Aqva pour Homme Atlantiqve Bvlgari 2017

I DO get a heavy Sauvage feel in the opening; a little more of a “round” feel, but it’s definitely similar to the Sauvage EDT. After about 20-30 minutes, you kind of get that vibe that the base of the Aqua Amara gives... a smooth masculinity that carries quite well.

Aside from the similarity to the Sauvage, I see ZERO reason people should dislike this. It’s a great scent, doesn’t smell cheap, and carries quite well.

Some people say it gives a Sauvage/Dylan Blue/Bleu de Chanel vibe, and yes you do kind of get those vibes... almost a “hybrid” blend. Like a Sauvage opening with the Dylan loudness, and a smoother Bleu base. YES they are similar, NO it isn’t a bad scent. Hell, if no one wants it, I’d happily stockpile from all the discounters, and make it a signature for the summer work schedule.

I think this one gets a bad rap because it has similarities to sauvage but doesn't just smell exactly like it. So Imo, the people who hate Sauvage don't like this, and the people who are Sauvage fans dont seem to like it because its not Sauvage. I do not care for Sauvage myself, but I am a big fan of the Bvlgari aqva line and this stuff smells great. Also the wife doesnt care for Sauvage either (Said it just smells like soap), but thought this "actually smells really nice". To me, it has more going on than Sauvage, with the aquatic and melange of basenotes going really well with that Ambrox.

I mostly get a bright citrus, but with depth, blended well with the aquatic ambroxan which really does feel kind of oceanic overall. It is more sweet than Aqva Amara, and not as heavy but definitely still performs well. I don't get the seaweed vibe from this that the original Aqva has, which I actually really enjoyed but understand it can be polarizing, and it also doesnt have that bitter frankincense from Amara, that again i personally like, but some do not. I dont mind if its not a hit in the fragrance community, it just means the price will go down and everyone else wont smell like it. I really like this release, maybe more so than Aqva Amara, depending on the weather, I can see using this on the hottest and most humid of days without reservation, where maybe the Amara could be a bit much in that scenario. If you like the Aqva line but want something not as heavy, check this one out.

Hyped as f%$# by all kind of reviewers 3-4 years ago, this is a good performer that continued the tradition of Aqva Amara by offering an enjoyable spring/summer experience in the notes of a seaside smell, so to speak. As the title suggests, it has too much ambroxan, maybe Bvlgari's response to Eau Sauvage success, and that's where it failed for me, it reminded me too much of that powerhouse. Along the ambroxan comes a little sweetness so it stands below Aqva Amara and Aqva Marine in my preference list. Solid performer, medium projection and excelled longevity 8h+. Enjoy !

A long time ago (in a galaxy far far away?), I got to try a sample of this one following the whole Sauvage / body wash craze and found that it worked well on my skin. At that time, people were condemning Aqva Atlantiqve (AA) as just another Dior wannabe, and I can see why that is. Personally, I always felt that it was a little closer to Luna Rossa Carbon (minus the lavender) due to the slight powdery / gunpowdery feel, but it wasn't until I compared it side by side with Dylan Blue that I realized what it was really trying to copy.

Atlantique opens up with a rather sweet, fruity blast of bergamot, benzoin and that classic Aqva accord of green neptune grass and synthetic ambergris. To me, it's an obvious combination of the fruity top of Versace's Dylan Blue and the original Aqva (albeit stripped-down versions of both), and the whole accord initially reminds me of a watermelon flavoured candy. To the trained nose, the juxtaposition can be quite jarring though, almost as if the creators decided to take the original green core and dump some sugar gel on top to appease the young buyers. But you won't hear me complaining. I always enjoyed the original, but couldn't ever seem to stomach the twingy saltiness on my skin. This one seems to hit all the right notes without becoming cloying or offensive.

It's a pretty simple scent though and remains linear throughout. The only difference from the opening to the drydown is that the sweetness simply fades into the background over time. Only....I do remember once remarking that it sort of reminded me of the smell of chlorinated pool water only a few minutes into the intial blast. It was one of the first sprays out of the bottle, and may have been a total aberration, because it never happened again after that. Just another reason not to dig your nose in too early I suppose...

Overall though, I have to concede that it's an uber synthetic smelling composition - that part is true. Perhaps not a chemical mess, but more like a chemical harmony. Luckily, that's good news for performance - on me, it lasts well into the 8 hour mark with very good projection for the first 3. That's WELL above average for any aquatic. And positive attention? You bet. There's a reason 'blue' fragrances sell so well and are almost universally appreciated - the average consumer can understand them; and although not everyone is going to appreciate the salty greenness up close, the sweetness in the sillage adds a nice contrast that really makes this stuff intriguing. Addictive even.

Anyway, after years of reflection, I definitely think it's a worthy flanker and probably the most versatile of the line. Whereas Marine basically took the original core and covered it with grapefruit and white cedar - and Amara smouldered it with neroli incense - Atlantique merely sweetens it up and rounds off the edges. If Bvlgari was going for a modernized version, I think it's a success. But they should've just called it Aqva Blue, because that's what it is - you know, Dylan's next door neighbour. The surfer. ♫ I'm blue da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee.....♫

Why is it that fragrance houses keep discontinuing their finest creations? Bvlgari in general has a strong library of interesting and solid scents, but this one is definitely one of their best. And they still decided to pull the plug on it. Shame on them.

Its opening is quite similar to Acqua Di Gio, only better. More citrus, less cucumber. Very well rounded citrus, might I add. Then the ambergris kicks in, and ambergris is what I was after with this. It delivered. The ambergris sticks around for hours, for a brief accompanied by a subtle whiff of apple, which, quite frankly, is the only con to this otherwise pro fragrance (apple has no business in a marine scent, prove me wrong, I double dare you). This, however, is a very short-lived problem that quickly goes away, leaving room for the ambergris to mix with a nice, woody ending (which also lasts a long time).

My only question (and this is a big one): why did Bvlgari discontinue this? I feel like it’s the story that keeps repeating itself; fragrance house makes a massive banger that smells amazing and doesn’t resemble anything else -> people love it -> they discontinue it. Is it some kind of sick joke? Or does the industry do this on purpose to make us keep buying their next, mediocre releases in the hopes that it’s close to the one that got away? Not cool.