LV Lovers

As I'm working my way through the Louis Vuitton catalog, I figured I would stop and take a look at their newest item; LV Lovers. This fragrance has been pretty well received, with most people saying it's one of their best offerings. Some people, however, have said it reminds them of that same "pickle juice" vibe they get from Santal 33. Now I'm not a fan of smelling like pickle juice, so I'm hoping my nose leans the other way on this one. Let's get into it; Scent: The opening is woody, green, and aromatic. The primary notes I get are sandalwood, cedar, bergamot, and galbanum. The strongest of the notes are the sandalwood and cedar. First and foremost, this is a woody fragrance. The sandalwood and cedar together launch a two-pronged assault of woodiness on your nose; in a good way. The sandalwood brings its signature creamy woodiness, while the cedar offers a stronger, pinier, slightly earthy flavor of woodiness. This is followed by the bergamot and galbanum. The bergamot helps to balance out the strong woodiness with a healthy dose of spicy and aromatic citrus. Lastly, the galbanum rounds out the opening with a sharp and softly bitter green accord in the base. Along with these notes I also do pick up the solar notes with just a tinge of that sparkly "suntan lotion" nuance, as well as the ginger for some added fresh spiciness. All of the listed notes in the fragrance are detectable in the opening and work very well together. The dry down is woody, powdery, and fresh. The primary notes I get are sandalwood, cedar, galbanum, and bergamot. The strongest of the notes are still the sandalwood and cedar. Both notes still bring that strong, woody accord from the opening with the main difference being that the creamy nuances of the sandalwood have ramped up to a noticeable powderiness. This is followed by the galbanum and bergamot for the same citric and green accords. The solar notes are still there as well in the background, but from opening to dry down the star is and remains woods. It's worth noting that further into the dry down, around 4 hours in, the fragrance adopts a very fresh, airy, and ethereal aspect similar to what I got in LV Imagination. It's still a very different fragrance from Imagination, but to me they noticeably share that one aspect with each other. One more thing; the fragrance does have a "spicy, pickly" nuance reminiscent of Santal 33 upon first spray, but it burns off pretty quickly; we're talking 5-10 minutes tops. Performance: Initial projection is nuclear and filled the room I was in. Sillage was matching with a heavy scent trail. After about 3-4 hours the projection and scent trail were unchanged. At the 7-8 hour mark the projection was still about 3-5 feet and the scent trail was still noticeable. At hour 10 the projection was about arms length and the scent trail was light but still noticeable. The fragrance became a skin scent shortly thereafter. When to wear: This is an all-season, anytime fragrance. Warm or cool weather, day or night, casual settings or formal occasions, this fragrance will work for everything. Super versatile. Blind buy: If you like woody and fresh scents this would be safe blind buy for you. Do be advised that this fragrance smells different on test strips than it does on skin. So if you do want to sample it first, make sure you wear it on your skin. Final verdict: This fragrance has what people would call "a glow up". That first spray with the "pickly" note is a bit challenging, but that burns off quickly and makes way for a supple woodiness that's very enjoyable. However, after a few hours the fragrance blossoms into something beautiful and irresistible with that same "je ne sais quoi" that Imagination has. LV Lovers is a gorgeous fragrance and would be a easy pick for my LV "Mount Rushmore". So far this, along with Imagination, are the only LV fragrances I could see myself spending that $330 retail price on. If you're gonna drop coin on an LV fragrance, this is a solid choice. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 10/10

Quite possibly the best perfume I own and my current favorite for the last year. Ive never gotten so many complements on a scent before from both men and women. Its light, its airy but its noticeable and very luxurious. IMHO, its a unisex scent. If you are looking for a scent that is loud, or is in any way demanding attention- this isnt the perfume for you. Its best point is in its subtlety. Yes, there are many sandalwood perfumes. Yes, there are better performers, but what sets this perfume apart is the blend of ginger and Im assuming "solar notes" because I dont know what the f that is, but its something Ive never experienced in a scent before. Its a very green take on sandalwood. In my quest to finding a scent identical to Lovers but with better projection/winter performance, Ive tested the majority of the "similar to" section. Its either completely different, lower projection/lasting power - or wishful thinking. The only one that smells similar is santal33 - which Im going to purchase. I dislike the opening papyrus note but it fades quick. Its similar in projection and lasting power imho, to me, its a Lovers sibling, along with santal blanc by VCA. Smells **nothing** like: Symphony, games of spades opal, Liam Lattafa, niche emerati antique, gris charnel, gris charnel extrait, massimo dutti iris irresistible, odyssey by mith bangkok, moncler pour homme, 6 place sant sulpice by ysl. really mildly similar: autumn vibes Margiela Very Similar: Vilhelm dear lord, Santal 33 (dry down identical), Santal blanc VCA (a feminine take on it) Im hoping LV releases a stronger version of this (not likely) or atleast make a larger bottle or one of those travel kits. Its an amazing scent; I just wish it projected/lasted a tiny bit longer but Im very satisfied with the performance.

I see this as the most underrated fragrance from the brand. Unlike the most well-known ones, Imagination and L’Immensité — which I absolutely love and enjoy wearing — Lovers completely leans toward the niche world with a unique and distinctive character. It smells great from start to finish, and especially after the first hour, it becomes amazing for me — creamy, woody, and with a four-season signature-level profile. I truly loved it. In fact, when I came home with the sample strip from the store, my wife and her sister complimented it immediately the moment they smelled it. Among my collection of around 50 perfumes, this is something I rarely experience. I won’t wait too long before adding it to my collection. On the other hand, the performance is excellent for such a versatile fragrance. It lasts around 8–10 hours on skin and, while it doesn’t fill the entire room, it provides a noticeable and refined projection. Except for extreme heat above 30°C or freezing temperatures below 0°C, I think it performs wonderfully across all four seasons. It has a scent profile that fits everything — whether it’s a very elegant wedding, a day at the office, or even a casual meet-up with friends wearing a hoodie and cap. I truly, truly loved it

I really enjoy this. Its a bit more woody than anything I would typically wear. The performance is amazing. It is strong so only a little is necessary but a little bit not only lasts but it really dries down so nicely. Where some fragrances are noticed on clothing but fall flat quickly on skin, this is the opposite. I would not recommend spraying this much on clothes - it really comes alive well with a little of perspiration and with time on skin, this really is great. The accords listed are again, spot-on. If you like woody/powdery scents you will like this. The green/'solar' notes make it more intriguing than straight sandalwood even though this is very woodsy overall. The powdery nature doesnt make this a powder bomb either but it serves well to blunt the strong woodsy nature; it balances out nicely in the dry down. Especially given the price, I would NOT recommend blind buying However, it isnt exactly a polarizing scent either. I would say that spraying on at key points of your body after a shower is all that is necessary. This is quite versatile and with proper application would do well in an office environment and if going out after as well. Signature scent worthy given the performance, uniqueness and versatility.

I don’t get pickles I get an opening of minty pine so I don’t understand how others get a pickles! But I don’t get dill pickle from the opening of Santal 33. So is our sense of smell and our perception of new smells governed by memories or are our brains hardwired differently?! I like Lovers, it’s similar to Santal but it isn’t linear. The drydown IS very similar, it has that soft woody slightly minty thing going on and worn by the right guy this would be stunning! I think Belletrud is very clever, what he’s doing at LV is similar to Serge Lutens, it’s innovative, well crafted and balanced. Expensive? Yes, but these days apart from a very few niche brands main stream perfume for me is finished and for quality we have to pay. I’ve been buying and reviewing perfume for over 50 years and the very best has gone but there are SOME new perfumers who are trying very hard to be authentic and Belletrud is one.