Le Gemme - Ashlemah Bvlgari 2014

So Bulgari now has an exclusive series as well. Bottles resembling black amphorae, adorned with gold rims and gemstones - striking, radiant, not exactly subtle, rather dramatic. Ashlemah means "sweet dreams" and is inspired by the amethyst, the symbol of perfect balance. Only four ingredients are listed in the fragrance created by Daniela Andrier: lavender, iris, violet, heliotrope.

Upon spraying, the herbal lavender note stands out distinctly and alone for a brief moment. It is aromatic and clear, but is already enveloped in the next moment by a dry, powdery, and somewhat earthy iris root. This is a combination that feels almost a bit aloof, similar to what I first perceived in Jersey. The interplay of lavender and iris appears elegantly restrained and slightly veiled.

However, the two delicate gray to light purple, broken nuances do not remain alone for long, and a strong violet rushes forward, momentarily mixing in a bit too dominantly into this discreet interplay and takes the lead role with elbow arguments. By no means is it "the violet in the moss, modest, demure, and fine," but rather a spicy one, with leaves, stem, and stalk, delicately bitter, leathery, and with a slight licorice accord. For a good while, it makes quite a fuss until a balancing veil of musk gently reins in the forward little plant, puts it in its place, and appeals to its team spirit. Now Ashlemah becomes calm, unexcited, grounded.

The somewhat combative opening is just a short episode of about 15 minutes. Under the supervision of musk and heliotrope, Ashlemah becomes significantly milder and softer, and the violet performers no longer want to be soloists but harmonize as a team. Heliotrope is used subtly. It adds little sweetness but relaxes the initially quite strong fragrance, balances it out, and leads it back into a calm, gray-matt-blue-light-purple course. Now it is a wonderful scent just to my liking, and this relaxed mood lasts until its gentle fading after many hours. I perceive - if one disregards the relatively intense violet phase - a similarity to the iris-powdery lavender note in Jersey, even though the latter develops as a whole still more delicately vanilla-like than Ashlemah.

I would classify the fragrance as feminine to unisex, the longevity is decent, and the sillage is rather close to the body. Suitable for adults.

Even though I would have preferred the violet note to be more subdued and the lavender to be a bit less fleeting: Ashlemah is a beautiful fragrance with a delightfully soft-powdery base that is definitely worth testing. It is neither fashionable nor mainstream and avoids the overly common characteristics of fruity, sweet, gourmand, oudy, or oriental. For that alone, Bulgari deserves respect.