Monday, October 17, 2011

Parfums de Nicolai - Vie de Château Intense

Life In A Castle

The French expression "la Vie de château" translates literally as "life in a castle" and means living a life of luxury. Rough equivalents would be the Italian "la dolce vita" (the sweet life, a life of pleasures and indulgence) and the Irish "the life of Riley" (an easy and pleasant life).

Vie de Château Intense is a sweet, pretty perfume. For the first few minutes, it smells like surgared pink grapefruit and wildflowers. It's breakfast on the patio in the county. As opens up on your skin, it takes on more of the smell of hay, freshly mown and drying in the nearby fields as you peddle your bike past on a summer afternoon. It's warm and sunny. The base is smooth and soft and has a texture and smell to me like pale grey suede.

I've been wearing Vie de Château Intense a lot this fall. It's a favourite of my husband's; he likes its sweet simplicity. A co-worker commented that it reminds him of childhood memories. It doesn't smell like luxury, not the way that Chanel Cuir de Russie or Bois des Iles does, but it has the air of a sweet life, of carefree and untroubled pastoral memories.

House: Parfums de Nicolai
Nose: Patricia de Nicolai
Notes: Tobaco, hay, oakmoss

3 comments:

  1. Have you tried the original? Curious to see how they differ (original is rather biting...resinous, etc.)

    Love the new look btw!

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  2. Hi Dane! No I haven't tried the original, but it sounds more "intense" than the Intense version. I don't think they sell it anymore, at least, all I can find on their website is the Intense.

    Thanks, I was wondering whether the new look would be loved or hated. I don't think it works on mobile, so I will switch it back if I get complaints.

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  3. Is anyone having trouble commenting? Send me a note krista dot janicki at gamil dot com and let me know.

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