Perfume Reviews

Apogée by Louis Vuitton

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The Louis Vuitton review train keeps chugging along. Today, I am going to cover a 2016 entry from the women’s line, Apogée. This has been a best seller among the LV perfumes, but is it actually worth it? Does it smell good? How long does it last? When should it be worn?

What does Apogée by Louis Vuitton smell like?

notes include: lily-of-the-valley, guaiac wood, sandalwood, jasmine, magnolia, rose, citrus

My Full review

How Louis Vuitton describes this perfume: The lily-of-the-valley ascends to blissful heights
Some getaways let us reconnect with ourselves by placing us before the immensity of nature. The chance to commune with the planet feels like a renaissance.

Apogée opens up with a nice dose of lily-of-the-valley and a bright citrus accord that is highlighted by tangerine. The opening has a very zesty quality and I completely dig how this LV perfume starts things off.

The layer right underneath that is inhabited mostly by the jasmine, at this stage. I get some magnolia, just a hint, and no rose during the opening.

Apogée will be a white floral for much of the wear, with a strong citrus accord, and sitting on guaiac wood. Again, this is the highlight of the entire experience for me.

Then, the citrus goes away. The rose also emerges and the other non-lily floral notes fade into the background. It’s a lily-lead musky floral sitting on top of a base of sandalwood. So, the final dry down sees the citrus, guaiac, and jasmine all weaken significantly.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Apogée does have a strong sillage at first. That citrus accord hits pretty darn hard up top. I applied some to a shirt and could pick it up from across the room.

However, after that initial burst, it’s pretty middle of the road. You’ll know that the fragrance is there, but it’s not going to venture too far from the skin thereafter. It comes out of the gate swinging, but doesn’t sustain that high level of power.

During testing, I got somewhere around 7.5 hours of wear. This isn’t a scent that’s going to break any records, but it does provide a solid performance. I never felt that Apogée was a weak scent or something that was going to disappoint.

Apogée does have the strength of being extremely versatile. It’s not a complete bomb or something that will be really offensive to those around you. No, it does have an easygoing presentation and can certainly be crowd pleasing.

Seasonally, this is going to be mostly the spring and summer months. From temperate weather to much warmer temperatures, Apogée can find a place in your lineup, if you so choose.

More of a daily wear. It’s more pleasant than sexy. More of a clean, no-brainer grab than something that’s going to be a nightlife powerhouse. This Vuitton scent has enough class to be worn dressed up, while not being stuffy.

Overall Impressions of Apogée

I really like the citrus and lily opening act. Very pleasant and uplifting. While the citrus can obviously be pretty sharp, I think it adds a dynamic energy to this fragrance. It pairs very well with the lily note and the early floral balance is near perfection.

The rest of the way? Just didn’t hold up for me.

The musky floral and woods dry down is nice, not crazy good. Overall, it’s an above average fragrance with some real enjoyable moments for the first hour or two. That back half really drags things down.

Is it worth the price of admission? Probably not for most folks. It is a very popular entry from this line, but you’d probably want to try before committing to a full bottle.

Not because it’s a bad fragrance or anything weird. Rather, to see if you’d want to spend that kind of cash on something this simple and not super unique. Or, just see if you’re one who still enjoys the dry down.

Turbulences by Louis Vuitton

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Still working my way through review write ups of the Louis Vuitton collection of fragrances. The number is beginning to narrow down, but of course the brand has now released some more that I’ll have to get to. Anyway, today’s selection is from their women’s collection and was brought out in 2016, Turbulences. What does it smell like? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

Key Takeaways

  • Tuberose-centric perfume
  • Light leather and a nice jasmine note
  • Good performance, not great
  • Discontinued

What does Turbulences by Louis Vuitton Smell Like?

Notes include: tuberose, leather, jasmine, may rose, musk, sandalwood

My Full Wear Review

Let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes it: An extreme tuberose to stir the heart. Discovering faraway lands can sometimes feel like soaring among the clouds. Inspired by a feeling akin to love at first sight, the perfume Turbulences pays tribute to the most narcotic of flowers: the tuberose.

Turbulences opens up with a strong tuberose note and jasmine, creating an aroma with some green-ish qualities. To me, I get plenty of musk in the opening act. Much more so than in the latter stages.

From there it will start to become a creamier and smoother experience. The Louis Vuitton leather note is introduced, after the initial wave passes.

The tuberose note begins to take more of the share from the jasmine. At this point, the jasmine feels like an impression of generic white floral notes. The perfume is somewhat dewy at times. The style of the floral accord is very much like a better version of Gucci Bloom, to my nose.

The dry down is mostly about the tuberose with some additional jasmine hanging around. The leather is going to still hold down the second spot and it is my favorite aspect of this perfume. It pairs very well with the floral notes, like it does with the jasmine in Ombre Leather.

Beyond that, the musk is in its much lighter state, and there is a dry woody/creaminess from the underlying sandalwood in the base. Turbulences is not all that complicated.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage is pretty moderate overall. For the first hour or two, Turbulences will project nicely off the skin, just not dominate the room. It gets lighter, but is never a complete skin scent for me until it is time for it to evaporate.

Not huge, but a very solid performer all around.

On my skin, I get 8-9 hour of wear from this Vuitton perfume. Again, not a marathon runner by any means. It never quit early on me during testing. At this price, I’d usually want to hit double digit hours of wear, but it is pretty close to that.

Seasonally, anytime outside of the summer or late spring. It isn’t super heavy, but it has enough of a body to make it feel a bit off in the heat. In a more temperate climate, Turbulences really gets to shine. Even better, when it is chilly.

I don’t find this to be sexy. More of a cozy and fragrance to enjoy personally. It can be worn safely to work and during the daytime. Just not a club beast or romantic wear. It is a well put together white floral, with a semi-formal vibe.

Probably going to work best for women in their mid-20s and up. Can be unisex, but definitely leans more towards the feminine and that’s how it was marketed, also.

Overall Impressions of Turbulences

Very good, if you’re a tuberose fan. Pleasant enough, if not. I like it well enough, but I’m not crazy about it, since I’m not a major lover of white floral perfumes. It seems like you’d have to be, if you’re going to fork over this much for Turbulences.

It’s pretty simple in its presentation, but does what it was designed for well. Not one of my personal favorites from Louis Vuitton, but well worth a shot, if this is your style of perfume.

The quality of the tuberose is definitely there and I did enjoy the pairing with the leather note. Performance is good and it’s not too unusual to prevent it from being a blind buy.

Louis Vuitton has discontinued this fragrance. So, you’ll probably have to pick up one of the remaining bottles on eBay or something along those lines.

Burberry Her by Burberry

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Burberry Her is a line that Burberry has seemed to want to develop further over the past few years, ever since this one was released in 2018. They’re still coming out with flankers, so, I guess it’s going to continue for quite a while.

I’ve tried Her EDP out before, but recently received a sample with an order from Macy’s…so, it’s time to do a full review. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is Burberry Her worth a try?

What does Burberry Her EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: strawberry, citrus, raspberry, cherry, blueberry, wood, musk, amber, jasmine

Click here to try: Burberry Her Eau De Parfum Spray

My Full Review

Let’s see how Burberry describes Her EDP: Effortlessly stylish, energetic, optimistic, adventurous and bold – the spirit of Her, captured in London – a beautiful, bustling, creative metropolis, eclectic and full of life.

Burberry Her opens up with its berry and citrus notes out in full force. I get a sparkling quality from the raspberry, a slight sharpness from the citrus, and a hefty dose of strawberry. On my skin, the strawberry definitely takes the lead early, and never lets it go entirely.

Since this one was designed by Francis Kurkdjian and has plenty of overlap with his famous Baccarat Rouge 540, it often gets compared. This one is much fruitier, has more of a spring/summer vibe, and is missing much of the depth.

Underneath the strawberry, I do get a hint of cherry and the other berry notes really just feel like a generic fruit note. It is sweet somewhat, but not overly so, it’s more bright/sharp/sour…pick your adjective.

One thing that I’ve noticed, is how weak the floral notes are in this mix. The jasmine does poke through later on, but it never grabs much attention. It’s there, just not doing very much. Perhaps, that’s just on my skin.

Later, it becomes muskier, woody, and resembles Cloud by Ariana Grande. Both have that general fruity sweetness, musk, and woods. Cloud is creamier.

That’s pretty much the development of Burberry Her. Bold berry and citrus start. Strawberry with a bit of jasmine. Then, sweet with musk and woods.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is pretty strong at first. Not monstrous, but I was impressed with its ability to project. On a t-shirt, I could smell it from up to about 7 feet away. That was at its peak, once Burberry Her settles, it is more in the 3-4 foot range.

Later, it’s even more intimate. Really, gets soft and very pleasant.

The performance isn’t lacking. This will stick around on my skin for 8 hours of wear. On fabric, it keeps going well past that. So, if you’re into the scent, you definitely get your money’s worth.

Seasonally, I like this best in the warmer weather. I’d keep it mostly to the spring or summertime (when not super hot out). The fruity notes really dominate and it would stick out in winter weather, but it should also be fine in the autumn coolness.

Burberry Her has a youthful vibe to its aroma. It would work for teenagers, but adults can wear this easily, if you’re into the fruity perfumes. It’s pretty crowd pleasing and simple, not at all a formal wear, nor is it cheap and tacky.

Mostly, a daytime casual wear or one that you could go lightly with in the office.

Overall Impressions of Burberry Her

Overall, do I like Burberry Her? I do. I’m not in love with it, though. The Intense version is actually better, in my mind. It just gets overshadowed because of the BR540 comparisons with Her EDP.

The red berry and citrus opening is really great for a while. But, each time I’ve tried to wear this one, it begins to grate on my nerves a bit. It’s not one that I’d need to scrub off or anything, just the intense strawberry and sharp/sour citrus gets somewhat old after a while.

Though, when I do stick with it, I end up liking the dry down of this more. It’s closer to Ariana Grande’s Cloud than it is Baccarat Rouge. Still, Burberry Her is distinct enough from both of them.

It’s funny, this has been so successful that there are starting to even be, supposed perfume ‘dupes’ of Burberry Her.

The floral notes are light on me. I mostly get the cleanliness of musk and wood in the dry down with the strawberry and the mass of whatever is left of the other fruits.

Is this worth a try? Yeah, it’s one to check out. I don’t know that I’d blind buy it, as you might not like the way the berries sit on your skin. It’s not the best perfume out there, but it’s solid and can be a nice choice for the right person.

Paris-Deauville by Chanel

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The Les Eaux de Chanel line is a more recent endeavor for the brand. The name’s of each fragrance starts with Paris and ends with another destination in France. I have gotten ahold of samples of each of the released scents so far and will be posting up my full reviews of them. Today, I am going to cover one of my favorites of the bunch, Paris-Deauville. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a buy?

What does Paris-Deauville Smell Like?

Notes include: lime, mandarin orange, lemon, basil, petitgrain, jasmine, patchouli, and rose

Click here to try: Paris-Deauville from Chanel

My Full Review

Here’s how Chanel describes it: Inspired by the country landscape along the Normandy coast, PARIS-DEAUVILLE Eau de Toilette is a lively, aromatic scent with a radiant freshness—the fragrance of the open air.

Paris-Deauville opens up with a delicious burst of its citrus notes. The main ones are going to be lime and mandarin orange. There is also so lemon. The orange note is very familiar, since it’s the same orange from Coco Mademoiselle.

Basil adds a great fresh spiciness to the blend. The citrus and green aroma is very attractive and bright for the summer months.

It all sits on top of a generally green and slightly floral mix in the base. It’s all very fresh and bright. Quite unisex.

Basil and lime are the main attractions for most of the wear. The other citrus notes play a supporting part. As it dries down, you do get a bit of jasmine and rose, but not much. Patchouli is the third strongest and really works well with the other two.

However, Deauville doesn’t develop all that much as a fragrance. You’ll get most of what you’re going to get early on in the wear. The good news, is that it is a very nice perfume and enjoyable.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here ranges from light to the upper edge of moderate, in the early stages. The boldness of the citrus and basil notes can pack a bit of a punch initially. However, that will calm down and Paris-Deauville becomes more of a classic summertime wear.

The performance here is overall solid for this type of scent. A lot of citrus based perfumes like this can disappear in a few hours. This Chanel will hang around on my skin for up to 7 hours. Usually, it’ll hit six without issue, and that last hour is up for grabs.

Seasonally, mainly going to be the summer. But, late spring will be plenty doable for many of us. It’s not overly formal, but when it’s warmer you could wear Deauville casually to semi-formal. It’s more of a daytime fragrance than a nightlife powerhouse.

Very unisex, maybe leaning a bit more feminine. I really had no problems wearing this one, as a man.

Overall Impressions of Paris-Deauville

Do I like this scent? Yes, to me, it is the second best of the Les Eaux de Chanel lineup. Probably the best, as a unisex fragrance. Paris-Venise is more feminine, but I think better as a whole.

I love a good use of lime in a perfume. There have been some, but they usually have poor performance. Chanel has solved this, with its use of strong basil and patchouli. Paris-Deauville does have a slight Coco Mademoiselle quality to it with the mandarin and patchouli, also.

It’s not too complicated of a fragrance. Though, I find it really enjoyable and one with a rather unique profile. The citrus and greenish aroma. Very fresh, cold, with enough of a floral contingent but not anything that overwhelms the composition.

Sure, it will have a limited use case for most folks, being only the spring and summer. Though, within that timeframe, one could get plenty of enjoyment out wearing Deauville.

I like this fragrance. It’s definitely a Chanel that you should at least try and one that I think will have plenty of appeal for most folks.

Rose des Vents by Louis Vuitton

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Louis Vuitton has been putting out a ton of new fragrances over the past five years or so. Over the past months, I’ve been working my way through most of them with testing and full reviews. Rose des Vents was released by the luxury brand in 2016. The rose in the name should tell you what it’s all about, but how does it smell? Perform? Is it worth a try?

What does Rose des Vents Smell Like?

Notes include: Centifolia rose absolute, Turkish rose, Bulgarian rose, cedar, Italian iris, pepper, peach, black currant

My Full Review

Before I jump into my thoughts on this fragrance, let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes it:  An olfactory guide, Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud transports us to the middle of a field of roses in Grasse. Buffeted by the wind, this singular flower seems to breathe. Sleek and stately thanks to iris and cedar, this perfume takes on glazed accents as it comes into contact with pepper. Gradually, the composition becomes as delicate as the skin of a velvety fruit.

Rose des Vents starts off with its roses taking center stage. It’s familiar, a well done rose that smells quite nice. This is joined by a fresh spiciness and greenish aroma that sitting underneath the top petals.

The fresh spice is from the pepper note. It doesn’t stay around for the entire wear, but it plays a fairly prominent role in the beginning.

There are some fruity notes in here, peach and black currant. However, this leans heavily to the rose floral side of things. The fruits add a sheer juiciness to the underlying composition, but the actual weighting of these notes is pretty small.

While the roses dominate things, the perfume does have a delightful sweetness and fresh exuberance about it.

The overall composition isn’t too complicated. The dry down sees more of that rosy/green combination of the top. There is a light powdery aroma from the iris note and it’s all sitting on top of a fresh woody cedar.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage of Rose des Vents starts out strong. During testing, it was capable of projecting itself pretty far from where it was applied. It’s not a monster fragrance, but the start is very noticeable.

This Louis Vuitton dries down into a moderate perfume. You’ll know it’s there, but it isn’t constantly grabbing attention.

On my skin, I got 8-9.5 hours of wear before it finally faded for good. The performance isn’t incredible by any means, but it does its job well.

Seasonally, this is a lighter rose scent that is best in the spring and summer months. Moderate to warmer temperatures is wear it’ll shine. Though, year round wear is certainly possible for some folks.

Rose des Vents is a very versatile fragrance. It’s not a super sexy night life wear, but it can go casual, semi-formal, to work, etc. I wouldn’t worry too much about getting use out of this one, it’ll be fine in plenty of scenarios.

Overall Impressions of Rose des Vents

Overall, do I like Rose des Vents? I like the smell. I don’t think it’s an amazing perfume, but it’s certainly above average. It’s definitely a scent for lovers of rose as a note. If that describes you, this Vuitton scent is worth a try at least, and one you’ll probably appreciate .

I think the opening with the rose and pepper spice is interesting and attractive. The greenish aroma isn’t great, but it doesn’t diminish my enjoyment too much.

The sheer quality of the fruits doesn’t allow this to get too overwhelming, but I might have liked some extra strength from them. The sweetness is an aspect of Rose des Vents, which I found appealing.

The performance is also solid for what this is.

Rose des Vents isn’t a fragrance that I think that you can particularly go wrong with. Nothing about it is bad or subpar. Is it worth the money? Well, Louis Vuitton says it’s currently their best seller. So, I guess plenty of people dig it. It’s a pretty safe buy at least and probably won’t offend anyone.