Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
09/17/2022
Elysium
816 Reviews
Elysium
Helpful Review
3
Byzantine Empire’s Dark Secret
Among the dark secrets of the Byzantine Empire, it is said that the Byzantines had long considered purple to be the imperial colour, with only members of the royal family allowed to wear certain purple dyes. Eventually, the emperor had a special room built with walls made of precious purple stone porphyry. They nicknamed imperial children born in this room porfirogenetos (“purple born”). They were immensely prestigious and were not supposed to marry outside the empire. Purple-Born people have also attracted a great deal of loyalty from ordinary people.
Bô Rêve is a Purple-Born, one of those dense, dark, complicated, opaque, little baroque scents, with strong purple, animalic, and resinous notes, belonging to the family of woody and amber Orientales that I associate with the category of perfumes such as Antaeus Eau de Toilette OG, back in the '80, not in terms of aroma but terms of structure, strength, and character. From citrus to floral to patchouli and wood, Bô Rêve is a caravan of classic chords, well blended but nothing new or different. It’s a perfect balance of strong and sweet notes and the right combination of vintage and contemporary. I’m not sure, but Bô Rêve should be slang for “beaux rêves”, which in French means “sweet dreams”, and I like to think of this translation because it is a sweet dream.
The opening of Bô Rêve is thick and viscous like a cough syrup rich in molasses, there are medicinal shades but different from those of the oud. Despite being an inexpensive fragrance, the alcoholic part is not felt between the initial notes. These are notes of a balsamic concoction that boils on the fire, black liquorice-like, and in the air, you can smell the slightly burnt odours of the fluid that comes out of the pot and drips over the flame, dark burnt sugar. Citrus fruits have a sweetish, dull, ripe fruit appearance, and do not feel too sharp or acidic points typical of aromatic fragrances. Bouncy grapefruit begins to make its way into the concoction, elbowing and making its way through the other citrus fruits. Right underneath the shimmering and crisp top, there is a soft glow of creaminess and dirtiness from the woods and leaves of the purple fruitchouli base. If at first glance the perfume is as aggressive and violent as a slap, later it turns into a delicate and reassuring caress, becoming more malleable and docile.
Full of promise, the heart softens some of the initial opulence and gradually reveals the extraordinary sensuality of the rose and the exclusive note of the geranium leaf. The rose is the powdery version of the rose. Indolic jasmine starts to grow and expand. I feel an intense smell of ripe fruit and perhaps a hint of sweet plum. The patchouli begins to emerge, tames the blossoms, and adds a bit of masculine slant, but the purple fruit remains the strongest.
A few hours after all this, the sweet and dirty patchouli tires and fades into the background, allowing the warm trio of clean musk, creamy sandalwood and mealy coumarin to materialize and prolong the olfactory texture. The smoky, chewy undertones of the incense are there, muted and not as clear as in 1905 for example. The purple fruit, musk and patchouli are clear from the first splash and continue until the fragrance wears off a few hours later. Addictive, patchouli and sandalwood add a light touch to the scent. It has something that is almost powdery, not like talcum powder, but an expensive silky talcum powder.
Bô Rêve is more of an evening or night out fall and winter scent, when the days turn cold, although I can imagine someone wearing it during a mundane summer night. I'm testing it today, middle of September, and the warm weather makes it a bit cloying. It lasts a few hours, but as a close-to-skin scent, it isn’t overpowering once it dries down. Perhaps it appears strong during the first half an hour, but tones down later. I am glad to have discovered another precious, super cheap, and very special gem.
I base the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since September 2022.
-Elysium
Bô Rêve is a Purple-Born, one of those dense, dark, complicated, opaque, little baroque scents, with strong purple, animalic, and resinous notes, belonging to the family of woody and amber Orientales that I associate with the category of perfumes such as Antaeus Eau de Toilette OG, back in the '80, not in terms of aroma but terms of structure, strength, and character. From citrus to floral to patchouli and wood, Bô Rêve is a caravan of classic chords, well blended but nothing new or different. It’s a perfect balance of strong and sweet notes and the right combination of vintage and contemporary. I’m not sure, but Bô Rêve should be slang for “beaux rêves”, which in French means “sweet dreams”, and I like to think of this translation because it is a sweet dream.
The opening of Bô Rêve is thick and viscous like a cough syrup rich in molasses, there are medicinal shades but different from those of the oud. Despite being an inexpensive fragrance, the alcoholic part is not felt between the initial notes. These are notes of a balsamic concoction that boils on the fire, black liquorice-like, and in the air, you can smell the slightly burnt odours of the fluid that comes out of the pot and drips over the flame, dark burnt sugar. Citrus fruits have a sweetish, dull, ripe fruit appearance, and do not feel too sharp or acidic points typical of aromatic fragrances. Bouncy grapefruit begins to make its way into the concoction, elbowing and making its way through the other citrus fruits. Right underneath the shimmering and crisp top, there is a soft glow of creaminess and dirtiness from the woods and leaves of the purple fruitchouli base. If at first glance the perfume is as aggressive and violent as a slap, later it turns into a delicate and reassuring caress, becoming more malleable and docile.
Full of promise, the heart softens some of the initial opulence and gradually reveals the extraordinary sensuality of the rose and the exclusive note of the geranium leaf. The rose is the powdery version of the rose. Indolic jasmine starts to grow and expand. I feel an intense smell of ripe fruit and perhaps a hint of sweet plum. The patchouli begins to emerge, tames the blossoms, and adds a bit of masculine slant, but the purple fruit remains the strongest.
A few hours after all this, the sweet and dirty patchouli tires and fades into the background, allowing the warm trio of clean musk, creamy sandalwood and mealy coumarin to materialize and prolong the olfactory texture. The smoky, chewy undertones of the incense are there, muted and not as clear as in 1905 for example. The purple fruit, musk and patchouli are clear from the first splash and continue until the fragrance wears off a few hours later. Addictive, patchouli and sandalwood add a light touch to the scent. It has something that is almost powdery, not like talcum powder, but an expensive silky talcum powder.
Bô Rêve is more of an evening or night out fall and winter scent, when the days turn cold, although I can imagine someone wearing it during a mundane summer night. I'm testing it today, middle of September, and the warm weather makes it a bit cloying. It lasts a few hours, but as a close-to-skin scent, it isn’t overpowering once it dries down. Perhaps it appears strong during the first half an hour, but tones down later. I am glad to have discovered another precious, super cheap, and very special gem.
I base the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since September 2022.
-Elysium
Elysium
Jazzy76
