Perfume Review: Bvlgari Black
January 3rd, 2007
The first fragrance I wore in 2007 was Bvlgari Black. The choice was somewhat random and somewhat in line with my new year’s resolution to wear and appreciate what I have, hereby minimizing perfume purchases. I sort of instantly failed in that department - a sample of Black just didn’t seem like enough, so off to eBay I went. Nevertheless, that is still my commitment. Bvlgari Black is one of those scents that will play tricks on you, whether you like it or not. For me, it’s been a love and hate relationship. Love at first sniff, instant hate when worn on the wrong day (let’s just say, do not attempt to wear it on hormonally-charged days). After almost 2 years, I love it again.
Bvlgari Black is an urban scent. Perhaps that’s the reason I love it so - it seems so fitting with my now urban lifestyle. When we first moved to Chicago, I immediately found myself lacking in two things: to be truly urban, you have to eat sushi and wear an iPod. The sushi part has been taken care of, the iPod is next, and now there’s an additional item - Bvlgari Black. In simple terms, it’s a refined rendition of exhaust fumes, car tires, pavement, and an occasional leather jacket. Composition-wise, it’s a blend of bergamot, rosewood, black tea, jasmine, cedarwood, vanilla, amber, sandalwood, musk. Minimalist and complex simultaneously, it’s a scent that makes a statement in a trendy, metropolitan kind of way.
What fragrance did you start 2007 with?
Image source: www.lita.ru
Entry Filed under: Perfume Reviews
40 Comments Add your own
1. dinazad | January 3rd, 2007 at 3:58 am
Rykiel Le Parfum. The perfect scent to complement a stylish turtleneck sweater. Why this (and Rykiel Woman) hasn’t got the perfume community slavering is beyond me.
By the way: Happy New Year, Ina! May it be a happy and fragrant one.
And: Bulgari Black - isn’t it gorgeous? (Most of the time, anyway). I do love scents which fail to conform to the reigning taste, and BB will always be one of the fragrances sticking out of the perfume stream like a glacier-formed erratic boulder. Love it!
2. chaya ruchama | January 3rd, 2007 at 6:41 am
While I enjoy BB, it doesn’t provide any magic on my skin, so I’m content to smell the bottle…
I started out the new year wearing Bois des Iles- it was very rainy and raw, and the smoothness was soothing.
I’m still hopeful for a good year- and i wish all you sweethearts a new, and improved one…
3. Judith | January 3rd, 2007 at 7:10 am
I love Bulgari Black as well; Annick Menardo is definitely one of my favorite noses.
I was wearing Habanita parfum on New Year’s eve, so strictly speaking, I started the New Year with this. But the first perfume I put on in the New Year was Encens et Lavande–soothing and beautiful!
4. newproducts | January 3rd, 2007 at 8:04 am
“urban” describes Black perfectly. I think I am probably not urban enough to wear this scent.
I started the New Year with SSS Opal, layered with AA Anisia Bella. The combination was a fragrant skin scent.
5. Elle | January 3rd, 2007 at 8:10 am
This is one of my ultimate comfort scents - possibly because my favorite scent memories from childhood involve diesel fumes and hot pavement. I wish I’d chosen this as my NY’s day scent!
6. Giselle | January 3rd, 2007 at 8:13 am
Angel /a very unexpected Holiday gift…turns out I like it more than I thought I would.
7. Patty | January 3rd, 2007 at 8:21 am
Heck, I can’t remember!
But I do love Black. My sister, who is definitely not urban, was out last week and put it on, and chastised me for hiding it from her. She adored it and went and ordered four bottles since they were cheap.
8. Marina | January 3rd, 2007 at 8:41 am
Love Black. Love the way you immediately broke your resolution
I met 2007 in Vanille Tonka. Of course I could hardly smell it.
9. March | January 3rd, 2007 at 8:43 am
I bet you love Fahrenheit too — did we talk about that one?!? I smelled it the other day and thought of you…
I started the year with L’Heure Bleue.
10. greeneyes | January 3rd, 2007 at 10:12 am
Happy New Year! That Black sounds good…must resist urge to order decant. I wore Iris Poudre. It’s becoming a habit!
11. tmp00 | January 3rd, 2007 at 10:59 am
The new year came in as the old one went out: MKK.
I slept like a rock.
12. Tigs | January 3rd, 2007 at 11:44 am
I wore a Caron Poivre parfum sample from Patty. I craved goulash for the first while, which was fun, but the later drydown kind of freaked me out for some reason. I think I should have put it on in the evening.
13. Morgan | January 3rd, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Hey there,
Love that you’re from chicago. We’ve probably passes each-other in the fragrance section at some point. I started the year with what’s left of my sample of Cuir Amethyste. I swear I’m gonna have to keep flirting samples out of the armani girls at nordstrom till I get up the gumption to spring for a bottle.
Love the blog,
M
14. patricia Seybold | January 3rd, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Stuck in my house behind mounds of snow, Eau d’Italie’s Sienne L”Hiver was just the ticket for me. I have been wearing it each day so far! A divine fragrance that seems the perfect pairing with my mood and my white environment. Happy New Year!
patricia
15. Martika | January 3rd, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Well, I am definately an urban girl but I cannot stand Black…. there have been a lot of raves about it, but I just don’t get it/them. I started New Year wearing Bois de Copaiba
16. Cait | January 3rd, 2007 at 3:13 pm
I wore Sira des Indes, which was as wonderful in deep snow as it was last March in a rainy Paris.
17. Gaia, the non-blonde | January 4th, 2007 at 12:44 am
I have no idea why, but I don’t get any of the Bulgaris, not even Black. I can barely even smell them. And I had such high hopes for this one.
I wore Lei on New Year’s Day and Anat Fritz today. They are complete opposite to my nose. Lei gave me comfort, AF made me start rolling and getting things accomplished.
18. Leopoldo | January 4th, 2007 at 5:26 am
I can’t remember either, but like Marina, I wouldn’t have been able to tell.
Leo/Lee
n.b. It’s actually Lee, Ina, but that name is sooooo Basildon (I grew up 10 miles from there) Leopoldo was gifted to me some years ago by two of my best friends. I tend to use it for all virtual world stuff, where I imagine myself to be debonair and rakish…
19. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Dina, I love Rykiel Woman! Now I’m not sure if I’ve tried Le Parfum. Must go do a search to see what the bottle looks like. The new one is supposed to be nice, too.
20. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Chaya, Bois des Iles is a perfect scent to start the year with! I love it, too. Both EDT and parfum.
21. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Judith, Annick Menardo is a genius! Love Habanita, too.
22. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Newproducts, I just saw some Anisia Bella at my TJ Maxx last night. Not sure I need a bottle but curious to try it again.
23. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Elle, never thought of BB as a comfort scent but know what you mean.
24. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Giselle, Angel in moderation is amazing. I especially like the Rose Angel.
25. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Marina, you always rejoice in my failings, you stinker! Vanille Tonka is perfect for New Year’s festivities.
26. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Patty, 4 (!) bottles? This cracks me up.
27. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:03 am
March, Fahrenheit just didn’t do it for me. I tried, believe me. There’s too much gasoline.
28. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Greeneyes, I wore Iris Poudre New Year’s eve. Adore it!
29. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Tom, I’m surprised MKK didn’t keep you up.
30. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Tigs, Poivre is so heavy on spice on my skin I cannot wear it. Appreciate it, though.
31. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Morgan, you actually manage to obtain samples from them? Every time I ask, they never have any. Cuir Amethyste pops up on eBay once in a while, much cheaper. Love it, too!
32. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Patricia, what a perfect choice for snowy weather!
I wish we had some snow. Happy New Year!
33. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Martika, BB will not work for everyone, I agree. Bois de Copaiba is lovely!
34. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Cait, love Sira des Indes! Still hoping to smell the parfum at some point.
35. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Gaia, I don’t love the other Bvlgaris as much as I love BB. I’m yet to try AF - it must be good!
36. Ina | January 4th, 2007 at 11:10 am
Lee, thanks for clarifying!
I still prefer Leo. Can I call you Leo?
37. Gaia, the non-blonde | January 4th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Ina, let me know if you want a sample of AF. I just got a bottle.
38. Leopoldo | January 4th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Please do. Miaow.
39. Aromascope » Thursd&hellip | February 14th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
[…] This week has turned out to be a little on the busy side. I’m still swooning over the new Chanels and haven’t really felt like smelling/wearing anything else. I did, however, put on some Drole de Rose by L’Artisan Parfumeur yesterday, and it was just so beautiful it made me wonder why I don’t wear it more. The inspiration for the scent came from the perfumer’s memory of mother kissing good-night before going out - the smell of her lipstick and face powder lingering in the air. That is exactly what it smells like to me, especially in the drydown - rose lipstick. I’m yet to find any leather there (it is said to be one of the base notes). On another perfume note, Mr. Aromascope has been having a very busy week as well. Yesterday morning he kissed me good-bye before leaving for work, and I caught a familiar whiff of my favorite scent. “I’m wearing Idole because I feel like a savage today,” was what followed. For those who don’t know, Idole de Lubin is an amazing exotic-spicy scent. A savage because he’s been working on a very important project and got very little sleep the night before. Needless to say, that made me laugh. It also made me happy I have him officially recruited in my perfume army. His other favorites from my collection are Bvlgari Black, Kolnish Juchten, Zagorsk by Comme des Garcons, Chene by Serge Lutens, Aomassai by Parfumerie Generale. If you have any fun stories of similar nature about how your perfume obsession affects people in your life, please share! Good day to all! […]
40. Aromascope » 5 Rand&hellip | July 12th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
[…] Bvlgari Black - quintessential, minimalistic, urban charm. […]
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