Pooh, the smell's really heavy. I feel the need to let him move on, but the beginning drives me crazy. The first minute smells so damn good haha ;) The note also runs through the entire course of the fragrance but unfortunately weakly :(

It's my motto right now. I hadn't bought myself any perfume in a year. Wanted to be thrifty again and use up a few scents before I buy new ones. I also did then I was curious about L’Extase, the latest, which is geared older than Nina but younger than L'Air du Temps. +1: it's a musky floriental from perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. -1: the advertising, with Laetitia Casta, is the usual drearily predictable writhing we've already seen a million times over.

Nina Ricci is a French fashion house founded by Italian-born Maria "Nina" Ricci and her son Robert in 1932. Maria served as the house's designer and was known for her elegant, feminine gowns. Robert managed the business and finance end, and made the initial foray into the perfume world. The rose is more of a musty rose, I must confess, not the clearer rose of Stella, which is what I was expecting and honestly what I prefer. This perfume is reminding me of something my aunt has worn for 30+ years. I don't love it.

So far as I know, there are no plans to distribute L'Extase in the US. When distribution plans were detailed in Women's Wear Daily earlier this year, the US was not mentioned. The rest of the world should either have it already, or will have it by the end of the summer. Nina Ricci's first fragrance, Coeur Joie, was introduced in 1946. The perfume was presented in a beautiful crystal bottle designed by Lalique, and marked the beginning of an historic partnership between the two companies that would last many years. Nina Ricci’s latest perfume L’Extase is marketed as an erotic boudoir fragrance that is said to liberate a woman’s deepest desires and fantasies! A living room table with burning vanilla scented candles on it. In the middle of the table there is a huge bowl with potpourri. Now I feel like I'm at home with my grandma.Nina Ricci's perfume distribution in the US is spotty. You can find the old classic L'Air du Temps at Nordstrom or Macy's, and Macy's also has the youth-oriented Nina. That's about it. Bloomingdales, Saks and Neiman Marcus don't have anything (although Neiman Marcus has some lovely items from the fashion line at the moment), nor does Sephora. I never saw Ricci Ricci or Mademoiselle Ricci here at all, although admittedly I did not look all that hard. Pepper comes right behind and displaces this seductive note. Like I smell a pepper mill. Pepper doesn't usually bother me in perfume. Here, however, he becomes a lot to me. Although these notes are sumptuous, it’s almost as if they were all added in the exact same proportion. There is no structure and differentiation in the ratio of notes, leading the scent to muddle and create just an indifferent fruity-floral. The Ricci family's perfume legacy has also extended to the current generation. Romano Ricci, great grandson of Maria and grandson of Robert, produces fragrances under the brand Juliette Has a Gun. Smells like herbes?! Rose oil mixed with pepper. Not a sweet rose, no, it's kind of bitter. Is that the Taif rose? Well, it's interesting, but it's not mine.

Well, I recently tried the new perfume and had high hopes that it would make me swoon at first whiff, instead it left me feeling a little unsatisfied (wink wink). That being said, I don't dislike it either, I just wish that the caramel was stronger. I was expecting more sweetness; it is hardly sweet at all on me. Caramel is one of my favorite perfume notes, and I was hoping for more of it in this scent, based on what reviewers have posted. I guess I really will have to commit to that full bottle of Luna!

I imagine this scent being worn by a sophisticated woman who exudes class and understated feminism. She sprays it on her favorite pashmina as she sinks into the sofa with a good book and a cup of tea on a rainy day, or wears it on a special night when snowed-in in front of a roaring fire with her lover. So although it isn’t what it’s supposed to be, Nina Ricci’s L’Extase is still a nice cold weather scent. It’s just a shame that it wasn’t marketed differently to reflect the softer side of the scent. But does this scent really evoke the overt sex appeal that it promises, or does it fall flat on the sheets?! Absolue begins directly sweet-spicy. It's very sweet that it almost kills me. Not sugary sweet, adult sweet (stupid word yes) but I would almost say sexy, seductive-sweet. It's got something. Sillage seems decent; longevity is good. It takes a while for the perfume to go from top to middle to base, so unfortunately, I was left with the peppery note for a good while.

It is not a horrible fragrance so don’t get me wrong. It’s warm, deep, and inviting. It’s cozy and soft. It’s a decent neutral fruity-floral that is perfect for the upcoming sweater weather and snuggling in front of a fire. But a good snuggle is all that it inspires….NOT your deepest darkest fantasies! To me, I got a strong focus of Red Berries mixed with romantic Rose, soft Musk and sweet Vanilla. It is warm and inviting and wraps around you like a cozy sweater. It isn’t dark and brooding, nor mysterious, but instead more approachable and would make an excellent neutral Winter fragrance that would suit a wide variety of tastes. Nina Ricci was acquired by Puig in 1998 and continues to produce fashions as well as men's and women's fragrances. No erotic fantasies here, but sometimes that’s ok. Sometimes, we’d just prefer a good book instead! The other strange thing about L’Extase is if you read the notes listed, you’d be fooled into thinking it was going to be a real sexy mysterious fragrance. Notes like warm Amber, romantic Rose, sweet Caramel, glowing Benzoin, sultry Jasmine, soft Musk, and vibrant Pink Pepper, Raspberry, and Pear.