Bulgari pour Homme Extrême
Bulgari (1999)

Bulgari Pour Homme Extrême (1999) is effectively a louder and more projecting version of the original, which was for all intents a man's musk fragrance based around a Darjeeling tea note that ended up copied a dozen times over throughout the 90's, most famously by Jovan with their Ginseng NRG (1998), but this new "Extrême" version dispenses much with the musk and heads to sharper territory. Jacques Cavallier was brought back to work on Bulgari Pour Homme Extrême, which helps tie it into it's pillar predecessor, and like many other late 90's scents trying to break out of the "apologetic" mold set by what ushered in at the decade's start, Bulgari Pour Homme Extrême goes to.. extreme lengths to do it. I won't apologize for that pun. Anyway, what this ends up becoming is a tea scent with sharp green opening notes, a token lavender heart, and really dry woods in the base, with a dollop of oakmoss to round it enough to keep it from heading into the territory Diptyque Tam Dao would take in 2003. Bulgari Pour Homme Extrême feels like the woodsier cousin to Cartier Déclaration (1998), and would likely be a good direct competitor for it in the "daily work scent" category in those years. I can appreciate this, but I feel the woods in place of the leather makes all the difference between a good and neutral rating to me.

Bulgari Pour Homme Extrême opens with sharp galbanum and coriander, with lavender and petitgrain sneaking in a few moments later. Gone is the juicy black currant of the regular Bulgari Pour Homme, making this flanker at once more austere and formal. Many of the florals found in the original are also gone, and the Darjeeling tea swapped out for a green tea note that gets bumped down to the middle so it stays longer. That green tea middle is also infused with nutmeg, pepper, and balsam fir, making this really spicy and stark, which amplifies the tea note instead of rounding it. Bulgari Pour Homme Extrême will sit on the skin like this hours before those woods finally show up, and what's mostly a cedar/sandalwood tandem takes over, but without any creaminess sandalwood affords. The pepper and tea of the middle fuse with these woods, and a smidgen of musk remains, which is what keeps this from being desiccating like Tam Dao, with trace oakmoss elements present. Bulgari Pour Homme Extrême is the ascetic and "man's man" take on the original, with one foot in 90's freshness, and one foot in austere turn of the 20th century British barbershop values. It's a quality scent but bright and dry are not my favorite combinations, so I have to unfortunately give this a neutral rating, since I find the finish of this a bit irritating to my nose. There's nothing wrong with it for those who dig this vibe, but without any warmth of leather like found in the Déclaration, this just comes across as the olfactory equivalent of a cool white fluorescent tube shining overhead in an office cubicle.

Obviously, you don't have to be Dilbert to enjoy the office-friendly sharpness of Bulgari Pour Homme Extrême, as it works equally well outdoors with good sillage and longevity, even in reformulated versions. This is a far sight better than any of the "Aqva" scents Bulgari would become obsessed with in the 2000's, and is where the train stops for most serious perfume guys into the brand, since all Bulgari aquatics essentially smell like they're tweaks of one note pyramid, much like the early 2000's Avon aquatic stuff. At least with Bulgari Pour Homme Extrême, it's a variation on a theme that even switches out the kind of tea used, and is really creative (like most Jacques Cavallier compositions), just not something I could keep on my skin for more than a few hours tops. Part of the reason the musk and black currant was in the original was to tempter the otherwise sharp arrangement of notes with plush sweetness, and sharp aromatics can be nice if done right, with more greens, florals, or oakmoss, but since we're in the late 90's here, none of that was really in fashion, hence the turnout. Fans of Déclaration will most likely dig this, and it's a safe blind buy for folks looking into a cheaper alternative to Tam Dao as well, there's just an irritating "something" here that kills it for me as a purchase, but it might be more me than the fragrance.

I don't like it.The projection is great and the tea note did grab my interest.It was the green and metallic grapefruit that turned me off instantly.Every time I sniffed at it I kept thinking it was just modified off an $8 generic gym fragrance by Adidas that could wear in this spring or summertime too...only slightly tweaked to jack up cost.

Not my cup of tea(see what I did there)?I just don't see the popularity behind it.

Bvlgari pour Homme Extreme is perhaps not brilliant, but it is remarkably good. It is a reasonably long-lasting fresh fragrance composed around a note of green tea. The whole Bvlgari pour Homme range (the original, this Extreme flanker, and the Soir flanker) centres around fresh takes on tea. Bvlgari Extreme has a similar take on tea (green tea) as the original, but is sharper, zestier and more invigorating. I detect fir, subtle herbs and spices that are typical of classic Italian fragrances, and a base of musk and woods. The note of tea is sustained throughout its development, from the initial herbs and citrus to the late drydown.

Bvlgari pour Homme Extreme works extremely well for me, and is a seamless composition, good proportions, and a touch of elegance and sophistication. Additionally, compared to the original which is a little muted, the Extreme version has just the right degree of sillage and adequate duration. Bvlgari Extreme is an easy recommendation given a lack of quality and interesting fresh fragrances, and its price makes it an absolute no-brainer.

3.5/5

After a sustained testing session in Selfridges around Christmas, BPHE was, for me, on paper, >the< stand-out fragrance - and that was in the company of endless concessions, large quantities of niche and similarly expensive efforts. Eventually, I have bit the bullet, and found the best on-line price for a 100ml bottle.

As other reviewers have said, this shines best in hot weather. Despite some unseasonably good days here in the UK, it's taken me a while to even like BPHE. However, I think I have got to the point where I am starting to admire it, and to a place where I think I can articulate the reasons for this.

I guess it comes down to the seamlessness of the accords. In The Guide, Luca Turin says something to the effect that the notes in BPHE could easily end up as a complete mess in the wrong hands. Here, they are stitched together perfectly. Something about it smooths over the whole ensemble, and while it is undeniably a masculine, and a masculine that is not shy to boot, it is nonetheless contemplative and clean. There are no rough edges here. After some time getting used to it, I can feel that there is a harmony here between the dry and sweet, assertive and calming, and any number of other oppositions. The tea, that mainstay of Bulgari perfumes, seems to contribute a lot here, and adds an oriental twist, but one that is more redolent of Sino-Japanese minimalism than it is of the lurid and exciting exotica of other orientals.

I'm still not sure I love it, but I find myself increasingly reaching for BPHE as a go-to for work when I'm not sure what the day will bring. A very good addition to the arsenal.

I think this would work okay in warm weather, but it just wasn't very appealing to my nose. I got tea, citrus, and some balsam fir, and it seemed a little dark at first. The citrus dried down and brought forth some slight floral and musk. Again, this one was just average for me overall.

Damn it lasts forever. Flawless projection.