High Desert

I just tried this out for the first time (on my fiance, not myself), and I can see why it's so polarizing. On the initial spray, I was shocked at how strong the smoke and cedar were. A few seconds later, it started to settle into his skin. Hours after that, it mellowed into a much softer fragrance, but one that I catch a whiff of as he moves. It seems a lot of people don't like it, but to me, it smells very unique and very sexy, but not overtly provocative. There's something about it that evokes a muscular southern man, skin kissed by the sun he works under, resting his feet by a bonfire made from cedar logs he'd felled that day. His leather jacket, heavy and showing signs of wear, is draped on the log next to him. The sky above is clear and you can count every star. It's almost photorealistic for me- I smell it and the vision in my mind is so clear. It also has a warmth to it that I can't quite describe. I grew up in a small southern coal mining town, and something about it smells like home to me. I also spent a lot of time in my late grandfather's woodworking shop, and taking a whiff of this makes me remember his warm smile and his kind eyes. This scent has a duality to me; equal parts sexy and comforting. With that said, I think it's a perfect scent for my fiance- hot and home all in one. (And my dear fiance, who isn't particularly gifted with a strong sense of smell, says to add that he likes it and it smells "fresh" to him lol)

Has kind of a campfire smell. Makes me think of camping. Not necessarily the desert though. Some national park somewhere. It’s woody and the birch tar is interesting. I can see why some people, like my husband, wouldn’t like it. (You know with the ‘why can’t you wear things that make you smell womanly?’ and I go I do! Like a hippie chick!) I kind of love the birch tar though. Kind of reminds me of doing wood burned designs as a kid. I can detect the cade and the sage but mostly it’s just cedar. Something slightly, very slightly, medicinal about it. Now this isnt something to wear out on the town. The campfire thing is going to be off-putting to a lot of people. But if you happen to visit a state park you'll match the scenery. You’ll smell like Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec. It is rather strong so if you’re headache prone you may want to avoid. i think this would be really hot on a rugged outdoorsy kind of guy. Kind irresistible really. Or husbands pretending to be outdoorsy and rugged?

Opens strong on first spray with the bitter citrus of grapefruits mixing with dry herbs and woody smokiness swirling around. Almost like you kicked open the dusty swinging door of a saloon with an armload of dried firewood with a bunch of grapefruits balanced precariously atop. The bar goes silent...staring you, a stranger in town, down. The silence is broken by a regular patron who speaks up..."Partner, you smell just like my grandpa-pa used to". A compliment of the highest order, in this case. High Desert comes through like a dancing tumbleweed mixed perfectly with ancient dust and fresh air, and paints a picture of a time when things were less digital and plasticized, and folks were a bit rougher around the edges. While the fragrance might also be a bit rough around the edges, there is still an air of refinement and curation here. Completely natural in composition and aroma, High Desert is a refreshing break from modern perfumery that stands out from the crowd to my nose.

I'm questioning the validity of these reviews. It smells like aftershave, and I don't get any smoke?This thing is loaded with birtch tar and I'd love to know what generic aftershave this smells like? I grew up in the desert and this thing is spot on to a dusty southwest + coal fired railroad train. Maybe we're smelling different juice or it's been reformulated. I understand fragrance is subjective, but these reviews are wildly inaccurate. I've let friends, family, and people I know and trust in the fragrance community try this, and I've never heard aftershave or bug sprays. You people need to get outside more.

This is a great scent. Boyd's of Texas uses natural ingredients, so as such this is a strong, but not "beast mode" performer. But the ingredients used are of great quality and do evoke a ghost town with sagebrush and leather. The birch and vetiver are blended in well...there is no strong dominating note. I get reasonable performance and decent sillage. Which I am perfectly OK with. I wouldn't want this to have a "beast mode" at all. It's a great scent that evokes the southwestern desert. Very good!

This is a ghost town in a bottle. Max Mellows below me explains it very well. If you've been to old west towns, this is that smell. Dry air and desert plants; the heat radiating off of the sand and rocks. Unburned and burned coal from a vintage train. I couldn't believe how realistic this smells on skin; it's truly uncanny. If you have an affinity for the old west, try this fragrance. It's a photorealistic experience.

Really love this. Smoky and green fresh. Some RL Green notes were coming through. I think that will evolve into something different later. This is a bottle I was looking for. Really me. Love it. Great bottle. Waited couple months for this bottle. Blind bought and glad I did. If you know high deserts this has captured the environment. Kudos to the composers.

This scent is exactly as described. The cedar comes out very strong and woody, but as I was told, this is considered a young batch (less than 30 days old) and it will continue to cure over the next 90 days. I personally love it. It reminds me of my grandpas aftershave, but in the best way. It’s smokey and earthy with just a hint of citrus.

My papi tells a story of riding in the back of a flatbed in mexico city. He fell asleep in the afternoon heat, and had a vision of his own death. 70 years later, after a life and after love, his vision comes to fruition. This is how that smells.

The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas, and Boyds managed to put that in a bottle like youre on an outing on the rugged canyons of the Rio Grande and pushing out further into Hill country. Scent is woody, smoky herbaceous, and dirty in an animalistic/leather way. This is by no means a pleasant scent, you're not gonna wanna put this on for a date night but you are gonna smell like you just came out of a jaripeo so very polarizing for some, very nostalgic for others. Alternatively, also a great scent if you're interested in dressing up as Arthur Morgan from RDR2.

reading the description and hearing about this perfume, i first smelled 'cedar barn'. my coworker said 'smells like a boring spa perfume'. just another example of the power of suggestion. ill give my sample another try, it is a nice and comes off as a dried lavender scent but perhaps not exciting enough for a FB

A little too tarry at first, but it chills out after about a half hour. At that point, true to its advertised notes, I get coriander and grapefruit over the heart of cedar, and it's nicer than the opening led me to expect. The grapefruit morphs about halfway into vetiver and coasts through the rest of the dry-down. It's not terribly unique, but I'm not well enough versed in this genre of rustic/cowboy/campfire scents to offer a comparison.

a restrained smokiness with edges of sage and coriander, the cedar dominates the fragrance but the woodiness peak is surrounded by spicy herbal elements and a sophisticated base

Smells like mezcal. With maybe a twist of lime. To a startling degree. It's certainly different, but while I love tequila, I don't think this is for me.

Woof. This is a lot. I am surprised by the reviews for this claiming they're soft, but the two samples I've tried from Boyd's (High Desert and Cuero) are ridiculously strong. Overwhelmingly so. Headache inducingly so. Both smell quite similar. Very strong, traditional, barbershop, aftershave fragrances. This starts with strong herbs, and I detect patchouli in it despite not being a listed note (though perhaps that's what trailside herbs means) and maybe even a little lavender. It gets very powdery very quickly, and then comes a citrus note that I do like but that is just overpowered by the herbs and powder. The smokey woody drydown never comes. It just stays a very powdery, old fashioned, overbearing smell. Have lived in the desert all my life, do not get that at all from this. No creosote, no dusty trailhead, no smokey burning wood, no wood really. Just aftershave. Just not pleasant at all for me. Cuero was slightly better, but has a similarly strong aftershave thing going that just didn't work for me. That being said, if you WANT a very old fashioned cologne fragrance, you should give these a try. But I was expecting a much more natural, smokey, desert, modern experience based on how this was described. Didn't get that at all. These are a good example of this type of fragrance and the packaging is lovely, but they feel pretty similar to a cheap old cologne so I dunno if I'd call I worth a purchase.

I'm 0 for 4 on Boyds. WHO in their right mind would want to smell like this? This smells like I'm Billy Bob Thornton sifting through the remains of a gas station that burned all night long. The smoke is wayyy too strong and the rest is just a mess of woody notes that come and go. There's a strong gasoline note in there that fragrantica should add. It is a worse, smoky version of Stel by Treading Water. This is the worst of the Boyds line up, for sure.

Again, I hate to not support a Texas house, but save yourself the money and just go work out on a ranch for like 15 hours... you will probably smell better than this perfume. I definitely will give it credit for emulating the smell of a hard day's work. But spraying this on my skin is not in my future.

Smells like aftershave that some older gentlemen use. I agree with the initial bugspray smell others mentioned, in fact, it's an issue that this perfumer has with all of their fragrances. Headache inducing and absolutely not worth the price.

Smells like my hoodie after sitting around a campfire.

Uber smokey. Smells like tires that have been sitting in the sun.