From its name, you'd think Nasomatto Nuda was a skin scent. From the ultra-cool and slightly irritating Nasomatto website (hint: turn off your speakers), you'd suspect Nuda was assertive and on the rock and roll side of Comme des Garçon's indie style. What you wouldn't know were the notes, since Nasomatto doesn't list them, instead preferring to toss out thoughts about the perfume such as "the unexpected tranquility of giving up oneself without concern for boundary", "hazy intuition of a depth that undoes distance", and a "quest to find a vanishing point in nature, the translucence of our senses, nude desire".
Nuda isn't a skin scent or a "bad boy" fragrance but is a whopping indolic jasmine. Nasomatto nose Alessandro Gualtieri is frank about basing his fragrances partly on his experiences with drugs (see the Nasomatto manifesto), but in the case of Nuda, I'd say the PR copy is more likely than the fragrance to be the result of a trip. As loud as Nuda is at first, in the end it's elegant and calm — almost ladylike.
Nuda starts out demanding. During the first few minutes of wearing it I wasn't sure exactly if the fecal/cat pee edge was me or the litter box. I smell spearmint, pepper, brand new patent leather, and loads and loads of gorgeously fetid jasmine. At this point, even a few drops of the fragrance fill the room with an intense, almost plastic-tinged aroma.
After 15 minutes or so, Nuda's sillage shrinks, and the fragrance feels warmer and more rounded. Last night I wore XerJoff Irisss and loved the balance of jasmine and iris, with most of the floral weight pulled by iris butter. With Nuda, the balance is reversed, with a hint of iris (and undoubtedly other florals I can't identify) but the lion's share of the fragrance going to jasmine. Once the fragrance really settles, it is still radiant with jasmine, but sedate, slightly musky, and tinged with sandalwood. It's as if Nuda goes from insolent but stylish teenager to soignée matron in the course of an hour.
To really enjoy Nuda, you must adore jasmine. Not just summer breezes of fresh jasmine, but jasmine that is practically rotting off the vine, and lots of it. That's the only thing that will get you through the first quarter of an hour of wearing it. But once Nuda has spent time on skin, it quiets into a fragrance that wouldn't be out of place at a romantic dinner (applied sparingly, of course.) I bet Jean Harlow would have loved it.
Nasomatto Nuda is available as 30 ml extrait for $185. For information on where to buy it, see Nasomatto under Perfume Houses.
Great review, thank you a lot! I love Nuda. Besides the gorgeous jasmine and light “green” musk, I couldn’t put my finger on anything since I’m still not experienced enough. But I love the scent, it’s perfect on me. The top notes make me smile and I find the dry down very elegant. I’ll analyze it again.
There is so much jasmine going on in Nuda that it’s hard to smell anything else! Who cares about analyzing it as long as you love it?
Great plan!
Ah. Indolic jasmine is a big fat NO for me, much less “gloriously fetid jasmine,” so I will happily not-consider it.
As always, fun and enjoyable review, Angela!
I always breathe a sigh of relief when I don’t like something. Otherwise, it’s just way too tempting to stress the bank account. Enjoy your relief!
I’ve also slotted “indolic jasmine” in the no, not me, category. I appreciate it, but my perfume budget requires discipline – things I’ll actually wear, not just beautiful smells!
I like your attitude! Much safer for the budget.
Great review Angela! Nuda sounds fascinating. I have a thing for peppery florals.
I almost wonder if it’s the intensity of the jasmine itself that’s responsible for 90% of what I smell in it–the leather, pepper, mint, all that. Every once in a while, though, it’s nice to OD on some jasmine!
I agree! Jasmine is the white flower I gravitate towards the most..
I think it is sexy and unforgiving in the way that it just about smothers you with love. I like that in my fragrances LOL.
I’ll need to try this very soon, there are many jasmine scents I have yet to try.
Thanks for the nose up Angela.
Any time! If you like jasmine, you should definitely give this one a try.
Whoa, litterbox, eh? I just ordered a sample of this, but now I’m a little leery. I do love jasmine, though. And if Jean Harlow would have loved it? Hmm… A sexy jasmine litterbox Jean Harlow scent… I’m both excited and terrified of smelling it.
hahahaha –I’m definitely leaning toward the terrified end of that specrtrum! Jean Harlow…ok, that’s good……litterbox? bad, very bad.
More jasmine than litterbox! For real!
Well, it’s not too much like a litterbox–there’s just a definite animalic undertone going on, and if there’s a litterbox in your office like there is in mind, well….
Hah. I put this on not knowing anything about it and expecting a musk, maybe? And went, WHOA. It does settle down. That first 15 minutes are a bit rough — and I like a fetid jasmine
When you said “plastic-tinged aroma” – bingo.
Yes, to me like the plasticky aroma of new patent leather. The name is so misleading!
I’m waiting for a sample of this now but am feeling scared after reading your review. I do love jasmine, and went through a crazy jasmine phase last summer following a NST article on jasmine sorbet
But this one sounds a bit too hard core for me…or at least the first 15minutes or so.
Thank you for the warning!
You might end up loving it, who knows? If a sample falls your way, it’s worth a try.
I like the drydown of Nuda so much that I am more than willing to deal with its demands! Those first 10-15 minutes are an indolic ride. But it becomes very smooth and almost velvety soft. Surprisingly quiet too. It sounds a bit crazy but the last two times I wore it, I re-spritzed (lightly) twice during the day to boost the indoles and to amplify the drydown a bit.
I like jasmine for the most part, but when it’s done as a soliflore, it needs to be pretty high quality to hold my interest. I would dare say that Nuda qualifies?
I’m no expert in top quality perfume ingredients, but I agree that there must be some really, really nice jasmine in Nuda for it to be both potent, long lasting, and still true.
Hmmm, well – this sounds very interesting. But I recently gave up on my Givenchy’s Le De sample – it has a good bit of indolic jasmine, too, and it reminds me of sweet, sweaty armpits. I’m thinking if I can’t handle “Le De,” I probably can’t handle Nuda, either. Thanks for reviewing it!
If Le De is too much, Nuda might make you totally nuts. It’s nice to know the scents that are too much for you, though.
I got A La Nuit as a gift and after wearing it on and off for a few months I think it may have spoiled the jasmine note for me. Too much and too strong. I know its not related but does anyone have any ideas of what it could be layered with, body cream or perfume? I’v tried it with rose scents but it buries them entirely…
I wonder what would happen if you tried countering it with a sandalwood scented lotion? Maybe it would come out like a sister of Samsara.
Thats worth trying! Especially since I love Samsara ( :
Let me know if it works!
Maybe some green tea?
Great idea!
Which is a green tea scent???
The Bulgari green tea scent (The Vert?) is the first one that comes to mind.
I’v tried very hard to like the vert, but not managed! I think I like black tea notes – find them comforting, but just find green tea notes bitter and thin (kind of like green tea). But I will try a warm woody, or nutty base with it when I get the chance….
I have a teeny sample of this and a little goes a long way. I really enjoy it though. It has a very pretty floral, but with the pepper and leather it’s a little dirty.
IDK if I love it enough to spring for a whole bottle though. Its a lot for such a little amount, even though a little of the juice goes a long way.
A little bit definitely does go a long way. I’ve been dabbing from a sample vial, but I have to admit I’d love to see what it would be like sprayed with abandon. It could be deliriously lovely, or just plain delirious.
Even though Nuda isn’t cheap, it isn’t so bad when you consider that it’s the extrait instead of just an EdP or EdT.
You are right that it is not that much considering, however, I fear that if I do get a bottle and the opportunity to spray with abandon I will love it and then poof there goes the bottle.
It is why I always tread lightly when things are out of my price range.
That’s very prudent of you. I bet it’s saved you a lot of heartache.
hey angela–nicely written review–and becasue of that great review-I want one of Nuda-skin scent for my wife
It sounds like you’re a fan of jasmine!