Sybarite

Now this is the kind of perfume that makes me excited about perfume! Sybarite really knocked my socks off and I ordered a full EDP bottle the very next day. Champaca is a nostalgic and underrated flower in my opinion, and this champaca opening is so pure and realistic. It's like jasmine's less loud, darker sister and very sensual and soft. I was worried about this pulling incense-y in a witchy, headshop kind of way but this perfume is so smooth and silky. It slides effortlessly between the musky florals, creamy sandalwood, and sweet dark vanilla. This smells expensive, but not overly perfume-y or unnatural. On the drydown, the same juicy mandarin note in A Dog Named Pam makes itself known and blends with the red musk, adding a little more body to the scent once the florals take the back seat. This is signature-scent worthy to me. Very unique, soft, nostalgic, and sensual.

The red mandarin and vanilla are probably the most prominent aspects of this perfume, but it’s gorgeously rich and complex. I was standing near someone while wearing this the other day, and they told me I smelled like a “sexy creamsicle”. That’s honestly a decent encapsulation of the vibe this gives.

This scent is amazing. I currently only have a sample, but I’ll be purchasing a larger size as soon as funds allow.

Over the past year, I’ve been on a journey—coming out, learning to love myself, and blooming into the best version of who I am. And yet, even now, that journey is underscored by the memory of a Catholic school girl in her uniform, trying to be good, sit still, and fit in.

This experience is beautifully paralleled in this fragrance. The luxurious, sensual, unapologetically radiant champaca and vanilla are grounded by a ribbon of incense, one that immediately transports me back to the hard wooden pews of my youth.

For this gay ex-Catholic whose favorite thing about church was always the incense, Sybarite is a huge favorite.

I've had this sample for a few months, and I am glad I finally had the time to sit down and write a review!

I took a leap and bought Sybarite 10ml based on the description and reviews alone.

That flight of fancy was rewarded; this fragrance is another hit for me! Sybarite is gorgeous, lush, hedonistic (as other reviewers have mentioned). I adore the sultry interplay between the floral components and sandalwood.

I lingered at the botanical garden's tropical exhibit, went for a much-deserved massage, and have retired to the patio to watch golden lights flicker across the bay....
(but in a bottle!)

I had no idea what red champaca smelled like. I didn’t even know it was a flower! Based on what I’m getting here, I would describe it as a cross between jasmine and plumeria, two of my favorite florals. I’m picturing a dark-haired woman on an expensive vacation to the Amalfi Coast. Her lover is treating her to a sunset sailboat tour of the coast, an outdoor meal at an upscale restaurant with a lush garden, an all-expenses-paid shopping spree, and endless aperol spritzes. Basically I’m picturing my wife living her best life. I’m going to have her try this. She loves plumeria.