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.