Named after the masterpiece by German writer Herman Hesse, Narziss and Goldmund are a pair of fragrances for men and women, respectively, from the Dorissima line of Doris Brugger. Brugger has an impressive resume — she was mentored by Gianni Versace and later consulted with Lorenzo Villoresi about the creation of her products. The fragrances were inspired by her travels to India and Sri Lanka and combine natural essences of the Far East to create captivating fragrances for both men and women.

Goldmund Eau de Parfum is a blend of tonka beans, vanilla, iris root, rose, powdery carnation, benzoin, sandalwood, soft musk, balsam notes, Peru balsam, and allspice. A warm, sweet and spicy fragrance, Goldmund calls to mind a gentler Aqaba, with an accent on the sandalwood. Seemlessly blended, the scent opens with a spicy floral zest and then relaxes into a creamy semi-floral oriental. Never quite relinquishing the accents of rose and carnation, the fragrance ultimately dries to a rich powder of balsam, vanilla and sandalwood. Overall, a nicely crafted fragrance, but my enthusiasm is mainly for Narziss.

Narziss Eau de Toilette is a blend of tarragon, royal sage, rose, atlas cedar, vetiver, tonka, fig leaves and sandalwood. By far my favorite fragrance find of the year, this is one of the most striking and magnificent sandalwood fragrances I have ever come across. Immediately captivated by the combination of rose, tarragon and sage, I was even more surprised to find that the fragrance developed to reveal a rich and longlasting cedar and sandalwood drydown. Like Goldmund, Narziss is well-blended so that no one note really sticks out.

Rarely have I ever been so smitten with a fragrance so quickly, and considering the number of fragrances I test on a weekly basis, that’s saying a lot. Narziss is one of those scents where 8 hours after application I find myself sniffing my shirt sleeves and wrists, and having sprayed a small amount onto my nightshade, I can sit in bed and periodically enjoy wafts rich sweet sandalwood. Though my current fragrance wardrobe boasts well over 400 scents, I recently find myself guiltily wishing to wear Narziss more often than not. Bewitching. Period.

Both scents share the rose and sandalwood notes and echo each other as they develop. But whereas Goldmund is the richer and sweeter of the two, Narziss is somewhat drier and more aromatic. The price tags are a bit high, so a sample is definitely recommended.

Dorissima Goldmund and Narziss are available at luckyscent for $130 for 60 ml. In Germany, they can be purchased directly from Dorissima.