Bvlgari
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Star anise and liquorice arrive with immediate sweetness, their licorice-like character enhanced by mandarin's citrus crispness, whilst violet adds a faintly dusty, almost cosmetic powder note that grounds the sweetness. The first five minutes feel almost confectionery—you might anticipate something gourmand—before the composition's cooler elements assert themselves.
As the citrus recedes, the floral arrangement unfolds with remarkable clarity: jasmine doesn't overwhelm but sits alongside iris's slightly metallic green character and lily of the valley's dewy freshness. Texas cedar introduces an unexpected resinous quality, almost like pencil shavings mixed with dried flowers, whilst patchouli adds subtle earthiness that prevents the heart from floating away entirely.
The fragrance settles into a powdery embrace where benzoin provides soft sweetness and ambergris creates a faint second-skin quality. Spanish cistus adds herbaceous depth, and the whole composition becomes increasingly intimate and whisper-soft, maintaining an elusive presence rather than projecting outward.
Bvlgari Blv II presents itself as a contradictory creature—a fragrance caught between the sweetness of confectionery and the austere greenness of a modern botanical garden. Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud has constructed something that refuses easy categorisation: the star anise and liquorice in the opening promise something almost gourmand, yet the violet and mandarin orange immediately pull towards something fresher, more luminous. There's a powdery restraint here that prevents this from tipping into dessert territory, though the benzoin and ambergris in the base whisper of warmth and skin-like comfort.
What's most intriguing is the heart's architecture—a dense floral arrangement where jasmine doesn't dominate but rather collaborates with iris, lily of the valley, and that unexpected Texas cedar. The cedar brings a slightly resinous, almost smoky quality that prevents the florals from becoming wedding-cake cloying. This is a unisex scent for those who appreciate contradiction: it's powdery yet fresh, floral yet somehow herbaceous. The patchouli and vetiver add earth-toned nuance without grounding it into typically masculine territory.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.9/5 (244)