Born From Fire

So, I wrote a review on this earlier and then had to delete it because I knew I hadn’t been completely forthcoming. I fell for Born From Fire so fast I wasn’t really able to fully see its faults. I still don’t really care about them because there’s just something about this that appeals to me in a visceral way. Still it must be said- BFF is a beast mode fragrance with extensive sillage and projection and it lasts for literal days on skin. Also - it’s sweet. Whew! I got that out of the way. Those things are sometimes deal breakers with perfumes for me but in the case of this perfume, they just seem to make me love it more. And for people that regard those characteristics as positive, it’s just more to love I guess. Anyway, on to what Born From Fire smells like. To me. It starts nutty, then moves on to a soap phase before passing into a very appealing, diffusive and penetrating, but still somehow soft rose with shades of a friendly mild oud. There is a definite sweetness but it stops just short of being sugary. As noted it has intense sillage and longevity but the sillage feels approachable and gentle compared with some other rose/oud perfumes. It doesn’t seem to come from an overload of amberwood type stuff or ambroxan as I’m sensitive to those and I don’t detect them that much here. There’s a slight bit of soap at the base of this that keeps it feeling sedate as opposed to dense and jammy and over bearing. I think any person could wear this but as far as traditional perfume goes it leans a bit feminine. I don’t really understand the name as for me there was no smokiness. Still, a beautiful name for a beautiful perfume. It appeals to me in such a way that I’m completely willing to overlook its faults. I guess that is love.

Incredible, stunning, tasteful elegance with this one. So sensual, yet so wearable. One of the most insanely beautiful sillage trails I have ever experienced. Where have you been, o light of my heart? How do I choose words to do this fragrance justice? While you do see notes of rose and of oud, this is not your typical rose/oud. They’re there, and they’re rather present, but this creation is so excellently blended that the fragrance itself has become its own accord. You can sense the notes as you look for them, but they are chameleons. Interestingly, the vetiver and black pepper most present for me in the opening, but only up close to the skin. Through the air come this deep citrusy rose, lovely dark oud — never screechy or overpowering — and dancing right through the middle of everything is this freshly baked vanilla snap cookie, the edges caramelized to a deep golden brown. Simply divine! Do not let the perfumer’s description sway you, this is not a tropical fragrance by any stretch of the imagination. But when considering black volcanic sands, it does have the forte and guts of a volcano. Honestly one of the most incredible fragrances I’ve ever smelled, and very fairly priced at $189 for a 3.4oz bottle. On clothing, this lasts up to three days, easily. On skin, I get a good 10 hours. At some point, I will likely order their discovery set because Simone Andreoli has made quite the impression with this one and I look forward to seeing what the scope of his artistry looks like. 10/10 bombshell fragrance, will definitely repurchase when mine runs out.

Dense, sensualy sweet, not ever shy to remind about itself woody gourmand. It has been done before, but not like this. I love the blend, keeping it together and not falling apart. I am seduced by its warm flowing exotic sweetness, something addictive and unavoidable and I am seducing. It is a cold winter, but I am wearing it inside, the air is dry and the scent lives beautifully on my skin that is also cold. I noticed a dash of insense peaking through several hours into wear, but only for a brief moment. I imagine it would show itself sooner on a warmer skin. It is relaxing, calming and sexy. I honestly do not remember the same experience in warmer weather, I could not figure it out then. Maybe it is a winter champion and I am glad to have discovered that. The bottle is promoted to the front row for the rest of the winter.

What a pleasant surprise. I got a sample of this in a vanilla sample set. I definitely would not call this a vanilla scent - it's there for sure, but I don't see it as the defining note. Don't let the opening fool you. It's ALL WOOD at the top, but then really shines in the dry down: Rose (soft from the vanilla), Oud, Amber, etc. Really much better than I had expected. I had only looked at the notes when I got it, not the reviews, so I did not see the comparison to Oud Satin Mood. I own Oud Satin Mood and it's very close. That must be why I liked it so much. It's more rose than OSM for sure. Overall, I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes a rose-oud fragrance. As always, sample first, but it's amazing.

So at the start I get the fire and the dryness and you notice a sweetness with the fire in the background, edible fire it's memorising! Then as it drys down its still going strong hour and half later but now fire has almost gone but now the Rose comes out to play along with the agarwood crackling away in the background. Some times chocolate whipping up from no where then going away again. Notes of raspberry spring up from time to time. Waiting for the incense as mentioned in below review. Very magical alluring fragrance. I think if I smell this on a girl I think I would fall in love instantly with her it's perfect. I think I will have to buy a bottle next purchase and share it with my girlfriend.