Bvlgari Man in Black Eau de Parfum + GIVEAWAY

If I could only ever wear one aftershave ever again it would have to be Bvlgari Pour Homme, this aftershave and I have some serious history going back now nearly twenty, yes twenty years. 

Casting my impending old age to one side I’ve spent those heady years seeking out other fragrances from Bvlgari, some excellent while some have left me wondering what the hell they were thinking! Bvlgari Man is a fragrance that a former colleague called the “Stephen smell” as I wore it every day for a year but it may be under some serious competition now that I've had my sniffing tackle around Bvlgari Man in Black Eau de Parfum. I first smelt this my friend Alan at his recent birthday and was hooked yet didn’t go out and buy a bottle until recently. One question I’m asking myself constantly now is, why the hell did it take me so long to pick up a bottle for myself as it is lovely.

Before you think that’s it, if you read on not only will I give my thoughts on the fragrance, but being the oh so generous person I am, I bought two bottles so that I can share the fantastic nasal overload experience with one of my readers.

Bvlgari are a luxury fashion house, and their fragrances don’t normally come cheap - I remember paying well over £80 for my bottles of aftershave from the brand in the past but guess what, the price has come down quite a lot over the years. I paid £55 each for my 60ml bottles but you can pick them up online from places like Amazon for anywhere from £30-£45 so it really does pay to shop around. I opted to buy mine from The Perfume Shop as I received a Michael Kors bag for spending over £100, which will become my gym kit bag.

Having smelt this on my friend at his party and on a friend at work after recommending it to him I had a good idea of how the fragrance would evolve over time and what it would be like after finally drying down, but when peeking at the notes I was still surprised, particularly by the Tonka Bean as to me this fragrance doesn’t seem to have the sweetness that usually comes from such a note.

The notes to Bvlgari Man in Black are:

• Head: Rum & Luminous Spices
• Heart: Tuberose, Orris Root Absolute & Leather Accord
• Dry-down: Benzoin, Tonka Bean & Guauacwood

As soon as it left the atomiser I knew I was onto a winner - a strong blend of rum and spice that immediately started to fade down to a subtle hint of spice. I confess that within seconds I couldn’t detect any obvious hints of rum but the spice was warm and not too overpowering. Bliss. It started to evolve within minutes as it was absorbed by my skin and again, I couldn’t pick out the  all of the notes but the tuberose (it’s a flower used as a note in aftershaves and perfumes) combined with the spice and leather note was almost heavenly. This post in fact has taken much longer than normal to write as I’ve spent at least twenty minutes sitting back and continuously smelling the fragrance on my wrists. 

After around five minutes you have the final fragrance and this is how it smells for a good ten to fifteen hours after applying. It remains really subtle but as you walk or move around you will pick up hints of the floral spice that comes from the top notes. I cannot stress how much I really like this fragrance.

This is not too dissimilar to Black Orchid by Tom Ford (and much cheaper), it has hardwearing notes that make me want to continuously sniff away at myself. While with Bvlgari Pour Homme it dries down and I can’t smell it (yet everyone else can) I still get hints of this on my skin some ten hours later. It’s just quite possibly one of my favourites. It has a beautiful blend of notes that produces a masculine and spicy fragrance that will have people asking you what you are wearing and where they can get some from. It’s immense and well worth the purchase price. Only a little goes a very long way given it’s strength and I for one will not now be without a bottle of it in my collection, in fact, this may well indeed become the new “Stephen smell”. It’s not going to knock Pour Homme of it’s perch as my favourite but it is pulling at it’s ankles from second place.

Perfect for daywear, nights out or special occasions you really should put down what you are doing now and pick up a bottle for yourself or the man in your life. There are a few mandatory entries which must be completed, otherwise your entry will be null and void. Ensure that you are over 18 or have your parents permission because I will need your home address and finally owing to the prize on offer, this is a UK only giveaway.

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Ted Baker Hanging Fragrance Gifts

Ted Baker has an innovative approach to decorating your Christmas Tree this year with their new miniature hanging fragrance gifts* which would look amazing on any tree or as a stocking filler for that man in your life. 

There is a set for men and women - I'll be focusing on the male version. 

Each set comes in a pack of four individually wrapped 5ml fragrances - something to stick in the manbag if heading out for the night or smell so much you really need to mask your musk (that's a joke people).

The male fragrances include: 

• XO Fresh, Green and Woody - Designed for the men who like the finer things in life. Fresh Green top notes lead to a heart of aromatic woods, red berries and ginger roots. Mixed with base notes of pink pepper and warm sensual spices.
• X20 Spcy and Intense - Top notes of Tangerine, Tea and Cardamom with Lavender, Rosemary Spices and Violet Leaves and a base of Black Pepper, Sandalwood and Amber.
• Skinwear: Enticingly Aromatic - Fresh zesty extracts of lime, bergamot and lemon are blended with notes of Rosemary, Cypress and Juniper with an enticing base of Sandalwood, Amber and Musk
• M: Understated Sophistication - Top notes of Tonka Bean, Musk and Vertiver which are combined with Coriander, Amber and a rich Woody Base.

Not only do the tree hangers look great, after giving each access to my nose I'm pleased to report that they all smell great. Obviously fragrance is a very personal issue but if you like warm and earthy with hints of citrus and spice you will love these. 

Just launched at Debenhams a set of four will set you back £22, or you can pick them up for £6 each.

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*Where I come from in Manchester 'hanging or 'anging' is slang for awful. I do not use the term here to mean this for the avoidance of doubt!

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Eros by Versace

Aftershave finds its way into my collection in a number of ways - PR companies send me samples, I buy some or they arrive from the other half in an attempt to cheer me up. In the case of Eros by Versace I had just been foiled in an attempt to have a go in a dune buggy while on holiday.

To avoid the risk of me tripping over my bottom lip we stepped into a perfume store and I left loaded down like a pack donkey but with a huge smile on my face.

After testing everything in the store, and I mean everything I had nailed it down to four that I really wanted. 

What was surprising was that I fell head of heels in love with the new fragrance from Karl Lagerfield but chose not to buy it, instead opting for Eros, the subject of today’s post a bottle of Uomo by Valentino.

I had seen the bottle to Eros in the past and thought “not for me” and gone on to instantly forget about it. My favourite Versace fragrance had always been Dreamer and that was what I was looking for without success. 

One glance at the notes to Eros however and I couldn’t wait to give it a blast, hey I even started to like the dark blue frosted bottle with bling-tastic Versace emblem on the cap.

The marketing blurb to Eros as outlined by Versace is:

‘Love, Passion, Beauty and Desire: these are the key concepts of the men’s fragrance by Versace. Eros, God of Love, able to make people fall in love with his bow and arrow. A luminous aura with an intense, vibrant and glowing freshness obtained from the combination of mint leaves, Italian lemon zest and green apple.

An addictive sensuality delivered by oriental, intriguing and enveloping notes like Tonka beans, Ambroxan (amber), Geranium flower and vanilla.

A racy virility symbolised by woods such as cedarwood from Atlas and Virginia, vetyver and oak moss, providing intensity and power.’

The official notes are:

• Head: Tonka Bean, Ambraxan, Geranium Flower
• Heart: Mint, Lemon, Apple
• Dry-down: Vanilla, Vetyver, Oak Moss, Cedarwood

As a fairly new fragrance on the market (it was launched in 2013) I had moderate expectations but was immediately blown away, so much so that Eros now sits as one of my favourite aftershaves, bumping old favourites like Acqua di Gio out of contention.

So, does it live up the marketing blurb and what does it actually smell like I hear you demand?

In short, yes it does and I love it.

The head notes of Tonka bean combined with hints of Geranium explodes out of the bottle and has an immense strength and depth which I found quite heavy on my nose, not because it is earthy, but just so evident - it is so sweet that I was actually scratching around to see if there was anything being used in the ingredients to do this artificially. There isn’t. The Tonka bean smashes out light hints of vanilla and it becomes lighter and lighter the longer it stays on.

After the initial head notes the citrus and fruity elements of the heart notes shone through making what was on first application a rather heavy fragrance so light and fresh. The apple is to thank for this but it blend with subtler notes of mint beautifully.

After about an hour the head and heart notes dry down, but rather than leaving the top notes to be dominated by the dry down they remain and flawlessly blend. Yes, vanilla becomes more evident as the Tonka bean and vanilla mix but it becomes much warmer as the oak moss provides depth.

At £46 for a 50ml bottle and just a few squirts from the atomiser to keep this lingering on and around you for well over 10 hours then this represents an aftershave excellent value for money. Throw into the mix that people around you both male and female will love it and actually enquire as to what you are wearing then you have the perfect mix of an aftershave that sits head and shoulders above the rest.

Perfect for daywear, special occasions and those romantic nights out I promise you that this would make an excellent addition to any collection either for yourself or as a gift for a loved one.

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Mont Blanc Presence

If you think of Mont Blanc the first thing that would probably spring to mind is overly priced writing instruments. At a push jewellery and other assorted items from a luxury range that has diversified faster than speeding bullet may be conjured within your cranium.

For me, considering buying an aftershave from a company better known for pens than perfume would put me off. Presence was one of the first fragrances released onto the market by Mont Blanc back in 2001 and while I prefer to stick with favourites from the Bvlgari range due to my love of fresh, fruity fragrances Presence has skilfully worked its way into my affections.

The flowery marketing blurb from Mont Blanc tells you that Presence is about the presence of a man in a woman’s life. It embodies the wearer’s personality, charisma, aura and scent. It goes on to claim that the presence of the wearer evokes the emotions of the woman. Clearly while writing this sort of guff is like paying good money for old rope the key to a good fragrance in my books can be judged on a number of factors, most important is obviously whether it smells good to the wearer and those you come into contact with, longevity of the fragrance, price and overall the value for money it provides in comparison to other brands.

My first bottle (and actually like most of my aftershave) was a gift. If you had to part with your hard earned cash you’ll struggle unless you buy direct from Mont Blanc or live close to one of their stores. When I last tried to find a bottle I received a number of blank (I was so tempted to say Blanc looks there) in Boots and the Perfume store. A 75ml bottle will set you back just shy of £40. That to me seems expensive and I could roll out a very long list of cheaper aftershaves.

The notes to Presence are:

• Head: Bergamot, ginger and cardamom.
• Heart: Cinnamon, sage, apple and heliotrope.
• Base: Tonka beans, sandalwood and musk.

The notes suggest a heavy, very spicy fragrance with fruity undertones while the base notes suggest a warm and very masculine aroma. With a personal preference towards light and fruity fragrances I wasn’t sure I would like Presence but the proof of the pudding was to be in the tasting, no not literally but I couldn’t wait to give it a try.

Source

The difference between the two bottles - old above, new below.

Source

Two light sprays from the atomiser releases enough of the aftershave to give full coverage, and as a word of advice, close your eyes, it really does spray widely.

After shaving as you would expect there is a very nasty burning sensation which dissipates very quickly leaving just the warm spicy tones from the head notes. The bergamot citrus aroma is most evident and blended with the ginger gives an initial strange warm fragrance that is both fruity and spicy.

The general assault on the senses is pleasant, not too heavy and not so light it could be confused as a perfume. As with all male fragrances, the initial fragrance doesn’t tend to linger for long and with Presence the heart and base notes contain so many heavy duty ingredients that within 5 minutes that initial pleasant fragrance falls away as it becomes heavier and even warmer.

As the bergamot becomes less prominent you would expect the heart notes to come to the fore but alas they do not, the cinnamon and apple are never identifiable within the fragrance and only a hint of sage comes through taking the edge off the fruity aroma which makes the ensuing fragrance even spicier. After 30 minutes of blending and being absorbed by the skin what is left is completely different to the fragrance that left the bottle.

The woody, earthy base notes become the overlaying fragrance and the musk and sandalwood dominate the senses. With the fragrance still being evident on the skin over 10 hours after spraying on the aroma has the same strength from that that formed 30 minutes after application and that is a fragrance that not only is fresh, warm and masculine but also very subtle.

Presence does not sit in with the style of aftershave I like yet I’m strangely drawn to it. The fragrance is completely unique, so subtle so people can pick up on it without overpowering and very hardwearing meaning that it is perfect for romantic nights out, office and casual wear.

With a little of the aftershave going a long way and a reasonable price tag the product has every ingredient of a good aftershave.

The bottle may have been a nightmare to use (it used to be a half-moon shape which was a nightmare but has been re-designed) but thankfully my future purchases haven’t been blighted by this little hiccup. If your own personal preference when it comes to aftershave is like mine I would urge you to branch out and give this a try, you will be surprised by the way in which the ingredients blend together. This is very much a luxury version of Christian Dior Fahrenheit, just not so heavy.

Given that a little really does go a long way a 75ml bottle will last an absolute age making it good value for money.

You could do a lot worse than Presence.

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