Angelys Pear, I suspect, was developed by Nicolai as a ‘follow up’ to Fig Tea, which I hear is their biggest seller. It gives the same vibe – a fruity floral that will appeal to a lot of people. A lot of designer fruity florals have the pear note, but you can tell that the quality of the pear in this creation is a lot better – you can sense the juiciness and vibrancy of it in this perfume. The citrusy opening is very fizzy, it has a champagne-like vibe. I like this a lot more than Fig tea, because for some reason the latter one gets so lost in my skin. Angelys Pear is not the most original thing in the world, but as far as fruity florals go, I like it a lot. I can see myself wearing it to the office, and on those days when I can’t decide what to wear, it will be a nice ‘safe’ choice.

Someone at Luckyscent told me that Fig tea ia Parfum de Nicolai’s biggest seller.  It’s easy to see why. I don’t know why it took me so long to sample this (this came out in 2007) but I did, and I instantly love it. I have always loved tea scents, and the fig combo here makes it equally appealing – it’s a sweet, ripe fig here, and combined with the earthy mate tea, the effect is bright, and unique. It’s so interesting for me because one sniff and I get the tea, and seconds later I get something totally different. It’s the perfect office scent for me – unassuming and still perfumista approved. We had one of our clients accost me the other day and wanted me to write the name of the scent for her (I don’t know how I feel about that, honestly)  My only complaint – at times my nose gets used to it I feel like I am not smelling anything anymore. I don’t know if it’s poor longevity because it makes me want to spray again.

I miss amber – the note, that is. It used to be one of my favorites in perfume, but since moving to the West Coast, I find it harder to wear here, as with most Orientals. It could be a bit abrasive, so I probably need to find one that’s softer around the edges.

Nicolai Parfemeur’s  Amber Oud may fit that bill. I don’t know why I don’t explore this house more – their perfumes are very well done, and they have a nifty 1 oz bottle for a lot of their offerings, my preferred size and price point. Amber Oud opens with a blast of amber. But it comes with a lavender note that makes the initial blast so palatable, giving it a coolant factor. The result is a warm cozy gauzy amber feel. It’s very well balanced – it feels warm but never hot – and the spice and sweet intermingle together well. Curiously, though, even though there is oud on the name I couldn’t detect it much, which is a good thing. The amber here is the star of the show, and it’s a shy but confident. This could be my Southern California amber.