Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum review


          On Valentine's Day, love is in the air, quite literally. The romantic holiday is a heyday for fragrance; one can follow the crisscrossing scent trails of women wearing the perfumes that make them feel beautiful. To celebrate this very essential component of Valentine's day, I thought I would share a fragrance review... and what better perfume could I feature than Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum?

          Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum (2005) is a perennial favorite and front-pager in beauty departments' Valentine's Day displays. It's easy to see why; the elixir inside is easy on the nose and the packaging is both creative and beautiful. Drawing from its namesake, Flowerbomb is a pink liquid packaged inside a grenade shaped bottle embellished with a black wax-seal shaped 'pin'. It exudes femininity with a pinch of edge - a perfect fusion of marketing and design. However, does the appearance reflect the scent inside?

Notes: Bergamot, Green tea, Sambac jasmine, Centifolia rose, Freesia, Cattleya orchid, Patchouli
           Judging from its bottle and moniker, I expected Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb to be a veritable explosion of fresh blooms (think a chorus of Rose, Lily, bluebells, pansies, etc. like in Alice in Wonderland's Golden Afternoon). However, Flowerbomb is actually a delicious 'floriental', with just a few choice flowers and a milky gourmand and patchouli base.

            Flowerbomb opens with a bright bergamot and tea burst that you have to be quick to catch. A light rose, with a little orchid added in for exoticism are the following act; however before they can bloom completely, the gourmand aspect of the fragrance seeps in and anchors them. The gourmand base is sweet and powdery with a little warmth. It smells almost vanilla-like, however I think somewhere between condensed milk and powdered milk would be a more apt description. There's a hefty dose of patchouli as well; normally it would be too much, but it's tempered via association with the gourmand. Sometimes I think I smell hints of chocolate, but it may be a sleight of mind due to the combination of patchouli and sweetness. Over time, the floral component transitions to a jasmine, though like the other blooms, it's grounded by the gourmand. I would say the scent is fairly steady from this point on; it wears for quite some time.


            Flowerbomb is often mentioned in the same breath as Thierry Mugler Angel (reviewed here), as both popular fragrances fall into the candied gourmand category (pioneered by the latter). They share a similar sweet gourmand base mixed with patchouli; I would say Angel's patchouli is a bit more potent. As I mentioned above, Flowerbomb has traces of a similar chocolate note that is more evident in Angel. However, Flowerbomb features a more traditional basket of powdery blooms, while Angel has a crazy cornucopia of fruits. Personally, I find Flowerbomb easier to wear.

            Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum serves up a small bouquet of fragrant florals with a milky gourmand base and patchouli. It's a concoction that should please many noses. The fragrance is delightful and feminine, however it is not the explosion of blooms that the name and packaging suggest. (Perhaps 'Femme-bomb' would have been more appropriate, though not nearly as catchy). I was slightly disappointed since I'm quite fond of pure florals, however Flowerbomb can tickle my fancy when I'm in a sweet mood. (It pairs well with my sweet or foodie bath and body products!) Thanks for reading! Have you tried Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb? Does it live up to the hype? What are your favorite 'florientals'?

Love, Dovey.

24 comments:

  1. I've been dying to get my hands on this for years! I swoon every time I smell it... Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I have picked up different perfumes over each holiday... I finally got my Miss Dior Cherie and Lancome Vie est Belle, so maybe I'll ask for this for my birthday!

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    1. Hi Amanda, It sounds like it's love! Both Miss Dior Cherie and Lancome La Vie est Belle smell beautiful too :-) I hope you'll get your hands on a bottle soon!

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  2. I'm the same with Amanda- I absolutely love this scent, but haven't yet picked it up yet. It's so beautiful. :)

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    1. Hi Stephanie, It's wonderful to hear your thoughts on Flowerbomb; it is a beautiful scent for sure!

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  3. Flowerbomb is my go-to gourmand scent that always makes me feel sexy and playful, ready for a night out... I had to chuckle when you said it smells like condensed milk!! LOL! Really? Well, it's prob what chic milk smells like :p

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    1. Hi Beauty Box! Hehe, I'm glad you enjoyed that. (For the record, I think condensed milk smells delicious :-P)

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  4. hmmm this sounds like a nice scent! i swear i have a sample, but i can't remember what i think of it!! :)

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  5. Flowerbomb was what I would consider to be my signature scent when it was first released. I have almost an entire bottle left, plus a refill. Everyone else started wearing this perfume! It has become hugely popular since my initial purchase. I swear, I can smell it everywhere. Now I only wear it when I have special dates with my fiance (he prefers it over every other scent I own). My everyday frangrance has transitioned to Dior Addict. To me that one has a similar feel in its musky base, but it reads as a bit more sophisticated to my nose. Who knows, though. I'm bad at this perfume stuff.

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    1. Hi Stephanie, It's good to hear from you! That's pretty cool that you got a bottle that far back. I guess I'd be pretty miffed if I started smelling 'me' everywhere too; there's def. been times I've thought twice about a scent because I've smelled it in passing. I think I'll have to find Dior Addict now, to compare!

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  6. Sounds like a lovely scent! =)

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  7. I had the same thoughts on Flowerbomb before I got the chance to sniff it, I thought light and fresh but it's a lot more than that. I do have to admit that I had to get used to it, but it's a great scent!

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    1. Hi Teri, It does sound like we had a shared experience! It took me a few times to really get into it initially!

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  8. Hi Dovey. This is my first time encountering your blog and I must say, I love it! I saw your Lush Popcorn Lip Care after seeing MissGlamorazzi's video. You have earned a new subscriber :)

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    1. Aw, Thanks so much sushigeneral! It's good to see you here :)

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  9. Hmmm, I hadn't read Angel compared to Flowerbomb. I'm not crazy about Angel - I prefer Alien. However, I adore Flowerbomb. So does everyone else it seems right now. I'm waiting for its popularity to wane (wishful thinking?) a bit before getting another bottle.

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    1. Hi Kristi, Thanks for the comment! I know what you mean about popularity--- it's tough when you love something, but everyone else loves it too!

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  10. Had this perfume for ages. Ablosolutely love it. It's flirty and feminine :)
    ~REGI

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  11. Hi! First want to say I too, love your blog and will be coming back often for reviews! I recently took a chance and ordered Flowerbomb from Sephora.com a few days ago, after seeing it in their "Most liked" (something like that) list in fragrances. I was there to order a few of my staple make up items, but needed my signature scent as well, and you know how you kind of look for something else sometimes, well, I did so and after reading the description of Flowerbomb, it seemed to fit my favorite type of fragrances perfectly, so I ordered a bottle. It should arrive in a few days and I'm very excited, but had no idea until coming here that it was released in 2005! I thought I had found something new. My go to fragrance is 'For Her', by Narciso Rodriguez. I've been wearing it well over 10 years and get tons of compliments from both women and men. I cannot wait to compare the two myself, and so hope I made a good decision with Flowerbomb as I love floral-orient with also a touch of musk scents. Thanks again for your review! Am really looking forward to it now!
    Peace

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    1. Hi Pamela, thanks so much for the kind comment, I hope Flowerbomb is the floriental you're looking for :)

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