Nude
Bill Blass (1990)

This is not a "today" perfume or a "foodie" fragrance, this is a mature perfume, an experience into perfumery on how it used to be done. This is a choice of an adult perfumista who has tried a world of perfumes, one who has stepped amongst the florals, the chypres, the gourmands, the woods and so many others. Nude is for one who understands vintages in their purity. But also appreciates them for what they bring to their lives.

I know many may may perceive it as an outdated perfume, it has everything that screams granny to people: aldehydes, galbanum, the ultimate old lady floral trio: ylang ylang, jasmine and rose, orris and not to forget the all time classic chypre base. And yet this lady is not at all in your face kind of loud, it's more on the genle side. In fact, Nude is a lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets. She’s confident in her skin but doesn’t have to wear her sexuality on her sleeve.

It is amazing to me how aldehydes can be so incredibly lush! Yes, they are vibrant and almost jubilant in this gorgeous floral concoction! The orris root, Galbanum, green notes, along with the jasmine & ylang ylang create a cacophony of floral delight! What could have been powdery and sweet is beautifully tempered by the oak moss and woody notes. It is soapy, a fancy soap that is not overpowering and blends well with your skin, entering your pores instantly and becoming one with you, a soap in which both a lush,oppulent old sense of elegance in a tiny portion mixes with a tiny bit of modern, pragmatic elegance.

At first I didn't like nude AT ALL!!!! I thought it was harsh, chemical, cheap, and very unfamiliar, but something about it enticed me and made me continue to sniff my arm after the dry down. I was persistent and kept trying it on different days (for a period of about a year). I continued to smell myself and kinda developed a love/ hate relationship with Nude. Now after several years of using it, I have to admit that I love this fragrance now. It is a one of a kind unique fragrance, that is very powerful when first sprayed (spray lightly, too much will overdo it). It is very chemical/ acryllic at the very beginning and dries down to a consistent note (I can't quite explain it) with a powedery undertone. It is a simple fragrance that is very complex at the same time. The notes remain consistent through out and it is long lasting and talk about amazing sillage. If you like the smell of patchouli, you might like this very much. It doesn't smell like patchouli, but it is one of those scents that is unique. Very clean. Not flowery. Not musky. Noy woodsy. Not aquatic. It does catch attention because everyone always asks what is that you are wearing, especially men! It's sometimes funny to tell them "Nude" because of their reaction from the name. It is unique, captivating, and seductive which is why I love it so......I would recommend that you sample this first before buying because it may not be for everyone (even though everyone else said I smelled good when I wore this, it took me several years to like it.)

I wish this fragrance hadn't been discontinued. It is the best perfume I have found for my body chemistry. There wasn't a time I wore it that I wasn't complimented on it or asked "What are you wearing? It's beautiful." It's always been my signature scent, but I guess not for much longer.Can anyone recommend a fragrance that evokes a similar feeling? A scent reminiscent of Nude? I never seem to find the experienced perfumers at stores.

accurate descriptions so far: at first i didnt like the artificiality but it then enticed me, and seduced others! definitely modern and feminine, a liquid quality. its the preserred seduction tool of two gorgeous songstresses i know.

Ladylonestar and calchic have both written accurate reviews of this underrated treasure. This scent somehow reminds me of YSL's Rive Gauche ~ probably the aldehydes ~ although the drydown is just ever so slightly sweet and very crisp. VERY fresh and clean. The staying power is incredible as well. Mossy but not green. I wore this for many years. Close friends and family members thought 'I just always smelled nice'. (As if my own chemistry could smell so good!!!) They never new it was NUDE until I switched fragrances!!! Suddenly they said 'you smell different...' My point being: Nude is a potion that compliments one's own personal chemistry. It is sort of "all American" in the clean & fresh genre. If you have the opportunity to try this one, please do.

Nude packs a definitive punch of 80s-style aldehydes - that's aldehydes with very big hair and shoulderpads to rival a linebacker's - that open up into what has always struck me as a very sandalwood-dominant composition with undercurrents of that sort of early-spring powderiness that comes from the orris and narcissus notes. There are other things in the mix as well, like rose, ylang-ylang and jasmine, but I can never quite pick them out as this fragrance is anything but floral. Like the whole 80s trend of flesh-toned beauty palettes (made especially popular by the Kevyn Aucoin-conceived "The Nakeds" collection by Ultima, whose then-parent company was Revlon, the maker of BB Nude), there is something fantastically neutral about this scent. It's not pretty or feminine, not smoky or lavish or mysterious or delectable, not even really very sexy, and yet incredibly interesting. Apply with a light hand as the aldehydes can really throw a punch to the uninitiated; the staying power here is exceptional so a bit of this goes a long way.