Nabucco is a perfume line with three fragrances : Amayts, Nabuco and LOV. You can read more about the house in my review of Amatys. Now it’s Nabucco and LOV‘s turn. These perfumes are different to others I’ve written about as there is a high concentration of perfume oil and they are dropped onto skin via an amulet, delivering an experience that is quite unique. The three perfumes are what I’d call exotic with a side dish of erotic. They don’t follow trends or fashions and seem to transcend eras with their ritualistic allure. These are perfumes designed to be savoured and enjoyed at leisure. The range is pricey and reasonably difficult to find but are worth trying even if just to enjoy for a moment. 

Nabucco : Nose : ??? : Year : 1997 : Notes : Top : Bergamot, grapefruit, rosemary and olibanum : Middle : Carnation, nutmeg, cinnamon, rose and myrrh : Base : Vetiver, guaiac wood, balsam, and amber.

Nabucco is inspired by Nebuchadnezzar II and of the three perfumes I think this is the most stunning, and the one that will make you do an Exorcist  head swivel, although Amatys is the one I would most often want to wear. Nabucco is designed for a man however it is a totally unisex perfume. The opening is stunning with grapefruit, bergamot and a strong herbal aspect. Rose plays a strong role in this for me, it’s delicate and feels opaque, but there’s a spice there too and perhaps that is the carnation fooling around  with the rose. Sometimes it feels quite spicy, although the notes don’t suggest this at all. Nabucco also has flashes of smoke. The vetiver is rather dominant on me so along with the olibanum I presume this is what is causing this effect to take fire on my skin.

Nabucco summons a Middle Eastern vibe that stretches out to India and beyond. The craft here is exquisite, special and totally exotic. This is one of those perfumes that will make you dream a little and has a profound sense of longing. It will make you want more of whatever it is you are desiring.  Nabucco is a Fade Into You perfume. Mazzy Star‘s song is made for this perfume and I could hear Hope Sandoval‘s voice crooning softly when I wore Nabucco. If you haven’t heard this track before take a listen …

The Lowdown :  A perfume with powers of longing and a unique sense of being : Read more about Nabucco on : Memory of Scent 

LOV : Nose : ??? : Year : 2014 : Notes : Top : Pink pepper, rose, mandarin, green : Middle : Star anise, incense, precious wood, violet : Base : Oakmoss, fenugreek, amber and leather.

After Amatys and Nabucco, LOV has a hard act to follow. The scent is called Gamma, Phi, Lambda and  the mirrored reflection of the symbols spell ΓΦΛ. We’ll call it LOV for ease of expression.  Well let’s just say that the start of LOV is potently herbal on my skin with an abundance of fenugreek and pepper that prick and poke. At this point it’s really a little much for me and thankfully it dies down quickly but the pepper lingers on my skin for a long time and in a very spiced up way. LOV eventually softens and this is when the scent develops and starts to come into its own. It metamorphoses into a more wearable perfume with a light woods and leathered feel. Sometimes I sense a smoky tea in here as well. Even though this is the scent that brings out the big guns at the beginning, LOV is actually the softer of the three perfumes over time as it wears on skin. It’s marketed as unisex but the opening is all man for me. I would peg this as more of a masculine scent than Nabucco, at least in the beginning. LOV commands you to sense its presence and in some ways has a curiously repellant attraction. It’s too much at times, but at the same time is wildly intriguing and actually a strangely sexy scent.

The Lowdown : An extremely spiced up perfume at its inception, that fades slowly to an ambered leather. Strangely alluring. : Read more about LOV on : Fragrantica

For where to purchase : The perfumes are available on the First In Fragrance site and other locations including Paris 8 in Monaco, Tanagra in Nice and Sens Unique in Paris. The 20 ml is priced at 239 Euro, the 60ml is 420 Euro and sample drops are available for 21 Euro.  There is also an amulet size that is 149 Euro for 5ml although it is not available on the First In Fragrance site. 

Notes : Images : Featured from British Vogue by Mario Testino. 

Disclaimer :  Sample borrowed from a friend. Opinions my own.