Bal d'Afrique Byredo for women and men

***UPDATE***

Oh, how wrong I was... I do indeed ADORE this perfume.

I tried this scent again, this time making sure that I washed the skin first to remove any trace of body lotion near my wrists. The lotion I use is unscented but I read somewhere that even an unscented lotion can interfere with perfume. I also tried it when my nose was fresh, rather than after smelling a few others in the store.

The scent opens with a fresh citrus zing, but not as sharp as it seemed last time. The sweet floral accord is smooth, sultry and superbly feminine. I feel seduced and mesmerised by Bal d'Afrique. The sweetness is never cloying as it can be with gourmand or vanilla-type perfumes, it is fresh and subtle, suggestive of the fruits I mentioned in my earlier review.

Good longevity, lasting at least six hours on my skin, days on clothing. Projection seems fair, but I find that very difficult to gauge, so your mileage may vary.

The understated sensuality of this fragrance makes it ideal for any time of day or night.

I've been wearing this for a couple of days and it is my new signature scent. I am delighted. I'm so glad I decided to try this perfume again. Had I missed out on this dream of a scent it would have been a minor tragedy.

I simply can't stop smelling my wrist and my boyfriend adores the perfume as much as I do. It smells very similar to Clive Christian's X for women but is less scandalously priced!

Superb fragrance, cannot say enough good things about it.

At first sniff I thought I adored this fragrance, but grew tired of it very quickly. Upon application there was a momentary dash of sharp lemons, followed by a couple of hours of what I thought were fruits, so I was surprised when I read the fragrance notes here and saw that the only presence of fruit is in the citrus top notes. I thought I was smelling berries and perhaps peaches, but evidently not! The fruits were sweet and juicy which I loved at first, but was disappointed when the scent developed into a rather banal floral base. I had hoped for something richer, warmer and deeper. Perhaps the vetiver and cedar come to the fore for others, but not on my skin. I smelt no trace of amber whatsoever. I would have given a great deal to smell the heavier, grounding scents of vetiver and cedar but alas, they never arrived.

It reminds me of the sort of perfume I always try to avoid in department stores - generic, feminine (bordering on girly), floral, but pinkly sweet and lacking any development.

I hasten to add that I acknowledge perfumes develop differently on different people, but this one is definitely not for me.

The search continues for my new Signature Scent.

P.S. Merry Christmas everyone!

I just bought this fragrance today at Barney's NYC (12/13/11) and I LOVE IT!!!!! I tend to group scents by season. This scent is something that can be worn all year, but it is a floral with musk notes. I thought this scent is great for now (Fall/Winter). As it dries down, the notes deepen and becomes very sexy. I cannot wait to wear it to work tomorrow.

It combines well with a Serge Lutens Vitriol d'Willet. Oh boy, what a wonderful combination.

Smells like some sort of bubblegum. It is sweet and delicious. It does not last long and the sillage is not strong, actually is more like a close to the skin fragrance, but for 2 or 3 hours every time you get a whiff of it a big smile appears on your face. Bal d'Afrique is joy in a bottle. Some perfumes have the ability to evoke dreary images or feelings but this one no, at least for me because I used Bd'A in the most beautiful summer of my life, when everyday was blessed with the eternal light and warmth of the Sun and with Her presence near me which made me believe that I will be forever young. That summer was the summer of 2011, this year, and since then it has been 3 or 4 months but the memories, in my mind, seem to be like a few years old. I do not know why..
When I put this on it is like I want to go back in time, in the summer of 2011, to live again that moments, to search and to find all the lost time that I have spent with Her...

Very nice blend of citruses, white flowers, violet and cedar - nothing really stands out for me. Well, maybe the smooth and green cedar note, which is a sniffer for me as always (meaning I have to sniff my wrist every so often, because it's making me curious). It's creamy and woody, yet quite sheer. I don't detect much of a projection and even less sillage, this is one for yourself and yourself only.
You cannot judge by the name however. It's a little bit like with Un Jardin Sur Le Nil - I seriously doubt there's one inch of Africa that actually smells like this.

Shares quite a lot of characteristics with their "Pulp", although the impression of rotting fruit in the garbage is not so strong here.

I bought this unisex eau de parfum just this week. This is the second Byredo fragrance I purchased (the other was Pulp). I'm a big fan of Byredo (aside from Creed). I love and am intrigued by this fragrance. A light, sweet scent with interesting notes. It's not too feminine and not so masculine either. It could possibly be comparable to YSL's L'Homme, but this is way better (and pricier--but well worth it).

This fragrance is said to be inspired by African culture, and that African Marigold is included in the top notes. However, the African Marigold does not originate in Africa at all, but in other continents including South America. Byredo fell for its conflicting name, but nice try (and nice addition to this fragrance). I'm overall pleased, and prefer this over Byredo's Pulp. I'm excited to see what Byredo fragrance to get next--I'm torn between Rose Noir and Oud Immortal, or even Gypsy Water.

Cheers,

M.R.C., age 28
Bay Area, California
USA

I love all Byredo perfumes, but this one is really THE BEST! When you wear it, it feels like you're wrapt with love, it some kind of happiness, that remain with you for whole day.

This is just gorgeous. I get really lovely fresh cut tropical pineapple on me with a very light woody dry down - although I note pineapple isn't listed as a note. However while I only have nice things to say, I'm not sure I can justify the $235 asking price in Australia.

...yes, it won't stay with you all day...but for the view hours it is present it will render your world.

if a perfume could make love to you...this one would be it.

Have you ever bought a microwaved meal because the picture on the box made it look really good; but when you heated it up yourself the result was a mooshy, nondescript mess?

Bal d'afrique. I put half the bottle on my decollete for a try, but before heading out stopped to dab an Estee Lauder sample on the back of my index finger. Over the next three hours of hiking it was the dab on my finger i smelled, and Bal d'afrique, which was generously applied under my nose, became completely forgetable.

Since this doesn't sell in the US i'm not sure of the price point, but to me this wears like a low end offering with far-from-quality ingredients. Can't recommend it.

You have the feeling that you are taking a walk in a flower market.You get a burst of lovely feminine flowers!Among flowers is the beautiful presence of orange that blends wonderfully with jasmin and cyclamen.

I bought the "I Married Adventure" set by Byredo after lusting after it for months. I have to say, though, that I'm universally disappointed in each of the scents in the coffret.

I love how this fragrance is blended. I think this is a sophisticated scent that can be worn by male and females. There is something about this that sometimes reminds me of Prada Infusion D'Iris. Must be the orange flower, vetiver and cedar? I think it would be wonderful in the fall by a campfire or among the scent created by autumn leaves.