The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Daydream of a Love Trance arrived in 2022 as part of By Far's Daydream fragrance series, a collection of scents each named for a specific feeling. Love Trance was conceived as a portrait of obsession, the sweet fog that descends when attraction takes over. Perfumer Caroline Dumur composed the formula around two ideas in conversation: heady white florals with their carnal, almost narcotic pull, and the addictive comfort of hazelnut and vanilla. The result is a fragrance that moves between intoxication and tenderness without settling in either. On skin, the scent opens with a lift of anise and ylang-ylang, the green stem-like sharpness cooling the air before the flowers fully arrive.
Hazelnut as a lead note is rare enough to make this composition worth a second look. Most gourmand-leaning fragrances build their sweetness around vanilla, praline, or caramel, so seeing hazelnut claim the spotlight reshapes the whole structure of the scent. The white florals serve as its setting rather than its rival, and the indolic edge of tuberose and jasmine absolute brings a creaminess and warmth that mirrors hazelnut's natural lactonic quality.
The evolution
The first spray hits with anise and ylang-ylang, green and slightly sharp, almost like crushed stems. Within five minutes the rose and ylang settle and the white florals begin to assert themselves. Tuberose absolute arrives heavy and creamy, its indolic warmth curling around the jasmine, and the hazelnut creeps in underneath, slowly turning the composition from bright to dense. By the 30-minute mark, the florals have softened and the nut has gained noticeable ground. The floral heart holds through the next stretch of wear, but the hazelnut keeps rising, gradually replacing the bouquet as the dominant impression, its toasted, almost buttery sweetness threading through what remains of the petals. Vanilla absolute surfaces in the final phase, smoothing out the indolic edges and pulling the scent into a warmer, more edible register.
Cultural impact
Wearers who describe Daydream of a Love Trance tend to focus on its softness, the way the scent stays close to the skin rather than projecting outward. The hazelnut lends a comfort without tipping into heavy sweetness, and the indolic white florals keep it from reading as a simple gourmand. It wears well in cooler months but transitions easily into warmer weather, its creamy warmth shifting with the temperature of the skin. The moderate projection means it stays personal rather than declarative, a fragrance for someone who wants presence without volume.
