THAMEEN
Bravi
2023
PERFUMER
Bruno Jovanovic
bergamot
bitter orange
ginger
tuberose
saffron
honey
walnut milk
vanilla
tobacco
‘Bravi’s adventure begins at the opera house, which is the most iconic building in Covent Garden. A place where love and passion for the opera ignites friendships. Perfumer Bruno Jovanovic re-creates the scent of the Queen of the Night flower. During the olfactory exploration of the Queen of the Night, we take the path of sensuality, but in a dramatic and over-the-top sensational way. Intoxicating tuberose is spiced up with an overdose of ginger and dramatized with a novel walnut milk accord. The notes are blended in a way that accents the tension between them. Perfect for an opulent evening.’ – Thameen
In my experience so far, Thameen’s Britologne Collection is rather nice (aside from having a terrible name). From the 5 that are released at the time of writing, the one that seems the most intriguing when you smell them briefly in store is Bravi. So how does it hold up?
Bravi is an interesting mix of mostly tuberose and sweetness. This is a tuberose that’s made almost gourmand, so that even the people who don’t usually love tuberose can fall in love with Bravi.
In the air, the floral side, sweetened with honey is prominent. A subtly fruity tuberose without its sharper, green edges. Nor the brighter bubblegum sweetness, but rather a warmed up, smoother version of a bubblegum tuberose. There is a hint of a nutty or roasted quality, that reminds me a bit of biscuits, but only when smelled up close.
At this stage of the wear, the fresher additional notes do more of the heavy lifting than the darker notes. I don’t get a strong leathery side with the saffron and I definitely don’t get tobacco. It’s much more on the floral side, with the top notes taking the edge off the tuberose and of course a huge dose of sweetness covering it all.
In the first hours it’s one of my favorite renditions of this style and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I do find that Bravi gets a tad cloying after a while, but not so much that it ruins the wear. Overall, I was very pleased with Bravi.
I haven’t smelled them side by side yet, but Bravi reminds me at times of arguably my favorite sweet tuberose; Buterbaugh’s 1947 Dahlia, athough the Buterbaugh doesn’t have the ‘biscuit’ vibe that I get in Bravi.