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ssn1kerss – :
Nothing revolutionary or new but that is anyway not the concept of the line of Maison Christian Dior Collection. The concept of this line is to bring simple, quiet, well blended fragrances that somehow take you back in time by reminding you of something familiar from the past.
Ballade Sauvage is a very well blended decent, summer fragrance, a more luxurious version of Dior Dune from 1997.
Midlename – :
This smells better then Acqua de Parma’s Fico. It’s starts of with a rough Smokey note and dries down into a soft sweet fruity floral smell. Sorry, my nose isn’t the most well developed or experienced but to me it smells good. Overall, i like it alot, only wished that it lasts longer on my skin.
BessePayoxtax – :
Something I never said or thought about any other fragrance:
This is a cologne I would share with my husband, if I had one. Period.
alena_mts – :
After uneasy experiences from Feve Delicieuse and Cologne Royale etc, I’d rather not expecting much from Dior’s exclusive line, especially when Francois Demachy still runs the house, in which maybe Leather Oud is an only exception and Granville is, after all, acceptable. As to the only 250ml bottle I still hold, Bois d’Argent, it leaves me hard to pick a word, if I may, probably as a souvenir to prove that I owned most of this collection once. Regarding to the house of Dior, I might never understand why they put Eau Sauvage Parfum into the regular line while Feve Delicieuse, Cologne Royale, Eau Noire, Vetiver, New Look 1947 or something like these into the Privee. Quite a question mark to my recognition on regular perfumery.
With a dozen of Sauvage-suffixed frags that have already been released by Dior, here it comes a new one named Balade Sauvage. The opening is mainly an ozonic, radiant yet nothing greeny fig, with citrus sparkling above a just right amount of creamy nuance to illustrate the fact of the fruit being completely ripe and eatable, possibly nearly to be cloying though. Compared to several strands of realistic fig scents, Balade is not about the fig tree and leaves as L’Artisan Parfumeur Figuer / Ferragamo Pour Homme (discontinued), neither the tree, leaves and fruit as a whole like Diptyque Philosykos, nor a fruity based fig a la Acqua di Parma Fico (with citrus) / Hermes un Jardin en Mediterranee (with grass). Instead, it re-interpreted the opening of Le labo The Noir 29 by highlighting the creamy nuance among floral woody fig accord and blending with a citrus layer, like two drops of The Noir 29 blended with three drops of Bianco di Carrara. Probably not an accurate proportioning, but the point is clear.
As citrus note wears off, it unfortunately evolves into a dull, cloying and a bit generic drydown with evident synthetic woody note murmuring at the base, say a “sterilized” take on Bianco di Carrara. That kind of composition reminds me of a couple of generic-with-minor-niche-twist houses, say Atelier Cologne / Byredo / Creed, where it is not about the scent per se but the way they compose. In this sense, Balade Sauvage is another misplaced scent in the Maison line, at least to my nose. The same goes to quite a few other new offerings, for instance Souffle Soie, a re-interpretation of Patricia de Nicolai Fig Tea. Yes, Dior’s new Maison line is doing Atelier Colgones now!
It is yet to be defined as a rip-off, but surely a bit plain, and politically correct at its best, which makes it a good fit for broader audience who are pursuing for extremely easy-to-digest yet pricey fragrances from well-known brands. Nonetheless, these new offerings would put huge threats to Hermes and Jo Malone along with others that have been playing in this perfervid battlefield in east Asia for a long time. That Balade Sauvage is said to be the best seller of Privee in Chinese boutiques has pretty much proved it, in the mean time, big boys as Leather Oud along with newer Purple Oud & Santal Noire have been resourcefully removed from the counter.
Anyway, if you like the opening and dislike its generic drydown, I’d recommend Le Labo 29, which is more in everything but price.Rating: 6/10
Artem1996 – :
This is an excellent release by Dior as it finally provides us with a truly tropical scent that is both unisex and modern. While it is centered around fig, the fig isn’t so strong and direct as to totally make this a fig fragrance. It’s less “figgy” than scents like Philosykos, Premier Figuier, and Figuier Eden, which focus purely on the fruit and little else. Balade Sauvage blends fig with other fruity notes as well, perhaps pear, apricot, and peach among others. It also incorporates soft tropical floral notes and blends them with the fruit, creating a scent that fresh and tropical but also kind of warm. There’s a definite comfortable warmth that accompanies the fruit and floral notes and it comes across very smooth and natural feeling. Some citrus notes provide a little edge as well, but they’re not particularly strong or sharp, so you never feel like you’re wearing a citrus fragrance exactly. Labdanum in the base ensures a very smooth, plush finish. Balade Sauvage is never screechy, synthetic feeling, or anything other than unisex. Overall the quality is great and the performance is solid with good projection and longevity. It has a casual appeal, but would be very easy to wear a little dressed up as well. I would rate this a 9/10 easily, with perhaps the chance to give it another half a point once I have a little more time with it.
Side Note: If you’re looking for a new scent for the summer of 2018, look no further. This is really an excellent choice and it’s somewhat different than your typical fresh scent, as it approaches things from a tropical angle. Balade Sauvage and Beach Hut Man are my two favorite scents this summer, and both are about as different from one another as can be.
ssosi – :
My first taste of Dior’s private collection, and I like it quite a lot, but at the same time I’m a bit disappointed that that’s as far as it goes: from this exclusive line, and with this enticing note pyramid, I was kind of hoping to be blown away, and I wasn’t. Instead, I found a very well made summer scent that I quite enjoy wearing but that doesn’t make my heart beat any faster.
I’m not surprised it’s popular, though: it’s very wearable and perfectly unisex, with a great balance between the sweetness of the fruity notes and the rest of the composition. The fig note is nice but a little subdued, and it goes together very well with the outdoorsy accords: I don’t think I would have thought of it myself, but this scent is indeed effective in calling to mind a warm and windy day under the fig trees along a wilder part of the Mediterranean coast, as another reviewer and actually the name of the perfume itself point out.
So I do really like this one, and I’m sure I’ll use up my decant with pleasure in the warmer months ahead of us, but after that I don’t think I’ll get a full bottle. For one thing, the performance could be better: it’s the kind of scent I don’t really notice wearing throughout the day, which is always a shame, and even more so at this price point. On top of that, there are so many (cheaper!) summer colognes I do actually love that I won’t miss this one when it’s gone.
Katty – :
Since the first expansion of the line in 2010 Dior tries unsuccessfully to create a Cologne that sounds in fact exclusive. I do not know why they discontinued the creation of 2004 called the Cologne Blanche, because its citrus, floral and almond scent captured in a very beautiful way a Cologne structure. Milly La Foret and Cologne Royale entered in 2010 to fill this gap but they were two of the most common and boring creations of that lot . Now in 2018 the brand tries again to offer a perfume with Cologne aura in Balade Sauvage.
In a way several of the new perfumes launched between 2017 and 2018 in this collection have a more typical lightness of a Cologne. When I evaluated a few in 2017 I thought the brand would be creating a spring-summer section in their collection, but today I think they may have looked more closely at the Dior Catalog and noticed the heavy-handed style of their exclusives might not perform very well overall in the Asian market. The new ones seem to me to be tailor made for this audience. But of these, the one that has a citrus floral structure that refers to a cologne is Balade Sauvage.
The landscape that inspires it is propitious for this – the island of Panarea, an island of the archipelago of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, north of Sicily. It is an exotic, tropical and relatively unknown landscape, perfect for an exclusive perfume. Francois Demachy interprets this paradisiacal place with a citrus and floral structure that gains something new and interesting with the created fig accord. Ballade Sauvage captures the green and fruity aspect of the fig without entering its lactonic nuances, using synthetic abstract notes to give freshness and brightness to the idea. Even so, the center of the composition is not obfuscated – we are faced with a kind of neroli cologne with a simple amber base that is meant to hold the perfume on the skin.
The idea is interesting, but ephemeral and its best details go very quickly. Balade Sauvage even when applied generously is still very discreet, but it is something that would be expected in the style ir proposes. At least it is distinguished and interesting with the idea of figs + chord Cologne, finally filling this slot in the collection in a decent way.
Clemitallialm – :
My first try of the latest collection of Dior Privee fragrances (announced on-and-off over the last few years but allegedly only released in late 2017 or early 2018 in Paris), Balade Sauvage caught my eye above many of the others and I jumped at a chance to sample it via a split.
As many of the initial reports are indicating, it’s wonderful, a playful, fresh mix of fig, labdanum, and a health variety of citrus, floral, and aquatic notes, possibly with a woody or vetiver base underneath. I’ve been slow to warm up to fig as a sweet fruity note (it took me a couple of years to warm up to plum, for one) but I do like the way it’s relatively subtly used in Balade Sauvage. The fig is there but not dominant; it’s well-blended with the other competing clusters of notes.
Performance is impressive for a freshie, not quite to the Profumum level but still strong projection for hours and longevity beyond. Certainly most comfortable as a daytime warm weather fragrance (based on character), it’s nonetheless robust enough to wear on a warmer night or indoors, only perhaps unsuited for the colder days and nights of winter.
I’d be remiss not to mention that I also see this is quite unisex in nature–this could smell good or men or women, old or young, in various walks of life. It’s just an unusually pleasant, agreeable smell.
8 out of 10
Эстель – :
A great new fragrance from the Dior house. I just received my bottle a couple of days ago. Been wearing it ever since. I definitely get the fig, citrus, and ambergris. Maybe a hint of the sea notes for a slightly watery fruity feel. I think the reviewer who described this as walking the Mediterranean coastline has a pretty spot on interpretation of this scent. The only other notes that are not listed that I feel I get are maybe a light amber with some either cinnamon or nutmeg. The fragrance is quite linear but that’s okay. I don’t really associate this with Pulp too much as another review eluded to but more of the Fico di Amalfi but definitely smoother. Although I do not get milky quality others may get from this I still find this an amazing spring and summer scent. This feels like something you would find Jean Claude Ellena doing but with a little more power. This is not a powerhouse by any means but more so just right. It isn’t regularly warm here so the temp being between 50-65 degrees Fahrenheit kinda makes this a little hard to gauge. I do about 5 sprays and it lasts me a solid 7-9 hours with 3-4 projection. While mentioning that it may seem similar in some ways to Fico Di Amalfi, I assure you that this is a unique fragrance. Fresh and fruity, a tad bit floral, and yet still has a warming character to it. Don’t let any of the floral aspects scare men off either. This is perfectly Unisex. Well done Demachy, well done!!! 9/10
bauyrzhan – :
I am wearing this today and enjoying it, its pretty strong and sweet but addctive, I am a fan od the dior privee collection, fig seems to be the note that flourishes the most. 8/10
unfarkibfub – :
It’s weird, but on the initial spray it has a faint “nutty” quality. Strange because nuts or almonds are not listed as notes… Anyhow this was love at the first sniff. It’s not a bright fig note like for example in AdP Fico di Amalfi, which is also not bad btw, but this is a lot smoother and “milkier” , not as much “out there”, and overall better imo. Very high quality ingredients overall. Quite unique too. It changes a bit over time.
Imagine taking a hike on the mediterranean coast line, and then you stop to take a rest under a fig tree. There is a warm and slight breeze. That’s what this reminds me of.
Longevity on skin is okayyish, but lasts a lot longer on clothes. Projection is something in between soft and moderate, although it leans more to moderate. Perfectly unisex scent. Spring and Summer is the best time for this, although I’d wear this also on colder days, because it has a certain “warmness”
Overall easily 9/10 I’ll get it soon.
olbos – :
I tested this perfume last day and about an hour it smells like VIW.
GrootheCata – :
This is a great fragrance for the summer and my favorite based on fig.(think Dune)
beautiful green with hints of fruit and beautiful frothy citrus fruits at the start.
Has the recognizable and elegant imprint of Demachy’s fragrances.
The note of cool and ‘lasting and constant compared to other fragrances I’ve tried.
the duration is infinite on the fabrics. it leans perfectly masculine, clean and classy.
wearable day and night and also suitable for the office without overuse it.
to my nose one of the best latest releases of dior collection on 2018.
Try!
Aleks164Rus – :
I was wearing balade sauvage today, I love this one actually, starts off a bit citrus and marine but dry down is very very gorgeous.. this develops into some fruity floral with a hint of Amber performance and silage is unbelievable.. I got around 15 hours of longetivity and 11 hours of projection.. my 3rd from the new line and all are really amazing