Has anyone else noticed the explosion of incense fragrances over the past decade? In past years, incense seemed to play a backstage role. Sure, the old classics Creed Angélique Encens, Chanel No. 22, and Lanvin Scandal all have incense, but a trip to the perfume counter these days gives you the choice of at least a dozen fragrances featuring incense front and center, from the Comme de Garçons incense series to L’Artisan Passage d’Enfer and Dzongka to Etro Messe de Minuit to incense “soliflores”, if you can call them that, from Lorenzo Villoresi, Crazylibellule and the Poppies and others. One incense-based fragrance that stands apart from the crowd is Yves Saint Laurent Nu.
Nu was Tom Ford’s first fragrance release when he was at Yves Saint Laurent, and the Tom Ford touch shows. Unlike Etro Messe de Minuit or Comme de Garçons Avignon, which are damp, churchy incense scents, Nu is an urban incense, cold and metallic until the deep drydown, as if a drop of chlorine were added to the formula. I normally think of incense as personal and spiritual, but this is incense I could imagine David Bowie wearing on stage. Only when the scent has faded to a whisper — several hours after spraying it on, it lasts a long time — does the scent soften and the tiniest suggestion of sandalwood and musk warm it.
I’ve read that Nu’s release party featured a stage full of partially-clad models writhing in dim light. Somehow that image and even the name, Nu, are at odds with the actual scent. When I think of a scent that is “nude”, I think of the scent of skin and sleep or a well-used bed or a bathrobe that is ready for the wash. To me, Rochas Femme, Vivienne Westwood Boudoir, or The Different Company Rose Poivrée could double as scents named variations of “nude”, but Nu is too modern, crisp, and in some ways too monastic to be particularly carnal. If Obsession weren’t taken, it would have been a good name for Nu.
Jacques Cavallier created Nu Eau de Parfum in 2001. (He created a Nu Eau de Toilette the following year, but it is a different fragrance — more sheer and floral.) The official listing of notes cites a topnote of bergamot; a heart of white orchid, black pepper, and incense absolute; and a base of woody notes and spicy notes. I’ve seen cardamom, vetiver, sandalwood, and musk listed, too, in reviews on various fragrance blogs. I can certainly make out the bergamot, but the pepper smells more to me like white than black pepper, and the white orchid is completely lost to my nose.
Yves Saint Laurent Nu Eau de Parfum comes in a chromed disk like a shiny version of a Dean & Deluca spice canister. You unscrew the top, and the sprayer is flush with the cobalt blue plastic lining the inside of the top. To me, the design is more irritating than inspiring, but it’s flat, so you can store another perfume bottle on top of it. I’ve seen Nu sold at discounters online for as little as $31 for 100 ml, which is much lower than its retail price of $95 for the same size. Yves Saint Laurent no longer lists Nu on the English version of their website, although it is still there on the French side. Does that mean it’s slated to be discontinued soon? If so, urban-monastic-David Bowie-loving types — or any of you who value incense — stock up. My bottle is safely stashed away.
Note: image via Images de Parfums.
That bottle is so ugly, and the name is all wrong, I totally agree. You think it's going to be some alien space scent. But the fragrance! I have to be in the right mood, but it's lovely. I'd compare it to Black Cashmere in terms of weight and sillage — you either think it's great or you think, ugh, too heavy! It's got a faint, sweet floral note on me as well. Maybe the white orchid? And yeah, online it is dirt cheap. I think I paid $24 for mine.
A year ago, I totally ignored this one when I saw it at TJMaxx for a song and Im regretting that now – regretting not having at least sprayed it to find out what it was like. But at that time, I wasn't breaking the gender barriers and considering every perfume unisex like I do now. Now I'm irritated because it sounds like I might like this…and I haven't seen it at TJs since.
I wish I got more of the floral note that you do, although I have to admit I'm not sure what a white orchid smells like. I wonder what they were thinking when they chose the name? It would be interesting to see the brief on this one.
Nu is squarely unisex, in my opinion. And as for TJMaxx scents, I know exactly what you mean! We all probably have stories about “the one that got away”.
Really enjoyed the review, A! I agree – I've been maintaining to anyone who would listen to me that incense is actually the note of the moment, and even though I like it much more than, say, pink anything (musk, grapefruit, cupcake icing accord) or whatever else is trendy right now, I almost wish the perfumers would lay off it for a while. Ford was ahead of the curve here, because I remember smelling this when it came out, before my obsession, and thinking: “Ack! Chilly incense! This is not perfume!” Ah, how things change. Very perseptive comment about the chlorinated feel, too – and David Bowie!
I wonder why incense is so popular now? It's unisex, maybe that's one reason. Maybe we all need something to smell that encourages reflection these days. (Of course, the “cupcake icing accord” doesn't exactly spur spiritual exploration.)
I have mixed feelings about Ford. On the on hand, he values glamour and quality and does break ground with his perfumes more than many other designers. On the other hand, his scents seem to lack the quirkiness that makes something really brilliant, I think. He can be kind of predictable in his unpredictability–you know what I mean?
A, I love Nu! I thought I was the only person who loved it, but I see that you and others do, too.
It really performs in the colder months. If you can get hold of the body cream, I suggest you stock up on that, too. It is wonderfully luxurious and a bit decadent.
Too bad Nu is discontinued, but I don't think it sold well here in the States.
Hugs!
The body cream sounds really nice, I'll have to look for it!
Don't believe Nu is discontinued here in the UK?
I bought this when it first came out, but it comes under the heading of 'Scents I admire but rarely wear'. (Under the Incense sub-category of this heading I would add the original Armani Mania with the black cap…also one of the first of the incense brigade. In fact, there aren't many incense scents I genuinely wear – Bois d'Encens is about the only one. )
A further disincentive to wearing this is the bottle, which must be the hardest-to-spray item I possess. It's like trying to apply perfume from the underside of a tortoise.
As you observe, the flatness of the bottle makes it an excellent base (!) for other fumes.
I love your comment about spraying from the “underside of a tortoise”! So true. Making samples from it is tough, too.
I do like incense in my perfume, but it's rare that I want straight-on incense. Today I'm wearing Sacrebleu which has a delicious incense drydown.
Does it spray or does it squirt like Omnia? I find Omnia very difficult to operate, as well – its a poor designed bottle, albeit beautiful to look at – but nothing about it suggests that they gave it any thought as to how one holds the bottle in the hand. You need 25 people to operate it.
I like the design of Nu, although I am a Modernist – its beauty in simplicity to me. But it does kind of look like a coaster…
Oh, I think I understand exactly what you mean. He starts trends, but he never creates a whole new category of scent (in the way that, say, Angel or Eau Sauvage did). He is always careful to be successful – it's kind of his defining quality – and so he doesn't take the really big risks. I think he's better than anyone else at what he does, and that it's harder than it looks, but it's still a limited sort of thing to do.
I like this perfume but I haven't owned or worn it in years. I'm not usually keen on incence perfumes either, so I don't know why I liked it. I also love the bottle! It is like a powder compact!.
I think you summed it up exactly!
Oh boy, Omnia is a tough one to use (but I sure like the scent). The hard part about spraying Nu is that you have to hold the disc in the palm on your hand to spray, so you need large enough hands. It might be fine for you, though.
The bottle does look a little like a coaster! Someone–I can't remember who, now–compared it on a blog to a diaphragm container, too.
I suppose part of the thing about the Nu bottle is that I need all my bottles to be skinny to cram in with all the other perfume bottles I have stashed away!
HAHA. Yes, well I wouldn't know about that last comparison. Haha. But actually, I have incredibly small hands so I can foresee me and Nu having a love and hate relationship. But if the price is right…
Well, it just measured the bottle (“canister” might be a better word for it), and it's just shy of 4 inches in diameter and an inch and a half deep, if that helps. It really is worth a sniff, and the price is pretty darn good in my opinion.
Great review! I feel like I should like Nu, but don't. It changes constantly on me but not in a good way. Yes, the bottle is weird, but the sample packaging is very cool.
What is the sample packaging like? I don't think I've ever seen it. Thanks for the compliment, too.
You are spot on with your description of Nu as “urban” “modern” and “crisp”. To me it smells almost like a slightly mainstream-ed CdG scent, sort of abstract and postmodern like that. The name is so weird, although once when I wore it it did remind me a bit of Kingdom – sweetish and cuminy like body heat. I really like it, it's transparent, ethereal beauty.
I've heard people say that it turns a little sweet on them, but it never has on me–and I wish it would! It definitely does have that abstract feel you mention.
Mark, I have small hands, too (for a guy) but don't let tha stop you from trying Nu
It really is incredible!
Angela, hey there, love! I love Nu, but not the EdT which has a jarring floral note. EdP, on the other hand, is incense perfection. Good pick-up on the similarity with BC! I actually once did a hand2hand comparison between the two, and while BC is warmer and smokier, there is something deliciously crispy-green in Nu that makes it chilly when paired w/ incense. And then it goes dusky and intimate unlike BC, which is more outwardly sexy.
D, hello, where have you been?
I was wondering about the EdT–I haven't tried it, but I figured that if I want a lighter, more floral incense I can try Kyoto. The BC has more wood in it, too, to me, and as you say is much warmer.
A “cold and metallic” Black Cashmere? I need to try this! But where? Sephora? Department stores?
I've seen it at my local perfume shop, and I wouldn't be surprised if Nordstrom or another big department store carries it. But I know for sure you can get it at parfum1 and some of the other discounters. Good luck!
Angela — that's a pet peeve of mine — do you think bottles are designed by men who never test-run them? I have smallish hands for a woman, but not freakishly small, and I am irritated on a regular basis by how difficult some bottles are to spray — you need two hands, one to hold and one to push the spray nozzle. Off the top of my head — Betsy Johnson and the Ferragamo shoe one are very hard to hold/spray with one hand. Why don't they consider utility?
Such a good question. I love beauty, we all love beauty, but, hey, if you can't use the perfume bottle who cares who beautiful it is?
A scent very similar to this which also has an incense accord is Dinner By Bobo — both are spicy and sweet on me. I missed the incense note entirely in these two, however.
I've heard all sorts of wild things about Dinner by Bobo. It seems like people either like it or hate it but nothing in between. I'll have to try it!
I've just found out that It's being discontinued….*sigh*
Oh no! I'll have to hoard the drops I have left…thanks for the warning!
yep, I was sad to hear this as well, it's a great one, hard to replace with something else. Black Cashmere is out as well, if you're into this incense, spicy woody stuff, better stock up.
This one my favorite. I hated it when I was first introduced to it by my KAM SA, but then fell in love and could not have enough of it every winter. I’ve managed to stash away another bottle of EdP, but alas I’ve discovered it too late and now there is none available. Help!
I seen it at online perfume discounters, so there’s still some around–stock up if you love it!
I find it to be a chemically smelling version of Opium. Its a bit shampooey-cheap bubble bathy, not rich and expensive. It’s not the type of perfume that if someone walked past wearing it you would want to say “ooooh what’s that”. It’s plain like the bottle it comes in. Not special at all.
It sounds like it’s not a favorite for you, but at least you won’t have to worry much about smelling it on the street since it’s discontinued.
Nu does smell chilly and slightly metallic in the bottle, but on my skin it warms up rather quickly and sweetens slightly. The strong cardamom, pepper and cinnamon notes actually make me think me of chai tea or (stretching a little) eggnog, particularly during the drydown. The incense lends an air of thoughtfulness and keeps the whole thing nicely dry, and the sillage is minimal after the first 20 minutes or so, ideal for those “skin scent” days when I’m not up to wafting a scent cloud. I’m disappointed that it’s been discontinued – it makes me wonder if YSL will ever make austere, smooth, and intelligent scents like this again.
It sounds like you and Nu are a great fit–I hope you have a backup bottle stashed away. I know what you mean about YSL’s latest fragrances. They just don’t have the elegance and style of some of the older scents, like Nu and Y.