Bulgari Pour Homme Soir by Bulgari, 2006

I'm trying this alongside Pour Homme Extreme, and some of the original BPH that I sprayed on earlier...this is the smoother flanker. Right away, it's different: a slightly sweetened wood with just a dash of grapefruit on top. Together, these create that reedy/bamboo/grassy effect that I like in whatever fragrances I find it in. The grapefruit is soon gone in Soir, and the lightest tinge of anise and spices start to accentuate the wood, which is still not very sweet but begins to show a little more resinous, honeyed character. Later it gets a bit more musty and powdery, but it stays well-controlled like its brothers. Its grayness is more wet, organic and leafy compared to the concrete gray of Extreme, and this allows it to step out of the corner office and down to the bar for a date more readily than Extreme. Soir also has the longevity to make it past five o'clock. Still, I prefer Extreme's drier emphasis over Soir's slight powderiness. Overall, the Bulgari PH family is surprisingly homogeneous, but I think they're all good. The original is utterly unique among all the scents I've encountered, and the two flankers showcase two opposite sides of it marvellously. They all compete favorably with things like Armani Eau or Monsieur de Givenchy for the title of Most Professional Office Scent.

From the Bulgari website: Olfactive Family: Woody Amber Top Notes: Darjeeling Tea, Lifescent and Papyrus Wood Base: Amber and Musk This may be the fragrance for those of us who find the opening green/spice note of original pour Homme and pour Homme Extreme too harsh, unpleasant or, in the case of Extreme, well, too extreme. In pour Homme Soir there is just enough sweetness from tea and amber to make it more suited to my personality. I find it interesting that in Soir I can smell its relation to a whole range of Bulgari fragrances that goes beyond it simply being a flanker in the pour Homme line. I certainly don't have a sensitive nose but I smell characteristics of Aqua, Omnia, the The series and Jasmin perfumes. My wife routinely wears perfumes from Bulgari and -as is typical when comparing most feminine/masculine lines- they seem superior to and friendlier than the men's fragrances. I find myself wanting a bit more grace and elegance while maintaining something definable as "masculine." Also, I'm one of those who is drawn to Bulgari because they create fragrances which are subtle and restrained yet incorporate some novel combinations. Pour Homme Soir hits on all these points: it is at once subtle and slightly unique while establishing an identity common to the entire brand.