Desert Dawn

I LOVE this fragrance. I have 15+ frags, but if I don't really love something I will basically never wear it. For years I've been wearing the same 3-4 colognes, so I went to Nordstrom hoping to find something truly great. After smelling about 40 different designers/niches, Desert Dawn was the only thing that excited me. What I love: - Reminds me of Glossier You (I think it's the musk?), which I love on other people but skews too feminine for me to consider wearing. DD is truly unisex to my nose, and although two people have told me they think it leans feminine, most people have told me unisex to masculine - It's the first cedar/sandalwood forward fragrance that works for me. I love Santal 33, but it doesn't work on my skin. I've tried several others and nope. DD really suits me and I think that would probably be true for the majority of people. - Garnered many compliments - Its skin scent DNA means I can overspray without worrying about offending anyone. - It smells and feels truly niche/high quality. - It's actually reminiscent of a desert morning. I wouldn't say dawn. More like 10am and the sun has begun baking everything. I live in a very hot climate and DD pairs with most occasions/weather. - The dill pickle aspect. I wore it for weeks without one thought about dill pickles, but as soon as I read the comments I sprayed up and I totally get it. At first spray, there's something gerkiny there. But this is fleeting and I don't notice it unless I think about pickles. Even though I love dill and pickles, I wouldn't want to smell like a jar of them. What I don't love: - Performance. If I only do one spray, I don't think it lasts 6 hours. I am a sweaty guy in a hot climate, so maybe I'm sweating it off and other people might have better luck. I find that more sprays help with this and reapplying an hour or two after my first spray gives the fragrance added depth. Sadly, more sprays means I will have to replace the bottle sooner than I'd like to. - Price. I bought this through a discounter, but I don't know if I could pay retail with the lacking performance. The quality of the scent matches the price, but how long that scent lasts does not. Skin scents usually can't match the longevity of bolder styles, but I've worn others at this price point and below that do much better.

On the first sniff, Desert Dawn might seem insubstantial, even ephemeral, but as you feel the notes settle around you, you get the lovely creaminess of carrot seed dancing with silky musks and smoky ribbons of vetiver, and begin to fall for the scent’s soft-spoken, easygoing charm. The sandalwood is tender with a hazy milkiness that invites one in and the kind of effortlessness I used to love about Santal 33, though, thankfully, without the pickling spice afterglow. Papyrus haloes the woods in a subtly charred, toasty kind of warmth, though, to me, this is an inherently cool scent, channeling that soothing coolness of the moments just before dawn I always associate with sheer greys and blush pinks. As it dries down, the scent turns hazy and a touch steamy, the velveteen musks whispering against skin. The vetiver reminds me of ambrette, its sweet vegetal fluidity almost liqueur-like as it mingles with the dry smoky woods. Overall, this is an effortless, somewhat introspective fragrance that feels lovely and familiar, if not particularly unique. I see it as something I’d bring along on long strolls or roadtrips—a gentle and agreeable companion to layer in softness and a serene kind of calm as days stretch into nights, and I find myself craving that cozy embrace of woods to keep my mind at peace.🏜️

A creation by Jerome Epinette is usually high on my list of strong loves and Desert Dawn has just topped that list. This is just beautiful. It's overall composition is a silky warmth where that ever recognizable sandalwood is front and center but definitely not pickle-like (as it can present in Santal 33). This is much more in the vein of Parle Moi's Milky Musk but with less of a coconut vibe and with more of a mysterious, sensual nuance - the carrot seeds add a comforting savoriness to this that deepen it and make it soft and cozy. The rose note is almost non-existent much to my satisfaction (rose haters rise up) and it's blended in so nicely that all it does it add to the experience. Dries to the most beautiful musk/woods combo ever and is completely unisex. I cannot stop sniffing my arm. Some descriptor words: Silky, milky, woody, musky, savory, warm, comforting, cozy, hazy, fuzzy, dry. See reviews by: @MyMuse and @byrehoe for even better descriptors. Perfect 10!

I love it. It is so pure, so linear (in the best possible way), and so different from most perfumes on the market. The name Desert Dawn matches the scent so well. It is a morning scent that I find likable in my solitude before stepping into the world. I find it sexy in its simplicity and uniqueness. It makes me feel fresh and is a very uplifting scent for the heaviest days, so I also appreciate that component. Any time I have a lot of work ahead of me, I wear this scent. It gives me some power to endure a heavy day, some masculine touch with a feminine twist. Yin and Yang in one perfume. I read that cedar can motivate, and I feel it in this scent. It is not as sharp as a cedar pencil but very smooth, and I love it.

Wow. This one is special. From the moment it released I could just tell I needed to get my nose on that. I finally did. It’s woody, with this slight aromatic freshness, its soft and spicy, it’s creamy yet dry and dusty (which I adore), it silky and musky. This is what I would call a signature scent at least for this season. I could wear this in any season, but there’s a freshness to it that screams warmer weather. This is an easy grab. I also love the fact you won’t see everyone talking about this or wearing it. This is my favorite Byredo. 10/10