Bvlgari Man In Black Essence

The Journey to my centre of the Earth My signature fragrance up till 2 years ago was Boss #1. Halston Amber for Men along with Bvlgari Man in Black succeeded up till 3 months ago. I chose the fragrance MIB Essence recently and the reasons seemed obvious to me: - It is the type of scent that pleases me the most, but some other fragrances do it also. - I am really in love with the bottle, but some other fragrances do it also. - It's quite versatile and wearable for my taste, but some other fragrances do it also. - It has an above average performance but some other fragrances do it also. - It's a magnific scent to use at leisure, but some other fragrances do it also. - It has an attractive pricing for the "package", but some other fragrances do it also. - Easy to order so far, but some other fragrances do it also. - It is quite unique, but some other fragrances do it also. - It's an obvious choice when I don't know what perfume to use, but some other fragrances do it also. - It's the only one that fulfills all the conditions above, and no fragrance I own does that. - If I would be Robinson Crusoe I would choose this fragrance to salvage from the wreckages. When I first bought it, I confronted it head to head with the original MIB. They are somewhat similar in the opening, but Essence has more "muscle"and the drydown goes into a different direction. The spices and the woods of Essence have been turned up significantly and there is a cocoa heart note that remembers me of Valentino Uomo. Essence is drier, less sweet but with a less strong and more elegant booziness. The MIB musk note seems to be almost absent in Essence and I don't miss it. It has some very much appreciated common vibes with Pure Havane, SpiceBomb Extreme, Valentino Uomo and CH Men Privé. It does not have a very much loved oud soft vibe, but I rely on other specific perfumes to get the non versatile oud note when I feel in the mood for it. This is a perfume that I usually use for my own personal pleasure, not caring much for "ladies praise" although it happens in a reasonable amount. It's a very mature fragrance - I am in my 50's - and not intended for youngsters. As appropriate seasons, late Fall, Winter and early Spring are obvious choices, although I wear it at night independently from the season we are in. It projects intensely for the first two to three hours. Overall I get a longevity of more than 9 hours with three sprays on skin - left, right and back of my neck - and two sprays on clothes - my shoulders. Maximum sillage is around six to eight feet. It's quite unique and so far I never met anybody using it at the same time as I. THE JOURNEY Upon first spray, the fragrance reminds me of Pure Havane due to a cherry tobacco dirty and loud scent. As Man in Black Essence does not have a tobacco listed note, I imagine that my nose is fooled by the boozy rum note blended with oriental spices and bitter orange (this one resembling a dusty floral note), resulting in an intense dirty seductive tobacco vibe. I cannot identify individual spices and it may be just a mix of cinnamon, clove, vanilla, pepper, mace, nutmeg... I do enjoy the opening a lot. This booze and oriental spices accord leaves a stunning scent trail and a statement of "I am here !". The development heart fades slowly the boozy rum note, while the bitter orange & dusty florals keep escalating, toning down the spices. A sensual cocoa & soft leathery vibe is quite present at this stage, while the woods (orris for sure but maybe guaiac also) start to reveal it's alluring character. After one hour or so the scent opens up with balsamic, dark and tonka sweet woody notes. The oriental spices are equally matched and balanced with the sweet dark woods. As I am a dark woods scent lover, I can only state that the begining of the drydown It’s really a very pleasant one. The calm finally arrives with the drydown full development. The scent ambiance is one of a creamy, sweet & dark woody body with a soft leather undertone. A skinscent is still detectable still by the 9th~10th hour. The fragrance journey offered us an impressive boozy beginning, a glorious oriental & cocoa heart, and a sexy dark woody dry down. Compliments and admiration are guaranteed from both sexes. The journey is now completed with ample satisfaction. Bvlgari Man In Black Essence is an olfactory happiness switch, my signature switch. Scoring my signature scent: ___________________________________________________________ Scent opening: 10.0 Scent Dry Down: 10.0 Longevity (h): 9.0 (up to 9~10 hours with 3 sprays on skin) Sillage (ft): 9.0 (6~7 ft with 2.5 h of good projection) Versatility: 8.0 (Above average pending for colder temperatures) Usability: 8.5 (High; Not suitable for any hot temperature event) Compliments: 7.5 (Agreable, elegant, alluring, but not a compliment champion) Uniqueness: 9.0 (almost unique, but is a flanker of MIB) Quality: 9.5 (above average quality, good cap & lock on sprayer) Presentation: 10.0 (a matter of opinion) Price: 8.0 (€ 40 for a 100 ml tester + taxes) ___________________________________________________________ - Average: 8.95/10.0 between 7 and 8 => above average; between 8 and 9 => recommended; equal or bigger than 9 => don't miss it; Opinion on this admirable Essence: Very good presentation and overall very pleasant scent, elegant, making a nice choice for being different, and with a lot of class! Above average performance. Pricing still a bit expensive. During 2019 the on line price will certainly come down a bit more. Recommended? Yes. Blind purchase worthy? Yes. Music: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - "Lucky Man"

Carlos from Brooklyn Fragrance Lover said that only 3000 bottles were made. But I have the feeling it are way more than that, because it is available at many discounters in Europe. Current prices are around €60/100ml. Fragboy Stewie said that Essence and the original are almost identical in scent, but just the bottle design is different. I normally trust his nose, but I guess even the best noses can be wrong once in a while. I think he has to try them out once more, because you almost instantly smell that they are different. I compared it head to head with the original MIB. They are 'quite' similar in the opening (read: they have the same vibe), but Essence is much more potent and the drydown goes into a different direction. In Essence the spices and the woods have been turned up significantly and there is a faint cocoa note. Essence is much drier, less sweet and the booziness is fainter. I do not get the musk and the florals. I am selling my original MIB bottle, because of performance issues. I read that people are getting mixed performance with the original. Essence however, does not have any performance issues, at all! I need to wear it a few more times, before I can give this a rating. I think the scent has to grow on me.

I like this ok, but for the prices it is going for, and the performance that it has, I would not recommend it... I think there are far better frags you could pick up that perform better, and easier on the pocket. It's really a shame too... I really like the smell, but the performance is disappointing. I'd just buy Man In Black, which has much better performance in my opinion, and it's not discontinued, and selling for some insane price. If they could have found a way to make this perform, it would have been a total banger. _________________________________________________________________________ EDIT: I was able to test this some more, and have really grown to become infatuated with it. It obviously isn't a beast, but it lasts a very long time on skin, and I find myself smelling it over and over. I was able to get a bottle on EBay for a reasonable price, so I jumped at it. I would not pay insane prices for this, as I stated above, but if you can get it without paying through the nose for it.. jump at it. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (9/10)

Yeah that's great, perfect for date's and others special occasions, but very similar to og Bvlgari Man in Black, this the perfume is not worth its current price of a discontinued perfume, you get a more masculine version of the original, a little more spice, no one will notice the difference in the aftertaste, come on only one reason to buy this one: Fancy bottle, but who will overpayed twice only for cool bottle? I Bvlgari Man in Black (And in general the entire line) enjoyer, so i love it so much, but i prefer og version little bit more. But honestly I can't say anything for sure, cuz the trial version of the original version ended a long time ago. Conclusion: Perfect fragrance, worth to try it, but not worth to overspending on it, better get the regular Bvlgari Man in Black. Rating: LONGEVITY: 9/10 (PERFECT, I prefer a perfume that will not stay on my clothes for months, and at the same time emit a smell no worse than from the very beginning) SILLAGE: 7,5/10 SCENT: 10/10 OVERALL: 9/10

This is a spectacular boozy, spicy oriental - emphasis on the boozy. I agree with the reviewer who said it's boozier than original MiB, but I also agree with those that say it's a more mature version as well. Overall is it softer, more floral, and "warmer" than MiB (likely that cocoa accord others have picked up on) - at least on my skin. Original MiB and this would make a great day/night pairing - or use this as a standalone evening or date fragrance. This does have a classic cool/cold-weather structure - I'd imagine in warm weather the boozy side of this might be a little too much. On the review below discussing the 3k bottles - I'd actually believe that. If many thought, as I did,. when seeing it in the store that it was original MiB in a collector's edition bottle they likely would pass on it. If each discounter wound up with a stock of 200-300 bottles I can see how it might have been pretty cheap initially at each as they price it to move.

After one opinion given 8 months ago, I do have a slightly different position now: - The Fragrantica listed notes are wrong. One of my favourite notes is Orris and this frangrance contains a lot of it, but it's not listed. Cocoa is not listed as well. - This fragrance is superb - signature fragrance material for me!! - I don't consider the flask tacky any more. I really like it now - Less Oud than Orient (actualy MIB Essence does not have Oud), more Orris Than MIB and Orient, less spices than Mib and Orient, same booze as in MIB, ... For me it's better than MIB and Orient. I own the 3 of them. All of them are fantastic but I really prefer this one.... it's a gorgeous dark fragrance, probably the best I have ever used! Whenever I will rank a top 20, those 3 fragrances will have a place in the list.

Weird in a good way. Forget all you know about Man In Black. Man in Black Essence smells like a fougere patchouli with a spoon of dark chocolate. As if you've mixed Nicolai Patchouli Intense's green, fougere lavender/patchouli combo, with JPG's Kokorico's cocoa. That was totally unexpected but it smelled really good. Warm, patchouli, chocolate, & light lavender. I smelled it out of curiosity since I like & own MiB Black Orient & the bottle with the "Laolu" caught my eye at the store. It wasn't even in my to-test list but now I'm putting it on it to give MiB Essence another test-drive. I didn't see nor anticipate that smell when I sprayed it. Cool weather, intimate, masculine scent. Big "Like".

Fantastic perfume The best and most sophisticated in the line IMO. not leathery as the original one nor the oudy as the orient version, but it has the most glorious heart in its Essence. It mysteriously deserves the name it carries "Essence" . It is truely the black one with a hidden lava in its heart as presented in the advertising photos. It rolls such an orphic sweet warm black vibe which fills around you ,carries your stories and let others getting a glance of your hidden essence... Good sillage and longevity. ViVa Alberto Morillas ViVa Bvlgari

This is a limited Edition (EDP), supposed to be only 3000 bottles. But on how much I saw it in my country alone, I doubt that .... Do not know if there is some kind of number on the box/bottle for this. Notes as showed on Douglas: Top: sweet rum en bitter orange; Heart: black cacaobean; Base: iris absolu, ebonywood and tonkabean. It is a bit darker version of the original, with some cacao in the middle. I think the picture on top of this page is the back-side of the bottle!

The very bottom of the Drydown on this one is reminiscent to spicebomb extreme..... Howeever there is a leathery sultriness that cannot be ignored. Man in Black Essence....,Essential for this Black Man Having both in the collection is not redundant in my opinion. This is one of my favorites from Bvlgari it lasts forever and Morillas is one of my favorite perfumers as well so it’s a huge win to have scored this limited edition LaoLu art on box and bottle.

Bvlgari Man In Black is one of my top 5 fragrances. This flanker is signed by Mr. Alberto Morillas. Looks very interesting :-) I am really eager to know something about this juice or even to try it on me. The fragrance itself is gorgeous but so far I only smelled it in paper strips. For the time being I find the flask a bit kitsch. The original bottle is a temple of sobriety and - in my opinion - the most beautiful perfume flask in the market.

Blind buy this flanker without ever trying any MIB before. It turns so outstanding for me. The spicy rum opening is Morillas’ unique signature which reminds me of ADG Profumo opening and it dries down into warm woody and dark cocoa. This will fit evening formal or semi formal occasion with suit or at least shirt and pants attire. Dark, elegant and masculine.

I have both Man in Black Essence and Black Orient. To my nose they are very similar. Differences are as follows: Essence has a cocoa note that replaces the oud note in Orient and Essence is more balsamic than Orient. Otherwise they are very close. I prefer Orient although both are amongst some of the best cool whether scents I have experienced.

Awesome cacao note. So delicious! In a hot and humid weather, it lasted about 6 hours on my skin and in a controlled climate about 8 hours. Projection is solid for 3-4 hours. My top favorite is the MIB All Blacks followed by the Essence, Black Orient and original MIB. Fully recommended!

This is really nice, I was lucky enough to have purchased, based upon the scent at the Bamako airport in 2017. I was at the beginning of collecting and just happened to get lucky. I gifted this to my son as he really likes it. Fortunately he lets me wear it on occasion.

Im in love with this scent. It has the right amount of mystery, quality and spice. Boozy and gooey with incense. I have read so many negative reviews and perhaps it just gels with my skin chemistry better idk. Im just super happy I found this rare scent.

A simply stunning scent that lasts ages. One for the mature fellas out there. The spices explode in this number. 3 hours later, it’s as good as when I first sprayed it. If you loves spices and woody undertones, you’ll love this.

I will miss this fragrance... Really good job, thank you Alberto Morillas! Yes, this is the usual Bvlgari Man in Black only VERY masculine. I would like to buy it, it's a pity I can't find adequate prices...

Resinous, with what might be a rum barrel woody scent, and a chewy almost juicy floral note. The latter really pops. Very pleasant. Fairly linear. Decent longevity, and silage good if applied with weight.

In sum up, this is a masterpiece fragrance. Spicy, resinous, leathery, chocolaty,boozy perfume Most noticeable notes are : cinnamon, rum, leathery guaiac and resins 09/10

Tried layering this with a vanilla frag (Mercedes Club Black) as I was having longevity issues with my bottle/batch. They combine so well and it lasts much longer. 🔥

Like MIB minus the tobacco. In addition, this one is muskier and has a more prominent guaiac wood note. This one is best in the MIB line suited for date nights.

Parked this for a year. Returned to it today. God, it’s good. So good. Morillas is a genius. Boozy, spicy, peppery, woody. It’s a winter’s paradise.

Oriental version of the original MIB Sillage: 7.5/10 Longivity: 8/10

I ́m missing so much the Bvlgari Man In Black Essence

Update 10/18/18 - This perfume feels like the high end version, extreme, better and more refined Mugler Pure Wood by heart and dry down. But the close to skin smell reminded me of the rare and great classic Cristobal pour Homme by Balenciaga. Super sensual, superb essence. Review: This will be my first experience in the Bvlgari Man In Black line. My Bvlgari Man in Black Essence bottle looks so cool and artsy. Better looking, texture and feel, in real than in photos. Worthy of being a limited edition not just by it's presentation but even by it's stunning aroma. Initial blast is boozy mix with spices and faint dusty floral note. Booze and spices to leave a stunning "I am here and take me seriously" scent impression. Then by the heart, the booze is slowly fading, the dusty floral kept escalating to build up comfort and toned down the spices while the guaiac wood is starting to reveal it's sweet and alluring character. A sensual cocoa and soft leathery vibe are manifesting at this stage. By the dry down, with the resin and musk supporting the spices and woody oriental notes, the dusty floral and dominant spices were dying away and what was left was somewhat creamy, bittersweet woody gourmand with soft leather undertone. The wearer may not notice but projection was a killer in 4 sprays (skin and clothes). Longevity seems average, but no, the skin scent lasts for more than 10 hours. Impressive beginning, glorious heart and magnetic/sexy dry down smell. The trip was worth it. Guaranteed compliments from both sexes. Best for dates, partying, formal and outdoor functions. Suitable for Fall and Winter. Highly recommended if you can still find it. Scent: 9 out of 10 Bottle: 10 out of 10

This review is as much about Man in Black as it is about Man in Black Essense. Black Essense is the grown-up version of Man in Black (which was already a mature scent). The best analogy I can give is that Black Essense is more refined, it's smoother, there are no rough edges. Akin to the difference between a 4 year old blended whiskey and a 21 year single malt. This is not to knock Man in Black, which is undoubtedly still a favorite. When I first sprayed Black Essense I thought it had usurped Man in Black - the top notes (wet notes) are preferable to MiB - but this is the only point in which I preferred Black Essense to MiB. Black Essense has only one note, and while it plays it well, it stays one dimensional throughout - which I like for some fragrances e.g. Robert Graham Valour but not for a scent that is very similar to another (at least on the top notes) What I enjoy most of MiB is the ride through the richness to intense to balanced sweet and smooth. And it is indeed the mid and base notes that I prefer to Black Essense. Also worth noting, that I believe Black Essense to be an ideal cologne for an older gentleman - someone 55+ but is a little too mature for a younger man <30 but I do not mean that in a pejorative sense. It is a great fragrance in its own right.

Surprising. I bought it as I was coveting a bottle of Man in Black and this flanker was going cheap. To my nose it is rather weak and not what one would expect from an EdP. And from memory it doesn't smell so much like MiB as people are suggesting, and to my taste not quite as nice, but... wait for it... wait for it... I am clearly misguided. Feeling disappointed I gave myself a generous six or seven sprays and went out to meet a friend, who is well used to me smelling of fine fragrances and asking for her opinion, but often fails to notice them unless I lean close and ask. But on this occasion, though we were outdoors, she instantly say, oh my god you smell amazing, that's incredible, that's the best one ever. When we got into her car she was still saying how delicious it was and how she would get a bottle for her partner. All in all it was the most gushing compliment getter I've ever had. The next girl, a similar response - she could not stop smelling my wrists, she adored it. To me it is not thaaaat interesting and barely noticeable after a few minutes, but the ladies have spoken. I can only conclude there's something in it that women love that I just go blind to very rapidly. So definitely a keeper, but I'll wear it on dates as a safe bet, and not for myself.

I Blind bought this, based on how popular the original MIB was/is. OPENING: Upon first spray, it immediately reminded me of insurrection ll wild which is a very cherry tobacco dirty heavy frag. I’m wearing both in each arm, and the similarities are Close enough to say these both belong in the same scent category. Although man in black essence doesn’t have or list tobacco, the initial spray has that black licorice, dirty tobacco, spiceiness that’s just so intense. I do not enjoy the initial opening at all. DRYDOWN (after 1 hour): The drydown however does start to open up with woody notes thankfully. The oriental and spices are equally matched & balanced with woods. So at that point it becomes tolerable. It’s a very pleasant woods. LONGEVITY: Beastly & Intense for the first 2 hours. Overall got 7-8 hours with this. AUDIENCE: For sure a very very mature fragrance. Not for the youngsters. For appropriate seasons, Late Fall and Winters only. COMPLIMENTS: This is a scent a man wears for himself and his own personal enjoyment....not for “ladies compliments”. To each his own.....but on me, this frag is not gonna be one I reach for often.

*This Juice shouldn't have been released as Limited Edition, this should be the Symbol of the whole lines *The Longevity is Eternal on my skin Chemistry *The Sillage is more than moderate *The best fragrance to wear while at home relaxing *The smell of this Juice remains the same from the opening to the finished *I just opened the new bottle and currently searching for another infact, i wouldn't mind any amount it'd costs me to get another extra 100ml bottle *If 10 is the best rating for this Juice, I'm going to give it a 15/10 * The best Flanker i had ever experienced in my life *I'm so excited about the name written at the back of the bottle (LAOLU) a Compatriot from NIGERIA who happens to be the Art designer of the perfume Box and bottle. Great Job Brother *Now, i can see why most people call Alberto Morillas the Genius.

Nothing groundbreaking or completely different from the original. I like it but I find the original richer, thicker and better smelling. It aslo carries some DNA from the original MIB. Not for me but it's good.

Nice oriental fragrance, perfect for winter time.

it's Oud Malaki by Chopard , but softer ... poor longevity and soft sillage

I wanted to like this one. I blind bought a 100ml bottle because they didn't have a tester in the store where I bought it. I wore almost a quarter of the 100ml bottle just to force myself to like it (thinking maybe it would grow on me). The experience actually got worse. I have about 70ml left in the bottle and don't know what to do with it. There is nothing sexy about this at all and definitely nothing elegant or classy. The fact that people voted that this is meant to remind them of spicebomb actually baffles me. Really? Spicebomb? Naa, spicebomb would make anybody around you want to come close to you. This, MIB Essence on the other hand would actually drive them away. The rum is so off-putting. Don't believe the hype.

Toujours à la recherche de parfums exceptionnels et différents de ce que porte le "commun des mortels", je me suis laissé séduire tout d'abord par le magnifique flacon. Puis après l'avoir porté pour la première fois, ce fut un vrai "coup de foudre" pour ce sublime parfum sexy et sensuel. Il vient de rejoindre le top 7 de mes parfums préférés. Très difficile à trouver car en édition très limitée, je suis désormais l'heureux propriétaire de 3 flacons.

Compared to the original BVLGARI Man In Black, ESSENCE sounds softer, more sophisticated and complete. Floral notes of iris and cocoa notes give the aroma a special charm and velvety. For my taste, if you choose from three versions, the original BVLGARI Man In Black, Bvlgari Man Black Orient and ESSENCE, then you liked this last one, namely Bvlgari Man In Black Essence.

I like this fragrance but I find not many people liking it especially here in Hong Kong where most people live in buildings and take elevators most the time, this kind of scent can get you into trouble especially with the elderlies :-) I wear fragrances not for compliments but for my own pleasure, so this is just perfect just don't over spray

Projects really well. After a couple hours, it dries to musk, resin, and wood. Though it is still good, it unfortunately comes off as a faint has-been of what the first few hours were. It's still a great wear and better than the MIB dry down, which is similar to spicebomb. With MIBE, I do not get that comparison. 2 sprays.

Only had a quick sniff in Harrods, so can't get into much of details. it's slightly different to the original Man In Black. It's spicier, less woody & floral. Not animalic at all but quite spicy. If the original Man In Black is like milk chocolate(50%), this one is like dark chocolate but 65% only.

I bought this based on some youtube reviews I saw and it was one of my worst ever purchase on my fragrance journey. This fragrance is very off-putting in the dry down. This smells almost like perspiration. This fragrance gets 2/10 I would not recommend this at ALL!!!!!!!

Impressive creation from a a fresh scents creator. On of my favorite of all time. I've travelled recently about 1000 km just to buy the last two bottles of it in a north african perfume store. And the fact that it's a limited edition makes it a kind of niche scent.

I see that man I n black editions are to mature and formal. Thats about all there good for so. Go out and buy if your for a good formal cologne if you can’t dish out the cash for Tom Ford. I personally think man extreme is far better the silver bottle.

I am now wearing this elegant perfume, it is sexy first and then it's musculine, like tom ford's black orchid but with significant pepper, good sillage for the first two hours and good longevity. It's truly gentleman choice

vimeo.com/224047991 (promo video) Curious how much of a floral note and or how animalic this one is vs the beloved original. Bvlgari did a fantastic job with the oud based Orient version and fresher Cologne version.

Nose Alberto Morillas does it again! This is an incredible, sophisticated, and sexy perfume. For me it contains gourmand and spicy notes that are truly addictive. Love, love this perfume!

One of my all-time favorite designer fragrances. I literally don’t have a a negative thing to say about it. Perfect in every way. I will always keep this one as long as I can find it!

I want this one. But seems like it's still not available in any internet shop? It would look good in my bathroom cabinet next to it's siblings Man in Black and Man Black Orient.

It is beautiful fragrance. Similar to the original Man in Black in the boozy opening but I get more leather and darkness here. It is definitely a more mature flanker.

I went to the same high school with the bottle designer Laolu in Ilorin, Nigeria! Would buy it out of solidarity! I have used the Man In Black...nothing special

لا أنصح بشراء هذا العطر الأداء سي جدا وغير ملحوظ وفر فلوسك limited edition if you are a collector add it to your collection but performance is so weak