Bellissima Parfum Intense (2010)
by Blumarine

I enjoy the cheapies of my collection--no shame. Not everything can be a face-melting, ultra, ultra exclusif niche masterpiece. Sometimes, I don't want to feel complicated, aloof, or mysterious. Sometimes I just want to smell sweet and simple and no-frills.

I was gifted a partial bottle of Bellissima Parfum Intense a few months ago, and drained it. Then I repurchased, which is rare. It is dense, fuzzy and synthetic without a stitch of irony. The listed notes read like a bunch of nonsense to me; basically you'll get a sweet citrus (orange + jasmine = orange-blossomy-accord) over a vanillic/woodsy/musky base. But it's very pretty, very generic, and indelible on my skin.

I'm sure this perfume was created to ride Flowerbomb's coattails, and it ends up smelling like a La Vie est Belle knock-off (though it predates that blockbuster), which just goes to show that this sweet, fruity floral formula is ubiquitous for a reason: it's popular because it smells good. Confession: sometimes I actually like that powdery synthetic rendition of sandalwood, and Bellissima has it in spades. The bottle is weighty and doesn't feel as cheap as its price tag.