This week we’re wearing the newest Maison Crivelli perfume – here’s why …
We were in London last week for the launch of Maison Crivelli’s brand-new Extrait de Parfum, Musc Nurasana. Held in the light-filled glass box on the top floor of Harrods, the “Helideck”, the pink-themed soiree featured a perfume masterclass with brand founder Thibaud Crivelli and perfumer Gaël Montero. And yes, this is every bit as fun as it sounds …
Guests included entrepreneur Jo Fairley, co-founder of Green & Black’s chocolate and editor/founder of new fragrance magazine On The Scent: until physical print copies are available here in Ireland, listen to the podcast – we love to see new print ventures like this.
The Notes
We discovered four elements of the perfume one by one – perfume, says Crivelli, “is like a house with many doors”. We started by smelling the top note, bright, sunny and citrussy, a bergamot that shimmers with light. Crivelli describes it as “soothing but bright”. Then an accord that’s the “powerhouse” of the fragrance, its personality and signature. Gentle, sensuous and mysterious, with a lychee-like clean sweetness, it’s made up of damask rose and incense. The third element is musks, airy, abstract and soft. And all this is grounded by a deliciously creamy, almondy note – tonka bean – which, Montero explains, adds an addictive quality to the perfume.
Montero is a perfumer at Givaudan, whose work includes gorgeous scents for Italian brand The Merchant of Venice, as well as Cappadocia and Madurai for Memo Paris (NB look out for his Lush Vetiver and Tender Amber at Zara, too).
Why We Love It
What makes Musc Nurasana stand out? For me, it’s as if you’re trapping morning sunlight in a bottle, capturing both a brightness, and a softness that’s rosy but not sweet. It’s clean, subtle and sophisticated, unfurling on your wrist to leave a lasting almondy warmth that’s so gorgeous you can almost taste it.
Musk, for Thibaud Crivelli, is a “quiet” ingredient that adds the “sensation of comfort”. “This collection takes inspiration from strong physical sensations – it’s really about what I feel. The initial concept was of vitality – early morning workouts, morning light, birdsong – that vital energy of the morning.”
It all makes us want to learn more about musk-centred perfumes. Montero himself is entranced by musks. “As a perfumer, musk is a mythical ingredient, one that has changed a lot over time. I wanted to create a contemporary musk, think differently about it. And to join the Crivelli Extraits, it has to project. It’s a technical challenge to make it bright and comforting but with an intensity, too, so that it’s really diffusive and with a big trail.” As Crivelli says, “Minimalism comes to mind, but with a lot of layers.”
We’re now heading to the counter in Brown Thomas to discover the rest of the collection …
Maison Crivelli Musc Nurasana is available now at Brown Thomas, from €200 www.maisoncrivelli.com.
