Quick Louis Vuitton Reviews - picked up some decants from these folks. Overall, I'm impressed.
Afternoon Swim & Imagination - Afternoon Swim is Mandarin Orange (sweet) + Sicilian Orange (sour/bitter to me) + Bergamot (really sour). Imagination uses those same 3 notes, and adds in ginger, cinnamon, tea, gaiac wood, ambroxan and a few other things.
They smell somewhat similar, but Afternoon Swim is pretty linear and citrusy the whole time. And that citrus is STRONG. My general reading is that this is the most popular in terms of forums and youtube. Imagination, as one would imagine, isn't as linear. Longevity is okay for AS, and Imagination is longer. I couldn't tell you anything about projection or sillage.
Both are pretty good. Are they so different from most designers out there that they're gonna knock your socks off? I dunno. I like them more than say Nautica Voyage, Mission Wave, but I'd put them on the same level as AdG Profondo and scents like that. If I didn't know they were LV and didn't know the price point, I'd prolly rate them lower. Definitely like Imagination over Afternoon Swim, but they are both really good.
Occassion - Works for everything except clubs. I mean you can spray a ton on your clothes and have it work that way, but I don't think this is gonna be anything that random folks are gonna stop you and ask what you're wearing. I could be wrong though.
Blind Buy - Hell No
Full Bottle - Nah. If I finish what I have now, I might cop another 10ml, but I've got enough for now. If they were priced like Bleu de Chanel, it'd be a no brainer for both. At double the price? I'm good.
Ombre Nomade - Oud is one of those things where I can't really rock it to work, it's not really for a night out, it's not really for dates, it's not really for cuddling up with a boo....but I still kinda like it.
This opening is RASPEBERRY and Oud. But also it's got some sweetness. The oud has the faintest bit of funk, if you know what I mean, but that leaves in about 3-5 minutes (or does it?) The raspberry fades, but the rest of the warm/sweet notes start to become more prominent.
I'm reminded of Fahrenheit and also By Kilian's Dark Lord. So I don't know if that's leather, if that's incense, whatever.
In terms of ouds, Versace's Pour Homme Oud Noir is the easiest to wear, then Tom Ford's Oud Wood, (and Gucci Guilty Oud/Gucci Intense Oud are at this level. Initio Parfums Oud for Greatness is strictly Boss Level. I.E. even if you smell bad, no one can tell you a damn thing, because you'll fire them.
This is a bit spicier than Oud Wood, but not nearly as oud-y as Oud for Greatness.
Occasion - A night out on the solo, weekend shopping.
Blind Buy - Hell no.
Full Bottle - Small bottle and at a steep discount (it's like 300+ for 100ml at retail), maybe?
L'Immensite - Yo.... Citrus + Ginger + Water Notes + something amber-y?/sweet resin? - This might be my favorite out of the bunch.
It really reminds me of Tiffany's Love for Him - which is mandarin, ginger, and something else, but done 10x better. I really like the Tiffany joint, and this is just a better version of it.
Citrus + spice + ambroxan is sort of the "blue fragrance" DNA - but not really...
Occasion - All. Smells good, and I can't see it not working for any situation. It might not be strong enough for clubbing though.
Blind Buy - Hell no.
Full Bottle - I'm gonna look into it, if/when I finish this 5mls. So prolly sometime next year. I'd pay full retail for this. If I see it going for 2 bills, immediate cop.