Cuir Belga Volaré

I will hold back on giving a concrete numerical rating, as Cuir Belga remains somewhat indefinable for me.
With some fragrances, you know immediately: "I like this" or "Ugh." With this one, it's not so simple. If I knew the original, I could at least say whether it is a good or bad dupe, but currently, I have to judge it blindly.
Like many dupe fragrances, Cuir Belga needs about 10 minutes to unfold. When I smell from the sprayer, I think more of a feminine scent.

The opening is sweet and somewhat synthetic, or perhaps it is the straw flower. Because just as this flower looks, it also initially smells.
Even though I am not a fan of "floral" descriptions, it fits well here to say that the powder is nestled on leather. The leather remains subtle and in the background, supporting the fragrance so that it doesn't drift too much into the feminine. The vanilla certainly plays its part and makes it pleasant & rounded. In the drydown, Cuir Belga reaches its best phase when the slightly sweet powder settles and beautifully integrates into the soft suede. This combination is simply delicious for me. Vanilla must play a crucial role here. Suede also fits in that it is noticeably soft & gentle, just like the supple texture of the Blue Suede Shoes.

This is not a fragrance that radiates. It is a tame companion, despite the wild leather.
So rather a close-to-skin candidate, but when I look at the values of the original, it seems to behave similarly.

The bottle is beautiful; it would be better if the orange label were also straight on the front. The sprayer is also really good, as is often the case with our Arab fragrance friends. For €20, it's a bang for the buck, as they say.

Now I realize: while I was writing this, I have come to understand that I really like Cuir Belga. I still don't know if I will ultimately keep it.
In conclusion, thank you for reading and...
you must know!