Light Blue Pour Homme Eau Intense vs. Forever

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Light Blue is a seemingly endless line of fragrances from Dolce & Gabbana. I mean, why quit when you’re so successful with the formula? The latest edition is Light Blue Forever Pour Homme, which made waves in the summer of 2021.

It’s a well-liked cologne, but how does it compare to another popular option from the line, Eau Intense? In this post, I will compare the two and declare the best option.

Tale of the Tape: Light Blue Eau Intense vs. Forever Pour Homme

Light Blue Forever

Notes include: grapefruit, violet leaf, white musk, vetiver, ozonic accord

Click here to try: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Forever for Men by Dolce & Gabbana Eau De Parfum,3.3 Fl Oz

My Full Review: Light Blue Forever

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

Eau Intense has similarities to the original Light Blue, much more so than Forever. It kicks things off as a citrus scent with its mix of grapefruit and mandarin orange.

The scent has a chilly aroma, as the grapefruit note is ‘frozen’. It doesn’t have the peppery accord of the original.

In its place, I pick up a light juniper note. The main difference from the original is the inclusion of an aquatic accord. It is slightly salty but not really oceanic, more like sitting by a hotel pool, while on an island. You pick up aquatic elements of sea and pool water.

The juniper and amberwood in Eau Intense give it very fresh profile, that is great to spray on during the summer.

Light Blue Forever also starts with a grapefruit note. That’s it’s main attraction and it smells much more realistic and fresh versus the one found in the rest of the series.

Beneath that, is a blue-green ozonic accord that adds a watery freshness, and the ever-increasing violet leaf.

Which is better? I enjoy both, but I think that Forever has the better start to things. That grapefruit note, while not my favorite aroma in the world, is absolutely great in just how much like the real thing it smells like.

This first category goes to Forever.

Edge: Forever

Projection

Light Blue Eau Intense starts off pretty powerfully and it has the ability to project itself pretty far from the skin.

That first hour or so, it is certainly possible to overspray and take over a room. Though, it does settle and become much more of a moderate fragrance for the rest of the wear.

Forever opens up with that nice grapefruit burst, though it’s pretty moderate as a whole. It never hits the same heights as Eau Intense and much of the wear will be spent near skin scent level.

You get a few hours of solid performance, then it will be a lighter cologne.

Eau Intense has the better sillage.

Edge: Eau Intense

Longevity

While, Forever isn’t the best with how it projects, it actually does stick to the skin for quite a while in this lighter state. It gets me just over 7 hours of wear, with the first couple being in its moderate strength.

However, Light Blue Eau Intense gets me around 9 hours of wear, with a better ability to project. Between these two, Eau Intense clearly has the better performance.

 

Edge: Eau Intense

Versatility

Both of these fragrances are best in the summertime. They can both go casual and can fit in, for an office environment.

I do think that Forever, is the better of the two with how it can fit into those sorts of semi-formal circumstances in comparison to Eau Intense.

It’s a pretty close race and there is plenty of overlap. Forever does have a slight edge in when and where it can be worn.

Edge: Forever

Overall Scent

This is a close call to which of these two fragrances I prefer. Both of them have their strengths and are enjoyable in their own right.

Light Blue Forever is the new kid on the block and has already made a name for itself. I really do enjoy that opening act with the grapefruit note.

After that, it becomes a greener and woodsier scent and the grapefruit becomes just another part of the composition. Violet leaf and vetiver with some musk to boot. Once it has dried down, I’m not that enthralled with Forever.

Update: Forever has since been discontinued. It is still available online at some places. D&G came out with Italian Love the next year, which was a slightly different take on the formula (which I preferred), and can also serve as an alternative to Light Blue Forever.

Either way, you’ll now have to find both from 3rd party online stores, that may still have stock of each.

It smells fine, at that point, but is pretty weak with its sillage. I don’t hate it, but once the opening fades, the appeal is gone for me.

Eau Intense is a summertime workhorse. It starts off slower, but I think has a better smell overall. Not a huge margin, but I do like it better. Plus, I get 9 hours of solid performance.

I love the aquatic nature and freshness from the juniper note. Eau Intense is cold and clean reminding me more of sitting by the pool versus the ocean.

Between these two, I still give the edge to Eau Intense.

Winner: Eau Intense

Acqua di Gio Profondo Lights by Armani

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Acqua di Gio flankers have become routine, especially as of late. Armani quickly followed up the release of 2020’s popular Profondo, with this year’s Profondo Lights. Being a fan of the series, I was excited to give this one a go and see if it was a worthwhile cologne to own. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is AdG Profondo Lights worth a buy?

What does Profondo Lights Smell Like?

Profondo Lights

Notes include: cardamom, mandarin, patchouli, cedar, marine accord, vetiver, lavender, cypress, rosemary

My Full Review

I’ve said that Acqua di Gio Profondo was a green-ish blue scent. Well, Profondo Lights is much more toward the green end of the spectrum, with a touch of marine notes for its ‘blue’ aroma.

Cypress, cardamom, mandarin, and the marine notes open things up. I’m not a fan of the initial act of Profondo Lights, it’s bright, and reminds me of a smoother apple cider vinegar. Not nearly, as harsh and it fades away, but I really don’t like that smell.

Note: coming back to this review two months after the fact, the messy opening still doesn’t appeal to me. I gave it a chance to grow on me, but that never did.

I understand that they’re going to use the citrus note, but I think that the mandarin distracts too much here. Once it’s burned off some, you start to get the woodsy/herbal/aquatic blend and that’s when Profondo Lights shines as a standalone fragrance.

Rosemary, cypress, cardamom, and lavender to smooth things out. It’s woody, but not overly so. The herbal notes and the lavender really clamp down on making this overly fresh. At this stage, I really start to enjoy what Lights has to offer versus Profondo.

The cardamom is great on its own, separated from that initial mandarin burst. I would’ve liked it to have more of the focus, it would’ve been a smoother and more enjoyable experience.

This middle act lasts for an hour or two and what your left with, is a lighter version of Profondo. Really, the dry down is near identical, on my skin just a different intensity. Which is fine, as I like wearing Profondo.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is pretty moderate for much of the wear. Then, it’s closer to a skin scent. The projection never seems to go beyond 4-5 feet, even at its peak. Not terrible performance, it’s okay, and worse than Profondo.

Update: Yep, that’s what it seems capable of. I’ve sprayed in on t-shirts across the room and on my skin…and it’s consistent in that range.

Profondo Lights lasts for 5-6 hours on me. That’s the extent of what it seems capable of. Both Profondo and AdG Profumo outdo it here. Really, kind of disappointing for the price you’re probably going to pay for a full bottle.

Update: Going through a few samples of Profondo Lights, the longevity really isn’t that great. Sometimes, I’ll get around 4-4.5 hours and occasionally it stretches to the full six. The part that really sucks, is the latter stages are the most enjoyable part, and it often doesn’t get the time to shine completely.

Seasonally, like Profondo, Lights is a spring and summer fragrance. Casual to semi-formal wear, mostly during the daytime. It’s really not any different from its predecessor in this regard.

It’s really going to have a limited use case for 4-6 months out of the year, for most folks. It’s not particularly sexy, but some people will find it to be attractive enough, and it obviously has some level of mass appeal with the AdG DNA.

Overall Impressions of Profondo Lights

Overall, do I like this fragrance? I like it, but I don’t love it. I do appreciate a greener take on the formula, but I hate the opening act, and it doesn’t add the much of a different vibe to be worth it…at it’s higher price at least.

The best part of the wear it the second wave, once the cardamom gets more of a chance to shine on its own. I like the pairing with the cypress and rosemary. Fresh, green, herbal, with an undercurrent of marine impressions.

It does end up favoring Profondo significantly, but it doesn’t surpass that one, in my opinion. Also, the performance is okay, but really not up to the same level. I’ve compared them head to head, multiple times, and it’s the same results.

This might be worth your time, if you like aspects of Profondo but want a woodier/green version of the scent. Maybe, if it makes it to the discounters at a more reasonable price, other guys could go for it.

As it stands? It’s fine, but nothing incredible. I tested this one thoroughly over two months and the needle never moved from my initial impressions of Lights. It’s pretty good, fairly expensive for what it is, and probably won’t be a must own for very many guys.

Light Blue Forever Pour Homme by Dolce & Gabbana

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Light Blue is a perpetual best seller for Dolce & Gabbana, in both its men and women’s incarnations. The brand puts out tons of flankers and limited editions, that can be pretty hit or miss in terms of their attractiveness.

In 2021, D&G put out Light Blue Forever, in a pour homme and pour femme version. I grabbed a sample of the men’s Forever cologne recently, to test it out and review it for the site.

How does it smell? How long does ‘Forever’ actually last? Is it worth buying this limited edition Light Blue fragrance?

Light Blue Forever Pour Homme Overview

Notes include: grapefruit, violet leaf, white musk, vetiver, ozonic accord

Click here to try: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Forever for Men by Dolce & Gabbana Eau De Parfum,3.3 Fl Oz

My Full Review

From D&G: A bold new expression of freshness, Light Blue Forever Pour Homme blends intensity and delicateness to create a scent that is both generous and addictive.

All that I’ve been hearing about Forever, is just how realistic the grapefruit note is in this fragrance. People aren’t exaggerating, it really does smell like a freshly cut grapefruit.

Now, if you don’t particularly enjoy that scent, this is one that you should avoid. I like the smell of grapefruit (hate the taste), but it’s not something that I absolutely love.

So, the very opening is going to be a blast of the big juicy citrus, with a breezy/watery ozonic accord, and violet leaf. Light Blue Forever is more of a ‘blue-ish green’ cologne, in the early stages, when compared to the others in this series. In the dry down, it leans much more green than anything aquatic.

While the grapefruit dominates the composition, you will also pick up some cleanliness from the white musk and woodsy freshness from the Indonesian vetiver. Light Blue Forever is extremely bright and uplifting, one to reach for if you love clean scents.

Once the grapefruit calms down, the violet leaf and vetiver have a much stronger influence and the cologne seems to be split between these three notes (and the general ozonic accord) fairly equally. The citrus dominance comes to an end.

That’s about all of the development that I get with Forever Pour Homme. It’s a fairly simple wear from Dolce & Gabbana.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is pretty moderate, as a whole. The early stages do give you a strong blast, but it dries down into a much lighter fragrance. It projects in that 4-6 foot range, initially, with a normal amount of application.

Not amazing, by any means. Though, with this sort of citrus based cologne, that’s pretty much to be expected.

As a weaker skin scent, it’ll hang around for just over 7 hours, on my skin. That being said, most of what you’re going to pick up will be in the first couple of hours. It is still there, I just don’t notice it all that often. The performance is a weakness here, though, it’s isn’t terrible.

Seasonally, this is a summertime wear. If you live in a warmer climate, you should be able to break this out in the spring and early autumn as well. Generally speaking, most folks will be using it for the summer.

It’s well put together and appropriate for men of all age groups. Light Blue Forever has a mass appealing scent and should be able to draw plenty of complements from passersby. Casual, daily wear, and maybe nightlife (if you don’t want to wear a beast).

Overall Impressions of Light Blue Forever

Overall, do I like Light Blue Forever? I do enjoy it quite a bit. Though, this isn’t a love for me. Again, I’m not a massive grapefruit fan and violet leaf isn’t a note that I particularly care for either.

That being said, even with those two caveats, I did like this cologne. The grapefruit opening is super juicy, fresh, and hyper-realistic. That first hour especially, is really great stuff.

Forever Pour Homme will change things up, however. On my skin, I get more of the violet leaf note. For others, the vetiver woodsy freshness might pop out more. Either way, that’s what you should expect a lot of the dry down to be about. With the remaining citrus, it can come across as somewhat sour.

Update: Since this came out in 2021, it has been discontinued. Most of the Light Blue series are one year releases. Italian Love was the follow up, very similar but better in my opinion. You can obviously still find bottles of each around.

Scoop them up, if you want to try these two grapefruit heavy editions out. Summer Vibes went in a different direction as the 2023 release.

The performance isn’t spectacular, but it’s good enough for one of these sorts of summer fragrances. I wouldn’t really complain about it, if I purchased a full bottle. This isn’t a super expensive one. It’s weaker than Eau Intense, but about right in line with Light Blue Sun.

I do wish that grapefruit opening would stick around for a longer while. I mean, I pick up grapefruit for most of the wear, but I liked that initial weighting much more than the middle and ending.

This is a summer fragrance that is at least worth a try. If you love grapefruit, I’d say it’s a must own. For others, you probably won’t hate it, and it’s a pretty safe blind buy.

Sauvage Elixir by Dior

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I didn’t know that Dior was coming out with another Sauvage flanker here in 2021, but I naturally bought samples of the fragrance immediately upon learning of it.

I was looking forward to trying it out to see what this concentrated version of the popular men’s fragrance would be like.

So, here are my thoughts after testing. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it really worth a try?

What does Sauvage Elixir Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, wood, lavender, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, patchouli, vetiver

Click here to try: Sauvage Elixir at Macy’s

My Full Review

Before I get into my review of Elixir, let’s see how Dior describes it:  The quintessence of Sauvage. An extraordinarily concentrated fragrance, like a fine liqueur made of exceptional ingredients. The emblematic freshness of Sauvage with an intoxicating heart of spices and a lavender essence tailor-made for Dior. A blend of rich woods forms the signature of its powerful, lavish, and captivating trail.

Right off the bat, Sauvage Elixir is a different animal from the rest of the series. The overlap of actual notes is the ubiquitous lavender note, patchouli and vetiver from EDT, and the nutmeg from Sauvage EDP.

Outside of that, the structure is going to be the same, just with different notes. So, grapefruit for the citrus. A blend of other spices and wood.

What Elixir actually reminded me of, is a much better version of Alien Man by Mugler. The spices, lavender, and fresh woods is pretty similar at times. Alien Man just had that weird opening act with a dill note and never got close to being as good as this.

However, the two are in the same vein, in terms of style.

Elixir opens up with it’s spice blend shining, grapefruit, and the ever present lavender. The grapefruit is pretty light on my skin. Mostly, I pick up cinnamon and nutmeg, with just a bit of cardamom to round it out.

It is a bold and intense mix of spices. I’m so glad they dumped that Sichuan pepper note from the original and gave us this instead. The spices are so much better in Elixir. 

After the wave of spices calm down somewhat, you get into the middle act. This is where the lavender takes over. You also get a licorice note that adds some sweetness, amber, and more of an indication of the woods.

The nutmeg and cinnamon are still very present for the duration of the wear. They play off of the lavender and amber beautifully and really helped to sell this one for me.

Finally, the dry down is lavender, with some sweetness, and fresh woods. The spices are lingering, but no longer packing that same punch. Elixir at this stage, is much softer and aromatic. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Elixir is a powerhouse. Seriously, it’s up there with some of the strongest fragrances that I’ve come across, at its peak. Not the absolute biggest beast, just very close to it. Even a few sprays, really filled up the surrounding area from my skin.

Elixir does back off somewhat, but remains very strong for much of the wear. I absolutely adore how this one projects and hangs around throughout the day.

Add to that, spraying it on a t-shirt, I could detect it from like 10 feet away, while I wasn’t wearing any cologne. Dior wasn’t lying when they said that this one was super concentrated.

 

The longevity is perfection. Sauvage Elixir just keeps going. I’m not sure what the final tally ends up being but it’s easily above 12 hours, at a still very solid strength. Yes, this one is expensive in comparison to the other Sauvage offerings, but you get the performance to back it up.

Update: Testing it out a few more times, Elixir seems to hit the 13-15 hour range for me, at its max. Really depends on what I’m doing, while wearing it. 

Seasonally, I’d like this best in the autumn. Winter and spring will also work, just avoid the summertime heat. Which, yeah, I had to test this during the summer months. Indoors, it’s just great. Outdoors, that humidity kind of wrecks its charm.

I do think that Elixir has a more mature profile than the other Sauvage’s, especially the original EDT. That worked well for guys in their teens and twenties, but Elixir might not be for those in the high school age range.

Sure, for some it will be an option, but this one might not have the same appeal for those in that demographic.

Elixir isn’t completely a formal fragrance. It doesn’t feel out of place, wearing it while dressed up though. It may be too bold for certain functions, but it has plenty of versatility.

This Sauvage can be worn in the nightlife or while out on a date. It does have a sexiness and enough of a mass appeal to get complements from those around you.

Overall Impressions of Sauvage Elixir

Overall, do I like Sauvage Elixir? Yes, I do. Actually, as of now it is my favorite from the series. I give it a slight edge over the EDP, though, that may change as I spend more time with it.

Elixir brings some familiarity, while going in a different direction. The freshness and the spice blend are great here. It doesn’t have a sharp citrus and Sichuan pepper blend up top. The cinnamon and nutmeg are brilliant as replacements.

Lavender is allowed to shine and honestly comes across much better here than in the others. Just a touch of sweetness from licorice, really helps to round out Elixir. I was worried going in, as a too heavy licorice note gives me headaches, but it’s not an issue.

If you liked the Sauvage releases up to this point, you’ll want to give this a try at least. It’s definitely different, though, in an awesome way.

If you didn’t like the other Sauvage fragrances, this one could change your mind. I’m not much of a fan of the EDT original, but really enjoyed the others. This one gets rid of the weakest parts and comes up with something new.

The price may be a deciding factor. It’s currently $155 for a 2 ounce bottle. That is steep for a lot of folks. As such, it may not be one to blind buy.

Dans la Peau by Louis Vuitton

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Louis Vuitton has really ramped up their perfume releases in the past couple of years. I’m still working my way through the collection and posting up reviews. Today’s entry is one of their earliest scents from back in 2016, Dans La Peau. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Dans la Peau Smell Like?

Notes include: apricot, musk, leather, magnolia, narcissus, jasmine sambac

My Full Review

Let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes this perfume: An infusion of leather, an invitation to explore the senses. Traveling often has the power to embolden desire. Dans La Peau imprints on the skin like indelible ink. 

Apparently, Dans la Peau wasn’t a very popular offering from Louis Vuitton, as it’s already been discontinued by the brand.

It opens up with its apricot note, leather, and the narcissus/magnolia blend. The narcissus actually comes across as somewhat spicy in the mix. Initially, I get more of the magnolia and some narcissus. Later, the jasmine comes through a bit more.

However, the floral notes aren’t the lead here. They stick around for the initial stages and then it just becomes a non-descript floral impression.

The apricot and leather are the main stars early on. Then, it’s a musky leather with sweet apricot for the finale. The apricot is almost candy-like here and not a naturalistic aroma of the fruit itself.

I’m used to the usual raspberry and leather combo, but the apricot works very well with this scent.

It’s clean and smooth, with somewhat of a soapy quality. The musk adds to the clean sort of smell in that final dry down period. Sweet fruity/floral sitting on top of musk with the remaining leather still hanging around.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this is a lighter to moderate fragrance. Dans La Peau sits close to the skin without a huge radius of projection. Probably, 4-5 feet away from where you applied it, at its peak.

However, the longevity is pretty good, at just over 8 hours of wear. It’s not a powerhouse, but it sticks around and doesn’t quit early. It should be enough for most purposes.

Seasonally, it doesn’t strike me as being stuck in one season. I don’t know about the hottest days of the year, but Dans La Peau would be fine during the rest of the way. I’d say more of a spring or autumn wear than anything.

It does have really nice versatility because it is so inoffensive. You can wear it pretty much anywhere without issue. It’s attractive, not particularly sexy, but I enjoy the aroma. More of a daily wear to semi-formal kind of perfume.

Overall Impressions of Dans la Peau

Overall, do I like Dans la Peau? I do. I’m not super impressed with this one, but I did enjoy wearing it. The leather note has its moments, but it isn’t a pure leather fragrance. My favorite part is when it does shine and is paired with that synthetic apricot note.

The floral and musk notes are the usual ingredients that you’ve smelled a million times. The musk and apricot is nice, but the floral notes didn’t particularly stand out to my nose. It’s a nice perfume that isn’t elite in anyway.

Performance is decent, but it should be for this price point. It’s not a must have from the Louis Vuitton lineup. Just a nice fragrance with some unique qualities thanks to the fruity pairing with the leather note.

Since it’s been discontinued, if you still want it, you should probably get a decanted sample off of eBay before buying a bottle from the remaining stock. It’s too expensive for most folks, just to do a blind buy. Though, Dans la Peau is a solid scent all around.