D&G’s Light Blue is one of the best selling ladies’ fragrances on the market. It was only natural that it would spawn a ton of flanker perfumes, as a result. The main follow up scent, is the subject of today’s review, Light Blue Eau Intense for Women. It was released in 2017. How does it smell? Is the performance any good? Is it worth a try?
What does Light Blue Eau Intense Smell Like?
Notes include: lemon, granny smith apple, amberwood, marigold, and jasmine
Light Blue Eau Intense opens up with its fruity notes taking center stage. Initially, I get more of the granny smith apple note over the lemon, but that will reverse as it moves along.
Underneath this layer of fruit is the marigold, which provides Eau Intense with a fairly light floral, at least against the strength of the fruits. When drawn together, it has a very fresh and engaging scent, that lacks the cedar found in the original Light Blue.
I actually think that this is a nice change of pace from the original. The lemon is toned tone, mostly because the cedar isn’t there to enhance that sharpness.
Instead we get amberwood, which gives Eau Intense an added fresh kick, of a different kind.
For me, this is a fairly linear wear. I pretty much just get a muskier aroma, with added amberwood, and the lemon being the strongest of the fruits. The apple note, probably takes a 40% split.
Projection, Longevity, and Versatility
Sillage wise, Eau Intense, is exactly that. The first 30-60 minutes, this perfume is a bomb. It does settle down, eventually, but tread carefully when first applying.
The rest of the way, it’s certainly not weak, and won’t be a skin scent until the back half of the wear.
The performance is really good. Strong and lasts for a long time. It definitely got up there in the 9-10 hour range, during testing.
For a summertime scent or one for those who live in the tropics, that’s an amazing performance. This won’t get completely eaten up by the humidity and heat.
As I said, this is one for the warm to hot weather. It’s one of those rare birds, that can actually hang in that sort of climate. Of course, that can extend to the more moderate days of springtime, but you’d probably want another daily perfume for winter.
This is a daily wear type of fragrance. One you could wear to work, school, or casually. Not really a nighttime or formal perfume, but one to reach for when you need something fresh. Not a formal sort of scent, but can fit in a lot of different places otherwise.
It is an attractive fragrance, not sexy, but it does have a certain delicious appeal that will draw folks in and get complemented.
Overall Impressions of Light Blue Eau Intense
Do I like this perfume? Yes, I enjoy it more than the original, personally. However, that won’t be the case for everyone.
It is one of the better releases of the Light Blue series. But, one very much like the initial release. If you want a different smelling flanker, Sunset in Salina was surprisingly good.
What I do like about it, is the enhanced apple note, and its boldness. The performance is top notch, with an enticing cleanliness.
For some, that intensity, may scare them off. It can be too much, for those who cannot handle a little sharpness in their fragrances. I think that it settles down, with some time, but you might not want to get to that point.
I would suggest that if you want a lighter version of this or the original Light Blue, go with I Love Love by Moschino. Gives you the fruitiness and cedar freshness, with a more tolerable sillage.
You could also go with Light Blue Forever, as an updated sort of remix of the original Light Blue. Or one of the many perfume which attempt to ‘dupe’ Light Blue.
For anyone else? I would say that this is one to try out. This is especially true, if you happen to live in a hotter climate, as it could be one that you could end up using a lot.
Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.
I just posted my write up of the original Light Blue Pour Homme, and of course, I had to grab a decant of Light Blue Eau Intense to try out as well. This one was released back in 2017, after years of the original being a best seller and a staple of warm weather wear. How does this one stack up? Does is actually deliver intensity? Does it still smell good? Is it worth a purchase?
The opening of Eau Intense starts off quite similar to the original, in many ways, but also as a standalone fragrance. The grapefruit and mandarin are still there, this time without the bergamot note, but the grapefruit is in a ‘frozen’ state.
It is chilled, bright, and sharp. Also, while the original had a peppery note, it is absent here and in the opening I pick up more of the juniper note instead.
One big difference, is the aquatic accord that is present in Eau Intense. It is slightly salty, but much less like an oceanic note, and more of like sitting by a pool with a slight chlorination.
Not to say that it smells strongly like pool water, but there is a familiar hint of that on a summer’s day. This version is chilled and refreshing and I really enjoy that aspect of the cologne.
Update:Coming back to this one, I now recognize the aquatic note to be the same one found in Living Stromboli. That one goes spicy and dry to pair with the aquatic accord, which ultimately isn’t as good as Eau Intense.
I think that it’s the way the juniper berries super fresh aroma, is interacting with the aquatic accord. It becomes heightened, and when paired with the citrus notes, creates a clean and refreshing scent.
Update:New batches seem to be the same. No degraded quality. This part of the wear smells really balanced between that grapefruit, juniper, and the aquatic notes.
There is a feeling of slight spiciness, but not the same sharp pepper, as found in Light Blue Pour Homme. More of a blend of juniper and the emerging musk, stemming from the base of the composition.
As it dries down, more amberwood and musk, come out more and solidify the base of Eau Intense. However, the grapefruit, juniper, and aquatic notes dominate the composition throughout.
It’s a fairly linear and simplistic scent, which is to be expected for a summery aquatic such as this. Nonetheless, the citrus does tamper down a bit towards the end, and the marine notes are able to smell much more oceanic.
To me, the strength of the juniper and the woody notes really help to separate this version from the original. Everything is geared toward being super fresh, intense, while still being usable for when it gets hot.
Yes, the aquatic accord creates distinction, but the juniper really stands out to my nose. I like the grapefruit and mandarin, in the start, and they feel well blended.
Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility
Projection wise, Eau Intense lives up to the name. The sillage is strong for this type of fragrance, it’s not insane or anything, but it’ll be noticeable in the 4-6 feet range around you.
The longevity is also very good, I get about 9 hours of solid wear with it on my skin, but on an old t-shirt it kept right on going along.
For me, the sillage quiets down after an hour or two. It’s not a skin scent, at that point, but feels much lighter and airy. Still, I really dig how this fragrance performs on my skin.
It’s better than all of the other Light Blue Pour Homme fragrances, in terms of performance. It not only outlasts them all, it has more consistent sillage, in the process.
Seasonally, once again it is mainly for spring/summer, but like the original it can be worn year round without any issue. It’s got that same versatility. It can be worn casually or at the office or out on a date. It’s not really limited and is a good all around cologne.
Now, I probably wouldn’t make it a go to for more formal occasions or be a daily office wear. Plus, there are better options for romantic wear, but it can cover plenty of bases otherwise.
Though, in it’s most basic form, it is best used on a warmer day. It’s refreshing, and one that I have been loving to wear casually, during this summer.
So, while it has versatility, I’m going to stick to daily wearing it during spring/summer. It’s been occupying the same role that Eternity Aqua has, for me.
Overall Scent
Overall, do I like Light Blue Eau Intense? I actually like it a lot for a summer scent. It is really great while being utterly simple and easy to love.
I am digging it more than the original Light Blue, as D&G took what was working with that, and then made it better. I like how cold and smooth this one feels versus the spicier original.
The aquatic accord and juniper really add a fresher summer vibe. Not the same spiciness and woods as the original Light Blue has.
Update:To me, this is still the best of the Light Blue Pour Homme line. The more recent releases have given it a run for the top spot, but Eau Intense just does everything better in aggregate.
It also has better strength and staying power. I can recommend and it is a good inoffensive scent for guys who want a fragrance to cover many bases with one bottle.
The dry down, can be fairly musky and has a dose of amberwood, which some might not like. That’s probably the main drawback with this one. It can be pretty synthetic smelling, at times.
However, most people seem to have positive feelings toward Eau Intense. It’s a very good aquatic, that delivers a pleasant smell, and does a fine job at not quitting early.
Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.
Light Blue Pour Homme is a series that is still going on, over a decade after the release of the original. The list is now up to a dozen scents, but which one is actually the best smelling? How do these Dolce & Gabbana colognes rank versus one another? This is my list after extensively testing them.
What are the Best D&G Light Blue Colognes (Ranked)?
Note:The list doesn’t include, an older release, Beauty of Capri. I haven’t tried it to this point, didn’t want to spend money on a full bottle, in order to do so. By most accounts, it was middle of the pack, at best. It’s been discontinued for a long time and is getting difficult to find, anyway.
This list starts at my least favorite and concludes in order with what I consider to be the top Light Blue.
A Volcanic Island
Discover Vulcano– At the bottom of the list, is the unique, but ultimately not very good Light Blue Discover Vulcano.
I do give credit to D&G for trying something a bit different, but its appeal is pretty limited for most people.
Vulcano came out in 2014 and is led by a massive use of cypress and an initial burst of lemon. It can be somewhat sour, dry, and it doesn’t really develop all that much.
Lavender, cedar, vetiver round things out with some ginger spice thrown in for good measure. It’s not completely terrible to me, but the combination of notes and trying to capture the spirit of this island, just never worked to my nose. Vulcano Full Review
Citrus Explosion
Italian Zest– Italian Zest could be ranked a place or two higher on the list. For me though, this is the spot to put it. I did easily like it more than Vulcano, but slightly below the next entry on the list.
Zest opens up with a mass of citrus. It’s tart, sour, and even bitter. Lemon is the lead early, with further contributions from the grapefruit and bergamot notes.
There are the drier and spicier elements. Some incense smokiness, Sichuan pepper, and a musky finish. It’s got plenty of overlap with the original Light Blue Pour Homme, just in a much less likeable form.
As I wrote in my review, “The progression of this scent is: citrus, citrus/spice, citrus/musk/spice, citrus/musk/woods.” It’s all okay, the opening is kind of annoying, but Zest is just a forgettable cologne. Italian Zest review
Ice Cream Blend
Light Blue Love is Love– Love is Love is another Light Blue flanker that went for something a bit different, yet familiar, and ultimately kind of misses out on being a great scent.
This fragrance seems to try to bridge between the Pour Femme and Pour Homme lines of Light Blue. It’s like a mix of the original Pour Homme and Femme Intense. Taking elements of each and adding a vanilla ice cream note in the mix.
It’s sweeter and creamier, with the same apple note that the women’s fragrance uses. It does remain fresh and aromatic without becoming too much of a one-sided scent.
It all sounded better on paper than when I’m actually wearing Love is Love. The smell is pretty good, performance is okay, and it never truly delivers anything all that memorable. Love is Love Full Review
Taking a Dip
Swimming in Lipari– So, this one and the next are essentially tied. I don’t have a particular preference for one versus the other, but I did have to buy a full bottle of the next entry.
Swimming in Lipari is a saltier and marine version of the Light Blue DNA. It shares a lot of similarities with something like Light Blue Sun, in the initial stages.
Grapefruit, rosemary is basically the same as the original. Then, you add a lot of amber and a salty marine accord. Now, you’re swimming. It’s all pretty nice, nothing great, but I did like the oceanic vibe that this one puts off. Swimming in Lipari Review
Living
Light Blue Living Stromboli– I had slightly higher hopes for this one. I got my full bottle and wanted to try it out, as it had an aquatic calone accord. Not a salty oceanic note, but more of a synthetic fresh aquatic aroma.
Well, the pink pepper note really dominates things early. Not bad, but pink pepper isn’t my favorite note. Living Stromboli is a refreshing spice, with an underlying dryness to the entire fragrance.
Patchouli, vetiver, and some very light citrus round things out. The citrus here might be the lightest in the entire series. The watery accord is good, it comes out strong in the back half of the wear along with amber. Living Stromboli Review
Shine On
Light Blue Sun Pour Homme– Grapefruit, bergamot, and coconut give this one its fruity essence. It’s a lighter and ozonic cologne when compared to the original Light Blue Pour Homme.
Ginger is the main spice here, giving it a much less intense kick than the rosemary of the original. Though, that is also still somewhat present.
I like the breeziness here. It doesn’t have the aquatic focus of the previous two entries, but is kind of like standing on the shore, with a nice amount of coconut sweetness blowing around. The grapefruit and the woods, in the base, really finish things off here. Light Blue Sun Review
New Vibes
Light Blue Summer Vibes– Summer Vibes is the new Light Blue flanker release for 2023. To me, it’s in the upper half of the best releases from this line, just doesn’t quite ever reach the top.
It starts off with a lemon note, perhaps with the usual grapefruit, as well. With that, you get the return of the cypress note that is found in Vulcano. This is much better than Vulcano, but it is interesting that these are the only two Light Blue colognes that feature it.
Less of a juicy citrus, more of a light aquatic feeling. Amberwood is also prominent here and Summer Vibes has a nice sweetness throughout. Mostly, you’re going to get cypress and amberwood, with some other potential unlisted woody notes. Fresh woods for the summer months. Summer Vibes Review
Hyper Grapefruit
Light Blue Forever– Forever takes the grapefruit note of the series and makes it photorealistic. Not the same synthetic smelling grapefruit of other releases, this one goes for smelling like the fruit itself, and it for sure accomplishes that.
That grapefruit is joined early on, by another breezy/watery blend, and a dose of violet leaf. That last note, is the reason that Forever occupies this spot on the list and not a place higher up like its successor.
To me, this comes across as being too green and a touch bitter. I still like it, but it the one that they put out the next year, is a better version of Forever. Cool bottle, though. Light Blue Forever Review
The Original
Light Blue Pour Homme– Light Blue edges Forever on the list, basically because Italian Love exists. I feel that Forever is pretty much superfluous, so it gets knocked down a spot in favor of the first release.
The citrus, pepper, and rosemary. It’s so familiar now and you can detect the presence of this formula in most of the flankers that were released pre-2020. Crisp, citrusy, herbal, spicy, with a nice rosewood in the base.
Is it still good? Yes, I think Light Blue still holds up. It’d be one of the first ones that I’d try in the series, before moving onto the flankers. If you’re not feeling this, you probably won’t like most of them. Light Blue Review
Forever Love
Light Blue Italian Love– Italian Love is basically a remixed Light Blue Forever. But, the violet leaf in this one is much more tolerable to me. You also get a bergamot note up top with the grapefruit. It’s a tart and sour mix.
The ozonic breeziness is stronger with this one, less green, and it does indeed give you more of a blue-ish impression, like the bottle shows.
Italian Love is everything that was great about Forever, just enhanced. For that reason, it grabs the number two spot on the list. Italian Love Review
The grapefruit has now gotten a ‘frozen’ element added to it, making this cologne feel colder and sharper than the others. I also like that it’s very aquatic, but not too salty marine. To me, it was always like being by the pool on a hot summer’s day.
Juniper, amberwood, musk keep this one fresh and interesting. Not as spicy as the original, but Eau Intense does indeed still have some of that peppery influence.
D&G has still yet to top this one and it is still selling strong, all of these years later. Eau Intense Review
Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.
Light Blue Pour Homme has spawned off about a dozen flanker fragrances since its release. One of the earliest ones was 2012’s Living Stromboli. I had never tried this scent out, but as I’ve been working my way through this D&G series, I sought it out. I was able to find a bottle for $50 to test out. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is Living Stromboli worth a try?
Living Stromboli opens up with it’s pink pepper note out, in full effect. Yes, it’s a warmer and spicier type of aquatic fragrance, especially early on. It is interesting, however, how vetiver and patchouli are the two notes that I also get a lot of in this beginning.
The patchouli isn’t nearly as heavy, just giving this a light earthiness, sitting underneath the calone aquatic notes. Vetiver and the pink pepper are pretty dominant on my skin giving this a drier freshness, with some almost smoky elements.
The citrus here, isn’t out in front, as it is in many of the other Light Blue flankers. It’s there, just in a supporting role, seemingly diluted in the watery aspects of this cologne.
Further along, Stromboli moves into its more aquatic phase. The patchouli and vetiver really back off in this part. Geranium and amber emerge to join that pink pepper note, which is present throughout.
This isn’t oceanic and salty, as something like Swimming Lipari is. No, more of a thinner ‘blue-ish’ aquatic smell. Clean and synthetic, just not a marine-like sea water.
The final dry down is a mix of the water and amber. It’s much less spicy on the skin, more of an aromatic fresh feeling. Still a sense of dryness from those note, just much less intense.
Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility
Sillage wise, it’s a lighter moderate scent. About 45-60 minutes of wear, in which it will project well, and leave a scent trail in one’s wake.
After that, it’s a lighter cologne that’ll project about 2-4 feet from the skin. It’s about what I expect with these Light Blue flankers. Even if, this one is constructed differently, the EDT still have about the same strength.
On my skin, Living Stromboli will stick around for about 6.5, maybe 7 hours in total. Again, in line with the others from Dolce & Gabbana.
Seasonally, we’re going late spring and summer for this one. Obviously, as a refreshing aquatic, this is when it’s going to be at it’s best and most useful. Outside in the warmth, Living Stromboli has a lively and blue ozonic aroma that is nice to catch a whiff of.
Mostly going to be a casual one to wear around during this season. Stromboli is a daytime wear, that could venture out into the evening, even if it’s not a nightlife beast in its main use case.
Overall Impressions of Living Stromboli
Overall, do I like Living Stromboli? It’s fine. It’s a fairly simple spicy fresh aquatic fragrance. Something pretty different from the rest of the entries in the Light Blue Pour Homme lineup.
The pink pepper note works fairly well, but I’m not too enthralled by it leading the way. I do like this sort of calone-laced aquatic, but I probably would’ve preferred a citrus-led formula with the spices playing support, instead of what it actually is.
Still, the dry down is pretty appealing, when the spices are somewhat muted. An ambery aquatic aroma that hangs lightly in the air. Somewhere in the middle of the pack, as far as Light Blue Pour Homme editions go.
It’s not too amazing, but may be worth a try for guys who this formula sounds interesting to. There aren’t a ton of bottles left floating around. Though, the one’s that are, have been priced affordably. Better options exist, but this isn’t a massive disappointment for the $50 I paid.
Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.
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?
What does Light Blue Pour Homme Summer Vibes Smell Like?
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 EDPand 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.
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.
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.
Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.
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