Monday, April 20, 2009

Parfums de Nicolaï Cococabana


Parfum de Nicolaï Cococabana is the best tropical coconut scent I’ve ever smelled. I am NOT a lover of tropical scents but I love PdN Cococabana. It is true to nature, and it’s precisely because it smells so natural that sets it apart from other sweet fruity tropical “nothings” made for tweens.

I admit I never would have tried Cococabana until after reading Luca Turin’s review in The Guide. Cococabana would never have appealed to me, but LT’s review piqued my interest.

Cococabana opens with a sweet creamy coconut milk note along with an almost coconut “nutty” note, perhaps a bit like the outside husk of a coconut. The coconut note is obvious at first, but it is done with a light hand, the prominence of coconut fades slightly as the perfumes dries down. In the beginning I also smell pineapple, mango and what I imagine to be an orchid-type accord (these fruits and florals are not listed among the 'official' notes but it’s what I smell). Once the fragrance dries down a smooth sandalwood and cedar wood note emerges which blends seamlessly with the coconut. This woody coconut aroma is a brilliant blend – it’s blissfully tropical – but one that you can enjoy and won’t sicken you and make you think of suntan oils. The juicy pineapple note fades eventually (completely on me) and an orange note emerges – it’s this orange note along with the sandalwood + cedar + coconut notes that linger on me for hours. I find it utterly charming, soothing, and not particularly sweet upon dry down. Cococabana starts off sweet but dries down to only a mildy sweet woody orange scent. I’m surprised by how much I enjoy Cococabana. Realistically, there is definitely a time and a place for this scent. I’ve enjoyed wearing it in warmer weather – I can certainly imagine bringing it along with me for an island getaway and applying it lavishly! But I can also see myself wearing it once in awhile during the dreary winter months as a mood enhancer.
I’ve been increasingly impressed by Parfums de Nicolaï. Mimosaique is my favorite mimosa scent of all time. Sacre Bleu! is gorgeous and Odalisque is better than Diorissimo (ack! I said that). I also love the fact that you can buy PdN parfums in a 30 ml size – choices are 30 or 50 ml which is fantastic for us perfume-aholics who don’t want huge bottles. The 30 ml size is $45 which seems a bargain for such a high quality fragrance.

I believe Beauty Habit carries both the 30 & 50 ML sizes while Luckyscent only carries the 50 ML size.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Longevity: excellent
Sillage: perfect – not too light and not too heavy

Notes (taken from Luckyscent):
coconut, bitter oranges, ylang-ylang, tuberose, cedar wood and palm

12 comments:

Ines said...

This sounds so perfect for summer - I love the smells of both coconut and mango. This is one of PdN that I haven't tried yet, but definitely will.

Abigail said...

Ines,
If Cococabana appeals to you even remotely I'll bet you'll just love it.

Brian suggested I try Versace Crystal Noir and I just received it today. It's another tropical-ish scent that you might like, too. Starts off with tropical fruits and dries down to a fruity-amber. Quite nice.

lady jicky said...

Oh boy do I agree with her Mimosia but - how I hate coconut scent!

Abigail said...

Lady Jicky,

Yep, I would imagine that Cococabana is a love or hate scent!
I promise not to wear it when I'm next in Australia...;-)

krnszn said...

Hi Abigail. I LOVE PdN! My very favorite is Sacrebleu...in fact it has a slight edge over Dzing! for my current HG. I have a small bottle of Cococabana, and love it as well. It strikes me as a fresh, green coconut. Not a suntan oil type of scent, and not sweet, as you say. Wonderfully odd. I also have bottles of Le Temps d'Une Fete, Eau Turquoise, and Juste un Reve. Cococabana and JeR seem to have a similar coconut note, but they still different from one another. Eau Turquoise is also great - love it! I haven't tried Mimosaique...now I need to! And Odalisque is on my wish list. I can't believe she's coming out with two new scents...plus, I've been wanting to try Vanille Intense. More to love. :-) Wish her scents were more easily accessible.

Abigail said...

Hi Karin,

I'm obsessed with PdN these past few months.

I cannot wait to try the newest one called Weekend a Deauville.

I want to drench myself in Mimosaique. If I could have it in soap, lotion, shampoo and laundry detergent I would! It's similar to L'Artisan Mimosa Pour Moi but even better. The sad thing is that it's fleeting, but I love the scent so much I just douse myself in it.

Sacrebleu is so wonderful in the winter. It's cheery and warming for me.

Number One is gorgeous, but I'm not a white floral girl, so I appreciate it but hardly wear it.

Odalisque is lovely. Eau Exotique is a very unique fruity floral (so unique it's odd to categorize it as a fruity floral but it is - sorta sad that 'fruity floral' has become nearly an insult)

Vie en Chateau is the only one that disappointed me. I was told it smelled like hay (and I love hay) but it doesn't smell this way on me...

I just ordered Balkis today ;-) I'm so curious about the creamy raspberry rose description.

krnszn said...

There are still so many PdNs I haven't tried! Haven't tried Balkis, and it sounds so wonderful, that I know I'll like it. Haven't tried Number One or Rose Pivoine. Recently ordered decants of Vanille Tonka and Fig Tea...smelled on cards, but haven't tried on skin yet. Vanille Tonka seems similar to Sacrebleu with the incense. Also need to try Eau d'Ete, Vie de Chateau, and Maharadjah...and the men's scents! Only one that didn't work for me was Maharajah. I wanted to like it, but something in it just turned me off. I tried it SO many times! No luck! Ended up giving the remainder of my decant to a friend. Hey, would love to read your review when/if you try Weekend a Deauville! And any others, or course. :-) Have a wonderful evening.

Life and Dreaming said...

Another PdN fan here. Favorites are Sacrebleu, Maharanih, Vanille Tonka, Eau Exotique ... well, the list just goes on and on. I really wish they had a wider distribution. But I bless them every day for those 30 ml bottles!

krnszn said...

Oops! I meant to say "Maharanih" not Maharaja...the one I tried and couldn't like...

junaduft said...

I'm looking for a woodsy, leather, or tobacco scent. Just ordered Cuir Ottoman and I know I should give Tabac Aurea a try, but a girl can't have everything...

Anyone know if it's possible to try these out in a department store? I'll probably be in NYC again next month... I've made too many unsniffed purchases in the last month or so.

Abigail said...

Junaduft,

I can't say I know of a shop in NYC that sells PdN. Aedes doesn't and I don't believe Saks or BG have PdN either. I always purchase PdN online from BeautyHabit (my fave) and Luckyscent also carries PdN but that does nothing for your NYC sniffing adventure. I went to the main PdN website and they only list boutiques in London and Paris, not the US. However, I did find that New London Pharmacy carries what appears to be a selection of PdN (I've never shopping at New London myself) - their address is: New London Pharmacy, Inc. 246 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10011
212.243.4987 800.941.0490

junaduft said...

Thanks, Abigail. I'll have to check that out.