Ex Nihilo
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Nutmeg blooms with an almost black-pepper aggression, its warmth immediately tempered by pink pepper's brighter, more volatile heat. Within moments you're caught in a spice-forward moment that feels almost savoury, as though fragrance has dared to flirt with the culinary.
The florals emerge with purpose around the 45-minute mark—peony arrives fleshy and creamy, almost rosy in its density, whilst lily of the valley adds a subtle indolic creaminess that softens the lingering spice without erasing it. Praline weaves through, introducing a subtle caramel sweetness that makes the florals feel less garden-fresh and more like porcelain-skinned florals dusted in sugar. The interplay between spice and sweetness becomes intimate, almost conversational.
By the fourth hour, the sandalwood and amber have begun their slow, creamy embrace of the fragrance, and the vanilla adds a whisper of gourmand comfort. The spice retreats but doesn't vanish entirely—it lingers at the edges, a reminder of the fragrance's earlier boldness—whilst the dominant impression becomes a warm, softly amber-hued sweetness with creamy, almost powdery undertones. What remains is intimate and skin-like, more a suggestion of fragrance than its declaration.
Explicite arrives as a calculated collision between spice and florals, orchestrated by Jordi Fernández with the precision of someone who understands that restraint can be more seductive than excess. The nutmeg and pink pepper open a conversation that feels almost confrontational—peppercorn's sharp bite cutting through the creamy sweetness lurking beneath—before the heart reveals its true agenda: a praline-laced peony that borders on gourmand without quite surrendering to it. There's something distinctly sophisticated happening here, a refusal to be simply "pretty." The lily of the valley arrives not as delicate whisper but as a creamy, almost soapy counterpoint to the spice, whilst the peony leans fleshy and full-bodied rather than ethereal.
This is a fragrance for someone unafraid of contradictions. The base—where sandalwood, vanilla, and amber create a pillowy sweetness—transforms the scent into something almost edible, yet the lingering pepper prevents it from becoming cloying. It's simultaneously approachable and austere, creamy yet peppery, floral yet gourmand. The 52% creamy accord suggests a silken tactile quality, as though you're wearing cashmere infused with spices and florals rather than traditional "perfume."
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3.5/5 (152)