1996 Inez & Vinoodh

I had actually blind purchased this fragrance after reading the reviews on here and loved the notes pyramid. And for disclaimer, my skin tends to eat up frangrance really quickly. This fragrance is truly a stunner from the beginning til the end. The other reviewers are very accurate in that the fragrance opens with a boudouir/lipstick type of fragrance profile, I would say on me this part lasts roughly 2 hours on me. After the 2 hour mark, the patchouli, but not a hippy green patchouli but rather a coy and vanilla swirled patchouli rests for another 2 hours. Finally after the 4 hour mark, the amber/patchouli/vanilla base notes come in, while I still smell Patchouli and Vanilla, the hint of black amber in here completely changes the scent profile. And while reading many of the other reviewered, it seemed to gear towards a more masculine audience. But maybe my skin chemistry makes this fragrance smell especially feminine as I am a woman in my mid-late 20's. I actually have a difficult time seeing a man wear this, but maybe this is a fragrance that blooms completely different on a man. Similar to how @hippiechick13 described it as the perfect fragrance for a bohemian lady, I definitely agree. Though I feel like this is a fragrance that even a individual that has a normal 9-5, basic lifestyle can rock. How I would describe the fragrance transitions is that in the opening, the notes reflect an attractive woman that's classy, but slightly intimidating because she's not traditional in her manner. The combination of black pepper definitely gives it a slight bad ass feel to that of the iris. Once the vanilla and patchouli comes through in the heart and base notes, the personality of this fragrance reflects someone who's rather creative and artsy, and definitely has a flirty personality. In terms of longetivity, perhaps one of the best part about this perfume is that, I can smell it on my clothes 24 hours later, but it's never overwhelming or old smelling. I think on my skin, it only lasts roughly 6 hours max. *On another note, this fragrance's base notes sticks to my bedsheets like nobody's business....which I adore, I would say I wash my sheets once a week, and by the end of the week, my sheets smell so cozy and delicious, like the vanilla frosting from carrot cake specifically. This fragrance is truly not a linear scent....definitely quite a journey from the colder juniper/Gin like smell to hippy chic mid-day to luxurious amber later on and finally everlasting carrot cake....

I have tried a few Byredo perfumes, and while they are intelligent compositions, their performance-price ratio tends to be abysmal. 1996 is the exception. A powerful violet-leather-amber concoction, there are shades of Proust's madeleine about it. While it is not 90s in style (radiant minimal freshies like CK One or L'Eau d'Issey spring to mind for me), it reminds me of aspects of my childhood - some of which, for me, was aptly set in the 1990s. I couldn't put my finger on it until I scanned the reviews below, but it smells like an amalgamation of the following: licking a stamp/envelope; Refreshers (tangy, flat rectangular sweets available in Ireland/UK; the medicinal scent of acupuncturist's office complete with musty, polished wooden furniture (thank you for pinpointing this one, @solarpunk!). Regarding the breakdown of the scent itself, it is a leathery violet-iris scent that is at times fruity, powdery, patchouli-heavy, woody, ambery - making for a compelling, darkly dense concoction that somehow achieves cohesion. 1996 opens with Parma violets, sweet and powdery, given a lift by radiantly fresh juniper and perhaps some aldehydes. There is a fruitiness to it here, reminding me of the Refreshers. I also get the abstract envelope glue effect at the early stages. As it develops, I get a vermouth-like artemisia note, medicinal and herbal. It marries nicely with the violet, powdery and velvet-like. A suede-like leather note develops in the background, reminding me a little of Piguet Jolie Madame. Buttery smooth and dense, there is a slight smokiness in the background, and a curious waxiness too. Patchouli emerges as it develops further, balsamic and dark in this instance. I get some soft woody notes in there too. The amber drydown is balsamic, given a slight sweetness thanks to the addition of a dry vanilla note. It ties everything together nicely, fading to a mossy, leathery skin scent with some sweetness. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. A complex, brilliant piece of olfactory art, 1996 is a thing of beauty in my opinion. Avant-garde, evocative and artistic, it also manages to be wearable. A unisex autumn/winter scent, 1996 is best applied sparingly. Intriguing and compelling - I loved this. 4.5/5.

Since this has been my most recent obsession I figured I'd take the time to actually write my first (ever on this site) review on it. First spotted this bottle sitting on a dresser of one of my best longtime friends. I had heard about Byredo before but never actually sampled one of their scents, nor had I been interested tbqh. But by virtue of me being a 90's kid, the name appealed to me and I asked if I could try it on. I was already wearing a light splash of Chanel Chance edp at the time so admittedly this "tainted" my first expression somewhat. Not in a bad way at all but the experience of 1996 alone is alot more dressed down. At first I thought it was WAY too sweet smelling, almost candy-like. But once it dried down I was enveloped in this hazy warm leather. I kept smelling my wrist all night, and the morning after it still lingred on my skin. Couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks after, so when I got finally had the leftover funds to buy it one month I did. At first, I was severely dissappointed. There was nothing of that almost masculine leather that I had adored so much, only overwhelming, sugary vanilla (i guess that's the amber?) and fire smoke(??!). I hated it haha, and didn't bother touching the bottle for weeks after that initial encounter. Then I figured, I spent the money so I should at least give it a fair shot before giving it away. Sprayed some down my shirt just to get a more muted scent. And boy. The smoke is still there, strangely? It smells a little like... Candied almonds by a camp fire? And there are defintely some earthy wood tones. If I really inhale it all the way, I get the juniper notes as well. I love spraying it on my clothes to get just the vanilla/fire feeling, it's very warm and cozy. On my skin, it has a subtle undertone of fresh laundry. The actual leather notes also comes through better that way. Also get hints of a dry pine forest. It's still a very sweet smell on me though. I might try pairing it with my Chance again to see if I can replicate that first impression. I do adore it now, that I've given it some time, but I don't know that I would repurchase it. I feel like it's a scent that you can really get your fill of quite quickly. Time will tell!

i absolutely love this fragrance for so many reasons. first of all inez and vinoodh are iconic high fashion photographers that have done amazing work in the industry for years. i highly recommend you check out their editorial and campaign work because they are creative geniuses. i remember getting a sample of this from the byredo store in san francisco and wearing it on a rainy day in november last year and it absolutely rocked my world. i immediately had to get a bottle and it has been a staple in my collection since. right off the bat its this potent sexy powdery juniper. the iris combined with the amber and patchouli add this powdery modern texture with a somewhat vintage feel that doesn’t feel outdated but rather more luxurious in a retro glamour kind of way. the juniper is super dry and woody. you would think that the amber would make this sort of sweet and resinous but i dont find it sweet at all. the amber is very subtle and really rounds everything out. i get no leather in this at all, its mainly just a dry and heavily woody scent with this patchouli undertone to give it alot of depth. i would almost call it a rather simple scent with alot of chic complexity (ironically). i think byredo gets a bad rep for making fragrances that dont last at all, but this is a beast. you dont need to spray much cuz it will radiate off your skin with a few sprays. i wore this out today grocery shopping in the late afternoon on a cloudy sunday cuz i was feeling rather complicated and in a fall mood. as i was walking out i accidentally cut off this lady while we were both walking out the store and i apologized to her cuz that wasn’t my intention and she responded with “you are totally fine, by the way, you smell amazing” so that should tell you everything you need to know. its very chic and unisex with the tiniest amount of femininity that any confident man will pull off. some of byredo’s best work

Byredo is a brand that I feel is at its best when it’s at its weirdest, and this is pretty awesome, but also very polarizing, and extremely potent. The opening smells like walking into a time capsule of a building. It smells like old furniture, dust, yellowing walls, dry flowers, and books, and it becomes more ambery and leathery as it dries down. It’s very dry, warm, and bittersweet. Like many other Byredo scents, this has a strange chemical coldness that underpins it, but it’s not austere, rather, it’s very cozy and lived in, perhaps overbearingly so. I actually got some negative comments on it from 2 of my coworkers, with one them complaining that it reminds her of musty wet wipes. I obviously disagree, but I understand where she’s coming from, and that definitely made me think twice about wearing it to work ever again. Others have mentioned that it smells minty, and have actually complimented me on it. If you smell it up close, you can actually break it down into notes like juniper, patchouli and vanilla, but in the air it’s just turns into this fascinating amalgamation that smells more like an actual place rather than a perfume, and if you get it, you’ll love it. Edit: I’ve had this for a couple of weeks now, and I just wanted to mention that this is my current favorite scent to wear at home, it’s very addictive. Also, I actually like how it smells on clothes better than on skin. It’s dryer and more convincing this way. You actually get the sense that your garment has been stored inside of a wooden chest for a really long time, and it lasts FOREVER.