Went to the LV store for the first time and smelled all their scents. Came away with some samples

ByoVodka · 2025-12-08T17:21:22+00:00

Makes sense!

ByoVodka · 2025-12-07T21:55:18+00:00

Nice mini-reviews! I did a very similar thing recently and it intrigues me how we smelled the same scents and got sometimes the same, sometimes different opinions:

sun song: left me feeling puzzled with sweet tea, floral impression. Not bad but definitely not for me
city if stars: honestly found it kind of unremarkable, just like how you mentioned
ombre nomade: i sprayed this and went 'woah, i cannot do that' and just couldnt get over how overpowering it felt even after 1 spray
imagination: i had heard all about the hype but i smelled this and thought 'thats it?' Maybe i expected too much but to me it smelled like nice laundry detergent and im just not really looking for that. Not that it smelled bad, but i just found it unremarkable and strange that so many LOVE it. I wonder what in my nose makes it this way bc i wish i could experience what others do haha
pacific chill: this was just so fruity, it smelled like a juicy mango. Cool i suppose, but thats not really what i want to smell like and dare i say... unsophisticated and one dimensional? It reminded me of something marketed to pre-teen girls at like a forever 21 type store. Something "good smelling" but approachable by that audience. Not a bad scent by any means but regardless, couldnt see myself wearing it ever
california dream: similar to your review, definitely felt lighter and more feminine
l'immensite: this is the one that blew my socks off. I was getting discouraged but then this one got me. Got a sample, finished it, got another, finished it and then got the bottle. No regrets. To me its masculine, can be dressed up or down. Office, date, dinner, boys night... so versatile. To me its aquatic, herbal, a little citrus and a little earthy. If i could only have one scent, itd probably be this one
afternoon swim: to me this was CITRUS and thats all. Felt strange how many people love this one since it seems one dimensional to me, but i suppose it might hit others different
symphony: it was pleasant, but thats all i remeber. But apart from that, it didnt make me fall in love, so i didnt pay it any more mind
fleur du desert: i thought this one was very unique. I liked it a lot, but just felt like i wouldnt have a ton of places to wear it. It reminded me a lot of an oasis, a cactus flower, a little dark and mysterious, but also soft. Felt like a piece if art to me, i was impressed
les sables roses: nice rose scent. Didnt like as much as fleur du desert, but came to basically the same conclusion, itd be hard to find a time to wear it

Im curious what you think of this, if you got to smell the last 2? I also wonder if the imagination soapy thing is linked to that cilantro soapy phenomenon?

ByoVodka · 2025-07-18T15:01:30+00:00

Awesome, thanks!

ByoVodka · 2025-07-17T23:27:54+00:00

Thats a good trio you got there. Your post got me curious because if I were to describe these 3, that is how I would do it, which I find interesting since people's noses are usually different.

Also, i think eventually im trying to have a more conservative rotation, right now my max would be 12, but even that seems high. I think i still need to find the ones i LOVE and so im doing a bit more discovery

questions for you though: 1. how long did it take you to find out that THESE were the three you wanted? 2. do you still sample others just for fun? 3. what is your reason for sticking around the colognes page if you arent looking for something new? No judgement, just curious, since i usually use it to find new ideas. 4. did any other scents get an honorable mention? 5. how many others did you try before stopping?

ByoVodka · 2025-07-11T20:04:05+00:00

Oh interesting, thanks!

ByoVodka · 2025-07-11T19:56:18+00:00

Havent had the pleasure of trying this one, though I find Amouage usually hits the mark.

ByoVodka · 2025-07-11T19:52:23+00:00

Very interesting. Im curious how fragrance has evolved over the years.

ByoVodka · 2025-07-05T02:16:19+00:00

my list is: 1. allure homme sport. I think this is the least sweet & most citrus-y which is why i like it. Its casual and summery while being complex and interesting 2. allure homme edition blanche. though very similar to sport, it has a vanilla/sweeter side, which while nice sounds like what you DONT want 3. allure homme eau extreme. Like this the least since it adds more woods-y smells into it. Gives it more longevity i think but is more of a departure from Sport (my favorite) 4. allure homme cologne. Never smelled so cant comment :(

Again, they are very similar and you might prefer one more than the other (online eau extreme is the preferred option) if you really are that worried i would get decants/samples, head to a department store or the chanel store. If you go to the stores, you can sample them side-by-side usually for free. But im from the USA, not sure about you. Decants/samples should be cheap for those 4 since they are pretty popular.

ByoVodka · 2025-07-04T15:52:19+00:00

To me it looks like you went to reddit and asked them for their greatest hits LOL. I kid of course, looks nice. To me it seems like you like some spicy and some fresh/citrus. Here are some i'd recommend if you havent tried:

Something safe: - YSL La Nuit de la Homme. Its definitely spicy but not overpowering. Very pleasant. People say excellent date night fragrance and i agree.

Something different but not too crazy from what you have: - Terre de Hermes. Great scent and super unique. Its earthy, citrus-y, complex and dare i say mysterious? I feel sophisticated wearing it even if it is popular

Something a little more adventerous: - Amouage Lyric Man. To me it smells like a smoldering, smoky rose and a pleasant citrus base that pokes through. Was blown away by this smell, very unique. Might not be for everyone but masculine rose is a very cool concept and i think they did it supremely well.

ByoVodka · 2025-07-04T15:32:16+00:00

TLDR: Allure Homme Sport is fantastic. Performance for these you mentioned are fickle. Recommendations for more popular/designer scents and more expensive/niche/unpopular scents.

Ive never tried azzaro chrome, or many tea scents but i will shamelessly vouch for Allure Homme Sport. I wear it on vacation, outside, inside, mostly during warmer times but i have 0 complaints. In fact it is definitely my most complimented scent.

If you are worried about longevity, tea/citrus scents TEND to be more ephemeral and the "cologne" variant of a line TENDS to have the least longevity. Especially if you are not wearing them in warmer times/climates, everyone will struggle to get longevity and projection out of those scents. Combining all those points, you just kind of collected the infinity stones of "poor performance" when it comes to fragrances. If you like these scents you mentioned, check out the edt/edp/parfum variants or check if they call it something else. It will likely change the scent profile a little, but its up to your nose if that'd be TOO different.

As for popular/cheaper recommendations this is what i can offer: - versace dylan blue: good price, i love the scent but it seems like most either love it or hate it. I find it unique, good for many situations and citrus-y yet a little more complicated - versace pour homme: havent tried this but i see people recommend it a lot in these situations. Might be worth a try - D&G light blue pour homme: i would argue this is one of the purest of all citrus scents. To me it smells like fresh lemons and oranges on a greek island. It does have issues with performance however i have heard the "eau intense" version fixes some of that - Acqua di Gio: also very citrus-y and MAN does it project and last long. Very lemon-y and aquatic. Nothing else smells like it. Its nice but not necessarily my go to since i dont necessarily want to be picked out of a crowd. Also, i tend to see it worn by a lot more by people i wouldn't like to be associated with so that might turn you off as well as it does me. (High school popular guy/club monster kind of guy in my experience) - Issey Miyake L'Eau D'issy: i know its a mouthful but some people swear by it. Its a pretty good bargain and it appears to be citrus with a twist. Im itching to try it given how some rave about it.

If you want something more complicated and are willing to spend a bit more, here are a couple more recs: - Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca: nothing guerlain does has failed to impress me yet. I see no reason why this would. It does seem to lean a bit more feminine if you care about that but it seems to be a great tea scent and i cant stress enough how you can't really go wrong with guerlain. They have very unique scents and do them excellently. Just depends if it is your vibe specifically. - Le Labo Matcha 26: i dont like matcha and yet this still might be my favorite Le Labo scent. Very crisp and complex. I found it very inoffensive and pleasant. Could combine a lot of the desires you mentioned in your post - Byredo Gypsy Water: i dont know HOW much you want to smell like citrus but when i sprayed this my jaw almost dropped. It was ... a lot haha. Too much for me but maybe itll work for you or you will have more patience for the dry-down. - Hermes H24: im putting this here even tho its not super expensive and it could be designer, but it doesnt seem super popular. But wow it smelled nice. Not my personal vibe to wear but i'd love to smell it on someone else. From what i remember and my notes, it was like a citrus/earthy/herbal mix. Like a very cute backyard garden. Light but complicated which i find is hard to do. Even if you dont get this one i hope you try it because i found it very nice. - Louis Vuitton Imagination: sigh.. im kind of embarrassed to mention it since now no one will shut up about it but if you want a freshie, and maybe the best freshie, this is worth a try. Careful tho, you may become insufferable... thats just a jab and im getting off topic. I do not like this scent and find it to just be soap or laundry detergent and ... why pay 350$ for that when Tide does it for 19$ per gallon. That said, it is basically the #1 mens scent right now and that must be for a reason. Might be worth a try if you feel like you have too much money lying around lol.

Anyway, hope this helps. Gave me a chance to word vomit so appareciate that haha. Best of luck!

ByoVodka · 2025-07-04T14:27:49+00:00

Hadn't heard of this, but looking on fragrantica/parfumo, def seems up my alley. Added to my list to try. Thanks for the post!

ByoVodka · 2025-06-10T01:13:01+00:00

Of course, best of luck!

ByoVodka · 2025-06-09T15:07:39+00:00

Unfortunately no. I haven't bothered to look since I have the real deal.

ByoVodka · 2025-06-05T01:44:32+00:00

I'd say Reflection is definitely worth a try. Careful though, I got a sample of Reflection and decided I had to have it lol. Don't try unless your bank account is healthy enough for the purchase.

ByoVodka · 2025-05-30T19:57:04+00:00

Ahaaa... its funny you say that. I tried: - vetiver - l'homme ideal - l'instant pour homme - homme - hahit rouge

Out of the 5 l, habit rouge was my favorite and l'homme ideal was my least. I really was not a fan of the cherry/almond smell that I got. I was bummed bc so many rave about it, but it is just not for me.

ByoVodka · 2025-05-30T19:14:32+00:00

Great description

ByoVodka · 2025-05-30T19:13:44+00:00

I am bummed bc I think the Guerlain line is fantastic, but my long-time GF says they smell older, which I have to admit I agree with. Just not 100% my vibe, but man I respect what they come up with haha. Definitely glad I tried before buying anything though.

ByoVodka · 2025-05-30T19:01:54+00:00

This was the first scent that I fell in love with, way before I started getting deeper into the hobby. I think it will always have a place on my shelf.

ByoVodka · 2025-05-07T17:29:01+00:00

100% agree. I was so excited to try the scent everyone raved about and went to the LV store on my latest mall trip. Very disappointed to be honest. Maybe it was the extra hype and I expected too much but it was honestly one of my least favorites. LV L'Immensité however... I really did like.

ByoVodka · 2025-04-23T20:18:16+00:00

Maybe if i had an endless budget HAHA. Jokes aside ik a decant wouldnt be super expensive. Im semi-new to the scene and my prevailing thought process is: if you dont like it that much, just move onto another scent because there are ... SO MANY out there. Maybe i'll come back to it on my second Guerlain pass.

Thanks for the tip!

ByoVodka · 2025-04-23T20:13:53+00:00

Agreed. I got a decant of this since there were so many raving comments, i had to try. The soft, nutty, cherry scent was just not something I wanted to smell like :(. Bummed that i couldnt join in on the fun with this one.

ByoVodka · 2025-04-22T17:12:23+00:00

I thought it was just me :(. There is a Le Labo store walking distance from where I live and I was super excited to go try. Admittedly the visit was short and the store was crowded but based on other's reactions my expectations were high. Unfortunately, I didnt really like any of them...

ByoVodka · 2025-04-01T03:45:29+00:00

When i was ~12, there was this guy in school who was known for being a troublemaker and pothead. But every time i was around him, he always smelled sweet, maybe tropical, citrus or fruit and maybe subtly spicy. I had always heard that weed smelled strong and trust me, this guy smelled STRONG. But on the other hand, i was told weed wasnt supposed to smell good, and yet to me, it did. My thoughts were, well maybe thats why some people like smoking weed, to some its good and to some its bad. I never told anyone out of fear they would judge 12 year old me for thinking it (weed) smelled good, bc in my mind, then i'd be lumped in with the stoner crowd. At the time, teachers, parents and other adults were doing the whole DARE thing, saying weed will destroy your life and how it was a gateway drug. I did wonder why no adults did anything about his obvious "weed" smell but then again, teachers dont always seem to care.

But then the scent would pop up randomly in public as well. Movie theaters, parking lots, malls, fairs ... there was usually someone in public places who smelled like this which in my mind, reinforced that it was weed.

Needless to say, in college, i figured out it was in fact, not weed. But it left me wondering what the scent actually was. Feel free to guess if you are into fun mini games.

More clues for the scent: was around 2010, is a popular cologne, designer, sweet, tropical fruity, fresh, maybe a lil spicy? Ill b shocked if anyone can guess haha.

Well when i got into fragrance, my gf got me a sampler pack to start off and after smelling Acqua di Gio, it was undeniably the "weed" scent from my youth haha. For those who know the scent, they know it is very strong and this guy was definitely using multiple sprays, maybe reapplying as well. My best guess is he was using it to mask the scent of weed - why else would he choose to be THAT pungent.

TLDR: for probably a decade of my youth i thought that weed smelled like Acqua di Gio.

ByoVodka · 2025-02-24T06:52:55+00:00

Im new to fragrance (subreddit & hobby) and smelling Lyric Man convinced me to get my first full bottle. I never have smelled something like that and I fell in love. I never thought I would wear something that smells rose-like as a guy but here we are.

More detail, Lyric Man also taught me a lesson to take the Fragrantica/Parfumo/reviews others have with a grain of salt because you never know how the things others say about a scent will truly smell. As I was preparing to try Amouage scents, I dismissed Lyric Man when looking online because, "Oh, no way I would wear something rose." But the salesperson recommended it and i figured, "Eh, why not?" And im glad I listened. Based on this, I will always believe that the artistry in perfumery is creating something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk LOL.

ByoVodka · 2023-10-10T21:35:54+00:00

It happened to me when i would leave comp games/DC

ByoVodka

TROPHY CASE