Carrying on with the current extrait theme, episode 133 of my Love At First Scent series over on YouTube focussed on the latest addition to Byredo‘s Night Veils collection, Tobacco Mandarin. To watch the video, please click on this link: Byredo Tobacco Mandarin review.
I can’t help but see this release as an attempt to make Serge Lutens-style aesthetics appealing to hipster-ish types, which is my way of saying that I don’t think it’s entirely convincing. Byredo are at their best when they’re eccentrically edgy: a feat that’s quite difficult to pull off in perfumery, but which they’ve managed on more than one occasion. Yes, the tobacco note in this composition is attractive, but it doesn’t match the grandeur you need from this genre (and which you can find in so many Lutens releases). And, regrettably, the woody base on which it rests doesn’t seem to have terribly strong knees. Still, for those not quite ready to plunge headlong into the extreme waters of balsams and resins, this may act as a safe mid-way point.
Persolaise
[Byredo Tobacco Mandarin review based on a sample of extrait provided by the brand in 2020.]
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