Last time I knew of, or smelt, a Benetton fragrance was during the Hot and Cold fragrance era, those that came in rectangular bottles with screw caps that look like faucets. During the week, Benetton launched four new EDTs (eau de toilette) for their Colori 2010 line up: Verde, Rosso, Giallo, and Blu, all for the budget friendly price of P1,350.00 per 100 mL bottle and available at SM Department Stores nationwide. This coming from somebody who won’t get out of the house without spraying something on, I’d stake my rep to say that the hifalutin descriptions of the top, mid, and base notes for each variant in the press material really translates to fresh, uncommon, pleasant, and lasting scents that quite a huge age group range would love to be caught wearing.

Verde (Green) and Blu (Blue) are the colors guys could choose from and there are the Giallo (Yellow) and Rosso (Red) variants for the ladies. It’s curious to find words printed at the back of the ETD box representing different ideas or things we would normally associate with each of the colors. Kept me busy reading some for a while there. Moving on, on intuition but owing to the citrusy top note (as attributed by lemon and lavender infusions, I only later on found out), I got the Blu variant. Luckily, as I’ve worn it two days in a row already, Blu’s base note (white cedarwood, patchouli, cocoa bean) is a fresh, lingering scent with an unmistakable masculine character, subtle enough for daily wear. I’m glad I brought the bottle yesterday for after wall climbing, after shower use.

The colors, we’ve been told, reinforce the notion that “Benetton is color: color celebrating the diversity of the world, color speaking to every culture, color as a universal means of communication. Like color, fragrance is a universal language, communicating through intuition, emotion, and evocation. Color and fragrance come together in a collection of scents inspired by Benetton’s legacy – a legacy of creativity, universality, and youthfulness, with color at its heart.”

Want a bottle for FREE? The United Colors of Benetton Perfumes Philippines facebook page just announced something special for those watching the UAAP: “It’s your CHANCE TO WIN A BOTTLE OF COLORI PERFUME by United Colors of Benetton! IT’S EASY! TAKE A PICTURE OF YOURSELF & UP TO 3 OF YOUR FRIENDS WITH THE ROLLTEC during UAAP Season 73 basketball game! Just POST YOUR PICTURE in OUR FB WALL! You and your friends will get free COLORI PERFUMES!” Like them for more updates on contests like this, upload those photos, and get a change to win a free bottle of your choice. Easy like Paris as pie!

Below are more images from the launch.