Reviews of Bal d'Afrique (2009)
by Byredo

A lightly spiced fragrance with occasional episodes of interest. The opening is warm, cardamom dominant , with a weak bergamot presence adding very little. With the recession of the opening intensity, the emerging incense note adds a richness to the spiced top notes. The heart notes create a warm,smooth and faintly sweet accord. As the incense diminishes, Bal D’Afrique develops some rough edges from the vetiver and geranium. Beyond an hour, it fades fast, a light smattering of spice remains, but it has become decidely feeble. Had any of the preceding accords been significantly long-lived, I would have unhesitatingly marked this as a thumbs up. As it is, this really is not worth the effort of application.

Bal d'Afrique is pretty much a continuation of the Pulp theme (i.e. very sweet and feminine). One also gets the impression that Byredo is attempting to capitalise on its most popular creation to date, by churning out a ‘sequel’. On this occasion, we get a fruity-floral with an amber and cedar base.

Sounds familiar? You bet it does! And providing some of the notes with exotic nationalities only makes the whole concept sound even more contrived.

I am completely baffled by Bal d'Afrique's gender classification. This is a beautifully blended unisex fragrance -- the amber and cedar seem to combine to produce an almost nutty smell, which reminds me of Hermes Vetiver Tonka -- most odd. A daring mixture of notes that work wonderfully. Expensive, but worth it.

as comforting and wonderful in the evening as in the morning when first applied. incredibly long lasting and almost edible yet subtle and not overpowering. a nicely kept secret...

This is a very intriguing fragrance. Smooth, soft, distinctive, neither masculine nor feminine, it is the scent of ambiguity and charm; refinement that doesn't seem to fit into easy categories. This Nose likes to push the envelope with seeming opposites. Lemon and amber; neroli and cedar-- what can we make of these notes? It is not for us to figure out. Why bother to try to figure out what is going on? I find this refreshing in the morning with citrus notes; playful in the afternoon, keeping me uplifted with light florals; and calm in the evening with amber and cedar. Not spicy really; not fruity, it is a very special fragrance that could be worth the pot of gold it takes to acquire. We are moving into slightly unchartered territory here. Bravo!

The gentlemen in Barney's kindly turned me on to this new fragrance (apparently in the US it is only available there). This scent is beautiful. It is sensual and has a perfect balance. I think this could be worn both day and night, as the scent is light, charming, and feminine but not overbearing. My new go-to-scent. Headache test: Pass!! (pass means no headaches).