bvlgari

Omnia Indian Garnet by Bvlgari

by

Still making my way through a bunch of sample fragrances that I have stashed around my house. For this entry, I’m going to take a closer look at a Bvlgari perfume, Omnia Indian Garnet. This was released in 2014.

Note: I have updated this page, a few times over the years.

Now, this is of course, another flanker scent from the Omnia lineup that has been so popular for this brand. How does it smell? How does it perform? Is it worth a purchase?

What does Omnia Indian Garnet Smell Like?

Notes include: tuberose, osmanthus, orange, amber, and saffron

Click here to try: Bvlgari Omnia Indian Garnet EDT Spray for Women, 2.2 Ounce

First, let’s begin with how Bvlgari describes this perfume in the sample card’s text:

Inspired by one of the world’s most magnificent gems: the Indian Mandarin Garnet. The new Omnia eau de toilette captures the magic and the sensuality of tuberose and osmanthus flowers.

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Indian Garnet is led by the osmanthus flower with support from the familiar tuberose note. I feel that this perfume is the most flower at the start and then it becomes more infused by the orange and amber.

However, before those two notes come in there is a strong saffron, which I don’t particularly enjoy in this perfume, but it is subdued after ten minutes or so of wear. It’s sort of strange because I do usually like saffron, but the mix seems off to my nose.

This Omnia scent is quite light on the skin, airy, and just sort of floats like vapor when it is worn. The dry down adds more of that citrus aroma, but it never gets super sugary or fruity sweet.

Instead, the amber and osmanthus combination keeps it interesting and unique, while feeling completely familiar. It is a pretty neat experience.

The amber and saffron keep it warm and super clean with the orange influence. If left to it’s own devices, I think that the orange note would evaporate completely, but with the amber the citrus is kept grounded.

The citrus isn’t super juicy or sweet, just that clean and bright feeling, with a really good amber note. Orange is the main attraction throughout, but the pairings with other notes sort of rotate, as it moves itself along.

Omnia Indian Garnet isn’t the typical citrus fragrance. You get a distinct warmth, periods of soapiness, creaminess, and some woodsy spice. It isn’t an overly complicated or deep scent, but it does have enough personality to be rather distinct.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this is a very soft fragrance. I don’t think that it’s weak per se, rather, just not heavy and as I wrote above, airy.

It’s got a soapy quality to it. You’ll notice that it is still on the skin, but it isn’t going to fill up a room, or be a consistent powerhouse.

The longevity is by no means amazing but it is solid, in the 5-7 hour range, on my skin. Good, but not great. Still, if you’re looking for a beast, this isn’t going to be the one.

A lot of Bvlgari scents seem to fall into this category, with their performances. This doesn’t change that trend.

Seasonally, I’d say that Omnia Indian Garnet is best used in the warmer months of the year. Not that it’d be bad in the cold weather, but it would really shine when the temperatures rise.

Which is odd, because it does have that warm feeling to it, but its lightness, doesn’t let it get bogged down in the heat. It’s a decent change of pace from many other aquatic or super fruity perfumes that get brought out in the summer.

I’d call this a casual or everyday fragrance. It smells nice but isn’t particularly sexy to me. It’s something to be worn at work or just around town on a sunny day. Casual to semi-formal.

Overall Impressions of Indian Garnet

Overall, do I like Indian Garnet? It’s nice, but I’m not blown away by it. This is one for those who love orange based perfumes with florals. This is a very clean fragrance, non-offensive, and has some nice daily versatility.

Omnia Indian Garnet is a good addition to the Bvlgari lineup and has a pleasant and sort of soapy aroma, that is a solid choice for plenty of women. There are definitely better options from Bvlgari and from the Omnia line, as well.

The citrus and amber is usually a nice combination and it does work here. I don’t know what the deal with the saffron is, but it’s not too distracting.

However, just for what it is, this is a solid wear. If it sounds appealing to you and you can get a good price, Indian Garnet, would be a fine buy. Not a total mass appeal scent, though, it doesn’t offend either.

Update: I’m pretty sure that this perfume is discontinued. It’s even not widely available at the moment, on the secondary market. So, I don’t think most people will be getting an amazing deal, if they want to try Indian Garnet.

Man Rain Essence by Bvlgari

by

Rain Essence is a 2023 release, that is a part of the Essence series of fragrances by Bvlgari. I have already reviewed the others that have been put out thus far. So, I bought a sample of Rain, to try and keep up to date with this lineup. How does it smell? Does is last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Rain Essence Smell Like?

Notes include: orange, green tea, lotus, musk, guaiac wood, amber

Click here to try: Rain Essence

My Full Review

Here’s how Bvlgari describes it: An ode to the transformative force of rain. A fresh and woody musk signature, signed by Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas.

The opening is a very ozonic and green tea heavy start. The ‘rain’ feeling is there. This one is light with an aquatic watery accord. This is made up by the citrus, tea, and lotus.

The lotus gives this one a further floral and stem-like green aroma in the background. I like the freshness that this one starts out with.

Then, Rain Essence will start to lose much of the orange note that presented up top. The fragrance begins to transition into its musky phase. A phase, that will last for the duration.

It’s still light, but less ozonic, with a soapier finish to it (and hints of powder, at times).

Rain Essence is clean, but warmer, and there is a spice/smoky aspect from the guaiac wood in the base. Basically, what you’re getting is a woody musk fragrance with the remaining lotus, some green tea, and maybe a slight remnant of the orange note.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This does keep to a lighter feeling, much like the name suggests. It’s not going to be a heavy cologne that leaves a massive scent trail. Though, it projects well enough. 4-6 feet, at the start. Around, 3, after that.

Not great, but it doesn’t need to be a monster.

The longevity is fine, but again, not great. Somewhere in the 5-7 hour range, is what I got out of Rain Essence during testing. It hits the bare minimum, of what I’d expect for something at a bit of a lower price.

For what this costs? It probably should be better.

This is one that you’d want to wait until spring and summertime to wear. Outdoors, in the sun, Rain Essence holds up very well and it’s at its best.

It does have good versatility as a daytime fragrance for those seasons. Safe to wear at the office or just around town casually. It’s not offensive or super pungent in any way, quite safe and clean, with a fairly unique profile.

Man Rain Essence isn’t one that’s going to dominate the nightlife or be labeled as being particularly ‘sexy’.

Overall Impressions of Rain Essence

Overall, do I like this fragrance? Eh, it’s okay. In this Essence series, this one is at the bottom for me, along with Glacial. I might have more of a preference for Rain Essence, but not by much of a margin.

So far, I’d rank them like this: Wood, Terrae, Rain, Glacial. I would’ve figured beforehand that Rain and Glacial would’ve been my favorites based on the concept. Even so, I’m not a massive fan of any of these Bvlgari scents. I like the idea, more than the execution.

It does manage to create a rain-like effect, especially early on in the wear. That’s probably the highlight of the whole thing, for me.

I like it a lot more when I have citrus, tea, and lotus as the main focus. Very nice ozonic/aquatic fragrance. After that, it’s muskier, more like a soapy or body wash type of clean. Not bad, just nothing great.

Performance is also pretty mid. So, that’s not even a saving grace.

Beyond all that, though, this retails for over $100 per bottle. At that price, it’s a strong pass from me. Personally, I probably wouldn’t buy a full bottle even with a heavy discount, but you should wait until it hits the discounters if this is a cologne that you want to try.

10 Best Smelling Bvlgari Perfumes for Ladies

by

When considering the top scents for women by Bvlgari, I wanted to both get the best smelling perfumes on the list but also to include some actually variety in the compositions. That way, there would be a list of different options based on one’s own personal tastes, as well as, based on the time of year or particular style you may be searching for. In the end, I have selected 10 perfumes from Bvlgari’s lineup which I think stack up as the top option.

What are the Best Bvlgari Fragrances for Her?

High-End Beauty

Baciami by Bvlgari– The Allegra line is one of Bvlgari’s latest offerings over the past few years. At a higher price point then their usual mainstream perfumes, they create something special for those looking for a scent that is more niche.

Baciami might be the best of the bunch. To me, it’s certainly in the top three thus far (along with the two others on this list).

This one gives you a creamy/milky sort of vanilla blend with a rich use of gardenia, that will all settle into a more powdery aroma. It kind of hits like a coconut, but not quite. It’s sweet with a great amber base note and the vanilla blend.

The gardenia will go back and forth with the vanilla, as to which is more dominant. Sometimes, it feels balanced, while others one will really come through off of the skin. Very nice to wear. Expensive, but worth trying.

A Lovely Myrrh 

Spettacolore by Bvlgari– A second Allegra fragrance. Though, I might go with Riva Solare before this one, Spettacolore is also worth a spot on the list.

This one is about the myrhh and iris notes. Early, you get an earthy and powdery iris note, that has a light citrus brightness to it. Not a complete powdery overload or anything, there also might be violet here, especially early on.

This has a great warmth, some sweetness, but a really fresh and interesting use of the myrrh note. Like a cooling freshness kick emerging from that warm pool of amber. It’s got such a great balance and it’s completely clean in the dry down, once that earthy aspect has faded completely.

Probably going to be one that will only interest a small percentage of people, but give it a try if you can.

Floral Bouquet

Bvlgari By Bvlgari For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.4 Ounces– The brand’s namesake fragrance which features a floral bouquet of rose, iris, violet, and others. A very soft and feminine perfume yet still retains really good staying power (over 8 hours).

I’m personally not that into the smell, as I don’t particularly enjoy the heavier floral based perfumes. However, for those who do, Bvlgari Pour Femme is a solid choice. It opens with iris and violet leaf, then, you get more rose and violet during the drydown.

There are lighter fruit notes, in the background, but are none too strong. Again, this one is more for floral lovers, but it hits the mark in that category. Bvlgari Pour Femme Review

Beautiful Unisex Fragrance

Bvlgari Au The Blanc Unisex Eau De Cologne Spray, 2.5 Ounce– Au The Blanc from Bvlgari is an herbal, musk, and tea blend that is highlighted by a fresh spiciness. The opening act features pepper and artemisia for a bold and unique aroma.

Yet, this one doesn’t overpower, and has a more soothing aroma. The white tea and ambrette really play well off of the top notes and the musk ties it all together. It ends up warm, freshly clean, and a bit sweet.

Truly a unisex fragrance, that will give a change of pace from the usual perfumes.

Best Fresh Spicy Scent

Bvlgari Omnia Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 2.2 Ounce– Omnia changes up the pace and brings the spice (but not too much) with notes like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It’s a unique experience that isn’t overpowering but still very good.

You get the warm and comforting spices, joined with a chai tea note, and some sweet almond and chocolate notes. The base is quite woody and supports the cardamom, ginger, and other assorted spices. The spices aren’t too sharp nor are they very powerful.

It’s a lighter scent, that wraps you in its warm coziness, versus beating you over the head with its projecting ability. Nice casual pick for the colder months.

Jasmine Blend

Jasmin Noir By Bvlgari Eau-de-toilette Spray, 3.4-Ounce– Jasmin Noir is a different kind of floral fragrance. While it opens up with jasmine and gardenia, these notes are surrounded by, almond and licorice. With a bit of patchouli, for good measure.

It’s floral, sweet, and slightly spicy. Jasmin Noir features a woody base, with a creamy tonka bean note, adding to its sweetness. It’s well put together, and the jasmine note, isn’t overwhelming within the composition. It’s quite moderate in its performance and a versatile pick for the autumn and winter months.   Jasmin Noir Review

Fresh and Powdery

Bvlgari Blv By Bvlgari For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 2.5 Ounces–Very no frills, simplistic, and unique. Fresh, powdery, with a nice spice to it, and enough sweetness to intrigue. Blv opens up with a citrus bergamot note, joined by the main attraction of ginger.

No worries, the ginger isn’t completely dominant, and is tempered by the soft floral notes like wisteria. A light musk adds a bit more to the overall composition, but you still ultimately, get a clean powdered spice with a soft disposition.

Note: The women’s version seems to be discontinued now, as of this update.

Most Popular/Best Seller

Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline for Women Eau De Toilette Spray, 2.2 fl oz– Another from the Omnia series, Coral is another good scent, from that line. Crystalline is a light fragrance with lotus, tea, bamboo, and musk being the highlight notes.

It’s a simple and straightforward wear, that is a good pickup for daily use. It’s a clean blend of the lotus, tea, and a pear-like aroma. Quite clean, with a light soapy quality. Bamboo and musk sit at the base, but Crystalline, is headed up by the lotus flower.

Omnia Crystalline is a choice for those who want something to wear casually or to the office, that won’t offend or overwhelm, but smells fresh and delightful.

Sheer Rose Perfume

Bvlgari Rose Essentielle by Bvlgari 3.4oz 100ml EDT Spray– A must-have for rose lovers. Soft, sweet, and deliciously feminine. The two rose ingredients are paired with juicy blackberry, musk, and violet. A sandalwood base, adds a smooth creamy quality, that pairs well with the floral notes.

The rose smells freshly cut and not overpowering, the blackberry does a magnificent job at balancing things out. It isn’t too powerful, but, helps the rose and violet feel even more beautiful.

Rose Essentielle has a sheer and clean aroma, with good performance, that’s never too in your face about it.

Great Newer Bvlgari Perfume

Riva Solare by Bvlgari– Riva Solare Allegra is described by the brand as an Italian Vacation. It’s easy to understand why, when you get top notes of mandarin orange, and Calabrian bergamot. Along with, a lovely neroli note.

With that neroli, you get orange blossom, and osmanthus to round out the floral notes. Obviously, this is going to be a summertime citrus wear for the most part, but it is an absolutely beautiful one.

However, it really turns light and musky after that opening, with the impression of the bergamot really sticking around. To me, this felt very clean and just a complete vibe of being on the coast. It definitely captures those moments. The performance isn’t amazing, so you may want to try before you buy.

Omnia Pink Sapphire by Bvlgari

by

When I bought my bottle of Versace Eros Flame, I also received some samples, as a part of the shipment. One of those samples was from the new Bvlgari perfume release, Omnia Pink Sapphire. I had no expectations of what this flanker was going to be, so, I decided to try it out. As usual, I will cover what’s inside, how it smells, the performance, when it should be worn, and if it’s even worth it.

What does Omnia Pink Sapphire Smell Like?

Notes included: frangipani, pink pomelo, musk, vanilla, pink pepper, tiara, wood

Click here to try: Bvlgari Omnia Pink Sapphire Eau de Toilette Spray, 2.2 Fl Oz

My Full Wear Review

Before I begin with my review, let’s see what Bvlgari has to say about Pink Sapphire: A new sparkling floral olfactive experience, inspired by a sensorial precious gem. A festive fragrance built on the solar and delicate scent of pink frangipani flower distilling daring notes.

So, in the description on their website, Bvlgari says this will whisk your imagination to faraway lands in French Polynesia, particularly Tahiti. Omnia Pink Sapphire definitely has that kind of exotic tropical scent.

It opens up with a sharp and tart citrus blast from what is pomelo, but there is definitely a grapefruit aroma, and possible note lurking in there as well.

The citrus top is paired with the frangipani flower and these two notes are going to be dominant throughout the wear. Yes, it develops somewhat from here, but pomelo and frangipani are what it’s mostly going to be about.

I think Pink Sapphire is familiar to other fragrances in a lot of ways, but the notes it uses instead, give it a unique aroma. Plenty of citrus floral perfumes, but I can’t think of any that combine these specific notes.

As it moves along, this Omnia perfume keeps up its sunny disposition, and the main changes that I notice are firstly the strengthening of tiare flower. Secondly, the musky vanilla note that sits underneath, both the citrus and floral notes.

The further along in the dry down I get, the less tart, and the sweeter this fragrance becomes. It’s a good mix at this point of frangipani, pomelo, tiare, pink pepper, and that musky undertone. This perfume is certainly sunny and has an upbeat energy about it, a very pleasant fragrance.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage of this Bvlgari, starts off fairly moderate but turns quickly into a lighter or sort of airy perfume. It has a fresh almost ethereal quality and it isn’t going to be a powerhouse EDT.

The longevity on this one isn’t great, but it wasn’t unusably terrible for me, as it got around 5 hours of wear.  It’s pretty baseline average. It is a lighter warm weather fragrance, but don’t expect a marathon performer here.

For the price point, I do want more out of a perfume. So, maybe only grab a bottle that’s on sale and heavily discounted.

Pink Sapphire is spring/summer all the way. A casual daytime wear that is perfectly safe to put on for work or school, as it can definitely appeal to a younger set. It’s pretty enough, but not a sexy sort of perfume, I’d like to smell it but probably wouldn’t be captivated by Pink Sapphire.

For the warmer months, this is one that should get plenty of use. There are obviously sexier scents or more formal or more stylish options. Pink Sapphire does still fit in rather well, in a variety of situations, though.

Overall Impressions of Pink Sapphire

Overall, do I like Omnia Pink Sapphire? I like it. As I said, it takes a familiar citrus floral formula, and adds some lesser used notes to it. It’d be a solid option for those who want a more tropical version of that kind of fragrance, for the summertime.

The performance could be much better, but it isn’t awful. Pink Sapphire smells good, but doesn’t stand out, which could be a good thing for the right price. Again, maybe only blind buy this one at a heavy discount.

That opening act can be a citrus overload. The pomelo is already strong in the composition, on its own, but adding other citrus to it can be too much.

I do like frangipani and the dry down when everything gets mellowed out, with the inclusion of the vanilla note.

Apparently, Pink Sapphire wasn’t one of the more popular perfumes from the Omnia lineup. But, I don’t think that it’s a bad scent at all. Maybe it doesn’t have the most broad appeal, even if it’s a pretty good smelling scent.

Bvlgari Man Glacial Essence

by

Bvlgari’s Essence line had a fairly extensive release over the past few years, but already looks like it’s going away. I’ve been testing them out over the past few months to see what they’re all about. Today’s entry is Glacial Essence, the icy fragrance of the line. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Bvgari Man Glacial Essence Smell Like?

Notes include: juniper, ginger, geranium, cedar, musk, wood, orris root, sandalwood, artemisia

Click here to try: Glacial Essence

glacial essence review

My Full Review

Here’s how Bvlgari describes it: BVLGARI MAN GLACIAL ESSENCE enriches the Bvlgari Man collection dedicated to the power of natural elements. After fire and wood, Bvlgari Man explores air. The BVLGARI MAN GLACIAL ESSENCE fragrance captures the unbridled magnitude of the frozen mountains and the unstoppable masculinity of a man on a constant quest for greatness.

So, the opening is indeed quite cold and fresh. The freshness comes across more like a blue-ish detergent sort of aroma, but not as harsh and thick. This does get the frosty mountain air feeling down pretty well…not naturalistic, more like the deodorant sort of interpretation.

Juniper is huge within the mix. Geranium pairs up with it early to give it a further cold and somewhat minty aroma. Along with the spicy pop of the ginger note up top.

A few minutes in the bitterness of the artemisia really comes through on my skin. It’s not very long lasting, but for like a 15 minute stretch it felt like it was the second or third strongest note, behind juniper.

After that passes, this one becomes quite musky and woody. Clear and cedar wood. Fresh blue aroma with wood and musk. That’s about it. Most of the top notes have burned away and there is some sandalwood involved, but not a ton.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This has a solid bit of power after the first spray. The top fresh notes really can project decently off of the skin and has a short-lived scent trail.

After that? Glacial Essence will be more of a scent bubble type of fragrance. Within 3 or so feet from the skin. It’s all a bit better than average, just not by much, and not for the entirety.

In terms of longevity, I get about 6.5 hours, on my skin. Again, the entire time isn’t super powerful, but Glacial Essence does hang around in that lighter state.

Seasonally, this is a spring and summer wear. I have to say, the highlight of testing came when I wore this outside in the heat. When the juniper, ginger, and geranium really were at their peak; this one had some pleasant moments.

More of a daily wear or casual fragrance. Not nightlife or something that’d be considered sexy. Just a simple one to spray on to freshen up. Not particularly formal or serious, just clean and cold.

Overall Impressions of Glacial Essence

Overall, do I like Glacial Essence? Not really. It’s almost certainly my least favorite cologne from the Essence series. It’s not terrible to me, but I also don’t really enjoy wearing it that much.

The opening does really give you a icy blast that simulates the mountain air. But, it also feels like a synthetic detergent type of smell too. I mean, it’s better than the laundry stuff, but still not all that appealing.

That freshness can be quite nice. Ginger and geranium are highlights, but don’t hang around for the duration.

The rest of the way is kind of simple. The performance isn’t amazing. It’s all kind of boring. Which is disappointing, as I would’ve thought that this would be one of my favorite Essence colognes, but it’s last on the list in reality.

While this Bvlgari surely wouldn’t offend anyone, I don’t think most people would be too thrilled if they bought it without testing. Sure, some will be fans of this, but it really doesn’t have that universal appeal.

With a discount? Maybe take a shot. Retail? I’d pass.