Botrytis by Ginestet

Doc Elly

I suppose I should never have any preconceived ideas when I try a perfume sample. However, the name and description inevitably set up some sort of expectation that, more often than not, isn't met. With Botrytis I was expecting the sweet, floral, nutmeg-like scent of Muscat or a late harvest dessert wine. Instead, it's a scent that starts off with a characteristic light yellow, prickly, raspy sensation that makes me feel like I need to sneeze, then settles down into something like my recollection of Chopard Casmir, which I wore for a while when it first came out. At the end of the day it's still going strong with a synthetic plastic-y smell. I think that somewhere in the mix there is a grape-like scent that I catch a whiff of now and then, but it's buried under all the other stuff. I don't really dislike the perfume - it just didn't live up to my high expectations.

libertybelle

I like this one quite a bit which is understandable since I tend to really like amber fragrances. It has sweetness to it that agrees with me tinged with a bit of floral. This is not a smokey amber scent, not really any aggressive masculinity to it which if was present could make this fragrance even sexier. Even so, I can still see a man being able to wear this scent. Alas, I don't think it's original enough and for the price ($110) not really worth purchasing though I'd wear it in a hearbeat if gifted it. I own B&BW Sensual Amber which smells enough like this (not as sweet though but that can be achieved by fragrance layering) that costs 1/4th the price.

kastehelmi

It's a beautiful scent, a precise honey, spiced and laced with flowers--
A _not-too-sweet_ honey scent where you can smell the pollen that goes into the honey, and the honeycomb. The lasting power is decent, not amazing.
I find this scent a gourmand but I prefer a touch of honey to smelling like an elegant queen bee.

With a scent so well-made, I would sometimes hang onto my 1 ml sample and find the occasion to wear it, but everyone who likes the smell of honey and spiced bread should try this, so pm me if you want to swap for my sample.

Migotka

If I ever had to bargain with the devil over a perfume, I would probably go for Botrytis...

It does not look so promising just from the notes, I assumed it would be a sticky sweet fragrance. Yet, the images I see before my eyes while desperately sniffing my wrist (trying to inhale as much of it as possible, and not to miss anything!), exceed my hopes and dreams.

For me Botrytis, despite being launched just last year, is a fragrance of what I associate with my favourite periods of history and novels. The New York elite from the novels of Edith Wharton (Ellen Olenska would have surely seduced Newland Archer with this fragrance only, if not with her intelligence, this would be the captivating scent in the castle of Countess Carmilla, this would be the scent of Polish noble women in the XIX century).

It looks a more complex than it would seem. It is sweet, but classy sweet. Botrytis is a mature fragrance, but matching not only mature women. Confident, elegant, aware of her beauty, maybe a bit decadent, surrounded by luxurious objects, wearing long, richly ornamented dress with corset and lots of laces... this is how I see in my head an ideal Botrytis wearer.

jubal

Botrytis stays all day on me and I'm happy to say my DH also wears and loves it and it lasts forever on him as well. Our chemistries bring out different notes but it smells fabulous on both of us.

I can't add anything to the descriptions here, but I'll say ditto that it is the most warm and wonderful scent we've ever found and may there always be a big bottle of it on the dresser!

Bought mine at luckyscent.

lilith

This Gourmand of a perfume reminds me of the scent of the local vineyards as you walk up and down the rows of vines with over ripe fruit which has been affected with the Queen of all fungus known as Botrytis. This amazing bacteria turns the fruit into some of the most exquisite dessert wines in the world.Whether in France or as far away as Australia this is a very revered practice. This perfumes sums it up beautifully. The honeyed topnote warms the fruitiness of this scent which is balanced well with a hint of white flowers to calm down any oversweetness there may have been. All this softens seductively with the amber on the drydown. This is one experience, just like sipping fine congnac, that you don't want to miss.

Miss_Nightingale

It is fascinating to me that some of the most interesting & staggeringly well-crafted perfumes I have tried lately have all come from houses more often known for their fine wines or cognacs. There are many similarities between fine wines and fine perfumes, so perhaps we should not be at all surprised by this development. I should like to write more about this another time, but for now, let me describe this incredible scent...

Breathing in the top notes of Botrytis distinctly reminds me of eating hot, buttery toast slathered in Fireweed Honey. This delicious honey is, coincidentally (following our alcoholic theme) known as "the Champagne of honey" for its richly aromatic nature & excellent quality. The honey tastes quite strong, not at all sugary sweet, more of a spicy character with hints of the exotic.

So it is with this fragrance - a richly honeyed Oriental that just sings in harmony on the skin. Nothing is overdone, everything in moderation, and yet creating such powerful feelings of comfort, warmth & sensuality. Wearing Botrytis is like seeing the world through amber tinted spectacles, or drinking a subtle, fruity dessert wine from an amber goblet: everything is warmer for its touch.

This lasted very well on my skin and, to my absolute delight, got warmer & fruitier as the day went on. The dying notes, the last few hours, were pure plum tobacco for me (though these notes are not listed, this is the distinct impression I got). This part reminded me of Frapin's 1270, though not as dry. There are almost elements of Casmir, too, in the fruitiest peak of heart notes with the vanilla base peeking through.

A definite for my Want List!

CharLi

Botrytis by Ginestet is one of the lovliest perfumes I know. I think this scent is warm and comforting.

VioletLily

A burst of floral honey...lovely, rounded and totally like a dessert wine to me. Reminds me of an Australian dessert wine I love: Brown Brothers' Orange Muscat and Flora. It softens to a sweet powdery honey, but not sticky sweet honey and I also get soft woods and musk. Unfortunately though, it fades away too fast for my liking. If it wasn't for that I probably would think about actually owning a full bottle of it!

jeca

Dear Hanan, I am sorry but fragrantica is not an online store, it's just an encyclopedia and community, maybe you'd better contact the company directly, click the Ginestet link above, you find a link to their website.