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.

Opens herbal a bit pungent with the herbs and smoky. Goes resinous and woody oud. Great I think quite a unique creation and a compliment getter. Just might need to bear the initial blast. I guess too much for an office maybe wearable on a weekend but basically a night time fragrance. Pretty full bodied and head on I thought the brand was left for dead after Christophe Laudamiel part ways but apparently the creative direction and HMK are working. As original as this is maybe I prefer Layton Exclusif as my favorite by HMK. I’ve bought maybe 5 bottles of that since it came out in ‘17 or ‘18. That’s an easier wear for sure.

Amazing fragrance for special occasions. This is probably the loudest fragrance from Strangelove NYC. What I mainly smell is a perfectly blended mix of burnt wood, smoke, oud and a touch of chamomile and vanille. I can't really smell the apple and the other notes. It does not change a lot compared to deadofnight but it has an interesting evolution, lasts 8-9 hours minimum. I wore it a couple of times and I got multiple compliments. Definitely not a blind buy, as all the Strangelove NYC fragrances, afirewithis is really unique and complex. Sample it on skin a couple of times before buying it.

Sensual smoky woody aromatic gourmand scent that has a haunting appeal to it. The scent opens with notes of cypress, pepper, chamomile and carrot. The heart showcases geranium, incense and a smoke accord. The perfume settles on a powdery woody base of oud, cedar and vanilla. The slight masculine leaning scent has moderate to strong projection and very good longevity. Noirish, decadent and like most of the offerings of this brand, pricey. Enjoy!

So I was primed for this release with various spoilers like 'it's a vanillic gourmand" "It's not by Christophe Laudamiel" "It' a new direction for the brand" all of which I made me apprehensive and ready to jump on that bandwagon and say that Strangelove had fallen off, and started to abandon their artistic and creative principles and Oud focus doing something more homogenized and broadly 'worse' than previously. A brief history of my thoughts on Strangelove... The prejudgment upon release, what is this exclusive, gilted, Celebrity led, BS??? And it's HOW MUCH?!?!?! Then a few years went by and I eventually tried them on a trip to Amsterdam and I was frankly blown away by the complexity, the masses of Oud, the sheer audacity of them! These are not easy to love, crappy perfumes tarted up and flogged to morons for top dollar, I found them very impressive and wore Fall into stars quite a bit after getting a generous sample. So... I know this is long winded and I'm getting to A Fire Within please bear with me. The point is, I think Strangelove were doing something interesting in perfumery and I held them in pretty high regard, so they've got a way to fall if they've significantly dumbed down in any way. Well I'm pretty happy to confirm they haven't. This perfume easily slots into the line and actually seems to complement the others as if Strangelove really agonised over this release, and gave real thought rather than feeling they had to release something to stay relevant and that something to be a vanilla gourmand because it's hip right now. Because this is not an easy to get along with vanilla, let me tell you. I actually find the opening a jarring mixture of sour, pitchy, citrus, like a pink grapefruit which is quickly curdled by an underlying creamy, vanillic undertone, a vegetal tomato note sort of slapping you around for a hour or so, smoky, meaty, guaic, maybe birch adding a smoky nuance, and then OUD, real oud much like the rest of the collection weaved into this odd tapestry. Oh Cedary amber too...jeez it's a lot this thing. Creativity wise, it's great! All over the map and pretty inkeeping with Laudamiel's eclectic, kitchen sink approach to Strangelove's back catalog, so props to Kashani and the folks at Strangelove for keeping it real. However, I'm not a fan of this perfume, quite simply because I don't really want to wear it! I own Melt my heart and I rarely wear it. I love Fall into Stars but it's an emotional rollercoaster of a perfume and that fucking thing WEARS YOU! not vice versa, so as objectively good as these perfumes are I still struggle with them and I think that's what pushes them into the great category for me. They are an occasion perfume. A statement bigger and brassier than a Prue Leith necklace! I feel that a A Fire within could grow on me if I allowed it to, but as with the others from the brand it's worth seeking out if only to sniff it. This perfume is also very expensive, and if they had removed the real oud (even then not it's entirely justified) I might have more of a problem with the price. I only bought a partial bottle of Melt my heart because someone was selling for a silly low price. (A Sample of A Fire Within was provided by the brand for review)

It's been 5 years since Strangelove released a fragrance. Each of their previous releases have been exceptional. It seems this House is dedicated to creating a select number of gems for those who are willing to wait. I count myself as one of them.

Afirewithin is all smoldering wood embers, incense smoke, and vanilla - and the question becomes do those three accords allow the perfume to meet its highly abstract creative brief? Does it capture the “indomitable spirit”? Well, it is an abstract perfume, but not in the right way. Firstly, the note pyramid should generally be ignored. There is no chamomile, peppercorn, or apple in the opening, nor is there really cypress, geranium, or carrot seed in the heart. Think of these notes as generalities instead, or abstraction if you want. Chamomile smells herbal, dryly yellow floral and honeyed. Peppercorn has heat and a waxy fruitiness. Apple has a starchy sweet... well... apple smell. Carrot seed smells sweetly earthy, slightly honeyed and a bit floral. Cypress’s aroma depends if it’s the leaves or the wood being smelled; the leaves are cool herbally green and lemony citrusy, while the wood is resinous and balsamic - so which is it in afirewithin? Well, all of them a bit - and here’s where we get into afirewithin’s issues. The “cypress” explains the overlap with what is called “geranium”, with its earthy herbal and lemon qualities, and some of the herbal qualities of chamomile. As to the other “notes”, there is something vaguely earthy, honeyed, and slightly floral (chamomile and carrot), and something waxy and fruity like incense resins (peppercorn and apple). The rest of the perfume’s top and heart sections, and the overwhelming majority of those layers’ space and time for that matter, are dominated by big aromatic woods and billows of frankincense smoke. Its final skin scent is cedar turned darker and deeper (the oud apparently, which seems to have lent its animalic high notes in the opening for a “heat” type effect), the tenacious frankincense, and now a burgeoning sweet vanilla. The effect of the enormous vanilla nearly steers afirewithin fully towards gourmand. It is quite a powerful perfume. Big, bold, and loud, with remarkable longevity, even at the skin scent more than 12 hours later when that enormous vanilla, and frankincense+woods combo, has taken over.... And this is all very odd.... It’s odd when the vague and ill defined are given big booming voices; confidence without much to the message. What could be a beautiful sound is pushed through a speaker with a worn diaphragm; fuzzy, distorted, and “missing” harmonic resonance. The “indomitable fire” within should be confident, sure, but it is really only compelling when there is also conviction with it. The vanilla sends me further down the road of confusion. The strident, striking, yet abstract first section sort of works, but then why does the perfume go to a sweet, dense, and scrumptious vanilla cake frosting...? Is the indomitable fire at the heart of my being really just a sweet tooth? A growling stomach and whetted appetite? If the vanilla acted like a “comforting embrace”, as the brand states, it might make sense, but instead I smell as if I’ve been pelted with a water balloon full of vanilla extract. All of this said, there is still something pleasing about afirewithin. A guilty gluttonous pleasure, perhaps. The excellent airiness and diffusiveness makes sure the perfume never feels as though it’s on top of you and trying to smother you, and it certainly helps make the onslaught tolerable if even palatable at most moments. But then I see the price tag... and that is a very confident price to pay for the vague, the ill defined, and the confused.

This perfume tell us the scene just before Nuit de Feu by Louis Vuitton. Where Jacques Cavallier set the action in a desert night at the end of a burning fire, Hamid Merati-Kashan set his vision in a northern green forest and describe a blazing campfire heating the inside of human. Forget the creamy amber facets of Laudamiel creations. This one is less rounded, more turbulent and spicy but still have a deeply sexy vibe. A new chapter of Strangelove begins with AFireWithin but for me Laudamiel art working is unbeatable.

This fragrance is pretty confusing, as it ping pongs from note to note without really falling into a theme. Well blended fragrances usually pay homage to their disparate parts, yet combine to form a cohesive scent profile in a way puzzle pieces combine to form a greater image. That doesn't happen here, as the fragrance's disparate pieces fail to assemble a broader picture. There's apple, cedar, chamomile, oud--and none of it ever really harmonizes. Is this an oriental? A fougere? A chypre? I have no F**ing clue. Some may find this appealing, but I find it headache-inducing. This High Schooler is about to find his clique--and this clique is called the Trashcan.

Strangelove NYC afirewithin starts with a sweet, resinous vanilla warmth, but quickly develops an overpowering “freezer-burned ice cream” smell on skin, cold, stale, fatty and synthetic in a, for me, unpleasant way. The fragrance has an underlying ambery sweetness, but the harsh frozen accord cuts through everything else and dominates the experience. Instead of becoming warm and sensual, it feels artificial, sharp and spoiled, like ice cream left too long in a freezer with that distinct smell of freeze burn.

So I can appreciate the artistry and uniqueness here BUT Whatever that strong smokey note is, it reminds me of the flavor of lamb meat and goat cheese. Which is something I can’t stand, idk if it’s a genetic thing or what but It’s very unpleasant to me. Almost like a moldy, sweaty, urea stench. Anyways because of that it’s a hard pass for me.

I can see why *some* may love this for its pure uniqueness. However, I’m not one of those. It opens with strong urea and astringent smells with a touch of pepper. It over powers everything. Then it settles on smoke and powdery cedar. I can smell the oad and amber strongly too. This is not pleasant to me and would not wear this except around maybe a burning man event. It’s immediately giving me a headache and that doesn’t often happen

This is not nice at all!!!! Smells like the the after smell of a used firework. I guess they really achieved the smell they were going for by the name of a the fragrance. My question is who really wants to smell like a bomb fire and used fireworks

Ok, so to disclaim, I love this house, and I usually like oud, which has always mainly smelled like woody incense to me. Sometimes it’s very strong, and can be overwhelming, but I’ve always experienced oud as a pleasant smell, so I really hate to be that person, but.... This smells like poop to me. 😭 And also menthol, citrus, tar and burnt meat. I sampled the oil, and applied the tiniest possible little dab on the back of my hand. Like everything else from Strangelove, it is complex and very, very strong. I did not care for this scent at all and had to scrub it off pretty quickly. After washing my hands several times, I still smelled a hint of oud- but it didn’t smell poopy anymore and was how I normally perceive oud, so I realize it is not entirely fair to judge this based on the opening. However, I personally could not tolerate it long enough to see how it develops. I’m sure this will find fans among people who enjoy challenging fragrances, but unfortunately it was too much for me.

GORGONZOLA & PEAR! I love the house, no question about that. Huge respect for Hamid as well, mostly because of King Blue by Amouage. Well, for this one, as the brand owner secretly hinted ”bold and delicious” is a perfect statement. Bold, because of who the hell would like to smell like the mold on cheese topped with pear and apple, at the same time it is a unique culinary experience... if you eat it!! High quality? Absolutely! Safe/blind buy? Absolutely NOT! Is this finally a ”new” olfactory experience? Yes indeed. Finally, one question/complaint to the brand owner: why the hell the target group is women of the luxury? Edit: forgot to mention the remark of my wife - ”smells like a 30000 years old corpse” - which I find both hilarious and not completely untrue Edit2: smoke, here? c’mon, for smoke look elsewhere, like Patchouli 24, Le Lion or Immanence (Blackcliff) Edit3: the 5ml sample in my gym-backpack broke... god, that fruity gorgonzola smell is awful

Received a sample of this in a larger fragrance order, and man...this is NOT BLIND BUY SAFE! SAMPLE FIRST! This, to me, straight up smells like liquid smoke, the kind that you get in a little bottle for cooking. The smell hasn't left my living room, where I sprayed the sample, in days, and it hasn't evolved or dried down to anything better at all on the tester strip I sprayed it on. In my opinion, it's honestly unwearable, to the point where I would have to be PAID a large sum of money to wear it, and even still, I would be extremely hesitant considering its staying power. It's beyond me how this is priced at what it is, let alone that people voted that they love this. I don't mean to sound pretentious, I know everyone's nose is different, but this is one of the RARE times that I would ever claim a fragrance is objectively stanky.

This was so bad on me - and my friend too. We were so disappointed since we arebig fans of the brands’ other fragrances. It started out smelling like dusty green apple candy, then synthetic orange soda and then a weird new car candy powdery endning. I had to wash my wrist when i got home — but the weirdest thing was that after not 2 - but 3 days (!) my jacket sleeve actually started to smell quite good. But to what use is that, if you smell embarrassingly bad to two days first.

@Diana1983 It is available at Harrods, both in store and on their website. It launches globally on December 1st. Agreed on the trolls. I bet there isn't a single person who's tried it yet.

Smells like a box full of pencil shavings left outside on a hot day. Extremely dry woody smell