Top Notes 
Indian ambergris
Russian fir balsam
Violet leaf
Heart Notes 
Mysore sandalwood
Vanilla
Base Notes 
Nagarmotha
Fossilised amber
Cedarwood
Cypress
Oakmoss
Tonka bean
08/02/2019
Greenfaerie
86 Reviews
Greenfaerie
Disappointing
Another unbelievably stupid blind-buy. This was $200. I was suckered in by all the hype--talk of fine ingredients, real (damn-well better be!) ambergris, exclusivity. I have worn it a few times now, and I can not believe that with totally natural brands out there like Hiram Green and Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery that those don't get the hype that this stuff does...because they are far better perfumers.
Baikal Gris is a very dull fragrance. I don't mind low sillage, but this is so low that it hampers any potential complexity. It opens smelling dusty and with moderate notes of dry dirt road and some kind of spice, nothing like greenery, a lake, or real ambergris. After a bit I suppose there is a woody nuance to it, but it doesn't remind me anything of sandalwood. I have smelled lots of real sandalwood, from the wood itself to the various oils and even hydrosols. There's not enough of it here, if it's here at all. The heart of this fragrance smells annoyingly fruity on me. Not sweet, but it smells like mango perhaps. The drydown is so boring and flat. Vaguely sweet, synthetic musk perhaps?
The longevity isn't great. At the 3rd hour, I already felt the need to re-spray. Annoying when you have a 30ml bottle that cost $200!
Also I have seen/heard this in many reviews, but some say it smells synthetic. I agree. It actually gives me a headache (a personal indication of poor quality materials. Hiram Green and those other natural brands never do this to me, only perfumes with lots of synthetics). I just can't believe that a natural or mostly natural fragrance would give me a headache like this, and I also doubt that a blending of fine natural materials would smell this synthetic.
Where's the damn ambergris?!
I once spent a solid hour smelling Roja Dove fragrances at Bergdorf's. I was sure I would have a migraine after all that sniffing and spraying! My eyes became dry like a dry sponge. I never got a headache. This is the same reaction I have when smelling essential oils for an hour, and it's because a lot of plants are astringent. It will eventually affect you and start making your eyes feel dry and scratchy. I never get headaches from sniffing essential oils for an hour. So IDK what is in Baikal Gris, but it smells cheap to me. Maybe because this guy uses evil things like deer musk, real civet etc., people think he is a better perfumer than some of the perfumers I have mentioned. I think he needs to spend a lot more time studying.
At no point at all do I feel this reminds me of the famous lake, or any lake for that matter. It reminds me of the brown dirt path around a lake.
Yes, brown, this fragrance smells brown.
Edit: Just wanted to add that ambergris is a FIXATIVE. There is no excuse for this fading away after 3 hours. Hiram Green's fragrances contain no animal fixatives, and they are sillage bombs and lasts 12 hours, no problem.
Baikal Gris is a very dull fragrance. I don't mind low sillage, but this is so low that it hampers any potential complexity. It opens smelling dusty and with moderate notes of dry dirt road and some kind of spice, nothing like greenery, a lake, or real ambergris. After a bit I suppose there is a woody nuance to it, but it doesn't remind me anything of sandalwood. I have smelled lots of real sandalwood, from the wood itself to the various oils and even hydrosols. There's not enough of it here, if it's here at all. The heart of this fragrance smells annoyingly fruity on me. Not sweet, but it smells like mango perhaps. The drydown is so boring and flat. Vaguely sweet, synthetic musk perhaps?
The longevity isn't great. At the 3rd hour, I already felt the need to re-spray. Annoying when you have a 30ml bottle that cost $200!
Also I have seen/heard this in many reviews, but some say it smells synthetic. I agree. It actually gives me a headache (a personal indication of poor quality materials. Hiram Green and those other natural brands never do this to me, only perfumes with lots of synthetics). I just can't believe that a natural or mostly natural fragrance would give me a headache like this, and I also doubt that a blending of fine natural materials would smell this synthetic.
Where's the damn ambergris?!
I once spent a solid hour smelling Roja Dove fragrances at Bergdorf's. I was sure I would have a migraine after all that sniffing and spraying! My eyes became dry like a dry sponge. I never got a headache. This is the same reaction I have when smelling essential oils for an hour, and it's because a lot of plants are astringent. It will eventually affect you and start making your eyes feel dry and scratchy. I never get headaches from sniffing essential oils for an hour. So IDK what is in Baikal Gris, but it smells cheap to me. Maybe because this guy uses evil things like deer musk, real civet etc., people think he is a better perfumer than some of the perfumers I have mentioned. I think he needs to spend a lot more time studying.
At no point at all do I feel this reminds me of the famous lake, or any lake for that matter. It reminds me of the brown dirt path around a lake.
Yes, brown, this fragrance smells brown.
Edit: Just wanted to add that ambergris is a FIXATIVE. There is no excuse for this fading away after 3 hours. Hiram Green's fragrances contain no animal fixatives, and they are sillage bombs and lasts 12 hours, no problem.
BertolucciK
