Bvlgari Man

I must admit, I generally like the Bvlgari line of perfumes. The majority are solidly crafted, dependable and smell nice. One is a standout for me, the brilliant Bvlgari Black, of which I own a bottle. Rumour has it that it is now discontinued, although I can't vouch for that. Another, Bulgari Pour Homme, not to be confused with the one pictured left, has a gorgeous opening note of petitgrain, one of the best I've smelled in mainstream, although the rest is a relatively generic, but nice-smelling concoction. While on the subject, what is it with the mainstream men's fragrance industry and their obsession with terms like Pour Homme and Man? I've seen a similar thing with Guerlain and Gucci recently. As men, are we so lacking in confidence or belief in our gender that even our perfumes have to boldly declare they are made for us? Please, give me a break. Moving onto the juice itself, I have very little to write about I'm afraid. The listed notes include lotus, bergamot, violet leaf, vetiver, woodsy notes (I ask you...), sandalwood, cashmere wood, benzoin, white honey (?), amber and musk. The fragrance is meant to be a woody oriental that epitomises the modern man with its fresh and sparkling notes. And therein lies the problem, at least to me. I don't want to smell fresh or sparkling for God's sake. I brush my teeth twice a day, I shower twice a day, my clothes are laundered, my nails cleaned, my hair washed. I wear deodorant. I chew chewing gum. I do smell fresh, for f's sake. I don't need my perfume to declare that again and again. I want my perfume to smell different, to push the boundaries, to smell like nothing else that has ever been done. Yes, I want it to smell good, but fresh is not a requirement, ok? Rant over, Bvlgari Man smells to me like everything else out there in mainstream men's perfumery. It smells fine. It's not bad by any means, but it isn't distinctive and still smells like a focus group directed fragrance geared to early 20-somethings and Adidas-toting gym bunnies. As usual, I don't really get all these listed notes. I get the bergamot, I get the violet leaf, I get the shrill, artificial musks and amber. As for violet leaf, when is this note going to die a death? Enough already. On a serious note, Bvlgari Man is perfectly wearable, but in my opinion as soulless as all the other men's fragrances out there in dullsville. Give me Bvlgari Black anyday over this....

Image credit - perfumi.net