Nocturnes has all the hallmarks of a femme fatale perfume, but its restraint and subtlety mark it as a charming ingénue rather than a dangerous lady. A restrained, balanced, and yet multifaceted floral with a lot going on, Nocturnes de Caron could change the minds of all but the most stubborn haters of the floral category.
A combination of green notes, the freshest facets from florals such as lily of the valley and rose, with a touch of ripe fruit and mandarin, Nocturnes gets a little curvier and more erotic with the introduction of rounder, fatter notes of vanilla, Benzoin, and amber in the dry down, with a veil of powdery orris to blur and soften all angles and curves.
Top notes: Aldehydes, bergamot, mandarin, leafy green, fruity note
Heart notes: Lily of the valley, rose, jasmine, cyclamen, lily, orris
Base notes: Vanilla, sandalwood, vetiver, Benzoin, musk, amber
Nocturnes starts off with an intense and gorgeous contrast between sharp green/fruity notes and the undertow of a voluptuous vanilla/amber base. The richer notes actually seem to rise up to meet the green beginning, only to disappear and rejoin them later after the florals have had their say. (There is a radiant chorus of singing florals for a moment as the perfume develops, each flower fresher than the next.) It’s like a green/fruit – floral – sexy do-si-do, with every note’s move perfectly rehearsed and harmonious.
Nocturnes’ spirit reminds me a bit of Ysatis, a lovely floral with a touch of coconut to fatten things up, or YSL’s Y. For me, Nocturnes’ balance is my favorite part. It manages to still project “fresh and joyful,” but in addition to fruit, florals and powdery orris, there’s some scratch from sandalwood and vetiver, plumpness from vanilla, Benzoin, and amber, and warmth from musk.
Although Nocturnes takes you in so many directions, it still remains a perfume with a solid personality. Why, I wonder, is it called Nocturnes (a short musical composition inspired by or evocative of nighttime)? I mean, I understand that the nighttime-inspired base notes rise up to contrast with the Morning top notes, but if I had to choose, the top notes win over. Nocturnes is more L'apres Midi d'un Faune…
As I’m sniffing my slightly sweet, slightly spicy/woody, gorgeously floraled hand, I gotta wonder where all those well-behaved and yet still interesting florals are now?
There are a few contemporary florals that interest me (Frederic Malle’s Carnal Flower, Mona di Orio’s Carnation), but they’re few and far between. What with all the ouds and exotic notes out there in perfume — it would almost be more subversive to make a truly interesting floral.
Or, you could just buy some vintage Nocturnes de Caron.
(This review is dedicated to Brigitte, perfumaniac extraordinaire who gave me an expertly-wrapped package of perfume vials with detailed notes. She looooves Nocturnes, and now I see why. Thanks, Brigitte!)
Damn I should stop reading this blog. It is ruining my perfume budget and may soon move on to the household budget (just kidding!). I do see Nocturnes around the place, but as is so often the case, it's hard to know what vintage you are getting.
I love the way you write about perfume - 'coconut to fatten things up'; 'scratch from sandal wood'.
Posted by: Anne | July 12, 2011 at 08:24 PM
Awww, thanks Anne! Nice to hear from you. Nocturnes is really beautiful, and a rep for Penhaligons told me perfumer du jour Bertrand Duchauford loves it — so it must be great! ;-) But really, it has such a nice balance and complexity, while still remaining fresh. So wonderful...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | July 12, 2011 at 10:27 PM
Barbara- a heartfelt thanks for your prompt review on one of my all time favorites! I knew that it just had to be you to write this review, as only you could do it so poetically,which is why I got a hold of a vintage mini so that I could send you a sample (ulterior motive!). I thoroughly enjoyed reading your take on what I always deemed to be an unusual floral. I wore it with reckless abandonment from the age of 18 into my mid-20s and it suited my personality at the time ( I was an ingenue and not a femme fatale back then, yet secretly wishing to be that "dangerous lady"!). Yet, having re-discovered my love for Nocturnes I am wearing it now and find that it suits me, twenty plus years later. It is a soft floral but on my skin it dries down to something quite rich and buttery. Indeed, the name has always been a bit of an enigma to many. I believe that I read somewhere that the original name was slated to be "Zelda" which would go with the art deco motif on the original black boxes and the shape of the bottle. In any event, much gratitude from me and I hope that you are enjoying the other goodies as well!
Posted by: brigitte | July 13, 2011 at 12:24 PM
Ann- yes, you must give Nocturnes a try! I am not sure if it has been reformulated but the current Nocturnes is housed in the traditional Caron bottles with the gold cap and comes in the white box with gold dots. The original Nocturnes (which I have- you can get a mini for under $8 at perfumela.com) came in a spray bottle shaped as a rectangle with a black top and the box was solid black with a small square shaped brightly colored art deco motif on it. They also had an EDT splash which came in the same shape as the bottle above (which I believe is parfume) but it was clear instead of black. I would recommend you try the vintage. If you do, let us know what you think!
Posted by: brigitte | July 13, 2011 at 12:31 PM
Thanks again, Brigitte, and I will indeed dip into the many other perfumes you so generously sent! Also, Zelda would have been a better name! I mean, Nocturnes is a beautiful name, but the perfume seems like the opposite of a nighttime perfume...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | July 13, 2011 at 04:06 PM
Definitely not an evening scent...I always viewed Nocturnes as a classy (and classic!) floral daytime scent that was always easy to "go-to" no matter what the occasion, loved by all who smelled it on me and was very "non-offensive" to those allergy prone individuals who did not like fragrances on others.
Posted by: brigitte | July 13, 2011 at 05:30 PM
Thanks so much Brigitte, that is just the info I need. Sigh. My July perfume budget is all spoken for, so Nocturnes will top of the list for August. (I'm trying to be VERY good!)
Posted by: Anne | July 14, 2011 at 01:55 AM
Hi,
I just noticed this website, and have not been able to stop reading the vintage fragrance reviews all afternoon. Fascinating and well written! In my reading through the reviews, I could not help but think back to my boyfriend of 20 years ago who bought me a bottle of a particular Caron perfume, and I could not recall the name. Imagine my surprise to click on your home page and sure enough, that is the fragrance: Nocturnes de Caron! It is a truly beautiful fragrance. The bottle was purchased in 1992 or '93 and unfortunately I no longer have it, but would be interested to know if it has been reformulated. From reading through your reviews, it is sad to me to note that so many fragrances have been reformulated and thus lost their original character, notes, and quality.
Posted by: Sally Gannett | July 17, 2011 at 09:38 PM
Hi Sally, so glad you're enjoying Y'sP! I was given this Nocturnes sample, but Basenotes readers who were fans say that the reformulation is indeed different, and definitely not better. I just assume all perfumes that have been reformulated aren't as great as the originals. Finding a vintage on eBay should be easy. Just make sure the bottle resembles the one above, or, if it's a spray, has a colorful label. (Just Google-image "vintage Nocturnes.") The following is NOT vintage: http://tinyurl.com/4ygadxt. Good luck!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | July 17, 2011 at 10:35 PM
Sally- the vintage EDT splash will look like the bottle above but is clear (versus black). The EDT sprays are also in a clear rectangular bottle with a black top. The box that the vintage comes in is all black with a very colorful small,square shaped art-deco design about 3/4 up the top. The reformulation is housed in the traditional Caron bottle which is clear,oval shaped with a gold top and is in a white box with gold dots. Good luck with your search!
Posted by: brigitte | July 18, 2011 at 07:47 AM
Thank you for this great review. I´m tempted to try it now. :)
Posted by: Perfume Shop | July 29, 2011 at 08:08 AM
You should, but vintage only!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | July 29, 2011 at 09:11 AM
Ah, another magical scent which is a masterpiece and not as well known/loved as others by Caron. i received my first bottle when I was very young, from a friends mother as a birthday gift, and have loved it ever since. It always seemed to convey that certain aura of understated elegance and refinement, the certain something that is inherent to all great French fragrances. I would strongly concur with others and suggest seeking out the vintage formula as the newer lacks much of the original's sparkle and facets.
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=44604961 | August 04, 2011 at 10:46 PM
I haven't tried the new Nocturnes, Gabrielle. I sound like a broken record, but I just wish they'd just leave the formulas alone...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | August 04, 2011 at 11:29 PM
Where can I purchase Nocturnes De Caron Body Lotion (milk)?
Posted by: Angela | August 17, 2011 at 10:50 PM
Angela-vintage Nocturnes body products are nearly impossible to find,even through online discount retailers. I would suggest that you try e-bay.
Posted by: brigitte | August 18, 2011 at 11:36 AM
Bottle of 'deco box' Nocturnes coming my way thanks to your review and the genius of eBay. Looking forward to sniffing :-) thanks as ever for your brilliant blog. Emma
Posted by: Emma | February 02, 2012 at 03:26 AM
Hi Emma. I'm glad someone else around here appreciates eBay. (And of course I'm glad you enjoy Y'sP.) Come back and tell us what you thought of NdC!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 02, 2012 at 08:44 PM
Gostaria de adquirir o perfume citado. Como devo Fazer? Não
tenho encontrado mais nas lojas.
Obrigada,
Marta
Posted by: Marta D'Avila | February 03, 2012 at 10:48 AM
eBay, Marta. Although Im not sure if it ships to where you live. Overseas?
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 03, 2012 at 10:50 AM
NOCTURNES DE CARON
FACTICE DUMMY
Я влюблена!
Он элегантен!
Он сводит с ума и кружит голову!
Ночи с ним незабываемы!
Всё что я люблю в нем!
Я хочу его всегда и ищу повсюду!
Мой обожаемый НОКТЮРН ДЭ КАРОН!!!
Posted by: USTYUGOVA Zhanna | June 17, 2012 at 12:37 PM
No hablo ni escribo frances ni ingles, me gustaria me informaran en Colombia en que sitio podria comprar el perfume Nocturno de Caron, hace unos años lo distribuia Laboratorios Sanicol pero este desaparecio. Estoy muy interazada en volver a usa dicho perfume. Muchas gracias.
Posted by: Maria Victoria Ferro Vasquez | July 31, 2012 at 03:59 PM
María, no estoy seguro de si los buques de eBay a Columbia. Usted debe verificar con miniatureperfumeshoppe.com porque usted puede encontrar Nocturnos de Caron allí. ¡Buena suerte! (Maria, Im not sure if eBay ships to Columbia. You should check with miniatureperfumeshoppe.com because you can find Nocturnes de Caron there. Good luck!)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | August 01, 2012 at 10:16 PM
BODY LOTION is essential for the skin in the winter.To get more body lotion . visit vegantreeowl.com.au/
Posted by: Omar Faruq | December 13, 2012 at 05:05 AM
Love this, and yes, it is both well-behaved and interesting. I get some ginger in there, too.
Posted by: julie | January 04, 2013 at 12:30 AM