How a Weekend in Brussels Opened my Eyes to Byredo Perfume

The solo travel bug bit me many years but it took some time for me to find the courage to book to go on a trip alone. You could say that my move to New York was a solo trip but that was for work. It didn’t count. Nor do my trips to Barbados to see family. I needed to visit a foreign country, speak a foreign language and do it all on my own.

Don’t ask me why but one day I just decided to go to Brussels, one of the few European countries that I was yet to visit. I appreciate that it is not exactly the edge of the world but it was the unknown and I booked a post Christmas weekend break. I had no idea of what I was going to do, I just booked a hotel and boarded my flight.

The Streets of Brussels

I spent hours wandering around the city exploring the side streets, boutiques and restaurants. I then chanced upon Senteurs d’ailleurs. What at first seemed like a perfume shop turned out to be what I can only describe as a perfume gallery. It contained shelf after shelf of beautifully crafted bottles. Each brand with its own signature style and shelf configuration.

Senteurs d’ailleurs store, Brussels

I tried countless brands but it was the clean monochrome lines of Byredo’s packaging that caught my eye. Bal D’Afrique was the featured fragrance and it was love at first spray.

Bal D’Afrique Perfume

Bal D’Afrique

The notes of jasmine, sweet neroli, cedarwood and musk quite literally took my breath away. Having rarely experienced such a sophisticated fragrance, I was confused. I stood there for at least an hour trying to decipher the different smells. I grew frustrated with my nose and was embarrassed when the sales assistant asked me what I thought as I could not put it into words. The only thing I knew for sure was that this was the scent for me.

We have all been there, you’re stood in a shop, you have emotionally committed to a purchase but you have no idea of the price. There’s no going back. It’s no longer a case of wanting the item, you now need it. Up until now perfumes were something I would request for my birthday or Christmas but on that day in Brussels I decided to break the mould. I purchased the perfume, hair perfume and body cream and I did it for no other reason than because I could, I needed that fragrance in my life.

Fast forward three years and I have just spent Sunday afternoon in Liberty. I returned home with my latest Bal D’Afrique hoard.

Byredo latest hoard

Different Notes

I have spent the last few years training my nose and whilst I cannot pick every single note, I am pretty close. For me, this scent is an all rounder. You can wear it during the day and night as well as throughout all four seasons. The base notes of cedarwood, black amber and musk provide a depth that you would associate with smells from North Africa. The notes of jasmine, neroli and bergamot (to name a few) add to the complexity and sophistication. This fragrance is not for a shrinking violet, it packs a punch.

The Man Behind the Fragrance

Ben Gorham (the founder) like all of us, has been shaped by the smells that he has experienced throughout his life. His passion for fragrances led him to take a leap of faith, change careers and developed a perfume range. Ben’s overwhelming aim was to share his memories with the world through the sense of smell.

Ben Gorham

Ben is not conventional by any sense of the word, but his scents, namely Bal D’Afrique, has become my convention.

Bal D’Afrique has become an addiction but it is time for me to try one of Ben’s other creations. Any suggestions? Which fragrance should I try next?