Re-View: Burberry The Beat

Fortunately for me, I am now able to enjoy the full spectrum of late summer with careless abandon. As you may have noticed there has been a gap of considerable size in my posts. This is due to a necessary procedure to correct, of all things, my inner nasal passages. I am now fully recovered and able to smell and sniff as much as I please. So let's get back to business!

Burberry The Beat - for men

2008

The Goods

In the past 20 years or so legendary British house Burberry has undergone a transformation in its brand. Now a global phenomenon, its steady branching out into casuals and then the nouveau niche high-end-casual catapulted Burberry fashion into post-modern "cool" without any of the all too familiar 1960's British pop culture idiosyncrasies that can dull down other British brands. Its dynamic design ethos is also found in its fragrances, which all seem to shy away from the overt general "perfume" sphere of scents and instead show off a raw, organic, and, well, casual, feel. The men's version of Burberry The Beat emphasizes the organic clean feeling that dominates contemporary fragrance wrapped in a classic men's woody fragrance bow.

Black pepper is a soft introduction into the scent profile that can leave a person wondering what exactly is in store for the rest of the fragrance. Any pepper has the tendency to be a mysterious scent as it sits in the crossroads between green, spice, floral, and wood, and in The Beat this is no exception. What does put the black pepper into perspective is the lighter middle note of bourbon. This layer has a unique way of making the pepper lean towards the greener and woodier side, but also "candies" the pepper to make it a sweet sensation.

Leatherwood provides the coniferous base to The Beat, establishing the fragrance as a time travel device between the sweet contemporary scent spearheaded by pepper and flower leaves and the old, pine scents men used at fever pitch in the 1940's and 50's.

My preferred time to wear Burberry The Beat is during weekdays that call for a relaxed appearence. Classic conifer sensation will give you just enough of that certain 20th century masculine aura, and the lighter notes will even it out to allow you to wear the scent in a professional, mixed, and upbeat 21st century setting.

Argent's Random Artistic Fragrance Word Association

Pinecones. Wool. Button-ups. Jonquils. Black framed glasses. Hi-Tops. Partially cloudy skies. Blue glass. Pocketwatch. Deodorant. Parking meter. Coffee shop sofa.

Conclusion

Burberry The Beat is a multidimensional fragrance that effortlessly blends the classics of male fragrance of yesteryear with the 21st century trend of being obsessed with cleanliness.

Rank It Up!

6 of 7 Sprays. Burberry The Beat's primary sensation is strictly a classic scent with the complex modernities arriving later on the train. It may not be the best first impression for more important occasions due to this assessment.

Comin' Up! 

This season on THE WHIFF:

• A foodie's sense of scents. How eats can please the fragrance minded and how even the most floral fragrance really can harmonize with delectable edibles.
• Summer luxe shopping excursion extravaganza! Will Argent be able to find treasure beyond his favorite haunt, Sephora?
• Pseudopsychology of scent. Get along in the world with the non-fragrance minded and start asking "When?" instead of "How Much?"
• Autumnal Equinox Forever: Tips for blending in your fall scents over the calendar without accidentally smelling like a pumpkin pie as soon as September.
• Just for Str8s: What does she think and does it matter? A guide to the fairer sex, their perspective on fragrance, and avoiding the "girlfriend's cologne pigeonhole"
• FutureFrags: Has every smell been discovered? How complex can the scent continuum be? Will fragrance ever be "finished"?