Quick show of hands – how many of you have never smelled the Bulgari Omnia fragrances because you can´t figure out how to spray the damn bottle? How many of you have skipped them because you think they´re too ugly to touch? Finally, how many of you think they´re a really cool design and I can take my Betsey-Johnson-bottle-loving butt and go stand in a corner, since I clearly have no design sense, or taste for that matter?
Morillas did the next one, Omnia Crystalline, in 2005, and as you´d expect from the name it´s the lightweight, frosted summer flanker, with notes of bamboo, Asian pear, lotus blossom, and woody notes. Some people can´t smell it at all, and some people who can smell it think it´s awfully dull, but I really enjoy it. It´s something like Bulgari´s Green Tea layered with a light musky citrus. I can´t make any argument at all for dazzling brilliance on its part, but it’s lighthearted and fizzy and fun, and there are days in summer when nothing else will do.
Omnia Amethyste came in 2006, and it´s not clear to me whether Morillas was on the job for that one. I was excited by the purple bottle and the notes, which include pink grapefruit, iris, rose, heliotrope and woody notes. I was most excited because the iris in the fragrance was supposed to capture the smell of the iris flower rather than the roots, i.e., orris, which is generally what’s in there when a fragrance lists iris, and which is in fact quite a different smell.
I adore the smell of iris blossoms. I assume most non-gardeners don’t even realize iris have scent, but many of them do, and they are grown and prized for their perfume, which is as delightful and as varied as the smell of roses. An olfactory highlight of my life was standing in the middle of acres of blooming iris in the high desert of New Mexico one August, surrounded by that intoxicating smell. Instead, I found Amethyste a powdery heliotrope mess, and while I suppose it wasn´t execrable, the less said the better.
The newest Omnia, Green Jade, has just arrived in stores here, and Morillas is listed as the perfumer. Apparently aimed at “younger women,” which in perfume-speak must, at this point, mean women aged 12 – 18, Green Jade has notes of green mandarin, spring water (!), white peony, pear blossom, jasmine, pistachio, soft woods and musk. If you care, the green on the bottle is somewhat brighter than in this image; I think it’s quite pretty.
How do you feel about those bottles, anyway? Are there any bottles out there you loathe so much they’ve impeded you from buying the fragrance?
all images: Sephora
With all the comments about the container — I still need help in OPENING the darn thing! Please…..
‘surprising tenacity’ ? On me, Omnia lasts at the faintest possible level for about 30 minutes. I’m glad though, because it was reading about Omnia that made me interested in perfume beyond the bath and body works sprays. It didn’t work for me, but I kept looking, and I never stopped.
Um, I’m anosmic to these. So, for me, the summary is “Bottle Double Big; Scent Very Little.”
I actually made a Sephora sales associate spray it on himself. He smelled cursorily, looked at me, and said, “yeah, perfume,” and we each looked at each other and thought “yeah, crazy.” /:)
:dGuys;despite the fact that I absolutely HATE this line,anyway….(can we all say BORING????)…if I came across these bottles,I would give it up…I mean, do I need this agravation?…I’m still loving the Bond #9 Brooklyn bottle,but,wondering why in the world didn’t they make it a tad slutty…..the word probably does not exist in their world…huh…carry on perfumistas!!:-w
I’m another guy who wears Omnia (the original), and it is MAGIC on me. Magic, I tell you! Warm but not heavy, creamy but not cloying, woody but not splintery. Light enough for summer, cozy enough for winter. An absolutely perfect thing. I also have the miniature (I had the same problem as you, Rosarita, except I didn’t actually dismantle the thing before getting it open–I quickly discovered that it slides apart like one of those trick boxes, though that’s not obvious at first) and a big bottle of body lotion. I’m set for a while, I figure.
What I love most about it is that there is not one single fragrance out there that smells anything like it. It doesn’t remind me of anything; it doesn’t smell like a copy or something that hopped on the bandwagon: it’s completely original. (I smelled Luctor et Emergo for the first time today, and the first thought that popped into my head was, “Oh. Louve.” I also tried Putain des Palaces for the first time–I just got a BIG shipment from The Perfumed Court–and it’s lovely, but after getting past the face-powder note, I realized it was basically L’Interdit.)
I don’t love the bottle, but I don’t hate it, either. I’ve had dribbly sprayers on bottles before, so they don’t bother me, as long as I remember to hold them accordingly.
Okay, that’s it. Clearly I need to try the body lotion. I can see that it would be heavenly in the body lotion.
And yes — you said it best on here. Omnia does not in fact remind me of a single thing. There was not one fragrance that popped into my head as a reference, other than trying to do some weight (rather than smell) comparisons. I have reached a point that I no longer want another incense (shocking!) if it basically smells like the love child of two other things I already own…
Have fun with your TPC shipment! Those are always good for entertainment.
Ok, first of all, the bottle. I like it very much to look at, but the plastic feels really cheap. I can spray it just fine, but the first taste I had of Omnia was a mini, which I darn near smashed with a hammer just to smell it. My husband had to figure out how to open that one out for me; I had removed a plastic piece that’s not supposed to come off. Oy. I am very fond of both the original Omnia and Crystalline, own and wear both often as they are both ideal go-to-work scents imo. Crystalline is a summer staple and I’m on my second bottle which is saying something. Amethyst smelled wonderful for the first 30 seconds, very sappy and green. If it stayed that way I’d buy a big bottle, but it quickly turned to soap and was gone completely in under 20 minutes. Haven’t had the opportunity to try Jade yet, but I like the green bottle a lot. My favorite of the lot is the original, though, which to me smells like chai w/cream, and lasts all day.
They are both good go-to-work scents, aren’t they? I wish I didn’t get that one teeny little niggling bit of something sour from Omnia, but I still think it’s a pretty terrific scent. As others have commented on here, there isn’t anything precisely like it.
So far have only tried the Green Jade one on paper, but it’s awfully fresh. Will give it a proper try later in the week but don’t think it’s going to be a favorite. What color will they do next? I’m surprised Omnia Black isn’t out yet.
Funny — I didn’t get the dreaded “Tampax fresh” thing on me (I actually put it on my skin unsniffed!) but it collapsed into nothingness so quickly I could barely get a bead on it, and as you know that’s not a common complaint of mine. I am pretty sure it won’t be on your to-buy list. 😉
I love the original Omnia, it’s one of my favourite fall/comfort scents. To me it smells like ginger snaps on fresh sawed hardwood plank. I don’t care much what bottles look like, i keep everyhtin in the box anyway, but the spray is really terrible. It shoots out with too much pressure, and dribbles with not enough.
I also like the Amethyst but the Crystalline I tried smelled of watery citrus, then watery musk, then nothing at all.
I am so glad to see Omnia getting all this love on here today! And amused to see everyone complaining about the sprayers.
i love the bottles, the look (kinda layered films) and the way they feel in your hand. and since i like to ‘puddle’ my fragrances, the ‘spribble’ works fine for me.
i can’t smell the original omnia, and seem to smell a lot more of what there is in the crystalline than most people. it has a creaminess and the ‘dry crunchy’ aspect of the apple pear that i just love. plus it lasts forever on me, also rare.
i appreciate femme as the only rose scent i’ve been able to wear so far. i’ve tried several of the rosines and they get kind of itchy in the nose and this kind of sweet/sour note on the skin :-< so i'm considering buying some femme as it is so nice to smell rosy. i agree it is nothing 'outre' but it is nicely put together and smells good..............(i hope that's not wrong of me! maybe just a little boring):-b
Hey, want to write our reviews? 🙂 Your description of Crystalline is excellent — a dry, crunchy aspect is much better than my “fizzy” which is what I was trying to describe. It’s hard to convey how it’s not too sweet, and you did it beautifully. And it lasts forever on me too, in a good way.
The Femme was one of those scents I picked up idly in Nordstrom simply because I’d always ignored it and had absolutely zero idea how it smelled. I was surprised how attractive it was, if not earth shattering — it IS nicely put together, not boring. Not every day’s a day for Dzing, you know? And it’s nice to have a mental short list of fragrances I can give as gifts that I think have potential broad appeal, and that’s one of them.
I’m confused (sorry) – is there an Omnia Femme? Or are you talking about FEMME? Because if you are, you know that it is earth-shattering and soul-snatching….
but like I said, I’m confused. I’ve never tried any of the Bulgaris, save Au The Vert – those bottles irritated me the moment I saw them. I confess to not liking ‘interesting’ bottles overmuch and since I only go to 3 places in Chicago to spritz, the SAs know not to approach me with tiresome stuff, bless their little pickle hearts.
Galileo’s Daughter, move ovah! Your Crank-in-law is here!;)
xo>-)
No, no, no — not THE Femme, honeybunny. There is only one Femme. Well, okay — two. 🙂 We got sidetracked into discussing the original Bulgari chick scent that is not one of these Omnia dealios — the regular Bulgari, which I was too lazy to look up but believe is just called Bulgari Femme.
Clear as mud? :@)
Totally clear, now! Have to defend La Femme. Also, I just realized why I was so cranky – two things: my feet are slightly damp from the snow (no matter what boots I wear, I always get that ‘just-dampened’ feeling:-w
….and….AND….I think my new foundation is pissing me off! Isn’t that weird? It’s not actually irritating my skin – at least I don’t think so – but somehow, every time I put it on I get crabby. Shame, because it gives good coverage and isn’t heavy.
😕
xoxoxo>-)
Trying to wipe some mud, not sling it…there’s Bulgari pour Femme, the “white” bottle, and then there’s Bulgari Rose Essentielle. Similar bottles, I think…but the rose is pink juice. (Duh.)
Lunarose, was it the pour Femme, or the Rose Essentielle, that worked for you? (And a big wave–howya been?)
hi Shelley, we cross-posted! i believe it was the pour Femme. i haven’t tried the Rose Essentielle on skin, just smelled on paper and it seemed kind of watery. (i’m well, just started a new job so a little frazzled but optimistic. how sweet of you to ask!)
Good luck with the new job! …I actually don’t find the rose to be overly watery; simple, yes, but pretty faithful. It’s a handy rose for layering, I think.
Yay! on the new job!< :-p xo>-)
shelly and musette:
thank you for the yays! i feel very fortunate.@};-
oh March, you are much too kind :”> (warm cheeks) it does strike me how certain subtle or unfamiliar scents can be described verbally by someone else and sound so ‘right on’. i wonder how we would be able to discuss scents if we were taught them like we are taught colors and sounds from toddlerhood up to college and beyond. we go from ‘lemons are yellow’ in kindergaten to discussion of picasso’s demoiselles d’avignon in post graduate school when it comes to the sense of vision, but smell is the orphaned step child of the senses – until now, maybe!
OMG…(where’s a head smackin’ guy??)…you are SO right. Dang. I’m talking to our art teacher tomorrow. She’s a gourmand; she’ll love it!
Oh, wait…there he is. #-o Then, I end the post with >:d<
About 5 or 6 (?) years ago, I moonlighted as a men’s fragrance sales associate at Filene’s (awful hours and zero pay, but fun while it lasted…do I have stories…ha ha). Unlike many men’s fragrance counters that are usually located in the men’s clothing sections, this counter was next to the women’s fragrance counters. Omnia was one of the new releases at the time, and the spray woman was there for at least a week, spraying and spraying. It struck me as a strange woody scent, and I didn’t care for it. After a few days of constant bombardment in the air around us, I actually couldn’t smell it any longer. I haven’t tried it since. Neither have I tried any of its flankers, and really have no desire to. I wore Bulgari Femme and Thé Vert in the 90’s and loved them both. I tried Black for the first time a few months ago, and it wasn’t for me (so sad!). I’d love to find another Bulgari fragrance to love, but really get annoyed with flankers. I wonder if they have plans to come out with another unique fragrance – not “based” on their others? I’d definitely want to try it. BTW, I love Pour Homme on men – it was a big seller in the high end men’s fragrances when I was there, along with Dolce & Gabbana, Issey Miyake, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and the men’s Chanel scents. The biggest commercial sellers were Acqua di Gio (which was huge), Chrome, and Obsession for Men (mostly the older guys).
The mind boggles at the stories you would have to tell. :-ss Having been in there just as a horrified observer, rather than an actual inmate, I bet you have some good ones.
It’s funny how with enough exposure you can’t smell anything any more.
Yeah, I worked with these older ladies who had been there 15, 20, 20+ years at the various cosmetics and fragrance counters. They were a laugh riot! They would tell me all these stories – we’d do nothing but laugh all day. Talking to each other, one of them would start off with, “remember when…,” then tell some outrageously funny story about a customer episode or a weird employee episode or whatever. That would get them all started, and the stories would just keep on coming. It was this little outrageously crazy microcosm. They kept saying they should write a book, and I agree with them! Sure made for a fun day at work despite the boredom of standing around day after day. Ha. Not something I’d ever want to do again. I was there for all of about 5 1/2 months, and that’s all I could stand. I couldn’t believe that these women had been there year after year, with schedules that changed EVERY WEEK! They’d all bitch about the schedules and the pay, but there they still were, slaving away, telling funny stories. Then Filene’s went out of business. Boy, was that a shock for them all. I wonder where they all ended up?
Anyway…
I would definitely buy that book. People who work in retail always have great stories. There are a couple hilarious waiter blogs too, where they rag on customers.
I am a huge fan of the original Omnia. I find it deliciously unique. And the body cream is just as amazing. It does last for a long time.
I have not paid any attention to the other Omnias because I don’t pay any attention to flankers, period. Waste of my time, usually so I’ve just stopped altogether.
The bottles are horrid little devices sent from Satan himself, I’m sure of it. People seem to be at a loss for words to describe the spray itself but let me clarify – It sprays, or squirts exactly how I imagine a spitting cobra would. So, basically it spits perfume at you and if you’re not careful, even with precision aiming, there’s no guarantee you won’t lose an eye.
Happy squirting.
Well, this is great. So men wearing Omnia is not just one of my unfulfilled fantasies, you guys are actually doing it. I am thrilled. I’ve not tried the body cream, so I suppose I should.
The spray is pathetic. The spitting cobra is a good analogy. And I swear I have seen more people in Sephora stare at that thing baffled, squeeze it around the middle, etc., and give up and walk away without ever smelling it.
Yes, well – this man is wearing it. And Dusan is wearing it. So, 2 men are wearing it. I think thats enough to change the world, personally.
I’ve never seen anyone pick up the bottle and put it down without figuring it out, but the problem is – they always figure it out on accident after they’ve been attacked by it. After the bottle sort of HURLED the scent at them leaving them contemplating a trip to the Emergency Room.
And also, adding my praise for Red Tea. When I wear it, I really load it on – at least 20-30 squirts. But it ends up lasting all day, so thats nice. Its soo weird and undescribable. Its somewhat peppery and somewhat wheaty, but then also sweet and – its just great.
You and Dusan are supplying all the planetary manliness we need, honey. 😉
The Omnia bottle, you’re looking at it up close. Studying it … okay, that’s where the fragrance comes out … you have it at eye level, poking around, squeezing … and POW, spribble right in your eye. They should have named it Cobra.
Nice to meet a fellow Red Tea lover. If I recall correctly, the main criticism from us (a buncha red tea *drinkers*) was that it didn’t smell as much like red tea as we wished it did, because red tea is such an interesting, unique, earthy smell. But I do the same thing you do — throw it on with abandon and you get that earthy smell. It’s delicious in warm weather and it’s nice to have a fragrance or three you can marinate in, you know? I do that with 4711, I have one of those giant bottles.
I don’t think the bottles are ugly, they’re just not entirely functional. The minis are even worse — I couldn’t figure out how to open it. When I finally did, I managed to spill some of it, since I’m sure it wasn’t “upright” at the time. I was traumatized and put it away and haven’t tried again even to decant it into an atomizer for use. What were they thinking?
They don’t think. I mean, based on our collective experience with some of these designs, they don’t try the bottles out on people in terms of function. My personal irritant is (are?) the bottles that are atomizers but are too big for a normal human hand to hold, which means you spray them … how? Propped on something? Your ladies-in-waiting spray you?
When Omnia was first released, I couldn`t smell it at all. Year or so later I smelled it on a friend and she let me test it from her bottle. It was lovely. For me, it is sort of summer version of Parfum Sacre, which would kill me in hot weather. It is not really similar in notes, but in “feel”. I can`t really explain it.
I got one of those flat 25 ml bottles, which can be used as a mirror if you really need one. I prefer that bottle to the official one.
I agree that it deserves more attention. It is an oriental, but still so light. I actuallz cannot think of anything like it.
With Crystalline it was the same story, I couldn`t smell it, then I tried a friend`s bottle (different friend) and liked it. It is pleasant enough but I didn`t feel I need it. It is sort of “crystalline”, but it does share a creamy facet with the original. It is quite nice for a flanker.
The flat bottle! That sounds great, I will have to go look for a photo. I’d love one of those.
And funny how you can smell something suddenly. I wonder if they changed/adjusted the musks? Maybe someday I’ll be able to smell Narciso… 🙂
Oh, I love iris blossoms too! Totally different from any other flower.
And I don’t like the Omnia bottles.
We could go on and on in our geeky way about the flowers, couldn’t we? :”> My orchid does smell something like that…
I can’t comment on the bottles, because I just don’t remember ever spraying them. Which reflects my general disinterest in the Bulgaris, though I like a bit o’Blu at times. However, I somehow stumbled on testers of the original and the crysal-thing just now, and gave them a whirl.
The original has a very unpleasant sour note on me-I imagine it’s the sandalwood gone wrong. I occasionally have this problem with sandalwood, and others have kindly described the effect as “baby diapers” on me /:) It does have good tenacity, unfortunately.
The Crystalline disappeared quickly, at least to my nose. While it hung around, it was pleasant enough, with no sourness about it. Also, virtually no scent about it.
I have just sniffed the Jade once, and it was pleasant, but very “just OK”, and am uninspired to see out #3-call me cranky and meh today, too :-w It’s a good day for something sweet and rich-either rugelach, or maybe Musc Ravageur 🙂
Huh. A little sour on you too…. I thought it was just me. I assume it’s the guiac, but maybe not. Honestly, I can’t imagine any of these having the kind of lasting power you need. :)>- Fortunately there are PLENTY of other fish in the sea…
Amen, sister, on the sandalwood funk. I love the smell of sandalwood, but it doesn’t love me back. It took me DECADES to find a perfume that was mostly sandalwood that didn’t smell like eau d’outhouse on me. The Bulgaris in general don’t register much on me–I tried one of Omnias (the purple one?) and what I got was a thin fruitiness with something sour and synthetic. Thankfully it was gone after about 20 minutes on its own, no scrubbing required. I haven’t tried any of the others, and I don’t think I will.
On the ucky bottle topic, I love me some bell jars, but oh how I wish they came with atomizers! I have to keep dipsticks nearby so I don’t taint the juice, then remember to wash them between bottles–not exactly great for those “I have 15 minutes to get to work” moments.
I do need to give the original another try. It must not have been memorable. I don’t remember either liking or disliking it. I do recall a nose wrinkle in response to Amethyst. As for the others? I haven’t tried Jade and I generally avoid summer flankers with names like Crystalline.
And no, I don’t think I have ever avoided a fragrance because I didn’t like the bottle. A quick glance around my collection just revealed that most of them are elegant, simple/tasteful, or at worst boring. One or two of them are kitschy. Boudoir and Cher would take the prize in that category, but hey, I like kitschy! My only complaint about a couple of the bottles would be the spray mechanisms-imprecise, too strong, too weak, leaky etc. And that’s no fun at all!
That Cher bottle is kind of a riot, and I think Boudoir is fun too (reconfirming my lack of taste). The silliest bottle on my shelf is definitely the Betsey Johnson. The Serges keep trying to shove her off the cliff, but she’s too ballsy for them.
The KenzoAmour in white doesn’t exactly blend in either. Oh, and I have a little blinged-up Venezia that is either fab or completely hideous, I think probably the latter.
I (a guy) wear the original pretty often. I don’t like the bottle, which is annoying in shape and spray mechanism, falling over and delivering a half-dribble-half spray. It lasts forever on me and is good in all weather and situations.
I also like and wear Crystalline (I got one of the very nice travel bottles), though less often. It is great for the dog days here in Miami, when you want something just more than an eau. It sits on my shelf next to Mugler Cologne and M7 Fresh.
Amethyste did nothing for me and I haven’t tried Jade.
Yay, a genuine guy confirming my theory! Thanks, monkeytoe!
I’ve decided to call it a spribble (see above). The bottles spribble instead of spray properly, or dribble (like the Micallefs.) You’d think the spray mechanism would get some attention in the development stage, but apparently not.
If you stop back by, do you wear any of the Bulgari teas?
I wore through a couple of The Blanc samples, though I never got the urge to buy a full bottle. I would wear it if I had it, but there are other things I would buy first. The Vert’s ubiquity kept me from it–I like it and enjoyed smelling it around me, but for a few years I got plenty of opportunity to smell it. I sniffed the Rouge once, and it didn’t strike me one way or the other.
I agree with you on the weight. There is a range of fragrances, with the early Guerlain AAs on the heavy end and the Hermessences and Kenzo Air at the light end, that fall in the comfortable to wear everyday in Miami. The Omnias and Thes are definitely on that spectrum.
I can only assume that people who dismiss all the lightweights as an entire category don’t live in a place where it gets warm (or don’t spend any time outdoors in the heat.) I like cologne, but I don’t want to wear cologne all summer, and DC in the summer is appalling. Much like Miami, only less colorful. 🙂 So that’s a whole range of fragrances I can turn to when it’s 95 and not strangle myself.
Nah, we’re just the people who have perfume eating skin. You know, the people that, three hours into almost any perfume, smell only lightly of vanilla? Those people on whom the top notes are gone seconds after spraying, if they appear at all? Course, we’re the ones who can sport the likes of Fumerie Turque or Aziyade in DC in July, so it ain’t all bad! :d
Yeah. Louise. Also my sister-in-law. Sniffing with Louise, it’s almost a sport now. I go, here, let’s put this on you, I want to see how fast you can kill it off. 🙂
Ach, you mock me [-x !
I’ve recently had a chance to sniff the original Omnia on a blotter and I thought it seemed really nice, though not earthshaking. I’ll have to try it on skin one of these days.
As for ugly bottles, I’ve worn Christian Lacroix (the shell-shaped one) for about six years before becoming a hardcore perfumista, though I always found the bottle really ugly with its plasticky cap and its…ehm… organic shape. So, I guess I’m ready for an Omnia bottle…
The other thing about the Omnia bottles is they do something between a dribble and a spray (spribble? spurt? giggle) you have to position your target body part correctly. Another vote for the purse sprays, which they now carry pretty regularly, usually up in those plastic bins near the registers.
Spring water? As a perfume note?? Oh come ON! Don’t we think that’s someone’s marketing idea pushed past the limits of credibility?
Never been a Bulgari fan myself … they all smell sorta like the Beauty level at any big dept store to me. But, you have inspired me to at least give the original Omnia a sniff (at least on cardboard) the next time I’m at Sephora or somesuch.
I am assuming they’re suggesting some sort of watery aspect to the fragrance … you’re right though, that’s why I put the exclamation in, it sounds so silly when you’re reading it. OTOH at least they didn’t say something like “April fresh dewiness” or something that makes me snort out my coffee and/or think of Tampax.
They are kinda Beauty Level, but look — we have a genuine man below you who wears the original!
The original one was the best, but lasted only for a few minutes before dissolving into a thin sharpness on my skin. The rest were just variations on “blah.”
Boy that sounded cranky. Truly, I’m not a cranky person. I’m just tired of “blah,” I suppose.
Oh, go ahead. It’s not like I’m ever cranky. 😉
To be honest, the original Omnia smells a bit sharp-ish on me, but I’ve smelled it on others and thought it was great.
Heh – Light Blue Hater here, making note to self to steer clear of Omnia Crystalline… those bottles are just plain annoying. I thought the original Omnia was okay but I have not tried the last two – probably won’t bother now. I find most of Bulgari’s ‘fumes to be too limp-wristed and wan for my taste anyway. They just don’t have any oomph to them at all.:-?
The Bulgari flankers are pretty bad, I hate the jasmine one, but will put in a plug for Bulgari Femme, or whatever it’s called (the original women’s frag in that oblong bottle) as a decent fragrance you could give someone who liked a feminine, pretty scent without any weirdness to it. And I have all three teas — I like White in particular, and I liked Red way more than anyone else did, but they are light. They suit the weather here in the summer.
Hey I’m with ya in the Red Tea camp, it’s darned lovely! Possibly not as light on my skin as on yours, it melds into this gauzy comfort scent the longer it’s on.
Like MD (and Robin NST), I’m a huge fan of the original Omnia. Not so much the flankers.
Speaking of skin scents, remind me if you’ve tried/reviewed Fendi Palazzo. Am I right to recall you being underwhelmed? I like it a lot actually.
Yay! Somebody else likes the Red. I recall everyone thinking it was a big, fat MEH, and me thinking, I dunno, I kind of like it. 🙂
And glad to hear y’all are loving the Omnia. Seriously, between you and MarkDavid, that’s all the masculinity we need, right?
I need to try Palazzo again. It was …. weird. At first I loved it. Loved, loved it. Writing the review in my head. Then fifteen minutes later, it reared up and bit me but I can’t remember how. Chocolate? Some sort of horrible Angel echo? I don’t know, but I should retry it. I thought the bottle was stunning, and I wanted to love the fragrance.
Yay! More Red lovers. Green was blegh, White was gone in an immeasurably short amount of time (and neither had anything to do with tea, as far as I’m concerned) Red is gorge AND smells realistically of rooibos tea.
Also with Flora in the hating Light Blue camp. Passionately.
I must be one of the only ones, though, to like the Omnia bottle. But then I like the original Black Cashmere bottle too (described as “cowpat” on BN ;)). The *fragrance* however; I loathe it. Intensely sour, dusty, musty, decaying, one of the worst scrubbers ever for me. And it lasts, conform to March’s theory, into next Tuesday. That experience has kept me from trying its spawn, though they seem quite different from your descriptions.
Ooooh, you hate Black Cashmere? Yikes, that’s a tough one to get rid of, too. You could torture someone with Black Cashmere. I happen to like it, but I don’t make the decision to put it on without due consideration. In fact, I’m quite fond of the lotion.
Ooh, sorry! Clumsy phrasing courtesy of not enough coffee in my IV drip. I was dissing Omnia, not Black Cashmere! I quite like BC, actually. I was only comparing two generally disliked bottles I do like. :”> Also, just so we’re completely clear, I’ve heard the BC *bottle* described as cowpat, not the BC *fragrance*.
COWPAT??!!?? Whodat, dissin’ my cowpat???
I love BC, and it never has made it through a night with me. Yet. Of course, I haven’t asked if those near me also feel it has gone away…
…I also happen to very much like the bottle, which I have heard described as an epilator. And more.
Excuuuuze me, but that’s my cowpat 8-}
Not my cowpat? I’ve got one of those around here somewhere…. :>
For perfumes released in the last couple years, 20 minutes’ longevity seems par for the course. Is this because today’s EdP is yesterday’s EdC? Or is it the company lawyers attempting to deflect possible “sillage lawsuits”? Specifically, if no perfume can be detected after 20 minutes, how can anyone sue the wearer, or ban perfumes from public or workplaces? Clever, those lawyers….:-w
Well, but then there’s the opposite perfumista corollary, which is the more you hate it the longer it lasts. Angel lasts five years. Must lasts two weeks. Dragon Breath lasts several days … Missoni can be smelled in outer space…
Thanks March for making me spit my water out at the screen. =))
Wait. Why, it’s spring water! It’s so … fresh! What a perfect note for a youthful, springtime perfume!
OK … stopping … obviously too much coffee in my morning … or not enough.
Dang, don’t get the keyboard wet! My computer repair dude is also grossed out by the crumbs under my keys … :”>
PS It’s totally possible I became anosmic to it after 20 minutes. It does happen, and I know it definitely happened for some people with the first two.
First comment here but I’ve been lurking for awhile.
I have to say, the press pictures of the Omnia bottles impress me. They’re just so damned plasticky up close. And the spray mechanism is rather… I dunno… the only way I can think to describe it is somewhat lewd…. It’s disappointingly weak.
I’ve only sniffed Amethyst and Green Jade and both rather upset me. I liked Amethyst at first but it’s so synthetic–and not in an interesting way. Green Jade had a weird green apple smell to me that was unfortunately married to Amethyst’s synthetic accord. And I agree, there is a faint tea smell.
Heh on the spray. It’s a little … not dribbly, but not very forceful. What would be the right word? Um, never mind. We’ll go with “weak spray.”
Green apple accord, ugh. I accidentally (long story) put on some DK Be Delicious hand cream yesterday, and I can NOT get the smell to go away. Weird. I can’t smell it on my hands, and I changed clothes, it’s like it’s buried itself in my nose like an alien invader.
I’ve tried these and when I first was figuring out how to spray I think I pushed various parts and suddenly sprayed myself in the face! I just was pushed into trying Green Jade at Neiman’s by an SA who responded to my question about “Where are the L’Artisans” by saying “Here’s a new fragrance from Bulgari, try it” and I wasn’t about to buy anything from that line then!! I don’t have any recollection of smelling the original one though and it sounds the best, so I’ll be looking for it next week when I go off to Europe–Frankfurt airport and the duty free shops, here I come!
Oh, I love that classic SA exchange! Have fun in the duty-frees… Omnia is definitely a spray-yourself-in-the-eye bottle.
“Spring water” as a perfume note?! Ha!
As opposed to tap water. Or bilgewater. Or bong water.
Our tap water smells horrible, actually. I don’t even give it to the dog. Municipal chlorine. I wish I’d put in a whole-house filtration system.