B-Boy by Alyssa Ashley

What would Alyssa Ashley be without that white musk! It’s not a criticism it’s an observation: I didn’t smell that note as a signature in any of the brand’s fragrances (and I own several) until I tried AMBRE GRIS. After all some houses build their identity around a specific accord like Guerlain’s ‘guerlinade’ or Lolita Lempicka’s licorice. But not everyone is drawn to that olfactory signature. I admit I struggle to connect with white musk unless it’s well-blended and high quality. That’s why even in scents I adore like the incense in OUD POUR LUI the musky note turns me off. The one in Alyssa Ashley sounds so synthetic and artificial that it’s hard to connect. Modern white musks are synthetic; the issue is the type used: there are high-quality ones (Chanel Dior Lutens) and there are lower-quality ones (Ashley Rocher Avon). I understand price explains the difference. Alyssa Ashley has many followers; if you like their musk you’ll be hooked on the value. I think the brand needs to keep existing (without falling to Perris Monte Carlo) just as I love Lapidus or Bogart even though some dismiss them as cheap. The opening of B-Boy Hip Hop is very citrusy: bergamot lemon and orange. I like that moment and I’d still like it if it stayed there. But after five minutes the grating musk invades everything. The citrus notes don’t help; they intensify it and the geranium makes it worse. My stomach does a little flip and I have to move my nose away from my arm to compose myself. If I get close again the rejection is instant. The woody amber and vanilla notes promised never arrive. The musk remains and I can only wait hours for it to fade. I don’t wash my arm because it doesn’t get quite that bad. I understand why it has followers: it’s honest and affordable. The problem isn’t Alyssa Ashley it’s my pituitary gland.

B-Boy is a perfume with little evolution: it smells of vanilla almost from the start until the end but along the way you catch glimpses of very captivating spicy and fresh tonalities that make a cliché scent something truly beautiful. The opening is a very fresh youthful citrus vanilla; then it starts to sweeten without losing that freshness with lovely hints of cinnamon and amber. The dry-down is a residue of vanilla mixed with sweet tobacco over a bed of soft creamy musky wood. It’s a vanilla perfume that offers vanilla everywhere but far from being the typical one-dimensional cloying vanilla we find a fresh lovely vanilla in line with perfumes like ‘Ted Lapidus pour Lui’ or ‘Tasmeen’ and ‘Daarej’ by Rasasi. They don’t smell exactly the same but they are vanilla executions very much in the same vein as this. A scent that pleasantly surprised me I found it without looking and bought it without a second thought because of its low cost. Now I’d like to get a larger bottle because it feels like the whole line from this house smells like it’s about to be discontinued. It has moderate longevity about 6 hours on skin with a slightly weak projection for an EDP but it’s not bad at all considering the price. It’s suitable for warm spring-summer days and some mild autumn days. For the sweet-tooths who enjoy vanilla like children here is a recommended option.