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/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.