Perfume Reviews

Gucci Bloom Acqua di Fiori by Gucci

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Gucci Bloom is a series that seems to keep cranking out new flankers every year. I grabbed samples of the whole collection up to this point, in order to provide full reviews for these popular ladies’ perfumes. Today’s entry will be Acqua di Fiori, which was released back in 2018. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Bloom Acqua di Fiori Smell Like?

Notes include: cassis, lemon, galbanum, tuberose, musk, sandalwood, jasmine, lily of the valley

Click here to try: Gucci Bloom Acqua di Fiori for Women 3.3 oz Eau de Toilette Spray

My Full Review

After spraying Acqua di Fiori on myself, I am immediately hit by a scent that has a watery clean freshness full of greenish highlights. The opening act does have an almost grassy feeling to it.

Galbanum is the note that I get a lot of early on. That, along with a slight hint of lemon. The citrus is very light and doesn’t add any real sharpness to it, does lend some juiciness to things.

Acqua di Fiori has a cooler vibe, slightly aquatic, and feels like sitting next to a garden pond on an early spring day. This Bloom is pretty naturalistic with the way it smells. Throughout the wear, honeysuckle and cassis aromas will be present and add some nice depth here.

When it transitions into its more floral stage, I notice that there isn’t as much of the tuberose note, as other Gucci Bloom fragrances. Instead, lily-of-the-valley and freesia really take center stage, and will be the focus for the rest of the wear.

More of a green floral than the typical white floral from this line. You get the watery garden scent with some grassiness and bits and pieces of sweetness, which will waft up during the wear. Not a very complex perfume and you’ll know what you’ve got, about an hour in.

There is a greater muskiness here, later on. To me, the sandalwood is one of the weakest notes, and doesn’t really do all that much.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

In terms of its sillage, Acqua di Fiori starts off pretty moderate and then is light for the rest of the wear. I’d say it projects on my skin or off of a t-shirt, about 3-5 feet, more towards that lower end once it has settled in.

It’s not a beast, rather, this Bloom is a low key kind of fragrance with an airy vapor.

The longevity is actually pretty decent, though. With the sample, I was getting 6.5-7 hours of wear out of Acqua. Not super marathon level of performance, but it will be useful for most purposes, when you don’t want to overtake a room.

Seasonally, this will fit right in with the spring and summer months. The cooling sensation is a nice contrast from when it is warm outside.

Acqua di Fiori is a nice choice as a daily wear. It’s safe for work. Not a total formal perfume, better used casually or in semi-formal situations. I wouldn’t expect to use this one in the nightlife. It’s not sexy or anything attention grabbing.

Something you want to reach for when you want a simple semi-aquatic floral. It’s going to be a perfume that more for your own personal enjoyment.

Overall Impressions of Gucci Bloom Acqua di Fiori

Overall, do I like this scent? I do. It’s very much a Gucci Bloom perfume, but it also will give you more of a variation than many others in the series.

The opening act is intriguing and gives you that mix of citrus, grass, and the floral notes coming up from the heart. I do like the lower reliance on the tuberose note, as other Bloom’s can start to smell way too much like one another.

You should be a fan of lily-of-the-valley and freesia, if you’re going to give this one a go. They are pretty well behaved here and nothing overwhelms the composition. Just expect a greener semi-aquatic with a solid floral middle.

Very versatile for daily wear and a good enough performance. This is worth a try, if this sounds at all interesting to you. Pretty safe as a blind buy, as it probably won’t disappoint most people out there.

But, it also might not ‘wow’ you either. Acqua di Fiori is a solid fragrance, just not spectacular.

Update: I’m pretty sure this one got discontinued. I’m still seeing some bottles online, but they’re pretty expensive.

Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

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Baccarat Rouge is the most popular perfume in the world right now (or it at least seems that way). So naturally, the more concentrated Extrait version has also garnered a lot of attention.

As a man, neither is something that I particularly want to wear for myself, but I do enjoy them. I grabbed new decants of each recently to finally post my reviews. How does BR 540 Extrait smell? Does it last long? Is it worth the high price?

What does Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait Smell Like?

Notes include: almond, saffron, ambergris, jasmine, cedar, musk

Click here to try: Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait at Saks

My Full Review

The opening of Extrait is sweet and powerful with the almond note and saffron. Well, call it bittersweet. It actually reminds me a bit of a more well put together (and unisex) version of 1 Million Lucky.

That cologne has a hazelnut in lieu of the almond. However, they have shared notes of  jasmine, cedar, musk, and amber. Here is is ambergris versus a much more synthetic smelling amberwood. Definitely not as sharp or harsh as the Paco Rabanne, but they do have a similar profile early on.

As Maison Kurkdjian describes the saffron note: “Its very powerful perfume is bitter and slightly metallic, blowing hot and cold on the rest of the composition with also a leathery, tarred facet.” 

Saffron gives it a bit of spiciness yet it’s all very smooth. I smell a pinch of salt in this mix. The impression of faded cotton candy, like walking along a boardwalk where they’re selling that fluffy pink stuff.  Like it was made earlier in the day, just remnants hanging in the air. 

The next phase comes across as more watery and sweet. Very clean with jasmine taking the reigns and feeling closer to the original Baccarat Rouge. The opening almond fades mostly away on my skin.

The musk, woods, and ambergris play the supporting role to the jasmine note for the rest of the way. It’s mostly about the floral with a very fresh and musky cedar coming in second. This is more of a unisex fragrance than what I get from the original.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage is pretty powerful at first, but it really settles closer to the skin. It will project itself pretty darn far off of the skin or a piece of clothing. Though, once it has calmed down a bit, I don’t find it to be too strong.

I mean, I definitely notice it throughout the day and it’s less airy than the EDP, but I never feel completely overwhelmed by Extrait. Yet, you don’t need to apply very much to make it work. Nice balance. 

Longevity wise, Extrait is an absolute workhorse. This perfume just keeps going well past 10 hours. I’m not sure exactly when it ends but I’ve worn it for 13 hours and it wasn’t quitting. So, you could probably tack a few more hours to that total. 

Seasonally, I like this mostly in the colder weather of autumn and winter. Not a super heavy scent, just not one that I’d reach for in late spring or the summer. Depending on where you live, you might get use out of Extrait for 2/3 of the year.

It does have great versatility. It can be worn by all ages, is unisex, and can be worn on a variety of occasions. I don’t really think of it as a nightlife perfume or one that is all that ‘sexy’. Outside of that, it can generally fit in and does have an attractive quality.

 

 

Overall Impressions of BR 540 Extrait

Overall, do I like Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait? Yes, while it is very expensive, this one is a great perfume and I do like it a bit better than the original. 

I enjoy the opening act with the almond and saffron. Particularly, the saffron since it is one of my personal favorites. You get plenty of the DNA of BR 540, but with its own uniqueness and personality. It’s a bit more refined and smooth.

Performance wise, you’ll get your money’s worth. It goes on and on and doesn’t seem to want to quit. It is one of the longest lasting perfumes on the market. Which is cool, because it also smells great, and doesn’t need to use any odd notes to achieve that longevity.

Is it worth the price? If you like the smell, absolutely. If you’ve never smelled it before, you should probably grab a sample before committing to a full bottle. For most people, I don’t think it would be too much of a mistake. But on the off chance that you don’t enjoy the sort of perfume, it could get pretty costly. 

Heures d’Absence by Louis Vuitton

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Heures d’Absence is the last Louis Vuitton perfume from my large sample batch, that I needed to review. Yes, I now have to track down all the other releases, but I’ve now gotten around a dozen scent reviews from this designer. Is Heures d’Absence saving the best for last? What does it smell like? How long does it last? Is it actually worth a buy?

What does Heures d’Absence smell like?

Notes include: mimosa, jasmine, May rose, balsam of Peru, sandalwood, musk

My Full Review

Let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes this perfume: A beautiful escape through the flowery fields of Grasse. Heures d’Absence is an invitation to let yourself go and enjoy those moments when time suspends its flight. An enchanting break we would love to last forever.

Heures d’Absence opens up with a scent that is a sweet floral clean, with a nice hint of juicy raspberry up top. Now, the fruit isn’t too strong, but I do appreciate its presence in the mix.

So, there apparently was a perfume from Louis Vuitton with this same name back in 1927, but I don’t know if this is a remake or the brand just reusing the name.

Among the floral notes, mimosa and jasmine are the strongest here. Also, Heures is quite musky giving it a further soapy clean kind of vibe. The third floral note is May rose and its plays a minor role here.

Jasmine will come to be the main attraction, but it shares that title with mimosa early on.

The fruitiness and sweetness settle down somewhat and the aroma becomes greener with a powdery smell coming from the mimosa.

There isn’t too much complexity with Heures d’Absence. The scent turns into a classic soap aroma with a strong freshness and a watery semi-aquatic finish to it. It’s sweetness makes it feel very feminine versus some of the other more unisex entries from Vuitton.

Finally, it dries down pretty green with sandalwood playing a larger role. In the end, it is a musky jasmine sitting on top of a base of sandalwood.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

To me, the performance of Heures is one of its top qualities. For a floral, it has strong sillage, in the early stages of the wear. It’s not a complete sillage bomb, but it projects well in the first few hours.

On my skin, it becomes pretty moderate thereafter, and isn’t a skin scent. I was always aware of its presence on my skin, right until it finally began to fade.

When was that? Well, the longevity is close to 10 hours. I don’t think it crossed the double digit mark during any of my tests, but Heures d’Absence came as close as it can to accomplishing that. One of the longer lasting Louis Vuitton perfumes that I’ve tested.

Seasonally, stick to the spring and summer months with this one. The sweetness, freshness, and general clean feeling might be too sharp in the air on colder days.

This is a versatile daily wear. It is inoffensive and can be worn casually or to the office or just around town. It’s not a sexy perfume and not one that’s really going to standout or be a nightclub monster.

Heures d’Absence is low key and understated, which can be exactly what some women are looking for.

Overall Impressions of Heures d’Absence

Overall do I like Heures d’Absence? It’s fine. It smells nice enough, but isn’t all that exciting. I don’t think that its worth the price of entry. That being said, it is a versatile and well performing fragrance, so it can be a worthwhile choice for some.

This Vuitton scent has a classic style and gives you a clean floral aroma, packed with plenty of jasmine.

I like the raspberry in the opening and the mix of the sweetness with the semi-aquatic qualities of this fragrance. The rest of it is something that I feel like I’ve experience a thousand times before, at a cheaper price point.

There’s nothing here that is all that memorable for me. It’s definitely not a bad perfume by any stretch. However, it doesn’t particularly move the needle.

Cœur Battant by Louis Vuitton

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Cœur Battant is a Louis Vuitton fragrance release for women, which came out in 2019. It’s one of the dozen-plus sample perfumes that I bought from this brand in order to review them. This is one of the last of that batch and I have come back to it off and on, over the past six months. How does Cœur Battant smell? When should it be worn? How long does it last?

What does Cœur Battant Smell Like?

Notes include: pear, jasmine, narcissus, patchouli, ylang-ylang, ambrette

My Full Review

Let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes it: Fresh pear and white flowers waft you away into the whirlwind of life. Like a wave of emotion sweeping through you, Cœur Battant is an invitation to listen to your heart and live every moment with passion. 

Cœur Battant starts off with its pear note out in full force. Very juicy and it smells great, helping to give this perfume an aquatic character right from the start. The ambrette note is ever-present in the mix and plays an early supporting role for the pear.

However, the patchouli is probably the second strongest note, in the beginning of the wear. It’s a fruit-chouli sort of scent early on, with aquatic touches. But, these notes will wain and the white floral notes rise to join the pear.

Jasmine is the strongest of the floral notes at first, but the perfume becomes much more balanced with narcissus and ylang-ylang. It has a nice sweetness and the floral notes don’t ever come across as too heavy nor green.

The final dry down is mostly a light floral with the remaining ambrette coming through. The floral notes, at this point are really distinguishable from one another, to my nose. There is some type of mossy note in this, as well. But, it’s really not that strong in the composition.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage is pretty light as a whole. However, not a skin scent. It does project itself well enough to create a scent bubble around you. Cœur Battant does have very nice performance, it’s just never a complete powerhouse with its sillage.

Cœur Battant lasts anywhere from 7-9 hours, depending on the day. That’s what I consistently got out of the fragrance during testing. Never went beyond that, never stalled out early. By no means amazing, especially for the price, but it works for most scenarios.

Seasonally, this could probably be worn year round. It might be a little too bright and aquatic for super cold days in winter. However, it’s excellent in the spring and summer months.

It does have a more youthful vibe, but it doesn’t ever feel cheap or too much like a teen fragrance. Good for wear during the daytime. Can be worn casually, semi-formally, or to work for some folks.

Cœur Battant isn’t a nightlife perfume and isn’t what I’d call sexy. Sweet, pleasant, and easy to wear.

Overall Impressions of Cœur Battant

Overall, do I like Cœur Battant? Yes, it’s one of my favorites from the women’s side of things by Louis Vuitton. It’s not the greatest scent ever or one that everyone will be clamoring to wear, but it is a enchanting scent as a whole.

Fresh, sweet, somewhat aquatic. There is plenty of development packed into the entire wear and Cœur Battant needs some time to truly reveal itself. In the end, it is interesting, dynamic, and fairly unique.

It gives you familiar notes, with its own style. A very versatile perfume.

If you don’t like patchouli or pear, you can probably skip this one. To me, the patchouli isn’t bothersome, and it’s not one of my go to notes either. Maybe not a blind buy, for the price, but it is one of the safest LV fragrances. Give it a try.

Update: Checking in here in 2024, Cœur Battant is still being sold by Louis Vuitton. So, I guess I wasn’t the only one who really liked this perfume. Some of the others which came out around this time period, did get axed from the lineup.

Cloud 2.0 Intense by Ariana Grande

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Cloud Intense (aka Cloud 2.0) was released in 2021 as a follow up to the super popular Ariana Grande perfume of the same name. Bottles were kind of scarce to come by for a while, with the limited release, but I grabbed a decant from eBay in order to test it out. How does Cloud 2.0 smell? Does it last longer? Is it actually worth the buy?

What does Cloud Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: lavender, bergamot, musk, ambroxan, praline, whipped cream, vanilla orchid, coconut, cashmeran, wood

Click here to try: Ariana Grande Cloud 2.0 Intense Eau De Parfum Ulta Exclusive 3.4 Ounce 

My Full Review

Cloud 2.0 opens up very similar to the original. Though, less of the sparkling pear note is present in this new formulation. It is bright, sweet, and quite clean with its aroma.

The ambroxan is present, after a few minutes. That is a noticeable difference with 2.0, how much play the ambroxan gets here. The lavender also feels smoother and stronger here, on my skin. The lavender in the first Cloud could come across as pretty rough/harsh, but it’s quite nice in this one.

When we get to the second act, I do notice more of a difference. Cloud Intense is creamier and less of a fluffy ‘cotton candy’ scent. While the lavender starts off stronger, it settles more into the background versus its predecessor.

The whipped cream, praline, vanilla, and coconut play a stronger role during this period. I do like this slight change in the structure. Smooth and pleasant.

Finally, we get to the dry down stage. The Cloud 2.0 dry down is basically the original with more wood and musk. Much of those sweeter and creamier notes have begun to evaporate and that is what you’re left with.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Cloud Intense does indeed open up with a powerful sillage, not too much more than the original, but it’s noticeable. It packs a punch early on, though, it will quickly quiet down and reside most of the wear rather close to the skin. It’ll project 3-4 feet, it seems like.

On my skin, I get 7-7.5 hours of wear from Cloud 2.0. It goes for longer than the original formula, maybe an hour more versus what I get with that.

An improvement? Yes, but definitely didn’t come across as a powerhouse in comparison or even versus the Kurkdjian fragrances.

Seasonally, the autumn through the springtime is when Cloud 2.0 will shine. I like it better in a bit cooler temperatures, but it is fine so long as it isn’t crazy hot outside.

This is more of a daily wear that can venture into the nighttime. It isn’t a formal fragrance and has more of a playful character without being too girly. Cloud Intense isn’t strictly a teenager’s perfume, but is probably going to be worn in much more casual situations.

Overall Impressions of Cloud Intense

Overall, do I like Cloud Intense? I do. Though, I’m not a huge fan of the original Cloud, I did like this 2.0 a bit better. It has a deeper profile and an overall smoothness in comparison.

Update: Cloud Pink is a bit better than both, in my opinion. But, this still has the best performance.

The lavender note is preferable in the 2.0 version. It gets a boost, isn’t as harsh, and then plays more of a background role. I do like the creamier and more voluminous style that Cloud Intense has, much to the credit of the ambroxan and vanilla.

That being said, it isn’t miles better. If you already have Cloud, there’s no real reason to get this, unless you are a collector. Especially, considering the prices for this newer version. Maybe they will come down in the future, but just get the original and save yourself some money.

Sure, they’re not exactly the same perfume, just close enough, and not a significant enough difference to justify paying that much more for a bottle. If the performance was way better, it might be a different story. It’s really not a wide gap in that category, in my experience.

I do like Cloud Intense, however. It is the better of the two Cloud fragrances, but still not among my favorite of the Ariana Grande lineup.