There’s an unspoken belief, particularly among perfume aficionados (like myself), that a perfume must be expensive in order to be good. I, for one, have always gone by the rule that you get what you pay for. There’s plenty of inexpensive (even cheap) perfumes that start out lovely but soon either disappear completely or dissolve into something so disastrous you can’t wait to take a shower.

Giorgio Blue by Giorgio Beverly Hills is one of those rare jewels that, despite being quite reasonably priced, is well-balanced, pretty, and somehow manages to last all day without overwhelming its wearer or offending those in the vicinity. For this reason, it’s a true beauty bargain. But Blue has other impressive qualities.

Giorgio Blue manages to pull off a feat few perfumes at any price point accomplish these days – it’s not particularly derivative or reminiscent of anything else on the market. It’s an aquatic white floral but doesn’t contain the most commonly used aquatic notes (think watery notes, watermelon, cucumber, etc.). Here the water essences are evoked by means of water hyacinth, juicy guava, musky essence and driftwood.

I’ve seen it compared to Aqua di Gio, but the latter is a very complex almost fussy perfume with a cacophony of notes mixed together (full review here). At such a low price, if you’re a fan of Aqua di Gio or aquatic florals, you may want to try this one for yourself.

Price and Where to Buy: Online is your best bet for purchasing Giorgio Blue. Some retailers like Kohls, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx carry it in stores but selection can be hit or miss, so I recommend the following online options:
Amazon.com – 3 oz. from $22.48
Fragrancenet.com – Usually a very reliable vendor but sold out at time of this writing.
FragranceX.com – 3 oz. from $16.82 plus shipping
Jet.com – $27.96 with free shipping
Walmart.com (sold through an affiliate vendor) – $27.98 for 3 oz. with free shipping

Notes: When first sprayed, you get hit with juicy orange and guava. But those quickly fade (as citruses so often do) and you’re notice something watery grounded by earthy moss and a very pronounced musk. As the fruits continue to dissipate, the white florals – jasmine, water lily, hyacinth and a fairly benign (to my nose at least) tuberose (which can if not tempered can ruthlessly overtake a fragrance); base notes are vanilla, musk, oak moss and driftwood. See below for additional detail on my own experience on the unfolding of the notes over wear-time.

Sillage: Moderate. 2 Sprays will get you a fragrance trajectory of around 2-4 feet depending on your body’s own chemistry, the weather, air pressure and environment, other scented lotions or products you apply, etc.

Longevity and Experience: This wears at least 6-8 hours (at least on my skin which eats fruity florals by breakfast). You’ll catch whiff’s of this all day, especially during moments of increased body heat (i.e. when your coworker does something that causes your temperature to raise). As it dries down, the musk and driftwood notes become more prominent. But you’ll still get occasional wafts of guava blended expertly with enough water lily, jasmine, and tuberose to feel bright and feminine but there also enough musk mixed in to warm things up and make the whole mélange feel a bit sexier, warmer and more summery somehow. It’s not a beachy fragrance per se, more like a romantic walk evening stroll by the lake.

The Bottle: The bottle is shaded blue cut glass with gold cap. The bottle will may not rival Viktor and Rolf’s BonBon but (IMO) it’s as pretty as any those crazy-expensive Bond No. 9 New York bottles!

More Info:
Giorgio Beverly Hills burst onto the scene in the late 80s and faded almost as quickly. The company had all but disappeared from perfume lexicon as the early 2000s. That obscurity is a good thing for anyone preferring a unique personal fragrance instead of smelling exactly every other woman. Most recently the company was bought by Elizabeth Arden and Giorgio Blue was released in 2016, mercifully without any reformulation of changes to this magnificent and wonderfully hidden gem of fragrance.

• Fragrantica’s Reviews of the original 2009 Giorgio Blue EDT and the 2016 release (not reformulated) following Elizabeth Arden’s purchase of the Giorgio Beverly Hills brand.
• Makeup Alley’s Review may seen here.
• FragranceX Review (NOTE this is a vendor site) may be seen here.
• com Reviews (NOTE – this is a vendor site. Reviewers are Amazon purchasers) may be read here.

Wisdom for the Day:
“Oil and incense make the heart glad, and the sweetness of friends comes from their advice.” ~Proverbs 27:9 (Common English Bible)
Read more here.