Rouge 540 Limited Edition

I love this fragrance. I’d say of the MFK line Baccarat EDP and Extrait are the only two I feel are with investing in. When smelling Extrait at Neiman Marcus, I got a strong almond accord. When I purchased both Extrait and EDP together directly from MFK I can hardly tell the two apart. In fact EDP seems to be stronger. Either way, Baccarat Rouge 540, whether the Extrait or EDP, is a must have and a staple in any fragrance lover’s collection. It’s unique ability to be both light and airy, both woodsy and fresh, as well as long lasting with a strong sillage makes this fragrance seem slightly magical in its performance. I have learned to be wary of unisex fragrances because they are either masculine leaning or offensive in some strange way. Not so with BR540. This is very suitable for a woman. If you’re looking for the uber girly version of this, MFK also designed Burberry for Her which is delicious and very sweet berry. It smells like strawberries and sugar, like a blushing bride, yet it has that MFK DNA. I own all three fragrances.

I don't know why this is marked as for women, as it's totally unisex. Also totally romantic, which is rare for something so unisex. On my skin, it's a sweet, incredibly animalic amber. The fruit notes are less distinct and seem to be there to sweeten up and support the earthy herbal and amber notes. But it's so well blended, you can't really make anything specific out of it; it's a beast of its own.

Finally got to try this in their concession of London's most famous department store. First impression: Interesting, mysterious, avant-garde, but also harsh, cold (in the sense of standoffish) and medicinal. First off, I sprayed on my skin from a small sample spray, but it should nevertheless represent the actual juice. The medicinal note, I think, comes from the saffron that is very prominent in the beginning, but still carries on later. If there is some blood orange, it is very brief in the beginning and given I love all agrumes, I wish there was more of it. No citrus later on whatsoever. What I do get later on is that thick, red, crackling sugar coating of a "caramel apple": the ones you see in rows on display at the fair grounds. It is not so much sweet, but it conjures that material of Baccarat's signature red crystal somehow; on that note I think of plastic shrink wrap and those slightly bitter, plastic-y notes you get from unpacking a printer and anything PVC containing from a brand new box. I guess what Francois K. wanted to capture, was that metallic smell paired with the sweat of hard work in the crystal blowing manufacturing sites. The ovens are hot and it is dusty and not that pleasant, but the outcome is sensational, yet somewhat cool and 'standoffish' like crystal, the material for it is not as warm and nice to the touch as wood or leather. A truly ingenious of a concoction, yet certainly an acquired taste. Verdict: The most interesting of perfumes I have smelled in a while,but very hard to wear. Cold, sharp, and somewhat industrious, yet fascinating and abstract. The bottle alone is a piece of art (it has real gold inlaid branded font on the top cap). For that alone, one should buy it, in case you have £3000 lying around. Potentially a collector's item in a few years to come, given this was released in limited numbers for their 250th anniversary last year. 10/10 for exclusivity and creation of an abstract smell of freshly burnt crystal, straight out of a piping hot oven!!

After loving the (artificial) AMbergris from Demeter, I was keen to try real ambergris and fortunately only bought a tester. Sorry for the language, but its just disgusting. Very strong, filled the whole (small) house with just one spray, and not in a good way. I cannot even think of anything to liken it to, but it really isnt nice. And a few months later I came down the stairs and smelt it again. My husband had fallen for the description and bought a copycat (AP or something! Very authentic - Demeter is IMO a totally different scent) online. He liked it, but I ltierally had to stop wearing that, as I dislike it that much, and its that strong.

I had read a few reviews that mentioned how this smells just like...first aid bandages. And, now that I have a sample, I can confirm that it smells EXACTLY like that. Like, I asked my daughter to sniff my wrist (where I'd applied it) and she said, "Did you have a BandAid on? I can't smell any perfume...I just smell bandages." My husband took a sniff and said, "Please don't ever put that on again." So...not really any fans around here, I'm afraid.