Bvlgari
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The Calabrian citron punches through immediately with a sharply herbal, almost grapefruit-adjacent bite, whilst the calamondin adds a slightly floral citrus undertone. Within moments, the orris and vetiver emerge as dark silhouettes behind this brightness, creating an oddly tense opening where freshness meets earthiness before they've properly introduced themselves.
The citrus begins its retreat, replaced by a fascinating green-earthy dialogue between vetiver and orris concrete. The orris lends a subtle dusty powder quality that keeps the vetiver from becoming overtly grassy or typical. Styrax weaves through, adding a faint smokiness and gentle resinous warmth that anchors the composition without sweetening it.
What remains is almost austere—a grey-toned base where styrax and those earthy accords dominate, leaving only a whisper of the citrus and the faintest vetiver shadow. The fragrance becomes more abstract, skin-scent territory, settling into something mineral and slightly smoky that feels more like a memory of the opening than its continuation.
Bvlgari Man Terrae Essence is a study in controlled earthiness—a fragrance that resists easy categorisation by anchoring itself firmly in soil and stone rather than aspiring toward floral sophistication. Alberto Morillas has crafted something deliberately grounded here, where the Calabrian citron and calamondin aren't here to sparkle but to cut through a dense vetiver-and-orris heart with sharp, almost medicinal clarity.
The magic lies in how these elements refuse to play nicely together. The orris concrete—typically creamy and powdery in isolation—becomes something denser and more mineralistic when pressed against vetiver's green, slightly resinous backbone. Styrax emerges not as vanilla sweetness but as a smoky binding agent, tying everything to those vaguely undefined "earthy notes" that form the fragrance's true character. There's something primordial here, almost archaeological—like walking through a Renaissance herb garden after rain, where crushed sage leaves meet wet limestone.
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3.9/5 (403)