Brioni Eau de Parfum

Brioni Eau de Parfum presents an interesting riff on ozonic, ambroxan-heavy fresh "blue" scents. Ordinarily, ambroxan bombs put me off completely, but here, there is enough in the composition that is different from what is typical of this type of fragrance that I find myself intrigued. The star of the show in BEdP is violet in all of its forms. There is a slight floral sweetness in the opening and a note that will be familiar to anyone who has had C. Howard's violet mints or gum (or other violet flavored sweets). In addition to this floral note, there are some green ozonic notes that I associate with violet leaves and stems. There is also a very fast departing appearance from a sweet-tart apple note and some black pepper spice. As the heart notes gradually assert themselves, the ambroxan gets strong and, contemporary men's fragrances being what they are, anyone could be forgiven for awaiting the arrival of the inevitable amber woods. But It is at this point that BEdP confounds expectations and heads in the petrol (gasoline) direction of Fahrenheit. It is also at this point that one is reminded that the partner Brioni chose to help bring this scent to market is Lalique and that, in addition to lovely bottles like the one they have given us here, Lalique has a history of offering quality fragrances that (recently in the house's luxury line) have blurred the distinction between designer and niche. Add to this consideration the further fact that the nose here is Michel Almairac, who created the original Fahrenheit and who has such a strong history of successfully using the tricky ionone elements of the green bits of the violet plant, and the scent of BEdP suddenly makes sense. What we have here is almost a Fahrenheit flanker--fresher, a bit sweeter and without the vanilla and pastry-chef spices that made the original Fahrenheit a challenging scent that even in its day found a fair number of detractors--this has the makings of a hugely popular success. Getting back to the fragrance, once the sharp violet asserts itself in an upswell of ionones, things are almost immediately brought under control by the ambroxan and a healthy dose of Iso-E Super, with its woody, clean musk note. A trace of tonka smoothness that seems almost perfunctory is also here. There is a hint of nutty, grassy vetiver deep in the dry down. The scent progression essentially ends here. The fragrance is a moderate projector but it lingers for more than 10 hours on my skin. While this fragrance embodies lots of traditionally masculine-associated notes, I can imagine women who enjoy robust fresh fragrances wearing this scent. On the right woman, this fragrance, like an appropriately tailored Brioni suit, could be striking and sexy. I suspect that this scent will get suffocating if over applied, so best to test it before locking in your optimal number of sprays. The presentation on this fragrance is appropriate to the esteemed luxury house that markets it. Recalling the Lalique connection, the bottle is heavy and elegant. The glass color could have been taken from the Brioni fabrics range and the label that is glued to the face of that bottle (in a perfectly sized indentation) could have been taken from the inside pocket of one of my newer Brioni suits. Even the cross stitching around this satin label looks like that used on the house's basic suits. The cap is high quality and magnetic. The house 'B' script logo adorns the top of both the cap and the gold tone atomizer. This atomizer allows metered sprays of a fine mist of the juice and as such, is a top quality product. Add it all up--the well crafted and blended fragrance, the lovely presentation and good fragrance performance--and BEdP begins to seem like something of a bargain at the prices for which it is being sold as of this writing. This is the most interesting "blue" fragrance to come around in a good long time. It could easily become a well dressed person's signature, year round fragrance. I can imagine it becoming very successful and heavily hyped by the YouTubers. I am happy to have a bottle of BEdP and think I will wear it often in warmer weather (although I admit I bought it blind based not on the scent notes but rather on good experiences with the house's bespoke and ready-to-wear clothing). Try to get a sniff of this fragrance when the opportunity presents itself. You may just discover a new signature scent or, failing that, a very nice, and distinctive alternative to all of the virtually identical fresh "blue" fragrances out there. Recommended.

A Violet Story. Brioni EDP is a beautiful violet fragrance, period. The violet note dominates the fragrance from start to finish, and all the other notes exist to shape the violet note coming out of that blue bottle. Soft, slightly-powdery, floral violet dominate. Freshened with aquatic ozonic notes, apple, and ambroxan to the point that it smells like violet leaf. The apple and ambroxan also add the slightest of sweetness. And finally, a faint soft, musky, woody base support the violet. A base dominated by cedar wood. Violet, floral, clean, fresh, aquatic, slightly-powdery, lightly woody, lightly-musky, & slightly-spicy. This is Dior Fahrenheit's violet twisted into a modern, classy, suite fragrance. Brioni EDP is really classy. They wanted to create a suite fragrance and they succeeded. I am not a big fan of violet but I do love the comforting scent of Brioni EDP. A mature, neutral weather, masculine wear. Perfect for formal occasions yet works as a cozy home scent, too. I "Love" it and I am enthusiastic to try Brioni EDP Intense, although the vanilla and oud in the EDPI curb my enthusiasm.

I was eager to try this one based on all of the comparison votes to Dior Aqua Fahrenheit and Gucci Pour Homme II - two of my all-time fragrances that have sadly been discontinued. Scent-wise, this Brioni definitely scratches that same itch, although it's not a perfect 1:1 substitute for either of the aforementioned fragrances. It definitely lacks the leather backbone of Fahrenheit and isn't even close to GPH II; no tea or cinnamon notes make that a no-go. However, it smells great in its own right, with the blast of ozonic notes evoking a similar feeling of calm, classy freshness. This is not a complex fragrance whatsoever and I think the lack of a distinct drydown is what keeps it from masterpiece territory. It also has a very polite sillage and probably won't last longer than 4-5 hours for most people. For that reason, I'd say it's best suited for an office environment where you aren't trying to grab anyone's attention - but if you do, it definitely won't offend. Wholeheartedly recommended to anyone who knows they like violet and wouldn't mind something on the softer side.

The smell is fantastic. I absolutely love this. This is like a lite version of Fehrenheit. It has that sweet, almost gassy smell to it. Its a work sexy smell. Its something that smells really tasty. I keep smelling myself every time I have it on. I dont think id like to smell this on a woman, but I can see a few pulling this off incredibly. Its very well done, very modern in terms of the smell. Its very smooth, slightly sweet and alluring. Yet is isnt candy and has a nice deep mystery to it. I can see people doing a double take having smelled this. Im not sure what it is, but I LOVE the scent, yet it doesnt last on me at all. I showered, put this on, asked a few people to smell me about 30 mins later and they had to get right in there to smell it. Maybe I need to give it time, but this is a hidden gem. I hope my scent not lasting is not a problem for everyone. This is a hidden gem in the style of Fehrenheit, its clean and dirty at thesame time. All while wearing a suit and tie. GET IT!

Lovely floral-woody-ozonic fragrance with the violet and ozonic notes doing the heavy lifting in the opening. Violet lasts throughout the life of the fragrance and becomes sheer in the drydown over the quite light cedar/tonka base. This fragrance lasts a full work day on me, although due to the ambroxan (and a high amount of Iso-e Super to my nose) it's easy to go noseblind. I've been complimented on this fragrance 8 hours after applying. Fast becoming my go-to warm weather scent. I don't get the comparisons to Fahrenheit at all. Comparing to my bottle from the 90's - apart from the violet note they share - they are altogether different fragrances. Brioni is fresh, sheer and shines brightest on warm, sunny days. Fahrenheit is broody and leathery with a heavy "gasoline" bite. I haven't smelled the modern version of Fahrenheit, but the original smells nothing like Brioni.