Fragrance Friday: Burn for You and Smokeshow
Add a little heat to your date night
“Ooh, you smell like a campfire!”
These were my daughter’s words to me when she smelled 5Sens “Burn for You”. I was shocked. She hadn’t seen the name of the perfume, and the fragrance notes do not list anything smoky. Still, there is something inherently hot about it, and it got me thinking.
I love bourbon that’s been in a smoker. I love barbecue that’s been cooked low and slow. Why wouldn’t I like smoky perfumes? Today I’ll be diving into 5Sens Burn for You and Vilhelm Parfumerie’s Smoke Show and pairing them with some sexy date night outfits for spring. Let’s get burnin’!
Like I said, this isn’t exactly listed as a smoky fragrance, but that delicious and inviting scent of a bonfire comes through in this sweetly-seductive, ultra-nostalgic scent. The main notes are cedar (ok, wood, and wood burns) and vanilla. The scent then opens up a bit to clover leaf for a fresher edge, and cashmere. Warm…getting warmer. Then, finally, the amber. Seductive and spicy, but with the warmth and comfort of s’mores. I absolutely love putting this scent on and the little zing of “je ne sais quois” the smoky note brings. It’s not as on the nose as Margiela’s “By the Fireplace”, which literally makes you wonder if they distilled a campfire and sprayed it on your skin. Burn for You is musky and suggestive but nostalgic and cute - it’s flirting with being smoky, but not an outright five alarm.
For me, this outfit screams “Burn for You” because it’s absolutely a sexy little date night outfit, but it’s sweet. It’s cute. Playful. It’s a little throwback. This fragrance isn’t super serious, which is why I like it for this outfit. To keep the dress from being completely vintage, I made sure the pumps were ultra-relevant “high vamp” silhouette, and I went with an unexpected bag - the turquoise color is a nice surprise, just like the rose note in the perfume. Yes, the earrings were a bit on the nose, but they’re so damn adorable I couldn’t resist. Also, who doesn’t like a chunky gold cuff? The thickness of it keeps this look from being too delicate.
Vilhelm Parfumerie’s Smoke Show
I love Vilhelm. Like, so much. I think Poets of Berlin may be my favorite winter fragrance (a close tie with Vanille Antique from Byredo), but Smoke Show’s a creature all its own. The top notes of Smoke Show are saffron and pink pepper - oh, she’s bringing the spice EARLY ON, my friends. Then, the scent moves into leather and a bit of rose oil for a very delightful balance of masculine and feminine. Finally, at its very woody base is oud (YES YES you know I love ouds), vetiver and cedar.
This perfume is not for the fainthearted. It’s complex. It’s weird. Where Burn for You is accessible to most everyone, I think Smoke Show is an acquired taste. Again, let’s go back to bourbon. The first time you have bourbon can be an awful wallop - just a smash to the face of “too much”, leaving you burning in all the wrong ways. But try again, and then again, and it’s unforgettably good. That’s how Smoke Show is. At first, it was an immediate pass. It’s…it’s just a lot. But I found myself trying it again, and then again, and finally craving it. Now, it’s not Poets of Berlin level for me, but it grew on me. It’s so sophisticated and complex that I simply had to keep going.
This outfit is SOMETHING. As soon as I saw the Cult Gaia dress, I knew I had to include it. Its texture is so interesting that it would be totally an option to go minimal with everything else…but you know me. I couldn’t resist layering even more interesting textures! I added these incredible Altazzura kitten heels and complimented their hues with the bold 80s style earrings. I kept the clutch relatively simple and black, but I just thought the quilting would look so cool against the dress’ pleating. To me, this dress is the epitome of Smoke Show…mainly because that’s what you’ll be called all night when you wear it. I think the colors are evocative of a bonfire, and I think the textures make me think of a thickly-wooded jungle.
So, what are your favorite smoky scents? Have you tried either of these? As always, let me know in the comments - I always reply!