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The newest Bulgari advertisements for Mon Jasmin Noir, a new flanker to the established Jasmin Noir feminine fragrance (which we have reviewed previously) feature Kristen Dunst. She's appearing uncharacteristically glamorised and with nothing more than a sheer scarf hiding her more private parts. Right beside...a lion! Bulgari is obviously taking a page from 50s Hollywood stars who used to parade with felines right and left as an extention of their "wild" nature. Let us remind you that Julianne Moore had also posed with lion cubs for the Bulgari campaign, just last autumn. There's definitely a theme...But whereas Julianne is credible (and looks sexy), this one seems stretched to its limits.
So, what do you think about Dunst's new ad? Good, bad or just plain laughable?
"Modernity and sensuality of this fragrance is achieved by blending notes of lily of the valley, Sambac jasmine, musky nougatine and vibrant woods". The perfumer of Bvlgari Mon Jasmin Noir is Olivier Polge. Out soon!
top pic via racked.com, bottom via farispashion blog
OMG totally unrealistic. I found the Julianne Moore credible only because the cubs passed as accessories, like the bag. But Dunst as the female spirit of full grown lion? No way.
ReplyDeleteAlso, why? Why do they have to pose them with animals? And nude with animals? Does not make me want to try the juice more. Though now I kind of want to go to a wild life park....
Oh, I don't know, I kind of like it. I think KD looks terrific, and more glam & mature than I've ever seen her in photos, and the ad itself seems a little tongue in cheek just this side of campy. Fun. Not sure how that fits with the fragrance. I remember not liking Jasmin Noir but since I'm old and sample lots of perfume I can't recall what I didn't like. I do have a fondness for quite a few Bulgaris, though, and I really like the elegant black bottle of Jasmin Noir; this bottle is pretty, too.
ReplyDeleteToo much Photoshop. I would have never recognized KD in that photo. She doesn't look like herself...
ReplyDeleteMainly, I just like the Julianne Moore one. It doesn't look like it's been retouched and faked within an inch of its life. I like the colors and the textures better too. And I like Julianne Moore more than Kristen Dunst.
ReplyDeleteHelg, it would not look tooooo bad if the darn lion went back to Africa!
ReplyDeleteI thought she had a "Grace Kelly" sort of look to her face.
I'm a big Kirsten Dunst fan. I think she looks faboo - interesting to see her with so much makeup.
ReplyDeleteI didn't find the Julianne Moore ads very becoming - I don't know, she's a lovely, lovely woman, but they almost made her look tired/drawn in the ads. Also, I think I find her a bit pretentious in general....
actually, the only things about the julianne ads i liked were the cubs. she looked awkward and strange in those ads. but the cats are CUTE! (when aren't cubs cute, right?)
ReplyDeletei don't mind the kirsten ad, but it is sooooooooo photoshopped it's almost funny. she hardly looks herself, and the lion looks like he might stuffed, they have photoshopped them so baaaaadly.
cheeeeeeeeeers, :)
minette
I don't like either ad...Julianne looks strung out, and Kiersten looks too stiff and plastic. And the other comments are right - the lion looks ridiculous! They are beautiful, majestic creatures and deserve better.
ReplyDeleteI would have used Megan Fox and a black panther for the original Jasmin Noir campaign...but Bvlgari hasn't called me yet. ;)
I think Kirsten looks very glam but the lion seems out of place, almost like he's photobombing the shot...
ReplyDeleteDiana,
ReplyDeletethere is the rather too much stylizing and photoshopping in that pic, true. The parallel with the lion looks exagerrated (and the lion looks not real at all)!
As to why they use animals, my personal theory is it's down to twomain reason reasons:
1)the glamour of the "wild" side (a nod to classic Hollywood stars I mentioned in the post) and
2)the assurance that it will have enough supporters of animals rights up in arms thus ensuring press coverage for free. ;-)
The correlation between perfume and animals though runs deep, come to think of it, and maybe subliminally they're capitalising on how a perfume may let the "animal side" come to the surface for the consumer. It's all very handy that they use mighty and alluring felines instead of rodents, for instance, for one...Totally different effect, wouldn't you say?
Rosarita,
ReplyDeletecampy and more glamorous than what we have accustomised ourselves with re: KD, sure!
JN is all woody licorice on me with an accent of green gardenia on top: if you have trouble with either note, it might not mesh with you (that's my working hypothesis for why you didn't like it). It's well constructed though, good work on the perfumer's part.
The whole Bulgari line has very elegant packaging; the only one I don't really like is the Omnias (they look cumbersome and kinda akward, don't they).
I'm not so sure the image fits the fragrance either, especially a flanker!
Isa,
ReplyDeletetrue, which makes the imagery all the more prime target for discussion: do we prefer KD in her usual quirky self or do we like her glamourised and posing?
P,
ReplyDeletein a way, I think I might have commited an injustice in putting the two together thus edging you all to compare and contrast, because to me the Julianne Moore footage for the Bulgari campaign reminds me of a deliberate attempt at replicating paintings by the great Masters. They're too close to what Moore posed like when she did the Grande Odalisque photoshoot a while back ~but with completely different lighting this time (darker, edgier)
The rich saturation of the JM images also contrasts with the lightness of the KD imagery and that might unconsciously create the impression of "lightness" (as in superficiality) vs. seriousness.
What do you say to that? Does that ring any bell on additional reasons (maybe) on why you prefer one over the other?
M,
ReplyDeleteKristen Dunst wouldn't be the first fair blonde in Hollywood to exploit (or to have it exploited) the Grace Kelly "image" of icy princess with a secretly sexier core. Gwyneth Paltrow has been reprising that for years and I think a whole movie with her was based on exactly that concept (The Perfect Murder, which was an adaptation of Call M for Murder, which starred...Grace Kelly).
So it's nothing new for the advertisers to think of that and you should have nailed it.
The lion looks completely copied-pasted there: there is no way in hell it looks like it actually stood there and did the photoshoot (contrary to the cubs below). Which is something that every good copy-paste should try to avoid...So, back to Africa!
Susan,
ReplyDeletean interesting point! I think KD has a sort of quirky appeal and she obviously has good acting chops: I respect her potential and some of her edgier choices. So the contrast with what we have in mind is indeed great: which isn't necessarily a bad thing. She looks good!!
There is a sort of darkness and saturation in those images of Moore which -as I said above in the comments- remind me of painting by the great Masters: They've probably done this 100% on purpose and weren't interested in flattering Moore, putting her in her very best light. The artistic effect overcoming the vanity of the project, if you will. Now if this does form part of a certain pretentiousness, that's a good chain of thought to pursue, actually! Interesting point!
C,
ReplyDeleteyeah, the ad with KD looks very Photoshopped: the lion does look stuffed! LOL I wonder why they botched the job, though, surely no lack of experience, budget or know-how to the companies they hire.
As to the JM ads, the cubs are irrepresibly cute (and I hope they were handled with extreme tenderness and care), but like I mentioned above in the comments, I believe they were going for a specific artistic effect, intentionally and deliberately. At least it seems so to me. Does it to you too?
Barbara,
ReplyDeletethanks for chiming in: The lion is indeed very fake. And whole-heartedly agree that they're beautiful,majestic creatures who deserve better!
Megan Fox and a black panther would probably be so hot to handle we'd have to buy our magazines from under the counter like dirty stuff. LOL
Which would create buzz! Their loss at Bulgari! :-)
JA,
ReplyDeleteright, the lion completely ruins it, which is 100% odd because lions usually dominate everything they appear in (it's easier to mentally erase everything else in the picture BUT the lion, usually). Here it just seems WRONG! I can easily think of the ad with Kirsten alone, a bit to the right for balance, and nothing much would change. Which brings me back to your point.
As long as none of this is taken too seriously (it's all pretty campy imo), then here's my opinion. I think I would like the KD one if the lion didn't look stuffed. She looks glamorous and it's fun to see her in a new light. But that lion just looks, well, unhappy. Or dead.
ReplyDeleteAs for JM, I like the concept, but I think that the picture of her is unflattering. She looks stiff and awkward. The cubs are just adorable though. So thumbs up for the actress in picture #1, and thumbs up for the lions in picture #2?
PerfumeShrine,
ReplyDeleteLOL You're right - Megan and a black panther probably would be too hot to handle. But, it would be memorable!
So admire your blog, by the way. Your knowledge base is impressive. Totally deserve all your awards! It's heaven for a perfume junkie like myself.
(By the way, what does this flanker smell like? Haven't researched the notes. They should have left the beautiful black bottle alone, IMHO). Didn't need a flanker.
xx
Barbara
Barbara,
ReplyDeletefeel free to call me Elena! :-)
Thank you so much for your most kind words, they're very much appreciated. Half the fun is having readers get a kick out of this place; it's enriching and stimulating I find!
I haven't smelled the newest flanker yet and the bottle was more beautiful in black, we're in agreement. No doubt I will sample eventually, although the mere mention of "flanker" does create some prejudice nowadays that they're a dime a dozen :-( But we must never dismiss without smelling first! (*perfume-enthusiast's mantra*)
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI hereby solemnly pledge I won't report any of our foundings back to Bulgari headquarters.
(I'mjust teasing you!!)
It's indeed all camp. Maybe they wanted it to be so! Maybe they're embracing their inner John Waters. Who knows?
You have a good point there: It reminds me of a funny line in a film called "Heathers" (tell me you do recall this cult little movie, I hope you do and I'm not sounding totally off bat). If the end of the world were near and you had an hour or so what would you do, is the question posed to demented-looking high school kids and one of them answers they'd free a lion and get "belted" with explosives and then fire them and go boom in the air and the lion and him would get like one, blah blah blah...Sort of a mash up of the concept of the two ads in one!
LOL!
Wait, this would ring a bell to anyone who has watched it much better:
ReplyDeletetrailer of Heathers on IMDB
(I'm getting out of subject, will revert)
Elena,
ReplyDeleteI agree - flankers sometimes appeal to me more than the original scent. I'm sure you'll keep us "in the know"!
Thanks.....
Barbara
It's all in the nose! ("proof is in the pudding" and all that)
ReplyDeleteOf course I will! Hope you have a lovely weekend!
Heathers! Haven't thought of that one in years. That was one twisted mash-up of a movie.
ReplyDeleteWell what i find about Mlle Dunst is a kind of latex-skin aura ((the light?)), she seems unreal and more, I am under the impression that it is photoshoped so the lion is in fact not there at all.
ReplyDeleteI would need to see the "making of" to be convinced.
It's sad because i like her as an actress.
Julian Moore seems she's on the driver seat for life. Don't dare touch her or the cubs or she'll take your eyes out. Basta!
Elena,
ReplyDelete"The rich saturation of the JM images also contrasts with the lightness of the KD imagery and that might unconsciously create the impression of "lightness" (as in superficiality) vs. seriousness.
What do you say to that? Does that ring any bell on additional reasons (maybe) on why you prefer one over the other?"
EXACTLY! I do think it's the heaviness of a more 'serious' look that I respond to in the second add, as it feels refreshing (an that will be the reference to 'master' painters) in comparison to most of the over-airbrushed images we see today, which, to me, feel 'dead'.
To be honest, I think part of why I like the LM add more is that it feels more real and therefore more 'alive' to me despite its darker tone, and the visible discomfort of the actress. I guess it's fair enough to not look entirely relaxed with lion co-stars, even if they are just cubs. It has more tension, as it feels like she's actually interacting with them.
I loved the Heathers!
Ann
M,
ReplyDeleteyeah, you remember. Crazy trip, wasn't it? I consider it cult, alongside Return of the Killer Tomatoes and other such stuff.
V,
ReplyDeleteKD is a good actress. I like her too!
You make succinct points: hadn't thought about the noli me tangere attitude. But it does sound to the point!
Ann,
ReplyDeleteglad it made sense to you. And thanks for further clarifying: the tension which you speak of is the culprit of the "lively" feel it has. Hadn't really thought that one couldn't entirely relax with lion cubs :D
Heathers is so cult it hurts! I feel like sorting out my Siouxsie vinyls and moussing up my hair.
She´s photoshopped beyond recognition.
ReplyDeletePlus, you can see at first glance that this is a fake. Either pose with the lion or at least invest in someone with better photoshop skills.
Plus - what´s the deal here? Why a male lion, not a lioness?
And last but not least: why a lion at all?
The ad with Julianne Moore looks much more real and believable but I am really not a fan of using animals as accesories.