As I've mentioned before, I love noir.
I'm currently working my way through The Complete Sherlock Holmes, on loan from my husband in preparation for our post New Year's trip to see the new film. I'm really excited for the film, both because I love mysteries and because I have been a faithful fan of Robert Downey Jr. for years, even through his can't'-work-consistently-because-of-all-the-drugs period. If any of you have seen the movie, I'd love to know what you thought -- but no spoilers!
Because of my deep immersion in all things mystery related, I tend to run directly toward anything with the word "noir" in the title, even if in perfume, that means something very different. Thus, I am here wth a review of Bvlgari's Jasmine Noir, which I also stumbled across at Sephora. According to Sephora, Bvlgari's newest fragrance, Jasmin Noir, captures the irresistible charm of a mysterious and intensely sensual woman. Captivating and caressing, Jasmin Noir is a rich mix of voluptuous floral and precious woody notes with accents of almond and licorice. This infinitely addictive essence is sublimely revealed by jasmine, a flower whose beauty is as pure as it is tantalizing. This scent embodies the very heart of the Bvlgari brand, reflecting the richest and noblest codes of a luxury jewelry legacy. The deep black and luminous gold bottle beautifully honors the heritage of prestigious allure.Despite this fairly crappy, overblown ad, Jasmin Noir is decent. It's a lot of sugar and flowers, surprisingly more gardenia than jasmin up front, though. I'd really get any woods or licorice, but after a while I do get some almond and hints of a vanilla-ish scent that must be from the tonka bean. It's a totally inoffensive scent, very smooth. At the end, it becomes what could be mistaken for powdery, but really it's a nice sweet floral mix. If you sniff carefully, you can discern both the gardenia and jasmin, which is really nice.
Notes: Green Sap, Gardenia, Sambac Jasmin, Satin Almond, Precious Woods, Tonka Bean Absolute, Licorice
It's not heavy enough to be heavy, but not light enough to be delicate. There's nothing dark about it, either. When I hear noir, I come looking for darkness, complexity, mystery. This is about as mysterious as a Nancy Drew novel. Now that's not a slam from my perspective; once upon a time, I owned all 52 original Nancy Drews in hardback. (Also, I found the Nancy Drew tweeny-bopper movie that came out a few years ago charming, even if, in my childhood mind, Nancy was a lot less cardigan sporting and a lot more Veronica Mars.) But it isn't a grown up kind of mystery. It's an easily solvable mystery, the kind you along with because you enjoy the sweet simplicity of the problems and their ready solutions, not because you are looking for intrigue. But I thought, on the whole, that Jasmin Noir was a pretty and accessible jasmin for a really good price. Definitely worth a try if you've got a Sephora nearby.You can buy Jasmin Noir in 10ml travel spray and 33ml bottles for $25 and $68 respectively from Sephora or Amazon, though Ebay had bottles for a fairly decent discount. And before you drop those 68 bones, you shou7ld know I saw a 100ml bottle available through an online discounter for a mere $55. If you like this one, you can get a bottle as large as those ridiculous skulls sized jugs of Prada Infusion d'Iris I'm always seeing in Vogue and Elle.
"The night you swore your heart nearly bled,
I saw a part of you that’s already dead.
I’ve heard places and times they’ve got their own M.O.
Tear the surface; let’s go looking below.
I’ve heard faces and signs they’ve got their own M.O.
Hiding secrets they don’t want you to know."
- "M.O.," Oppenheimer
Want more reviews? Try...
~ A review from Robin at Now Smell This!
~ A review from Perfume-Smellin' Things
~ A review from Pere de Pierre
~ A review from Polish, Platforms, Perfume
~ A review from Fragrantica
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