Blue Sapphire

I just recently acquired a bottle of this beauty from a member here on our very own forum (Thanks Sarah, you're the best!!) I have never tried any Bodacia's scents and I always found it quite odd that they are a top-tier niche house releasing many clones of fragrances by other niche houses, sometimes with half of the performance and double the price. Anyways, let's talk about Blue Sapphire. This is a fragrance that I find to be difficult to classify. This one starts out with citrus, bitter herbs, and sharp florals; it definitely smells like a fougere opening, very old school and like something I would expect someone's grandpa to have had in his wardrobe since the 1960's. As the dry down starts, a lot of those bitter notes fade, the florals change from fresh marigold to an earthy warm chamomile with powdery (jasmine) nuances. I swear, on my skin, a subtle rosewood and cinnamon accord start to develop along with some sweet amber undertones. At this point, this is no longer fougere, but a spicy oriental amber. Over the course of the next hour or so, a chamomile note fades in and out and absolutely magnificent against the cinnamon and what's left of the citrus. For the next 3-4 hours, I am getting rosewood, cinnamon, chamomile, jasmine with a touch of very natural smelling patchouli. There's no note that ruins a composition more for me than a cheap patchouli note, luckily that doesn't happen here. I am not detecting amy real Oud here, but there are certainly some non-descript woody notes grounding the composition. Every so often I get a hint of the bitter opening, but it's definitely no longer the star of the supporting character, it's more of an extra at this point. This is a beautiful crafted creation and expertly balanced. Performance is very good, the entire wear is about 9 hours with very strong projection in the first hour, strong in hours 2 and 3, medium projection in hour 4-5 slowly receding to a skin scent by the 7th hour and just about gone by the 9th. This is not an eternal or nuclear production by an stretch of the imagination, but it is long lasting with strong projection. I imagine people claiming 12+ hours with monster projection are suffering from cognitive dissonance at the prospect of having spent $500+ on this and it not lasting for days on end. As far as who and when this fragrance is for: I would say it's unisex leaning masculine by classic fragrance gender conventions. It's definitely a mature scent, I would say for people in the 30-50 year old range. I would wear this fragrance any time, any day, year round. Maybe go a bit lighter on the trigger in the hottest and most humid days in the summer. It has enough green and citrus notes to work in Summer and the florals definitely keep the woodier notes at bay. Blue Sapphire exudes class and elegance. It smells beyond having one's life together, it smells like you are near the top of the food chain in a corporate structure. It smells like you have money and good taste. It may be difficult for a younger person to pull this one off, but it should be experienced and enjoyed by all. Good job Bodacia, even if this is based on Al Qurashi Blend. Christian Provenzano delivers as he usually does. This would make an outstanding signature scent for someone who can afford it. This is perfect for a white collar worker in his mid-30's that has string goals and ambitions and is speed running the company hierarchy up to CFO before 40.

Boadicea was on my shortlist of perfume houses to try. The rave reviews contrasted by the pessimistic critique; I just had to find out for myself. Valiant was my first purchase (that gorgeous bottle 🥰) and although I wasn’t blown away, I could definitely appreciate the quality and blending within. So I went down the rabbit hole and discovered that BLUE SAPPHIRE, was also one of the more popular perfumes. Tried it at Niche Essence in Toronto and it stuck with me enough to keep an eye out for a bottle in the grey market. Finally got a bottle and upon first spray I was revisited with that pleasant unique smell. I wasn’t blown away with this one either, but knew that it was a beauty. And yes like others have mentioned, the word regal comes to mind. You know that smell you get when you visit a niche boutique store? It’s a mix-mash of perfumes and the stronger middle eastern inspired scents take centre stage. So you really want to purchase one of them, but when you spray it on you’re disappointed because it didn’t live up to the overall scent profile or it does and then turns into a synthetic trash pile in no time. Blue Sapphire doesn’t do that. And you can go heavy on the sprays and it actually smells better and without the headache. Took me several wears to absolutely love this one and I can’t get enough of it now. The opening and mid is kinda like a citrusy cardboard (think pack of baseball cards) almost bubblegum profile. The florals are different than what would typically accompany an oud profile as well. I roll my eyes at everyone who groups everything under the Oud rose fragrance bracket, just because there is oud or rose listed in the notes profiles. It’s unbearable. You can hardly detect rose in this one by the way. And the Oud is not going to be like anything found in a high end artisanal Oud house like Jinkoh Store. But it works. And it’s glorious. Totally unisex and the more I wore it the more blue the perfume felt to me. I’ve worn this in the heat and in the cold and they both work wonders with the colder gaining the tiniest advantage. Lasts all day but in a subtle fashion If you can find this for cheaper than retail, I suggest picking it up. Absolutely incredible.

Let me preface by saying I am very much against clones as a primary source of fragrances/collecting. I think they have utility in that they can be used to live with a scents DNA prior to purchase and also to supplement the real one on off times like work, casual etc. So that's how I got to know the Blue Sapphire DNA , through Alexandria Fragrances Dubai Lifestyle. That said, I found myself picking up a bottle of Blue Sapphire at a discounter for $540. Next to Bonds Andy Warhol and Limited Edition Liquides Imaginaires Liquide Gold, the 3rd most expensive purchase in my collection. Surely I expected either a magnetic cap or lazer precision cut cap and pressured atomizer. Nope, none of the above. In fact the atomizer was cheap feeling as was the cap. Clone quality almost. In fact some clones I know are better in that department. But I digress. As for the scent. I compared it to my Alexandria and to my surprise it was nearly identical save for the more prominent Oud in Blue Sapphire through the Mid. 24 hours later I did a blind smell test on both strips of paper and picked which I believed to be the Boadicea...I picked Alexandria instead. Not only did it smell stronger but the scent was fuller and more vibrant. Overall identical "profiles " but the Alexandria presented it much better. That's the difference. One could argue the Boadicea was slightly smoother but for christ sake you would have to be incredibly picky to even notice. So my conclusion is that Boadicea is ridiculously overpriced and in fact is in the same quality bracket as a higher end clone brand. What a disappointing experience this has been, and I am biased against clones. If your thinking about getting this grab a sample of both and make an informed decision which is for you. As for smell. It starts woody/lemon/sage fresh with a "blue " feel. But the oud gives this alot of depth. Later the rose come out but more a candy rose mixed with sour lemon/woods drying down with little transition other than loosing some sour vibrancy. The Scent is absolutely phenomenal no two ways about that. It's pure royalty, rich elegance. But not worth more than $250 for 100ml.

Amazing!!! For me Provenzano rewrites the Oud/Rose book here with Blue Sapphire. This fragrance is quite simiply stunning. Why am I not surprised that this nose is responsible for many of the recent Boadicea line as well as Clive Christian C for Men. He's done something here which is akin to Amouage and the take on roses displayed in Lyric. It's a light touch which lets the ingredients tell their own story in a very understated way. I say understated, the strength and projection on Blue sapphire is massive for the first couple of hours then dying back to a lovely skin scent. Opens with quite possibly the stickiest, jammiest, rose tinted, candied effect I think I've ever encountered. This opening is somehow fresh too, as is the rest of the fragrance, still warm but not stuffy and constantly invigorating. It reminds me of tropical fruits as well and even a touch of Bella Bellisima White Leather. Having said that it never tips over into the cloying, Blue Sapphire is perfectly balanced, I have a suspicion this is what heaven smells like. Deep Amber warmth in the base, can't say I can smell patchouli at all in here and there's hints of magic which I'd be a fool to try to describe. Two things which could be conceived as negative... 1) The price. I'm certainly not going to be splashing out on this anytime soon. 2) Also could be perceived as feminine, because it is... VERY FEMININE. I actually don't care about that because it smells so good. The drydown may also be reminiscent of some more common fem-fare but that's generally because you've already journeyed as far as you can and the vibrancy of that opening is a distant memory. Bravo Boadicea you've done it again!

Okay so after a long series of longevity & sillage tests I finally purchased BTV blue sapphire. This juice is BEAST of beasts. Not gonna lie, scent lingers on the skin for approx 24 hours even after a good shower . Till date I had only heard of such perfumes. (nothing stays on my skin type for more than 3-4 hours) Sillage bubble is enormous. Like you’ll move thru a place and people will keep catching a whiff of it. Fills up the elevator types. Now coming to the scent, it’s a beautiful blend with a great middle eastern vibe thrown over citruses. I love it. You get citrusy florals in the start , dries down to a beautiful dark oud & rose combo. The opening stays for easy 2-3 hours. I started my hunt for my first niche category perfume months ago tried a ton of other brands like creeds, ROJAS and thameens... nothing comes even closer to longevity and projection. I also tried electimuss auster which allegedly is a cheaper version of it, wore both side by side. Yes they are a bit similar but BTV is more intense, dark & oudy. Performance is day and night different. This perfume is mad expensive hands down , but in my line of work I cannot keep reapplying fragrances all day so went with it & quite happy. The only downside I felt was atomiser & presentation could be tad better. Got it from $522. So won’t buy anymore fragrances for atleast 10-12 months. Peace. (Haven’t tried al quershi blend so no idea how close it is, heard it’s performance isn’t that good)