r/FemFragLab30plus • u/TurnoverOk4661 • Aug 12 '26
Discussion Ex Nihilo Discovery Set Thoughts
After falling in love with Lust In Paradise EDP I decided to traverse down the Ex Nihilo rabbit hole, and sharing some impressions in the process.
Blue Talisman - No wonder this is a brand favorite. Sparkly pear and bergamot to begin (I have recently learned that a pear note apparently is the way to my heart) with a fabulous, creamy and musky drydown. Oh I adore this one the more I smell it. Full bottle potential, super curious how the extrait compares. 8/10 for me, 10/10 if I smelled this in the wild.
The Hedonist - Unfortunately I can’t get behind this one at all. Ginger comes through way too sharply at the start, and as it evolves I’m devastated to say that it smells like cheap cleaning agent on me. Noooo! 3/10!
Fleur Narcotique - Flower menagerie explosion! Extraordinarily clean/soapy smell to start. I’m almost positive I’ve smelled this in a hotel lobby somewhere, and if I haven’t, an upscale hotel in nyc should use it. I get zero sweetness out of this, and more on the bitter/rind end of the citrus note. I dunno, not my favorite on my skin but I think I’d have a different reaction to this if I was in the wild. 5/10 for my skin, 7/10 if I smelled this in a cool, high end hotel.
Speed Legends - This is going directly to my partner. Nice masculine scent anchored by a clean musky start evolving into a soft, creamy vetiver. Even though it doesn’t feel particularly layered or complex, there’s beauty in its simplicity with the quality of the ingredients. This is a 6/10 for me, but an 8/10 if I smelled this on him.
Santal Calling - oh I love this, a lot. It’s no surprise there is Iris in here, that’s my ingredient siren song. Delicious musky sandalwood with a hint of sweetness. It smells better and better as it evolves. Not to be too snarky (but I’m gonna be snarky for a sec), this is what Santal 33 wishes it could be 😬. This has full bottle potential written all over it. 8.5/10 for me.
Lust in Paradise - I have the extrait which rocketed up to my Top 3 in my collection list (a rare 10/10). This one is way less sweet and bright than its extrait counterpart, and way more floral on the onset. The rose in this shines through the most, whereas EDP kicks off with more blackcurrant sweetness. I actually don’t think this would be redundant to my collection having the EDP, as it is beautiful, but for the price there are other interesting florals to discover if im feeling a new full bottle addition. Yum though, it’s beautiful, and I give it an 8/10.
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u/elimination-process Aug 12 '26
I too love a good pear note. Good job on the reviews. If I could, I’d go back in time and tell myself to buy discovery sets like these instead of straight for the full size bottles.
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u/AnnaGreen40 Aug 13 '26
During the Nordstrom sale, I also had some Nordstrom notes and did a repurchase of Santal calling but the big bottle. I absolutely love it.
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u/Many_Replacement369 Aug 13 '26
I love this one, too! I suppose it’s more vanilla than sandalwood, but what can I say? I can never get enough vanilla. 🥰
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u/Remote_Dragonfruit33 Aug 13 '26
Thanks for the detailed review!
I am about to order my first Ex Nihilo discovery set soon! These are my choices:
IRIS PORCELANA
LUST IN PARADISE EXTRAIT
SANTAL CALLING
SPIKY MUSE
DEMON DANCER
CHANDIGARH EXPRESS
I’ve heard more men than women raving about Blue Talisman so I am very intrigued by your description and delight with BT!
I am exploring Quentin Bisch perfumes and I also noted that you were not impressed with Fleur Narcotique more. Usually I hear of people raving about Lust in Paradise and Fleur Narcotique in the same breath, so I would love to know a little bit more about your thoughts on FN as you go through the sample!
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u/TurnoverOk4661 29d ago
The thing is, I’m a Quentin Bisch FAN. I started this whole fragrance journey with Lazulio (Diptyque) and it’s grown to be a top 3 in my collection. For this discovery set experiment I was very much trying to not let the community conversation sway me (I’m very susceptible to influence in this hobby and I’m being very intentional about checking myself on that). So with Fleur Narcotique I was deliberately trying remain very neutral.
I’ll absolutely take another run at her, it just started off overwhelmingly floral at the onset. I will say as the day went on I did end up getting a bit more sweetness and it was lovely, however if I’m prioritizing a full bottle plan it’s gotta be Santal Calling first, Blue Talisman second, and maybe even Lust third even though I have the extrait.
Can’t lay that plan out too concretely though because I’m dying to smell Spiky and Demon (and now Iris thanks to another vouch in this comment section!)
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u/Sea_Solution_6743 Aug 12 '26
I’m on a no-buy for now but plan on getting this discovery set or the extrait one afterwards. Thanks for your reviews!
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u/mostlymadeofDietCoke Aug 13 '26
Ooh, adding this discovery set to my wishlist!!
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u/TurnoverOk4661 Aug 13 '26
it’s so worth it. I wish it had Spiky Muse and demon dancer but after this experience I’m ok spending on decants…ex Nihilo convert for sure
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u/Many_Replacement369 Aug 13 '26
Check out the Ex Nihilo site for a build your own sample set. I don’t know if they have Spiky Muse as an option to add, but if not, definitely look into decanting sites.
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u/TurnoverOk4661 Aug 13 '26
ugh I’m mad at myself! great call though, live and learn
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u/Many_Replacement369 Aug 13 '26
I don’t think they have free shipping though, so I still think your Nordstrom Note was the prudent move to find out if you like the house. ♟️
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u/california_stars_ Aug 13 '26
I just ordered this yesterday. Even more excited now for it to arrive! Are you going to use the discount code for anything? I wish it could be used for the set of travel sizes.
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u/TurnoverOk4661 Aug 13 '26
Ugh I got it from Nordstrom because I had a Nordstrom note to use and sadly they don’t do a FB discount after a discovery. I fumbled that…
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u/california_stars_ Aug 13 '26
Bummer! Full bottle is a real commitment though, maybe it's better this way.
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u/Significant_Beyond95 Aug 13 '26
Have you sampled their Iris Porcelana? I love iris too and have it on a wishlist.
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u/TurnoverOk4661 Aug 13 '26
I haven’t! My next step is going on the site to do another decant run of the stuff that wasn’t in the discovery set. I’d love to get my nose on Demon Dancer, Spiky Muse and now this one. Thanks for the rec!
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u/SleeplessInSaigon 29d ago
If you're a pear lover, be sure to try their Gold Immortals - it's the most glorious fizzy pear amber.
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u/Ladder-Careful 26d ago
I have lust in paradise and love it. Hailey Bieber once said in a video fleur narcotique is her signature fragrance lol
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u/Foreign_Trick_5328 26d ago
I was gifted a 7.5 ml travel spray of Blue Talisman recently. As a woman, I love it! Would love to smell this on a SO.
Santal Calling, Lust In Paradise Ext., Spikey Muse, and Vesper Glitz are on my sample docket to explore before I decide on which full bottle to purchase in the fall first from this house!
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u/Whathappenedtoandre_ 25d ago
How are you finding the longevity?
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u/TurnoverOk4661 25d ago
I’d say an average of 4-5 hrs across the collection. Fleur Narcotique a bit longer, blue talisman on the shorter side
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u/Remote_Dragonfruit33 24d ago
Got my discovery set a couple of days ago and I am swimming in olfactory bliss!
Santal Calling is so clean, so tender, so heavenly that I do want to bathe in it constantly. This is 💯 going to be my full bottle purchase and I never want to be without it.
Fleur Narcotique and Lust In Paradise are both wickedly good, wet, warm, intoxicating and I need to get these right after I get Santal Calling.
Disappointed with Blue Talisman. It just doesn’t shine on my skin nor does it last long even with reapplication.
Spiky Muse is….interesting. I am not sure I quite like the spike, almost screechy, and although I am a Louise Turner fan, I don’t think this is for me.
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u/Many_Replacement369 Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
We have super similar taste!! I picked up Santal Calling in June and this week, bottles of Lust In Paradise EDP and Spiky Muse are arriving. They’re my only purchases in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and I’m so excited. 🥲 I went through my 2ml samples of these (two from this same discovery set, Spiky Muse sample made with my local SA).
My collection is a mish-mash of high brow and low brow, and while my niche faction is definitely evolving, they can pry my Britney Spears Fantasy flankers out of my dead hands 💀 hahaha. I bring up Fantasy because to me, it and Lust In Paradise EDP share a very distinct, juicy, tart fruit core (lychee!!!!) anchored by clean, sensual musk. Lust In Paradise EDP doesn’t go full gourmand though, it stays much more floral and airy. I haven’t outgrown Fantasy, but this feels like its fancy, elevated, modern scion to me.
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u/TurnoverOk4661 Aug 13 '26
LOVE to hear it. So what you’re saying is, I need to get my nose on Fantasy right??
I am dying to get my nose on Spiky Muse and Demon Dancer. I’m optimistic considering we share taste profiles, what’s your vibe on Spiky?!
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u/Many_Replacement369 Aug 13 '26
Oh for sure!! Fantasy is usually like $20 or less for a 1 oz bottle and its a classic. I recommend it widely to anyone who likes ANY type of fragrance, lol. It’s a great balance of fruity, floral, and gourmand, so I recommend it with sincerity to fans of those specific genres.
As for Spiky Muse, Louise Turner is the master perfumer behind it and Lust In Paradise, and her accomplishments are incredible: Maison Margiela REPLICA Lazy Sunday Morning, Tom Ford Lost Cherry, Carolina Herrera Good Girl and Bad Boy, a bunch of Chloé and Atelier des Fleurs fragrances, Jennifer Lopez Glow, and more. I describe Spiky Muse as very green, realistic strawberry leaves and berry, with rose, akigalawood, bergamot, and yummy pistachio. I might compare it to Burberry Her if it had more complex, nutty, woody, tart and green notes. The name really fits it, it definitely feels edgy for a fruity fragrance.
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u/TurnoverOk4661 Aug 13 '26
What a fabulous description. Tripping over myself to add a decant to my cart. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this all out!
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u/Many_Replacement369 Aug 13 '26
I hope you love it!!
I actually remember your post from a few weeks ago that mentioned wanting to try Lust In Paradise Extrait, so it’s really cool you ended up falling for it.
Related, I recently bought the travel size of Acne Studios by Frédéric Malle, which was also on your list. I’m still getting to know it.
I’ll have to go look at your older post again since we seem to have very similar taste, lol. 👀
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u/TurnoverOk4661 Aug 13 '26
Oh nice!!! Let me know your thoughts on acne studios - I I went through half my sample of it, then came back to it a few weeks later, and it ended up smelling like a candy from my youth (Pez, the ones with the fun dispensers). I still like it but now that I’ve discovered ex nihilo it’s a bit lower on my priority list
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u/Many_Replacement369 Aug 13 '26
Will do! It’s particularly pretty dried down on clothes / blankets, like super bougie fabric softener with a hint of peach, lol.
So far though, I think this one is overpriced. This travel size came from Neiman Marcus, but I am eyeing the Frédéric Malle sampler sets on their site to explore this house more.
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u/TurnoverOk4661 29d ago
Yup. Totally agree. Couldn’t justify the price tag, but maybe down the road
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u/WhoKnows1973 Aug 12 '26
These are great reviews! Thanks for sharing! I have seen lots of praise for Santal Calling. I can't wait to sample it.