Crème D’Nude by MAC

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MAC perfumes lack subtlety; they hit the skin and create an almost tangible, radioactive aura that can feel quite brash.

They are notoriously unisex (though Candy Yum Yum and Lady Danger might be exceptions—I tested them on skin and they felt feminine, but everyone chooses their own adventure). I own three: Crème de Nude, Ruby Woo (red fruits with leather), and My Heroine (raw smoked leather plus incense and saffron, my favourite notes). For the latter two, the inspiration would be Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford, although in my view they only share the leather. Subjectively, they don’t envy anything, not even Tom Ford’s absurd price, and these days that’s no small detail. Back then, MAC and TF both belonged to Estée Lauder, so similarities aren’t surprising, just like Velvet Teddy (ginger, vanilla, honey, and tobacco) with Tobacco Vanille. One stalactite winter day, during my first casual encounter, I was so impressed by My Heroine that I generously applied the tester to a scarf, and I can still smell it today, even though I’ve washed it several times. I’ll never forget that walk home where I literally felt inside an exquisite cloud of leather, incense, and saffron. Today I enjoy Crème de Nude: a vanilla-infused fragrance that reminds me of Kenzo’s 7:15 in Bali (limited edition available only in free shops), with passion fruit, orchid, and Madagascar vanilla (I’m hopeless at detecting floral notes except for the opulent ones like jasmine, neroli, tuberose, rose, etc.) and it vibrates with the wonderful Amour from the Japanese brand. There’s plenty of relaxation and personal enjoyment in this juice. At the end, there’s an exquisite but fleeting neroli that within minutes gets smothered by suede, a non-animal musk, and a butter toffee-style caramel that never gets cloying, all amalgamated with Madagascar vanilla. A spicy, addictive, and sexy treat with quality well above average. The rectangular, caramelised, frosted bottle is on point: an escapist perfume with warm yet soothed nuances compared to Candy Yum Yum (pure fruitiness). Ideal for intermediate seasons and preferably for daytime. Its performance is notable: it exceeds 8 hours with moderate projection and lasts 11/12 hours on skin. Unfortunately, MAC no longer sells fragrances in Argentina, except for Velvet Teddy and My Heroine; the other four were only available in MAC stores at good prices. I don’t recommend blind buying except for Crème and Candy, the friendliest of the six we had. I wish you all great MAC experiences!

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