Casablanca Lily 2025

This was one of those fragrances that stuck in my head from the first sniff - I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. Unfortunately, that standard retail price for a 70 ml bottle is practically eye-watering, so I waited patiently until I finally scored a bottle at a huge discount. And honestly? It is the absolute definition of "quiet luxury." The gardenia pairs so beautifully with a sheer, golden sweetness from the honey, and unlike a lot of heavy white florals, the tuberose here isn't overwhelming at all. It's just insanely elegant. That said, it is a bit of a bummer that they tweaked the original formula from the 2019 release, as the older version felt a touch sweeter and richer. Longevity is actually pretty solid on skin, though it stays fairly intimate in terms of sillage, it creates this soft, luxurious bubble rather than throwing a massive scent cloud. Still, I’m so glad I added this to my collection.

This is what very feminine, married into wealth, well put together; women smelled like in the 80s/early 90s. Perfect nails, healthy shiny well cared for hair, bespoke diamond jewelry and perfectly tailored dresses.

Honestly, I far prefered the older version from 2019, which was far more robust and honeyed to me. Sweeter too. This has more spiciness from the extra dose of carnation too, which honestly isn't my favorite. It is similar to the older version and it is still a very nice white floral with a good dose of tuberose and gardenia, but there is less of that pluminess from the plum from the older formulation as well. It just all feels a lot thinner and maybe slightly less white floral than the original, too. It isn't a travesty, but it was a make under rather than a makeover for this fragrance. A shame too, since it was the only Byredo fragrance that I liked. It lasted for 5 hours like the 2019 formulation of Casablanca Lily and it also has medium projection. It is very much a spring and fall fragrance, but might be too much with one's body heat for summer, what with its spiciness and all, which I am not a fan of. Can we also talk about how tacky and not particularly symmetrical the new bottle is? The old one just felt very symmetrical and tactile in the hands, honestly. Why all of that extra glass that doesn't hold any fragrance too? It's just silly. I will say that it is a feminine smelling fragrance though and could still work for many work occasions. The increase in price is also annoying and they are only giving us slightly more juice than the older version, so a price way higher than inflation and for an inferior fragrance. I gave the older one an 8.5, but this is honestly about a 7, meaning nice but I wouldn't buy it personally speaking. Maybe as a gift for someone I love or something like that. Thank goodness Amarige by Givenchy is so similar to the 2019 formulation of Casablanca Lily (probably about 8/10 similar) and is much cheaper as well! By the way though, it also doesn't smell anything like lillies, just like the 2019 formulation in that regard. Where Byredo gets that name from, I have no idea?! The one small improvement is that at least it doesn't stain fabric with its color anymore, though.

It is surprisingly clean and airy for a tuberose gardenia perfume. It reminds me of Houbigant Orangers en Fleurs. The honey is soft, the florals are lifted and aromatic, and the structure feels more like a clean floral aura than a heavy white‐floral syrup.

Spritzed on my wrist because it smelled so beautiful--like pure and fresh lilies--from the nozzle. On my skin it turned into cheap cloying bathroom air refreshener. You know, the kind with the plastic afternote that zings around in your sinuses and reverberates into your forehead. Perhaps this is a niche experience. After a while it faded into something more neutral, more like a simple lily again, but I couldn't erase the memory of the febreeze cloy, and that ruined Casablanca Lily for me.