Ex Nihilo — Lust In Paradise par Reine Paradis
Essence
Lust In Paradise par Reine Paradis is the limited 2019 Visionnaire edition of Lust in Paradise, created with American visual artist Reine Paradis. It keeps the original’s peony-lychee floral musk, then pushes it sunnier, more tropical and woodier through solar notes, white cedar, ambergris, musk, tonka and amber. Think Riviera floral moved toward California sun and warm clean woods.
Scent Profile
The opening is pink pepper over luminous peony. It feels sparkling and immediately pretty, with pepper used as lift rather than as a heavy spice. The heart adds solar notes and lychee. The solar accord gives a warm skin-in-the-sun glow, while lychee keeps the floral profile juicy and tropical. Compared with the original, this edition is fresher and less powdery. The drydown is white cedar, ambergris, musk, tonka bean and amber. This is where the edition most clearly diverges: the base is warmer, woodier and more grounded, with a faint salty-skin shimmer. It stays transparent and fairly linear rather than turning dense.
Performance
This edition is reported as more robust than the original Lust in Paradise. It projects well for a translucent floral and lasts longer than the EDP, though it remains radiant rather than heavy. Warm weather suits it best, and generous application makes sense if you want the solar musks to carry.
Wearing Context
This is a spring-summer scent for warm daytime, beach-adjacent leisure, brunch, casual polish and warm evenings. It reads pretty and feminine but remains wearable across genders because the pink pepper and woods pull it cleaner and more neutral. It is less suited to deep winter or situations where you want a dense statement.
Comparisons & DNA
The parent comparison is Lust in Paradise EDP. Reine Paradis is fresher, more tropical, more solar and woodier; the original is rosier, more powdery and easier to find. Parfums de Marly Delina La Rosee is the main outside comparison for rose-fruit freshness, though Reine Paradis is less aquatic and more woody. The original Lust in Paradise also shares a musky relation with Musc Infini, while Narciso Rodriguez for Her is a loose reference for the clean musk-cloud effect.
Reception
Reception is warm but limited by rarity. Admirers like the tropical lychee, solar quality, better performance and consistent wear. The main reservation is that it can still feel polished and designer-like rather than radically original. The buying risk is practical: samples and bottles are hard to find. It is most sensible for fans of the original Lust in Paradise, collectors of Ex Nihilo limited editions, or people who specifically want a brighter solar floral.
Versions & Reformulation
This is a special 2019 Lust in Paradise edition made for the Visionnaire collection with Reine Paradis. It is distinct from the original Lust in Paradise EDP and from the 2026 Lust in Paradise Extrait. No reformulation is documented, but the edition appears discontinued.
Acquisition Notes
Availability is the main issue. The original Lust in Paradise remains much easier to buy, while Reine Paradis now appears to trade mostly through secondary-market bottles or rare decants. Verify provenance carefully and expect scarcity pricing if a bottle appears.
Notable Facts & Lore
- This edition was created with American visual artist Reine Paradis.
- It belongs to Ex Nihilo’s Visionnaire artist-collaboration program.
- The concept shifts the French Riviera fantasy toward California sun and deeper woods.
- It is a separate limited edition, not the 2026 Extrait.