Nahéma was inspired by the French actress Catherine Deneuve, (the real Catherine, not the characters she played in films.) Jean Paul Guerlain admitted to having a great crush on his friend, Ms. Deneuve. And yes, Catherine still frequently wears the perfume Jean Paul made for her back in 1979.
"You can't always have great passion, passion can be sort of destructive. It's something that takes you. It's something that drives you, it's not something that you drive." ~Catherine Deneuve
Head Notes: Peach, bergamot, hesperidic notes.
Heart Notes: Hyacinth, Bulgarian rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, lilac.
Bottom Notes: Balsam, vanilla, vetiver, sandalwood, tonka.
Nahéma is lush and romantic, and with its peachy rosiness it seems like a scent perfumer Sophia Grosjman would love, but it is definitely a Guerlain; and when I use other Guerlains like Insolence and L'Instant, I can see how the perfumer who created those scents (Maurice Roucel) must have been impressed by Nahéma. When I wear it I also think of L'Heure Bleue. Shared notes in the background, adjusted just so, a shared harmony. If you sample new perfumes patiently, using tiny amounts, you are much more likely to get to know the scent and appreciate it. You want to smell the delicate notes and be able to recognize individual components, and enjoy the perfume as it slowly evolves. Nahéma has a beautiful dry down with some of the heart notes still perceptible.
Not easy to find in the States, but Bergdorf Goodman often has it.
And an outake from Ched's Nahéma photo shoot. The End.
