prada

Prada Paradoxe vs Candy Comparison

by

Prada has multiple popular lines of perfumes available. It’s great if you can get all of the ones that you want, but for many of us, decisions need to be made. Paradoxe and Candy are two of the best sellers for this designer. In this post, I want to compare them and try to break down for you which will be the better option to buy. Which lasts longer? Which is ultimately the top fragrance.

Tale of the Tape: Prada Candy vs. Paradoxe

Prada Candy

Notes include: caramel, musk, and benzoin

Click here to try: Prada Prada Candy Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, 2.7 Ounce

Read my original review: Prada Candy

Paradoxe

Notes include: neroli, pear, tangerine, bergamot, orange blossom, white musk, jasmine, vanilla, amber, benzoin

Click here to try: Paradoxe by Prada

Opening

Prada Candy, sweet with a darker aroma to it. It doesn’t have the intensity and swaps in caramel to be paired with benzoin and some musk. Very pleasant with that familiar sweetness and the fuzzy benzoin.

I love the benzoin note here and it strikes me as being sort of like a more feminine version of Body Kouros, which is actually a Yves Saint Laurent cologne.

Paradoxe opens up sweet also, fruity, and luminous. The neroli is going to be a major factor in that first half of the hour, as the floral note.

On me, that quickly shifts more into the orange blossom’s direction, as we enter the middle act.

The fruitiness comes across more like an artificial candy versus a pure natural fruit. Some sparkling pear is in the mix, but lots of citrus influence (tangerine is the most powerful fruit, early) for the start of Paradoxe.

This will become more floral after the opening burst. Again, for me I get more orange blossom, even versus the jasmine. Neroli still has a presence, but the orange blossom is stronger at this point.

Which do I prefer? I’d have to go with Paradoxe. The simplicity of Prada Candy is nice enough, but the depth, sweetness, and variety of notes really gets me involved with Paradoxe.

Edge: Paradoxe

Projection

To me, Candy was always a lighter moderate fragrance, that I never felt needed to be heavy, create a massive scent trail, or totally project itself across the room. It’s just not in its character, nor would it be too pleasant.

It’s lighter qualities really makes it more enjoyable, in my mind at least.

However, if we’re comparing the two, Paradoxe has a much stronger scent and greater ability to project. It’s much more substantial than its compatriot. It starts off strong, then, is slightly above average the rest of the way.

Edge: Paradoxe

Longevity

Candy is a scent that has slighty better than average performance, on skin. But, not much above middle of the road. For me, I always got about 6-7 hours of wear out of Candy during my testing of it.

Now, Paradoxe, was significantly better than Candy. Though, not elite in its own right. It seemed to at least hit around 8.5 hours for me and could go up to 10 hours.

Pretty darn good and definitely gives you some value for Prada prices. Paradoxe takes this category.

Edge: Paradoxe

Versatility

Both of these fragrance are at their best in autumn and winter. I think that Paradoxe can venture further into the springtime versus Candy.

Paradoxe is the better daily wear. Though, it’s not much of a pick for the nightlife or romantic wear. Though I don’t think Candy is super sexy or anything, its fun and flirtier vibe will work better at Night.

Candy can also work in the daytime due to its lightness, but it isn’t the most formal scent ever.

I think Paradoxe has a bit of an edge here, due to its daytime use case. It’ll fit in more places, cover more bases, and has a greater use in the warmer weather than Candy.

Edge: Paradoxe

Overall Scent

Overall, which is the better perfume? It’s a pretty easy win for Paradoxe, in my book. I’m not even a super fan of this perfume, but it does just about everything better across the board than does Candy.

Candy is a fine perfume. I enjoy its scent, but I’m never completely blown away by it.  The sweet and salty caramel is nice, the benzoin fuzzy and somewhat powdery aroma is attractive too.

For some people, it can be a good pick up with a simple and straightforward wear.

The opening of Paradoxe is interesting and their are layers that I enjoy. The latter stages are balanced with the orange blossom and jasmine notes. It’s slightly soapy and quite clean, with the sweetness and vanilla still having its say.

The performance is better and most people seem to like it overall versus what you get with Candy. Paradoxe takes this matchup.

Winner: Paradoxe

Prada Paradoxe vs. Intense Comparison

by

Prada released Paradoxe in 2022 and it has already become one of the more popular fragrances out there. Obviously, they were going to follow it up with subsequent flanker releases. The first being, 2023’s Paradoxe Intense. I suspect more will be following. However, until then, I want to do a comparison post between these first two. Which smells better? Lasts longer? Is the right one to buy?

Tale of the Tape: Paradoxe vs. Paradoxe Intense

Paradoxe

Notes include: neroli, pear, tangerine, bergamot, orange blossom, white musk, jasmine, vanilla, amber, benzoin

Click here to try: Paradoxe by Prada

Paradoxe Intense

Notes include: pear, neroli, bergamot,  jasmine, moss, ambrofix, vanilla

Click here to try: Paradoxe Intense by Prada

Opening

Paradoxe opens up sweet, fruity, and bright. The neroli is going to be a major factor in that first 20-30 minutes, as the floral note.

But, on me, that quickly shifts more into the orange blossom’s direction, as we enter the middle act.

The fruitiness comes across more like a candy flavoring versus a pure natural fruit. Some sparkling pear is in the mix, but lots of citrus influence (tangerine is the strongest fruit, early) for the opening of the original Paradoxe.

This will become more floral after the opening burst. Again, for me I get more orange blossom, even versus the jasmine. Neroli still has a presence, but the orange blossom is stronger at this point.

With Intense, you get a bit of a different start. It is still sweet, but it lacks the tangerine and orange blossom aspect. More neroli, with a balance between the pear and bergamot.

The other very noticeable differences are the jasmine and the moss note. The fruitiness is toned down, but between that and the moss, I do enjoy this initial fresh quality versus the candy fruitiness of the first Paradoxe.

It’s clean and you have hints of the substantial amber accord already popping up.

Which is better? It’s a close call. While I enjoy the orange blossom and the sweetness of the original, I have tended to favor the opening of Intense during testing.

It’s simpler and I enjoy the light fruit notes with the neroli, jasmine, and moss. All together, that smells quite nice.

Edge: Intense

Projection

I don’t find either of these fragrances to be particularly massive with how they project, hang in the air, etc. I’d say that each is well above average in the first hours.

Then, they’ll be more moderate. Noticeable to you, just not screaming for attention from anyone who’s not very close.

Between them, Intense does have a bit more power behind it. Not much more, but it is noticeably stronger, when I spray it on a shirt sitting across the room from me.

Edge: Intense

Longevity

The performance of each of these perfumes is great. Paradoxe seems to have a wide range of outcomes, in terms of hours that it lasts on skin.

For me it’s like 8.5-10 hours of wear before it completely goes away. The last 3-4 hours are just a slight musk, floral, and some amber. But, it is still there.

With Intense, it can go 11 hours and maybe a little past that. But, it hit double digit hours, each time that I used it. So, maybe an extra hour or two on the skin. That moss really hangs around.

Edge: Intense

Versatility

Not much difference here. They cover similar use cases, which is fairly vast, as both are solid daily wear options for a lot of people.

Seasonally, Intense is better in the winter. Paradoxe is better in the summer. However, neither are built specifically for those seasons. Slightly cool temperatures to slightly warm, is the sweet spot for each.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

So, overall which Paradoxe fragrance do I prefer between these first two entries of the series?

To start, I don’t think either is amazing. But, I find them both enjoyable and above average across the board.

While I do slightly prefer the opening of Paradoxe Intense, I’m going to have to go with the original, based on the whole experience.

The Intense opening isn’t a massive difference, but I think that Paradoxe smells better in the middle and dry down periods, than its flanker.

Intense goes mossy, jasmine, amber, with some vanilla to finish things off. Clean, kind of soapy, with that moss and amber really coming through. Actually, its the ambrofix, a lot have brands have been using which adds a further woody aroma to the scent.

Paradoxe Intense sort of reminds me of a Cartier release, during the back half of the wear. Like, one of the La Panthere perfumes (not as good), can’t remember which specifically though.

Meanwhile, Paradoxe dries down with more of a balance than that very sweet opening. It’s soapy, but goes with orange blossom, as its floral centerpiece. Though, more of that jasmine will come into play.

It’s fresh with it’s light musk note, still has some sweetness, less of the amber and vanilla (still present, though). I just like the orange blossom more than the jasmine note. And fruity sweetness to the moss.

There isn’t a large gap between them. If you don’t like sweet, you might consider going with Intense and it’s stronger performance. But, how everything plays out, I like the original.

Winner: Paradoxe

Luna Rossa Ocean EDP by Prada

by

The Luna Rossa series from Prada continues with the recent additions of the Ocean flankers of this line. For 2023, the brand released Ocean Eau de Parfum, a follow-up to the fairly popular EDT entry. I recently purchased a travel sprayer size of this fragrance to test out. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it better than the original?

What does Luna Rossa Ocean Eau de Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, wood, incense, vanilla bean accord, amber extreme

Click here to try: Ocean EDP

My Full Review

Here’s how Prada describes it: Luna Rossa Ocean Eau de Parfum combines intense sophistication and sensuality through pioneering technology and nature’s finest ingredients. Opening with an invigorating burst of grapefruit essence, contrasted with the woody vibrancy of incense and a rich Vanilla Bean accord.

The opening of Ocean EDP gave me high hopes that this version would take the highs of the original and flesh things out more. It opens up somewhat like that initial release.

However, we get a grapefruit note to start things off, as our citrus ingredient. Not the same as the original, still, there is a closely related blue-ish sort of aroma here.

Not as sweet, lacking the caramel and suede influence, but I like the way it kicks things off. Still smooth and a bit powdery. Tonka bean and iris aren’t listed as notes officially, but there’s enough of that Ocean EDT influence to make me believe those notes are present.

But, that opening is short-lived, after a few minutes it really shifts into a slightly smoky vanilla and amber fragrance.

Initially, this will be a sweet, smoky, and spicy blend with some woody freshness. The spice will fall first, then the smoke, and you’re left with what this one is really all about.

That being, an amber and vanilla blend with woods and a general sweetness about it. Warm and it gets smoother as you go deeper into the dry down.

There does seem to be a phase where Luna Rossa Ocean EDP is sort of screechy with its sweet/amber mix, but seems to resolve itself.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The ability to project and leave a scent trail, in your wake, is pretty much the same as with the original EDT. Now, that first initial 20-30 minutes might be a tad stronger, and the first hour might be a bit more steady. Outside of that, not much of a difference.

Though, EDP does have a slightly heavier feeling due to the amber extreme and vanilla notes, versus the iris dry down of the EDT.

The longevity here is also about the same. On my skin, it sticks around for 5-6 hours of total wear. Like its predecessor, Ocean Eau de Parfum isn’t a great performer. It’s about average and nothing more.

I tried again and again, in different conditions with this one, and still only hit around that six hour mark.

This one is still very versatile with its use cases. I’d say, it’s not as good as the original in warmer weather. I like this more in the chilly temperatures or something more temperate.

It’s good for daily wear, casual situations, or going out at night. Ocean EDP doesn’t strike me as being all that formal, but it’s fine pretty much anywhere else.

Overall Impressions of Ocean EDP

Overall, do I like Luna Rossa Ocean Eau de Parfum? I do to some extent. I’m not enthralled by it, it smells fine, and I don’t want a full bottle.

The Ocean lineup thus far is annoying with its performance woes. Plus, I’m tired of getting lured in by that opening act, just to be unimpressed by the rest of it.

Seriously, every time that I’ve worn this or the EDT, I enjoy how they start and think I may want to wear it more often. Then, the back half comes in and it’s completely middling.

I also think the ‘oceanic’ theme could have been done differently with these to make the name fit. Though, the EDT’s blue-ish opening is better suited to that name.

The amber and vanilla thing has been done a million times before…and much better. Coach Platinum, Invictus Victory, probably some of the Armani Code’s are all sort of like Ocean EDP’s dry down. Luna Rossa Black has a similar style, but way better.

It’s fine, a nice enough fragrance, that is overpriced at retail level. With a substantial discount, I wouldn’t be opposed. But, I do think this is one of the weaker Luna Rossa scents, that Prada has put out.

Luna Rossa Ocean EDT vs EDP

by

Luna Rossa Ocean has been a fairly successful flanker for Prada. Enough so, that they have released an eau de parfum version of it. Ocean EDT, while it smelled very nice, was not without its faults in the performance department. Has the EDP solved the issues? Which cologne smells better? Which is the better buy?

Tale of the Tape: Ocean EDT vs. EDP

Luna Rossa Ocean EDT

Notes include: bergamot, iris, pink pepper, artemisia, lavender, sage, suede, saffron, musk, vetiver, caramel, patchouli

Click here to try:  Luna Rossa Ocean at Macy’s

My Full Review: Ocean EDT

Ocean EDP

Notes include: grapefruit, wood, incense, vanilla bean accord, amber extreme

Click here to try: Ocean EDP

My Review: Luna Rossa Ocean EDP

Opening

Ocean EDT uses bergamot and some other light citrus notes, in the opening. It’s fresh and juicy.

The usual Luna Rossa lavender note, is actually lighter in this composition. You get a smooth sweetness of suede, caramel and tonka bean. I don’t think those notes are officially listed, but their aroma is definitely in there. Perhaps, as a part of the ‘saffron accord’.

The main floral note here is the iris. Along with that suede quality and juicy citrus, you will get a fresh and aromatic aroma, with a touch of the lavender.

Smooth, sweet, spicy, but actually not an aquatic, just a ‘blue’ impression.

Ocean EDP begins somewhat like the original. This time, this citrus is a grapefruit note, but for a few minutes I still get a very similar blue-ish vibe out of this newer release.

Still smooth and a bit powdery, though the tonka bean and iris aren’t listed as notes here.

But, that opening is short-lived, after a few minutes it really shifts into a slightly smoky vanilla and amber fragrance.

Which is better? I was excited upon initially spraying the eau de parfum. I thought that I’d get a similar and hopefully longer lasting start than the EDT. That’s not how it worked out, however.

I think that the original Ocean is still better, as it gives me more time with it’s awesome opening act versus EDP.

Edge: Ocean EDT

Projection

Both of these start out with a sillage in the upper moderate end of the range. Nice projection and very noticeable for those around you. Yet, each will also collapse much closer to the skin within an hour or two.

Very light with how they project thereafter. Sure, you can still detect them, but both Luna Rossa Ocean’s are more intimate wears. EDP did not improve upon this.

Edge: Push

Longevity

With the original Ocean, I get a total of 4-6 hours of wear on skin. Now, it gives me 2-3 hours wear it is noticeable, the last few are purely a skin scent.

Is the EDP an improvement? Not during my testing. If anything, it matches what you get with the EDT at best. But, it might even undershoot it. Though, I’m not entirely sure that I’m not just going ‘nose blind’ with EDP. I don’t think so, as it does project much off clothes I’ve sprayed it on either.

Spraying on clothes, it will hold up better, much more in that six hour range. Nevertheless, it’s basically an even draw again between these two.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Both of these colognes are very versatile and can work in a multitude of seasons. Maybe EDT has a slight edge, as I think it’s somewhat better in the warmer weather than is the vanilla and ambermax combo found in Ocean EDP.

Otherwise, each is safe and can fit in to scenarios day or night. Neither is really going to offend anyone or come off as being inappropriate to a given situation.

Edge: EDT (slightly)

Overall Scent

Overall, which of these do I prefer? Honestly, I think the EDT is better than this newer release. Even if, there isn’t too much separation between them. Sure, different smelling fragrances, but the experience is similar.

The opening act of the EDT only lasts around an hour on my skin. The back half of the wear is quite weak and not very exciting. Iris, lavender, and a soapy clean musky aroma is what to expect. Not great and held me back from making a purchase of it.

The EDP doesn’t do much for me, beyond that opening 10 minutes or so. It goes really quickly into the vanilla, amber, and light woods blend. It’s not all that powerful and doesn’t seem to last any longer than its predecessor.

The amber and vanilla thing has been done a million times before…and much better. Coach Platinum, Invictus Victory, probably some of the Armani Code’s are all sort of like Ocean EDP’s dry down. Luna Rossa Black has a similar style, but way better.

Ocean EDP does smell nice. I again liked the opening, but there’s nothing here that keeps me interested.

For the price, I don’t really care for it. Ocean EDP doesn’t smell bad, it’s just not worthwhile, in my mind.

If you absolutely want to have one of these colognes, I’d go with Ocean EDT. At least you’ll get a nice smooth and sweet wear for an hour out of it. I really wanted each to be better than they actually are. Both are fine, just never can touch that elite level.

Winner: Ocean EDT

L’Homme L’Eau by Prada

by

In today’s fragrance review, we have a flanker fragrance from Prada’s L’Homme line of scents: 2017’s, L’Homme L’eau. The question begs, how does this one stack up? What are the notes? What does it smell like? Does L’eau perform well? Pease continue below, for my full take, after wearing this one around.

What does Prada L’homme L’eau Smell Like?

Notes include: iris, amber, cedar, sandalwood, neroli, ginger

Click here to try: Prada L’homme Prada L’eau for Men Eau De Toilette Spray, 3.4 Ounce

prada l'eau review

My Full Review of L’Homme L’eau

The opening of L’Homme L’eau is really quite fresh and features iris, neroli, and the wood notes also peak through at the start. To my nose, it doesn’t have as much iris as the original L’Homme, but it is fairly strong towards the beginning of the wear and is present throughout.

I get more wood in this one than its predecessor, with less amber, and some added ginger. I will say, on clothing, the ginger really pops and L’eau has a spicier kick than on my skin.

The is a cleaner and more refreshing take on the original cologne, the powdery accord is heightened, and it’s not as light of a fragrance as one might expect.

L’eau is an airy sort of scent but isn’t insubstantial and actually hangs around with its other L’Homme mates, quite well for the first 3-4 hours of wear. The amber in this flanker is light and doesn’t create a warm cloud of scent, like in others.

As it dries down, more I can pick up some of that light ginger spice, but I still get that baby powder/make up powder smell, that it has a few minutes in. L’eau is definitely a floral led scent, with the neroli and iris, becoming more balanced within the composition as it moves forward.

It’s a very straightforward cologne and you know what you’re going to get from this one in short order.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, as I said, the sillage isn’t bad but its not particularly strong. L’eau is a fragrance that you can spray plenty of and not really worry about choking out a room. It does eventually work its way into a skin scent.

It floats around with a refreshing quality that is better than its predecessors in warmer weather.

The longevity for me was somewhere around six hours. Again, not great, but serviceable. Although, I expect a bit more a Prada prices. That’s probably my main gripe with this cologne. I wish it lasted longer. I understand that it’s not a heavier fragrance, but six hours isn’t great.

L’Homme L’eau is sort of a year round scent for me. It doesn’t feel out of place nor does it get ugly in any particular season. Again, I do like it when it’s warm out, and I’ve been wearing this in the early days or summer to great effect.

It’s a very pleasant fragrance, that is great for office wear or more formal occasions, and could easily become a simple go to on the daily. If you want a light and fresh fragrance to wear to work, Prada L’eau really fits the bill.

Is it sexy? Eh, it’s clean, and inoffensive but not really ‘sexy’. This isn’t one to really reach for when heading to the club. But, it is attractive enough that one will receive complements and inquiries as to what it is you’re wearing. 

 

Overall Impressions of L’Homme L’Eau

Overall, do I like Prada L’Homme L’eau? I do. It actually smells very nice, if you’re into powdery scents. It’s yet another Prada, with iris and amber, so you might already know what to expect from it.

The performance is okay, but not anything amazing, and it is pretty linear also. It would be a really good office scent. As a daily wear, I’d also be into wearing it for much of the year.

Is it worth the price? Probably not for me, but if you really want a slightly different take on the Prada L’Homme line, it might be for you. For the price and performance, I like it, but probably not going to be worth it.

Update: I’ve come back to this one in 2023. I had a store credit at Macy’s, so I bought a full bottle with that. I like it a bit more now. Still, not my favorite, but I did want another clean and simple wear for the warm weather. This fits a similar role as YSL L’Homme does in my collection, but more refined and with better performance.

The performance hasn’t changed and everything is as I remember it during the first incarnation of this review, from years back. 

I don’t think this is one I’ll wear everyday. Though, I have really enjoyed it in the past week or so. Great versatility and stays low key.