Nobile 1942 Fougere Nobile Eau de Parfum has a sharp, peppery citrus and lavender opening that was fresh, spicy, and as crisp as winter air. The lavender gains strength and blended with with soft florals, and as the lavender does so, the whole composition is smoother, more blended, and softer, especially as vanilla makes its way in. The tobacco is subtle on me, though others seemed to encounter it more thoroughly, and appears two hours in. The drydown was a soft cloud of lavender and vanilla with patchouli undertones.

Fougeres are diverse, but they typically combine lavender, oakmoss, and coumarin, and more modern fougeres incorporate notes of bergamot, galbanum, and vetiver. There are also ways to categorize fougeres, e.g. citrus fougere, woody fougere, and leather fougere. Jovoy Paris breaks down fougeres as traditionally including an aromatic top note, pink heart, and a base of oak moss and coumarin.

• top notes: lavender, bergamot, black pepper, basil
• heart notes: tobacco, aldehydes, geranium, elemi
• base notes: vetiver, musk, sandalwood, patchouli, tonka bean

It opened with a bouquet of sharp, slightly bitter citrus, fresh lavender, and dash of pepper that kept the opening moments fresh, crispy, and spicy. As the sharpness dissipated, the notes blended together with the geranium starting to bloom after five minutes of wear. For the next several minutes, the lavender strengthened and softened against a backdrop of vanilla.

After a half hour, it seemed equal parts lavender, vanilla, and vetiver; it was aromatic, green, and rounded out with sweet vanilla. The tobacco emerged almost two hours in, subtle and smoky, and blended over faint traces of sandalwood, which tempered the more aromatic and green qualities of Fougere Nobile. The drydown was primarily a cloud of lavender, vanilla, and a little patchouli.

Application

For testing, I used half of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

Longevity

It lasted for five hours until it was a skin-scent and about eight hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage dropping faster than the projection within the first hour of wear.

Personal Thoughts

I’ve only tried a few fougeres, as it is not a category I’ve really done a deep-dive on, which is something I’m looking to do now. I liked it, but I’m not sure it’s a scent I’d want to wear on myself all day yet.

Available Sizes

• 75ml for $135
• 0.7ml sample for $4

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent
• Jovoy Paris

Nobile 1942 Fougere Nobile Perfume Review

Nobile 1942 Fougere Nobile Perfume Review

Nobile 1942 La Danza delle Libellule Eau de Parfum seems like it would be most suitable to gourmand lovers and those who want their apple so amped up that if it ended up being so intense that it had to be coming from something synthetic, that wouldn’t be a deal-breaker. There was no suggestion of apple here; it was syrupy, caramel apple through and through, only marginally cut by lemony tartness for a brief time in the opening and then later extra sugared vanilla custard. In the end, the clean musk won out, which did shift the scent more dramatically than I anticipated based on the first six hours of wear!

• top notes: apple, bergamot
• heart notes: cinnamon, cocoa
• base notes: cedarwood, vanilla, musk

Imagine the ripest, juiciest red apple possible, and the opening smelled like the taste of first bite. Within two minutes, the apple sweetened considerably, almost liked it had been cooked in vanilla and spiced with cinnamon and left to reduce to an ooey-gooey apple compote before adding a splash of lemon juice. The apple regained some of its crispness and was less caramelized, which seemed more the result of lemon coming through.

The cinnamon was considerably subtle in the composition than I’ve come across previously, so it was a sprinkle for warmth and adding nuance to the fragrance without making it truly spiced. Instead of it being like apple compote, it was more like hot apple cider–a little lighter, fresher, less syrupy. After a half hour, someone drizzled caramel on top of the cider and let it melt through as everything sweetened again.

As the base notes developed and seeped in, they created an undercurrent of decadent vanilla custard, which served to give the lightly spiced apples and caramel a creamier, smoother base to sit upon and cut some of the sugariness, but it was still incredibly sweet, sugary, and heavy on red apple. A clean musk made its presence known after six hours of wear, reminiscent of fresh laundry, and though it took another couple of hours, eventually subsumed a lot of the apple.

Application

For testing, I used half of a 1ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

Longevity

It lasted for eight hours until it was a skin-scent and about 12 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage and started to drop after four hours of wear.

Personal Thoughts

The intensity and sweetness of the apple note seemed almost artificial, which I think could be the wrong side of apple for some, as it was for me. It needed something to cut through the sugar and tone down the over-the-top apple. I wanted to squeeze more lemons over it to add freshness and tartness!

Available Sizes

• 75ml for $135
• 0.7ml sample for $4

Where to Buy

• Jovoy Paris
• LuckyScent

Nobile 1942 La Danza delle Libellule Perfume Review

Nobile 1942 La Danza delle Libellule Perfume Review

Nobile 1942 Ambra Nobile Eau de Parfum opens with sharp citrus that gets completely taken over by spiced amber that sweetens and becomes more toffee like within 10 minutes. It develops an earthiness with subtle green notes as the vetiver and patchouli came forward, while cedar gave it warmth and subtle woodiness. The drydown brought the amber back to the forefront with vanilla and a breath of cedar. The notes are:

• top notes: bergamot, neroli, amber
• heart notes: helichrysum (immortelle), labdanum, patchouli
• base notes: Tonka bean, cedarwood, Haitian vetiver

It opened with a splash of bergamot and neroli–citrusy and sharp–before being completely consumed by heavily spiced amber–dark, heady, spiced, and a little smoky. The amber’s spice softened slightly and allowed its more resinous quality to come out while getting more toffee-like with a little muskiness. There was a subtly earthy, like dry, dark cocoa, undertone that appeared after 10 minutes.

The vetiver reduced the warmth of the composition compared to other amber fragrances on the market, and it added further earthy, green elements against the patchouli, most noticeable after 45 minutes of wear. Ambra Nobile had become a well-blended composition of spiced amber with vetiver, cedar, and labdanum; the notes were fused together and were harder to detect individually, but they weren’t muffled, just blended.

As the fragrance developed further, the vetiver and cedar started to dominate, which made it appear as crisp woods with a subtle vanilla underneath. The interplay between amber, vetiver, cedar, and vanilla went on for three hours before the drydown became soft, amber-vanilla with a hint of cedar.

Application

For testing, I used half of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

Longevity

It lasted for 10 hours until it was a skin-scent that lingered for a few more hours as a soft drydown of scent. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage dropping faster than the projection within two hours of wear.

Personal Thoughts

After trying–and loving–Nobile 1942’s Patchouli Nobile, I decided to try some of their other scents in the range, because the price point is kinder than other niche houses (not affordable but not as exorbitant as niche can get!). I enjoyed it thoroughly, and if I had a bottle, would definitely put it into rotation, but I have other amber/labdanum scents that I like a little more or already have so the bar is higher and higher to add anything new.

Available Sizes

• 75ml for $135
• 0.7ml sample for $4

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent
• Jovoy Paris

Nobile 1942 Ambra Nobile Perfume Review

Nobile 1942 Ambra Nobile Perfume Review

Nobile 1942 Patchouli Nobile Eau de Parfum is dominated by patchouli, an earthier, darker patchouli that’s combined with sandalwood, oak moss, and tonka bean help to smooth and seamlessly blend the fragrance together for heady experience. Nobile 1942 listed the note structure as:

• top notes: lemon, white pepper, fresh notes, incenses
• heart notes: jasmine, patchouli, gaiac wood, cistus
• base notes: ambery notes, labdanum, tonka bean, sandalwood, patchouli, oak moss

It opened with an earthy, chocolaty patchouli–not quite bitter but definitely not sweet–in the first few minutes before tempering to a sharper, peppery patchouli that was lemony, earthy, and lightly smoky that made up the remainder of the opening scene (about a 30 minutes). Patchouli Nobile became woodier; dry, earthy, and just a touch resinous with little sweetness and even less incense before fully morphing into a patchouli laced with sweet, spiced amber set in a damp forest, as there was an earthy, slightly green note that underscored the patchouli.

After an hour and a half of wear, the patchouli has smoothed out and has more of a spiced, woody scent with an ambery richness; it was far less earthy, and the greenness subsided entirely. I didn’t find the scent shifted dramatically from this point to the end of wear, but it became a little more spiced, richer in its underlying sweetness–both from the amber and tonka bean–while it retained its drier, woody quality. It became more resinous, almost richer without having more projection, as time went on.

For testing, I used two sprays, which were applied to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I use an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise.  It was long-lasting (over eight hours and was still detectable as a skin-scent) with moderate sillage for the first two to three hours and then wore more closely following that.

Subjectively, I fell hard and fast this scent! I tested it once, from a 1ml sample I bought, and immediately purchased a full-sized bottle (which was what I ended up using to re-test for review purposes!). I loved the progression of the scent from earthier, almost dirty, patchouli to dry woods to a warmer, cozier patchouli–spiced woods with ambery richness.

Available Sizes

• 75 ml for $135
• 0.7 ml sample for $4

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent

Nobile 1942 Patchouli Nobile Perfume Review

Nobile 1942 Patchouli Nobile Perfume Review