Bvlgari Pour Homme

If I had to single out one fashion/design house as a personal favourite it would have to be Bvlgari. I’m yet to find a fragrance in their male range that I haven’t at some stage really fallen for and none of them get on my goat -  to be honest, at the moment it isn’t that hard to really get on my tits so having a nice refreshing series of fragrances that are guaranteed to make me smile are always a bonus.

Bvlgari (pronounced B-U-L-G-A-R-I) Pour Homme and the concentrate Extreme are must haves and I get slightly antsy if there isn’t one or the other around for me to use. I was introduced to both on my 21st birthday when in a shower of gifts two large bottles of each landed in my lap.

At the time, and oh lord I feel old saying this (a whole 14 years ago) they were new fragrances produced by the Italian fashion and design house Bvlgari. Renown more for their excellent, stylish and often lavish jewellery.

The bottle has a rather novel design and is similar in looks to the female versions of the Bvlgari range, however, rather than being flat, the bottle is quite tall standing 15cm high and the glass has a “pinched” effect at the top where the atomiser and lid meet the bottle.

My bottles were gifts but when buying recently costs have varied wildly - and to be frank I would be happy paying up to £50 for a bottle. Realistically though you can expect to part with around £35.99 for 50ml.

The notes state that the Extreme version of Pour Homme has been created to last longer on skin, being the concentrated version. Freshness, simplicity and pureness are all characteristics and the ingredients should combine to create hints of Darjeeling tea mixed with spices and precious musks to give an overall invigorating fragrances that gives an overall sense of well being. Sounds interesting but hey you’d expect that from a group of marketing gurus coming up with the blurb.

After shaving in a morning I remove the lid and use three tiny sprays from the atomiser. The actual results from only three sprays is wonderful, filling the bathroom with a gorgeous aroma. My first impressions were of a light, citrus fragrance similar to CK1 although I was positive I could pick out hints of lemon and lavender. Another interesting point of note was that when applying after shaving it didn’t burn at all, and like my earlier post about Joop this is a massive bonus! There is nothing worse than a sore or red face as you leave the house in a morning.

As soon as the fragrance is applied it begins to alter immediately, becoming lighter and less noticeable to me. The smell continues to become lighter but much spicier on the nose. At no time do I ever become overwhelmed by the actual fragrance. It is so delicate after only a short while in the past I would forget I was wearing it and spray on more - cue comments from staff at work on me smelling extra sweet.

After 5-10 minute the fragrance is completely unnoticeable.  In the interests of research I have asked a few people at work what they think to this over the years - girlfriends and the wife love it, colleagues compliment me on it and I am yet to experience the dreading calls of “eurgh what the hell are you wearing”.

Even though I couldn’t smell it, those around me could and they all loved it.

Three tiny sprays of Pour Homme or one/two of Extreme cover me in a light citrus fragrance that became spicy with only the mildest of woody undertones for in excess of 10 hours. Now that is a result.

As this is a personal favourite of mine I wear it all the time, but would highly recommend it for those special occasions, big nights out and formal wear. This is a fragrance that will get you noticed for all the right reasons. Not only do these fragrances have  a lovely long lasting smell, it’s not too hard on the wallet and the actual bottle will last for well over 4/5 months making it much better value than poorer relations  in the fragrance market.

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Joop Homme Eau de Toilette

If I told you there was an aftershave that would guarantee women and men falling over themselves to get near you, you would probably think I was mad. Well, yes, I am mad, but I can honestly say that Joop Homme Eau de Toilette is this aftershave.

Joop has been around since 1989 and I’ve been wearing it on and off since I was 18. Despite having feminine colouring, the warm warm purple and crimson colour I now find quite appealing. Instead of being a rather boring liquid it's purple/warm pink in colour and adds both a touch of warmth and cheeky style to any bathroom cabinet. It just oozes cool in my opinion – an opinion that has become wiser as the years roll by.

The notes to Joop make for surprising reading. Not only does it contain extracts of tobacco, spices and fruits, it claims to have a long lasting fruity smell that will leave a warm woody fragrance.

So, what is it actually like?

Don’t be put off by first impressions – I found that after removing the lid I was greeted with a sickly sweet smell. There were no hints of tobacco or spices, but the smell was very fruity, too fruity. The smell from the bottle was very strong, bear in mind I have the spray!

I applied the aftershave as directed by the notes. The first thing that is evident once applied to skin is that the smell doesn't change immediately. This is an extremely sweet fragrance that fills the nose of the wearer and those around that the time of application. Once again, no hints of tobacco or spices could be smelt. Unlike most other aftershaves Joop doesn't sting that much after you have actually shaved, this is because it contains less alcohol than most other aftershaves. The reduction in alcohol content means that Joop is better for your skin than other more potent rivals.

After the Joop had been on for around half an hour the smell begins to change, instead of being sweet, it became heavy and a more refined fruity smell with just a touch of nutmeg. I have to say this is the one of best smelling aftershave I've ever had the pleasure of owning. In fact, I can only think of two others that I would chose over it – Bvlgari Extreme, and Bvlgari Man.

Once the smell has changed personally I find that the longer it has been on the less I can smell it. However this doesn't mean that the smell has gone. Oh no, it simply means in my opinion that this fragrance is suited to your skin type and the smell is still noticeable to those around you. You'll be able to tell this from the compliments.

Joop is the kind of aftershave that will get you noticed when out and about. It smells wonderful, is long lasting and only a tiny amount is required making an actual bottle of it last an absolute age.

Suitable for days at work, an evening in the pub or for a special romantic moment, this makes a perfect gift for any man who likes his fragrances to be fruitier than normal.

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