Smoke Show

Very interesting first impression; in the bottle I can smell the leather and rose...but there's also something there that smells almost like white tea. And then a strange bitter metallic note as well. On the skin it softens; supple leather, smoke, and some heat from the pink pepper. Reminds me a little of Lubin by Idole, which shares some notes, but much more subtle. Really good if you want a lighter, day-time leather based fragrance; something to spray on your coats and gloves in the winter.

I posted a scathing review of this when I first got it. I think the molecules just needed to settle in my sample. I have just revisited it for use as my boyfriend’s fragrance. When I first got smoke show, it had a next level vinyl flooring smell. Maybe I was just having a newbie reaction the oud. I now smell everything in the pyramid and it smells beautiful. Oud/cedar leather/vetiver accords mainly, supported by subtle florality. Unisex, but I see it better as a masculine scent. FB worthy.

Received a surprise sample of this today and I'm not sure if they're saying the perfume smells like a smoke show or you become one by wearing it but OH MY GOD WHAT A STUNNER. Leather and smoke and incense whip right up into a sultry boudoir with oud and rose to seal the deal. I moved this to my "must have" list with a quickness and once all these lockdowns are a thing of the past I fully plan on weaponizing myself with this baby and setting a spell or two.

I love this one. Another winner by Jerome Epinette. I wasn't surprised to see he was the perfumer. I always seem to like his creations. This is a really well done Smoky perfume. Great blend. A tiny bit sweet and very unisex. A lot of Smoky perfumes just smell like smoke to me. This one is complex and manages to be Smoky perfume, not just a perfume that smells like smoke. Well done!

Beautiful blend! Gorgeous!!! Take Haltane by PDM and put MFK's OUD in the base with better quality safron and some neutral rose - and you got it. Very versatile, exquisite! Great longevity, average performance and excellent silage. Not sure why people claim this is similar to Encre Noire, other than earthy vetiver being used to support the oud ...

I could bathe in this! This is a smoky fragrance that could easy be worn year round 08/22/2023 I just mixed this with Dear Polly and I am wondering why I just now discovered this. Smoke Show is my go to wood fragrance a lot of the oud fragrances out there are a little too dark for me but this oud you can wear year round.

Such a sober fragrance - it is a very clean and noble scent. I love it. Single downside tends to have a mediocre longevity and moderate projection. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 6/10 Sillage: 8/10 Cost ratio: 7/10 Overall: 7.5 Highly recommended. Nice niche house using top perfumers such as Jerome Epinette.

This fragrance impressed me It’s the definition of airy It is the scent for people who prefer lighter fragrances The impressive thing is it wasn’t light enough to hate I enjoyed it and it wasn’t weak but it was smooth Oh and the name is definitely deceiving Longevity is good projection is light

Personally not a fan of leather notes but this is beautiful and well-rounded by the saffron leaning more feminine. Reminiscent of “Darling Nikki” from Vilhelm Parfumerie.

I would absolutely love this fragrance if it had more silage and longevity. I bought this from the House, so I know it is real. I have Poets of Berlin and that one is a silage beast that hangs around. Smoke Show is so well-blended that this will appeal to those who don't wish to make a loud statement with a fragrance. I guess my skin does just not react the way this does for others given that the majority of reviewers rate the silage as "enormous "whereas I find it's moderate. It is mostly a daytime scent that would work in the day of any season. I am glad I own it because it is sophisticated and has a bit of some old-fashioned feel of a generation or two back.

I like this perfume a lot. Something about the leather note reminds me of Imaginary Author’s the Cobra and the Canary, which I love. The opening is strong leather and pepper, during the dry down I started to pick up something nicely sweet (saffron, rose) and smooth (vetiver). I kept getting whiffs of it for about 2 hours and then I would have to sniff very close to my skin. Overall, I enjoyed trying out this perfume and it’s one I might even consider buying if I could catch it for a steal. It does lean a little more on the masculine side of unisex. Interesting fragrance, longevity is not the greatest.

I didn't like this for the first 30 minutes. It's smokey on my skin and the there's something acrid burning in the fire. I think this is using the same oud molecule as Kilian Pure Oud as I get that same acrid vibe from Kilian PO but much much stronger.But if you wait it out, you're rewarded with a drydown of syrupy caramel amber mixed with incense. Normally I'm not a fan of caramel in things (black phantom) but this is unusual in a good way. Performance is strong on my skin. Scent 7/10 Performance 7.3/10

First blast of sweet spicy leather and incense. It's not heavy and smoky though, its oddly light and even a touch fruity. There's a punch of pink pepper that keeps it from being too... burned-out campfire. Nicely done! Not getting the roses quite yet. Scent is fading fast from my skin but I'm thinking I'd rather have that with a smokey scent like this. Unisex and best for cold weather.

I tend to think my bottle is fake, as if I did not look into the notes and did not read the comments I would say this fragrance is made of bergamot, pink pepper, cedar and saffron. I do not feel any oud, vetiver, leather or rose. Otherwise it is sophisticated, clean, American style fragrance. Not sure if I would pay a full price for it.

Very interesting smokey woody frag, but leans unisex and even a bit feminine because of the saffron. If you are looking for something a bit more masculine, this won't be for you, but if not this is def worth getting your nose on.

Lovely woody, cedar notes, I am also somewhat reminded of how things smell after you clean them with bleach, which for me is a very nice scent, but may not be for everyone.

A peppery, boozy concoction, unisex, elegant, great for fall/winter. Cedar is very prominent in the drydown - at least on my skin.

It's nice. I prefer Darling Nikki, but this is nice as well. A very loud oud! Ashy smoky. Dry smoky.

Atelier Cologne Emeraude Agar is extremely similar to the opening of Smoke Show, that is: a warm leathery/saffrony rose. (oh look! These two have been blended at just one year interval by... Jerome Epinette!) Afterwards, Smoke Show unveil a (subtle) smoky note, and later in the drydwon, a beautiful vetiver and cedar combo (for a result similar to EA's guaiac wood note). Performance is overall average, but I sometimes gets stronger whiffs of it, even after 4-5 hours of wearing it. Interestingly enough, on paper the vetiver is the only rockstar, and the many references to Encre Noire or the many rferences to a full-on 'earthy vetiver' makes me think that many reviewers here have not tested it on skin. I would say that Smoke Show is the final, more complex, HD version, while Emeraude Agar is the simpler/linear smaller brother with more modest performance, that Vilhelm rejected and that Epinette pulled out of the drawer a year later for Atelier Cologne. Owning both would be redundant, and should one have to choose, I'd suggest VPSS over ACEA. (if money isn't an issue). Still, ACEA is a great alternative to this one. The freshness kept by the vetiver until the base makes this one wearable in mid-seasons. Could be an day and evening frag. Unisex.

Echoing some of the reviews below me, this is not a smoky fragrance, so don't let the name fool you like I did. If you're expecting wood smoke like BTF or incense smoke like Black by CDG, look elsewhere. This is purely leather with some added nuance with the pink pepper and saffron. I pick up the rose way more in the dry down, but it's not as prominent in the opening. It's a lovely fragrance, a little masculine, but not offensive and... frankly? Not that captivating. Longevity and sillage with Smoke Show are minimal. I sprayed this at 9AM and it is now 10:45AM and I have to put my nose up to my arm to even remember it's still there. This will be my fourth Vilhelm attempt, and none of them have wowed me enough to buy a full-size bottle or even keep sampling the house for that matter. This must just not be the house for me. 5/10

This fragrance really shocked me! From the name i was expecting a smoky mess, but instead its peppery, sweet leather and rose fragrance, not smoky at all! Really well rounded fragrance, super smooth and airy. Despite this i wouldn't overspray as the leather note can be a killer. A masculine fragrance however the sweetness of the rose and pink pepper can make this perfume suitable for both men and women. Test before you buy for sure as this may not be to everyones nose.

A very leathery take on a smoky scent. The leather and saffron combination is almost sour, taking over the smoke. The dry down has a tangy cocktail quality. Like sitting in an old bar.

greener grosser smoke + bitter

Tamer version of Encre Noir with a bit of cedar. All I can smell after 15 min is smoky vetiver. The kind of vetiver I hate. So this is a hard pass. You really need to dig Encre Noir to enjoy it, but then, what’s the point of buying the same for 5x more? True, this is supposed to be niche and better blended, but does not make up for the price difference.

Smells peppery, woody, leathery, and a bit sour. Very masculine leaning. Not one I enjoy. -

This, along with Faces of Francis, is probably my favorite in the Vilhelm line up, though I’m not sure that is saying much. I also have an alarming affinity for anything with saffron, so that’s probably another thing to keep in mind here. This is pure leather and vetiver at first. The saffron comes out in the dry down, but there is not enough sweetness there to balance it out. This is the same issue I had with Crystal Saffron by Matiere Premiere. The result is a clean smelling, leathery saffron that leans a bit too masculine for my skin. It smells like a really high quality men’s shaving cream or deodorant.

I get smoke leather and rose for 10 min. After that it is only clearwood/patchoulli, but not the sweet type you get when it is paird with tonka or vanilla, but only patch. I guess it is the synthetic clean version called clearwood from Firmenich. Normally this would be a like for me, but sorry, it need to be paired with something else to get some depth. There is no oud nor any saffron to be found. A pity, this could have been the smoke-leather-rose-saffron-clearwood scent i am looking for. I will keep my sample for layering.

I was very excited to try this today in my study of smokey perfumes. I was looking forward to rose saffron and smoke with oud, but for me, the rose diminished very quickly, replaced by a very potent and sharp oud which dominated the whole show. The smoke came in, but where I was hoping for a birch tar type smokiness, it was more like incense. Not a bad fragrance but not my scene - very dry and leaning masculine. I would have preferred some sweetness and a much more pronounced rose. Sillage quite big and longevity 6+ hours.

A not-so-offensive version of Histoires de Parfums' TINABB 1.3... It started off really subtle on my wrist, mainly saffron with some oud, but as the time went by, a unisex combo of leather and rose notes started being more prominent till they took full dominance. I can't say it's something you are unable to smell anywhere because it is not unique. I do wish it was a bit stronger in contrast of the somewhat good performance. Alas, the name is misleading so don't expect any smoke or a show. Rating: 7/10;

Reminds me slightly of Molecule 01 from a fleeting, tough to smell standpoint. This is one you wear similar to M01; other people will be enamored by its scent trail, but you forget you are wearing it Now that I have had a few wearings, I could see this as being a very good substitute for Chanel Sycomore. It is not as forward and rich as Sycomore, but the smoke, leather, and woods combination allow give me the same vibe.

Imagine stepping into a cozy and smoky jazz club, where the timeless tunes of jazz legends play softly in the background. This fragrance captures that atmosphere perfectly, with its smokiness, woody and peppery notes, and smooth, leathery scent. It's sophisticated yet wearable, with the oud note balanced just right to avoid overpowering. For more fragrance reviews and olfactory experiences, follow my IG: aromaraum

Is it Encre Noire juice in a different bottle? I think so and maybe just a little different. I prefer Encre Noire plus it's cheaper. The crazy thing here the notes do not make any ****** sense; something fishy here?? I think they are trying to avoid being called a clone company. I don't smell any oud, I think it's accord or synthetic woody thing but definitely no Oud.

I’m obsessed with this fragrance! I love every note from beginning to end. BUT...beginning to end is about ten minutes and then it disappears. I spray throughout the day but I wish there was a way to make this awesome scent last.

Here we have a cross of Purple Oud and Divine Attraction. I don't like either of those scents, but this one is actually ok. The saffron is silky smooth and elegant in the same realm of MFK's Oud.

A nicher version of Yves Saint Laurent M7... but since this accord was already copied a dozen times, it has almost become generic.