22 Shades of Bergamot

Really digging this off the rip. 37 shades of limette? Not so much. Gonna dig up my dead grandfather and let him wear that barbershop shit... yuck!

Bergamot is infamously a short-lived experience. Being a citrus, it is lively, energetic, and refreshing, but it’s often only around for an hour, tops. One of the greatest bergamot perfumes, Bergamote 22, is guilty of this. You get excited on the first spray, only to sniff everywhere for a trace 2 hours later. Enter Dua’s version — 22 Shades of Bergamot, a scent that promises a similar scent with much more robust performance. Can it match up? Let’s take a ride on the Amalfi Coast and enjoy the view as we uncover this popular scent from the American house. 22 Shades opens with, you guessed it — bergamot. Smooth, cooling, juicy, and lively as ever. Like a cool breeze wafting from the Mediterranean, bergamot shines with sparkling fluidity akin to lemonade. Slight traces of the rind can be detected, with a clean, musky lift that feels like a sip of iced juice in the summer heat. Vetiver is the ground that carries the citrus even further. Dry, slightly grassy, with a pleasant subtle earthiness that recalls rows of bergamot groves dotting the ancient coast of Italy. It’s met with a modern iteration of orange blossom. They’re clean, musky petals adorned with fresh dew, along with a sweetened orange edge. This scent is vividly steeped within its Mediterranean imagery with the offset of fresh, bitter leaves from petitgrain, accompanied by a tart twist from grapefruit. The performance was always the shortcoming of the OG, and 22 Shades isn’t beast mode. I just don’t think it’s possible to make a bergamot scent last for 10 hours. However, 22 Shades does last a solid 6 or so hours, which is much more generous than Bergamote 22. The projection won’t reach the heavens, but people within 2-3 feet of you will smell it. 22 Shades is decidedly unisex, not veering towards either end of the spectrum more than the other despite its vetiver prominence. It’s a casual scent – think a tee with chino shorts or a lightly-colored sundress type of scent. It’s suitable for any age demographic, but it heavily favors summer wear. It just doesn’t have the power to cut through frigid air. However, when the sun warms your skin, its zesty freshness comes alive. As far as the resemblance goes to Bergamote 22, it’s pretty spot on. The bergamot is a bit more authentic in the OG, but it doesn’t smell synthetic in 22 Shades either. I think the vetiver is slightly more pronounced in the OG as well. I prefer 22 Shades since it features more bergamot, and that is what I love about the scent to begin with. 22 Shades is a must-have for any citrus fan. It embodies the Italian saying, “Dove cresce il bergamotto, il sole bacia la terra” (where the bergamot grows, the sun kisses the earth). It fully encompasses the scent of Calabria, and it’s just so satisfying. 8.5/10. 10/10 for the label having actual bergamots on it instead of limes.

Nice earthy green and zesty. I look forward to layering it with Bianca Pura to enhance the green notes