This opens up with a bright, dish soapy orange. Not horrific, but not optimal. If you give it a little time (and not much time, really), the drydown is a lovely warm spicy floral that I would have sworn was tagetes and not carnation. I also get a lingering essence of orange in the form of maybe petitgrain or something. I think temperature affects this one very much. The opening comes off more juicy than soapy on warmer skin. This does not have great projection, but would work nicely as a personal scent. I can see using this as a bed scent, if only for the drydown.

I'm extremely annoyed that Stephanotis is mentioned in the description, but not shown in the pyramid. I own a Stephanotis plant and I can say with 100% certainty that Stephanotis is the main player here (not Lily as I once thought, ever-present as she may be). I can't think of another floral fragrance that has no real top or base notes to speak of. On paper, this could seem like an overwhelming choice with its cast of boss flowers, and at times it absolutely can be. But if you can find the application sweet spot, it's truly beautiful and intoxicating for anyone who, like me, wants to eat, breathe, and bathe in flowers. I think the Stephanotis is what makes this truly special and keeps it from being like every other white floral (no shade--I love white florals). I find myself hoarding this because every other backup bottle I've purchased has a lack of freshness that ruins its beauty. Perhaps it's time to break this one out of hiding. NB: EL Pleasures is an absolutely reliable dupe. Same vibe, though it's missing the beloved Stephanotis.

If you are familiar with the BBW CocoShea Honey line, this is basically the EDP version of that.

Citrus/rhubarb/tea are most notable off the top. Lemon reads more grapefruit to me (I'm good with this). Rhubarb is CRISP and tart, but not sharp. Tea is fresh/green and NOT ozonic. The rose is so faint to me. More of a backdrop to the three notes above. Very sheer. Slightly more sweet than floral (L'Occitane type rose). Opening notes fade quickly and tea is the major remnant. Absolutely gorgeous, but it's got EDC longevity and an EDP price tag. I'd want to spray this as hard as I would a 4711 offering. If I could get the opening to last more than mere minutes, I would seriously contemplate throwing down cashmonies for this, but the things that make it so special are so sadly fleeting that I can't justify the purchase.

Bright green spring floral with tart rhubarb (love this addition!) However, as with nearly every other Byredo offering I've tried, it has a soapy drydown that I can't stand. Aldehydes must be part of the Byredo DNA. What could have been the perfect tulip scent was ruined by it. The fast fade doesn't help, either.

I had such high hopes for this. I love violet, but I tend toward the leaf rather than flower. Was kind of excited by the reviews mentioning that it smelled like violet candies (LOVE Choward Violets) but this is not that. What it IS (on me, anyway) is an absolute doomcloud of powder. It's not dusty, but it's THICC to the point of being oppressive. I'm typically a heavy sprayer, but only 2 spritzes and I'm gasping for breath. What's left behind that is an extremely artificial scented toy (raw umber says My Little Ponies, and that seems apt). I completely get why some people are smitten by this, but chemistry or otherwise is rendering this putrid on me.

Harsh root beer blast up front that quickly softens. Not particularly fizzy, just soft and sweet after the initial olfactory assault. Definitely NOT citrus aromatic at all. It's gourmand, if anything. Notes here are WAY off. Fragluxe site says: "This fragrance has a blend of wood, vanilla, and fresh, spicy amber."

This is Vera Wang Sheer Veil-lite meets water hyacinth (see: Aguape/Malachite Special Edition). The packaging and juice color also look kind of similar to VWSV. Totally getting the pencil shavings, which frankly is kind of cool. I don't hate it, but I already have enough VWSV to last me through the afterlife.