Bois d'Amande

Bois D'Amande I bought about five years ago just after it came out. What impressed me at the time is what makes me still reach for it now: the almond opening is super refined but the gourmand feel is kept in check with the freshness of the citrus notes in the top. It is a lot fresher than you expect. It stops it from going too sweet or too cloying and just gives me very expensive vibes. I'm not a big gourmand kind of guy as regular followers of my reviews will likely know, but this one works very nicely for me. The heart of this fragrance is a fairly pale cedar and Iso E Super that is quite understated and adds just enough rich context to allow the base notes to be here. The bottom is a darker vanilla and some musk plus some Ambroxin to make it all work together. Bois D'Amande commendably manages to stay away from unbalanced Bakewell Tart stickiness and it works beautifully together with no sharp edges. Sidonie Lancesseur has done a beautiful job with this one. What we are left with is a unisex, not-too-dessert-table fragrance that wears as well during the day as it does for the evening. You'd think from the notes that this leans strongly feminine and arguably it does, but is wearable for a guy if you're in the mood. It is understandably fleeting though and will give you three hours projection if you over-spray then sinks into a (delicious) skin scent quite quickly for another three hours on your skin. Personally, it doesn't have the masculinity to be a sexy or erotic skin scent for me really (but is very, very much so for a woman) which is why I tended to use it as a daytime layering scent mostly. This maybe doesn't give it the respect it deserves; Bois D'Amande is a very finely blended and well done scent that I've enjoyed wearing over the years very much. Any guy wearing this very clearly knows his fragrances and knows who he is and wearing it makes me feel as well put together as this fragrance is. Layering suggestion: I went through a stage of layering it over Oud Wood by Tom Ford and my bottle is down to its last inch or so, which would tell you all you need to know. It would go even better over something like Santal Insolent by Molinard I think, just for the lovely rich and dark sandalwood and spices. Three Word Summary: Fresh Wearable Almonds Scent - 8/10 Drydown - 8/10 Sillage - 6/10 Bottle/packaging - 8/10 Performance - 6/10 38/50

this is a very well made, sweet but classy sweet almond fragrance. it's not as sickly sweet as Tom Ford's Lost Cherry. and take the cherry out of that one too, then you have something like Bois d'Amande. to finish it all off with a bit more colder vibe than the very warm one that has. I don't get a very unique type of vibe from this scent, but it's very pleasing. could be the scent of a motherly and very classy young woman. in her 30s. comforting. elegant. sophisticated. always wearing tweed jackets with shoulder pads. never gets her hair cut short. definitely has blond tones in her long hair. and glossy curls almost every time you see her. with very neat and minimal make up just to accentuate her features and look neatly groomed. I personally don't associate myself with that vibe so I wouldn't get a full bottle of this. just got a sample size of this today within a sample gift set as I got myself a full bottle of Moonlight Patchouli by the brand and I'm leaving this review based on that sample. I'm a huge fan and admirer of Bois Doré instead, as that one is more smokey, boozy, and tobacco in that one is a very soft spot of mine. I plan to get that one too before the year ends. I just got to have it. this one is worth being gifted to a lovely, lovely lady. I find it leaning more feminine than unisex or masculine. this is the high earning, corporate manager woman who also bakes cookies on the weekends for her loved ones. definitely a great perfume to gift to those angelic ladies instead of the ones who have rough and sharper edges, and who dare standing out with the choices they make in their daily lives. who love red lips, and smokey, smokey eyes.

This fragrance opens with a clear and balanced almond note—not overly sweet or artificial, but pure and smooth, leaving a pleasant impression from the very first spray. The almond is blended with a light touch of vanilla, which doesn’t overpower the composition but adds warmth and harmony. I didn’t clearly detect cedarwood notes, though the overall performance of the fragrance suggests a subtle woody base that supports the scent’s depth and longevity without dominating its character. The sillage is excellent; I tested it when my brother sprayed it during an evening outing in an air-conditioned space. It was clearly noticeable to those around us without being intrusive. The scent carries a high level of clarity, making it enjoyable for anyone who smells it. This isn’t a daily or office fragrance in my opinion. It’s better suited for winter evenings or cool spring settings, especially in indoor environments. It offers a rare balance between sweetness, creaminess, clarity, and solid performance. The fragrance delivers a unique and distinctive take on almond and vanilla—unlike anything I’ve encountered before. I had tried it previously in the car, and my friends instantly turned to ask what it was. They all wanted to spray it themselves. It makes a strong impression and stands out. If you’re a fan of almond notes, this perfume is one of the purest and most refined expressions you’ll find. Excellent longevity, moderate yet clear sillage, and a refined character without pretense. – Omar | Honest Nose

Fun fact: When I was strolling in a store, I saw Van Cleef perfumes section and approached to try one of the testers. I picked up this one immediately, thinking it's actually Bois Dore (which was recommended by some of youtubers and I was curious to try) and soon came to realise it wasn't. I instantly fell in love with the smell, took the tester paper with me to see it's performance throughout the day. During the day, I smelled the tester paper like a junkie and amazed by the longevity and the evolution of the smell. It's not a very complex scent but is a perfect balance of almond, vanilla, musk and cedar (I don't get any citrus) and it projects amazingly clean, sweet, gourmandy, creamy, woody, even a bit soapy, OMG I can't even put the words for this. I just fell in LOVE. Surprisingly enough, I thought I might have found "the one!" and immediately ordered a bottle. My quest for a signature scent is a never ending process and every time I love a perfume, I usually think about the next one that might overpower the current loves and I really want my signature smell to be unpopular among people around me. But this one is going to keep its place for a loong time and I hope stays low profile enough so that it doesn't get popular, but loved enough so that it doesn't get discontinued ever. I have sampled it from the bottle at home as well. And not kidding, even the room smelled amazing whole day, although I sprayed it on my wrist once only. Longevity - 10+ hours Sillage - enormous!

from first spray until about an hour in this is pure, damp, wet-concrete-gray, only slightly sweetened cashmeran. do with this knowledge as you will. I find it intoxicating, which captured me about this fragrance to begin with. if your nose doesn't pick up on cashmeran much, this is a very bland, almost nonexistent almond sugar, woody somewhere deep down with a BREATH of lemon and vanilla. if you DO pick up on it, it's a lovely, if straightforward progression. starts off damp as can be and dries both literally and figuratively over its weartime. by 5 hours in it's a classy, but casual skin scent. the almond is somewhere in the distance in the beginning, sure, but the way it slowly uncovers itself more and more from under this heavy, stormy cashmere musk as the hours pass is just heavenly. bois d'amande isn't a symphony, more of a concept album. I still think you need to hear all the way through in order to truly enjoy it, but if you're a fan of one or two songs (almond, but not cashmeran, or the other way around), I suggest steering clear.