Drunk Saffron

This fragrance has been a wild ride.. The notes had me eager to blind buy because I’m a lover of all things saffron and boozy. I was excited to get this full bottle at first but upon first sniff I hated it. My nose had a visceral reaction to the screechy saffron note that plagued the entire opening, mid, and dry down. It was so potent my nose burned and I had to scrub it off. I figured I would give the perfume some time but after three weeks and it still kept smelling so terribly wrong I decided to list it on Mercari in a bundle with another fragrance and after a couple asked me to make it a solo listing I decided to wear it one more time before confirming to basically get rid of it and that’s when my mind became confused because suddenly after not touching this fragrance for a couple weeks after my last failed attempt it decided to smell so different. The saffron is still there but it’s not as loud and it’s just enough to spice up the booze and the deliciously sweet plum and vanilla notes. Even now as I write this there’s a plum vanilla saffron combo drizzled in booze wafting up under my nose and it’s intoxicating. The combination of notes is sweet and there’s that saffron bold from the leather mixed in but I swear the plum and vanilla sweetness cuts through everything in the perfect way. It now makes sense why some refer to this fragrance as that sexy mysterious vibe. I saw that one reviewer said this fragrance is what the picture catwoman to be wearing and I does make sense. This fragrance is not for the shy timid types to stay in the house. This is a sexy, bold, and almost dirty fragrance not because any of the notes are animalic but the scent gives bdsm vibes. This is what I imagine a dominatrix wearing because it’s oozing sweet and sexy while still having that dark edge. This unisex scent leans feminine to me if I’m being honest simply because when these sweet notes drizzled in booze and sin hit my nose it makes me think of a dark mysterious woman ready to spend the night showing off her kinks proudly. I haven’t had any other fragrances from BTSO but this really does stand out as that sexy bad bish. I’m so insanely glad I did not end up selling this because fuck this is an intoxicating scent profile and I’m so in love. Such a masterpiece of sweet booze and sin blended to perfection.

Utterly unique, rich and a bit royal to boot, Drunk Saffron smells like a glass of lush red wine that’s been spilled on a tufted brown leather couch in a slightly-spooky, stately manor that reeks of old money. Behind that couch, the wine has splashed across a burgundy wall. Or perhaps that isn't wine, but rather a spray of blood, as something about this witching-hour fragrance calls to mind the macabre and old-fashioned world of an Agatha Christie novel, where murder mysteries and third act surprises play out inside the shadowy, candlelit walls of a remote mansion. Did the butler do it? We don't care, just have him bring me an entire decanter filled to the brim of this stuff. Let's sleuth to unpack the plot twists of this bottle, shall we? Drunk Saffron's certainly got punch. It’s, shall we say, punch-drunk. Drunk and fruity indeed, this dark and deep scent is a bit abrasive at first...but then it grows on and begins to intoxicate you. This bottle has artistry in spades. I can most predominantly smell the cognac, the plum and the leather, which are expertly interwoven with the saffron, although I say with some regret that the saffron isn’t quite the centerpiece that the title suggests. I can sense some of the coffee (bitter, black, and not even a little bit creamy), but I can barely detect the vanilla that everyone else seems to be picking up. It’s there, I suppose, but it’s not even remotely gourmand. This is merely one lone and very dry vanilla flower that’s now drowning in a boozy decanter of plum wine and cognac. Unisex and ideal for a midnight clandestine rendezvous. Like most BTSO fragrances, the staying power on this is remarkable, and this scent is sure to leave an impression – for better or worse, as Drunk Saffron is certain to be divisive. Like those Agatha Christie novels, this is an intriguing, stirring, and sophisticated scent that harkens back to forgotten times. And Then There Were None? Nah, rather, and then there was plum. In five words or less: Intoxicating, plum-punch-drunk love.

This is an absolute beauty! Has the undeniable saffron, gorgeous cognac and a kind of steep, smooth sweetness. The vanilla doesn't steal the show at all; it enhances the saffron and cognac notes in perfect unison, with the plum-like impressions deepening the profile deliciously. She's seductive, cloying in the best way. Immensely sweet, I must reiterate, a scent that pulls you into its embrace without forcibly keeping you there. So pleasant... Barely any patchouli, though. A fresh purchased bottle might be different, and I'll update once I get my own bottle of this and use it for a while. But let me tell you, the day I sampled her on my arm I also tried other fragrances on other spots of my skin, so I had a tangible point of comparison. A record-breaking hot, sunny day, I sweated after applying, I also had to wear sunscreen and hold bags with the handles landing onto the area I sprayed this specific one onto. Despite all this, I kept smelling it strong and vivid, and couldn't stop sniffing my arm on that spot. I also showered, treating my entire body with a kind of cooling menthol shower gel. Yet, traces of this fragrance can still be detected on that spot of skin. I can even smell her a little bit in my room, just sitting around, hiding in the plain air only to throw herself all over me again out of nowhere. All the other frags I tested are pretty much gone by now. She remains, and won't let up. If I'm going to go by the tester I sprayed, I'm going to say that this singular perfume has the MOST lasting power I have EVER witnessed myself. I think I'm in love... <3 Just the memory of this scent is going to be potent for a fair while, I can already tell! A boozed up Persian princess, this one. She's absolutely gorgeous and not leaving me alone. The total opposite of a problem :> bow and coo, coo!

Incredibly odd fragrance. When i smelled it in store the sprayer was broken, and straight from the bottle it smelled sweet, warm and spicy, almost edible. Ordered it online after, and my bottle was entirely different. But not in a bad way. The patchouli is PROMINENT and earthy, reading as wet soil to my nose (but i really enjoy that). The coffee might also contribute to the “dirtiness”. On some days I almost pick up a wet coffee ground sort of thing. The plum, saffron and cognac combo is a little medicinal but not too much so, at least once the alcohol evaporates slightly. The vanilla is prominent throughout, starting as boozy, spicy and not too sweet, but morphs into a vanillin edible vanilla in the dry down. Speaking of the dry down, it is KEY. This fragrance completely transform throughout the wear. For me it goes dirt->fruity boozy saffrony->edible vanilla/saffron and a little musk. Imagine that you’re baking with saffron and soaking it in cognac to bring out the flavour. Thats what this fragrance is like for the majority of wear. Not a lot of lasting projection but the dry down reallyyy lingers. Definitely a challenging scent and not for everybody, but I adore it.

8/10 Prefacing all my BTSO reviews with this disclaimer: not a fan of the marketing. Based on the brand's name, fragrances name and bottle design, it looks like one more fast fashion brand playing on the "be edgy, fuck society" vibe, all the while asking you to be a good consumerist and pay $50 for a white t-shirt. To the juice now! That one made me see BTSO as a fragrance line to reckon with. Very interesting opening, I see it as dry green and ochre. The spiciness of saffron, dryness of leather, roundness of vanilla and something herbal I can’t define (maybe the musk and patchouli) hold the first wiff. To note, the vanilla is not as gourmand as I usually smell, that really surprised me. Hint of booze that does not overpower the other notes. It almost feels as if someone was trying to recreate a woody scent with no wood. The smell is warm, adventurous yet quiet, kind and reassuring but promising new and surprising horizons. Not quite sure when I would wear this, maybe on a road trip in the fall through the Provençal landscapes Cézanne used to paint. But that is definitely the first BTSO I'm considering buying a bottle of.