Wore my sample of Baccarat Rouge 540 for the second time today because I wanted to make sure my first impression wasn’t a fluke. Going in, I was hoping for something specific. On paper this should have been beautiful with jasmine (Grandiflorum and Egyptian), saffron, a little cedar grounding it out, then that musky base settling into skin. I expected florals up front, spice weaving through, a controlled sweetness, and then a warm, masculine dry down. That’s not what happened on me. What I got almost immediately was the burnt sugar/caramel, very prominent, paired with a mineral, saltiness. And yes… I understand now why some people say “dentist’s office.” There’s a sterile, almost clinical shimmer underneath the sweetness. The florals never really bloomed. If they’re there, they’re buried under the toasted sugar and that mineral cloud. Then the strangest part was that I went nose blind to it fairly quickly. I’d catch faint flashes if I moved, but for the most part it disappeared to my own nose while possibly still projecting, but I received no compliments, nor was I asked if I had just come out of the dentist's office. I understand why it’s polarizing. It’s intense, sort of synthetic, and engineered to radiate. But for me? I was hoping for floral warmth wrapped in spice on soft wood. What I experienced was sweet-mineral abstraction. On my skin, the myth and the reality didn’t quite align.

I blind bought this to complete the collection I have of these fragrances because I love the bottle and the juice inside. To my surprise it is an LV Ombré Nomad clone but smoother, a bit sweeter and less beast mode but I can tell you that the two times I’ve worn this it has lasted me me the whole work day and then some. Ombré Nomad is denser and more resinous and smokier than Solstice which is slightly more floral fruity with the edges rounded down. Like I said this is not beast mode but it projects well and to my skin lasted more than 8 hours. If you like dark fragrances and are looking for another one before the weather changes this hits the mark. I think I spent less than $30 on this and for everything it does that is a total bargain.