I tried Byredo Bal d’Afrique soon after Now Smell This posted the announcement of its release: “Byredo has launched Bal d’Afrique, a new fragrance inspired by ‘ Paris of 1920’s, balls of Saint Germain and the style of Josephine Baker ‘….”* In its marketing materials, Byredo mentioned not only Baker but “African…music and dance, excess and euphoria” as inspirations. Thinking of “Paris” and “balls” and La Baker, I put on some Bal d’Afrique and a top hat, took off my clothes, played Josephine’s Le Marchand de Bonheur at high volume and did my own version of the ‘banana dance‘ around my living room. (A rite of spring? A folly? Un rêve? You decide — my cats and neighbors aren’t talking.)

Bal d’Afrique was developed by perfumer Jerome Epinette and contains lemon, neroli, African marigold, cyclamen, vetiver, jasmine, violet, bucchu, cedar, black amber, and musk. Bal d’Afrique’s aromatics dance begins with neroli, lemon, a smidgen of marigold, and a punch of “raw” cedar (aimed at the nostrils, emanating from the armpits). The cyclamen note (I assume) provides a touch of clean “water” to the “sweaty” cedar and leads to Bal d’Afrique’s amber-y, musk-y dry-down. Vetiver “jitters” from one phase of Bal d’Afrique to the next and keeps the composition buoyant…

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