dolce and gabbana

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

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.

Light Blue by D&G vs Moschino Love Love Perfume Comparison

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With Light Blue’s massive popularity in the perfume space, it was only natural for people to start looking for similar scents. One option that has emerged is Cheap & Chic I Love Love by Moschino, which delivers a similar smell, at a lower price point. However, which fragrance is actually better? Which has the better performance? Smell? Which should you buy?

Tale of the Tape

Light Blue

Notes include: rose, apple, musk, lemon, jasmine, and more

Click here to try: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue By Dolce & Gabbana For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.3 Oz

Read my original review: D&G Light Blue Review

I Love Love

Notes include: orange, lemon, grapefruit, redcurrant, rush, lily of the valley, tea rose, cinnamon leaves, tanaka wood, musk, cedar

Click here to try: I Love Love Cheap and Chic by Moschino for Women 3.4 oz Eau de Toilette Spray 

Read my original review: I Love Love

Opening

Light Blue opens up with a sharp lemon note, blended with a crisp apple. It is juicy and has a somewhat aquatic feeling to it. The rose note is lighter in the opening act, but it presents itself, and is noticeable to the overall composition.

I Love Love starts off with a juicy and upbeat citrus mix. At first the orange, is the strongest of the lot, followed by the lemon, and grapefruit. There is also a bit of redcurrant and a sugary pinch, to give this perfume some sweetness.

Which one is better? I actually prefer the Cheap and Chic beginning to the D&G’s. The citrus is more balanced, lighter, and has a sweeter finish to it.

Edge: I Love Love

Projection

Neither of these perfumes has a monster sillage. They will project themselves moderately away from the skin, but nothing that is going to overwhelm a room.

The scent trail will be noticeable and the peak strength of each will last for a few hours at least. I think Light Blue sticks to that higher level for a longer period of time and that may be where an advantage comes in.

To me, there was no real difference between them in this aspect, other than the time each spent there.

Edge: Push

Longevity

I Love Love has pretty good longevity on my skin. It lasts in the 6-8 hour range, pretty consistently. The longevity was never great with this Moschino perfume. Though, for the price, I think you generally get a good deal out of it.

Light Blue, on the other hand, would go for 10 hours. The Dolce is the better performer. It’s always been a really good performing mainstream designer fragrance. Nothing spectacular, but it gets through the workday easily.

Edge: Light Blue

Versatility

Since these two perfumes are pretty much the same type of fragrance, there really isn’t any difference in when they can be worn. Daily wears, that are suited for warmer weather. Good casual scent to semi-formal.

Neither is formal or a nightclub type of wear. Mass appealing fragrances that can find a spot in almost anyone’s rotation and get plenty of use in the process.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I like Light Blue. The opening of the lemon, rose, and apple is quite good and is attractive. The performance is definitely better than the Moschino, and it has more depth. The floral notes and the cedar, have a greater presence, and more nuance.

However, I’m not that much of a fan, of its latter stages. The cedar and floral notes, give it an earthy sort of freshness, that is paired with the lemon. I enjoy the citrus, but not so much the other stuff.

I do think it’s one of the better D&G fragrances for women, though. Not the best, but very useful to have on hand in your collection.

I Love Love is pretty straightforward. The citrus is light and beautiful. This is a very happy and bright scent. It doesn’t have the rose note, nor the apple, and the cedar is toned way down.

To me, that’s a plus. There is a light cinnamon and musk, but this perfume really keeps it simple.

The more I compare the two, the more I’d rather smell the Moschino. Plus, I Love Love is usually available for much cheaper. With all things considered, it’s my pick.

Winner: I Love Love

The One Sport by Dolce & Gabbana

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Marching on with my reviews of recent fragrance samples I’ve received, I’m going to tackle a scent by Dolce & Gabbana, that is a flanker fragrance to The One for Men. The One sport is a fresh and obviously sporty take on the original but how does it stand up to its predecessor? Also, what does it smell like, and is it even worth a purchase?

What does The One Sport Smell Like?

Notes include: sequoia, rosemary, cardamom, musk, patchouli

Click here to try: Dolce & Gabbana The One Sport Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

I was a big fan of how the original The One by D&G smelled, in fact, it was one of my favorite scents ever…except for the fact that it lasted less than 20 minutes on my skin. So, I was curious as to what my experience with The One Sport would be in light of the weakness of the progenitor.

Upon first sniff, I immediately recognize a familiar aroma, and it’s that of Deep Energy by Adidas. That Adidas fragrance is another sporty scent for men and it shares a very large part of its character with this D&G cologne.

The notes between the two overlap with the cardamom, musk, patchouli, and a wood note (albeit different trees). Add to that, they are also quite watery/aquatic in nature.

The biggest difference between the two is that The One Sport has a rosemary note and Deep Energy uses citrus. The variation is actually pretty slight and these scents are very close to one another.

So, beyond smelling like a rosemary laced Deep Energy, The One Sport is a pretty linear affair. It’s a very basic scent that doesn’t really develop much personality or surprise you in anyway while wearing it. What you originally smell is essentially what you get throughout.

That’s not to say that I think that it doesn’t smell good. I mean, I like it, but I’m not blown away by the scent. It’s an upbeat and fresh scent with a bit of spice and wood. That’s about it. Straightforward and to the point.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this scent is pretty weak. It is fairly noticeable at first but then dies a quick death. Longevity is about an hour, maybe two, if you’re lucky.

It really does seem like The One Sport was designed to be worn at the gym and that’s it. Maybe casually on a summer’s day.

I honestly don’t know when else you would wear it. It doesn’t really smell sexy, and doesn’t last long enough, to be a workplace fragrance. So, it’s kind of pointless otherwise.

Overall Impressions of The One Sport

Overall, would I recommend The One Sport? I don’t see a reason to own this cologne. At this price point, it is very limited, if all you want to do is wear a fragrance at the gym why not just buy the Adidas scent for around $10? (Update: That’s not even possible anymore, at that price point)

You get basically the same scent and it actually performs better and lasts longer. The One Sport is just about completely pointless. It smells just fine, but offers nothing besides that. I’ll pass.

Somehow they decided to make a sport version of The One EDT, a scent with fairly notoriously bad performance. I know that this hasn’t been available for about a decade, but The One Sport is easily the worst of this D&G series.

Dolce Floral Drops by D&G

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In today’s review, we have another fragrance from Dolce & Gabbana, from their Dolce line: Floral Drops. This one was released in 2015 as a flanker to the original Dolce perfume. So, how does this one smell? What are the ingredients? How does it perform? Is it actually worth a purchase?

What does Floral Drops by D&G Smell Like?

Notes include: peach, apple, daffodil, water lily, neroli, papaya flower, musk, sandalwood, cashmere

Click here to try: DOLCE GABBANA Floral Drops Eau de Toilette Spray for Women, 2.5 Fluid Ounce

Full Review

Floral Drops opens with a very crisp and watery aroma. It’s certainly the green apple in the top note, but the peach is also present. The peach is light but adds that sweet familiar smell. The fruit here, is a nice mix of floral and the actual fruit.

So, you get apple but also neroli and papaya flower, as well. It’s all sort of citrus and vaguely tropical. It’s sweet, summery, but not a sickening candy-like scent.

After the initial top notes, the white flowers move in to the dominant position. I can definitely smell the water lily in here and what I suppose is the daffodil, though, that isn’t a scent that I have a distinct memory of.

It’s all sort of blended together into more of a singular floral scent, rather than stand alone and distinct floral notes.

At its base, Dolce Floral Drops has a very small amount of musk and some woodiness provided by cashmere and sandalwood.

None of these notes come through all that strongly. In the end, it is juicy/watery, floral, and greenish. I do enjoy the almost aquatic aroma, that this one develops, as it moves along. Very nice.

Sillage, How Long it Lasts, Versatility

Projection wise, Floral Drops has a light sillage. It’s an airy sort of perfume and isn’t going to overpower a room. That being said, I did notice it plenty while wearing. Not extreme in the slightest, though.

The longevity is an area in which this perfume does under-perform. It lasted about 4-5 hours on my skin, which isn’t horrific, but definitely not where I’d want it to be.

Trying it a few times, Floral Drops does tend to stay in the 5 hour range, on the skin. On clothing, it’ll give a few more hours. Nonetheless, this perfume doesn’t have great longevity.

Seasonally, I’d call this D&G fragrance, one for the spring/summer months. It’s light, clean, and cheerful. Floral Drops can be worn at work or casually during the day.

I wouldn’t call it a sexy fragrance, but I certainly think that it is pretty enough to wear on a date or on a night wear one wants to be low key. Mostly, it’ll serve as a daily wear when you want something simple and pretty.

Overall Impressions of Floral Drops

Overall, do I like Dolce Floral Drops? I actually do. It’s not super amazing or anything but is a nice take on the usual white floral perfume.

The fruit notes, while light, add a different dimension and make Floral Drops quite an attractive scent.

The only real issue is that this perfume isn’t all that great at lasting for very long. However, if you only need something light and pretty for freshening up, this would be a solid choice.

Floral Drops is a good fragrance for the warmer months, very clean, and pleasant to have on throughout its cycle. My favorite part has to be the initial apple and peach, which gives it more personality than the usual white floral fare.