You know how there are some cans of worms you know you shouldn't open but you do anyway? The specific can I'm talking about today is Byredo fragrances. Anyone who follows beauty accounts on YouTube or Instagram is probably familiar with Byredo's beautiful minimalistic packaging and unique sounding scent names. My journey started innocently enough- I was actually looking for a scent for my husband. He loves woody smells and mentioned that he would like a cedar cologne. I immediately thought of Super Cedar by Byredo. The only problem was, I couldn't find any stores in the Portland area that carried that specific scent. I emailed Byredo to see if they could send samples, and it was a no go without purchase. I am waaaaay to scared to buy perfume or cologne without smelling it first, so that wasn't realistic for me. Next I turned to Nordstrom since they carry Byredo online, but not in any stores near me. They suggested I call the Seattle store since that was the only store that had a Byredo counter. I gave them a call, and an amazing sales associate (thanks Mario!) sent over a sample of Super Cedar, as well as some other scents he thought I might like.
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| Outside of Byredo Perfume Packaging |
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| Inside of Byredo Perfume Packaging |
After the samples arrived and I had a chance to try everything out, there were a few stand out scents, so I placed orders for two full sized bottles. When I received the perfume, I was impressed by the lovely, minimalistic packaging. The bottle itself is gorgeous and has a very satisfying magnetic lid that snaps shut. The box that it comes in is very sturdy and keeps the bottle snugly in place. I was originally planning on only picking one scent up, but I fell in love with two and had a gift card sooooo I went a little balls out. Be warned that these are not cheap- I usually spend about $100 on a 3.4oz fragrance. Byredo uses milliliters as their measurement, and most of their fragrances are available in 100ml (3.4oz) or 50ml (1.7) bottles. The price on Nordstrom's website went up in the past few weeks after I bought these as well, so now the 50ml bottles run about $165-$190 now depending on the scent you want. On Byredo's site they are still showing up as running from $150-$175, however. Some scents even come in 250ml, so if I hit the lottery I have big plans. I do realize that this is an exorbitant price to pay for something that you spray on your body, but I'd rather pay a higher price for a smaller bottle of a unique scent that lasts forever than pay a lower price for a larger bottle that is run of the mill and so-so. Also perfume is just something that I go nuts for and use every single day, so I don't mind shelling a bit more money out than I typically would for a special one.
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| Byredo Bibliothèque Perfume- 50ml for $190 |
Bibliothèque
I went through and smelled the ones that I was most intrigued by, and one truly blew me away. That scent was Bibliothèque. The first thing that I thought of when I smelled it was the scent when you walk into a LUSH store- the delicious hodgepodge of fragrances that shouldn't work mixing together. This might be overpowering for some people, I totally get it, but it's my dream. The sweetness of the fruit and vanilla and the earthiness of the leather and patchouli are just intoxicating. I don't really get the library vibes that this one is supposed to represent, but regardless I think it's an amazingly cozy smell. This ended up being my first Byredo purchase and another big selling point for me was the longevity. I can spray this on a sweater and days later I'll still catch a whiff of it when I pick it up. One of my biggest pet peeves is when a fragrance fades super quickly. Luxury fragrances are not cheap, and there are so many gorgeous choices out there that I don't have time for perfumes that fade quickly. I don't want to deal with bringing a rollerball with me to refresh throughout the day, so I really try to stick with fragrances that have great lasting power. Along with Chanel fragrances and Flowerbomb, Bibliothèque has some of the best lasting power that I've come across. This definitely isn't an every day scent for me, it will likely be reserved for weekends or special events. It's one of a kind.
Notes:
Top- peach and plum
Middle- peony and violet
Base- leather, patchouli, and vanilla
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| Byredo Black Saffron Perfume- 50ml for $165 |
Black Saffron
About a week ago, I realized that the only scent I hadn't tried was Black Saffron, mostly because from the name I didn't think I'd be interested. I gave it a spritz and holy shit, I was IN. I told myself if it wears well, I'm getting it. Unfortunately for me it did wear well, so I had to have it and ended up purchasing the 50ml bottle. The lasting power is fantastic and it doesn't seem to change with my body chemistry. I've seen people compare this to Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather, which I haven't tried myself but if you're familiar could be helpful in determining whether or not you'd like Black Saffron. This will be a really nice scent for spring and summer, which rounds out my collection nicely since I tend to gravitate toward very heavy, musky smells- Chanel Coco Madmoiselle and Givenchy Dahlia Divin are staples for me. It's a great counterpart to Bibliothèque since it's a more universally pleasing scent that will be easy to wear on an every day basis.
Notes:
Top- juniper berries, pomelo, and saffron
Middle- accord cuir, black violet, cristal rose (no not crystal, wtf is cristal rose?)
Base- blonde woods, raspberry, vetiver
Super Cedar
Since Super Cedar scent was the reason that I finally got my hands on some testers, I was super excited to smell it. I was thinking that it could be a great unisex scent (I mean what is unisex, I like what I like period) for my husband and I to share if we liked it. And we did both like it, but had an issue with its longevity. My husband is a cheap skate, which is a great balance for me, and if he doesn't love something he won't buy it. When you first spray it, it's definitely woody, but also has this weird- pickle?- smell that dissipates after a few seconds. It kind of reminds me of bark chips so maybe it's not that weird. Either way, I wasn't worried about that. It dries down to a really true cedar scent, in my opinion. It smells like taking a whiff of my mom's Hope Chest, or one of my dad's cigar boxes. Very comforting. I just don't feel like it lasts that well. It may be because it's a light scent, it's not overpowering or in your face, but after a few hours the smell just doesn't linger like it does with the first two scents I mentioned. Since the smell is such a true lovely cedar, I do foresee myself picking it up for a special occasion for my husband in the future. If you're reading this post, hi babe.
Notes:
Top- rose petals
Middle- Virginian cedarwood
Base-Haitian vetiver, silk musk
Rose of No Man's Land
Rose of No Man's Land actually smelled a lot nicer on me the second time I tested it out. Maybe it was bias clouding my judgement- I'm a big fan of citrusy rose scents, and this one is not. It's more of a soft, subdued smell without a "punch," or much sweetness. That's not a bad thing. I think that the reason I didn't like it the first time was because I sprayed it onto my clothes, and the second time I sprayed it on my wrists. I much preferred the way that it smelled after mixing with my body chemistry. On clothing, it had a weird sharpness that I found with a lot of Le Labo scents that I tried. If I pick up any other scents for myself in the future, this one would be at the top of my list. It's very different from anything else that I have, and would make for a nice sophisticated, soft scent.
Notes:
Top- pink pepper, Turkish rose petals
Middle- raspberry blossom, Turkish rose absolute
Base- papyrus, white amber
Bal D'Afrique
Another scent that I really enjoyed was Bal D'Afrique. It had floral, amber vibe to me that was very pleasing. One thing that I really love about this one is that it would be a great scent for any season- it doesn't lean too heavily to suit either warm or cool weather, so I feel like I could wear this whenever I wanted with any look and it wouldn't feel out of place.
Notes:
Top- African marigold, bergamot, bucchu, lemon, neroli
Middle- cyclamen, jasmine petals, violet
Bottom- black amber, Moroccan cedarwood, musk, vetiver
Oud Immortel
Oud Immortel was another one that was a contender for my husband. It is definitely an intoxicating, woody smell. It has good longevity too. The reason that I ended up not purchasing this for him is because it smells pretty similar to Dior Sauvage, which I LOVE on him. Not an exact match, but too close to justify having both. If you love a strong wood scent, this would be worth checking out.
Notes:
Top- cardamom, incense
Middle- Brazilian rosewood, papyrus, patchouli
Base- moss, tobacco leaves
Gypsy Water
One of the first scents that I really remember hearing about was Gypsy Water. The name sounds so intriguing, but when I finally smelled it it was not what I expected at all. I was expecting a really fresh, clean smell, and this is more of a soft and sweet scent. Vanilla is one of the base scents in this one and that's the note that jumps out at me the most. While it is a nice scent that I enjoyed, it didn't have great longevity on me. After about 30 minutes I couldn't really smell it anymore.
Notes:
Top- bergamot, juniper berries, lemon, pepper
Middle- incense, orris, pine needle
Base- amber, sandalwood, vanilla
Mojave Ghost
When I first smelled Mojave Ghost, it immediately reminded my of Marc Jacob's Daisy. This worried me because something about Daisy did not mesh well with my skin- it always smelled like BO after I sprayed it. Luckily, I didn't have that issue with Mojave Ghost. It stayed pretty true to itself when I sprayed it on myself. It is definitely a floral scent, with a bit of soft muskiness behind it.
Notes:
Top- ambrette
Middle- magnolia, sandalwood, violet
Base- cedarwood, chantilly musk, crisp amber
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| Byredo Bibliothèque and Black Saffron Perfumes |
I love fragrance and its power to evoke certain memories or feelings. Byredo makes some lovely, unique smells that I believe that for the most part they are well worth the money. If you have the chance, I would definitely recommend giving their line a smell to see if anything strikes your fancy. Like with any other fragrance, I would also make sure that you test before buying to make sure that it sits well with your body chemistry and that the wear time is adequate. Byredo fragrances are expensive, but if you are looking to splurge on a special scent I would highly recommend checking them out.
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