Reine de Nuit
Extrait de Parfum, Byredo (2019)

Reine de Nuit is promising at the outset. There’s some real synergy going on with the saffron, blackcurrant, incense, and rose notes. The transition to the base isn’t bad, merely less interesting: the rose is the only note that sustains from the opening, joined by patchouli. I don’t detect the ambrette, but since I’m not a huge fan, I’m OK with that—save that rose and patchouli, while lovely, are more than a bit "been there, done that" (and, at this price point, done better).

The bottom line is, I’ll hold onto the sample, and if I had a bottle, I might’ve held onto that; but I can’t imagine paying the over $300 for 50 ml that Byredo is asking. Thumbs up, but not very far up.