Lucius

I normally don't criticize other people's opinions on fragrances. At the end of the day, tastes in fragrances are quite unique and subjective. But Lucius reminds me of this Star Wars show called Andor. Some folks call that show boring, but in truth there is so much depth and a lot going on with the plot moving forward that I dare to say "objectively", people with a lack of attention span may fail to notice follow through. So it seems like a simple thing on the surface, but the depth it offers is immaculate. That's how I'd describe Lucius. I don't see anything boring, generic, or dull about it, and I like my energetic and daring fragrances. So what is this fragrance about? This is a citrusy, ambery, pink peppery, white floral, woody fragrance. On the surface, quite generic, right? Nahh, let me explain. The citrus part is just in the opening. High-quality, bright, fresh, juicy bergamot and mandarin with an added sweetness and spiciness from the pink pepper. If you do not like pink pepper, though, you might not like this fragrance straight away. Town & Country vs. Lucius Now, some people compare it to Town & Country, and though they do lean around the same realm with how the citruses are delivered and how both fragrances have the Baccarat Rouge DNA. Town & Country is more powdery, soapy, ambergris- ambroxan heavy, while Lucius is sweeter, ambery, and woody. The citrus on Town & Country sticks for hours, while the citrus on Lucius is just a complement in the opening. Keeping on. After the citrus waft, orange blossom, amber,, and pink pepper start to mix. This blend is extremely masterful, expensive, elegant, sophisticated, and smooth. It is in this part that Lucius starts showing its own uniqueness. It seems simple from the notes, but there's so much depth and dimension. You can pinpoint how they are using the best of the best and blending them mathematically. Jordi Fernandez is the perfumer of this fragrance, who has made the most famous Maison Crivelli, Ex Nihilo fragrances, and I like how he mentions how important is the science in the process of creating this fragance. Now, let's get into the drydown, which compounds the vetiver and woody aspect, or, well, the cedarwood used in here. There is what I call a 3rd dimensional aspect in the wood that I found quite curious because it is such a thing that you rarely get below this price point. Let me explain it my way: imagine someone chopped off an exotic wood taken from some exotic place. They made the wood rectangular and clearly smooth in the cut, and they let the wood sit inside some smoky floral ambery barbecue with a light vetiver touch?, You are then offered to smell this stick or piece of rectangular wood as if it you were smelling some habano (do not get confused, there is no tobacco aspect in here), and that moment when you smell it your brain kind of automatically compute and agree with fact that you are smelling a third dimensional object, somehow you feel that even without the wood in your hands or being offered, ust by the blindless smell of it, you know the wood has body-- A geometry that resembles a hard rectangular wood. What I mean, in sum, by all this crazy description is that the wood or cedarwood has a lot of body and a thickness to it, it has a geometry, and you can pinpoint it. It's masterfully crafted. Of course, you do not smell this in the sillage or projection; you have to smell it up close to notice it, but either way, it is part of the build of this fragrance. Lastly, the amber and tonka bean in the drydown. This is mainly an amber fragrance, but there is this point in the deep drydown where the amber turns candy complemented by the tonka bean sweetness, almost gourmand. Like a candy ball made of sweet amber, it melts into the thick, square woodiness. The vetiver mixed with candy amber makes the fragrance provide an aura of sweet smell like if it were reminiscent of a cigarette package, but there is nothing tobacco about it though. Conclusion: Personally, I think there is an impressive quality and depth in here; it has its originality, its own thing, contrary to what "boring" alike posting here. About the price point, yes, it's high. I bought it discounted, and because of my good contacts, I paid $260 for it. For that price, I think it is great. But that $435 retail price... I do agree that it is a stretch. You pay for the luxury and the top-notch unboxing experience, though; even the bottle is super luxurious. A box worth keeping. Lastly, the people worried about performance. The performance is great, but I did have my doubts in the beginning. At first I thought the performance was lackluster, but now I don't think so about it. The fragrance is an extrait de parfum and clearly macerates and improves with some usages and by keeping it sheltered in the dark throughout the months. I think at this point, performance-wise, I consider it semi-nuclear. I say this understanding people who do not believe in maceration, though. Each on its own. This is absolutely NO placebo for me. 10/10 as a scent. The price removes half a point, 9.5/10.

TLDR: This is the best thing I have ever set my nostrils on. Review starts at third paragraph. When I embarked on this journey over two years ago in an effort to find only two of the very greatest fragrances that I'd genuinely spend my money on, I found the first quickly into this obsession. As someone who is still quite young, I'm enticed by fragrances that slightly go against the norm. I want someone to walk by me and realize a brand new smell that they may have never felt before. I wanted to be my own man. So, I started researching fragrances like a maniac. I purchased samples and such, looking for the one that would change my life. The very first example of that came in the form of Tony Iommi. I knew about Fragrance du Bois before, having tried Oud Orange Intense. I liked the idea of it, but almost forced myself to fall in love becuase it was different. But did I really enjoy it? Not entirely. So imagine my face as I enter Neiman Marcus the next time and see this black glistening bottle and am told it's fresh and dark. Okay, I give it a shot. For those that don't care about all that, here is my review. I spray it on. It begins like every single other classy fresh niche fragrance you can think of. So I don't really think much of it. I try plenty other fragrances in there and leave. A couple hours later I leave the mall and the Florida heat lights up the fragrances on my skin. Or better, I should say fragrance, singular. There was one looming above the rest. And it was this. My goodness that dry down is truly one of a kind. This fragrance serves to fight the norm that freshies are basic, because my goodness, I was speechless. This is me. This is the smell of a man that is rebellious, yet refined. This is something dark, yet lights up and radiates in the heat. It is something that is so complex that my head kind of can't get around it, and honestly I apologize for not giving you, the reader, a better description of the fragrance. I will get a bottle of this the very next chance I get.

Lucius is luxury and it’s to be expected with the price you’d be forking out. From presentation to the quality of ingredients, everything is of the highest tier. Many have this misconception that it’s this super dark masculine fragrance but it’s as versatile as can be. Scent: Initial few times I wore Lucius I was very put off by the opening as that pink pepper spiciness was overbearing but the more I wear it, the subtler it becomes. Now, I get lightly spiced citruses before that pepper blends into the heart notes and that dry down of luxurious amber, woods and bergamot with a light touch of earthiness and leather to give it a super rich depth even though leather isn’t stated (but it’s what I smell). Performance: I’ve seen some people say that Lucius performs quite beastly but for me it’s bang average. Nothing crazy with decent projection till it becomes a skin scent at about the 4 hour mark. Versatility: Super close to getting a perfect score here but I do believe during hot summer days the amber-y sweetness could become a tad cloying so do still spray with consideration. Other than that I can’t think of any occasion where Lucius WOULDN’T work. Scent: 10/10 Performance: 6/10 Versatility: 9.5/10 Personal Score: 9/10 Easy entry into the top fragrances in my collection just based on richness of scent alone. Leaves a scent trail of wealth even if the price point does require you to have some wealth.

I really quite like this. Despite not smelling like anything else I own, it’s not particularly unique or different and yet it has a combination of elements that just work. I’d class this as a masculine leaning, easy wear, versatile fragrance that could serve many purposes. Plus it’s by one of my favourite perfumers - Jordi Fernandez. I can’t say I’m too keen on the initial opening but it settles down after a few minutes. You’re then left with some warm, candied citrus notes, combined with some sweetness, a slight floral heart, underpinned with some woods and what seems to me like an ambroxan base. I can’t compare it to anything and yet it still smells a little mainstream but that’s not a criticism as it’s well done and is very wearable. If there were issues with performance in the first batch, that’s certainly been rectified now. I sprayed some on my hand the first night and it was still faintly there in the morning and my skin is rubbish at holding fragrances. It maintained a persistent trail all the time I was wearing it. The first time I wore it out to a meal, a lady complimented me on how good I smelt and a colleague complimented me a few days later. Many might see this as a generic masculine leaning fragrance that’s well overpriced but, for whatever reason, I just think it’s a great, versatile fragrance that I’m sure I’ll get much enjoyment from.

I don’t have much to add that other reviews haven’t touched on. The opening is a beautiful peppery citrus scent that hits you like a truck. After which it evolves into a pleasant citrus/pepper infused amber drydown with an underlying woody scent. Unfortunately for myself after the initial opening, i go completely noseblind to the scent unless i consciously sniff where i have sprayed it, so if you are someone who likes to be able to smell a scent long after you have sprayed it, this could also be the case for you so it is worth trying a sample on skin before buying. The performance is still great though as i received compliments long after i applied it even though i couldn’t smell it on me. I would say it doesn’t project very far, it sits more in a kinda small bubble around you. The one comparison i haven’t seen anyone make which i was very surprised about is how similar the drydown ends up to Matiere Premiere Vanilla Powder Extrait. I recently purchased both and for me the similarity is there. Both have this very distinct and potent vanilla scent on the drydown, only Lucius doesn’t list any vanilla in the notes and is more vanilla-adjacent rather than Vanilla Powders all out vanilla scent. Unusual but very similar if you happen to own both give them a try side by side. All in all it’s a beautiful unisex scent that i would say fits for daily wear. 9/10

I have had my nose on a lot of fragrances as we close out the year and I found myself wanting a scent that was versatile not just relegated to one time of the year or to just one event. Also - I see all the references to Town and Country and I get the familiarity. But I want to focus on what makes this different, why you might add this to your collection and all the situations it may work in. Let me also add this, there are only so many fragrance accords and combinations to create wholly unique scents so there is bound to be redundancy. That being said, and coming from someone that owns all the scents that this similar to - this one is different. This scent is fresh, clean and more citrusy to my nose than the others. The spice, while there, is toned down with more focus on the orange flower component. The amber and tonka bean are light from the start and remain from beginning to end which is very different than the named scents which stay fairly linear in how they develop. You can wear this all season, any reason. You're not going to overwhelm anyone and you may even go anosmic to it, but its there. Beautiful composition. Not redundant to have this one any the others. Good longevity. Intimate sillage. 4.2 overall rating (make sure you grab on the gray market from a reputable seller for ~$200 or less as that is the price point I feel is best)

Lucius is citrusy, spicy, ambery, and woody, and an absolute banger of a fragrance. It’s very masculine, deep, warm, comforting, and I receive comments in my elevator every single time I wear it - people want to know what it is. You can wear this all year round except in the swampy heat, day or night, and it’s office safe. On my skin I get around 8 hours, with strong projection for the first couple of hours, then it dials back to about an arms length for most of its life before becoming a skin scent. As it dries down, the citrus and orange blossom becomes less pronounced, but you're left with this incredibly powdery and aromatic cedar and a resinous, vanilla-forward amber ping pong match with clean vetiver complementing both notes perfectly. I wouldn’t call it a “masterpiece” fragrance because ultimately, there’s existing scents that do spice, citrus, amber, and woods, but its execution is pretty flawless...I'd say it's my favorite of the bunch. Very nicely done, and you should at least sample it. 9.4/10 PS: The presentation is stunning - it's looks like where a vampire would sleep. I actually saved the box!

This scent has been compared to: Town & Country Speed Legends BR540 Bal D'Afrique Absolu Afnan Supremacy Dior Homme Parfum BDC E'xclusif Dior Sauvage Elixir Haltane Oud for Greatness Viola Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme And many more. My point is, people are saying it's generic and its comparable to X. But there's no true scent that actually smells like Lucius, which brings me to the point that this is a rather an original take, and not simply a re-hash of a simple DNA. There's definitely a familiar note to most modern scents out there but if the composition consists of Amber, Ambroxan, Woods, Vetiver, and Citruses, you are definitely gonna have some similarities to 80% of the fragrances out there. This is a scent cocktail done right. If you want a unique, challenging niche experience then this is not for you. But if you want a niche scent that is high quality, crowd pleasing, masculine leaning, inoffensive, and versatile then Lucius fits that box perfectly. Additional notes: This last 8-12 hours for me (12+ on shirt). Ambroxan can cause nose blindness so how much you spray and how you spray it matters.

Absolutely love this stuff. Scent profile wise it’s nothing groundbreaking but I still find it to be relatively unique, and I’m yet to ask someone to smell it who hasn’t liked it. Opening gives off a sweet but aromatic blood orange vibe and that amber is there throughout for me. As the citruses die down in strength a bit, the cedar comes out more and it helps make the fragrance super balanced- would probably be a dry cedar on its own but it doesn’t come across that way due to the makeup of the scent. The citruses are still slightly apparent up until very late into the wear, but they certainly die out a bit and the scent lends itself to be a sweeter woody amber. Not super similar scent wise but same vibes as BDC L’Exclusif. Performance is great as well- hot days can do 2 sprays because of pressurized atomizer, but this should hold up in the colder months as well. Great take on a basic DNA that I think will continue to get very popular

A quick update to my original review. Performance, on skin moderate, but holds forever on fabric. Bottled scent seems to be getting stronger the longer you have it, keep that in mind if youre having performance issues. Can be very overbearing if sprayed carelessly in hot weather. Starting with Citrus, Spicy, Fresh and Clean without having that cheap shower gel, citrus cleaner or marine inspired smell, then Woody and Sweet without being overwhelming or heavy. Opens with very bright almost gourmand citrus (reminds of Xerjoff Naxos), with spicy pink pepper and mandarin. Turns into sensual cedar, amber and tonka bean in the drydown, while the top notes still give it a spicy clean fresh hint. All year, wherever whenever scent. Signature scent. Price point is on the overpriced side. But this one just spoke to me, unique enough in what it is to justify price point.

Beautiful fragrance, not overly unique, but really stunning. The citrus opening is sharp and bright and slightly synthetic but in the best possible way. I can see why some people might say ‘screechy,” but you have to accept that is part of the beauty of this frangrance. The scent stays bright through the dry down which is a slightly creamy cedar and orange blossom with a hint of the original lingering citrus. Although it’s not a beast my any means, the scent jumps off the skin with energy. I understand the comparison with BR540, but I have both bottles and I much prefer Lucius and it’s really not close. To me, BR540 is much more feminine and I have trouble picking up the scent at times. If price is a concern, there are I more wallet friendly options, but this is a luxury purchase. I would rate it 9/10 which price and projection costing it a point.

Really beautiful sharp sour citrus with fresh cedar, crisp amber and all wrapped up in a blanket of soft slightly powdery pink pepper. Bergamot is very bright here, mixed with the mandarin creating a really lovely fresh and sour effect. That’s the wow factor for me here, intriguing smell that’s very addictive. The orange blossom does emerge to add just the right amount of white floral sweetness. *Sigh...another BR540 comparison, no it does not smell like it, nor does it smell like T&C, maybe ever so faintly you’d get a hint but not enough to compare. I find it closest to Nobel Cavale but still very different. I also suspect there’s vetiver here, the clean variety not the earthy rooty type. FBW for me, Enjoy!

I've got to touch on the subject that this is anything remotely similar to BR540 & anyone who says this is on another planet or never tried legit BR540 cause these two fragrances are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of being similar. Look, I get it, fragrance is subjective as it gets but these two are NIGHT AND DAY! Please, don't bank on my take or the next guys but I'm willing to bet you won't find any similarities. In fact, it's not even listed in the "reminds me of" section, so obviously I'm not the only one who feels this way. Sometimes I think people come here just to 💩 on a fragrance without even trying it first. Unfortunate cause there are people who depend upon these reviews.

Beautiful, masculine citrus with hint of sweetness. Honestly LOVE this, it is effortless, sexy and just present - absolutely safe to blind buy. The only issue I have with this scent is that it just doesn't last as much as I would like it to for the price point. I can get a smell of it throughout the day but I have to go heavy on the spray in the morning. Funny enough, the sweetness it has slightly reminds me of imagination by LV which I have - not the perfume itself entirely (imag. is soapy, this isn't) but the trail it leaves when you move - has that sweetness that the imagination tea note has too. Love it!

Whewww this is a good one! Lucius has that clean, soapy amber note like Dior Ambre Nuit- but instead of the jammy rose, you get a fresh (slightly green) white floral from the orange blossom. Lucius is a little too sharp on the citrus for cooler weather, but this is going to be a summer banger!! The cedar does pull masculine in the opening but as it dries down it lands squarely in the unisex territory with the sweetness of the orange blossom peeking through. Overall, solid release. I can't see how anyone would find this offensive, so I would say this is a safe blind buy if you like soapy amber scents.

Ugh, I like it a lot and this fragrance house is so good. Definitely get that beautiful citrus, woods, amber and tonka profile. BUT I'm having a hard time digesting the price for the performance it gives. I have to put my nose close to skin to smell it. Just weak projection. I could overspray of course but when you pay FDB prices you shouldn't need to! Torn on whether or not I'll keep it. Edit: Okay, this actually got stronger on my skin the longer I wore it... I don't think I've ever experienced that before. Lasted at least 5 good hours. I give it certified banger status 10/10

Probably my shortest review to date. @Smellycat801 NAILED my exact thoughts on it. I will only add that cost-benefit may be slightly up for Lucius, and that this pinch of Haltane they picked up is probably the same I would highlight from OFG and even, honestly, Baccarat - saffron perhaps? Thankfully, it doesn't perform like T&C - I get solid 8h from it with sufficient projection for about 1-2 hours. Fantastic signature! Either way, my exact thoughts! Very happy to have bought this instead for the added versatility year-round and also since I already had another FDB.

Citrus, Spicy, Fresh and Clean without having that cheap shower gel, citrus cleaner or marine inspired smell, Woody and Sweet without being overwhelming or heavy. Opens with very bright almost gourmand citrus with spicy pink pepper and mandarin. Turns into sensual cedar, amber and tonka bean in the drydown, while the top notes still give it a spicy clean fresh hint. Thought the performance to be moderate, can be overbearing on hot summer days. All year, wherever whenever scent. Signature scent. PS: Bought it on essence garden for 268 Euros, code "EG20".

Does not smell like OFG or BR540. At all. This is a sharp citric, but creamy woody orange blossom soapy amber frag. The comparisons on this site are inaccurate at very best. If anything, there is a slight comparison to vertus bois et cuir, mancera cedrat boise. But there is this cold high end orange blossom and cedar vibe. I would call it closest to bois et cuir, with cedar and a very very good orange blossom note. It's a signature scent along the lines of aventus, but doesn't really smell like aventus.

Yes it's expensive. Yes it's very versatile, can be worn year round. Sure, it doesn't project like a monster, but it smells super luxurious and lasts a good 6-8 hours with 4 sprays on me, with the last 4-5 hours being skin-ish scent, can still be detectable in your scent trail. It will get compliments from others. Your girl will wonder who tf they're dating or married to. This is a total gate keep. You don't want others smelling like you, so just tell them you're wearing Polo and leave them guessing