Earlier this year, July to be exact, BULGARI invited me one of the most exclusive men’s high perfumery launches of the year, the Le Gemme Men’s Perfume Collection. Being very exclusive, it’s only till now that I’m able to share my incredible journey with the Italian brand on a vintage Orient Express train across three countries that still has be reminiscing.
Let’s take it back to where the entire launch kicked off, Prague, Czech Republic. Set in the historic Prague Castle, we attended a casual seated lunch where we had the chance to mingle with fellow press from around the word, global BULGARI representatives and most importantly, Jacques Cavallier, the genius perfumer behind the Le Gemme collection.
Concluding our lunch, we made our way to Prague’s central station where the beautiful Orient Express train waited patiently as we boarded, checked into our cabins and prepared ourselves for the night’s festivities.
Sliding into my schmick black tuxedo, I was ready for our swinging 1920’s evening and what the night had in store of us all as we journeyed through the Swiss Alps.
Waking up worse for wear after a crazy night, we had our morning dose of caffeine and were ready for Jacques Cavallier’s conference where he took us through a detailed description of the inspiration and key notes behind each of the seven Le Gemme scents.
Here is an insight into the four (out of seven) Le Gemme Collection fragrances available in the United Arab Emirates:
Gyan
The Sapphire
Brightened by a generous dose of night Jasmine which envelops the scent with its sensuality, Patchouli illustrates the mysteries of the blue of the Sapphire in Gyan.This unique creation combines Patchouli with a flower, and delivers a very sophisticated particularly masculine perfume with an incomparable sillage: its trilogy of woods, dominated by its extraordinary heart of Indonesian Patchouli, illustrates the aristocratic grandeur and elegance of this stone of knowledge the Perfumer pays tribute to. Wisps of burned Incense intensify its aura and increase its mystery.
Garanat
The Red Garnet
A symbol of the passion accompanying the deep red of the Garnet, but also of its light, the Perfumer has imagined a supremely elegant and virile Rose, translating the powerful energy of its colour which anchors this gemstone known since the dawn of times in the cradle of the greatest civilisations. A duality in which ancient mysteries and sophistication answer each other, transcribed in the dialogue between two symbolic ingredients: Rose and Incense. Garanat is a perfume that is as rich and thick as velvet: curls of Roses and intoxicating incense chiaroscuro create a warm, surprising and fascinating fragrance with great masculine strength.
Ambero
The Amber
The Vetiver root securely anchors Ambero to the depths of the earth and the shores of the Levant.Through spicy, rounded, unctuous and slightly ambery notes, the Perfumer presents a very different and contemporary interpretation of Vetiver with a warm, dense and voluptuous heart which recalls that of Amber. It has a unique orientalism, to which Olibanum incense adds an extremely elegant character. Together it creates an earthy, surprising and resolutely modern perfume.
Onekh
The Onyx
To illustrate the ambivalence of black onyx the Perfumer chose the power of royal Oud. It has the balance between the different facets of this ingredient, a symbol of wealth and rank in Oriental countries where it has been used it for millennia. A product that is more expensive than gold, which is one of the most beautiful and loved natural notes in the world. For Onekh, the Perfumer has used a sublime natural Oud: leathery and spicy wood, with notes of saffron and honey. The contrast between brittle, dry and smoked woods and the balmy, addictive and sensual notes serve to enhance this Oud of unprecedented quality.
Arriving into Venice late afternoon, we made our way through the tight canals until joining the Grand Venice Canal en route to our gorgeous hotel, the Westin Regina. After checking in and freshening up, we attended a very intimate dinner in a breathtaking apartment overlooking the beautiful Grand Canal.
Sadly, this is where our trip ended. After an memorable three days with BULGARI, I’m very eager to get my hands on a few fragrances from the Le Gemme collection, which are actually out now in all BULGAR stores!
Discover the full BULGARI Le Gemme men’s perfume collection now!
