Seven Veils by Byredo

Byredo, the Swedish perfume house was one of the first niche brands I encountered and sampled in full, thanks to the generosity of the Byredo staff at Liberty. I already wrote about M/Mink, which is one of the most daring scents I've ever smelled. Today's candidate is a much more wearable choice. Seven Veils. It bursts open with an abundance of colour and spice - a marvellous ouverture - and then leaves me alone with a rosy heart that's neither here nor there, and falls exhausted onto the cushions as a creamy vanilla.  The sillage is stronger and darker than the smell on skin, a dance of seven veils, indeed. But you won't lose you head over this. A floriental that pretends to be far more dangerous than it actually is. Pretty though...

Seven Veils by Byredo, the picture

How and where to wear:

Belly dance class in North London

Shopping review: Liberty, London

So, where do you go for your perfume shopping? Department store, independent boutiques, online or in person? Do you try to get samples before you purchase a full bottle?

I do a mix of everything but some shopping experiences are nicer than others. Therefore, I will describe mine here in a series of posts. I start with my favourite hunting ground for perfume in London: Liberty.

It's difficult not to like the outside of  the shop with it's iconic timber framed front and the often quirky shop windows. It feels totally out of place amongst the hustle and bustle of Oxford Circus. But it's not a Disneyland imitation, it's still the right thing, very British, very stylish and very expensive. The scarf hall on the ground floor is a collection of wonderful silky things of nothingness that you can drape yourself in. And the shop assistants not only allow you to do so, they encourage you, knowing that the more you play the more you'll want to buy. So first go and find the perfect scarf and then imagine to spray it (carefully) with your most loved perfume...Yeah, I know, I can't afford them either, but one can dream.

So, away from the silks and to the perfume. Apart from the pop up stalls of various perfume houses, amongst them Byredo and Frederic Malle, there is the main perfume room at the back. Slightly dark with lots of shelves in all the nooks and crannies, it has an intimate feel to it. It doesn't try awfully hard to be hip or boudoir or extravagant and allows the perfumes be the heroes. And I like that. So you start to browse. And you will probably be asked if you need help, but that can take a while. And again, that's something I like. You can spend as much time as you need there. And you can spray and sniff. Whichever bottle you like. The collection is fantastic and much bigger in store than online, so keep that in mind when you plan your shopping. You will find most of the major niche brands, selected designer fragrances and some of the classics. It's great for people watching as well, the last time I went a woman who apparently visited from the Middle East bought three massive Liberty bags full of perfume. The staff must see a lot and are totally unfussed. When it comes to asking for samples, Liberty is a mixed bag. Some shop assistants are more generous than others. It helps if you have a bit of a chat. And also, be persistent in a charming way. Buying a perfume helps of course as well. You will have better luck at the pop up stalls, especially Byredo are usually very helpful. If you like your perfume browsing undisturbed and your collection more on the high end niche side then Liberty is the place in London I would recommend.

Image via Liberty.co.uk

The demonic M/Mink

It often makes for a good reading when a perfume provokes strong worded descriptions, in a devastating movie review sort of way. I tend not go and see the trashy movies, but the "horrible" perfume will have me intrigued. 
Swedish brand Byredo is a house of quite exclusive perfumes, but fortunately Liberty's stock all of them. 
It's a lovely range with beautiful, simple flacons and there is something for everyone. I already had samples of  "Seven Veils"  and "Baudelaire" , both of which I liked  a lot, but on this very hot summers afternoon I wanted to try the mighty M/Mink. (not a typo) I was prepared not to like this perfume, but the promise of an ink based scent was certainly intriguing and on paper this worked remarkably well. Well enough to be called wearable. And so I went home with a little sample and was really looking forward to trying that out on my skin. 
Oh well....

My visual interpretation of M/Mink by Byredo

No. Simply no. 

Ink turns acid. There is something unsettling about this scent, it makes me alert and if I smelled it in a room I'd probably call the gas man. So while I love the concept, I struggle with the execution. There is a hint of...iron? Like blood, and bile. Looking up the German word Ochsengalle refreshed by memory about medieval ink production. Key ingredients: soot, ox bile, sometimes iron sulfate and oak bark. 

Yeah, that's what M/Mink smells like to me and it's a bit too truthful to this idea to my liking. I was up for an unusual scent in the collection but this goes a few notches too far. But go out and test it. You won't find anything similar.

Available in the UK as 50 and 100 ml EdP from Liberty's, London. 

Where and how to wear:

Satanic ritual gathering, naked

 Medieval script image via flickr from Ransom Centre Fragments, some rights reserved