Thursday, October 08, 2015

Caron Bellodgia-Review


In all fairness, trying Bellodgia whilst undergoing all manner of dental issues that will likely be culminating in surgery (again) was a bad idea. That huge hit of cloves combined with the alcohol to smell exactly like a dentist's office. It was everything I could muster to keep from scrubbing it off immediately. I'm oh-so-thankful I didn't drop a couple hundred dollars on the vintage bottle I saw recently- I can't imagine ever wanting to wear it. I have two letters to describe my reaction to Bellodgia: P and U.

Personal issues aside, for the typical perfume wearer that hasn't been subjected to botched dental work, Bellodgia isn't a terrible spicy Oriental. The clove is annoying because it never really fades enough to let the carnation come through. Oh sure, it is there, but the sharpness of carnation has been beaten into submission by the topical anesthetic  clove. The rose tries to put in an appearance, but it is short because it can't stand being in the same room with the clove and has to flee. I didn't catch the violet or lily of the valley-at all. There's some sandalwood and vanilla tossed in there too. It needs something to save it from the dull spices.  To my nose, I always think Orientals need something citrus at the top, and something animal at the base to keep it from smelling like you've been baking (or visiting the dentist). I know that didn't work out well for Tabu, (Gawd, now there's an instant headache in a bottle) but something like the lemon notes at the top of Malmaison by Floris would work here. I'm tempted to layer the hell out of it with Jean Nate just to test it out.

I waited for something other than the strong clove scent to appear, making me change my mind about Bellodgia. It never showed. The bright point is that the fragrance had such poor longevity, the whole experience was over inside an hour. Wish I could say the same about my dental ordeal. I've been living with constant facial pain for a year now-compared to that, an hour of smelling like a spice cabinet is easy.

Notes according to Fragrantica:
Carnation, clove, rose, musk, jasmine, sandalwood, violet, vanilla, lily of the valley.

What I smell-Clove. That's about it. It smells like pain.

This might be the shortest perfume review I've ever posted, but there isn't much to say about it. I like a bit of nuance in my perfumes, and this one just pounds you over the head with spice, and those things they use to scrape the build-up off your teeth. Caron has better perfumes. Unless you really adore the scent of clove, I'd try this one out in a decant before making an investment.

4 comments:

Bibi said...

So Belodgia is a just a clove bomb. Spicy scents seem to difficult for perfumers to get 'balanced'.
Going on your previous positive reviews of Jean Arthes' Love Generation Fashion Victim I spotted 2 Jean Arthes fragrances at are local 'departmental' (as we say here on the subcontinent) store & purchased them for a mere $7 each.

Boum Vanille Sa Pomme d'Amour, 2012- A light warm ambery vanilla with some vague fruity/apple notes & a bit of tobacco in the dry down. Not offensive, but not exciting either.

Boum Green Tea Cherry Blossom, 2012 - I LIKE. I don't know where the cherry blossom is but I'm getting a lot of the pleasant floral aspects of green tea with a lovely refreshing lemony citrus tang. It's like EA's Green Tea but better! There is a white musk in the base but this musk is not as cloying or excessive as the one in EA's Green Tea can be. A great 'fridge spritzer' for hot summer weather.

I also tried Yardley's Royal Diamond which sounded promising with notes of pear, bergamot, rose, peony, lily-of-the-valley, honey, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla and benzoin- smelled like a hot mess to me.

I bought Yardley's Royal English Daisy, too- Another good refreshing 'fridge spritzer' or for a spring day with notes of granny smith apple, green leaves, hyacinth, white rose, musk and sandalwood. Supposedly created by Yardley for Kate Middleton.

Hope you're feeling better soon. Dental stuff is the worst!



Beth Waltz said...

Aha. If Bellodogia reminds you of Tabu, I'm outta the room. The scent of cloves reminds me of my grandmother's Hoosier cabinet (with the built-in flour sifter I really, really wanted to spin) and the glass bottle of sweet oil my father kept in the barn for dowsing the ears of small livestock (and kids, if we dared to whimper about earache).

The mere mention of dental/sinus pain makes me claustrophobic. My one experience with an endodontist ended well, however. A dentist missed an infected root in a lower molar, which infection then invaded the jawbone, et voila! There I was in hospital, facing a diagnosis of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The medico who performed the aspiration of the site, and then told me the good news was almost in tears of relief. Me, too. The following surgery wasn't fun, but it did the job. Endodontist told me second, third and fourth opinions are sound investments. So is active yoghurt after the procedures.

Mim said...

I love Bellodgia, but my bottles (one, and a backup) are of the last formulation, and I was disappointed at the lack of bite. I put it down to regulations limiting the critical ingredient. I tend to wear it as a comfort scent as it's not got the edge of the old formula.

Goody said...

@Bibi

Yeah, the Fridge Spritzer idea is great-I see some relief for my hot flashes. I'm a fan of Yardley, so I'll keep an eye out for the Daisy one.

@Beth Waltz
I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm glad it was eventually resolved.

@Mim
I wonder if the decant I got is reformulated. I find it hard to believe it would become such a classic smelling like what I got.