Light Blue Eau Intense vs. Acqua di Gio Comparison

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Today’s fragrance comparison is going to be a battle between two popular summertime aquatic colognes: Light Blue Eau Intense vs. Acqua di Gio. Which of these scents is the better performer? The still highly popular 90s cologne or the Intense flanker to Light Blue? I will break down both by different metrics, before ultimately crowning a winner overall.

Tale of the Tape: Eau Intense vs. AdG

Acqua di Gio

Notes include: bergamot, tangerine, neroli, jasmine, rosemary, patchouli, rock rose, hyacinth, persimmon, marine notes

Click here to try: Acqua Di Gio By Giorgio Armani For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces

Read my review: Acqua di Gio 

Light Blue Eau Intense

Notes include: mandarin, frozen grapefruit, juniper, aquatic accord, amber woods, musk

Click here to try: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Intense Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 1.6 Ounce

My review: Light Blue Eau Intense

Opening

Acqua di Gio starts off with a now famous citrus aroma of bergamot and tangerine, which is then paired with an aquatic accord, which has an oceanic quality to it.

Underneath that, there are floral notes, which consist mostly of jasmine and some neroli. It is a fresh and quite pleasant.

It’s a sea breeze of the usual citrus fruit and persimmon with the jasmine note, which sits amazingly well in that initial juicy blend

I’ve come back to AdG over the past year, while testing out the Profondo’s from Armani, and it still is absolutely pleasant. Those opening minutes take me back and are still great after however many years.

It can be difficult to find something special about it after all these years and so many wears, but AdG’s mix of citrus and jasmine with the light sea breeze manages to do it.

Light Blue Eau Intense also starts off with citrus notes, instead opting for mandarin orange and frozen grapefruit. It actually does have a great cold feeling to it, that is refreshing to wear. The aquatic note is less of a salt marine type, but is joined by a nice juniper note.

Which is better? While I quite enjoy AdG and the way that it starts off, I think that Intense, is a bit better. The cold crispness of the fruit and the smooth aquatic note is really great.

Edge: Eau Intense

Projection

Both of these fragrances are pretty moderate in their sillage. Eau Intense will leave more of a trail. They can be pretty strong for the first few hours, then, sit closer to the skin but aren’t ever weak.

I’d say that Eau Intense probably hits a higher point for a period of time, but after that they are pretty equal.

Intense can definitely feel heavier up top, than Acqua di Gio ever does. Maybe the projection hits a few feet more, but Eau Intense has never been a beast-mode fragrance for me.

Edge: Intense (slightly)

Longevity

AdG gets me 6-7 hours of wear, on my skin. It’s a solid performer, in that regard. However, Intense will go for 9 hours for me, easily.

Acqua di Gio used to be a bit better than it is now, but newer bottles don’t have the same intensity, as they did upon initial release.

Update: Testing newer samples of AdG that I received with other purchases, it seems to be in the 5-7 hour range, depending on the day. Definitely, taken a step back from the original, but not terrible.

Edge: Intense

Versatility

Both of these fragrances are pretty much equal with when and where, they can be worn. They are great for the warmer months of the year, but can actually be worn any time, without issue. Neither is a more formal cologne, but for any other purpose, they’re great.

Update: Ehhh, I think I’ll give the edge to Acqua di Gio here. It probably is better for daily wear at school or an office. Coming back to Eau Intense, it is much more of a summertime fragrance.

Edge: AdG

Overall Scent

Acqua di Gio has been a great scent for men for over two decades, at this point. It is a fresh citrus aquatic with a masculine spice and smooth floral undertones. The performance is solid, it is highly popular, and smells fantastic.

However, Light Blue Eau Intense is the better of the two. Its take on the aquatic fragrance, is awesome. The frozen grapefruit and crisp aquatic accord are wonderful to smell.

Then, the juniper berry floating around the composition, and a solid amber wood base which keeps it all together.

The performance is better than AdG’s and the fragrance is just more interesting. If the longevity of the Armani was still high level, it would be a very close consideration for me.

The D&G cologne, wins this round. I know that there are some folks who don’t like Eau Intense, so, AdG might win on mass appeal.

I would say, that in that case, you might do well with AdG Profumo or Profondo…which are both better than the original Acqua di Gio.

I think that the AdG series has better options overall in comparison than does the Dolce line of colognes. But, in this case, Light Blue Eau Intense takes it.

Winner: Eau Intense

Allure Homme Sport Cologne by Chanel

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Chanel has a long list of flankers in the Allure series. The Allure Homme Sport series even has multiple versions of its own. One, that I have yet to review on the site is the Cologne version, which was released in 2007.

So, I recently grabbed some samples to go ahead and give it the full review. How does it smell? Is Allure Sport Cologne worth a try?

Allure Homme Sport Cologne Overview

Notes include: elemi, cedar, lovage, lemon, grapefruit, vetiver, neroli, and more

Click here to try: Allure Homme Sport Cologne from Chanel

allure sport review

My Full Review

Before we get into my review, let’s see how Chanel describes it: Allure in motion. More than a fragrance, ALLURE HOMME SPORT Cologne is a boost of well-being for the active man — a fresh, invigorating composition like a breath of energy. A generous citrus freshness is subtly heightened by spicy Lovage and Elemi notes and set against a backdrop of Cedar and White Musk.

This one often gets compared to Dior Homme Cologne. That’s a pretty accurate assessment of this version of Allure. I currently have both of these fragrances and that opening act is close to being the same.

The main differences are going to be that Dior Cologne has much more of a cold lemonade sort of aroma. Whereas, Chanel’s Cologne, is a bit warmer.

Secondly, this one has more of a neroli and lovage influence, with a tad less juiciness from the citrus top notes.

Thirdly, the usual Chanel aldehydes are in play, and you do get a resinous spice lingering in the background.

Allure Homme Sport Cologne opens with these juicy citrus notes, neroli, and lovage. Lovage apparently has a floral and slight greenish/celery sort of aroma. Which, when I press my nose to the skin, I can pick up on.

The background does have a bit of a resinous quality from both the lovage and elemi notes. It’s nothing too noticeable, and I’d guess, that most people wouldn’t even gather that unless the were super focused.

So, yeah, like 85-90% the same in the opening as the Dior.

The dry down does begin to separate these two somewhat. Cologne becomes a woodsier and more floral scent, than just the citrus top would suggest.

Cedar starts to play a greater role in the composition. I also get the same vetiver that’s found in Allure Homme Blanche, which also has some similarities to this.

That’s basically it, until the end. Neroli, cedar, vetiver, and the remnants of the other notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage on this one starts out pretty well. In the first fifteen to thirty minutes it will leave a decent scent trail and projects itself well off of the skin. You’ll notice it without question.

But, that is a rather short-lived experience. After an hour or so, this is pretty much a skin scent. Even when I spray the heck out of it, Allure Sport Cologne isn’t going to really go beast mode or stay around strong for too long.

The longevity here is also pretty meh. I get 3-4 hours, which is a shorter duration than Dior Cologne, which isn’t great if that’s your closest comp. Especially, once you start comparing pricing, Dior is usually available from online sellers for more of a discount.

The performance with this one really holds it back. That being said, it does have a spring and summer use case and isn’t super versatile, so spraying a lot won’t really matter. It’d probably still take a while to work through a bottle.

Seasonally, this one is spring and summer. This is of course a more casual or sporty wear for those months. One to wear during the daytime. Not a formal fragrance, but one could get a decent use case out of Cologne, when it gets warm enough.

Overall Impressions of Allure Homme Sport Cologne

Overall, do I like Cologne? I do enjoy the scent itself. Not my favorite thing ever, but I do like a good summer citrus, and this is a fine example.

But, I also don’t like it quite as much as Dior Cologne. With that one, I like the simple lemon and grapefruit blossom aroma, it’s colder and slightly more refreshing to me.

With the Chanel, I also get a pretty weak 3-4 hours of wear. I don’t really expect that much from this type of sporty summer fragrance, but I do want more than that at Chanel prices.

Also, I don’t know that I prefer it to any of the other Allure scents. It’s in the same ballpark, but I’d prefer wearing the others, even Blanche which occupies the same niche. It’s sort of the odd fragrance out from this line.

I know it’s the easy to wear summer version, but Blanche is better than this, and Dior Cologne is cheaper at the very least (and again better, in my opinion).

So, I smell alone, I can recommend this one. On all of the other intangibles? Probably not for most people. Just understand what sort of scent you’re buying with Allure Sport Cologne and don’t expect it to be your main wear for much of the year.

Hero EDP by Burberry

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Hero is the newer series of fragrances from Burberry, who finally seem to be moving on from the Mr. Burberry line. Hero Eau de Parfum is the 2022 release, which continues with Adam Driver as the face of the campaign.

I recently picked up a sample of this fragrance to test it out for the site. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is Hero EDP worth a try?

Burberry Hero EDP Overview

Notes include: pine needles, cedar, incense, benzoin, amber, olibanum

Click here to try: Burberry Hero EDP from Macy’s

My Full Review

Here’s how Burberry describes it: Burberry Hero Eau de Parfum explores an enticing new side of heroism: the courage to embrace who you truly are. It presents a man on a journey to self-discovery. An explorative spirit with a centred sensibility. His energy exudes tender soulfulness, expressed by the presence of the horse, a powerful creature that represents our hero’s strength.

The opening of Hero EDP is fresh, a bit smoky, and surprisingly has a sweetness to it. It stems from the olibanum, which can give off a level of fruitiness to the aroma.

It’s not clearly fruity, but the opening reminds me of being related to both 1 Million and Ultra Male. Different from each, but I get a similar vibe, as it is a sweet/spicy start.

The benzoin gives Hero EDP a fuzzy kind of resinous aroma, but the cologne will transition into being more of a straightforward amber, as the benzoin and olibanum fade. Particularly, the latter, and with it that fruity-like scent. The benzoin does stick around, just not as pronounced.

Ultimately, this is a woody amber fragrance. Pine needless are the dominant woody note, during the opening and into the heart. But, there is heavy cedar that will take control for the rest of the wear.

It will finish as a blend of different cedar types, amber, with some remaining smokiness and touch of spice. It’s dark, warm, outdoorsy, but not all that complicated.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here, starts off towards the upper end of what could be consider moderate, but relatively quickly becomes a lighter scent. You’ll get maybe an hour or so of solid, scent trail generating projection, but it’ll come in much closer to the skin.

The longevity here, is probably its greatest positive. This one goes for at least 8 hours on my skin and can get up to around 9.5.

Is that insane longevity? No, but still great for a mainstream designer release. The Hero line has done a great job with creating long-lasting scents.

Seasonally, it’s an autumn and winter release. It can be somewhat cloying and would probably turn pretty bad in the high heat and humidity. But, in the cold air, Hero EDP is likeable.

Hero EDP skews towards being more of a nightlife or casual type of scent. It might be a good option for younger guys in their 20s. Not a formal or super serious cologne. Very much a modern mainstream release, with a bumped up dose of wood.

It’s attractive and not grating, some might consider this to have a sexy quality. Like Hero EDT, this edition is a crowd pleaser and easy to wear.

Overall Impressions of Hero EDP

Overall, do I like this scent? It’s okay. It has a somewhat different style from many other scents on the market, which I appreciate. But, it’s still nothing special.

I do prefer the EDT release to this, even if I’ve only encountered that once thus far. It was just better and they’re actually different from one another.

Update: EDT and Parfum are both more enjoyable than this, in my opinion. EDT if you want more of a crowd pleaser. I’ve worn that some more and confirmed that I do like it more than this one. Parfum, if you want something earthy with a big dose of cedar. More unique.

This one doesn’t jump out to me all that much. I like the dry down, with the cedar woods and the amber. It’s not as sweet, at that point, but I kind of prefer that with the particular formula. Yet, there’s nothing here that makes me want to run out and buy a bottle.

The performance is quite good. Not overpowering with the strength or the scent trail that it leaves behind you, but the time you get to spend with it does lend this Burberry fragrance further value, than it otherwise might.

Personally, I have no intentions of getting a full size bottle. It might be worth waiting for, once it hits the discounters, instead of paying retail price. All in all, this is an above average release, just never hits the level of greatness.

L’homme Ideal Extreme by Guerlain

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L’Homme Ideal is a wildly popular line from Guerlain. Ideal Extreme is a scent that has really gotten talked about as one of the greats of recent history and as being a must have for anyone’s collection. It was released back in 2020.

For me, the Ideal line has been one that I enjoy, but it’s not something I absolutely have to keep around. Does Ideal Extreme change that? How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a buy?

Guerlain L’Homme Ideal Extreme Overview

Notes include: plum, almond, tobacco, heliotrope, leather, cinnamon, bergamot, pink pepper, patchouli, cedar

Click here to try: Ideal Extreme

My Full Wear Review

Here’s how Guerlain describes it: L’eau de parfum extrême? A woody ambery fragrance that will allow you to remain a man who is talented to the extreme, for everything. For this all-new interpretation of L’Homme Idéal, Thierry Wasser, Guerlain’s Perfumer, chose to explore new facets of almond, L’Homme Idéal’s original olfactory signature. At the heart of the composition lies powerful ambery and woody notes which are bolstered by daring hints of spice and warm, charismatic notes of tobacco.

Outside of Ideal L’Intense, I actually get a lot of the leather note with Extreme versus others in the series. Even, early on in the wear.

But, Extreme doesn’t start off things as a pure leather, by any means. Pink pepper spice, sweet plum with a touch of citrus, a cinnamon kick, and the almond note that comes standard in the Ideal lineup.

The spice sort of just sits in the background once you past about five minutes, it’s not a massive factor on my skin, at least.

The plum isn’t particularly juicy, it’s tartness is subdued by the surrounding ingredients making it sweeter as you move along. Yet, early on that tart quality definitely has a bit of an upper hand when compared to the sweetness.

Ideal Extreme comes across as having a dried fruitiness versus something juicy. So, at this stage this Guerlain cologne is a nutty leather livened up by cinnamon/pepper/plum.

The next phase is when the tobacco note, comes into play. The spice and plum will recede, giving lots of ground up to the tobacco, leather, and almond notes. Those notes do hang around, but they’re not front and center.

Heliotrope is the floral note in this one. Not massive, gets somewhat obscured by that almond note, but you do get some sweetness/powdery touches out of that note. There’s also some patchouli, just not much at all for me.

Basically, the end is a general sweetness of plum, the tobacco becomes stronger than the leather, and then the almond note at a much diminished state.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

With a name like Extreme, you might expect a complete sillage beast. It’s not. Certainly above average, has a strong opening, but pretty moderate on the whole. It’s about what I get with the Eau de Parfum version.

I’ve seen some people say that Extreme lasts all day on skin. For me, I get in the 8-9 hour range. That’s still really good and meets the standard of what most folks will need on a regular basis. Yet, it’s not entirely elite, in that sense.

The last few hours, it’s a skin scent. Still, no issues with performance to worry about.

Seasonally, this is autumn and winter all the way. I really wouldn’t want to wear this in the heat, it’s decent in moderate temperatures, but lovely when it is actually cold outside.

Ideal Extreme gives you plenty of versatility within that time frame, however. You can wear it to the office in the daytime and to the bar at night. It’s got enough class to be professional, but it isn’t stuffy or boring.

Plus, it’s pretty mass appealing. The sweetness, tobacco, leather, and almond are all accords that most people are going to enjoy smelling.

Overall Impressions of Ideal Extreme

Overall, do I like Ideal Extreme? Yes, I think it’s a very very good fragrance. It’s not my personal favorite, but there’s nothing that below average here. I still think that I like Ideal EDP a tiny bit more.

Also, I personally was into the old Ideal Cologne, but that’s disappeared. Along with its, Platine Prive replacement.

The opening with the fruitiness, the cinnamon and pink pepper spice is really great. It doesn’t let me down, further on in the wear, staying pleasant throughout. With Ideal L’Intense, that dry down doesn’t match my enthusiasm for the start. So, I’m glad that this one holds up.

The almond, leather, and tobacco trio are easy to enjoy. Nothing too harsh here, you get a nice performance, and it’s a scent that will draw complements.

If you’re in the US, you will have to track this one down. Either off of eBay or at a place like Selfridges in the UK, which I’ve linked to.

Update: They’ve made this much more widely available since the initial review years ago. In fact, the whole Ideal line is easier to find in the US nowadays.

But, even with some international shipping costs, the price is still low enough to make it worth getting a hold of, if it sounds interesting.

Un Jardin Sur le Toit by Hermes

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Hermes’ Jardin series is one that I’ve been working my way through posting full reviews of. I’m pretty much done, but one of the last one’s that I must do is Un Jardin Sur Le Toit. This edition was released back in 2011.

Reading the notes, I wasn’t particularly excited about giving it a complete testing, but it also didn’t seem like something I’d hate either.

How does it smell? How long does Sur Le Toit last? Is it actually worth a try?

Un Jardin Sur Le Toit Overview

Notes include: apple, pear, magnolia, wild grasses, rose, rosemary

Click here to try: Un Jardin Sur Le Toit

sur le toit review

My Full Review

Here’s how Hermes describes it: A garden of feasting and joyfulness, where apple trees overhang wild grasses.

Un Jardin Sur Le Toit opens with a fresh mix of its various trees and fruits. Pear and apple trees along with magnolia. It’s a very sharp start to the mix. The apple is much more intense than that pear note and the underlying woody notes really pop.

Aside from the fruit trees, the other two stand outs are some dewy grass and the magnolia. This isn’t a completely floral fragrance, but lots of magnolia early on. Then, that’ll fade and you’ll get some rose thereafter…just not a ton.

The apple and pear with the freshness and watery aspect, does kind of come across as being shampoo-like, after that initial blast fades.

Also, the ‘tree’ notes really start to lose any woodiness, as it dries down. Kind of weird. More of a dewy grass with fruits and some rose. But the pear and apple tree notes are just the fruity smell than branch and all.

Not that it was too woody to begin with. However, that freshness was there for the entirety.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this one is pretty moderate. Probably a bit above the median average, but not much more. You’ll get a nice scent trail for an hour or so. But, for most of the wear it’ll sit within 3-4 feet from the skin.

The deeper you go, the more of a skin scent Toit becomes.

On my skin, I get somewhere in the 6-7 hour range, at its max. Sometimes, it went just over 5 hours, but it got above the six hour mark during testing, a majority of the time.

Seasonally, this is mostly going to be one for the spring. The grassy notes, apple, and the like really give you that sort of outdoorsy vibe on a warm day.

Though, I can’t say that it wouldn’t be fine in the summer months, as well. Update: Yeah, this works in the summertime too. Actually, outdoors in the air really helps to bring this along, and show off its positives.

This is one for the daytime to wear casually or just going about your daily life. It’s not a sexy nightlife fragrance or something that is super sophisticated. Sur Le Toit is pleasant and one that can capture a certain mood.

Overall Impressions of Sur Le Toit

Overall, do I like this fragrance? I like it somewhat. Though, it’s probably one of my least favorite perfumes in this Hermes series. Sur Le Toit definitely isn’t great and is probably mid at best.

It is pretty sharp early on. But, I like the sweetness and watery freshness that this one gives off. The grass is a nice touch, dewy, but not heavy and annoying.

Fresh and greenish aroma for those who are into that sort of perfume. For me, it’s not something that I always enjoy. Though, I do like this one more than many others of this type.

Trees, grass, and strong fruitiness in the opening. It’s hit or miss throughout the wear, but quite likeable at times. The lighter dewy dry down is a more pleasant experience and this could be a way to shake things up in the spring and summer months.

Is that enough for me to want a bottle? No, I don’t think I’d want to spray this one on, all that often.

Sur Le Toit isn’t a super complicated perfume and almost has a niche-like feel versus the usual mainstream stuff.

The performance is pretty basic, nothing too special on that front. Though, it really isn’t a problem, as it’ll essentially fit the bill in most any of the situations where one would actually be wearing this.

Is it worth a try? Sure, for the right person. Read the notes? Does it sound interesting or something you’d usually go for? If so, then yes, since there isn’t anything that’s really going to surprise or turn one away from the scent.