Nude

When I sprayed it on, the scent was so strong it gave me a sharp, burning sensation in my nose. The perfume had a sharp aldehydic note with an unpleasant woody undertone. Not only I, but my fellow teachers also noticed how overpowering and off-putting the scent was, describing it as something awful. It made me mistakenly think it was someone else's fault, perhaps due to a misunderstanding. I put a note up offering it to someone in need of a perfume, but unfortunately, no one took it. Eventually, I believe it found its way into someone else's hands through a gift exchange. Yikes!

As a kid, my grandma had a tiny pink tin of perfumed talc powder. It reminds me so much of the scent I remember from my childhood. My 4-year-old daughter noticed and said, "Mom, you smell so nice!" That’s the highest compliment!

It’s kind of weird, but I’ve been really into Christine Darvin’s Charming, which isn’t even on our database. I stumbled upon a review that said it smells almost identical to Nude by Bill Blass, both in scent and bottle design, leaving me wondering if it’s just a copycat or an authorized French version of Nude. Still, despite the strong resemblance, the scent feels less overwhelming to me than Nude, which I actually like quite a bit. Wearing both Charming and this together, those sharp, doll-like notes became almost unbearable for me after a while. But when I passed it on to someone who prefers lighter fragrances, she didn’t mention anything about the plastic smell at all. On the other hand, my mom tried Nude and thought it was super fresh and bright—go figure!

The perfume has been discontinued for quite some time. I’ve noticed that the bottles sold online aren’t genuine because the stock was depleted long ago. While it gives me a headache, my mom loves this perfume. If anyone knows of a similar scent still in production, please let me know.

I picked up these two perfumes, Nude and Basic Black, for a great deal. I’ve been swapping them between my wrists to see how each one wears. It’s got a bright, aldehyde zing that settles into a soft, powdery base—love how they mix together! Soft yet assertive, there’s something grounded about the scent. Around 20 minutes in, a hint of vetiver brings in some dry, wooden depth. I’m already envisioning reaching for this one often.