Note Pyramid
Nina Illusion
Two perfumers worked on Nina Illusion Eau de Parfum for Nina Ricci, Nicolas Bonneville and Olivier Cresp, and between them they produced the most interesting thing this line has released in years. The opening is tart rather than sweet, which is a departure here. Yuzu leads it, a citrus with a bitter, faintly floral edge that lemon on its own cannot give you, and italian lemon brightens it further while pink pepper adds a dry prickle on top. Raspberry follows, and it is used in its sharp, slightly seedy register rather than as a syrup, with orange blossom lifting the middle and keeping it clean. Then the base changes the subject entirely: patchouli, earthy and bitter and quietly dark, under bourbon vanilla, which is deep and boozy rather than creamy.
Seven materials and a genuine arc from bright to dark, which is unusual for a fragrance aimed at this part of the market. It was released in 2024, and it is the first thing the line has produced that would not embarrass a niche label. Eau de parfum strength suits the composition. The citrus burns off in the first half hour and what remains is the fruit and vanilla over patchouli, close to the skin, comfortable, and still there at the end of a long day. Cold months flatter it most, and it works as well at six in the evening as it does at nine in the morning, which is not something many sweet fragrances manage.
Perfume at this house was Robert Ricci's project rather than his mother's. He set up a dedicated department in 1941, nine years after the Parisian couture house opened under her name in 1932, and the fragrance business has outlasted the couture by decades. Ownership passed to Puig in 1998.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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