Rose L'Extase Nina Ricci

by: Serguey Borisov

  What kind of rose is it?
An intoxicated rose. A rose that starts a fire and is ready to ignite. Hot. Spicy. Fiery. Sweet. Burned and burning. Quietly smoldering.

  What kind of rose is it?
A rose that mingles sharp thorns and the caress of petals. A rose that unites sweet flowers, spices, berries and dry woods. A rose that alternates hints of cosmetic powder, confectionery and smoke. It`s a rose at her blooming perfection and her paragon of redolence.

  What kind of rose is it?
It`s a thin and elegant rose, dried petals with spices in classic potpourri in a wicker basket, lined with a starched linen napkin. It's a rose that's trembling at being close to the intoxicating pink pepper and warm amber, a rose shivering with lily of the valley, jasmine and other flowers and then a relaxed and calm rose, surrounded by sweet balsams, crisp white and powdery musks, and reliable cedar.

A large and beautiful French rose, one of the tens of thousands of varicolored varieties, all colors and color combinations, all shapes and sizes. It's a dry and discreet rose of delicate skin color, with an incredible, unreal amount of fragrant petals. Unforgettable and unique.
 

  What kind of woman is she?
A blooming and knowing woman. She understands everything at a glance—who`s in front of her, what to expect from this person, and what are the possible scenarios. A pPrudent and forehanded woman, who's able to anticipate events many moves ahead. 
A calm and smooth woman, showing to all a welcoming smile; she who leaves all the storms and fantasies for the chosen people.
 

Frankly speaking, in recent years, many luxury brands have tried to capture a segment of the market for fragrances for young, bold, bright, cheerful, noisy people. Judging by their dominance in feminine new perfumes, one could think that eternal youth pills had been invented and our youth will be everlasting. Not that it is bad by itself, but the lack of attention to women is not good most of time. So I believe it's great that Nina Ricci brand turned their attention to this sad omission.

By the way, when the perfumer Francis Kurkdjian was asked: “Which of the historical figures would you like to invite to your dream dinner?” he chose some women in the prime of beauty: Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, and Marilyn Monroe. The rest of the perfumer's answers in the fragrance launch interview you can read below:

- What in L'Extase by Nina Ricci makes you most proud?

Francis Kurkdjian: Being the perfumer chosen to create it.

- What is the olfactory family of L'Extase by Nina Ricci?

Francis Kurkdjian: Floral Musky Oriental.

- What words would you use to describe this fragrance? What are the ingredients?

Francis Kurkdjian: L'Extase is an emotion, an evocation of feminine desire. I created the fragrance around two accords that chase and echo one another: Barely Rose, built around a bouquet of white petals, highlighted by natural roses and pink peppercorns.
Musky Shadow is revealed with notes of Siam benzoin and Virginia cedar subtly caught up in a breath of musk and amber.

- What challenges, surprises and revelations did you come across in this creative process?

Francis Kurkdjian: Transforming an olfactory accord with a strong potential into a memorable signature fragrance for the general public.

- What do you think of the bottle? What does it symbolize for you?

Francis Kurkdjian: It’s a fine, elegant setting; I love the fact that it fits into your hand, like a precious talisman you want to protect.
 

Thanks to the Nina Ricci team, Francis Kurkdjian answered some questions specially for Fragrantica.

Serguey Borisov:
The name of L'Extase (and the description of the perfume as well) embody some definite erotic associations for women. “Liberate your fantasies.” Could you disclose how you developed the idea of "liberated fantasies" in perfume?

Francis Kurkdjian: I was given the final name about a month before the end of my creative work. Prior to that I had key words such as timeless, contemporary, femininity, sensuality and elegance that are generic words in a way. When I was given the name, I decided to change a few notes and give the fragrance a polish so no one could tell what are the notes, what it is made of, and name one particular ingredient.

At the very beginning of the project, I presented a very strong olfactive accord: a combination of pure rose oil sustained by a musky base. The Nina Ricci team felt in love with it and we spent 18 months to fine-tune it into the final fragrance.

Serguey Borisov:
Does your new perfume L'Extase have any connection to L'Air du Temps, the very first Nina Ricci signature perfume?

Francis Kurkdjian:
From a pure olfactive point of view L'Extase is not connected to L'Air du Temps at all. There is nothing in common except they both belong to the same brand.

Serguey Borisov:
Does the new L'Extase by Nina Ricci feel more mature compared to youngerRicci Ricci or Nina?

Francis Kurkdjian:
I am equally high demanding for all my creations. To me, if you want to create a success you need to talk to and seduce all categories. These age questions are not in my field. I create fragrances.

Serguey Borisov:
Did you know that Laetitia Casta would be the face of L'Extase by Nina Ricci?

Francis Kurkdjian:
No, I did not know Laetitia Casta was chosen as the face for this fragrance. I don’t know how this info would have interfered with the creation.

Serguey Borisov:
You have created many great rose-based perfumes. Guerlain Rose Barbare ,Lady Vengeance and Miss Charming by Juliette Has A Gun, Parfums MDCI Rose de Siwa, Indult Manakara, My Burberry, Elie Saab Essence №1 Rose,Blumarine Innamorata Lovely Rose, Ferre Rose, and for your own brand as well (Maison Francis Kurkdjian À La Rose , the new example). Every perfume has a wide international success. Now you have created beautiful oriental rose perfume L'Extase by Nina Ricci. Do you have a special secret how to treat roses right?

Francis Kurkdjian:
I don’t have any secret. Behind each fragrance there is work and passion, a lot of work.