all the time. I'm almost tempted to go minimal and try it. Almost.
7 Day Test
I don't really know what there is to say about this more than it just works and is an utterly lovely wearing experience. It opens with dewy peony on first spray, lightly sweetened by lychee and possibly vanilla, though that's not listed. There's a greenness to the opening so you get a sense of the leaves and stems as well as the petals; which to my nose then gets warmed up with something close to orris in the clean cedar base. The amber accords are barely there: they add a candlelight glow.
This fragrance has heaps of throw whilst not being strong, thanks to whatever modern musks and molecules radiate and shimmer around the wearer. This isn't a 'skinscent' as much as a warm, musky cloud, which is why it could be likened to Narciso Rodriguez for her and its smellalikes.
Not too far removed is also Delina la Rosée, which is more aquatic and centred around rose.
Peony and Rose - a match!
On the subject of roses, this does pair utterly brilliantly with the Delina body cream: just stunning. I prefer this layered with the Delina body cream than layering Delina with Delina, because Lust in Paradise's peony and pepper add so much interest and texture. It's a really artful mix.
And for something darker and more cerebral, it also layers brilliantly with Frederic Malle's Portrait of a Lady body cream, this time amping up the spiciness of the pepper with additional aromatics. In this way, the peony smells more like carnation mixed with rose and it's divine and sultry and sexy.
Final Thoughts
Is it clear I love this one?