Byblos

Sometime in the '90, I complimented my favorite cousin, she smelled incredible, so she gave me the rest of the bottle. Best cousin EVER! She said she got over it and wore Dune that I still associate with her. A decade older, sophisticated with a wicked sense of humor, flawless taste and she always had my back. We keep promising to see each other more often and spend more time together, but somehow we never do. Life keeps getting in the way. Anyway, I wore this beauty all summer, despite beeing crazy in love with my Dolce Vita that I thought I would wear faithfully for the rest of my days. Things are so dramatic when you're a teen. Unconstant too. Summer over, bottle ended in the drawer to be sniffed from time to time but never worn again. It still might be there at my parents house. The color is turqoise. Decade later, I stumbled upon a dark blue bottle, Swarovski special edition or something, so ridiculously cheap on ebay that I had to buy it. Beautiful bottle, but the juice is not the same. It's thicker, sweeter and the top notes are shot. I can't wear it and I can't get rid of it, nostalgia still rides me and the bottle is lovely. It took me some time and reserch to understand why, that there are edt and edp concentrations and that dabble bottles don't age well. Today, I was frantically looking for a bottles of this disgracefully discontinued juice, Eau de Thé Bleu, sold out on yet another website, before the prices sky rock and there it was...Byblos edt, just like I remember. I could even hear Pearl Jam with a touch of Red Hot Chili Peppers in the background. It's summer and I wouldn't mind be reminded of just how stupid young I was. To understand the fascination, it has to be put in the context. The choc of the first fruity aquatics of the '90, they were so different from everything we smelled around us. Our mothers, aunts, sisters all wore the classic floral aldehydes or strict green chypres, they were all so adult and serious. In contrast, fruity aquatics were bright and playful. It was also the beginning of everything gourmand and vanilla was everywhere. My mother used to say that all young girls smell like cake. I don't think she enjoyed much public transportation these last decades. Even among fruity floral aquatics, Byblos stands out because of its decadence and complexity that is more '80, but the balance and the feeling when you're wearing it, it's the '90. The best of the '90. Like some CD compilation. So now, I'm expecting. The bottle. With my usual ultra-regenerative anti-wrinkle cream. In what shape will it be? Will I be able to wear it? Update: Oh, yeah. Same bottle and pretty much the same perfume. It might be slightly sweeter than I remember or the only difference is that I'm an adult now. Anyway, summer magic is the same. I love it as much as I did decades ago. Longevity and sillage are both impressive.

I have to admit I bought this for three reasons. The Fragrantica reviews,(thank you) the mimosa, and finally the price. I am not a fan of lily of the valley, but in this perfume all I can say is wow! Byblos is complimented by so many other wonderful notes, fruity and flowery, etc. I tested it on paper first and some of the white flowers seemed so dominant that I thought I might not care for it, but then tested it on skin and this is where the real magic began for me. All the notes together make this such an enjoyable fragrance. Sweet and fruity and flowery (a little heady a first) but wait until all the notes quiet a little and yes, lovely is the only word that fits. I am wearing it. edit: Came back to say how much I love this fragrance. It has a starch-like quality in the dry down, that makes me think of clean white sheets and sun. I don't get the fruits except maybe at first, but then they don't really seem overly sweet. Love this.

I have the EDT version - the taller, teal bottle. At first spray, I get a burst of bright juicy fruits. Then after it settles down, I get the fresh florals - but still with the fruits. Looking at the notes of this perfume, I am astounded as to how many notes are in here. I cannot really pinpoint what stands out, all I can say is it is a very fruity, juicy scent. No sweetness like many of the recent popular perfumes nowadays, which is a plus for me. It is definitely unique, and I have not smelled anything like it in a sea of seemingly endless fruity florals. I had this in my teens and I remember liking it. I bought a new bottle 2 weeks ago for nostalgia and I just sprayed it today and was surprised at how good it still smells. Not dated at all. It is a very happy scent and makes me want to have a skip in my step. Perfect for summer and spring. Go for it, you can find it at a very inexpensive price nowadays online. Best $20 I spent!

I just obtained this in a boxed lot of perfumes yesterday. After reading the notes in this fragrance and some of the reviews here, I had to go spray it again and then go back and check my bottle a third time to make sure I was looking at the right reviews for the perfume I have! This is a very soft fragrance, sits close to the skin. If I really try hard I suppose I can smell some of the fruit or the gardenia, but what it mostly smells like is the way your skin smells after a day in the pool. Really beautiful, soft summer fragrance. Edit: Just had to come back to say that I love this even more after wearing it all day yesterday. I loved that I could smell it on myself. Usually I just don't smell my own perfume unless I place my wrist to my nose. Also, it lasts for hours! I applied about 10 AM and it was still with me when I woke up the next morning!

a very unique white floral; yes, the mimosa dominates but there is also a bitter accord in the top that rings of oakmoss or galbanum; honeysuckle and gardenia are present, too; some fruits are strong in the top that may be a combo of peach and passionfruit but they mellow and blend in quickly; for me, the pepper was present in the top, it always makes me sneeze or cough as this one did; as this dries down and comes together, it is a unique and interesting white floral that is not like anything else; I am so glad that I bought it In the final drydown, the lily, heliotrope and musk are definitely there. The fruits have disappeared. Perfect. The only thing that threw me was that bitter note in the top. It was not vetiver.