Beauty

THIS IS HOW YOU BECOME CLEOPATRA IN FIVE STEPS

And that can be done in just a few minutes

It may not surprise you, but Cleopatra is seen as an enormous important beauty icon. She represented youth and the most insane hairstyle from which Katy Perry (who doesn't?) still draws her inspiration. Let me not forget the eyeliner wing, which can also truly be credited to Cleopatra. And I haven't even mentioned the ‘bathing’, which was of course her favorite. Preferably bathing in gold.

Cleopatra can thus be seen as a beauty icon from which quite a bit of inspiration can be drawn. Bvlgari, the Roman jeweler and perfumer, has traditionally viewed its designs as a tribute to her. The ancient Romans called her ‘Superbia’ and now she also plays the leading role in Bvlgari's brand new perfume. It makes sense, because Rose Goldea transforms women into fascinating, charming, and confident women, like contemporary heroines, and yes, also like Cleopatra. That's not the only thing, because her personality is multifaceted. Cunning, grandeur, and beauty are perhaps the most important points for which Cleopatra was known, and that can be summarized in her favorite flower: the rose.

Rose Goldea. So that's the new scent. The fragrance is a combination of white musk, Damascus rose, and jasmine (ha, from Egypt, you understand), with a hint of white incense and sandalwood. The scent was created by master perfumer Alberto Morillas. If his name doesn't ring a bell: shame on you. He is the Cleopatra of the fragrance world and has names like Flower by Kenzo and Givenchy Pi to his credit. But he is actually most known for Bvlgari. Take a good whiff of Omnia and BLV, and you'll know why he is the king of fragrances.

One spray of Rose Goldea and the freshness greets you. It's like a sea of flowers you dive into. However, the scent changes with the hour, releasing a lot of warmth and powderiness. This makes the fragrance incredibly warm and chic, but without being heavy. The scent is fresh, has a royal allure, and a considerable sparkle of enchantment. And if you want to be even more Cleopatra, Bvlgari greatly accommodates you with the bath & shower gel and body milk. They have the same scent and all in all, it really comes down to bathing in gold.

The scent is thus a jewel. The bottle too. But Bvlgari itself also has an amazing jewelry collection that reminds you of all this. Now I won't elaborate too much on that, because otherwise, I'll tap into a new addiction again, but it's nice that you are at least part of the family.
I want to briefly talk about the bottle. The scent may have royal allure, but the bottle certainly does not fall short. And Bvlgari wouldn't be Bvlgari if the jewelry house didn't press an extra stamp on the bottle. A powerful snake, symbol of eternal life, was Cleopatra's typical jewel. She wore it as a talisman and symbol of her royal power that rarely anyone dared to challenge. The bite of the snake was as sharp as the beauty of the queen. The Serpenti (Bvlgari's snake) beautifully coils around the Rose Goldea, emphasizing only the pinnacle of seduction. The bottle of Rose Goldea is a combination of gold and pink (we can't imagine a better combination) and is the ideal combination of Bvlgari. Rose gold enhances the beauty of a woman and is the symbol of elegance and perfection. Also nice (and beautiful): the color refers to the bronze shades of the sun and the blush on a woman's cheek.

So it seems to me a very clear story. If Cleopatra were still alive, I am sure this would be her new favorite scent. But unfortunately, Cleopatra is no longer alive. And so we just spray it around. And suddenly the world is a whole lot richer in Cleopatras.

Bvlgari Rose Goldea, Eau de Parfum, 90 ml, €125, www.bulgari.com
Available at better perfume specialty stores.