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Monday, December 19, 2011

Parfums de Nicolai- Maharanih Intense



Maharanih Intense is a rare creature for me: a one spritz perfume. Patricia de Nicolai took the oriental idea seriously when she created this one: it's full of color, spices and feels like the texture of heavy raw silk. Folds upon folds of raw silk. You need to stand straight and carry it with confidence or you'll be lost in it.

The opening of Nicolai's Maharanih Intense is almost like a herbal cologne. Lots of lavender that smells fresh and just picked in a very zesty orange; it's all rind and oil, no light OJ here. It's... well, intense, and quite heady. The spicy heart is clove and cinnamon, maybe a dash of dry ginger. This is where the perfume starts to bloom and grow on skin. The sillage is enormous and if one makes the mistake of over-applying, Maharanih  will not let you forget it's there for even a second until the next day. It can be quite distracting as fantasies of India circa the Raj Quartet are certain to take over one's mind and attention. On a second thought Patricia de Nicolai might have unintentionally invented a cure for the Mondays.

The dry-down of Maharanih is amber and spice with just a hint of sandalwood that fills the gaps. It still smells quite orange to me, a little sweet and quite cozy. Luckyscents put this perfume on the feminine side of the spectrum (for men there's Maharadjah, which I also like a lot), but I don't think it should prevent men from at least giving Maharanih Intense a try, especially if they're fond of unusual lavender fragrances and aren't afraid of a good dose of spice (no cumin, though, thanks for asking).

Notes: Bitter orange, geranium, lavender, cinnamon, sandalwood, and amber.

Maharanih Intense by Parfums de Nicolai ($65, 30ml EDP, and let's all thank Patricia de Nicolai for offering this fragonerd-friendly size and price) is available from Luckyscent and New London Pharmacy. If you're lucky enough to be in Paris or London, I highly recommend visiting the boutique.

Photo of Maharani Gayatri Devi from designindaba.com

15 comments:

  1. I love Maharanih, and went through a little sample before deciding to buy. Then I found out that Maharanih was apparently discontinued, and only M. Intense was available at the website. I emailed PdN twice about it, but never received a reply.

    Have you tried the original Maharanih? Would you say that they are very different? Honestly, I loved Maharanih as it was and it would be the last perfume I'd imagine needing an "intense" variation...

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  2. I feel embarrassed I haven't tried any of de Nicolai perfumes so far; I guess, I am saving the best for last, but need to visit that little boutique in South Ken soon. My top sniffing list starts with Sacrebleu and Vanille Tonka!

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  3. The Rajmata was a beauty unto the last, with that Bette Davis Eyes look about her. Imperious. Totally comfortable in her skin. I don't know 'Intense' but the original Maharanih is a fitting tribute!

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  4. Interesting, there's also that new orange chypre Parfum d’Empire Azemour Les Orangers. A sunny trend, I hope! ~~nozknoz

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  5. I love PdN perfumes, I think she's under-rated, she has created many lovely scents that I wear, One and SacreBleu are two of my favorites. She does have the Guerlain knack for utilizing Tonka Bean.

    This perfume sounds lovely, I'm so interested in trying it, thanks for the review!

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  6. There it goes, on my To Try list. Nicolai is a real artist.

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  7. Patuxxa, I tried the original but I've long drain my old samples, so I can't compare. Maharanih Intense is really powerful stuff. One spritz and you're set until the next day.

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  8. Alexandra, you're in for a treat. There's a lot to love from Nicolai. Also give the masculines a sniff. They're gorgeous.

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  9. Musette, I agree. I got carried away when searching online for her photos. So gorgeous!

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  10. nozknoz, I wasn't very taken with Azemour, despite being a big PdE fan. It's nice, but my skin devoured it in no time.

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  11. Elizabeth, I agree about Nicolai. She deserves a lot more attention, especially since she doesn't bombard us with fake stories and legends. Her work speaks for itself.

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  12. Carla, definitely give it a try. I love Nicolai and my biggest wish from her is an intense version of her Fig Tea.

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  13. Wow, this sounds amazing, I hope I can try it one day. I like a nice, big, unapologetic Oriental fragrance for winter.

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  14. I think Patricia de Nicolai is very talented. Maharanih was the first Nicolai perfume I bought. It's sexy.

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  15. Oh this sounds incredible. The only PdN I've tried is New York, of course, and I adore it.

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