Both Black and White have a mysterious, edgy and sensuous vibe. Mary-Kate and Ashley supposedly spent a full two years working with perfumer Pierre Negrin to create Nirvana Black in 2013. Woody, sensual, dark and somewhat masculine, Nirvana Black is intended for both genders. What I smell most is the dark sandalwood beneath the violet and vanilla top notes. There’s also a ripe fruity note at the opening along with a slightly chocolatey scent which almost vanishes when the woodiness takes over.
A number of fragrances are marketed as unisex. I could see these as being easily worn by a man and by some women, the type of woman who loves Tom Ford Oud Wood. This definitely wouldn’t work for the type who covets a floral more feminine scent though she’d probably love it on her significant other.
I mistakenly assumed assumed that Nirvana White, which was designed in collaboration with perfumer Honorine Blanc, would be a much lighter fragrance than Black. According to Sephora’s description: “Elizabeth and James Nirvana White is a captivating blend of delicate peony, chic muguet, and tender musk for a feminine scent with dark sophistication.” Dark yes, and very musky, but I would definitely not call this one feminine. There is something a little brighter than Black due to a faint citrus scent at the start but that is quickly killed by the overbearing musk.
As you can probably tell, I’m not totally in love with either of these. They are interesting, I’ll give them that. And I do really like the retro-chic, sleek bottles that they come in that resemble a cigarette lighter.
A 1.7 oz bottle costs around $85 on Amazon and at Sephora and other stores. If you are aren’t sure you want to commit to a full bottle, they are both available in rollerballs so you could give them both a whirl for only around $30.
Thanks for such a descriptive review of these fragrances – I find good descriptions hard to come by! I know the best way to tell is to smell it yourself but a review always helps narrow it down for me.
I love the bottles these come in – beautifully designed.
I’d like to see more reviews like this – thank you!
Louise
Hi Louise,
One of the reasons I started this blog is for that very reason: the shortage of detailed fragrance descriptions out there. But you are absolutely right about the only way to know for sure if you’ll like it is to try it.
Thanks for dropping by:)
Erica
Wow I love your description of these fragrances; You kind of took me on a scent journey there. I think I agree with you; this particular scent sounds very interesting, but probably not for me. I am curious if this is the kind of scent I could get my husband to go for? He is pretty picky; and so am I lol. He is the outdoor type and doesn’t like anything too overbearing. Any suggestions?
Hi Shelby,
If your husband is the outdoor type, he might really like Calvin Klein Encounter or Bottega Veneta Pour Homme. Thanks for stopping by and I hope this helps 🙂
Erica