BLV: The Smell of Success

Like Makeup, perfumes are very personal. While many people believe in finding a signature fragrance, I strongly believe in the spontaneity of the person when it comes to perfume. As we get older and become more mature, our taste (and wallet) also change. I do not think having a signature perfume is a good thing because who wants to stick with a very fruity-floral for the rest of her life, right?

However, for those of you who are still looking for The One perfume, I have a suggestion: try some perfumes from Bvlgari (pronounced "Bulgari" as the "v" is the replacement for the "u"). The company Bvlgari started out as a high-end jewelry business and then branched out to perfumes and clothings. I remember some years ago, before Lil Kim went to jail she had a song where she sang something about this line like this "Black Barbie dressed in Bvlgari". From what I heard, Alicia Keys is another celebrity fan of Bvlgari, her favorite scent is Bvlgari Omni.

I was introduced to BLV in 2001 from a cousin. She gave me a sample vial and simply told me, "It's good!" At that time I was neither a makeup or a perfume addict yet but I took the sample as well as some of her makeup anyways. I remember drawing hard to this scent as it is soft but strong, smooth but heady, feminine but masculine. It's like an iron grip wrapped in velvet, you will never know how it turns out to be until using it.

BLV was created by Alberto Morillas in 2000 and also launched at the same year. According to Fragrantica, BLV is a mixture of "the cold accords of ginger, pure freshness of gorgeous wisteria and translucent musk are in harmony with the warm depth of sandalwood, feminine sweetness of flax flowers and softness of vanilla and acacia." I got a lot of nice compliments whenever I use it and this perfume truly gives me confidence. It's like fire on ice to me: hot but cold. When I first applied it, BLV just felt fresh but as it dries down, the sadalwood, vanilla, and musk starts to bloom and that is when this perfume gets very interesting.

Around 2004, I acquired Absolute BLV which is the special edition of BLV. This perfume is more concentrated and suitable for winter.

Absolute BLV, the fire on ice, is my favorite perfume on days I need to stand in front of a bunch of people to make speeches (ie presentation days). It's the smell of success to me as it gives me the fire that I need in my talks. It also keeps me cool when situations get heated up like when some of my pesky friends/colleagues/professors started bullying me about one grain of detail that I miss. With BLV, I can stare them down and proceed with the rest of the presentation. No perfume has given me such an edge like that.

When it was just in the market around 2000-2001, only a handful of stores sold it as it was classified as the high-end perfume. I remember asking a lot of sales associates about this perfume and most of them did not even know how to pronounce "Bvlgari". However, as it became a favorite among many women, now you can find it in a lot of department stores, fragrant depots, and even online. Regardless, I've never seen a bottle of BLV in drugstores or mass market stores like Wal-mart or Target. I think the people of Bvlgari still wants to keep their luxurious and high-end, prestigious status in one way or another. But once in a while I'd see a bottle of BLV at T.J Maxx or Ross. So it's kind of ironic, isn't it?

Unfortunately, I no longer wear this perfume although I still have a full bottle. In a way, a bad relationship also sent a favorite perfume to the graveyard. Again, perfumes are very personal.

My rating: A+ not because it is unique but because of what it did for me.

If you like BLV, consider other ones from Bvlgari as this company makes great perfumes. Most of them are available in online stores where prices are much cheaper. I can imagine this perfume getting the legendary status in one day as it is a classic.

That's all folks! What is your favorite perfume? Do you like BLV? Dish out in the comment box 'cause you know I want to hear.

Love,
Your Makeup Blogger

P.S: I went to watch "The Dark Knight" yesterday and it was awesome! After almost 3 weeks of release and the theater was still packed. The Joker is not as scary as I thought, he's more of a loon I guess. Good movie, you all need to go see it!