Gypsy Water
Byredo (2008)

G*psy is a slur. Opre Roma!

Brands update, re-brand and reformulate all the time for many reasons. I don't think it would be out of reach for Byredo to simply rename this one. If this is a good scent, I'd never know, because I'm not going to touch it with a ten foot pole. G*psy is not my word to use, and I won't wear a frag whose name I wouldn't speak aloud. It doesn't mean free spirit, it doesn't mean wanderer, it's a slur used against a marginalized group.

I know this doesn't bother a lot of people, but whether we like it or not, our spending speaks for us. I hope people aren't buying this stuff because they explicitly don't care about the oppression and genocide of Romani and traveling folks. And if they aren't, maybe they shouldn't be buying it at all.

When I first smelled this fragrance, it immediately caught my attention. While it's not a standout scent, I still consider it one of Byredo's best offerings. However, its performance could be improved, and the high price point makes it a bit of a disappointment. Despite enjoying the scent, it's hard to justify the cost. Additionally, there are some concerns about the name of the fragrance.

I would describe this as 'pleasant'.

Everything about this is nice, nice opening, nice drydown. Does it have the 'wow' factor? I'm not too sure.

The citrus - especially bergamot - opening is bright and positive, but is not strong enough to have a really refreshing character. There is a fruity undertone that morphs into a coniferous woody drydown with a gently balsamic undertone, but without much of a raisinous component.

The base adds a vanillin note that is accompanied by a weakly ambery sideline.

I get weak sillage, poor projection and a rather suboptimal longevity of three hours, with the last hour being very close to my skin.

This summery scent is pleasant in its top notes, but only in a watery sense of a way; the rest of its development not exactly bad, but it is characterised by being generic, synthetic and diluted - as evidenced by the poor performance on my skin. 2.5/5

Light, airy citrus with creamy vanilla-amber woods. Very unisex and pleasant throughout. Smells almost commercially too good, like it's something found in hotel soaps or shampoos. The vanilla in here is muted and more floral, not gourmand. The drydown many hours in reminds me of Davidoff Silver Shadow.

Projection is adequate and longevity is decent lasting 6-8 hours.

Very nice, smooth, clean vibe. Not liking the pine note though.

Good fragrance overall I guess, just not for me.

Not something I'll be decanting or paying $200+ dollars for.

Growing up, my mother quickly realized that, for a few years at least, my perfume grasp should not extend as far as my reach. I was 11, I wanted to wear her Ma Griffe and Youth Dew. She didn't want me wearing anything. Eventually, we compromised, and I was allowed 4711 and a bit of her Jean Nate. Several years later, when I was able to spend a portion of my babysitting budget on "colognes," I gravitated toward some of what I like to think of as the citrusy/herbal-ey/woody/green greats, like Eau de Lancome, Calandre, and Eau de Givenchy.

Gypsy Water reminds me of that style, albeit with a great slug of vanilla and some incense, both of which arrive a little too soon on the scene to muddy the waters. In addition, whereas the favorites of my teen years were assertive, with the kind of heft and projection that could cut through even the thickest of girls' bathroom and college-bar cigarette smoke, Gypsy Water stays close to my skin.

While it lingers, it's interesting enough to keep me sniffing, hoping to snag and hold on to the accord of piney goodness that pokes out every now and again, but the whole thing disappears so quickly that I can't see paying full price for a bottle of something this elusive, no matter how intriguing.

I've tried the EDC version but not the EDP version, so this is in reference to the former incarnation of Byredo Gypsy Water, as it's one of a handful of offerings by the house to be offered in 50/100ml EDP bottles and 250ml EDC bottles.

To highlight the obvious, the EDC is obviously not much of a performer, but that's to be expected. I've not tried the EDP but I imagine it's a bit stronger, and better be, given the much higher cost per volume.

That said, Gypsy Water is a pleasant aquatic, a mix of citrus (lemon/bergamot), pine, and sandalwood, primarily, to my nose, though a handful of other notes are listed. I don't get any vanilla, for example. Still, it's a good blend, and I'd be curious to try the EDP to see if performance is better.

While the scent is nice, I certainly wouldn't opt to buy this, at $240 for a 250ml bottle. Far too expensive for the weak spray that it is.

7 out of 10

A nice calm fragrance. A blend of vanilla, woods and citrus notes come together in a bright, subtle and persistent trail. Not too sweet because sandalwood comes in to mellow the lemon down. No sharp edges here. It is very lovely but it is not a statement fragrance. The citrus and woods are very soft. Fresh, clean, homely, balsamic, peaceful, comfortable, delicate, discreet, inviting, slightly warm and perfectly unisex scent.

Lemony freshness then a creamy warm but not gourmand vanilla with a touch of amber on a bed of opulent woody notes of sandalwood creating a radiant, fresh and versatile aura. In fact the lime hits me first but mellows out quickly and the it just becomes sofly clean creamy scent. Not too overpowering but definitely there. Perfect for days that are growing cooler and shorter. All of the notes blend together pretty well. If you are looking for a nice soft not so in your face vanilla citrus that is just enough to obtain a swoon, you are exactly at the right place.

Here's Byredo attempting to pull a Guerlain, with predictably laughable results. The bright and coniferous opening engages the nose before segueing to a light peppery orris and incense. Nice! It projects well too.

What a good start, or so I thought.

Unfortunately the party was soon gatecrashed by a lumbering ambery-vanillic accord that overstayed its welcome and just about overwhelmed everything save for the persistent incense.

If you enjoy vanillic insense scents as much as I do this is probably middle of the pack, some ways behind Atelier who did a far superior job with their Insensee Vanille.

I'm not impressed. This smells watered down, diluted almoust gone offish as if the bottle had been sitting on a dusty shelf without the cap on.
Maybe it's more suitable when the weather get's warmer?
The juxtaposition between the"freshness" and the sweet warmth from sandalwood and vanilla is not cutting it for me. I miss nuances and depht.
If you do enjoy Gypsy Water I strongly suggest that you try the perfumer Jerome Epinettes Bonbon Tree at & Other Stories. I'm wearing Gypsy Water on one wrist and Bonbon Tree on the other and in my humble opinion it's basically the same scent by the same perfumer but to a much more appropriate price tag at & Other Stories. Gypsy Water just don't have that luxe , exklusive, expensive feel to it as with perfumes from Hermes or Lutens that imidiatly makes me feel special and exhilarated.
There is of corse nothing to complain about projection and longivity in this case when I just want to scrub it off...

First off, I love the name. This comes in both EdP and EdC concentrations and my review is of the EdP.

It begins both lemony and coniferous. The lemon is sweet. The only other pine/lemon concoction I have worn is Blenheim Bouquet, but this comes off rather opposite, with none of the austerity of the Penhaligons offering. The pine gives way to vanilla and this comes across lemony dessert. Pleasant, but perhaps a touch too sweet. Is this the stuff of Gypsies? I have no idea.