Why Byredo's Lil Fleur Fragrance Is Worth It

Welcome back to Worth It (opens in new tab), a bi-weekly breakdown of the absolute best new beauty product I've tried. Sure, splurging on makeup or skincare is a risk, but trust that this beauty editor will only recommend something I wholeheartedly believe is worth every penny. Because you deserve the best of the best. Keep reading to discover the one product you do not want to miss out on, and catch up on the latest Worth It breakdown, here (opens in new tab).

The Promise

If you think about it, all perfumes try to deliver on a simple pledge: To make you smell good. Byredo (opens in new tab), it seems, always hits the mark. Over the years, the Swedish perfume brand has grown its lifestyle ambitions, offering sunglasses, jewelry, scarves, and most recently Byproduct (opens in new tab)—shoes and other wearable items made from repurposed materials from its warehouse. As covetable as these new projects are, their unisex, for-every-taste scent selection is still the headliner, and Lil Fleur does not disappoint.

The notes of this perfume—saffron, cassis, tangerine, Damascena rose, leather, blonde woods, and amber—swirl into a melange that is sweet but spicy, delicate but masculine, and infinitely cool. The result is enough to make anyone swoon.

Why I'm Obsessed

I've loved many perfumes in my life, but before Lil Fleur, never have so many people asked what scent I was wearing—friends and co-w0rkers alike. Not only do I think I smell great, others seem to agree.

My particular taste in perfumes can be frustratingly specific: I love the occasional whiff of gardenia or rose, but flowery perfumes are generally not for me. I don't fall for super feminine sweet scents, but anything too leathery or woody repels me. When you're wearing Lil Fleur, no one will come up to you and say, "Hold on, is that a hint of tangerine that I detect?" Its individual notes are subtle, but combine into something large and warm, with a bit of edge. My life's ambition is to remain a creature of mystery, and I'm of the belief that any scent that's too recognizable works against me. For that reason, this new Byredo perfume that straddles between masculine and feminine, subtle but bold, works perfectly for me.

As part of the Marie Claire beauty team, I'm an avid beauty product tester. And whenever I finish a product, whether a serum or mascara, I excitedly imagine the new thing could take its place in my sampling arsenal. In this case, though, the second I give Lil Fleur its last spritz, I'll immediately hop online to buy it again.

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