NEW FRAGRANCE REVIEW: Nasomatto Pardon “Pardon the Enigma” + Pardon Me Draw

Sometimes I wish that I could just recuse myself from judging a scent.  What in the hell is a guy whose current favorite scent is Bleu de Chanel doing judging new, breakaway Nasomatto?  It makes me wonder why I’m even here.  Maybe I should just go back to the lab and once again judge the smell of lab chemicals – issuing my self-important pronouncements as a molecular Moses – the verdict of clean and unclean being duly noted and forgotten by whoever else happened to be stuck in the lab on Saturday afternoon.

Well – whatever.  The show must go on.  So to explain what Nasomatto’s new scent, Pardon, smells like, things are going to get messy.  Very messy.  You see, the scent that Pardon most reminds me of, doesn’t even smell like Pardon.  In truth, their greatest shared value is simply that they’re equally enigmatic.

 


 

Pardon does not find parallels easily.  It opens with a touch of dark, rich wood, oud, and incense, together with a really nice floral.  The floral is more “pink” than red to my nose, perfectly in keeping with Nasomatto’s ad copy for Pardon.  Still – overall – the general feel had me thinking of Tom Ford’s Black Orchid.  Not surprising that one Black Orchid lover I know has fallen for Pardon.

 


 

As the richness and complexity of the scent take hold, a certain gourmand character becomes evident.  The warmth – the spices – it’s the edge of edible.  At that point, Pardon almost seems like L’Instant Pour Homme Extrême.

Clearly there is some (pardon the word) “mainstreaming” going on here – right?  I mean – coming from a line with things like Duro and Hindu Grass, a Guerlainish gourmand is a bit unexpected.  So – is normal the new extreme?  Or is Pardon going all gentlemanly on us?  Well… maybe.

 


 

There are also some nice pine notes that play well with the rich and the sweet.  I was definitely feeling a bit of Fou d’Absinthe here.  Nice.  I get a very old-school, artistic vibe from Fou. L’Artisan even advertises Fou with a graphic of the poet’s pen.

And a poem would not be misplaced here.  As my friend Deedee pointed out, Pardon’s pink, solarized dandy, seems to be styled on a painting of the famous dandy, Comte Robert de Monesquiou.

 

 

 

  Comte Robert de Monesquiou

Said gentleman was a poet, although, to borrow from Wikipedia, His poetry has been called  untranslatable, and was poorly received by critics at the time.”  Personally, I find it neither bad nor untranslatable.  Even Google does a fairly decent job these days – enough that the words can be pimped up to artsy by the average reader:

 

 

Hymne à la nuit

 

Le mystère des nuits exalte les cœurs chastes !

Ils y sentent s’ouvrir comme un embrassement

Qui, dans l’éternité de ses caresses vastes,

Comble tous les désirs, dompte chaque tourment.

 

Le parfum de la nuit enivre le cœur tendre !

La fleur qu’on ne voit pas a des baumes plus forts…

Tout sens est confondu : l’odorat croit entendre !

Aux inutiles yeux tous les contours sont morts.

 

L’opacité des nuits attire le cœur morne !

Il y sent l’appeler l’affinité du deuil ;

Et le regard se roule aux épaisseurs sans borne

Des ombres, mieux qu’aux cieux où toujours veille un œil !

 

Le silence des nuits panse l’âme blessée !

Des philtres sont penchés des calices émus ;

Et vers les abandons de l’amour délaissée

D’invisibles baisers lentement se sont mus.

 

Pleurez dans ce repli de la nuit invitante,

Vous que la pudeur fière a voués au cil sec,

Vous que nul bras ami ne soutient et ne tente

Pour l’aveu des secrets… — pleurez ! pleurez avec

 

Avec l’étoile d’or que sa douceur argente,

Mais qui veut bien, là-bas, laisser ce coin obscur,

Afin que l’œil tari d’y sangloter s’enchante

Dans un pan du manteau qui le cache à l’azur !

 

 I’ll let a combination of Google, myself, and Michelyn take the parfum part to English:

 

 The scent of the night intoxicates the tender heart!
The flower we cannot see has the strongest balm;
All sense is confused: the smell is almost heard!
 To useless eyes, all its contours are dead.

 

Motorcycling on a summer’s night with my wife – the fragrance of unknown night-blooming flowers, invisibly crossing the road – I must say, I’m getting this guy.   At this point, Pardon is making sense.

But Nasomatto?  After the hashish-inspired, über-powerhouse Black Afgano?  What are these guys smoking?  Do we really go to Nasomatto for… dandy?

Well, this pink dandy may not be smoking, but he has some interesting secrets.

 

 

 

 

There’s something unsettling about the scent.  Something sexy but strange.  I was about to chalk it up to misinterpreted sandalwood creaminess, until I saw that one of my cohorts over on Basenotes (MonkeyBars) pointed out that oud and magnolia – the floral note in Pardon – share an animalic/spermy overtone.  Indeed, that is how I would describe this accord.  It’s a bit weird – as in biological fluid weird – and strange in a fragrance.  Perhaps not Sécrétions Magnifiques strange, but bold nonetheless.  It floats somewhere between the welcome smell of cream, and other, perhaps-less-welcome smells.

 

That’s when it hit me.  There is a rather enigmatic scent with a weird, animalic, sour milky accord that bothers me in a similar way – the highly regarded, highly discontinued, Le Feu d’Issey.

Apart from this aspect, and their artistic complexity, Pardon and Le Feu d’Issey don’t smell that much alike. Pardon is more oudy, and Le Feu d’Issey is more woody.  However, they seem to escape the mainstream similarly.

People such as Luca Turin, my buddy Dimi at Sorcery of Scent, and those who remember it, still love Feu for its beautifully enigmatic scent.  I expect that Pardon will find its fans in a like manner.

Pardon may seem like a retreat from Black Afgano.  But judge not a book by cover, a poem by title, or a dandy by day.

There may be some interesting surprises at night.

 


 

Neil Sternberg (aka the redneck perfumisto), Contributor

EIC Michelyn Camen Art Director

 We have a draw for one sample of  Pardon  courtesy of Neil. To be eligible leave a comment about this review ,  naming your favorite Nasomatto fragrance or one you would like to try . Draw ends October 14, 2011.  

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22 comments

  • Favorite Nasomatto is Narcotic Venus and then again its the only one that ever called out to me…..tried Nuda also but was not me. Would love to try the Pardon……

  • I would love to try Pardon.First I tryed Black Agano and I fall in love it it.This was my absoulute favourite and I don’t remember something else to impress me much.Duro is also very exciting and it was hard to decide which one to choose.
    I’m very excited to try Pardon after what I’ve tryed from Nasomatto I expect something which will blow me away.This is one of my top favourite brands.

  • I didn’t have the opportunity to test this smell properly, however, I remember the beautiful florals and oud in the opening as well as some chocolate notes turning into the animalistic accords. The lasting power is seems to be very good, since I could feel these little drops on my wrist for the rest of the day. Comparing Pardon to Black Afgano seems to be a bit unfair to me since you could only do it on the scales of niche-ness – where Black Afgano would definately win, while it seems to me that Pardon has a chance to appeal to the wider crowd. And while there’s Black Afgano lurking in dark corner of my bedroom, I’ve yet to see which other Nasomattos join him – Pardon will be joining the waiting list together with China White and Hindu Grass.

  • Ohh, Le Feu is my favorite discontinued fragrance. Pardon must be fantastic. If oudhy, wow, this is really worth to try. I tried Nasomato Afghan and liked it.

  • Rene Groyer says:

    Feu De Issey is one of my favourites.If Pardon is also not mainstream,it will be great to try it.Love the painting of the girl having her hair brushed,by who ?

  • Black Afgano is the only one I tried so far but I would love a chance to try all the Nasommatos (they seem to be well hidden among the perfumes).

  • Great review! It’s really helpful because Neil mentions other perfumes and that makes it easier to imagine what Pardon smells like.

    I haven’t tried all Nasomattos, but my favorite so far is Absinth.

    I wonder if I will like Pardon. I’m very intrigued by it.

  • mariotgomez says:

    Neil, great article. Looking forward to more of your work. My favorite Nasomatto depends on my mood. The first one I purchased was Hindu Grass. I love the patchouli scent and how it is like no other patchouli I have smelled. Please do not include me in the draw since I already have some Pardon.

  • I’d have somewhat understood your liking of “Bleu de Chanel”, but a “favourite” has certainly totally surprised me ! So much so that I’m almost sure I’d probably have enjoyed reading a dissertation of exactly why, more so than this review. ;o) … Still, this doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy reading this review. Your connecting to both “Le Feu” and “Black Orchid” has particularly fueled my interest in “Pardon”. As they’re both scents I highly regard and enjoy. Though a spark was hardly needed as I’ve really enjoyed all of Nasomatto’s fab’ scents to date, so I kinda almost expect it to continue now. (And I’m not yet exhausted of Oud ;o)
    As for a fave, I’d have to say I’d probably have a problem choosing between “Black Afgano” and “Duro”, as I luv them equally. The one I’ve not yet had a chance to sample, and want to, is Hindu Grass.
    Please enter me in the draw. (Thank you !)

  • That was a wonderful review. I have never tried Nasomatto but would really love to try Black Afgano.

  • This review is so strange, and has left me curious. I enjoyed the poem too. I don’t have a favorite Nasomatto yet, since I haven’t tried any. I do hope that I get to experience this one though.

  • I’ll talk about my marriage to Bleu another time – definitely some riverboat drama there. 😉

    The only Nasomatto that I own is Hindu Grass, which I love, but that was after waffling hard on Duro and Absinthe, and I do have regrets periodically. Black Afgano may be my next Nasomatto purchase, actually. Pardon strikes me as potentially the most interesting and artistic of the bunch, but I just don’t feel a huge love for it – frankly, because I just can’t get past that strange accord. However, I refuse to blame it on the scent. If I did, I might as well be casting Le Feu overboard with it. Daring perfumery always has a get-out-of-jail card with me.

    Honestly, I have no idea about the hair-brushing picture, but it’s perfect for the odd attraction I feel for this scent.

    One thing seens certain – Nasomatto appears to have no intention of selling out. And as far as oud – I think we may need to declare the frenzy over, and just admit that it’s here to stay.

  • My friend Joe fell for Pardon last week – it smelled pretty great on him, in a funny sexy armpitty animal sort of way. I could see why he would want to have it, for sure. Quite alluring.

    I don’t need to be in the draw – I can tell this would not smell good on me, and can try it locally should I decide to see what it does.

  • Love to try this one, and as of now, I do not have a fav Nasomatto frag, as I’ve only experienced Duro. I’m all about the daring… 🙂

  • Neil, I loved the words “But judge not a book by cover, a poem by title, or a dandy by day.” Brilliant! I loved it even though dandy is not necessarily “my thing”. But the damage is done, I am all intrigued by Pardon and would like to smell it.