Top Notes 
Aldehydes
Carnation
Basil
Citrus fruits
Green notes
Lemon
Mandarin orange
Spices
Cardamom
Heart Notes 
Lily of the valley
Rose
Jasmine
Orris root
Tuberose
Ylang-ylang
Aniseed
Base Notes 
Heliotrope
Vanilla
Amber
Cedar
Musk
Sandalwood
12/28/2012
Krmarich
139 Reviews
Krmarich
Very helpful Review
7
Sailing to Byzantium
I have an unusual history of Byzance. I found it on closeout in 1992 and gave the bottle to my mother. She couldnt wear it and passed it to a friend. I never had the chance to sample it.
I found a mini today online. The bottle is like those "evil eye" charms so popular in modern Istanbul. Cobalt blue is used all over the Mediterranean basin. It was common to see it on Roman warships. The origin comes from ancient Egypt and the Eye of Horus. Its strange how time changes the meaning of things. Indeed, Byzance is now legendary as its bottle. Its exotic, yet oddly familiar and ever endearing.
I generally find classic tuberose my least favorite note in fragrance. Jardins des Bagatelle is the only way I enjoy it until now. Byzance bursts open with a very vocal aldehyde and tuberose that for the first few minutes, can overwhelm.
Then a voluptuous rose and jasmine note take hold and pulls you in and wont let go. After a few hours, it meanders into a warm, sacred place that your heart will hold dear.
Its really a floriental, yet the catagorization is irrelevant today. Its a little bit of everything, hence its Byzantine character. The complexity ix beyond words.
Rochas was one of the most respected perfume only houses of the 20th century. Indeed Macassar, Mystere, Lumiere, Byzance, Alchemie and Tocade commanded major attention before it all disappeared in 1999. I miss this house the most...
I found a mini today online. The bottle is like those "evil eye" charms so popular in modern Istanbul. Cobalt blue is used all over the Mediterranean basin. It was common to see it on Roman warships. The origin comes from ancient Egypt and the Eye of Horus. Its strange how time changes the meaning of things. Indeed, Byzance is now legendary as its bottle. Its exotic, yet oddly familiar and ever endearing.
I generally find classic tuberose my least favorite note in fragrance. Jardins des Bagatelle is the only way I enjoy it until now. Byzance bursts open with a very vocal aldehyde and tuberose that for the first few minutes, can overwhelm.
Then a voluptuous rose and jasmine note take hold and pulls you in and wont let go. After a few hours, it meanders into a warm, sacred place that your heart will hold dear.
Its really a floriental, yet the catagorization is irrelevant today. Its a little bit of everything, hence its Byzantine character. The complexity ix beyond words.
Rochas was one of the most respected perfume only houses of the 20th century. Indeed Macassar, Mystere, Lumiere, Byzance, Alchemie and Tocade commanded major attention before it all disappeared in 1999. I miss this house the most...
Trucklady
