There comes a time in the life of every perfumista when sniffing just does not do it anymore. Is my nose broken?! What’s going on? A certain point of saturation has been reached and nothing really surprises. The more you develop, the harder it is to be surprised (duh!). It was only a couple of weeks ago when I went on a wee smelling spree to a good well-stocked Sephora and everything was like, meh… I almost drove a sales assistant nuts with my “Oh, this reminds me of…” and “Ah, there’s patchouli in it…” Again. So I left disappointed. Recently, however, my luck has turned!
This weekend was absolutely marvellous. I fell in love not once, but twice!!! And it happened on my birthday!
I discovered a bicycle.
I discovered the Bvlgari Jasmin Noir line. Where have I been all this time?!
First, it was the Splendida Jasmin Noir. I will write about in my next post about black perfumes, stay tuned. The birthday discovery bears the name MON Jasmin Noir and comes in a clear bottle. I must say the very first spitz underwhelmed me and I almost walked out without spraying on my skin, then decided to take a chance and… wow. Best decision ever taken. It totally transformed the way I felt that day: I felt like a different person while wearing this, and I liked it. A quick note: do not judge it by the blotter. It stays sour on paper, but on skin it is a whole different story.
Mon Jasmin Noir opens with a succulent burst of green jasmine, citron and lily-of-the-valley. It is a little bit sour, but so juicy that I literally want to drink it. It smells somehow familiar but I cannot quite put my finger on which other fragrance it resembles at this point. Then the cedar starts spiking through, the musk and the nougat appear and slowly take over as the perfume fades into a sensual, super-feminine sweet musky skin scent.
This is a perfume smells like a woman. One who wears high heels, nice jewellery and treats everyone like royalty. She has got style and manners and that je ne sais quoi that defines a true lady. Mon Jasmin Noir is never overpowering, never too in your face, instead it wraps you into a comforting veil which is both sweet and fresh. It is true that I was wearing high heels that day, and feeling a lot more lady-like anyway as per my, ahem, 30th birthday. I could totally envision myself wearing this in my thirties, and that is another important point: this fragrance, freshness aside, does not really cut it for a very young woman.
Some people say Mon Jasmin Noir bears some resemblance to Elie Saab or Lacoste; if I did not know this was a Bvlagri I would think it could be a Chloé. It definitely is not the most original scent in the world, but it is unique enough to stand out plus, it is not worn by every second female in your neighbourhood (looking at you, Chloé edp). In the drydown it does remind me quite a lot of Guerlain’s L’Instant, but not so much note-wise as in terms of how it makes you feel: it has that effervescent quality of golden light caught in a bottle that just makes it such a joy to wear.
Good job, Bvlari, for rebooting my nose!
Disclaimer: image 1 Venera Fragrances. Image 2 Parfum Plus. Image 3 Ulta.