EX NIHILO
BLUE TALISMAN EXTRAIT
2025
PERFUMER
Jordi Fernandez
bergamot
pear
orange blossom
jasmine
amber woods
ambrofix
sandalwood
vanilla
musk
‘Just like its original signature, BLUE TALISMAN Extrait has been designed as an immersive journey into a precious jewel and invites you to lose yourself into a kaleidoscope of sensations. Bewitching and multifaceted, this creation embodies the House’s Avant-Garde spirit through its ultimate version. The Extrait de parfum intensifies the original creation with deeper, more powerful notes. Jasmine Sambac blends with Orange Blossom, revealing warm, rounded, and solar tonalities. The base, enriched with Vanilla and Sandalwood, becomes more textured and captivating. It enhances the fragrance’s intensity and creates an addictive allure.’ – Ex Nihilo
To this day, I’m surprised how big of a success Blue Talisman EDP has become; especially among (younger) men, who seem to always talk about it like it’s a full-on citrus fragrance, and not of the clearly floral core that I usually see part of that audience shun away from. Personally, I liked it; Blue Talisman Extrait surprisingly doubles down on the florals and I think it’s an upgrade.
It’s not nearly as ‘dark’ or amberwoody as I was afraid it would be. I think its a fairly similar experience to the EDP, with a more pronounced floral from the start versus the more citrussy opening. It’s overall just more full-bodied. It feels like it has less of the molecular, airy Jordi Fernandez/Quentin Bisch style of recent years and more of a traditional, rounded feeling.
Warmer, yes. Sweeter, yes. But modest. It stays soapy, clean, floral, fresh for longer than I figured and then keeps the base somewhat soft instead of harsh & screechy to squeeze out some extra hours of unpleasant longevity, so that’s appreciated.
I still don’t see the ‘magic’ here, that should earn it all the hype; I find it rather unassuming. But I do think it’s a pleasant, versatile, easy to like scent and I’m glad that the Extrait chooses a ‘mature’ direction, rather than making it more extreme, obnoxiously strong or adding some trend-chasing gourmand notes. More specifically, I’m glad that it didn’t become Amouage Guidance; I still get a lot of the styling from soapy musky Maison Francis Kurkdjian in this instead. Either way, it’s a very classy take on a warmer, sweeter flanker.
