Sellier

I really find Sellier both addictive and soothing and it is a fragrance I have come to realise I reach for quite often. I do however understand that the sort of regular crowd that are interested in some of the notes presented here like leather, tobacco and oak moss usually wants something with a lot more oumph and projection and boldness. Which in a way perhaps also its name sort of suggests as Sellier in French means saddler a k a someone making saddles for horses. What Sellier however delivers is a smooth, soft calming skin scent which picks some of its background from the environment that may surround a saddlers den like a bit of hey, some dust, quite a bit of smoky ness especially in the beginning like from an open fire. But not one in a luxurious ski cabin where rich people drink Indian chai or roast marshmallows after a day in the slopes. But rather a fire used for light and to keep warm in a non-isolated saddlers den or shop where at best you can find a nice kettle of a tea freshly brewed nearby. And where piles of leather soon to become parts of a saddle lies on the shelves in the back and there are some piles of hay resting by the wall next to a door leading the way to a stable. But where you are too far away to be able to smell the horses. After a while the scent begin to develop more warmth and the smoky ness subsides and can after a while not even be detected more than as a distant memory. Instead you more now feel the woods the birch and to me also light sandal wood and the hay like scent from the orris root mixing with the softest feel of an almost sweet smelling comforting cashmeran and the softest leather creating a naked skin like sensation together with the warmth of unsweetened tea. The longer it sits on your skin the more it will become enmeshed with your own skin scents and on me it sweetens it up ever so slightly and give it also an airy etherial quality. All in all this is a very intimate skin scent. Not meant to offer any bold statements but rather create calmness and comfort in a world filled with stress and extreme needs. It is totally unisex but is obviously more soft than bold. It does in some ways remind a bit of Le Labo Santal 33. But differs quite a bit from that too. Sellier does more paint a woody picture from a time before we had electricity and central heating, whereas Santal 33 reminds me more of a newly renovated kitchen with old looking but brand new wooden floors where one has also lit up a scented candle that gives off whiffs of a fireplace. Santal 33 is a lot more modern hipster whereas Sellier is more connected to history for real, if that makes sense... Santal 33 is also a lot more linear where Sellier is a lot more changeable and developing throughout the weartime and changes in my opinion also more individually depending on your own skin scent. But you can detect something that reminds of iris in both of them even though it is only a listed note in Santal 33. Santal 33 is to me a more recognisable scent too whereas Sellier in its intimacy and change ability feels more unique. This is as I think you get from the description not a strong projector. But an intimate skin scent with a scent bubble that whispers draw near me. The longevity is however fairly good and on me this lasts throughout the day or throughout the evening but will not linger on until morning, or perhaps like a tiny flickr of yesterdays memory. Or by its effect on calming my senses. Over the last six months since I blind bought this it has become one of my favourite scents to wear daily. And works perfectly also in settings where fragrance sensitive people abide... I would not say this is a safe blind buy though! Especially not if you are after strong leather, tobacco and woody projection. And also not if you interpret intimate as being feminine. As this is for sure a unisex kind of scent. So try before buy! To me it is however perfect for fall and winter and perhaps even for spring. I have not yet tried it in full blown summer. But for summer I would probably rather go for the now discontinued Byredo unnamed one which does share a frame work that reminds me a bit of some of the note composition in Sellier but with a mild fruity ness on top... ❣️

I had been looking for a perfume that would make me feel like Sherlock Holmes for over a year. I wanted an olfactory reminder that, whenever I felt overwhelmed by real life, I could seek shelter in the cozy and familiar hearth of 221B Baker Street, with the care and intimacy of John Watson, the leather armchairs, the smell of wood, old books, and dewey upholstery, with the company of a cigarette and some tea. I used a dupe of Tom Ford’s Ombre Leather for a few months. It gave off the vibe of Sherlock as played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC series. In my mind it is connected to my first trip to Boston, to the swishing of a long black coat as I walked under the tall glass scyscrapers, feeling small yet all-containing. And yet I still craved for more comfort, to be contained myself. When I was a teenager, long before J.K. Rowling’s transphobic delirium, I used to write fanfiction about evening in 12 Grimmauld Place. It was my place of comfort. I identified with the character of Tonks - punk, in constant metamorphosis, undoubtedly genderfluid - and I was in love with Remus Lupin, the shaggy and quiet werewolf-professor. I wanted to hang out with Sirius Black, dark and mysterious, apart from when he was cracking jokes to his friends. Wearing a ratty old tweed jacket, drinking hot chocolate with a hint of firewhiskey, smoking from a pipe, snuggled up in an armchair that smelt of wood and damp leather. Those damned imaginary hedonists! Sellier reminds me of both places: 221B Baker Street and 12 Grimmauld Place. It smells like dark academia, like Allen Ginsberg, a cozy kind of debauchery.

I’ve been searching for a leather fragrance that fits my personal sensibilities for so long and I just wasn’t having any luck. All the more popular leather fragrances have an annoying sweet fruity note competing with the leather such as Tom Fords ‘Tuscan Leather’ or Ombré Leather, or even PDM’s Godolphin. Or they smell drab and muddled like band aids like in Gucci Guilty Absolute. I found Sellier by accident while death scrolling through TikTok and I couldn’t be happier. I ordered a sample and after smelling it, I IMMEDIATELY ordered a full bottle, full retail from Byredo’s website. It’s a more smoother leather dominant Santal 33 in the opening and develops into a slightly smoky semi sweet leather in the mid. Very beautiful and pleasant ❤️ The drydown is my favorite though. It settles into a masculine , salty & musky, herbal semi sweet leather that is sooo smooth and refined. Its sexy and sophisticated and I can’t get enough. It is unisex but definitely leans more masculine IMO. It’s long lasting (6 to 8 hours) but doesn’t project much, true to the byredo style, but shines in the sillage. This is signature scent worthy for sure. It has a mass appealing quality and is extremely wearable and inoffensive but still very luxurious, high quality and unique. I’m head over heels in love with this fragrance!

This perfume is a true masterpiece! I tried a lot of Byredo fragrances in the Paris store, looking for something new. When this fragrance was first introduced as a leather fragrance, I was quite sceptic at first, as I am not usually a big fan of heavy leather, smokey or tobacco scents. But when I smelled this, I immediately liked it. It is warm, classy and manly, without being too heavy. It is easy to like this scent, and I think that is, because it reminds me of Le Labo Santal 33, but a much more masculine version of it (although I have to say this really is a fragrance on it's own, but if you would compare it to any other fragrance: this is the best comparison, as I do get some sandalwood vibes). The ingredients are of high quality, and 2-3 sprays are really enough to last a day. This perfume is at a high price point, but the thing is: I am not really into sandalwood nor leather, but somehow this fragrance has a great appeal, and is really sexy. It made me by a bottle, and because of it's uniqueness I'm happy with it every day!

This might be my favorite fragrance of all time, at the very least top 3. I wish it was something I could wear all day every day. I dislike Santal 33 but clearly I adore Sellier, I wouldn't compare them at all. This comes on strong and smoky at first and has the best drydown, leathery and almost a little sweet, if you have/enjoy Byredo fragrances it just has that Byredo DNA where it lingers in the air and creates a scent bubble with a type of warmth/humidity to it. Amazing projection and longevity, but it's such a strong scent that I've reserved it for going out at night. I wish they made this into a candle because sometimes I use it as a room spray lol. To me, this is a very sensual and alluring scent. If you like smoke, spice, leather, wood, ugh its a 10/10. Can't overstate how much I love this fragrance. There's no pickle, no sourness like I found in Santal 33. It's so expensive though :( the only drawback