There are fragrances that you really look forward to and then there are those that you REALLY look forward to. Being a huge fan of almost everything from Acqua di Parma, especially Profumo, which is in my humble opinion a hidden gem, and Iris Nobile edt and edp, I’ve been waiting breathlessly for Magnolia Nobile to arrive on my doorstep.There was a gigantic magnolia tree outside my Aunt’s house growing up. What I remember most was that my Aunt needed to clean up after this tree – all the big meaty petals would fall and rot all over her lawn. There were so many rotting petals you had to be careful not to slip on the gook covering the lawn. I have a vague memory of the scent of magnolia flowers, I think it was a pretty floral with an undercurrent of lemon and...something else...something I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe a vegetal quality? I used to live on Marlborough Street in Boston and I remember the street being lined with Magnolia trees. It was quite a beautiful site in the spring. Magnolia trees are such attention seekers, big show-offs really, so majestic and breathtaking, especially when their petals fall like snow.
I’ve had a decent amount of contact with magnolias in my life but oddly the scent of the flowers never really impressed me. I’ve swooned for lilacs and apple blossoms and linden trees but magnolia is more of a visual beauty rather than a scented beauty for me. Sure, they smell good, but the scent has never stuck with me, I can barely conjure it up even if I think hard about it right now.Along comes Magnolia Nobile (MN). I’ve worn MN for several days now. Honestly, I keep wearing it not because I love it but because I want to love it and I don’t. I like MN, but LIKE isn’t what I had in mind as I waited month after month for it’s arrival this year. Perhaps this is because, as I’ve mentioned, the scent of actual magnolia trees have never left much of an impression on me. Magnolia Nobile goes on with a nice citrus burst, which is easy to believe given that AdP does rather nice things with citrus (Colonia series). Magnolia Nobile reminds me very much of something. For the first 2 days I couldn’t figure out what it was, and then I read Octavian’s review at 1000 Fragrances and realized he’s spot on, of course – MN reminds me of Dior J’Adore. MN is like a cousin to J’Adore except instead of being somewhat watery and weak like J’Adore, MN casts a seductive floral spell that’s magnified well beyond J’Adore limits.
This is pretty much all I have to say about Magnolia Nobile. MN is a pretty perfume. It’s not insipid nor poorly constructed and it lasts quite a long time. I imagine there is a large consumer market that will enjoy this juice. Anyone who loves J’Adore might fall really hard for MN. Sadly, after all this waiting, I won’t be among those wearing Magnolia Nobile.
As you go further south, Magnolia trees are a bit different. The flowers are enormous and do have a scent. It is a bit citrus and a bit tobacco, but there is something else, that I can never really get my "nose" around. I've been keen to sniff Magnolia Nobile as well. The fact that you are not over the moon about it, will keep me from buying unsniffed. We have similar tastes, I think.
ReplyDeleteDown here in the semi-Deep South, there are many kinds of magnolia trees. The most impressive of them, the Southern Magnolia, gets huge -- 50 or 60 feet isn't unusual -- and dumps its one-pound buds all over the yard, which is why it's sometimes called a "trash tree." It's flowers have a faint scent. I think that, for perfumers, the magnolia scent is mostly about concept, moonlight and magnolias and all that.
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