Tag: NARCISO RODRIGEUZ FRAGRANCES

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Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc: An Escapist Fantasy

Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc

I’ve been absent from the blogosphere (do we still use this term?) for some time – my last post was on 17 May 2026. The longest I’ve not posted since I got into the blogging thing.  Wish I could say I’ve been away on an exotic beach holiday. But the reality is far more mundane.

Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc

Life, in the form of a new job* and all the relentless pressures and stress that came with it, meant I simply didn’t have the headspace or time to blog (although I did my best to keep up with many of your posts).

Fragrance during this time took on a different meaning for me. Often a functional spray and go, which didn’t require much thinking. Other times, in complete contrast, I kept on coming back to my bottle of Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc EDP.

OVER-THE-TOP APPEAL OF NARCISO RODRIGUEZ FLEUR MUSC

Part of the appeal of this discontinued 2017 release from the American designer brand is its borderline kitsch pink presentation. It smells over the top too. Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc EDP was co-created by Calice Becker and Sonia Constant at a time when the house stood out from its rivals with a more daring approach that made it one of my favourite brands.

Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc

Fleur Musc starts out with the soft floral spice of pink peppercorn and then boom, ROSE!, supported by the freshness of freesia. This isn’t a realistic garden rose. It’s rose taken in a dramatic, full-on direction, with lots of the Narciso Rodriguez signature musk and earthy patchouli upping the ante.

I didn’t know if I was coming or going at work, but with Fleur Musc I certainly knew what I was doing in this realm: living an escapist fantasy.

Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc

Some people think you shouldn’t wear fragrances you love during tumultuous periods due to the associations they might form. I’m not of that school and know that when I come back again to Fleur Musc, I’ll still relish its extravagant ways, but hopefully without any accompanying real-life drama.

*I’m using the past tense for this work situation, as I had to recognise my limitations and resign.

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Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP: The Perfumer’s Perspective (Sonia Constant)

Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP - Sonia Constant

Givaudan’s Sonia Constant has created stand-out fragrances for Narciso Rodriguez since 2015. Her most recent fragrance for the brand, Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP, is an uber-seductive take on the original Narciso. It features big notes of Bulgarian rose, iris, musk and tuberose. The theme of seduction is carried through to the base, where vanilla and tonka bean add to the sensual warmth.

Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP - Sonia Constant
SMELLS GOOD: Sonia Constant at work. Images of Sonia and Nadege: Supplied.

In this interview, Sonia Constant answers questions on how she and fellow nose Nadège le Garlantezec created Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP.

With your previous history with Narciso Rodriguez (Fleur Musc, Santal Musc, Bleu Noir), were you the automatic choice to create Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP? Or did you have to pitch for it?

Absolutely not. Even if I sign many Narciso Rodriguezes, we are always in competition to create the next perfume! So I had to pitch for it.

What was the brief for this fragrance? 

The brief was the colour red – a blazing red. We had to reinterpret this colour. Also words like “temptation”, “provocation”, “seduction”, “magnetism” and “passion” were part of the brief. The fragrance had to become a more seductive variant of the original Narciso.

Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP - Nadege le Garlantezec
CO-CREATOR: Nadege le Garlantezec created the fragrance with Sonia Constant.

“We wanted to create a vibrant, elegant, carnal and sensual femininity.”

What did you have in mind when you first started creating it? And how did you achieve that?

We wanted to create a vibrant, elegant, carnal and sensual femininity. We were thinking of a Baccarat rose, with some pink peppercorn on top. The ardent sensuality was to be revealed with an accord of sandalwood, cedar wood, tolu balm and myrrh. We also had in mind some tones of red sequoia and, of course, musks and tonka beans.

Musk is a staple of Narciso Rodriguez fragrances. How did you treat it for this EDP? 

Yes, musk is at the heart of every Narciso Rodriguez fragrance, but we had to adapt it with the rest of the formula.

Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP - Sonia Constant

Where did you find inspiration for this fragrance? 

Nadège and I were really thinking about creating a fragrance able to initiate passion, something warm, but fluffy. Sensual, but in the Narciso Rodriguez style.

Were there any challenges you had to overcome while creating this fragrance? 

Yes, actually the red colour was not so easy to translate, because Mr Rodriguez doesn’t like fruit or gourmand fragrances. So at the beginning we started with some cherry facet, but had to finally remove it. Also, Narciso Rodriguez fragrances don’t follow trends, so it was always more difficult to be a trendsetter.

“The red colour was not so easy to translate, because Mr Rodriguez doesn’t like fruit or gourmand fragrances.”

How long did it take you to create this fragrance?

We worked almost a year on it.

Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP - Sonia Constant

There are lots of Narciso Rouge reviews online. Do you ever read reviews of your creations? 

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to read all the reviews on all my creations, but the few I read seem good, I think.

Are you working on any other Narciso Rodriguez fragrances? 

I really love the brand and embrace it, so yes I am always working on a new Narciso Rodriguez fragrance. I can only say that it is much more than one project!

Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP - Sonia Constant