Bvlgari Black

Black is one of Bvlgari's more interesting fragrances. It's supposed to have some weird sort of composition technique called an "olfactive block" which reveals all the notes to you immediately. Before I analyzed this I never really got it, but now I understand. It's more a technique that flattens out the fragrance so that there is not such a radical progression to it from top to bottom.

I first fell in love with this one a year and a half ago when I was working at Abercrombie and Fitch. The biggest factor in my loving it, funnily enough, was a hot as hell coworker who I let smell a test strip I'd picked up of it. She went nuts at the smell of it, even amidst all the Fierce that we'd sprayed on the mannequins. I was sold.

As it begins, Bvlgari Black you in the face with a bergamot, tea, and sandalwood. I have to say I am not sure what to think about the bergamot, it seems so out of its element but at the same time makes the cologne that much more interesting. Not more than fifteen minutes later, a light cedar underpins this opening accord in conjunction with leather which shows up a little after that. This must be what creates Black's smokey accord. It is nice, but can be overbearing if applied too liberally.

A sweet vanilla and subtle amber base come to life not more than thirty minutes into the fragrance. The character of Black comes from its smokey vanilla quality. A dark, sweet cologne.

There is a lot of talk about Black eliciting a rubber accord. I think most people make this association purely due to the bottle having a rubber rim. The bottle is an odd shape and used to have a strange on-off spray mechanism reminiscent of cleaning products, but it's been changed to a regular cologne sprayer we are so used to seeing.

Bvlgari Black is fairly long lasting and can be worn easily by both sexes. It is more of a night scent, not well suited to warm weather due to the leather, cedar, vanilla, sandalwood and amber notes.