Russell Westbrook

Byredo's Russell Westbrook is an interesting release, as I cannot think of another serious fragrance based on a NBA player apart from the Michael Jordan line, which is of course 20 years older. Westbrook, known more for his fashion, apparently loves the Byredo brand, and wanted to produce a sophisticated namesake scent. In that respect, I believe Byredo and Westbrook have achieved something special in this blend. It's overall warm-weather-leaning, a mix of gin (presumably just juniper), violet, vetiver, tobacco, and suede. I get mostly the gin and violet in the opening, a light boozy floral mix that very quickly starts to blend with the tobacco (again, subtly) and then ultimately I get a lot more suede in the base, a very subdued leather smell to pair with the earthy vetiver. The overall experience of this is a refined warm weather fragrance, gin/floral/earthy mix (I admit it's difficult to taxonomize) with very good longevity and slightly above average projection. It certainly has the darker and baser notes to make it work in cold weather, but I'm assuming its performance would suffer a bit in the winter especially. An exclusive release of Barney's, and apparently in limited stock (the NYC flagship store was out of stock as of earlier this week), though still available online, this is a difficult sell at the sole price/size point of $350 for 250ml, which is a much better price per volume than most Byredo (i.e. $150 for 50ml, $230 for 100ml) but still a lot to swallow in terms of an entry point. Luckily I was able to sample via a kind eBay splitter and determined I liked it enough to buy a full bottle. Confession: Yes, I was drawn to Byredo Russell Westbrook due to the MVP runner up being the namesake and collaborator of the fragrance, but in my defense, I was in the midst of testing out a bunch of Byredo samples anyway, so there. Try it if you get the chance--at this price, though, I wouldn't recommend blind buying. And frankly, I can't offer that if you like another specific fragrance, you'll like this. If you want to sample soon, I'd recommend sterling633's eBay listing of splits for either 1ml or 5ml, as that's how I sampled it. He sent it out very quickly. 8 out of 10

Game changer - Literally. I'm always intrigued by a new Byredo and wasn't drawn to this due to the celebrity namesake. Stopped into Barneys NYC today and pretty much blind bought this on the spot after a brief spray - it was a "spray and go". Awesome, quality fragrance. I read that Russell Westbrook wears Bal d'Afrique and Sunday Cologne and I definitely see the nod here. I have never tried a cologne with a prominent gin note, but this is blowing me away. I'm hoping this will be my signature summer scent. Will wear this for a week and re-review. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Updating my review of this - I've worn this every day for more than a week now and my first impression stands. This is a clean, crisp, fizzy, gin-soaked concoction that works really well for the summer. Since I'm not looking for a beast, this works perfectly for me. I get 3 hours and then it becomes a skin scent (which I don't mind). Comparisons to Bal d'Afrique are valid, however, what I'm getting front and center from Westbrook are the gin and black violet notes, only the violet note being shared by both. Westbrook also doesn't have the extreme sweetness of Bal. I complement Byredo as these scents are clearly related, clearly from the same house, but unique in their own right. I remain "blown away" by Westbrook for its subtlety, quiet elegance and quality. But understand that it's not a powerhouse like Aventus. Think of it this way: Westbrook is well suited for yachting in Southampton on a beautiful summer day; Aventus is what you feature in the VIP as you try and impress at 1 OAK...

I envy you, well if you have the ability to detect all the notes or at least most of the ones listed here. For the first hour after application all I can make of this is a generic ho-hum-smelling violet fragrance. Okay, maybe not just violet but I'm not sure if I'm also smelling osmanthus and/or gin? A little more after an hour then an amazing woodiness kicks in, the Vetiver and suede join the violet note and turn this scent into something that is so much more than I was expecting after such an ordinary start. The vetiver, suede and violet notes are harmonious and authentic. Where is the tobacco? This one, from Byredo, projects and lasts.

I got my sample of Byredo Westbrook in yesterday from Barneys. It opens up with, as said, bergamot/gin and a bit of floral that slowly fades in as the bergamot fades out. I get a vibe similar to Virgin Island Water out of the opening. As the citrus burns off, I got a lot of the black violet mixed with the booziness of the gin. I don't notice a ton of the tobacco flower, but that may just be an inexperienced nose. About 2 hours in you could really smell the vetiver as well. It lasted about 7 hours on my very acidic skin, and that was only off of two sprays from a small atomizer. Pretty nice stuff. Byredo quality all the way, for sure.

Snicole82: As in my last post, I have tested this. It is made by Byredo, not Five Star Fragrance and the like. The scent quality, ingredients, sillage, and projection are all on par with Byredo's other offerings. Westbrook is into high fashion, and I couldn't see him settling for anything less than the highest quality product.