BlackBlack was launched by Bvlgari, the Italian jewelry line, in 1998. It was created by perfumer Annick Menardo, and the fragrance notes are black tea, rosewood, bergamot, cedar, oakmoss, vanilla, amber, sandalwood, and musk.
Black is one of those masterpieces of weird that you would expect to come out of an obscure niche design house. Bvlgari calls it a supreme exponent of the metropolitan concept, and the fragrance does have an edgy, urban, very modern feel. There is a short lived citrus top note; after that, the focus is on black tea, in this case lapsang souchong, which lends a smoky, almost earthy edge to the dry woods. It is mildly spicy, with hints of burning rubber and leather, and a whisper of something like tobacco leaf. The r dry down is smoother and softer, with an almost comfort-scent blend of vanilla, musk and woods. A tinge of powder lends a velvety finish, but just enough of the smoke and rubber remains to keep it from being dull and pedestrian.
It is marketed as uni. I have read comments by men saying a woman couldnt possibly wear it, and likewise, comments from women saying it is too soft and vanillic to be worn by a man. If both es think the other cant wear it, it is a true uni, no? Either way, it is a fragrance that requires a certain kind of personality to pull it off.
Bvlgari Black is available in 40 or 75 ml bottles of Eau de Toilette, and if you shop around you can find it at discount. Scentiments lists a 75 ml tester for $24.99, and promises that it will be back in stock shortly. If you dont like testers, both perfume1
Robin, its so weird, Im wearing this today. Im not sure if I have the personality to pull it off (which is???)
Masterpiece of weird-that is perfect! Hey, I see a bottle of Douce Amere pointing its shaming finger at me, off to the right of this box, in an advertisement space. Star anise is on todays grocery list!
I love Bulgari Black, its one of my absolute ves. To me its not weird at all; its very much in line with my taste (which I guess must be weird or maybe edgy, urban and very modern. LOL!) Its my preferred way to wear vanilla with tea and rubber.
You have to be the kind of person who can wear rubber and not feel odd about it, I guess. What kind of person is that, LOL? I like it very much, I just think it isnt something that is likely to be universally loved.
It is really a great scent, and I meant weird in the best possible way. Boring is bad, weird is good, at least in my book.
This is the fragrance that turned me on to fragrance. Id never smelled anything like it. I found it on the girl side of the Sephora the first time I tried it. When I went back to buy it, I searched in vain, and after I had given up, spotted it on the boy side, sprayed it without hope, and was shocked to find it was the same. I think I called it burning tire la mode once upon a time, and I meant it as a compliment! May it never be discontinued.
I adore it, too. I get no vanilla; on me its all smoke and asphalt and musk. The drydown smells like , I swear. But in a good way! I dont wear this nearly enough, but were having the perfect weather for it so Im totally spritzing this tomorrow! (Id do it today but Im already wearing UD Go, which does not match the weather AT ALL, but Im all in denial over here and whatnot.)
Usually, Black is ve of mine well, I admire it I mean, though I dont wear it all the time and I thought I felt like it today, but somehow it isnt working for me right now. Perhaps the prospect of smelling like (or wearing?!) rubber is not appealing when you are liable to produce a baby any minute. I was looking for something soothing I probably should have worn Chamapaca or Tocade. The rice pudding scent you were trying to review the other day sure sounded nice.
My Mom bought this for me when I was 16 (Im female) and I remember loving it. I can still remember what it smelled like and how I felt wearing it. Its a bit too smoky for my taste now, but I have certainly do have fond memories of it!
OMG, any minute? And youre wearing Bvlgari Black? See, you are a stronger woman than I. In my last days, I could barely be bothered to comb my hair, much less put on fragrance, much less put on an edgy fragrance. Champaca does sound perfect though.
Ah, your first love was burning tire a la mode that is impressive, T!
Bvlgari seems to be pretty good about not discontinuing things. So r.
Asphalt yes, that is exactly right.
Im in denial whatnot here tooor trying anyway. Do I need UD Go? Have only tried Pistol.
Ah, your Mother has good taste in fragrance! Black certainly beats all the sweet fruity florals that 16 year olds seems to be wearing now.
Well, Im supposedly due in 10 days and the baby has dropped so they said to be ready any time (watch me go late!). Im still working and its snowing quite badly today so I hope s/he holds off for a little while. Im sure Im not stronger than you I just needed to smell good to even get out of the house today!
LOL at masterpieces of weird. But that is true! As someone (you, perhaps?) said somewhere, this scent seems to belong in the Comme des Garcons fragrance line more than in the Bvlgaris.
Thank you for talking about this great fragrance! I recall how odd I found it when it first came out. Now, it strikes me as much more tame, although it is still special and wonderful.
I found this so similar to Dzing! that I thought the main choice ctor was which name one preferred, and which bottle design. Mind you, I wasnt testing them both at the same time, and I have a suspicion that Black was more Rubber, and Dzing! more sawdust. Both entertainingly perverse.
V, quite so, it doesnt hit me in the same way that it did when I first smelled it. But it is still a very unusual scent, especially for a mainstream house.
You know, I think of them as in the same class, whatever that means, but like you have never tried them together. Suspect that they dont smell that much alike, just as you sayboth entertaininly perverse.
I tried to sample this at the local Bloomies counter but the sprayer was all wonky wouldnt work.
Very frustrating!
Weird = must try!
The nozzle actually has on off positionsso it might have been all wonky, or maybe it was in the off position (?)
great review Robin! Definitely one of my all time vorites and I am still in shock that they could possibly think to discontinue it!!
But you know how I feel about the On/Off switch. I still cant find those pliers
Hello, everybody! I like Black, burnt rubber or notIts just y and right on my skin. I agree its not the scent everybody would wear, its kind of strange. In Spain its the least popular of Bvlgari, I think. Urban, yes, definitely. Great review as always, Robin.
Oh how I love Bvlgari Black! But has time has progressed and Ive used it more and more, the very noticeable rubber smell has kind of vanished from my nose. Now I always seem to focus on something almondy in it.
Im kind of suprised to see people saying that it is a bit too smokey for them. I guess that can still be true, but I dont really find it THAT smokey. Super silky and transparent is my verdict.
Another very good twist on Black is V.I.P. Room Signature. A tad more feminine I guess, but just as lovely.
Yes, I checked the on/off positions. The sprayer was actually tilted, as if someone had tried to force it. It was definitely inoperable, so I sniffed the sprayer but couldnt tell much from that.
Just adding my praise for this scent; I love it! And I love the bottle, too. I dont know whether this was the intent, but I always think of it as a big, black tireto go with the smell. I have also noticed the similarily in VIP that shifts did, but I much prefer Black; VIP is too sweet for my tastes.
Ah, then it was just wonky. I love the look of the packaging, but have seen many complaints about the functionality (the nozzle breaks, it leaks, etc)
I wonder how it sells in the US? I notice that most of my local stores only sell it at the mens counter, so I have a feeling it is a hard sell with most women. Youre right though, it is y!
I dont find the smoke at all overwhelming either. Or the rubber. But some people would rather not smell any smoke or rubber in their fragrance, Im sure.
It really is a great bottle. Love the rubber, love the chrome accents.
Didnt even think of VIP Room as similar (other than the burning rubber note), so will have to try them together.
Hi Robin! Posting kind of late hereI havent tried Black yet, and Im curious how it compares to one of my vorites, LArtisans Tea for Two. It sounds like they might have a similarity with that lapsang souchong thing.
I definitely need to try this one.
They do share that same accord, K, but I would say it is much stronger in Tea for Two. They sort of work in reverse: the rubber is strongest in the top notes of Black, in Tea for Two, it starts later gets stronger as it drys down. Tea for Two is also much spicier, and while I havent tried them together, I remember it as even smokier. Now Ill have to put them both on see if I am right, LOL
Thank you for replying to my very late post! Oooooodefinitely sounds like something I need to check out. xo
My husband, who does not enjoy Black, likes to say that I, as a proud Canadian, like to own a scent that looks and smells like a hockey puck..
I have to get a sample of this. My husband and I are huge ns of Lapsang Souchung Tea (and Russian Caravan Tea) to drink. It reminds me of a camp fire (the tea) and it reminds him of a tar smell on the top of Norwegian houses. (I think that is what he said). Now I seriously have to find this Bulgari Black as well as the CB Russian Caravan Tea to try.
I love the review and all the comments!
Yes, the tar is there, so it might be perfect for either (or both) of you. The CB is a much lighter scent.
After reading the Now Smell This review I was looking for an opportunity to try black. On a short solo visit to Hong Kong I found it in Harvey Nichols. The sales girl grabbed my arm and sprayed it on without discussion. My first impression was utter revulsion and total disappointment I dont know what I expected but all I could smell was a the synthetic rubbery sent of an adult toy store mixed with tire fire interesting on some level but I really didnt want it on my body. Wandering around I kept catching hints of Black as it morphed and developed, sometimes not knowing what it was and then remembering. Hong Kong is a cacophony of smell dominated by pollution. Black was mixing and contrasting with the diesel exhaust, tires, un-burnt gasoline along with the smells form the restaurants and food stalls, the raw meat, fish and the ocean air incense, tea and rotting leaves expanding these smells and them noticeable and enjoyable in a new way. I learned something from Black and we became friends. I put off showering as long as possible, but when I did I missed Black and was never able to get it out of my mind after a couple of months I did give in a buy it. Bold and enduring Black is Hong Kong to me now.
What a great story, thanks so much for posting it! I am always interested when I come to love a fragrance that I found absolutely revolting on the first tryin this case, it is doubly interesting that you can trace how you came to love it via the association with Hong Kong.
I really do enjoy reading your reviews and the comments you receive. Theyre an adventure all on their own! Ive always been interested in the Bvlgari line of fragrance and thankfully ran across your blog.
Im a fighter of stereotypes so this scent smells like itd be right up my alley! Im very sensitive to florals and major musk. Its like experiencing allergy season times ten. Not fun at all.
So Im a new gal searching for a new fragrance thats clean and masculine. Have any other suggestions besides Black? Thanks in advance for any help!
It
It might depend on what you mean by clean the BB isnt clean at all, for instance. But clean and masculine, to me, = Guerlain Vetiver or Christian Dior Eau Sauvage. Another kind of clean might be Prada Homme. It might help if you can give me any more clues about what you like/dont like?
I came across a website that recommended this perfume. The comment given is that Ladies love it but I wonder whether it means ladies like to wear this or ladies like the smell of the person wearing it. any idea?
You should have smashed it on the floor and dabbed a finger in the puddle. Beleive me, it would have been worth it!
can anyone help me out with operating the bvlgari black??
im not sure whether its something wrong with the nozzle or my problem..
and the open and close mechanism.. when i pressed it, it didnt spray like other bottles i have. thanks in advance.
The on/off mechanism seems to break easily many of the testers Ive seen dont operate at all, even in the open position, and I assume that is because the on/off confuses people and they try to force it or something? But not sure what to advise other than to try to be sure it is in the open position.
i finally found a tester of this yesterday, tried it, and loved it. the store doesnt stock it anymore though, and they told me its been discontinued true or lse?
its being continued i think the salesman had tried to convince you to buy another fragrance instead of loosing you for to try finding it at another shop.
you may check the official website of bulgari
This is the perfume of choice for Angeline Joli.hmmm. Cant imagine Jennifer Anisson wearing it.
Ive had Dzing for a while and noticed the same thing when I tried Bulgari Black. And again when I tried Frederic Malles Une Fleur de Cassie. Theyre all considered weird fragrances, and it would be interesting to find out what weird note they have in common. Theres also a thread in the Perfume of Life forums that suggests that all three are related to the older Je Reviens by Worth, which I ought to try.
I believe that Dzing Bvlgari Black both have birch tar, but dont know if the FM FdC does
Thanks for the hint. Grinding through Google, I found that birch tar is mostly methyl salicylate, which is also a main ingredient of cassie absolute. So maybe methyl salicylate is the smell of weird.
Oh dear, I missed your comment entirely, Im sorry! Anyway, would be very surprised if Bvlgari discontinued Black, but never say never. It does still seem to be on the market at the moment though.
this is my absolute all time vorite despite the functional problems with the nozzle. the design is actually a wheel with a locking hub for those girly girls who dont quite get it, lol. it isnt a hockey puck despite the similarity of the black rubber wheel portion. i have been attempting to contact bvulgari reps, to no avail, regarding the sprayer problems as i have purchased 6 bottles over the past 5 years all with the same te despite that i am extremely careful how i use the on/of positions. i keep buying it and i hope it doesnt get discontinued.
The nozzle really is a pain, and it is surprising that they havent redesigned it given how easily it breaks.
I went perfume shopping today armed with my list of to try scents, thinking I would likely buy EL Sensuous or a summery Jo Malone and somehow wound up with Black. Not exactly summery, but I adore it!! Kind of reminds me of Black Cashmere in genre, but I think this may be a little more generally wearable.
I do not have any on/off nozzle-y thing, just a regular spray. I guess Bulgari listened.
So glad youve llen in love with Black, its a great scent. And very glad if theyve done away with the on/off.
Any thoughts of how this works for men? It seems to me that most of the reviews on this site whose gender is apparent from their post or their name are from women. Im a (manly) man, and Black has been my signature cologne for nearly a decade. Im currently running low and was checking online to see if Black was even still available (none of the department stores Ive been to recently carry it any longer). For me, the ct that it is an uncommon fragrance was part of the appeal. However, the posts I found here made me concerned that it can be perceived as feminine, which is definitely not the effect Im looking for. Any feedback would be appreciated.
The majority of the readers here are probably women. You might want to go check the reviews at Basenotes, where most of the readers are probably men.
Daddy, go for it! If Black makes you feel like a tiger, splash it on! I wear Black which always puzzles my husband because he can smell the rubber note but since he dragraces it seems to have the desired effect. IMHO, a lot of uni fragrences smell like nothing (ie, CK One). Whom does that please? Its not as if youre wearing Jean Nateif Black is yours, wear it happily! I got it at Fragrance X1
Hmm. Not sure I think it woudnt workgoing to splash some Jean Nate on my man and see what comes of it
Does anyone else have the experience of not being able to smell this at all? After reading lots of great reviews I was so excited to try it but I left Sephora convinced that something was wrong with their bottle!
This is a very, very after the main posting event posting.but I just purchased this as my first lemming! I found it very cheaply online and found myself involuntarily pressing the confirm payment button..Ive wanted to try it for AGES, but never found it in any department stores, so what the heck?! Itll make a brilliant present for someone if i dont like it. But, I somehow doubt that!
It is here. And I do love it. So it was a very successful first lemming! Its totally the wrong time of year to be wearing this but its tucked away for when autumn/winter arrive! It does have an edgy, urban, very modern feel about it. Youre absolutely right. It makes me think of slinky, metallic, neon-lit cocktail bars and vodka-martinis. Mucho sleekness!
Thanks Robin! And theyve obviously redesigned the spray nozzle, as you now pull-off the nobbly bit on top to get to the regular pump!
You might want to try the Monday Mail:
youd get lots of great recommendations!
I adore this scent- it is odd, but hardly shocking to me. What I love is that though black tea is normally a very soft note, it manages to be the strongest note in this scent (on my skin anyway), the leather compliments it gently, and the vanilla is just perfect (I find the vanilla Bvlgari uses typically is very much to my liking). I adore the scent of black tea, I wish it showed up in more fragrances!
Black is quite nice, although like another poster above, I think I may be anosmic to some of it. When the SA sprayed it on the card I couldnt smell a thing, then the intest hint of vanilla showed up. On my skin I get more jasmine, vanilla, a bit of rubber, and a powdery musk but very little tea, spice or leather, and the rubber definitely isnt burning. Ive heard rumors that Bulgari has toned down some of the odder aspects of the scent, so perhaps Im smelling a reformulation, but it could just be my nose. I usually dont have trouble detecting musks, but theres a first time for everything.
Also, does anyone else see a resemblance between Black and Diors Hynotic Poison? When I first wore Black it struck me, beyond anything else, as a less saccharine and syrupy HP, with a dryer quality and more breathing room. Which is great, because I would love HP if it wasnt soTHERE. And SWEET. Its like a brick wall of scent.
Ive never noticed a resemblance, but theyre both by the same perfumer probably youre noticing something Im not.
Really sorry to hear Black might have been toned downwaaah.
Well, like I said, it could just be me. (Im the type that considers Chanel Coco and YSL Opium comfort scents, so perhaps Im immune to Blacks supposed oddity.) It IS hard to pin down the vanilla and musk suggest pillowy comfort, but the noticeable rubber and hint of smoke (more evident now, as I sniff it again for the first time in a week or so) keep things just a littleaskew.
And yup, it still reminds me of Hypnotic. I blame the vanilla/musk/jasmine combo, as well as the hand of Menardo, whose creations (and overall style) Im rapidly lling full-throttle in love with.
Black remains my alltime ve perfume! And I have to respond to subhumans comment that I also totally get the resemblance between Bvlgari Black and Dior Hypnotic poison. Interesting also is that I have always loved coco channel (which was a vorite comfort scent he/ she also mentioned) and there is a huge similarity between coco channel and bvulgaris jasmine noir.
just wish that more stores still carried it, but as some comments suggested, the weirdness probably made it a tough sell.
I was killing a little time in a mall today before meeting up with my sister-in-law, and I saw Black on the mens side at Sephora. I had been curious about the rubber note Id been reading about, so I decided to try it. Love. It. The rubber note wasnt all that strong on me, but definitely noticeable. It was like spiced vanilla tea and auto parts store.. and somehow it just worked. I dont generally like it when I get a plastic note in a perfume, so who knew rubber would work for me? I was sniffing the back of my hand as much as I could without looking ridiculous. The drydown kind of reminded me of Kenzo Amour, but a bit stronger and less milky (Amour pour Homme?). I was really enjoying this scent as I walked around the mall, and it just made me feel good. I think I may have even strutted a little bit.. heh. The staying power is great too (I think I may have picked up Iso E Super in there, which would explain that). I think I may need to get to a discounter and see if I can find a good deal on a bottle.
Will comments never end on this review? I hope not!
I finally smelled this yesterday for the first time. Given how much has changed in fragrance since its release, it smells completely modern. Ive heard no one mention a strong note of anise in the beginning. I love the smell of licorice, and this has it. I also loved the ct that there didnt seem to be much in the way of strong top notes (maybe just the anise?) but it did give me beautiful things to think about all day. Most definitely full-bottle worthy some time soon. I waited almost a year for my Youth Dew, so I guess I can wait a bit longer for my Black
Poor grammar: Given how much has changed in fragrance since its release, that Black smells completely modern today is both surprising and telling. Send me back to school.
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