When I spritzed a light mist from my sample bottle of Bvlgari Jasmin Noir, the first image that came to mind was "Estate Sale", a closed up house with a cloying gardenia garden near mothballed closets. As time went on, the scent calmed down a bit. The mothballs eased into a powder and the woodiness and vanilla spice (from the tonka bean) become more pronounced.
This is, in theory, a fragrance I should love. It features sambac jasmine, the musky floral note that also appears in my precious Dior Hypnotic Poison. But I think the gardenias are what keep me from loving Jasmin Noir. The sickly sweetness of that flower does dwindle with wear time but there's just something about gardenias that I can't sign off on. They smell of fermenting fruit and cheapness to me. Because of that, the settled Jasmin Noir reminds me of the heavily scented, low priced talcum powder my grandmother used.
If you like gardenias, Jasmin Noir might be your newfound love. I just wish the jasmine stepped up to the plate more to lean it into the musk.
Bvlgari Jasmin Noir Notes: Green Sap, Gardenia Petals, Sambac Jasmine Absolute, Satiny Almond, Precious Wood, Licorice, Tonka Bean Absolute
(I pulled those notes from Sephora. The licorice and green sap don't come out on my skin.)
Buy: $68 an ounce at
Sephora
A sample of Jasmin Noir went out in May's Birchbox.
