Vanille Antique

Imagine you walk into a vintage store that is owned by an old man who seems like he has seen every lifetime imaginable and tried to capsule every obsolete object possible in a store - and there right next to the dust-covered vinyls you see a pile of old books, whose pages have been sun kissed and the sweet smell of old paper fills your lungs. Vanille Antique is the encapsulation of this exact scenario. Byredo has mastered the art of juxtaposition by crafting simple notes with such a complexity that the experience takes a whole 180. Classy yet innovative. Simple enough to harmonize with others, but eccentric enough to demand some sort of attention that cannot be helped but be given. This is no different - In fact, one of the classiest perfumes by the brand. Quaint essences are complimenting the beautiful vanilla base. To my nose (which should be given the benefit of the doubt as I'm not on K9 level... yet) it almost give ever so slighty sweet tobacco smell. Just as the color suggests, it is warm, cozy almost. The sillage reminds me of -as aforementioned- old books that have sat on the shelves and were kissed by the sun for years and attained some sweetness from it. The woodiness assuages any possible overwhelming of the warm notes, making it super balanced. As far as its orientation is concerned, it is of upmost importance to mention that it is faintly more feminine leaning but of course any gentleman flamboyant enough can carry it I am certain. On skin, the notes are omnipresent - they don't take turns to make their way to your nostrils; you get each note at the same time, which I'm assuming could be perceived as the notes 'falling flat' - which would be half true. And yet, it doesn't take away the majesty of it all. One of the few non-gourmand vanilla perfumes I've found myself being drawn into. So until I obtain the financials to store it on my shelf, I will be going back to the vintage stores and digging my nose into old books, hoping to catch a glimpse of this fragrance.

The ultimate chic vanilla. Timeless. Elegant. I hate that I ever smelled this. Because the price is beyond ridiculous for 50ml. The bottle is not very attractive either. This scent deserves a stunning display worthy bottle. But oh my god this scent is amazing. It is heavenly. It's warm amber and has a boozy sweetness like rum. Immediately transports me to a beautiful ornate old library with dark wood and that delicious smell of dusty old books. A more grown up version of Whispers in the library. It's like a warm hug. Super comforting, quite a clean scent, very well blended vanilla with a hint of fruit. I imagine people on the Titanic wearing this. Cosy like candlelight, a fireplace, warm tea and a soft blanket. The dry down is lovely. Like a soft cloud of labdanum, pleasantly tame musk, amber and just a hint of plum. It settles so nicely. A special occasion scent. A great signature scent. It is very powerful. This will last for days on clothes, even after washing it hangs around and at least 24h on the skin. I cannot say enough good things about it. I genuinely would give up almost all other scents just for this. Obsessed. And furious because that price is astronomical, ludicrous, laughable, insanity. And I still might buy a whole bottle. Sigh. Cries in poor... Edit: If you're a fan of this the Cremo Vanilla Tonka shave cream is really nice and very similar vibe! Wish they made a body wash and lotion in the same scent as layering these would be lovely!

Much has been told (or more actually, argued) about this perfume. I don't understand the peole who say it's a waste of time and it's something of a bad creation. It is NOT. However, I find the term "antique" misleading. I'd call it "Millenial Vanilla", because it heavily reminds me of Amber by L'occitane en Provence. The only issue with Amber was its poor longevity (and it has been discontinued). As an extrait, Vanille Antique got that one better, of course. The scent itself is very comforting and uplifting. When I spray it on myself, I'd immediately feel better and happier. It's not the typical sweet-sugary, or sexy vanilla, it's not too complicated, or interestingly refined, but somehow it's a well-blended, "polite" vanilla with medium depth and a hint of metallic traces, which a gives a bit masculine vibe to it. This can be your all-time higher quality scent, it's suitable for office days, or date night, or for lunch with the family as well. The only drawback is the price, which for me is a bit high for not being so groundbreaking. Plot twist: I bought it. :D

This is the only Byredo fragrance that I actually understand the hype for. I spritz myself at the storefront on Newberry street in Boston. I had a flight two hours later, a 6 hour flight back to Vegas. By the time I landed, I could still smell this on my wrists as if I had just sprayed it. Incredible longevity. Sillage can be strong, and I was worried about wearing a heavy perfume before going onto a plane as I am prone to headaches. Luckily, one spray was the perfect amount. The vanilla is sweet but sexy. I was worried the "antique" would make this scent too powdery for my liking, but it ended up being a perfect blend of sweetness and musk. Very unique, sort of reminds me of Seven Virtues Vanilla Woods, but better. Besides the price tag, the only thing holding me back from purchasing would be that this is strictly a cold weather scent. Living in Las Vegas, I'd only get a chance to wear this maybe 3 months out of the year. If I win the lottery, or bonk my head one day, maybe I'll get the courage to buy a full size. But for now, the samples will hold me over!

Literally BEAUTIFUL what the fuck. Do not listen to people who say it smells bad because they're literally lying to gatekeep. I'd love to gatekeep this too but just no. This is literally the prettiest vanilla I've smelled. It projects freshly at the start but then as it sits the vanilla and amber-wood smell kick in and they are what make the fragrance unisex for me, but to me it's more than unisex, it's something like androgynous to me. Usually, at least to me, most unisex perfumes smell like straight Axe deodorant on me (basically just smell like manly man) but this is so cute! To me it leans a bit more femenine because it smells more interesting; a lot of men's perfumes have this background and it is wayyy overrated and oversmelled, you literally can't escape it. But this on women smells luring and enticing and I love it. On a head turner and neck snapper scale this gets ♾️. If I smelled this outside I'd turn my head 360°. So gorgeous and I will definitely have to purchase. Sad that it's only 50ml.