Loubirouge

To date, my favorite iris perfume. Personal: 9/10 - This is the smoothest, most enjoyable powdery vanilla fragrance I've smelled. Mass appeal: 8/10 – Very approachable for a spicy vanilla. It’s very smooth and enjoyable. Performance: 6.5/10 – Fine. Projects well enough, but definitely doesn't last all day. Value: 6/10 – Expensive, for sure, but the quality makes it very worthwhile if you smell it and love it. Uniqueness: 7/10 – Spicy iris-vanilla isn’t rare, but this execution is polished to perfection, in a way only Louboutin would do. Very pleased despite simple breakdown. SCORE: 73/100 Full bottle buy? YES, one of the better Louboutin releases for my taste. Blind buy? NO, spice and sweetness together can still divide people, and the price doesn't help. Recommend? YES, anyone who loves iris and vanilla MUST smell this! Date night? YES, cozy, intimate, and mature without being heavy. Office safe? YES, applied lightly, though it leans more evening than daytime, even in the cold. Pros: Warm and inviting, smooth spicy vanilla blend, good balance, refined execution. Cons: Expensive, not groundbreaking, limited evolution. Loubirouge blows me away. I'm a certified player hater of purple florals, but this execution is gorgeous. The spicy cardamom is present and gives backbone and depth, while the iris manifests itself as a gentle, powdery accord with a soft reminder of its floral overtones, rather than screaming at you. And the vanilla is a natural, smooth, silky sweet vanilla that wafts, instead of jumping off the skin. What stands out most is the balance. The spices never overpower the vanilla, and the vanilla never turns gourmand or sticky. Instead, it maintains a polished, resinous glow that feels luxurious in a quiet way, and the iris acts as a bridge between the spiciness of the cardamom and the powdery, floral violet. Honestly, it leans feminine despite being pretty similar to Gentleman EDP Boisee, though I think because of its similarity, anyone could pull this off and smell good. I genuinely enjoy it, and it's a reminder that despite not liking certain notes, you can still enjoy a well enough crafted fragrance using them. Most of the time. Review #195 in my fragrance journey – this fragrance I own as a sample

This is my favorite fragrance at the moment. To my nose this is a smooth, Spicy, not overly sweet, vanilla. I am a big lover of vanilla and cardamom and Iris, (all of which are strong in this fragrance) so this scent is very much my taste. I see that many people say this is a “night out” or “formal event” fragrance and while I do feel LoubiRouge would absolutely work for those special moments, I personally would wear this as a signature scent. To me, this fragrance feels slightly dark and mysterious while still being warm and inviting. I do get compliments on this fragrance and can smell it on myself for hours so I personally don’t have a problem with projection or how long it lasts. I know we are all different but to me, this fragrance does not smell similar to Lune Feline. I found Lune Feline to be harsh and abrasive to my nose. On me Lune Feline reads like acetone mixed with leather, spices and vanilla. Perhaps I got a bad sample there? LoubiRouge does not list it on the notes but I do feel I get some smooth incense and soft amber in the dry down. I feel this leans slightly feminine however, I absolutely think this could fall into a unisex category and the vanilla here never ventures into an overly sweet or gourmand territory. I’m completely in love with this scent. I see many people saying it is not unique enough to be worth the price, and I respect we all have a different idea of what that means. I also understand there are many beautiful fragrances at lower prices so spending this amount for a beautiful scent is not necessary. However, I have tested hundreds of fragrances and have personally not found one like this, a fragrance that feels like it fits me so well! I was able to get this at a better price from Selfridges, even with shipping prices to the USA, the price was still a better deal, just thought I’d share that tip for anyone considering this to look into. As far as the bottle goes, I can see how it’s not everyone’s taste, I personally love unique and whimsical things so I adore the bottle itself and love seeing it on my fragrance tray!

Extremely similar to Bois d’argent and Bois d’Iris by VCA.. however this fragrance simply does not cut it. For the price and elaborate packaging, one would expect something that hasn’t already been done. To my nose, this is a feminine leaning Bois d’argent. The vanilla sweetness, which is more apparent in this one, tempers the light spice of the cardamom. It’s a very simplistic interpretation of what could have been a sultry, sophisticated addition to the LV line. Edit: many months after this review, I decided to wear my decant of this fragrance- because why not? Well I’m here to say that this fragrance has totally changed my mind. I caught whiffs of spiced iris, with paper like undertones combined with white amber (the kind that Nemat sells) all day. It melds beautifully with my skin chemistry. In a word: stunning. Maybe I was too hasty in my judgment of her. They say fragrances need a while to “sit” once they’ve been in transit for days. I, of course, simply do not have the patience. Loubirouge comes in a “loud” bottle but the fragrance itself is rather elegant and demure. It’s quiet, yet striking.

Cardamom bomb in the opening! Then smoothes out to a beautiful still slightly spicy lipsticky vanilla. This reminds me of so many fragrances, Remember Me, Changing Constance, Dior Homme Intense, Gris Charnel & the new Shalimar Iris, like a mish mash of those fragrances. No doubt this is super high quality, exceeding most niche i would say. It is also a soft scent, but i wouldn't want this scent profile to be beast mode tbh. Trying to figure out if this would be redundant to add to my collection...Also leans a tad masculine... Update: Performance is atrocious. Worst performing EDP I have encountered so far. Skin scent within 15 min, and after an hour you won't smell anything. I thought Santal Complet was bad but this is as bad as it gets. What a pity as the scent is amazing... Update2: I used up my 4ml decant and I can't get it out of my head so I bought the full bottle. The lipsticky vibe captured my heart, as I have been searching for the ultimate lipstick scent for a while. Here is to hoping the performance gets better as it macerates.....Also, in person THE BOTTLE IS GLORIOUS!

Loubirouge is a very simple fragrance, the notes listed are exactly what you get, and I say that in the most positive way imaginable. I get cardamom, dry iris and a slightly powdery vanilla. I know a lot of people have described this as a sexy fragrance, but I disagree. This is not sexy at all to me, it’s comforting. It's something I wear at home, for me, and only for me. It's so calming and cozy. There's nothing warm in this fragrance, it's actually quite dry and almost "cold" but I still find it so comforting. It's elegant, a little powdery (but not makeupy) and minimalistic. The longevity is decent, about 6 hours. Moderate projection. I have a 4 ml sample that I use very sparingly since I don't want to run out of it. Loubirouge is not available in my country (none of the Louboutin fragrances are), and no online store will ship it here. I don't know why. I really wish I could buy a full bottle. Please, Christian Louboutin, make this available for purchase in Sweden! 9/10.