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12/04/2020
FvSpee
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45
Lemon butterfly hovers over cyclamen
Bal d'Afrique is a very popular fragrance with over 400 owners here in the Forum, at least for a simple and quite expensive (50ml=127 €, 100ml=187€) niche product. It also seems to be included in the collection of fragrances of the muse Calliope, inspiring its users to write numerous and wordy reviews: Eight comments only this year, ten statements in the last 30 days!
So far I have been quite satisfied with my laconic statement. But the fact that I was able to enjoy this wonderful perfume on myself again today and at the same time saw it appreciated in Insa's (very readable) blog post on light, simple fragrances motivated me to add another comment, which hopefully will be as simple (though not as beautiful) as its subject.
Anyway, the Swedish-French house Byredo does not enjoy a good reputation in my gang in this forum. I agree that the brand combines high prices with, shall we say, discreet performance. And I find about two thirds of the house's fragrances I've tested to be mediocre.
On the other hand, I appreciate the simple design as well as the double renunciation of hyperinflationary emission policies and excessive, stupidly chattering advertising steam. And I always find jewels among the fragrances of the house that are second to none, so that Byredo is one of the very few brands of which I own three products (bottles of 50 each, that's my financial compromise: with a large collection of fragrances you won't get to use up 100ml anyway).
Bal d'Afrique is an incredibly cheerful, light, gently floating perfume, which immediately evokes in me the thought of a butterfly. Its big, big heart is delicately floral: all kinds of pretty, modest, lovely violets with pastel-friendly and delicately moist, velvety petals. A pale yellow citrus veil hovers above them, underneath (with narrowed eyes) a whispered base can be seen, which (horrible dictu in this delicacy) even gives a hint of something dark and woody.
That's about it, actually. Bal d'Afrique has two rather rare ingredients that I do not know more closely, but which are plausible in this fluffy scent: The Buchu bush, which is native to South Africa and traditionally used as a medicinal and spice herb, which has an aroma reminiscent of blackcurrant, and the South American Tagetes plant, which is said to have an aniseed-saffron scent, contain coumarin and sometimes have slightly psychedelic effects.
The fragrance pyramid on the manufacturer's website differs slightly from the one shown here, it does not contain neroli and marigold, but the African marigold. Despite this, the composition's references to Africa (and to the idea of a ball) should be as delicate as the fragrance itself. But never mind, I still find the name beautiful.
Bal d'Afrique, for all its simplicity, is very independent and unmistakable. The projection of the fragrance is discreet, but the shelf life, assuming a generous dosage, can last up to six hours. In its softness it is certainly not a typical men's fragrance, but as the reviewer and almost 39% of the owners catalogued here show, it is absolutely wearable for men
So far I have been quite satisfied with my laconic statement. But the fact that I was able to enjoy this wonderful perfume on myself again today and at the same time saw it appreciated in Insa's (very readable) blog post on light, simple fragrances motivated me to add another comment, which hopefully will be as simple (though not as beautiful) as its subject.
Anyway, the Swedish-French house Byredo does not enjoy a good reputation in my gang in this forum. I agree that the brand combines high prices with, shall we say, discreet performance. And I find about two thirds of the house's fragrances I've tested to be mediocre.
On the other hand, I appreciate the simple design as well as the double renunciation of hyperinflationary emission policies and excessive, stupidly chattering advertising steam. And I always find jewels among the fragrances of the house that are second to none, so that Byredo is one of the very few brands of which I own three products (bottles of 50 each, that's my financial compromise: with a large collection of fragrances you won't get to use up 100ml anyway).
Bal d'Afrique is an incredibly cheerful, light, gently floating perfume, which immediately evokes in me the thought of a butterfly. Its big, big heart is delicately floral: all kinds of pretty, modest, lovely violets with pastel-friendly and delicately moist, velvety petals. A pale yellow citrus veil hovers above them, underneath (with narrowed eyes) a whispered base can be seen, which (horrible dictu in this delicacy) even gives a hint of something dark and woody.
That's about it, actually. Bal d'Afrique has two rather rare ingredients that I do not know more closely, but which are plausible in this fluffy scent: The Buchu bush, which is native to South Africa and traditionally used as a medicinal and spice herb, which has an aroma reminiscent of blackcurrant, and the South American Tagetes plant, which is said to have an aniseed-saffron scent, contain coumarin and sometimes have slightly psychedelic effects.
The fragrance pyramid on the manufacturer's website differs slightly from the one shown here, it does not contain neroli and marigold, but the African marigold. Despite this, the composition's references to Africa (and to the idea of a ball) should be as delicate as the fragrance itself. But never mind, I still find the name beautiful.
Bal d'Afrique, for all its simplicity, is very independent and unmistakable. The projection of the fragrance is discreet, but the shelf life, assuming a generous dosage, can last up to six hours. In its softness it is certainly not a typical men's fragrance, but as the reviewer and almost 39% of the owners catalogued here show, it is absolutely wearable for men
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