Monday, March 9, 2009

Frequent Questions: the differences between concentrations of Narciso Rodriguez For Her

Narciso Rodriguez most successful foray into fragrance so far has been his original Narciso For Her. We were discussing the other day while reviewing his new Essence how Narciso For Her became the kickstart of a whole new genre of modern fragrances that aim at the young-ish demographic yet do not smell of fruity cocktails or vanilla desserts and for that he should be applauded. However the range of this fragrance is rather confusing to say the least, as every product in it has some difference in smell and packaging. To elucidate matters and help readers along, I am hereby trying a breakdown of all the different versions in packaging with reviews and comparison on the Narciso brand fragrances themselves.

The original fragrance appeared first as Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette in a black austere bottle painted from the inside, so that there is a clearly discernible "edge" of clear glass at the bottle and the sides (this allows one to judge how much juice is left in the bottle too!). The lettering is in pink as is the box (where the letting is in black). I fell in love with this as soon as it hit the stores and I still cherish it. People of all walks of life loved it and there is a reason: It is soft, "clean" in the most sensuous sense of skin that has been bathed but is living its day along nevertheless; musky in the sense that it beckons you closer radiating harmonious warmth; and feminine all at once. Three days into faithfully wearing it, a compliment: "You smell very nice , like expensive soap! What is it?" Although I don't peg it as soapy, it gives an enigmatic vibe between just showered and sighing under a caress that won't remain at that for long. Its plaint nature makes it meld with one's personal smell ceasing to be something that floats above it and clinges on to clothing and bed-sheets in the most gracious manner.
The Eau de Toilette version is the most sillage-worthy (meaning it leaves a trail of scent behind when you wear it) and projects quite potently.
Interestingly, several people however have trouble smelling it properly due to specific "musk anosmia" (a common condition in which certain musks remain undetected from the nose, hence perfumers used a multitude in a single perfume so that the nose picks at least some). Others with less of a threshold for "living" smells report it is a bit "dirty" for their taste. As always in the subjective matters of fragrance opinions, your safest bet is trying it out before buying. Having said that it is terrifically well-made, even if I suspect it might be 100% synthetic, and a best-seller for all the right reasons!

The parfum concentration of Narciso For Her comes in a roll-on 10ml/0.33oz for the purse (depicted on the right), in clear glass with black painted on the inside. The scent is the same, although the volume and sillage are being a bit toned down as the fragrance is smeared on rather than sprayed, which produces a difference in evaporation of the molecules. The lasting power is very good, same as with the Eau de Toilette, although the same problem with musk anosmia surfaces again for several people.
As of 2012, the previous version of the purse roll-on has been discontinued and a new Narciso for Her extrait de parfum version is issued with a dabber style bottle with a black curvy cap, as depicted above.


The bottle that is black on the outside, same design as the Eau de Toilette, without clear glass edging however, in a pour bottle, is the Narciso Musc for Her version. The lettering is again in pink, reading Musc for Her. Beware the confusion as this is a completely different scent: this is pure Egyptian musc lacking the floral tone (orange blossom) and alcoholic sharpness of the Eau de Toilette as well as the patchouli-woods base. The scent is the softest, most erotic thing one could wish for in the "clean" lightly powdery musks genre and although it is based on Abdoul Karim's Egyptian Musk oil that Caroline Besette Kennedy ~who was the friend and muse after which Narciso Rodriguez created his fragrance~ was buying off the streets of Manhattan, it smells very upscale. One of the missions of any perfume board worth its salt is to find decent alternatives to popular scents which are either hard to get or too expensive (and this one is at 150 euros retail for 50ml/1.7oz, but oh, so worth it!). Although Body Time Egyptian Musc and Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess have been proposed as substitutes for perfumistas on a shoe-string budget, I am reporting that none of those rather fabric-softener musks comes really close. There is something unutterable in Musk for Her which makes it enigmatically alluring like nothing else on the market today: not too sweet, not too sharp, not too laundry-like, it traipses along the way of familiarity and supple mystery which is the sign of any product worth making one's own. It is a gift to make to those who come really close to you to savour the nectar.
Narciso Musk for Her has an oily texture based on silicone to be used on pulse points or all over quite liberally because it is a light enough scent. As it becomes one with skin and does not project as much as the Eau de Toilette does, one solution would be to wear it on hair ends to extend its sillage-radius, a trick used with very good results.
As this is notoriously the product with the most complaints about not being able to smell it from numerous people it is highly adviseable to try it out before buying. Also, as silicone-based products might go "bad" (ie.losing their scent in this case) over time, one would be advised not to stockpile.
Edit to add: As of 2011, this is discontinued, nowhere to be found, making it a rare collectible. 


The pink bottle with black lettering in a black box with pink lettering (the mirror image of the original, therefore) came more than a year after the initial products above and is Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Parfum concentration. It has a slightly tweaked formula, resulting in a different scent. Its rose/peach-flesh top note is quite pronounced, veering it into more fruity chypre avenues than a woody musk, which didn't exist in the original Eau de Toilette. Less people seem anosmic to this version as the more floral elements take center stage.

Limited editions: There is a limited edition For Her bottle numbered and signed by the designer that circulated a few years ago. Also a bottle with little sparkly stars for the holidays of 2005 and a new home candle in a black minimalist tin. The white bottles are limited editions from 2006 and 2008 respectively to commemorate the scent's success. All those variations have the exact same delicious scent as the Eau de Toilette and are aimed at bottle collectors mostly.

There are also ancillary body products: a body lotion tagged Narciso Her Scented Body Defining Lotion (not very potent in the smell department)in a pink bottle with black label, a shower gel in a black and peach bottle and a squat pot of Narciso Her Body Cream in a black glass pot(better fare this one on lasting scent than the lotion). Additionally there is a Narciso Powder Brush with the product incorporated in the device, a Narciso spray deodorant and a Narciso Hair Mist in a 30ml/1oz spray bottle which is weaker than the Eau de Toilette but eerily reminiscent of its mysterious aura.

Narciso for Her had received praise even from the difficult mr.Turin on his blog on 27/11/05, when he noticed that despite not a great deal of innovation it sure smells wonderful. He later wrote in Perfumes, the Guide: "But give Narciso to someone you like and stand at attention as she sweeps past. You then realise that some fragrances, like gravitation, reliably generate an attractive force that day in and day out, without fuss or explanation, though theories abound".
Excellently said!

Notes for the Narciso For Her edt: Honey Flower, Solar Musk, Orange Blossom, Osmanthus, Amberlyn, Vanilla, Tactile Musk, Tactile Woods, Vetiver.
Notes for the Narciso For Her edp: Pink Chypre, Pink Floral, Voluptuous Woods, Soft Amber, Sheer Chypre, Flower Honey, Tactile Woods, Amber Light.

Perfumeurs : Christine Nagel and Francis Kurkdjian (Quest).

Available through major department stores.

LIMITED EDITIONS/VARIATIONS IN THE NARCISO RODRIGUEZ "FOR HER" LINE


The two versions of Her and Him in "the Musk Collection" are limited editions from 2009 in shiny bottles. The packaging is black with a coloured inlay on the bottom citing "Musk Collection, Eau de Parfum Intense".
Narciso Rodriguez for Her limited edition Musk introduces musk in the central role, along with notes of ylang-ylang, jasmine and orange blossom.  
Narciso Rodriguez for Him limited edition Musk, will fuse musk with essences of iris and red berries.
Available both in 50ml Eau de Parfum Intense.


Narciso Rodriguez For Her Iridescent is a limited edition launched in April 2010. Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian made it as soft as silk, while the liquid contains tiny sparkling particles. Personally I haven't noticed any sparkling effect on either skin, hair or clothe, but it looks pretty on my vanity.

The scent is similar to the pink EDP. For Her Iridescent contains fragrant notes of honey flower, orange blossom, osmanthus, amber, musk, woody notes, vetiver and vanilla.

It is available as a limited editions of 50ml and 100 ml of Eau de Parfum.

Narciso Rodriguez for Her in Color Eau de Parfum was launched in 2011 and is bottled in a fuschia bottle and pink box.  Available in 100ml.

Top notes are rose and peach; middle note is amber; base notes are musk, sandalwood and patchouli.

It's very close to the original EDP but with a peachier warm note in the floralcy of the core.
Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum Delicate Limited Edition is launching for 2012. The bottles are recognisable by the lilac-tinge to the packaging and the "delicate" on the box (pictured above).
The fragrance is somewhat changed compared to the original NR For Her and features notes of vetiver, musk, african orange flower, amber, coriander, vanille, bergamot and black fig.
Available as eau de toilette in 125ml/4.2oz bottles of light purple and a matching box.

Pics via ebay & punmiris

28 comments:

  1. Thank you,thank you,thank you Elena! I have been receiving samples of NR thinking they were the original edt, now I know they all were the edp. This explains why I have not adored NR as much as my other musks. Off to sample the edt. Thanks!

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  2. While Mr. Rodriguez for coming out with this scent I am always amazed at how confusing he has made it for fragrances shoppers to get the right scent.

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  3. You're very welcome Judith! I know there is a tremendous confusion still about what people do and do not perceive from Narciso's different "versions" still and I think you might be in for a surprise: the EDT AND the Musc For Her are very sample-worthy!

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  4. Jena,

    I believe the initial confusion was made between the EDT and the Musc oil parfum and then things escalated with the different spin on the EDP; one would have thought they would have foreseen it!

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  5. Anonymous19:47

    Wow. Your in-depth explanations (like this and the one you did about Poison, et al) are so great. I feel so thankful that there is someone who enjoys taking the time to put all this information together for everyone's benefit.

    All the hard work you put into this blog shows and is totally appreciated.

    ~~ dea

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  6. Anonymous20:30

    All right then, I will look for and attempt to sample every one of these! I know I can't smell the oil, but I'm not sure I've tried all the others (I can't smell one of the bottles, but I am not sure which one). Thanks for making it all clear.

    PS also... re LT's remarks: I once asked a young woman at a party what she was wearing -- it made you follow her across the room. She said NR. Another young woman in an elevator: NR. On them it was absolutely alluring.

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  7. Dea,

    aww, thanks! It's a pleasure if I can help people disentangle the messy things in this messy world :-)

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  8. My dear March, I have you to thank for giving me the incentive to sit on my @ss and finally do this post. You're not to blame for not being able to smell this or that, they haven't exactly being very accomodating, you know? I think the prime contests for "is this water or are you pulling my leg?" is the Musc For Her oil (the black bottle with no glass edging). This I can see how people can't easily smell it (it's quite subtle even if you do smell it). The funny thing is they must have been pushing it pressingly as it's more expensive thing in the line.

    Yeah, Narciso leaves an unmistakeable and lovely sillage. Quite amazing considering it's a recent and more mainstream offering.

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  9. Well, now,I'm going to have to put my nose to work !
    Thanks for the wonderful breakdowns.

    But I want to 'smack' folks for these vague descriptions- "sheer chypre? tactile blahblah" ?
    FEH, quoth I.
    Lay thine tuchus upon ze table, por favor.

    Thank you for allowing this tiny rant.
    MWAH.

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  10. As you know, I do enjoy a good confusing fragrance-name-challenge (Ferre old, Ferre new, the iris Ferre, oops, I mean the one that smells like tuberose). But thanks for doing the sorting out for us! I'm still working on my (semi) exhaustive list of the afore- mentioned Ferres.

    I will have to re-try the NRs. I do seem to have the ability to detect most musks, so the Musc for Her sounds lovely to me.

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  11. Hahahahaha! My dearest I!
    "Lay thine tuchus upon ze table", ROTFLMAO!!! Very true!

    Those things mean nothing to the average buyer: solar musk, tactile woods...They're stumped and don't know how to respond really. This new perfume lingo to describe aromachemicals to the layman is rather insidious.

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  12. M,

    can't wait! ;-)

    Yeah, do try them. I think you will like one of them at least. (the Musc is lovely, the nicest clean musk around)

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  13. Anonymous00:30

    I can smell it! The EDT. It's lovely. I think my problem is once I've smelled it two or three times I can't smell it again (nose fatigue?) until I give it half an hour, and there it is again. The EDP I can also smell but you're right, it's too fruity and too sweet, whatever makes NR interesting is buried. The Musc I can only barely smell, and it's sour -- I am not perceiving it correctly I don't think. Even the NR EDT ... I feel like I only have part of it? It is like clean, warm skin on me, alluring. But I think for many people it's strong, yes? So I must be partly anosmic. Could it be possible I could smell it on other people but for some reason not very well on myself? Odd....

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  14. M,

    amazing!! The shopping trip was a success then! I completely agree with you on what you say: forgetting the scent and then noticing it again after a while. This happens to me as well and I think it's part of its charm. It's quite intense (to me) when initially sprayed (a sharp synthetic woody floral which is what I believe many people tag as "strong" when they actually want to say "sharp/screechy") and it then mellows very quickly and when I think I can't smell it anymore, then boom! there it is again.
    I therefore think you're smelling more or less correctly the EDT (or else we're both anosmic to some part of it, although I haven't really noticed being anosmic to something thus far). The Musc is indeed very subtle and perhaps the sour tonality is an effect of partial anosmia: I perceive it as lightly sweet, skin-like, only a tad powdery and very, very smooth.
    I got a sweetly sour vibe from the EDP. I attribute it to rose though: I often get a sour note from roses (and I know you're not very keen on them either).

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  15. thank you for clarifying all of this- i do find it all rather confusing. i utterly adore his line. i am loyal to 'For Her' but i have just started using 'Intense' (from the Musc series) which is also really lovely. however, i am confused yet again- does NR still make 'Musc for Her'? i see it on his website, but it is not on the Saks or Nordstrom sites. has it been discont'd or do you think these stores choose not the carry it? i wish i had known about it...i would have bought that instead of the Intense version. x shayma

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  16. S,

    the Musc oil has been disappearing from shelves, it's safe to say it's discontinued from mainstream circuit (you might find some older stock in discounters, though do take care it might have lost its scent). The Intense is sorta replacing it, I believe.
    I know how sad it is to lose a favorite perfume version....my sympathies!

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  17. Anonymous15:32

    So which one has more sillage?? NR EDT OR EDP ??
    I really want a high sillage perfume and adore this line.

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  18. Anon,

    in my personal experience the EDT is the more "projecting" one.
    It might have to do with my own musk perception/desire though: I get much less musk in the EDP and this is what I am looking for (musk) in the first place, so it influences me.

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  19. Anonymous00:39

    Please let me know if there was a pink as well as a black roll-on sold in the perfume concentration as I would hate to purchase a fake .. Thank you all.
    P.s. I already have the black one as shown and it is oil based.

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  20. Anon,

    yes, the black cap, black label, clear glass roll-on parfum had a rather oily texture (but not as thick as the Musk for Her oil).

    According to what I see here
    [http://i1242.photobucket.com/albums/gg521/essiebutton/nr_2.jpg] and here
    [http://www.flaconi.de/parfum/narciso-rodriguez/for-her/narciso-rodriguez-for-her-rollerball-eau-de-parfum.html]there was a pink purse thingie. The 1st is a purse spray from a set, the 2nd a rollerball.
    So it shouldn't be a fake either way. Purse sprays are not worth the effort to make into fakes, so I think you should be safe in general.
    Take care that they're both identical to the EDP version and NOT the original EDT-close parfum.

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  21. Suzette03:14

    Brilliant Blog! I am new to the wonder of this perfume, or should that be EDT (for me).
    Wondering if you could help, I have found For Her EDT Limited edition (sealed) that has on the box DEDICATED FOR YOU PRESTIGE LIMITED EDITION 2005.
    Is this the signed edition by chance?
    I simply can't find any info / photos on ths edition anywhere and am considering buying as part of a collection:-)

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  22. Suzette,

    thanks for your kind compliment! Welcome aboard. I love the EDT.

    Are you sure there is "dedicated for you" on the bottle? It could have "delicate limited edition"? Because this is what 2 special LE s from 2005 (one EDT, one EDP) had on, the photos can be found here:

    http://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Narciso-Rodriguez/Narciso-Rodriguez-For-Her-Eau-de-Toilette-Delicate-Limited-Edition-14232.html#

    HOpe this helps?

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  23. Musc for Her (the silicon/oil) is back!! So excited. Thought I'd share

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  24. Thank you so much Gorgo!

    I heard from someone who tested someplace that it is not exactly the same, but I have not seen the re-issue myself in person and I can't seem to lay out the money to do a blind purchase.

    If you try out, do drop me a note in the mail!! :-)

    thanks again honey for bringing the news here!

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  25. Anonymous02:45

    Thank you so much for replying! I have checked your suggested page but unfortunately this is not the one.
    However, here is a picture of the box in the hope that might help?
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Rare-Narciso-Rodriguez-For-Her-Eau-De-Toilette-LIMITED-EDITION-Perfume-3-3oz-NIB-/390494499777?pt=fragrance&hash=item5aeb4933c1

    I so wish the seller could open, then we all would know what mysterious bottle is inside, but appreciate they can't do for re-sell value.

    Many thanks again, Suzette

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  26. Elena, please, write about all the new Narcisos! I am CRAZY about the black cube (the white is amazing too), the Musc Fleur and the L´Absolu! All these are... breath takingly pretty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I too would love to see a review of these as well as the latest Pure Musc For Her in the matte white rectangular bottle!

      Delete
  27. Anonymous01:29

    Is NR for Her the same as Narciso by NR?

    ReplyDelete

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