Byredo is a Swedish fragrance brand which is very popular amongst lovers of niche perfume. The Bibliotheque candle has been standing pride of place by my bedside bookshelf for months and I have just recently started to burn it. At a premium price tag, Byredo is a brand of pure indulgence; the fragrances are generally unique although having sampled quite a few scents, I feel that Byredo has some notes that it uses across many of its perfumes, giving the brand somewhat of a signature scent that runs through the line.
Bibliotheque is the most popular candle, therefore it has been made into a 'Collector's Edition' fragrance available in 100ml only. I wanted to talk through the reasons why I decided to spend out on the perfume and how it translates on the skin, at least from my own experience.
The notes of Bibliotheque are peach and plum (top), peony and violet (heart) and it has a leather, patchouli and vanilla base. The scent is just the right amount of 'dusty' to convey the concept of a traditional library- more Cluedo, than Town Centre. The violet gives it that 'dusty' edge and combined with the leather, which is also quite prominent, you can imagine a fine collection of well-preserved leather-bound books next to a leather armchair. The vanilla and fruity element make this feel slightly gourmand, but yet the patchouli earthiness keeps the fragrance from being overly sickly. It is essentially a powdery, sweet scent with a leather twist.
The eau de parfum has good longevity and clings to clothing for days afterwards. The projection is also impressive- a co-worker could smell this on me after 8 hours from a few feet away as the wind blew past me in her direction.
I really thought about this purchase as I adore another Byredo scent, Gypsy Water after having purchased a 10ml vial. Gypsy Water has a similar fruity top note selection and a vanilla base, but the pine needles at the heart make it really unique- sweet and gentle, yet woody and more edgy than generic perfume brands putting out sweet, fruity scents. I will probably purchase Gypsy Water some day.
I did initially wonder whether Bibliotheque was better as a candle. It took a few wears of a sample to decide to buy the 100ml. The longevity is so much better than Gypsy Water and the leather and violet is so addictive and comforting. It is not really a Summer scent, but it would be enchanting in the Autumn and Winter. For me, it is very pleasing to the senses and unique without being offensive to others which is what I look for in a scent.
If you're interested, you can see the whole Byredo range at their website, but you can also find some of the range in Spacenk, Selfridges and Liberty (UK)
I never heard of this brand before. I would like to try the candle out. xx
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It is really lovely and calming- a really unique scent in my opinion. Thanks for your comment x
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