Bogue Profumo 20edp (luckyscent exclusive) and 10edt collage by Michelyn
Artisan perfumery has, happily, become a proving ground where creators can share ideas and craftsmanship with us in ways that can be unexpected, provocative, breathtaking, and even challenging. Such freedom of course, can lead brands towards complicated, overthought fragrances that lean towards extraits, as if colognes and eaux de toilettes were by definition lesser. Now, don’t get me wrong – I enjoy a good intellectual journey and sometimes crave complexity – but not all perfume has to be complicated to be unique. That is the direction taken by the singularly talented Antonio Gardoni for his celebratory fragrances for the tenth and twentieth anniversaries of Bogue Profumo and Luckyscent, respectively. Bogue Profumo10edt, Gardoni’s creation for his own label, and Bogue Profumo edp20, an exclusive for Luckyscent, are more than siblings; they riff on each other, doppelgangers that run along parallel tracks at different speeds, each with a separate musicality.
Antonio Gardoni via the perfumer
“Perfume is something that never stops changing,” says Gardoni. And indeed, smelling these siblings alongside each other, I am struck by how true that is here. The fragrances share DNA to the point of seeming like a split zygote on paper. But while their notes are nearly identical, their tempos differ distinctly. As one would expect, the 20edp uses greater amounts of certain ingredients and unfolds slowly, not giving its secrets away too quickly.
muguet, lily-of-the-valley artwork courtesy of Bogue Profumo Instagram
In contrast, edt10 is a flirtatious soubrette, its comparative lightness allowing each note its pirouette. A striking difference between the two is the addition of lily-of-the-valley to the top notes of Bogue Profumo 10edt which lends an airy pop of sweetness alongside a generous squeeze of a particularly beautiful, orange-y bergamot. As the lily of the valley suspends for just a moment, edt10 plunges into a kaleidoscope of off-sweet and herbal greenery: musky marigold, peppery geranium, cool, watery fig leaves, wheat-like helichrysum, all girded by lavender. The notes jetee in, each scent clearly delineating before it takes it place aside its companions like a corps de ballet falling into line.
San Francisco Ballet production of Jewels by George Balanchine, photo San Francisco Ballet©
In the heart, rose glides in, satiny but aloof, leaving precedence to the lavender and marigold. These two herbal notes act like a wash of purple-green tempera over the other aromas in, the honeyed smokiness of the one playing off the other’s bitterness. A little later, a restrained drop of civet brings just the right touch of animalic skank to balance all that prettiness, and topaz resins in the base add richness and warmth. All the while, the lily-of-the-valley spins and dips like a delirious bumblebee, and the overarching greenness of the composition grows more luxuriant. Stepping back from edt and smelling it half an hour later, it’s as if while wearing 10edt, you stumbled into a wildflower thicket on a warm day.
Fortuny velvet coat, stock photo
If sprightly, verdant edt is Faure’s lovely, haunting Sicilienne movement for flute and harp, 20edp is the same piece performed on cello and piano. The melody remains the same, but the colours and fabric of 20edp shimmer more quietly and seductively than in their sister and the composition reveals her secrets more deliberately. 20edp’s opening is dark gold; that gorgeous bergamot sticks around far longer now that there’s no lily-of-the-valley to contend with. I get the civet and marigold earlier in this fragrance than its sister, and the resins. Which are more muted yet richer, gleaming like cabochons. Over time, the rose becomes much warmer and more present than in the edt; here she takes her time, nudging the lavender and marigold notes sideways. Stepping back again and smelling 20edp, the florals and resins are almost Amouage-like in their voluptuous and richness. But the herbal notes stay central, keeping the fragrance predominately green. Place 10edt on Fortuny velvet. Add candlelight, roses, and a lover, and you have Bogue Profumo 20edp. Both fragrances are absolutely gorgeous, my favourite Bogue fragrances since 2019’s I Love YY, also for Luckyscent.
Which do I prefer? Well, that depends. Today, as the sun is beaming and the air just starting to warm, I am 100% Team Bogue Profumo 10edt. It’s frisky, emerald beauty makes me want to summon find a café to listen to some sparky jazz with a good novel. But who knows what evening will bring? If it comes with dinner and a movie, I will be reaching for 20edp.
Notes for Bogue Profumo 10edt: Bergamot peel, fig leaves, tagetes (marigold), petitgrain mandarin, geranium bourbon, olibanum, sandalwood, oud, lavender, helichrysum, vanilla, benzoin, ylang ylang, jasmine sambac, lily-of-the-valley, civet, rose damascena.
Notes for 20edp: Bergamot peel, black pepper, fig leaves, tagetes (marigold), petitgrain mandarin, geranium bourbon, olibanum, sandalwood, oud, lavender, tonka bean, helichrysum, vanilla, benzoin, ylang ylang, jasmine sambac, civet, rose damascena.
Disclaimer: Samples of Bogue Profumo10edt and 20edp kindly sent to me by Luckyscent. My opinions, as always, are my own.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Bogue Profumo 20edp is exclusive to Luckyscent, but 10edt is being sold worldwide at all Bogue Profumo retailers.
Thanks to the generosity of Luckyscent, we have a draw of mini sprayers of both scents for two registered reader in the USA. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you like about Bogue Profumo edt and/or edp based on Lauryn’s review. Draw closes 11/16/2022
You can buy or sample at Luckyscent here
Antonio Gardoni composed the Limited Edition OOOH! for CaFleureBon 10th anniversary. We hope he brings it back!!
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