fragrance friday: black saffron

Top: Pomelo, Saffron, Juniper Berry

Heart: Black Violet, Accord Cuir, Cristal Rose

Base: Blond Woods, Raspberry, Vetiver

I stumbled upon Black Saffron while on a hunt for a leather scent. Many good ones were discovered, but not the one, and I decided to branch out a bit. I happen to love all of Byredo's candle scents (my favorites being Fleur Fantôme, Peyote Poem, and Apocalyptic...I dare you to burn all three at once), so I tried out some fragrances.

BYREDO says about Black Saffron:

"Saffron is holy to all Hindus, is the colour of Buddhist robes, and has become a symbol for India. It has always been a part of BYREDO's founder's upbringings in smell, taste, and colour. Black Saffron is a fragrance inspired by this very idea of sublime unity."

All fanfare aside, Black Saffron is contradictory and surprising: contradictory in name, because the saffron notes feel notably absent, and surprising, because this fact doesn't take away from the fragrance at all--assuming one turns a blind eye to the label. Black Saffron opens from a bright citrus into lush violet and rose, with the sultriest hints of sweet tobacco and leather (the latter of which satiated my desire for a leather scent...for now). The staying power is also quite incredible...an eau de parfum, it lingers for hours. It could be due to my personal body chemistry, but I typically put it on around 8 AM, and the scent begins waning around 3 PM. I still catch whiffs of it at dinnertime.

It's definitely unisex, as will be a majority of the fragrances I review and wear, but if we were to gender-classify (something I am loath to do but will do for the sake of clarity), it tips the slightest bit to the femme side. Which isn't to say a man couldn't wear it...I myself bought a man this scent so I could smell it on him, too.