Berlinetta

Wow. I was always rather skeptical of the "dupe houses", Maison Alhambra in particular. Somehow, I completely fell in love with this specific dupe, and I genuinely believe this is better than the original. I don't exactly like the original Byredo Bibliotheque. I like the concept of it, but to me, it smells of old dusty books, cheap leather couches and vintage lipstick with that distinct floral and slightly sickly-sweet scent. And it's intense, too. This, on the other hand, is definitely more subtle and wearable. I have to be honest that it's also more simplified, with the floral notes completely blended in and hardly recognizable. But the plum-leather combo is perfect here, and it's exactly what I wanted Bibliotheque to smell like. The plum note is sourish and sweet, more like prunes or fruit leather rather than fresh plums; and the leather note is like high-quality, soft suede. Both on a timeless vanilla, musk and patchouli base that leaves a slightly powdery and sweet smelling trail. Comforting, unique and addictive. Love it!

I agree with the reviews here and of Bibliotheque, this is borderline overwhelming, punch you in the face strong. Especially read the reviews of Bibliotheque to understand the personality. There is something intriguing about it, but it’s a lot. I can’t imagine wearing this anywhere but to the bar. This was a complete blind buy bought on a whim, I don’t even seek out plum notes or anything. It’s an interesting experiment and I’ll see how it plays out. You know what, I've spent some time with this and there's something really gorgeous about it. I would apply it with a subtle hand and spray away from my face. But man, it really is intoxicating. The vanilla is a really nice touch and the effect is a sultry, deep, dark, sweet magical sort of scent that eludes complete understanding. It takes real personality to wear!

Wow this really blew me away. My skin chemistry can turn leathery frags into a gasoline-like mess but here oh goodness here it becomes a gorgeous fruity (plum) suede accord that is perceptible from the moment I spritz the frag on my skin to the very end. There are floral undertones for sure but for me the prominent accord is fruity suede one that gives off some ambery qualities. It's smooth, well rounded, sexy and sophisticated. The projection and longevity are good and hallelujah I can't believe I can smell so good without pulling the trigger. Bravo Maison Alhambra and shame on some designer houses with unimaginative watered-down frags that ain't even worth a penny. Bought two bottles of this. Get your hands on this ASAP

I just got this in the mail Blind buy And Oh My Gawd It is everything I expected it to be and more! It is a sweet vanillic dark sexy violet!! It’s cool and hot at the same time! Smells like something i want to eat or drink but it’s not a gourmand Like a vanilla cocktail with candied violets inside! This is dark without being uber heavy or cloying! Perfect for fall! Edited to add this is very very rich fruit combined with a slight leather undertone. Sometimes in random moments the combination can give a sort of vinegar scent but then that goes away just as quickly as it came, overall it doesn’t bother me enough to not enjoy this fragrance. I love strong perfumes and this is fruit candy in a leather pouch strong! I love it!

This is so interesting. It's sweet (plum and violets) and tough/cool-girl feeling (leather and musk). It reminds me of all the female leads in action movies and video games who are both feminine and interesting. This is a scent for someone who wants to feel like a woman but not a generic woman. As someone who is a little leery of masculine notes like leather, I can say I truly love this. It's so different from everything in my collection but it's not difficult to wear. This would be an awesome casual fall or winter fragrance or a nice date night fragrance for warmer weather. This fragrance is strong, I would say max three sprays. Lasts long on my skin.

Absolutely love at first sniff. It’s rich, intriguing, and stands apart from the typical Arabic scents I’ve come across. There’s a dark plumminess to it, a touch of leather, and as it dries down, the musk and vanilla come through...soft, not at all overwhelming or sickly. The longevity isn’t quite there just yet, but the bottle’s brand new, so I’ll give it a bit of time to settle and see how it wears. As for the sillage, it's rather impressive, actually. It brings to mind the feeling of curling up with a well-worn book, a bit of ‘80s pop humming softly in the background, rain gently tapping at the window...and truth be told, that’s very much my vibe.

When I first got Berlinetta, it smelled of heavy plum and leather, and didn't last, but I kept it and tried it every 3 months. It gradually improved, leather and plum becoming gentle and the peach and violets shining true. I bought it in December 23, and NOW June 2025 The peaches, violets and plums have agreed to cooperate with each other and are now working together, The leather have decided to give them support instead of taking over. I am now in Love💖. So if you don't like it Right away, give it a couple of months, I know, the waiting is pain, but you will be rewarded. I am going to order another bottle right away.😁 Have a great day.

A near instant love. deep, dark fruit and a slight synthetic sweetness that is not unpleasant. on a deep inhale comes waxy, leather-bound books, sitting in a bar instead of a library. the tomboy, the coolgirl, maybe trying a bit hard but it’s working. i love how i feel in this — and not just hot. it lasts a respectable 4-5 hours overall, but for me settles close to the skin fairly quickly with vanilla and musk. i’m also obsessed with the bottle and it’s super smooth atomizer. I can’t say how close the juice is to byredo’s bibliotheque, but I don’t care, this does the trick. another hit from maison alhambra!

I bought this perfume on Mercari for $10. And I know it's not a perfume for everyone; I smell peach and a very ripe plum scent. I love the opening; it's fruity, and I absolutely adore it. It really does smell like a library—I imagine an old, huge library surrounded by trees in the fall, and the leaves are falling and ther are orange and yellow. A very romantic setting. I love the drydown; on me, at least, it's sweet and very beautiful. I can smell the vanilla, and it lasts a very long time on my skin—I can still smell it up to 12 hours later. I was so lucky to find this beautiful perfume.

This smells exactly like Byredo Bibliotheque. I got a full bottle for 13 EUR after trying a decant and falling in love. This is a very dark plum-leather fragrance that is extremely well blended and it performs amazingly on clothes (24+ hours). My husband said that this smells super expensive, I like that. I also love that this is not a leather like in Cherry Punk. That one smelled too photorealistic. This leather here is so much softer, it just gives the fruits more depth. Not a safe blind buy.

I bought this 3 months ago. What can I say? It gets close to the OG, it performs well enough (I get around 5-6ish hours with few sprays on skin, on clothes it stays for days), it's incredibly pleasant and comfy, doesn't project super loud but creates a nice scent bubble. Very underrated for sure as Smell4vi said. The smells is not so hefty to make it unwearable in warmer weather, definitely wearable in spring evenings and perhaps in cooler summer nights. It's a solid love by me.

wow what a beautiful fragrance !! blind bought based off of reviews here, this is really unlike anything else i have but still totally fits my vibe and what i look for in a perfume. such a Purple scent, super juicy plum with a beautiful powdery element, and a delicious woodyish base. i haven't smelled bibliotheque so can't comment on the similarity but wow. absolutely love this and what an amazing value for a 100ml bottle!!!

This is so so good, and great quality considering I only paid $18 for it. I haven't smelled bibliotheqe, but from what I've heard/read this is spot on. It's leathery violets, so if you're not into those notes you probably won't like this. But I LOVE it. It's dark, earthy, but still a bit feminine, although a man could pull this off too imo. Falls under the witchy/femme fatale category. Insanely good for the price.

This one is just like Bibliothéque. I didn’t expect too much from this brand because I ordered Kismet Magic and sell it right away (it was synthetic like a christmas air freshener). BUT THIS ONE IS FABULOUS!!!!! I will order 3 more bottles because I will shower in this fragrance. The longetivity is a bit weak but the price is awesome. The best dupe i’ve ever had. This will be my everyday scent.

This is such a unique fragrance to me. It’s something I feel that Lana Del Rey would wear. It smells like books, a leather jacket, lipstick and something soft and fruity. It’s mature but interesting, sexy yet coquette. I enjoy wearing this when I’m running errands, grabbing lunch or going to a cafe. This smells like nothing else in my collection, and it’s a welcome edition. 9/10

Ps I watched a video where a girl described this by saying something along these lines - "there's girls who ride on the back of their boyfriends motorcycles, & there's girls who have their own motorcycles. This perfume is the girl who has her own." And I couldn't agree more.

Wow! This is a seriously stunning leather scent. The plum and peach opening is juicy and inviting, leading into a beautiful violet and peony heart. But the real star here is the leather base - it's rich, smoky, and incredibly sensual. It lasts forever too! Definitely unisex.

If anyone loves Bibliotheque- this is better and longer lasting. I have compared them side by side and everyone I asked preferred this one. It's sweeter and more wearable with all the best qualities of the OG.

I can't really smell the leather note, so it's all fruity musky plum for me. Lovely unisex smell for a great price. Although it's leaning more feminine due to the florals. I haven't smelled the original tho.

This is ETERNAL!! I’ve had it over a year and May be after maturation it’s become so beastly ! Definitely worth it over the OG and for £25 WOW WOW WOW

This is what the color Purple would smells like in all of it's physical forms, jammy candy plum mashup with Grape/Wine and violet lilac makeup!

Just saying for those curious, Bibliotheque is NOWHERE near Black Orchid, and it's not retro at all lmao

VERY good dupe. The more you let it sit, the more it smells like Bibliotheque. Absolutely love it <3.

YSL Yvresse + leather = this beautiful juice!

I love it. I already bought 3 bottles.

Initial impression after first full day's wear. Starts off overwhelmingly with a sweetish violet scent, I also smell some stone fruit and leather right off the bat. It's quite strong, and stays this way for a good 30-45 minutes. I started to get some light floral and vanilla scents after the first hour from the peony. As it got further into the dry down the violet settled down a lot, which was a good thing for me, and I finally could start to pick up what came across as a more dry even slightly woodsy patchouli. Towards the end I felt like I was getting mostly plum, violet, with hints of leather, patchouli, and a tiny bit of musk. I liked it more in the drydown than the early stages. I'm interested to see how my opinion shifts after I worn it more. Initially it's a like for me, but not a love. If they'd tone down the violet and pump up the patchouli I'd like it a lot more.

Was looking for something like bibliotheque, and this is very, very close. I'd say this is a more femenine leaning smell bc of the fruitiness, and more so than the og. The fruitiness lives longer on my skin than the og, but the leather smells more authentic in berlinetta. What else differs.. Maybe that the transitions from fruity/flowery to leathery is more subtle in bibliotheque. I never resonated with the name of the og smell. Berlinetta is spot on though. The vibe this perfume is giving is wafting out of a bar where a local band just played, looking for a lighter, wearing a thrifted leather jacket. Or one of those spontanious, rainy, stick season nights you'd thought was same old meh but ended up hell yeah. Sorta. Overall a very good one if you like bibliotheque, and to a perfect bang for the bucks👌

It’s definitely feminine! I like it as a man but would not really want to wear this, only occasionally. The subtle leather note in the drydown is the only thing that puts this fragrance towards being unisex. It’s very sweet with gorgeous plum and peach at the top, after 20 minutes you get the rose and violet which start to blend in very smoothly with the creamy, musky vanille. Then the leather starts to come through and also blends in very well. The longevity and sillage is unbeliveable considering other Alhambra clones, out of the box this was like a high-end niche fragrance. No alcoholic top notes, just pure sweetness. The atomizer is the best I’ve ever seen in my whole life! The price was €18... I’m honestly amazed, even though it’s not my favorite scent, 10/10 from me.

i'm not familiar with the byredo fragrance this is apparently duping, but this is a great composition on its own. It took like 6-7 months to balance out but it got there and its good. The fruit up top isn't foody, more aromatic and almost soapy, and then you dive into a big cloud of violet musk and leather. Very clean and bright and classy and airy. I do have to be in the mood for the leather finish because it lasts and lasts, but it's a sweet, smooth leather, like the smell of a deerskin bag. Can't figure out how it's meant to represent 'library' if the original is like this, the vibe is more 'big city artist's studio where maybe they also throw parties for the patrons' lol. Both edgier and more consumerist than a library, but in a posh-grunge way if that makes sense.

So...I didn't like this at first. As someone who typically wears feminine, fruity, flirty, flowery perfumes, this was quite the deviation. I didn't like the opening too much but kept going back to sniff the box that I sprayed and it kept getting better and better. The dry down is phenomenal. Slightly sweet plum with some suede. Yes I know the notes specify leather but I get more of a suede. Anyway, the dry down is beautiful. I've never smelled anything like it (I've never smelled the one it's duping or inspired by). Unisex but leans feminine for sure IMO. So, to wrap it all up, the opening isn't the greatest but the dry down is phenomenal. It's not a harsh fragrance, nor heavy, so I believe it can be worn any season, day or night.

It does smell very much like Bibliotheque, so much that if you want that perfume, but not too much, but actually want it, especially for layering, this is enough. I compared them within one day. BOTH have low to mid staying power, on skin they stay just for a couple of hours. Of course, this one is less well-rounded, but the difference is small. Both are sweetish and have that plum jam note. I had two different room fragrances that were Bibliotheque dupes, and they were, possibly, even better than the original (one is, ironically, in the library I work in, the other I offered to a friend, and she grabbed it). This one is cute, and the price is fair. The original is way, way overpriced for what it is.

Recently started fixating over more unique smelling perfumes after living on vanillas all winter. Obsessed with the idea of smelling like a spooky librarian, it really was as simple as that, and of course I found this for a REALLY good price so I bought it. I haven't let mine completely macerate to be fair, maybe it will get better as it ages since it kind of disappears right now if I'm not over spraying. The plum is a little sour and leather smells clean because of the powder. Does it smell like a library? Mayhaps like a librarian with a fresh powdery perfume that lurks around old books. The atomizer is pressured by the way to whomever that may concern, I was just surprised considering the price.

Ripened plum and peach skins mixed with powdery violet all paired with broken-in leather. Altogether does smell like leatherbound books, very similar to Bibliothèque. Perfect all seasons except summer, too warm. Projects strongly for the first few hours then tones down to arms' length.

Smells quality. Little bit more feminine. I will give it a chance. Other wise going to sell it. But once again, it smells good. Not a super duper, but good enough to have it in your collection.

This is a slightly sweet violet scent. Violet is the prominent note in this fragrance, peach and musk. This is also very similar to Balenciaga Paris which is discontinued.

For anyone wondering what kind of a scent profile this is, and you haven’t put your nose on Bibliotheque: It is in the realm of Velvet Orchid by TF (not similar, but that type of a scent profile). Kinda dark and heavy, a bit retro, if you know the type. Although the main accord is listed as fruity and leathery, be warned: this is far from juicy fruity. More like a dark, retro floral (violet). And the “leather” part is actually more of a woody iso e note, similar to Molecule 01. This is definitely one for a colder weather, when feeling a bit bossy, to spray your leather jacket with. Interestingly, for such a deep and bold scent profile, you really can't overspray this one as longevity and silage are questionable.

Update after 3 months: Berlinetta is very close to Bibliothèque, but not quite balanced. It comes across both heavier and slightly diluted at the same time, which creates a mismatch in how the notes develop. The overall vibe is clearly there, though. If both were priced the same, I’d pick the original without hesitation. What this dupe does, however, is raise an uncomfortable question: why pay ~200€ when something at 15€ gets you most of the way there? It makes the original harder to justify unless you truly love it. I don’t. For anyone who finds Bibliothèque interesting but not worth the price, this is a practical alternative. Just don’t expect the same refinement. It delivers around 80% of the experience.

It's an unexpected mix. Leather and fruit. Slightly smoky leather and mouthwatering tart fruit. It's a cool girl, unbothered, browsing the vintage store for some Patti Smith vinyl before going back to her bartending job at the new underground location. But it's suitable for the office or hotel reception too if you want to smell a little different.

#677 in my "Tour de Fragrance" I get the similarities to Byredo Bibliotheque which I barely considered unisex. This seems even more floral than that to me, and for me too much floral. This is a feminine scent for sure. I'll give it away to one of my female friends. Follow up: The lovely and vivacious Tara was delighted with this scent!

I tried my hardest to like this fragrance. Seriously, I’ve tried it in 3 different seasons, months apart, and also layering it with different vanillas in various mediums. I say vanilla because I am a vanilla girl, and I like to soften sharper or harsher notes with it. There was NOTHING that I could do to calm the pervasive morning breath smell that is this fragrance. I cannot stand the leather and patchouli notes in Berlinetta; and combined with the Musk the fragrance is so skunky!! I don’t understand it at all lol These notes should work for me, but they don’t. Berlinetta is a HARD PASS for me.

It smells like real leather jacket that started rooting in the vintage wooden closet and liquid blueberries yoghurt to drink, combined. Also it's smells like vintage dusty library with books. For me personally (even though I like the smell of the real library) this fragrance is really depressing and I don't know when and where to wear it.

I just got punched so hard in the face with a patchouli leather fist that I couldn't smell anything else for the rest of the day. And yes, it does last for at least the whole day, even through some decent attempts at washing it off, so that you not only get punched down, but stay down.

I don't like it. It has this similar undertone of glossy paper magazines as Masa by Lattafa. I hate Masa and this is bearable but still I wouldn't wear it. Unisex. There is maybe some plum and lots of syntetic notes. Nothing special.

Almost died. This smells exactly like Byredo Bibliothèque, only seven times cheaper and it lasts longer. I almost vomited when I smelled it and felt nauseous for the rest of the day because the scent stuck in my nose. Both of them, actually. (Smells like an old, stinky man who works in a library or books bound in human rotting skin). Jesus, I don’t know... maybe there’s a combination of notes in these two fragrances that causes this reaction. I hope it’s not just me.

So sweet that it made me incredibly nauseous after a single spray. I like the notes, but it was incredibly difficult to enjoy due to smothering sweetness.

First spray on paper had me recoiling....the plum/peach tops combined with the leather base was reminiscent of dried vomit. But I'll be damned if it isn't settling into something kind of dark and enjoyable. The fruit quickly goes from sour and syrupy to powdery and tannic, softening and enhancing the leather, giving it a lived in but well-maintained feel. The violet is used sparingly here, the powder is ephemeral, while the peony is bright, keeping things from feeling too stifling. I'll have to update after a couple of wears and see if the vanilla pops out anywhere after a while, bc right now I can't detect it and it would be welcome to make this wearable. EDIT: Cleared the spray nozzle and let it sit three weeks, then dared to put this on my skin today. I've had it on for about an hour on ONE wrist. At first, I got bandaids and prunes with a nearly-dried smear of sour peach jam. But the experience of smell is subjective and I gave it half an hour and re-read the notes and the experience this fragrance is meant to bring to mind. I also scanned some of the reviews..."Harry Potter library" indeed! Now I can adjust my expectations and enjoy this for what it is. Let me explain..... First, in considering Berlinetta as a wearable fragrance, I don't usually enjoy peach as a note (but I do like to keep giving it a try bc I have found I can enjoy it in specific instances). It's syrupy treatment here, combined with plum and leather is tough for me the first half hour. An hour in, the florals are able to peek through and lighten the load. The leather isn't overly tannic, the patch is only minimally skanky (which I don't usually mind), and I still don't get any vanilla but maybe it'll pop out later. Definitely wearing better after an hour.... But for me, this is one of those fragrances you have to understand as scent-as-a-work-of-art, rather than a personal hygiene product (as another reviewer pointed out). Maybe it's a boring place to sit, but mostly I want a fragrance to make me smell alluring, sweet, fresh, or cozy, sometimes serious or nostalgic, on occasion weird and witchy. However, Berlinetta is not that, IMHO. While I can certainly recognize and admire the creativity and skill in creating a fragrance that evokes a scene so adeptly, with all the accompanying scents, good and bad (in addition to paper, fruit, leather, and wood, I smell sweat, mildew, old carpet, and a touch of rot), this isn't a scent I find at all generally wearable. I can come up with no situation I would ever find myself in in which this scent would be appropriate to wear, except to sit around and ponder it. At this price point though, I am really pleased to have it in my collection bc I don't have the money to be purchasing the OG just to have it sit around until my ONE friend that also enjoys scents-as-works-of-art comes over to enjoy it with me once in a blue moon. This is not to say that scents-as-works-of-art cannot ALSO be wearable. I have several "difficult" frags that I love to wear. But I think Berlinetta is in a separate category, at least for me.

So far i really like it, this is how it smells to me, and i think give some people a better idea of how it smells if your brain works like mine: You are in an old, old abandoned library, not very big, not too small. it's still pretty beautiful but it is pretty dusty and covered in cobwebs. it's a sunny day, you have a lavender scented handkerchief in your shirt pocket as you are drinking a glass of peach punch from "minute maid" You accidentally spill some of it onto the dark mahogany desk and purple leather bounded book. This is the first impression you get from this perfume, now when you let it sit for a while: You wipe the spilled drink up with your lavender scented handkerchief, and you sit it on the desk, about 10 minutes go by and - with the sun shining through the window and all- the handkerchief starts to take on a slightly musky, peachy smell with hints of lavender, a slightly sour, tart smell mixing in with the dusty smell of the library, the wood, the leather even. This creates a pum like smell along with the peach and everything else. Another way to describe it, in less romantic terms: You're getting intimate with a woman, wears a fruity perfume and it is getting pretty hot, she is sweating but her body odor isn't bad or strong or anything - now there's a slight musk along with the fruity smell, a slight pungent quality, this mixes in with your own product, perhaps a vanilla, cocoa, nutty wood scent but it is a skin scent on you so it's in the background. Hope this helps!

This was quite a good surprise, very good performance also. I haven't sampled the og but this is an amazing leather fragrance. The leather in this, fruity as it is, reminds me of the one used in Russian Tea by Masque Milano. I should really get a backup bottle, this is that good. The animalic side, which is not the main accord in this, reminds me of Francesca Bianchi's compozitions, Tyger Tyger, Under my Skin, that sort of a good leather + human animalic note. The Bibliotheque side, books I guess, is maybe felt in very slight way, maybe hinting of a librarian lady that wears suede, and lipstick, it kind of has a lips moisturizer accord, very prominent, but in a good ballance with the rest of the compozition. My lady thinks this inclines more to female and feels florals on a dark base, but I get the suede and animalic note more, with a bid dose of lollipop, the red ones that have a whistle😄. This is my second day testing this, and I am in love with it. Just ordered two more, I guess prices will sky rocket or it will completely vanish as Jean Lowe Immortal. Conclusion: if you are not a noob, love leather fragrances, get this asap.

It's like if you took Bibliotheque and distilled it down to concentrate. Pretty faithful to the OG composition, but the notes are all dialed up to 10 and it lacks any subtlety. This starts at full blast and wears down linearly from there. That said, it doesn't give me the perfume headache that biblio does, and it lasts more than an hour (as opposed to almost any Byredo). For those who've never smelled the OG, this is pretty much exactly what you see in the notes- peach, leather, and plum stand out the most, but the violet, peony, musk and patchouli are definitely there too. The vanilla does little to soften it. This is one extra drop of peony or patchouli away from being screechy, but it doesn't cross the threshold for me and after about 30 minutes it settles into a nice scent (if you spray very conservatively). True unisex. All in all this was a decent blind buy for me that'll get some wear.

I'm a male with a modest collection, it's 'interestingly' different...a bit mysterious.... which is hard to do for an ultra cheapie. I'm not sure I've ever had a fragrance with a vibrant fruity/flowery burst coupled a very subtle leather underneath. When I see this described as 'intoxicating' and or 'addictive', I can see it in the way Fahrenheit Dior (men) is commonly characterized similarly. They share a merging of violet & leather coming together that results in the 'intoxicating/addictive' effect on the senses. It's subtle but absolutely there, the signature petrol vibe from a mix of leather and violet....not nearly as pronounced and obvious like in Fahrenheit Dior but it's there. This does not smell cheap, it's kind of wild merging fruit/flower/violet/leather. Smells like a $40-50 bottle.