MONA DI ORIO LUX: I was all set to dismiss Lux as a boring citrusy failure when the cistus labdanum kicked in and suddenly it all made sense. What began as a snoozingly ordinary sugared-lemondrop has transmogrified into a warm, lightly smoked incense with a bit of vetiver root and a spoonful of salty musk to anchor it on planet earth.
Surprisingly attractive (considering I was ready to dump the rest of the sample down the drain not ten minutes ago) and something I would recommend for both men and women, though di Orio’s Nuit Noire is, in my opinion, a much more full and accomplished piece of work; however, Lux is more user-friendly and socially versatile due to its lighter, sunnier nature.
Hours into it, the drydown shakes off any and all citrus grove associations and hits the salty, smoky road of a proper incense musk. That’s when I appreciate it the most.
DAWN SPENCER HURWITZ CELESTIAL SMOKE: When I first grabbed this sample to spray some on, I dropped it and it broke on the tiled floor, spilling most of the liquid. I did manage to rescue enough in the vial to apply a good portion to my wrist, but now I’m beginning to wonder why I bothered.
Celestial Smoke is a sour, vinegary mess (worse than Aesop Mystra) that gets more intensely awful the longer it stays on my skin, and though I don’t believe in signs and portents, I’m kicking myself for not interpreting the shattered sample vial as a nudge from the gods: “Warning — foul brew ahead!”
Purchase at your own risk.
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Seems like you are on some sort of yin/yang roll. I always do appreciate you calling ‘em like you see ‘em, though.
And, you rat, you’ve now got me on the trail of a new one. Well, two, actually; as long as I’m checking out Lux, I’ll try to find Nuit Noir.
Let us know how your sister likes her L’oiseau du Nuit.
It’s funny, though — the ones I thought I was going to like the most in these last couple of reviews have turned out to be the duds of the pair. I was really (really!) looking forward to Aesop Mystra, and it was just foul beyond belief. Same with Celestial Smoke.
I’m going to have to learn to approach these little sample vials with fewer preconceptions.
The sis’ birthday is in a couple of days, and I’m eagerly awaiting the news of a thumbs-up. C’mon PG! Don’t let me down!
The sis emailed me today and proclaimed that she “loved” the L’Oiseau de Nuit. Success! She sprayed it on immediately after receiving it in the mail and then sat down and fired off her email to me.
It’s good to be a giver.
I had originally selected Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan for her gift, but then canceled that order and went with the Parfumerie Generale, instead. I think Ambre Sultan is great, but it’s not instantly lovable from the get-go like L’Oiseau de Nuit, and that’s what I was looking for.