Light Blue Pour Homme Summer Vibes by D&G

Summer Vibes is the 2023 issuance under the Light Blue banner. I haven’t gotten access to the women’s Summer Vibes yet, but I did manage to buy a few samples of the pour homme off of eBay to test out. It’s good timing, as I’ve been making my way through reviewing all of the old Light Blue flankers lately. How does this one smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

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What does Light Blue Pour Homme Summer Vibes Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, cypress, amberwood

Click here to try: Light Blue Summer Vibes

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My Full Review

Here’s how D&G describes it: The Italian holiday dream. The energy of summer by the sea. This fragrance captures the fresh energy of Italian holidays through an invigorating blend of Mediterranean citrus and woody notes.

Since this is one of the dozen or so Light Blue Pour Homme releases, I suppose that I’ll begin by comparing to other fragrances in the series.

It isn’t like the last two Forever or Italian Love, so, don’t expect the hyper grapefruit.

I’ll say that it is closest to Discover Vulcano and Swimming in Lipari, in terms of smell, while coming across as being fairly different. Both of those fragrances have a much more prominent use of citrus and are fairly sour in their openings versus Summer Vibes.

Luckily, I actually do have decants of both of those in my possession at the moment, to compare Vibes to.

Vulcano is the only other Light Blue fragrance with the cypress note. Dolce & Gabbana brings it back for this 2023 edition. You also get the same lemon note. While Vulcano was very heavily laced with cypress and tried to create a wearable volcano-like aroma, this is much more tolerable and sweeter.

The citrus note in Summer Vibes is led by the lemon note. There may be a touch of grapefruit for good measure, but it leans much more towards that lemon. Checking its ingredients versus Eau Intense, Summer Vibes has the same ‘citrus’ chemical ingredients. So, probably a yes to grapefruit.

That is the third comparison scent, Eau Intense. Mostly, it’s in the amberwood note, which is also found in Swimming in Lipari. I’d say Summer Vibes is closer to Lipari than Eau Intense. Sweeter than either.

The citrus accord here is subdued from the start. Summer Vibes doesn’t give you a super juicy or tart opening at all. It’s a bit watery, no saltiness or sea breeze, just a light aquatic feeling.

The cypress is going to be much less green than what I got from Vulcano. Summer Vibes still has a freshness, maybe a little spice from some unlisted note. But, it is much more focused on the wood of the cypress tree.

As we dry down further, the citrus is very faint. It’s a mix of the cypress and amberwood with some muskiness. Not really a complicated fragrance at all. In some ways, it’s got a style similar to a streamlined Costa Azzura EDP and the old Higher by Dior.

It wouldn’t shock me if there was cedar or vetiver in the notes pyramid, but D&G only gave us three notes. It smells like there’s something else in there other than amberwood and cypress.

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Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is on the lighter end of moderate. This isn’t a heavy bomb, especially since that lemon note doesn’t come out with an initial punch. I’d say it’ll leave a nice scent trail for maybe the first hour.

Thereafter, expect it to project in the 2-5 foot range from the skin. Declining towards the lower end of that range by the second hour or so.

On my skin, it lasts for 6.5-7 hours. About what I get from other Light Blue fragrances in the series. Aside from, Eau Intense. Summer Vibes doesn’t massively project itself, but it does stick around for a solid amount of time.

Seasonally, late spring and summer, obviously. It is versatile within that time frame, particularly during the daytime.

It fits for any age of man. More put together and mature than some of the others in the series. This could go casually or for work or some semi-formal event in  the summer.

I actually do enjoy the way it hangs on the light breeze outside. It was warm outside today and Summer Vibes had a great freshness while I was walking around.

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Overall Impressions of Summer Vibes

Overall, do I like this release? It’s pretty good, but not great. It’s better than Vulcano and Lipari, for sure, just doesn’t blow me away.

The scent is a pleasant one that should work well in the summer. If you don’t want a heavy citrus scent or the opposite with a heavy greenish one, this can fit the bill, since it is balanced woody aromatic.

It is still very much in the Light Blue tradition, bringing back familiar notes, and changing up the weighting of them.

The performance is middle of the road. Not a projection beast, but the longevity is decent enough for one of these summer colognes.

At least the bottle looks cool, as a bonus. Summer Vibes is worth trying out, but not necessarily something that you have to rush out and buy. I’d say find a tester in stores, give it a spray to see if it works for you, assuming you’re in the market for a warm weather scent.