Bascule is horses, hay and leather. The sun-ripened notes of succulent fruit, woods and prominent green notes amidst a notable bass of earthy tones and noblesse oblige. Equestrian. It features notes of grass, peach, bergamot, lily of the valley, hay, leather accord, metal tack, vetiver, amber, musk, fir and tobacco. Bascule is and eau de parfum, edp.
SARAH BAKER PERFUMES BASCULE REVIEWS
Sarah Baker: “If ever a fragrance were going to lead you astray, this could be it. This is ruthless seduction executed in the most refined manner, as succulent peach juice drips onto hot leather and rich tobacco strokes warm hay. There’s enough cleanliness to render it fit for wear beyond the bedroom, but only just: lily of the valley and cut grass evoke the cleanliness of a bath, following a torrid tumble in the stables.” -Suzy Nightingale, Senior Writer, The Perfume Society Scented Letter Magazine
Fragrantica: I’m a fan of classic perfumes mostly and so many of the modern “odd and quirky” indie things just don’t appeal to me, not because I don’t like unique things or that I wear nothing but Chanel, but because so often they feel forced or off balance, like someone trying too hard to be odd and quirky. There is that and there is Bascule. Weirdness done right. If this perfume doesn’t win an award then they need to do away with these award ceremonies. This perfume represents everything that it means to be edgy and “indie”, even avant-garde, but it does it in a way that’s exciting and thrilling, establishing a realistic setting of all sorts of things that don’t really smell “good” but it makes them smell good by balancing them perfectly with things that DO smell good. This perfume smells like a dirty horse stable swathed in layers of the most exquisite lily of the valley and peaches. When I first sprayed it, I didn’t even know how to react, there was this shock and excitement, because I couldn’t tell if I was smelling something really good or something almost profane. There is the most beautiful white floral.... I’m like is that lily of the valley in the middle is this horse hair and hay? Then there is the peaches, really delicious peaches, and a roughed up leather....and something cold and almost rusty like metal. And in the midst of all this madness is a sort of odd grace. I don’t know, I know all this probably sounds scary but somehow it works. It REALLY works. I smell a lot of perfume, a LOT, and it’s not often that I have a reaction like this. This perfume is seriously weirdly wonderful.
Fragrantica: I love to wear Bascule when I'm going to be outside — there's an open airy scent to it that transports me to picnicking in a park. It strikes me as a warm weather kind of scent. And I love that it lasts so long. I can run around all day with just one spritz and it's going strong as the sun goes down. This is a special perfume.
Fragrantica: I was raised at the stables. My mother was a dressage trainer and I was her willing stall-mucker, horse feeder, hot walker, groomer, tack cleaner, leather polisher – you name it – anything to be with the horses. It was my Zen, my calm, my deepest love. Exchanging warm, dusty nose blows with my favorite buddies; the grainy and malty smell of oats and honey combined with the sweet green floralcy of alfalfa and manure; and handling cold metallic tack and smelling the deeply animalic notes of saddle leather combined with the warm musk of horse hide as I prepped a horse to be ridden - these are scent memories that bring me joy. So, when I say that Bascule carries the best scents of my childhood in a bottle, but in the most gorgeous way possible, you know what I mean. Love. Love. Love.
Fragrantica: This perfume is pure sensation. I love it, as soon as I put it on my skin it smells like grass, green grass, freshly cut grass... but on my skin I quickly feel the sweet aroma of the fruit that mixes with the grass, it is a sensation of a super aroma natural and of great quality. In this sense, it is a very unisex aroma, I think that more than anything it is a type of perfume that will appeal to people who like green aromas, green grass. For me it is a perfume for spring summer, its aroma invites you to go for a walk, to feel the sun.
Fragrantica: This is another from the S. Baker Collection, the house's second line, that warrants endless praise. The whole collection, as proven by the Discovery Set that I'm trying out, is all about freshness, but done in very different ways. In this case, that freshness abounds in the fresh green grass, the citrus of bergamot, the succulence of the peach, lily of the valley and even the more spiky freshness of vetiver or fir. The fragrance's equestrian inspiration comes through strong and clear in notes of hay, saddle leather, polished metal riding tack. But it goes way beyond smelling like stables. In fact, for anyone who's familiar with the smell, the animalic notes in there that means that at times it actually smells like an immaculately groomed horse, most certainly a thoroughbred. This balance of fresh or fruity top notes, oozing juiciness, nestled in these deep, intense base notes is simply fantastic. It really is like nothing out there and the perfect way to make a fairly bold statement while somehow still managing to remain understated and exude an impeccable pedigree. It's a good option for those who like long-lasting juices—I spritzed it on in the late afternoon and could definitely smell it when I woke in the morning—and it's one of those fragrances that slowly evolves and changes over hours. I don't doubt that many serious riders will adore this fragrance and it should obviously become a go-to option if attending Royal Ascot or the Badminton Horse Trials. But, even if you're more of an armchair jockey, this is an adaptable fragrance that can be worn all times of the day and in all seasons given it's air of aristocratic understatement.
Fragrantica: I don’t know how it is possible to capture the equestrian essence into a fragrance, but Bascule successfully does that! Everything from the smell of the horse, to the hay in the stable, the wood of the stalls, to the grass in the pasture, the leather of the saddle and riding boots, and the metal of tack- it’s all there!! Not just that, but this is a very wearable fragrance! On my skin, this opens up with the exact smell of horseback riding! Shortly after that, the greenness of the grass as well as the hay start to come in. The fruity and floral notes then start to become quite prominent (almost a slightly aldehydic vibe- which I love) along with a very brief notice of the metal tack note. Don’t let that scare you, this is not a metallic fragrance. It actually becomes a bit of a soapy floral fragrance on me, with prominent lily of the valley. One thing that I have noticed about the fragrances I have tried from this house is that they really transform as you wear them. The fragrance is well blended, so the various notes and nuances transform from one into the other very smoothly. I think that this fragrance is completely unisex, and could be worn any time of the year. The green and floral notes really lift it, while the leather and tobacco ground it,making it appropriate for any season. Lasting power is fantastic, lasted all day on me.
