Seven Veils

I'm so happy that I finally got a sample of this in a swap, it's so rare and nowhere to be found. I asked a Byredo representative about it a couple of years ago and she had no idea it even existed. And now that I have smelled it, I agree that it's a crying shame that this was discontinued. The notes on fragrantica are not quite correct. The true notes are carrot and allspice in the top, wisteria and oleander in the heart, vanilla and sandalwood in the base. No rose, pink pepper or orchid are listed and I don't smell anything like that either. But the accords on the top of this page describe the scent well: Powdery, soft spicy, vanillic and floral. In the opening the carrot note shines. It's earthy, herbal and truly a little weird, but fun, and it doesn't stay for long. The allspice does though. In my native language (German) allspice is called "Piment", but I think the English word describes this spice much better, as it unites facets of different spices like cinnamon and cloves. Together with the light, almost-but-not-quite creamy vanilla and the soft florals it gives me an impression of carnations in the drydown. Just a little more vanillic. What a lovely surprise this is! I buy small, light pink carnation plants for my balcony every spring and love their scent. But carnation as a perfume-note rarely smells like the real thing. I wouldn't have expected it here, but it makes sense, as carnations have a powdery floral scent with hints of vanilla and cloves. I'm not sure how wisteria and oleander smell like in real life, but this blend is beautiful. This is a relatively dry scent, but has an airiness to it that keeps it from going dusty. It's slightly sweet without sugary or syrupy notes. It really feels like a semi-transparent veil around me, a bit mysterious, but not dark. Unique and gorgeous.

ENG / An unexpected discovery forgotten for a decade in my mother's toilet drawer, there's little more than a finger's worth left, and it's a real shame. The opening is dry and spicy, the overlapping floral notes, along with pink pepper and sandalwood, create the illusion of a sharp clove note that immediately fades, giving way to vanilla, and that's where the beauty begins. The fragrance evolves like a unique vanilla that I would almost hesitate to define as gourmand, with a complexity that reminds me of a blended whiskey. The sweetness lingers but is accompanied by a uniquely powdery touch. The effect is warm and cozy, a perfect interplay of spices, flowers, and vanilla that softly settles on the creaminess of sandalwood. It's truly a pity that Seven Veils was destined to remain just a beautiful memory in the history of the house. ITA / Una scoperta inaspettata dimenticata da un decennio nel cassetto della toilette di mia madre, ne rimane poco più di un dito ed è un vero peccato. L'apertura è secca e speziata, la sovrapposizione delle note floreali, con il pepe rosa e il sandalo creano l'illusione di una nota chiodi di garofano pungente che sfuma immediatamente lasciando spazio alla vaniglia e li inizia il bello, la fragranza evolve come in una vaniglia unica che quasi stenterei a definire gourmand, con una complessità che sembra ricordare un whiskey blended, la dolcezza rimane ma è accompagnata da una cipria dalla cifra unica, l'effetto è caldo e avvolgente, un incastro perfetto di spezie, fiori e vaniglia che si adagia morbidamente sulla cremosità del sandalo. Un vero peccato Seven Veils sia stato destinato a rimanere solo un bel ricordo nella storia della casa.

Strangely addictive ! ,,,,the carrot note gives it an unusal twist from most vanilla perfumes out there and the orchid gives it this lightly synthetic plastic / vanilla ( thinking doll heads) powdery , vanilla smell that orchids have, the vanilla note is sweet and comforting and the wisteria has a slight spicy clove smell that makes a harmonious combination with the carrots. I agree it smells a little bit like a carrot cake , which is a favourite treat of mine. It's quite an addictive fragrance, and it's tempting to buy , almost SAVORY What I really like about this perfume is that it's a light fluffy vanilla gourmand that is not heavy and cloying nor sticky and not too sweet like some other vanilla gourmands ,it's more airy and fluffy . In fact more SAVORY than gourmand. Not thick, Not sticky, Not overy sweet. My favourite Byredos are Black Saffron and 1996. I like Tiwaliis review below, I forgot to mention about the yummy sandalwood that makes for a nice vanilla woody drydown. The review above me is right on. This is exactly what seven veils smells like ! A spiced up vanilla with an oddly attractive vegetal note. .... And whatever else she said is absolutley right on ! Now I smell this fragrance different and like it even better , it smelles very natural now after reading her review. ,,, ok well from plastic vanilla to natural, big jump I know ,,, I supose our head can play tricks with us and we smell what we associate oders and fragrance with. The mind, a powerful thing ! Cheers ! Update , husband associates this to a smoky spicy vanilla candle. He doesn't like it :( again ,,,,

So happy to have found a bottle of this for a decent price. I've been searching for it ever since my sister wore a sample and I was blown away by how incredible she smelled-- it smelled like an airy vanilla on her, but on me it smells like a mix between carrot cake and gingerbread. If the perfume was called "Spice Cake" it would have been spot on. I don't see spices listed in the notes, maybe it's the pink pepper & sandalwood? My husband said I smelled "christmasy" up close, but from across the room he smelled less spice and more vanilla. I prefer skin scents, and you can't normally smell my perfume from across the room, but this one is the exception. I only need one spray. Only for fall-winter for sure. It's a warm, spicy, fluffy vanilla that's not too sweet. I smell orris even though it's not listed, it might be part of the carrot accord which I love. This is absolutely stunning wafting around me and smells way better in the air than up close against the skin. If I stick my nose against my wrist I smell clove-- which I hate-- but since I'm not sniffing my wrist all day I still love the perfume. It moves with me so beautifully. This is really something unique and special.

YES! Carrot cake! I totally get that. The carrot note is so strong and evident, but there's also this creamy vanilla smell that smells like cake frosting. I get the sandalwood heavily as well, it lends a milky wood smell that barely shines through the sweetness, but it's there. Pink pepper gives a hint of spice, I would've guessed cinnamon or nutmeg, but pepper it is. It's only a hint of spiciness that breaks up the sugar overkill. As Seven Veils dries down, the vanilla becomes more lactonic, it sort of reminds me of the old school L'Artisan Vanilla fragrance (although that one turned a little too milky on me and turned into baby vomit). This is just so well done. I can't believe I had the opportunity to snag a 100ml bottle of this off someone for a steal and jumped on it. The prices I could resell this for are tempting, but I am so in love I could not sell this and let it go. I feel like gollum and this is my precious. I will hoard this and sneak sprays on those days I'm craving a gourmand vanilla that is interesting and exciting to the senses.