Berber Blonde

I have the rollerball of this. When I first smelt it from the bottle at my friend's I wasn't that keen on it. I found it too 'spa-like'. It really reminded me of going to the spa on holiday somewhere tropical, so it wasn't a bad smell by any means but I didn't think it was very wearable. In fact, my friend agreed with me but gave it to me because I 'like perfumes' more than her! Then one day when it started getting warmer here I thought I'd just try it on my skin and see what I thought. (Now I have to put this disclaimer - I love a soapy, clean fragrance, and I've started really loving white florals like jasmine. So there's bias here for sure - if you don't love that kind of smell you probably won't love this) About 5 mins into putting this on my skin, the weird 'spa' feel disappears and I'm left with the most ethereal neroli. Super clean, it has that powdery, fluffy laundry detergent feel to it but it's embodied by the white flowers of neroli, so it turns away (in my opinion) from the overly-stuffy laundry smell and goes headlong into a heady fresh floral scent. Still got a spa-like feel to it, and sometimes I like to layer this with one of my laundry-clean fragrances if I want to feel extra luxurious, but it's really wearable and absolutely beautiful. It's now one of my all-time favourites, and makes me SO happy when I wear it. As it gets warmer here I find myself loving it even more. Don't think I'd like it so much in the cold, but this is going to be used up very quickly this summer!

The opening of Berber Blonde evokes the feeling of sitting under an orange tree, which I absolutely love. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I grew up with my parents who had a large orange tree in front of the house, where I would often sit. This fragrance captures that exact smell. It opens with a vibrant blend of green notes, strong orange, neroli, and orange blossom, reminiscent of my childhood memories of the orange tree. This lively opening lasts for about 30 minutes after application. After the first half hour, the fragrance transitions into a dry down that is very soapy and clean, lingering on my skin for roughly seven hours during both of my wearings. Overall, I do enjoy this scent, although I may be biased towards neroli fragrances due to my childhood associations. If you're a fan of neroli, this is worth trying to see if it resonates with you. It combines the neroli notes found in Neroli Portofino and the jasmine notes in Le Labo's Jasmine 17. I was pleasantly surprised by how long this fresh neroli fragrance lasts. As a fan of Neroli Portofino and 4711, I’m accustomed to these scents fading within the first hour. However, Sana Jardin has created a fresh neroli fragrance that projects well and stays on the skin. At a full retail price of $157 for 100ml, I believe this is a reasonable price for what you are getting.

Beautiful citrus—I instinctively call it 'light,' but the scent is profound and lingering, hence calling it 'light' feels wrong. The citrus is the first thing I am hit with but immediately after that there is the bergamot and neroli carrying that fresh spiciness. It settles fairly quickly and the slight sweetness of the orange blossom comes through. I rarely am adamant that a scent is ONLY night or day, but this is categorically a day scent. Specifically a spring or summer day scent. To me, there is a playfulness to this perfume—a sort of coyness that makes me think I'd be unlikely to wear this to work or university, but rather to weekend lunches or hot summer morning brunches. Refreshing and fundamentally pretty, I truly enjoy this scent and it is a shame I've decided to wear it on an overcast day. The next truly hot, sunny day I will be reaching for this!

Very refreshing. A true neroli and petitgrain scent. You need to like both if you want to love this scent. It is soapy as a neroli fragrance is most of the times. It is very authentic in its nature and I think it is a wonderful neroli fragrance. Although it is similar to Diptyque's Des Sens and Matière Première's Neroli Oranger, Berber Blonde is brighter and punchier in a good way of course. All three do have that soapy feeling. You need to like that aspect of neroli to enjoy all three. (I think people tend to forget that) Neroli Oranger is authentic in nature but slightly more floral and softer. Des Sens is also very authentic but you can also sense the other notes in its fragrance like the angelica and juniper. There is also a smidge of patchouli. All are gorgeous in my opinion and yes, I own all three.

I've smelt a lot of neroli centred fragrance and I think this one goes in my top 10. I love the scent of orange blossom. Neroli is more tricky. It almost has masculine tendencies. Neroli can easily be too harsh for many women to feel comfortable with. Here the orange blossom is queen and has been bolstered with the neroli. The clean musk is what retains a harmony. It softens and rounds out the neroli. I can pick out the other citrus notes in the background. The overall effect to me is as they say "shimmering Morrocan orange blossom. The petit grain is only evident on me when the scent starts to fade. Fabulous to wear on a warm summers evening. It is quite dreamy and intoxicating. I love it. I'm also impressed that it has above average sillage and longevity.

Berber Blonde smells exactly like the orange blossom fragrances that scent the prettiest riads all over Morocco. I have been searching for an entire year, and I finally found the one! I’m so happy! It’s not too neroli-forward (not too green/soapy/bitter) and not too herbal. And there’s no jasmine/tuberose, which (don’t get me wrong) I love, but I don’t want with my orange blossom experience. The orange blossom in Berber Blonde is light, soft, and slightly honeyed. It’s a big love and absolutely NOT a dupe of Neroli Portofino, which I also have, but do not love, as it’s too soapy and herbal. BB takes me back to the Moroccan orange blossom I fell in love with. It is a memory in a bottle and I cherish it.

This is a BEAUTIFUL neroli! So many neroli-based perfumes get soapy and bitter on me, but this stays radiant and citrusy. I do get the full range of neroli and citrus, but less petitgrain and just barely a whisper of musk - which reads as more of a general creaminess. But it is perfect for a hot summer day. I find that I'm reaching for this a lot. I have yet to be disappointed by any of Sana Jardin's beautiful perfumes. They're all lovely, though with varying longevity. Wonderfully clean ingredients and ethics from this company! I have 9 of them, and will keep collecting.

I love citrus fragrance. But they disappear quickly on me. They tend to be too light. Not this one. I sprayed this on my wrist and over 24 hours later I could still smell it on my wrist. I have neroli blossoms in my yard and Berber Blonde smells like the real thing. Probably not the best choice for winter but on a dreary winter day it sure gave my spirits a lift. The scent change a little during dry down and I briefly thought I wasn't going to like it. But after dry down it changed back to the original scent. For me it is a 10 out of 10.

After experiencing a few great neroli/orange blossom releases (Serge Lutens Fleurs d'oranger and Francesca Bianchi Libertine Neroli, being my top two), I have developed a soft spot for the bright, happy vibe of orange blossoms. Berber Blonde is photorealistic and vibrant, shimmering and uplifting. The brand describes it as "warmth and happiness in a bottle" and I have to agree. If you're not charmed by orange blossoms or neroli, then this is probably not for you. But if you are, you can't go wrong giving this one a try.

Testing Berber Blonde from a 2 ml Sana Jardin official sample. Normally not the biggest fan of a neroli/orange blossom scents, but here is paired beautifully with bitter orange and petit grain and it’s less sharp and more citrus, with a touch of sweetness. It’s also very soapy and powdery somehow on my skin, without having any powdery notes. Smells good and photorealistic! It’s a refreshing, uplifting, zingy perfume and I like that, but when it comes to longevity and sillage, it struggles, like most Sana Jardin perfumes! It’s a fairly light fragrance with minimal sillage. Therefore, unless you have unlimited budget to splurge on anything, I wouldn’t recommend buying Berber Blonde. Very similar to many fresh, clean girl type of perfume. The price point doesn’t justify this as a viable choice. It’s a really nice scent and for high heat and high humidity days, it would be exactly what I would wear. But I don’t live in one of those places and I have already greener, fresher fragrances similar to Berber Blonde, so I am good.

I was given a sample of this and really enjoyed it the 1st couple of times. It's a simple neroli and orange blossom. There are green neroli and petitgrain facets and the rounder, more floral aspects of orange blossom. I think it's quite pretty and I am a fan of all things orange tree. But agree with some reviewers that on certain wearings there was a persistent high-pitched screechy-ness that I found grating after a while. Maybe the musk is too clean or dryer sheet-like. Low dose and far from my face seems to be the way to go.

Writing this as the fragrance develops on my skin - quite a citrusy blast! First off, there's a noticeable bitterness brought about by the petitgrain. Its soapiness leans rather masculine and sharp, but is not overwhelming. Neroli and other citruses peak through. A few minutes in, the bitterness becomes rather unpleasant, and stays for quite some time before the musk starts mellowing it a bit (or it just fades away). I think this will be a scent that will appeal to people familiar with petitgrain and bitter citruses.

Fresh and soft and hazy, Berber Blonde’s citrus tickles the nose while its orange blossom lies languid in the background. The summer sun through a fine mist of clouds with the occasional pinprick ray of light peeping through. The “bottomless” composition works far better here than it does in Jaipur Chant, though a whisper of woody base notes would have improved the composition. Still, quite lovely.

Berber Blonde is a neroli and musk bomb. Very fresh, and very strong. This is a juice of high quality. I do not get the comparisons to Olyssia by Sylvanne Delacorte. Olyssia is more about orange blossom and jasmine. Berber Blonde is a neroli and musk. This is probably the best neroli I have ever smelled. Very strong, long lasting and high quality. A beautiful perfume for very hot days of summer.

A very pretty and refreshing summery scent. The citrus and green spiciness comes in stronger for me than the florals, I'd definitely say this is more unisex than feminine. Not my favorite from Sana Jardin, but this isn't my preferred kind of scent anyway. Nicely done, I really like how naturalistic Sana Jardin's scents tend to be.

The opening notes are glorious, I get mint in there as well. It then settles into a really pleasant and cheerful fragrance with good sillage and longevity. This does remind me of Dilmun, although Dilmun has more vanilla. I admit I’m tempted to buy a bigger bottle after this tester.

It's nice, but if you're wanting a really amazing neroli orange blossom perfume this isn't the one. Go for Hera by Karen Timson.

TF Neroli Portofino with the volume turned up to 10 (if not 11)

This is a copy and paste of TF Neroli Portofino

Very soapy neroli and orange blossom on me.

I LOVED the initial spray on this. It’s very spicy on me, not bitter or very floral at all. Pure unisex, and maybe a bit too fresh for me, but I just really enjoyed the smell. It’s what I had expected from Miller Harris’ Lumiere Doree. Unfortunately, the spiciness begins to fade and the fragrance becomes extremely bitter for a period. Bitter enough I might have considered it a scrubber, only that as the fragrance continues to dry down, the bitterness fades a bit and the florals and musk start to emerge. I see a lot of people comparing this to Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino. I’d been meaning to try it anyway, but I’m definitely moving it to the top of my try list as I’m searching for a neroli fragrance that doesn’t go super bitter on me. Sadly, this isn’t it.

I'm a Neroli junkie...I have quite a few and am on a quest to find the PERFECT neroli scent. The initial spray is fantastic neroli goodness, but the dry down is a bit dull.I sorta get a camphor vibe from it when on test strip, but performs well when on the body. It needs a heart boost of something....mandarin, grapefruit or some additional citrus...maybe even Iris! At first was thinking about selling this, but it grew on me and will keep it, and put it into the rotation.

nice scent reminds me of some of kim k's stuff ( she has good scents ) but there is something off, i think its missing a sweet or more citrus element ? it doesnt have much balance, it is quite exactly just like sticking your head in a bouquet of flowers which isnt a bad thing, but you just have to really love that fresh floral scent. pretty decent longevity as well. just not my overall vibe

I love Neroli, and this one opened up nicely, and not at all oldfashioned. But after 20-30 minutes starts to sit on one note and gives headaches... Pity!

I've been trying this out for almost 10 months now. It is a very clean and bright orange flower scent, although the neroli (I think) is a bit astringent on me and, occasionally (not always!) translates as a hairspray note. It's a lovely scent and feels very natural on the skin. It is quite linear through dry down. Update: After going through two sample sprays, the astringent hairspray notes haven't dissipated over weather/season changes. I would identify it more as a note that comes through when I use spray-style sunscreen. Unfortunately, it overpowers the nice parts of this fragrance, so it's not really wearable. I really wanted to like it, but it's not a great orange blossom, neroli, or petitgrain scent after all (for me).

not my cup of tea - it's too intense from the offset and reminds me of the hippie-ish older women i've met (even though they've undoubtedly stolen their scent from much more genuine origins, such as the souk I used to live near in Cairo). I see the beauty in this scent but it's not what I am personally drawn to - wishing for a less bitter woodier note, so possibly less Neroli.

It's giving cleaner. I REALLY didn't want it to, but it is. If you don't want to smell like an older hippie woman and/or a freshly wiped down bathroom counter in perfume form, sample this one before you buy!! All I could smell was lemongrass, which isn't even a note. Sample was relatively strong and lasted a good while tho!

Like you got a noseful of Tide detergent while in a bathroom where toilet cleaner had just been used and a citronella candle was lit to keep the mosquitos at bay. All of this in a really bitter linear scent. Ok, not a neroli fan I guess. I am 0 for 2 on the Sana Jardin discovery set at this point.

Aaaah nope. Similar to Jaipur Chant but less floral and more citrus. The opening is a face full of orange peel and neroli. Also just grass. The musk gives it a depth, but it doesn't develop much, and this just smells like a lemon spray cleaner. Also the base notes smell a bit like YSL Y.

This opens up with a blast of neroli, like a more intense version of TF Neroli Portofino. That lasts less than one minute and then I get an odd corn tortilla smell, followed by a swimming pool smell (chlorine) with faint neroli in the background. Not terrible, but not a fan.

It is citrus for sure. But there’s this smell that is out of place. I have smelled this before, and while not exactly off putting, not great either. It’s like citrus and some Pond’s cold cream mixed in.

Love this house, but this fragrance is really giving me toilet bowl cleaner. Sorry. It's probably just a scent memory unique to me and others will love it!

This is strictly lemon cleaning product, very soapy smelling.Do yourself a favor and skip it, unless full on lemon is your thing.

Scrubber in my book. Very white, but green and sharp at the same time. I had hope for more citrus and zest.

Not for me... on me it is just chemical, and I can't get its taste out of mouth.

This was initially too soapy for me as a perfume, so I dismissed it and ordered Nubian musk and incense water instead. But then this scent went on sale so I got the candle and it is absolutely the best bath candle I’ve ever had. It is absolutely gorgeous, makes my whole house smell wonderful and has lasted a long time. I just never want to be without this scent in my life! Now I am thinking I actually might need the perfume since I’ve become more familiar with the scent, it is freakin glorious!! Sunshine galore and very clean. So beautiful. I have dozens of orange blossom/ Neroli musk fragrances and this is more fresh and sparkling than all the rest. Candle 1000% recommended and try the perfume!

This reminds me of an Eight & Bob scent that I really do not like, Champs De Provence, but Berber Blonde is really much nicer - and definitely wearable. It's a green orangey scent that immediately makes me think of warm countryside. After about an hour the greenness is much less noticeable. The scent lasts really well; to my nose, it isn't obviously unisex. Maybe worth a try if you can get the tester set of Sana Jardin's scents (I got mine from Cult Beauty, very reasonably priced). I'll definitely use up my sample.

On paper, a very lemony cologne, just neroli central! This starts out like a classic entry into its genre. At some point as it develops though, it takes a strange turn, and I get something oddly like old cooking oil used to fry corn chips, damp towels at the end of a week long beach holiday, and the smell of skin after a dip in a public swimming pool. It's not right. The one and only fragrance from the entire sample pack from this house that I dislike. Everything else has been pretty awesome and usually beautiful.

Despite the musk, this one doesn't give me headaches. It is what you can expect from orange blossom, but with depth. To me it's more floral than green and slightly sweet/fruity, but still unisex. It was actually the ONLY fragrance my husband commented positively without me asking him. He entered the house and said "it smells SO good here!". I had just sprayed Berber Blonde. Until now all Sana Jardin's fragrances are a hit for me, my favorite being Tiger By Her Side.

This scent instantly transported me to a woman named Pepette's house in the hills in Santa Barbara. The house: California ranch, surrounded by a dense garden of native plants and towered over by a giant oak, filled with rugs and sculptures and antique toys. The woman: tiny, wizened, warm, very french, effortlessly stylish, an old friend of my dad's mom. Not something I would wear, but beautiful in its own way.

The neroli in this is not bitter at all. Perfectly warm, reminiscent of a hot summer evening stroll along a waterfront at dusk in Southern Italy or Greece. There's almost a citronella element, but at a distance, as if you've passed a few restaurants with outdoor dining. The musk is strong throughout, but not ever overwhelming. This is a lovely, natural fragrance, even if you're not normally a neroli person.

Very pleasant, sunny, nice weather petitgrain bergamot combo. Short lived (obviously), but charmingly atmospheric, almost sunscreeny. I would love to walk into a room that smelled this way, like the conservatory where Lord Goring proposes to Mabel in An Ideal Husband. Silly, but it gives me a very strong sense of place and time.

I am impressed with this house, and loved a few in the sample box, but this just smells like a Neroli Portofino dupe and I really don't love it. On my skin, it was very soapy and too citrussy. I love all the notes, but together this just doesn't do it for me at all.

Refreshing orange blossom in the style of Neroli by Ortigia Sicilia. Nothing you wouldn’t have experienced before if you’re a neroli lover, and nothing terribly original. Fleeting, but still lovely whilst you can smell it.

100% bathroom cleaner. Jaipur chant is the better one; a lovelier and more balanced floral/citrus leaning scent.

Such a really basic one nothing groundbreaking. Can find a lot of alternatives on the marlet

Neroli, neroli, neroli. Oh, how I don't like you. Something biter in this green bouquet.

This smells exactly like Spanish menudo cologne

This is a dupe for Neroli Portofino.