Poets of Berlin

I honestly wasn't expecting much and went in completely blind, I havnt had the best experience with this houses fragrances, but I wanted to give them another chance, and the name of this fragrance caught my eye instore, so I decided to test it and surprisingly, it quickly became a love for me after it dried down. Contrary to a lot of the reviews, in the opening on my skin I actually get a bomb of vetiver and vanilla instantly, which took me quite off guard, but as it dried down, more facets started to come out, the vetiver settles rather quickly into the back with the creamy vanilla, and the faint albeit sweet touch of Blueberry, that sits behind a creamy, buttery and delicious Orris that starts to become the core of the scent. This is the main essence of the scent; Smooth Buttery Orris with creamy slightly airy/smoky vanilla Vanilla, and a touch of Blueberry to add a slightly fresh green and sparkling nuance. It's a little hard to describe this fragrance as from one angle I'd classify it as a gourmand, but on the other hand, something about it (the Blueberry acord perhaps?)is fresh and effervescent, BUT, if I had to classify this specifically, I'd say it can be described as a "Clean Gourmand" or "subtle gourmand" if that makes sense. It has a nice medium projection with around 5-6 longevity hours on my skin, with it having a pleasant and impressive scent trail, with the projection dying down a little after 2 hours or so. I can see this being an excellent casual wear fragrance, office fragrance, or even daily driver in general if you really like thr scent profile, I can also see it being excellent on any day that isn't blistering hot, I tested this on a stormy day and it fit the mood better than I expected, being rather uplifting. This is perfectly unisex for me, but I can understand why someone would think this leans a little feminine, but as a guy I absolutely love this, and I'm definitely going to get a decant to wear, perhaps even a full bottle down the line if it becomes a top 10er. Lastly I'd like to comment that the Orris in this for the first 30 minutes did remind me of the Orris in "Iris Malikhân" by Maison Crivelli, but the Orris in this is done a lot better in my opinion, whereas that scent is quite linear and an overdose of buttery Iris (of which I love but it's a bit much after multiple whiffs 😭), this is more gourmand and has many more facets to it, and is much easier to wear. Overall it honestly is a really well made fragrance in my opinion, the Orris-Vanilla + Blueberry Scent profile wasn't something I anticipated I would love that much but it surpassed my expectations in every way, and whereas I think the pricing is out of control on their other scents I've tried, this very much deserves its niche price tag of $282AUD for imo, though if I see it for a little cheaper I'll most definitely cop a bottle. Outstanding fragrance and wearing experience, top marks. 8.3/10

To me this is beautifully blended and sophisticated. The opening is a bowl of fresh blueberries and a cloud of icing sugar, with a cut lemon on the counter. It’s very sweet but not cloying because it’s also light and airy. Then a greenness comes through, presumably from the bamboo and orris but I wouldn’t be able to pick out those notes. I don’t usually like gourmands but this is green enough that I like it. It’s an expensive blueberry rather than a bath and body works blueberry. I smell sugar more than vanilla. On my skin the blueberry and sugar last into the dry down. There is some woodiness in the base but it’s not prominent on my skin. I an imagine it smelling very different on different people. I can understand the Bowie inspiration because it’s flamboyant and both very masculine and very feminine at the same time. A lot of androgynous fragrances are skin-like scents and don’t lean either masculine or feminine, but this is very sweet and feminine whilst also fresh and woody and masculine, it’s lots of both genders. I really like it but do think the mix of green/gourmand and sweet/woody might be confusing for some. Update: I still like this perfume but there is a cheaper option that I believe is an exact dupe and by the same perfumer: Wild Vanilla Orchid by Floral Street. Although the notes are different and when I smelled them separately I didn’t realise they were the same, smelling them side by side I do believe they are exactly the same. They are by the same perfumer. Allegedly WVO has cassis not blueberry, but I think they are composed of the same thing. The fruity acid note is either the tartness of the blueberry or sharpness of cassis. They are by the same perfumer, and WVO was actually released a year earlier. I prefer poets because I prefer the story and to my nose the notes are more accurate to what I’m smelling and I love the bottle. It is pretty much double the price but it also has a much more expensive bottle so I think you’re paying for packaging and a good story. It does seem a bit disingenuous to have a whole inspiration story that is probably not true as Jérôme Epinette was probably just making this based on a brief from Floral Street, but make of it what you will. Maybe it was the story he told himself while he was creating to get himself inspired, who knows?

Upon the initial spray, you are greeted with notes of fruit and vanilla. To me, this fragrance resembles a sweet blueberry and lemon muffin, the kind you might pick up at a gas station during a long road trip. It has a delightful gourmand scent that is both sweet while still staying unisex in the opening phase. The opening projects well from my skin, lasting about 15 minutes before the middle notes make their appearance. After those first 15 minutes, the orris and other green notes blend into the aroma profile. While these middle notes are not unpleasant, they don't quite mesh well with the sweeter notes from the opening. The greenness here seems somewhat at odds with the initial sweetness and the later dry-down. Around the 30-minute mark, the middle notes fade, leaving you with a combination of lemon and vanilla that is now accompanied by woody notes, reminiscent of the scent of an old, aged book. The dry-down stays closer to the skin but still has a slight projection, lasting just over five hours in total. You may need to reapply to maintain the fragrance throughout the day. Overall, I find this fragrance to be a delightful vanilla scent that perfectly balances lightness and sweetness, especially in cold weather. I chose to wear it this weekend as me and the wife came to Colorado Springs to spend an early Chsitmas with her family before flying to Califrona to spend Chistmas with my family. After this wearing, I can definitely see myself adding it to my collection. However, I would advise against making this a blind purchase due to the middle green notes, which may not appeal to everyone.

I really wasnt sure what to think of this when I got it, the notes were intriguing and it was a blind buy.... yes, I know, I know, don't do it. It opens up very green, a little bitter almost and it was at this point I thought id made a mistake, but then after a couple of minutes, all of a sudden it was like I was smelling a blueberry muffin in the middle of a rainforest, and that folks is the only way I can describe the scent. Slightly sweet predominant notes enveloped in a green, slightly aquatic background. After a few hours it turns into a nice light vanilla skin scent. Im happy to have this in my collection as its not really like anything already there, I'm an avid gourmand girlie but this is really quite addictive. I didn't want to completely break the bank getting the 50ml so I got the x3 10ml set which was still a bit pricey but once these are done, that 50ml will be winging its way to my doorstep! (if the bank balance allows) A safe work fragrance in my opinion, though i think its a really beautiful daytime scent generally, think sunny day, having a picnic in the park. Would recommend getting a sample of some kind or smelling it in store before buying because it wont be for everyone. Longevity is pretty decent on me but i see some mixed reviews on that below, though it definitely seems to stay on clothes for a couple of days.

This is my first time smelling any of Vilhelm's perfumes and I would highly recommend you sample this multiple times before reviewing. My first impression was at the store sprayed on a tester paper and i knew it was going to be one of my favourites. Once I tested it on myself, i thought it was definitely citrusy and a little punchy at first, but it developed super quickly into a beautiful green scent before the dry down. It's's a perfect combination of slightly warm and cosy but sophisticated which I love in a fragrance. Slightly sweet but in the most solaced way possible. I don't get powdery at all (thankfully) and It would need at least 5+ sprays for decent silage (I did 1 on each wrist and 1 on each sides of my neck and I stopped smelling it after 4 hours). It's so beautiful and the combination of base notes are divine so I'm going to overlook the sillage because I don't think I'll ever love a fragrances structure like I do this. Truly an experience on my end. I would imagine someone wearing this loves to go out for wine and charcuterie on summer nights, their favourite colour is either walnut cream or crimson red and they own at least 1 Chloe Paddington mini handbag.