Man in Black
Rum and leather do not appear together often, and the pairing is why Bvlgari Man in Black Eau de Parfum became the one fragrance in the house's men's range that people genuinely talk about.
It opens boozy. Rum is sweet, dark and spirituous for the first few minutes, with tobacco immediately behind it, dry and faintly sour in the way of loose leaf rather than cigarette smoke. The middle is more surprising than its reputation suggests. Tuberose brings a thick, creamy white floral weight that most men's scents would never risk, iris cools it with something grey and powdery, and leather pushes back against both with a smooth, polished bite.
The base is where it settles and stays. Amber gives a resinous warmth, benzoin adds a balsamic sweetness close to burnt sugar, tonka bean softens everything with a faint marzipan edge, and guaiac wood runs underneath it all with a smoky, almost tarry dryness. The whole thing becomes rounder and darker as the hours pass rather than thinner.
It is a cold weather fragrance and an evening one, strong enough that two sprays go a long way. Expect eight hours and more, with real presence in the first part of that. It is marketed to men, worn by plenty of women, and it suits dinners, bars and winter nights far better than a morning at a desk. Anyone who likes a fragrance to be recognised across a table will get on with it, and anyone who wants to pass unnoticed should look elsewhere in the range. Alberto Morillas signed the composition in 2014. The house itself is a Roman jeweller, started in 1884 by the Greek silversmith Sotirio Bulgari, known for gemstone jewellery, serpent motifs and watches long before its perfume business opened in 1992. It belongs to LVMH.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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