Bravo!
Lili Bermuda

Lili Bermuda – BRAVO!

Lili Bermuda’s first incarnation spanned the years 1928 to 1998. The company closed, was bought out in 2001, and opened under its current owner with new bottles, new scents, and a few revived colognes from their past, most notably the Easter Lily and Cedarwood, which were their first productions back in, respectively, 1928 and 1932.

Only five masculine scents were created during their first tenure, as most of their scents were soliflores for the ladies. These masculine scents were: Cedarwood, Navy, Bambu, Bay Rhum and Bravo!. This latter has eluded my efforts to locate a bottle for the past decade, but now that is remedied. Bravo! did not appear in their 1965 catalogue, but did appear in their 1991 release. This makes sense, as it impresses me as an attempt to capture the “powerhouse” craze of the 1970s and 1980s among men’s colognes and edts.

Sold in shaving lotion strength, Bravo! is quite weak, although it seems to aim at a fougere presentation. It is like smelling the shadows of such scents as: Azzaro Pour Homme, Open, Aramis, and Quorum. As such, I can detect the following shared notes:

Bergamot, Lavender, Geranium, Anise, Clary Sage, Galbanum
Cardamom, Thyme, Sage, Cumin, Olibanum
Vetiver, Patchouli, Cedarwood, Musk

It is a pleasant splash for use after shaving as it was intended, but is of no great originality or quality. Their finest men’s scent continues to be their Bermuda Cedarwood, but only in vintage bottles. In fact, these vintage bottles came in two presentations over the years. The originals were square with a metal top. These were quite strong, almost an edp concentration. The later releases were in round bottles with plastic tops and these were weaker, truly of after shave strength.

So, Bravo! is certainly a pleasant masculine splash, but not something to go out of your way for.