Quentin Bisch’s name attached to anything is enough to make me stop scrolling. Fragrance, lotion, body oil… heck, if he’s the creative behind that recent McDonalds campaign with their CEO eating the burger, I’d be into it.
He is one of my favorite noses right now, and if you know his work, you already know why my expectations were high before I even got a spray off of his latest masterpiece.
Balmain Beauty’s debut release, Destin De Balmain, dropped last month exclusively at Ulta, and off the bat, it’s a floral fruity EDP that smells like it costs considerably more than it’s going for (it’s going for $130 for a 50ml and $150 for 100ml just for reference).
So let me tell you what this actually smells like on skin. The strawberry opens bright and ripe, and what stood out for me immediately is that it doesn’t smell synthetic. It smells like actual fruit, which sounds like a low bar but in this category it really isn’t. The baies rose underneath brings enough of a peppery edge to keep the sweetness in check, and that balance is what stops the opening from becoming too much. The peony is where the fragrance shifts on you, and not in a direction you’d expect. There’s a creamy lychee quality underneath it that I loved the first time I wore it, and it’s what keeps this from smelling like something you’ve already tried. By the time you get to the drydown, Bisch has done what Bisch does.
Smooth sandalwood settles in alongside a notable patchouli and a warm, musky closeness that reads almost like a second skin at that point. There is nothing abrupt about the way this fragrance finishes. It just gets quieter and more intimate as the hours go on, and I kept catching it on my wrist late into the evening, with the sandalwood and musk still present and accounted for well past the point I thought they would have faded.
Before you apply this, know that it projects. I wore it to dinner and had two people ask me what I was wearing before we even ordered. Two sprays is plenty. Go heavy and you’ll be doing too much, and nobody wants that.
Why I love it: I’ve seen the commentary of people calling Destin De Balmain another generic designer DNA, and my honest read is that most of those opinions were formed before the fragrance was actually given a fair chance on skin. Because what I experience when I wear this is not generic. The strawberry note is bright without becoming jammy or cloying, which is genuinely difficult to achieve and speaks to the quality of the sourcing. The peony adds a creamy fullness that never turns saccharine.
In my opinion, it’s the sandalwood that is the best part of this fragrance, and I kept coming back to it every time I wore it. It’s creamy and warm in a way that actually registers on your skin rather than disappearing into the air two minutes after you spray it, and the patchouli underneath gives it real body and something to hold onto in the drydown. I’ve seen people compare it to Montblanc Signature, and I get where that’s coming from, but this has considerably more presence than that. The volume is turned up, the depth is more pronounced, and the overall effect is something that Montblanc doesn’t quite get to.
The longevity sits at moderate, somewhere around five to six hours before it truly becomes a skin scent, and at this price point from a designer house, that is more than reasonable. What this release really does, and I don’t think people are talking about this enough, is make a case that designer houses can go toe to toe with niche when they actually put the right people in the room. Balmain put Quentin Bisch in the room, and the fragrance reflects that decision at every stage of the drydown. And you can get it at Ulta for $130, which means more people actually get to wear it.
Perfect pairings: Because the opening of Destin De Balmain leans bright and fruity, layering gives you real flexibility depending on the mood or occasion you’re dressing for. My favorite combination so far has been applying Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Gentle Fluidity Gold first as a base, then layering Destin on top. The shared warmth in both fragrances makes the sandalwood feel richer and more dimensional, and the longevity of the overall composition extends noticeably beyond what either fragrance delivers on its own.
For days when I want to lean into the brightness and keep things light and feminine, I’ve been reaching for Phlur’s Strawberry Letter as an underlayer. The complementary strawberry notes work with each other rather than competing, and the result is joyful and elevated in a way that still feels intentional rather than sweet for the sake of it. For evenings, I’ve been experimenting with a light application of Tom Ford’s Santal Blush layered over the Balmain. The rose and sandalwood in Santal Blush echo the peony and woody base in Destin De Balmain so naturally that it deepens the whole composition and shifts it into something moodier and more intimate without losing the original character of the fragrance.Final verdict: Destin De Balmain is not trying to be a niche fragrance and it doesn’t need to be. What it is, is a well-made EDP with a skilled perfumer behind it, a bottle you’ll actually want to display, and a price point that doesn’t require you to plan around it. If you like floral fruitys that feel warm and grown rather than sweet and girlish, get to Ulta and try this on your skin before you let anyone else’s opinion about what it costs make that decision for you. It projects, it lasts, and the first time you wear it somewhere and someone stops to ask what you have on, you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about.
The post ESScent Of The Week: Balmain Beauty’s First Prestige Fragrance Is Proof That Designer Can Compete With Niche appeared first on Essence.
Author: Kimberly Wilson
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