A Fire Within

My first review on fragrantica as I felt compelled to share my experience...I tried a fire within in Harrods and I can’t believe how this fragrance makes me feel. Dead of night and melt my heart have been my favorite strangelove creations but I think I have a new favorite. There is something even more addicting in this creation, strangelove how do you do it? I can’t stop smelling my coat, and after 8 hours, I still smell this on my wrist. A fire within is screaming and whispering sensuality at the same time. It’s balanced well for a smoky scent, at times the cypress is strong and other times I smell a pleasant vanilla sweetness. It’s peppery and oudy in all the right ways. The story around the fragrance fits so well, it really makes you feel powerful and ignites something inside of you. The best part is was arriving to meet friends and they were all hypnotized by the scent too. I can’t wait to try the oil version which tends to do very well in the winter on my skin. This scent is special, something overcomes you when you smell it. It’s very expensive like all of strangelove’s scents but they are always my most complimented perfumes. This one is strong like dead of night so you don’t need more than two sprays for it to last all day.

I received a sample today, and here are my initial impressions. Right from the start, I was greeted by an intense yet unexpectedly pleasant burst of scent, reminiscent of birch tar with subtle rubbery undertones. Within the first few minutes, the rubbery nuance begins to fade, giving way to a slightly floral and predominantly woody character. After about an hour, it starts to remind me of Kenshitora from the house of Nebiru, though this version feels softer and less medicinal. The incense/tar and woody notes remain the most dominant elements at this stage. By the three-hour mark, the vanilla becomes more prominent. It’s not a gourmand vanilla; instead, it blends beautifully with the tar, creating a slightly creamy yet still green and forest-like profile. I don’t expect it to change much further, and I absolutely love where it has settled. I currently own four other fragrance oils from this house, and so far, this is one of the least challenging to wear, with Dead by Night coming in as a close second. I truly adore this.

A strike of a match, sharing cigarettes while buzzed outside of a club in 2012 NYC. Leather jackets, amber, warmth, heat. A one night stand turned to a long lasting relationship. Sweetened honey and heat and whiskey all in one. Making out next to a bonfire on the beach, listening to the crackle of the fire. Old vinyls, a family kitchen, used books, aged hands shuffling tarot cards and to tell you your fortune. That’s the gist of what this scent gave me. It’s definitely strong, a burst of fire and heat at the first spray, but the dry down mellows out into the perfect sweetness. This is a scent for the mystics, the strange, the types who are bold but still don’t mind leaving an air of mystery so as to remain desirable. This is definitely not for beginners, nor will it be everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s so hypnotic you may find yourself falling in love with it despite how strong it initially comes off.

My bottle arrived yesterday. Immediately I realized none of the outrageous, hyperbolic reviews are accurate, as is usually the case with perfume. This is a dense pyrotechnic leathery scent akin to Patchouli 24 in the base but with a zany, fresh top of apple that evokes Dzing in the way it bridged animalic smells with candyfloss.. Very animalic. Not very vanillic, I mean it’s there but not pronounced. The carrot seems melded with iris to form a kind of extra vegetal orris according to. Chamomile is beautiful and works in a way that’s hard to describe.hot and herbal. The way I would describe this perfume is imagine a photograph of a blazing fire, but the negative. So dark and light inverses. A fire turned inside out. This and Fall into Stars are easily the most traditionally masculine of the StrangeLove line.

Anyone else gotten sick by this one? Same curse as Fall into Stars and (Van Cleef & Arpels) Orchid Leather. If you like this one, congratulations. There must be some kind of predisposition to like/hate this kind of perfume (like what happens with many people when it comes to coriander in the food). But to me this one is like a fire within... a bucket full of... :( Edit 07/14/25: I ́m editing my comments about the Strangelove perfums so far (Dead of Night, Fall into Stars, A Fire Within). Why? Because, after some time trying my samples, there ́s something definitely weird going on with my nose. Or my brain. :D Some call it 'training your nose', or whatever... It ́s a metamorphosis of some kind, I don ́t know. Someone please write a poem about Oud, because it deserves it.