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vipmel – :
You can’t go by what anyone says (in anything in life), but it all makes very interesting reading (or listening, or watching, or smelling, or whatever)!!! Everyone is different; everyone’s skin is different; and so all perfumes can smell completely differently on everyone. That’s part of the fun and pleasure of life!!! And perfume!!! Two people, who both completely love one perfume, can completely disagree on another perfume. One person can say that a particular perfume smells exactly like a certain other perfume, but to you they may smell nothing alike at all!!! It is an amazing thing!! But! It all makes such wonderful reading, and experimenting, doesn’t it? Love!
jnya – :
What were they thinking? Breath of God, by Lush, the opposite of smelling salts! It could actually make you faint upon ingestion. I have given it a few chances, sprayed it at different times of the day on different days of the week before giving up and coming to the conclusion that Tania Sanchez who gave this a five star review in ‘Perfumes, the A-Z Guide’ is a contrarian!
This smells as if you are wearing an oily old crash helmet that you found lying next to some decaying tyres while you endure a heavily incensed good Friday mass, having had melon for breakfast.
Hangover inducing. No, not the type of Easter bonnet I should like to adorn. Quick open all the windows and fling wide the doors, Le half-pug’s gone limp!
kapterka – :
Just to let everyone know, this is EXACTLY THE SAME as LUSH’s Breath of God…. B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful was LUSH’s company!
They are identical. It is no longer available in body spray’s but you can buy ‘Inhale’ and ‘Exhale’ as fragrance oils from lush online.
Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez’s review is for both as they are the same juice, just different bottles.
Dinoy13 – :
Smells just like I’d imagine hippies tasted like. Yeah. I said tasted. This is very incense-like and is something I’d only spray as an air freshener in a temple somewhere. Nag Champa has a deeper, more complex fragrance than this does. AWFUL.
Constantine should really stick to making soap.
Rambo000 – :
mellyhelly… Lush Breath of God is not BNTBTBB Breath of God. Two different scents. LT rated THIS (BNTBTBB version, not the Lush version which you are saying is horrible. Your review on that belongs over on the other).
At any rate, based on LT’s review, and the mixed reviews here, I am curious to sample this. But then LT likes green and soapy scents too, it seems, and I hate them. So, we all must understand that while the A-Z guide is HIGHLY entertaining and fun to read, it is as subjective as any person’s reviews on this site. To each their own. I HATE Mitsouko (gasoline) and Opium (soapy times one million), but they also got 5 star reviews by LT in “The Guide”… so either I know nothing, or LT knows nothing…. OR, we all like what we like and don’t like what we don’t like.
The best anyone can do is interpret what they smell. No one REALLY cares whether anyone else loves or hates. But DO tell us what you smell!!! I always find it helpful when someone offers up a “This reminds me of….” cuz that will at least put a baseline reading for everyone else on what the person is getting from their sampling. If they say it smells like Opium, then I personally know to stay a million miles away from it.
Cheers,
Lisa
JinNick – :
I have a sample of this, and I can’t wait to get a full bottle. I have never smelled anything like this and I probably never will again. If someone had said to me “someday you’re going to love a perfume that smells like lemons and gasoline soaked burning airplane fuselage”, I would’ve said “yeah, get the hell away from me moron”. But that’s what happened. I love it. I love it at its most gasoline-y, and I love it at drydown where it way more mellow but still sharp and smoky
Zodiac7772 – :
Breath of God? I think not. More like, morning breath after a night of drinking. Ugh.
Serzz1 – :
Lush version:
So this is the famous glorious Breath of Gods (on a bad day?) that Luca Turin ranked 5 stars? God…
I sprayed it 6 hours ago and it’s still going on my hand. Luckily, in spite of its longevity, it is not too projecting and not so disturbing.
Anyway I’m not impressed with this one. I’m curious for sure. I wanted to try it and I did. Probable end of the story.
The initial ultra-strong burst is very weird and not easy to describe, but not totally bad. It is very lemony. Then the perfume dries and dries too much: burned tyres. Interesting because this is a note much in common with Andy Tauer Lonestar Memories which I don’t like at all, still I see the mastery behind.
What I smell like burned tyres it is probably better perceived by American noses like grilled marshmallow and so far a cosy familiar smell.
Then a timid cold smoky incense comes out and then…dies.
After 1 hour in this way it then goes to an overwhelming typical ozone masculine brash sporty cologne, the kind that you smell on 1 teenager every 3, but much more longlasting, so in this case, if you like it you get a lot of kick back for money.
Probably working better on a male skin.
Even if I don’t like BoG it remotely reminded me of a gorgeous scent: L’Artisan Timbuktu.
Puvianiarie – :
Simply amazing – my new signature scent. It has a slightly masculine feel, and that’s what I fall for. This is a scent for someone sexy, emotionally mature, and complex. Like most Lush scents, it can be very overpowering when first applied, but it quickly fades into a delicate-yet-strong smell that continues to evolve throughout the day. This is now a permanent part of my collection!
lav038 – :
This review is of the Lush version.
Probably the most unique fragrance I’ve smelled yet by any house, Breath of God is straight up weird, but it hits me in ways I never expected it to. It begins by contrasting smoky notes with cool fruitiness, smelling a bit like a “lettuce barbecue” or some kinda sandwich from Subway (well, I NEED SOMETHING TO COMPARE IT TO). Once this “phase” calms down, the fresh notes leave and it’s straight up smoky notes. Smoky vetiver and woods for hours and hours.
I usually wear a fragrance twice or more before I give it a proper review, so I’ll have to revisit Breath of God sometime. I don’t have a sample yet, but I tried it at a Lush store, so I’ll definitely sample it again when I get the chance, as I want to get to know this fragrance properly.
EDIT: Yep, barbecue smoked chicken. It’s not repulsive at all, but definitely try this before you buy it.
Петро – :
Wow,the opening on this is sharp and smoky, but give it about 1/2 hour if you can stand to. I’m finding the sweetness of the neroli starting to assert itself. Will see what I think of this in another hour or so
andruhin – :
My man wears this, along with Jaipur & Egoiste, and it smells great on him! Tobacco, leather, grapes, bubble gum….very cool. I didn’t realise this was a women’s scent……really? Smells great and manly on my guy.
(he could be wearing a tutu and still be manly though…)
NeFH – :
Original Review April 2011
Everybody suggested Breath Of God as one of the weirdest fragrances around and as I’m always very curious about strange perfumes I immediatley decided to try it. A bizarre composition with mint, smoky incense/vetiver and fruits that’s quite weird indeed. Linear and just a tad loud but definitely distinctive and (somehow) pleasant. It opens with incese juxtaposed to melon to then “evolve” into a smoky vetiver and a sort of woody-fruit-salad that’s fresh and dark at the same time. Funny and very wearable, but far from being the masterpiece I expected.
I think I made a big mistake with Breath Of God as the first time I smelled it, I was at Lush surrounded by the loud and cacophonous chemical aroma that is typical of this kind of stores and, as the sense of smell is inarguably bounded and related to memory, my brain is no more able to dissociate the smell of BOG from the fake “natural-justmade-cosmethics&soaps” odour of Lush’s points of sale. I decided to buy a 10ml vial anyway and maybe, one day, I’ll be able to fully appreciate Breath Of God.
Edit July 2011:
After several wearings I can say I’m addicted. The smoky vetiver juxtaposed to the general fresh vibe is extremely compelling and unique. Kudos..
Rating: 8.5-9/10
dead)mau5 – :
One to try out under the unisex, daytime, serious not sexy, dry not sweet, business not pleasure heading.
I wear it and I am still not sure what I think…one for those who are just interested in scents, generally.
Because it is so emphatically not sweet, it smells very outdoorsy and ‘natural’, as though someone has made it from crushed woods and herbs, but none of the descriptions will tell you if you are going to like it. But not everything marketed as perfume should be based on flowers, amber base and musk, or so I have to applaud the fact that is exists at all
alex.t – :
It’s strange how different my perception of this is from everyone else’s.
On my it smells quite linear – exactly the same after several hours.
It has, on me a very distinctive odor of burning pot. It’s a fun scent and interesting. However, it is NSFW.
murad – :
This perfume is really really good, it has a masculine side that is very appealing to me, it is in the same mood as Le Baiser du Dragon…
Is very woody, dry and sweet in a spicy way. The bigger notes on my skin are vetiver and jasmin with a melon vibe in the background. I would wear it to go out when I wanted to feel sexy and powerfull in a male perspective. I think its a great perfume for a big bold women, but as I said, men can wear this easier then women.
In the overall, a really good perfume that yes, it has something divine in it…It kind of reminds me of the smell of the church, the polished woods and the incense…A really intesresting find for a reasonable price.
Sillage: Very good
Longevity: Last all day long
Personality: For mature, spiritual people who enjoy a perfume full of memories from the past.
8/10
nzp238speagoessenda – :
Like other reviewers here I was repelled by the opening of this perfume. WHOA! I take my hat off to those who have been able to distinguish the notes. This is God venting his spleen, and the best you can do is hold your arm full length away from your nose for 20 mins.
But then, the beauty emerges. And the beauty develops throughout the day. It is both light and dark, harsh but soft, serious yet lighthearted.
I’m surprised at the classification of fruity floral. On me, it is more green chypre and the only thing I can think of that is remotely similar is La Prairie Life Threads Platinum. They share some similar notes, namely vetiver, amber, rose and the wood notes.
I liked this enough to buy it and I’m glad I did. This will keep your wrist to your nose for hours, and like God, you will never understand it. Just go with it and enjoy the ride.
Fords – :
I wasn’t all too sure how I found out about this scent. Fragrantica?? BNotes discussion?? Who knows. It seemed to be a cult fragrance that you needed to try at least once in your lifetime.
I was surprised to find out that there were Lush stores in my area and it was nice to know that Breath of God was to finally make it in their permanent offerings under the Gorilla Perfumes line.
Most of the stuff I smelled at Lush seemed to have a tongue in cheek flair with its sweet, candied, fruity, and floral offerings, right down to what they say is their cornerstone fragrance, Karma, which compares to a light, citrusy, headshop patchouli scent.
Breath of God, however, is downright a cerebral scent, and to my nose wasn’t intended to be comparable to an overdecorated designer scent. Forces of yin and yang, push and pull, repel and attract, are at work here in this scent.
Bitter, rubbery, smoky, and green notes heightened, met, and juxtaposed by a bright citrus and ozonic melon notes starts the scent off, and probably many people at this point would start running to wash their arms, running from God! But as the scent settles, there is a calming, airy feel of nature itself, yet grounded still by earthy notes of patchouli and, oh yes, strong vetiver–remember the strong rubbery note I mentioned? That’s definitely vetiver. Yes, this scent can also be classified as a leather scent. Smoky at first it may be, you get the impression that the incense note is much like the camphorous and resinous notes of a certain type of oudh.
Breath of God is aptly named. This scent is like the air that God breathed forth to give life to nature itself. It is the scent of flying over airy forested mountaintops.
Not knowing how I would like this scent in the long run, I only bought their 1/3oz. bottle, but after wearing it after 2 days now, I am in love with this cult favorite, and it so happens to be a favorite of Luca Turin too. I’m definitely going back for a 1oz. bottle too, and I’ve managed to find a bottle of the Exhale body spray to compare it to this scent.
Overall, I don’t consider this a strong scent, only happens in the beginning. But it does bloom when your body heat goes up, so don’t go spraying this with abandon. This scent is great when you want to smell scented, but not perfumey. Probably great at a book reading event. You gotta try this at least once in your lifetime!
obivankenobi – :
If anyone is wondering where to get this stuff, Lush has started to take a lot of BNTBTBB fragrances as their heads of fragrance are the same guys anyway! I bought the solid perfume which is fairly dilute at 10% concentration but nice and portable and £7.00 so not expensive. This is a strange fragrance which isn’t like my usual ‘mature’ style. This is a teenage ’emo’ smell which is fine by me, as I used to be one (20 years ago!). It definately has a whiff of consulate cigarettes about it with smoke and a fig-like fruit in the background. It’s not a sexy smell but an interesting one which could be worn all year round. The drydown is soft after the strange start but I must say that after wearing it a few times it’s really slightly too unisex for me. I’ll give it to my hubby…
^^Nik008^^ – :
Before the B Shop closed, I would drift in and out of it, inhaling the mixture of scents unable to figure out if there was one particular scent I loved best….I settled on Cocktail and Keep It Fluffy. Damn. I missed out on Dear John and Breath of God big time, because these two were the kick inside and I am on borrowed time with the final dribbles in the bottles. Breath of God, first spray is disgusting. Really vile. Gummy bears. Dried fruit. Consulate cigs/airways chewing gum. Cough Medicine, smokey bacon crisps, a cold thurifer. Not a whiff of floral or wood (unless it’s charcoal).
It screeches at you and smells of kippers. But leave it (if you can bear it) for an hour and something wonderful happens, especially in hot weather. It becomes a heady teenagey innocent smell of Yardley Caprice, toffee apples, early evening honeysuckle on the breeze with a disarming blast of underage sticky Bulmers cider and consulate menthol cigarette breath. To summarise, it is 1975 in a bottle, if you can get past the invitable teenage angst that the first application invariably produces. Personally, I would sell my granny for another bottle. If I still had one…
mayboro – :
This is quite a masculine blend and I think the Vetiver kinda ruins it. It’s only my opinion but vetiver can sometimes overpower a perfume so much.
Someone below said this smells medicinal at first & there’s deffo and element of smoke. I completley agree. It smells like a medicinal earthy vetiver with a masculine twist.
The drydown is what saves this perfume because thankfully the screeching vetiver dies off a bit and you get that familiar “B Never” kinda scent that flows through all of their perfumes.
The thing is..it’s still not very oputstanding and not very strong, it’s dying out before you know it so…overall I am not impressed with this one. They have much better perfumes in their line.
🙂
ohmi9 – :
I agree with everyone else who has reviewed this unique fragrance so far. It starts with what smells like a medicinal fire with lots of smoke. The menthol smell seems to give it an airy feeling which, when it settles down, disperses the smoke to make way for beautiful fruits and florals in the heart. The drydown is pretty heavenly too. It’s musky and quite comforting after a couple hours, but I could still sense a whiff of the top smoky and middle floral heart notes. Overall, it’s a fascinating fragrance that I’ve grown to love on myself and my husband. We didn’t need much to get the full effect either.
FEDYA 93 – :
A lot of smoky scents tend to be a little to harsh, heavy and almost headache-inducing on me, not Breath of God. I find it amazing, it´s really like someone breathing, strong notes of really smoky incense, burning wood are layered with some soft, airy floral notes. The floral wiffing trough just now and then. I get so relaxed and comfy when using Breath of God. And still it is even better on my husband… Yes, it might work better with male chemistry, but not necesary, it become a little oily and softer on my husband a bit fresher and airy on me.
Really personal and unique. Make an impact, not for timid persons maybe…
Sillage is heavy but it´s more longlasting on my husband then on me. Try if you are curious about an unique perfume experience, but I understand if not everyone like this. It´s kind of weird…
blesswowforever – :
After hearing so many rave reviews, I bought a small decant of Breath of God to try.
This is a very unusual scent, not especially “perfumey” and it may not work for you. I gave it a few tries but I just did not like the way Breath of God smelled on my skin. It reeked of menthol cigarettes, with a touch of incense. Very medicinal smelling, with strong sillage (which was not pleasant on me) but minimal persistence. It faded after just two hours and I was unable to observe the perfume’s evolution.
However, it smelled WONDERFUL on my husband. I gave the rest of the decant to him, and both of us were amazed at how different it smelled on him, and how much longer it lasted, too. It had a very masculine aroma on my husband, with no discernible fruits or flowers, just lovely smoke and spices, and no overpowering menthol scent.
Perhaps this one suits masculine skin chemistry better? Or perhaps it just didn’t suit me. It’s so non-traditional that it can’t help but be unisex. Be sure to test it on your skin before committing to a full bottle. If it works for you, it is a unique composition whose scent will make you stand out from the crowd.