Escapade a Byzance by Olibere – Undina’s Looking Glass
Hi there ULGers, A perfume crew that is rarely cited on the scentbloggosphere is Olibere. I’m not sure why. Here are my thoughts. They’re not a huge conglomerate with millions to spend on hype, they don’t use influencers, they’re a bit too good for the modern perfume bro but not classic or strange enough for the super perfumista crowd. I’ve got a couple of faves from them but today I thought we could talk about Escapade a Byzance. Mainly because this year it turns 10 years old ! That’s a big deal in modern perfume years. Especially from a fairly under the radar house. I’ve had a 20ml travel of it for a while and it gets enough wear that it’s nearly half gone.
From Olibere: “A gourmand, warm, spicy and carnal fragrance, which will take you to the heart of a Moroccan souk. Perfume inspired by the film « The sheltering sky », shot in Morocco.”
I’m also loving that the brand’s blurb and my recent Morocco holiday are so well aligned.
Escapade a Byzance by Olibere 2015
Olibere gives these featured accords:
Top: Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Saffron, Ginger, Cumin, Citrus
Heart: Cypress, Carnation, Incense
Base: Vanilla, Benzoin, Musk, Amber, Patchouli, Vetiver, Atlas Cedar
Opening is a warm vanilla rich amber that is given some extra spicy bells and whistles and interestingly the ginger gives it a very sharp green spiced effect, like biting into really expensive bitter dark chocolate ginger. It’s such an attention grabbing first few minutes.
Once we head to the heart Escapade a Byzance becomes a fragrance wholly blended to become itself, rather than outstanding notes. It’s a surprisingly dusty melange of spices, flowers, woods and a smoky overlay on a base of patchouli/amber. Today I’m wearing it in 27C/80f and it is blooming beautifully. I love that the bells and whistles last longer than just the opening and head with us into dry down.
Dry down becomes more about the patchouli and a raunchy musk. The amber, spice and smoke are much more noticeable as the heft of Escapade a Byzance lowers. Maybe two hours in and the fireworks have calmed. I’m still fragrant 7 hours later but at a much lower projection. Now I need to move a bit to get a proper huff out of my top.
Unisex but leaning traditional and with excellent longevity. Does Escapade a Byzance remind me of being in a Moroccan souk? Yes and no. This is a fantasized glamorous rendering that amps up all the good bits and leaves out most of the cooking and less attractive parts. So a beautiful, technicolor dream of a Moroccan souk.
Do you know the Olibere Parfums brand?
Portia xx