Fir Balsam

Back in the 90's, Yves Rocher had a product called Nuit en Fète and it was a room spray to evoke Xmas atmosphere with a fir or spruce like scent. I remember it was absolutely beautiful, and eventually we used it all up, and ever since, I was looking for anything resembling that smell. When smelling this Fir Balsam scent, I'm thrown right back in time. Obviously, you will smell like a fir with vanilla, and coming anywhere from the areas that have these trees, you will instantly recognize the scent of a warm woody and slightly sharp sap. Now sap has a much much stronger and darker power, and here it is balanced with vanilla and rose, and even some berries. On the first spray, I thought this was too feminine for me, but I changed my mind. It is unisex, and nicely wearable for anyone. It is sweet, yet on the edge to sharp thanks to the other molecules of benzoin, patchouli and labdanum. It is a very classy, slightly unusual, cleverly made and interesting scent that will make people ponder. The scent is mellow and it doe not change drastically, which is good. The scent is not for loud parties, but you will smell nicely presenting a whiff or two to others, but nothing revolutionary. One reason for it is that it goes closer to skin pretty much during the first 30 minutes, but then it projects for several hours. The scent, I dare to say, is actually quite universal evoking feelings of a cosy home, so anyone who loves that smell will be on your side. When thinking of age, referring to whom it may be suitable for, I go for quite a span. Both young males and females may enjoy this kind of scent, because of the vanilla and herbal notes. Females may enjoy it more, but I guess, they are put off by the name, I don't know, because I do not agree that it is a typical scent for males. Not by miles....

I was going for something completely different and more aromatic but after one wear, this stuff went straight into the collection and has moved up to one of my all time favorite cool weather frags. The smell is an addicting balsamic semi-sweet tree sap with the fir keeping it from being too cloying/syrupy and the labdanum/benzoin giving it a dark, warm cozy base without going into the myrrh/frankincense category. I don’t really get any red berries and the vanilla is more of a dark, rich, natural sweetness that doesn’t particularly smell like a vanilla note. In my opinion it’s slightly reminiscent of Amouage Royal Tobacco but without the tobacco and heavy, spicy, resinous Amouage Man dna that I want to love but just can’t. As for performance, I usually prefer more projection but this is a “less is more” scent profile for me. It lasts fairly long but only projects above average for the first hour then settles down to moderate without disappearing. The lighter projection actually makes it perfect for those cold morning/warm afternoon kinda days and also acceptable for close range indoor activities where most fragrances in this scent profile would be too much.

the opening is indeed smells like my artificial christmas tree coming out of the box in december... it's a bit strange, and I get a hint of leather too in the opening. So for me the opening is a bit challenging and since this is a blind buy for me for the sake of my love for Franck Boclet perfume, I felt a vibe of regret washing over me. But I wear it anyway. Fast forward 2 hours and I keep smelling something yummy, gourmandish and nice... I thought it was someone else, but it turns out that its my scent, it is the dry down of Fir Balsam, which consists dominantly of benzoin and vanilla, giving it a caramel vibe, which is very beautiul, while retaining the dusty aspect of fir balsam. The regret is no more, this is a successful blindbuy after all.

This is a great fall/winter juice IMO. Decent longevity and projection. Nice Fir note with a vanilla / benzoin vibe throughout. The opening can be slightly weird I guess and it does have a slight similarity to Norne by Slumberhouse. Overall I think it's a winner but do try before you buy... Enjoy!

I don’t know who the naysayers of this are but it is anything but sickly sweet. It is perfect for anyone looking for a pine forest vibe. It is perfect for the colder months.