Belle Bête is an excellent animal-spicy fragrance. However, it does lack longevity. Referencing to a one (1) spray test to each wrist today. This is probably one of those fragrances that the scent is difficult to smell on yourself after wearing a couple of hours, but others around you can. I think Belle Bête leans more masculine but it’s unisex. In the opening, the fragrance starts of animalic which is short-lived. The civet note is very apparent in the beginning for 10 minutes but then it weakens. I can detect the Costus note for about the for almost the duration but its mild in odor, and I like this Costus. It’s not too obtrusive.
Belle Bête is one that I’ll need to study for a while—there’s so many notes in this perfume. After the big opening of Civet and Costus, the overall scent doesn’t change much, but I find different notes randomly surfacing at different times. The opening sort of reminds me of whack-a-mole. It all happens very quickly. Several notes are popping up and disappearing as soon as they appear. I just think the scent is so wonderful. In the heart notes, the Cashmeran and maybe the Atlas Cedar gives an airy nuance throughout the dry down. Also, in the heart notes are patchouli, vetiver, coumarin (Tonka Bean), and a coffee note (which I can’t detect).
Interestingly, Rhubarb, chili pepper, are in the top notes. And yes, I could smell the zingy, sweet Rhubarb, but honestly, I don’t yet see the point of this note. Hazelnut, iris, saffron, and clary sage are arranged in the top notes.
The base has a solid line-up starring Castoreum, Civet, Suede, Ambrette Seed, Musk, and Costus root. This fragrance is basically a aromatic spicy musk. It’s a sensuous fragrance that has a certain energy and enthusiasm about it. Just wished it lasted longer. It’s not for everybody and if you’re out trying to please a crowd, this is not it. I think this is for the person who’s confident enough to wear it. To stand alone in a crowd. Great stuff, just not for the masses. Definitely, a mature fragrance.
This was my first order from Scent Split, and I am very pleased. One thing that most people take for granite are the bottles in which they receive their decants. It is worthy of mentioning something about the 9 ml decant bottles that Scent Split uses for decants. I love them. The stylish perfume bottles and the pump sprayers are great and these bottles are similar to the one’s that you would get when purchasing a 10 ml bottle of perfume in a department store. They aren't low quality. I know bottles, and these are quality glass perfume bottles—before you get into the full-size perfume bottles. I kind of have fetish for perfume bottles. Bottles can be romantic—as dorky as that sounds. Packaging is everything, and Scent Split seems to do that well. I think care about their packaging and customers. That’s what I perceive. I’m glad I discovered this company.
