One of the eternal marvels about perfume is the way that it can tell so many stories. A single scent evolves through different chapters—and a wardrobe of fragrances is like a dressing-up box, enabling their wearer to take on various guises and embrace different moods. Now, Bulgari offers a new proposition: A scent collection that allows you to personalize your scent by emphasizing particular notes, spotlighting the other emotions and sensations that those ingredients can bring to the adventure of smell.
Bulgari Allegra consists of five Eau de Parfum fragrances and five Magnifying Essences, exquisite distillations of single notes. The Magnifying Essences—bergamot, rose, patchouli, vanilla, and musk—can be combined with any of the Parfums, or worn on their own, with the idea that playfulness will drive self-expression and bring joy. “The goal is to make the experience surprising,” says Bulgari master perfumer Jacques Cavallier. “This is not about mixing two perfumes or layering, it is about emphasizing a note in a fragrance you love and offering you the freedom to do what you want depending on your mood.”
The idea for this customizable—and colourful—the collection was initially sparked by the Allegra jewellery, according to Bulgari’s General Manager of Parfums, Luis Miguel Gonzalez Sebastiani. “We believe that optimism is so important in this moment of social transition and that people are looking for positive energy, which is really what Bulgari is all about,” he says. “When you look at an Allegra bracelet, which is distinguished by its use of the cabochon cut and vibrant colours, it brings a smile to your face. Our philosophy as a brand Is to share the joy of crafting the gems of nature, so we set out to bring that to a fragrance collection that represented the best of our craftsmanship and the best of our ingredient sourcing. Bulgari stands for bold, magnificent, excellent emotions—it is a master of colours.”
The multi-coloured bottles, which are 96 per cent glass, are beautiful ornaments no matter what they might contain—but rest assured, you will want to spray them with abandon. The five Eau de Parfum compositions were inspired by Italy, specifically the dolce vita of Rome, the sun-drenched vistas of the Mediterranean, and the country’s famous more-is-more zest for life. Fantasia Veneta is an opulent chypre based around the extraction of patchouli specific to Bulgari; Dolce Estasi is a floral gourmand with powdery heliotrope at its heart; Fiori D’Amore is a passionate union of raspberry with Turkish and Bulgarian roses; Rock’ n’ Rome is a cocktail of fruity Osmanthus flower and apricot sweetened by benzoin, and Riva Solare is bright, glorious citrus that captures the glow of the Italian Riviera with Calabrian bergamot, neroli, and mandarin.
The Magnifying Essences can be combined with them in many ways—spritz the Magnifying Patchouli on with Rock’ n’ Rome to bring out its sultry facets, such as push Riva Solare into an even more significant floral effusion with a spray of Magnifying Rose. It’s also perfectly permissible to wear the Magnifying Essences on their own, should you wish. Sebastiani compares the Magnifying Musk to donning “a crisp white shirt”; Cavallier combines the Magnifying Patchouli with the Magnifying Bergamot. Ultimately, anything goes. “Perfume is a part of your personality,” Cavallier says. “It goes back to childhood. It is dreaming about the past and imagining the future. It is very important.”