Lü Bu

Intoxicating! I absolutely adore this fragrance especially the explosive opening.... Rolls my eyes back kind of thing and instant love! I was wearing Ganymede and did one spray on my hand and it overtook ganymede in a hurry. This fragrance is an adventure and the notes are not as crazy as they appear on paper. I don't get "blood" per say but i do get a mineralic vibes with iris. The blast of clove and "gun powder" discharge smoke is off the rip and that is very short lived. About as long as blowing off a a magazine from a pistol with the residual smoky discharge that lingers in the air. Once that smoke discipates, the cloves and iris show their colors with vanilla in the background. This deep dry downs into a real nice dark vanilla and tonka spiced nuance. If you hate cloves and vanilla, stay away from this. The opening is wow factor artistry for me. The notes look more wild than the fragrance really is.. I can see kind of Musc Ravageur vibes off especially after the opening. Its a broody vanilla and a bit mystery/badboy vibe. People commenting a steamy blood bath..... I can get that imagery if I work hard on it but it really isn't as wild as that. The hate is wild to me.... so obviously this is polarizing and not for everyone! Definetely worth sampling and you will fall on one side of the fence or the other. Seems to be either a love or a hate type of fragrance. When to wear this is a tough one... kind of like Musc Rav if you are familiar with that. Its a wild statement piece that is unique and slap you with a "what is that!?" type of scent. Bold and powerful... Mysterious and intoxicating... But the deep dry down is a safe darkened vanilla. I'd wear this in the evening going out where I want to draw attention and feeling bold rather than playful or laidback. This is not for the faint of heart.... if you are not feeling the charisma of being "The One" or dominant figure in the room, then this fragrance will wear you and it won't work. I look forward to more wears of this and will be grabbing a full bottle after this journey. Not one to ever wear in warm or hot weather... this is cold weather only. This is perhaps one of the most dominating fragrances I have ever experienced.

Sora Dora Lü Bu – A Warrior’s Scent Beyond the Narrative Lü Bu is a fragrance that tells a story with its choice of bold notes, but for me, it's much more than just a reference to a legendary Chinese warrior. While the listed blood and gunpowder might shock some readers or reviewers, I feel these notes are more about setting an image than being literally present. What shines through is a truly addictive blend in the tradition of classic sweet, spicy, smoky, and balsamic scents. The sweetness here is nuanced—a distinct almond cookie vibe that never crosses into the territory of being overly gourmand or cloying. It's comforting, gently nostalgic, and at the same time sophisticated. The much discussed 'metallic' undertone doesn't hit harsh or cold. Instead, I perceive something almost dreamy, like a glass of milk poured over ice—creamy but subtly cooling, a texture more than a flavor. As Lü Bu develops on skin, a smoky, tobacco-like atmosphere emerges. This smokiness is both present and understated, working as an anchor and adding depth rather than overwhelming the composition. It's evocative—imagine the scent of good, fresh paper, and then the faint, burnt edges of that paper after a fire is swiftly snuffed out. This interplay between balsamic richness and controlled smokiness keeps the fragrance intriguing and wearable. Overall, Lü Bu may lean into its warrior tale with dramatic notes, but it ultimately wins with its artistry: a balanced riff on beloved sweet, spicy, and smoky genres with clever nods to almond, tobacco, milk, and paper. It’s wearable, unique, and unexpectedly well-rounded Performance is superb - Over 8 hours easy | Can't tell about projection since I work from home but seems to be decent without being overwhelming I personally feel that Lü Bu deserves all the hype that Tales of amber has been getting in the latest weeks - Don't get me wrong, Tales is a wonderful fragrance and Le Helley's work is masterful - But Lü Bu is superior in my opinion

Incredibly underrated. It tells such as story! It is certainly not for the novice. The opening might come off a bit strong. It's necessary to communicate the story however. This is inspired by the Chinese warrior, the immortal man. There is Ash, blood, everything we would expect. You can smell the atmosphere, the aftermath, of the war. But there is also iris. And a little bit of sweetness. Animalic. It's very similar to Tonka Hysteria and Filthy Musk. Very sexy in my opinion. So what does it all mean? Yes there is strength in this composition, but there is also sadness here. Melancholy. I find myself being drawn to fragrances like this a lot. Not on purpose of course. Happy accident perhaps. In regards to this fragrance, it is almost like reincarnation does not exist for a warrior like this. There is resistance to this. Resistance to acceptance. He, instead, is making the environment his final resting place. So you get the smell of the ground, the atmosphere in the air, a little bit of the trees. All of it. So there is an aromatic quality to the fragrance as a whole. If you identify with any of this, you have to try this out. I would consider it masterpiece quality. But you have to be ready for it. You will find this repulsive if this entire concept is not for you. This is for darker and introspective people. It's not a happy fragrance at all. Nonetheless, it is beautiful. Heavily underrated. If you consider yourself cool in any regard, I highly recommend you try this and prove it to all of your friends.

Edit: This is one of the only fragrances I’ve been able to smell on myself by the end of the day! I kept getting whiffs of this beautiful smoky vanilla and clove scent wrapped around me all day ❤️ WOWWWW this is breathtaking! It opens up with smoky, velvety vanilla and cloves enveloped in a cloud of gunpowder. The base of woods, tonka bean and almond gives it a rich, warm depth. You get whispers of the paper and metal notes as well, like ancient scrolls with elaborate calligraphy and a battle-worn sword. This brought such vibrant imagery to mind for me and I love the inspiration for the fragrance. It feels like a battlefield that has become still and quiet, the smell left on clothing after walking through billowing clouds of cannon fire, temple rituals, contemplation, and aged paperback books. This is how I imagine a warrior who’s part of the nobility with a tragic past they don’t speak of and a mysterious scar in a fantasy historical fiction novel would smell. Someone like Guts from Berserk, Sephiroth from FF7, the Ghost of Tsushima universe. Ancient scrolls on parchment, warm smoky vanilla, rich nutty almond, metallic and velvety. Antique, ceremonial clove incense burning in a palace, a warrior removing their armor and changing into a thick cashmere cloak while fire crackles. There’s a celebratory feast but it’s silent save for silverware clinking and weapons being stowed away. Warmth and shadow. War banners blowing in the wind, drumbeats keeping time while an army marches home.

Arguably the best modern vanilla. This is one of those fragrances that if you pay attention to you can pick out the notes in the layers. The top and opening is clearly gun powder, almost incense like. The middle is a very soft iris, it's feint but there. And the bottom you can tell apart the vanilla, the almond, and the woods. Alot of fragrances kind of blend together (at least to me) where they become one smell, that doesn't happen here. This gives it a more complex profile then you might assume at first glance, something you have to work for. Once you find the iris, and the gun powder drys down, it becomes an incredibly pretty fragrance. Personally I'm glad this isn't something disgusting, as normally I like some stink, or something off putting in the fragrances I buy. But this evolves into a beautiful scent after the dry down in a way that is still provocative with the metallic blood scent, and the delicate iris mixing in a way that's photo realistic, or at least thought provoking. My only gripe with it is that after some hours it reminds me of tomato soup, it's not exactly like it but it was the first thing that came to mind once I noticed it. Either way, it's an incredible fragrance that if you can take the time to learn will be very rewarding.

whoa, this is nice, unique and very interesting, I was very unsure from the notes at first, but this is a very seductive iris, vanilla/tonka, almonds, blood and gunpowder combo that just works there's something violent but at the same time peaceful about this, the gunpowder/blood combo brings a metallicness, sharpness and smokiness that surprisingly balances everything really well, mostly on the spray and early dry down though, it eventually fades and leaves a nutty, sweet gourmand base while still keeping that sharpness and metallic edge from the blood/gunpowder in the background super unique for a vanilla gourmand, and honestly seeing how many gourmands are out there right now, it's really refreshing to come across something as interesting as this

This might be the kind of fragrance that heavily changes depending on your skin chemistry. Nonetheless it is super intriguing, despite not being what I initially expected! The initial spray is very gunpowder heavy and smoky, with spicy and sweet undertones. Kind of like a spiced incense which quickly fades. This is where it really took a surprising turn and became a very dusty, powdery blend of iris, vanilla, almond and clove. Very smooth and deep, with a lingering weird metallicness from the blood and gunpowder. I expected something way more graphic or polarising from the reviews, but this is beautiful and perfectly wearable to be honest. Very complex and distinctive, dark vanilla scent, unlike anything mainstream that I’ve smelled

A thick fog hangs outside. In her old, slightly dusty mansion, a very wealthy old lady has been burning moth paper. Her vanity is crammed with vintage powder and other slightly expired cosmetics from another era. She is making her way down into the cellar when she slips on a damp concrete step, knocking into a barrel packed with gunpowder. A cracked skull, velvet blood spilling across the floor. And in her place, as if by some strange magic, luxurious irises begin to grow, filling the whole room with a powdery, smoky, cold, and wickedly beautiful melody. This is how I visualize SORADORA's Lü Bu. Somehow this story is still comforting and you want to smell it more and more. Absolutely in love!

Absolutely loved this. Truly love at first sniff. I smelled it first time without looking at the notes listed here, and what I smelled was this: Started as a smoky, slightly bitter opening with hints of vanilla, and then developed to a smooth paper texture, gradually showing more sweetness. The base is very seductive and pleasant, as the vanilla + almond combo work extremely well. Throughout the whole trip you could smell a lingering metallicness, but not blood. Never trust these Fragrantica notes, as they can work as placebo before actually trying out the fragrance you wanna smell next. 10/10 for me, no blood or straight gunpowder scents, but there was smokyness and metalicness to it.

Love at first sniff. This is what niche perfumery is. What a magnificent scent. I went to my local niche perfumery to buy another perfume and came out with this wonderful creation in my hands. On my skin there was a soft and sweet metalic smell that actually reminded me of blood sometimes, like when you have a small cut on your lip. The base notes are wonderful. Not incredible sweet, like other Sora Dora fragrances, you can feel the almond mixed with the tonka bean with the woody note. Honestly, the paper note is marvelous... all that has to do with this perfume is an acquired taste. Give it a chance. 100% recommended, really.

I was looking for a perfume that combined gunpowder, blood and flowers, and got it as a suggestion based on the notes. As I tested it on a paper first, the reaction was ugh. However, after trying it on my skin and walking around in the fresh air for a while, I realised that I couldn't get enough of it. The gunpowder opening was quite strong but faded rather quickly, leaving a faint aftertaste and developing into a mix of warmth of vanilla, tonka beans and iris. I still cannot figure out where the blood note is, but I've been in love with this masterpiece ever since. In the end, getting the full size was absolutely worth it.

A big fan of Sora Dora but indeed the marketing iconography in LUBU's campaign were messy in the cultural appropriation arena. Reframing this to solely center Chinese heritage at its heart would rectify this. On the scent, I don't know if Margaux Le Paih Guérin is reading us, however I am clapping her for pushing the scent profile agenda with LU BU and I appreciate the house's approach to step away from its gourmand top earners to more adventurous releases. The film "Shadow" by Zhang Yimou, with its misty landscapes and mesmerising fight sequences comes to mind. Both dynamic and melancholic.

Very thick and delicious. The blood note is just an accord, it doesn’t mean it’s contained in the fragrance. Very characteristic SORA DORA DNA. It’s beautiful and long lasting. It has that it factor that makes the scent memorable and seductive. It’s sweet and spicy, a bit powdery, floral as well. A fantastic Iris adorns the heart 💜 Almond and Tonka Bean are key in this. There is nothing really weird about the composition. Unisex? Absolutely. Try it out and don’t judge this book by its cover.

This was included in a pack of samples I bought. I would have never gave this a chance based on the notes but wow. After that initial blast of confusion, it really settles into this unique spice and it's hitting a spot in my brain that is triggering satisfaction. I guess I'll have to expand my note preferences to include everything because sometimes what looks like a 'yes' ends up being a 'no'. And what looks like an 'absolutely not' turns into a 'wtf yes'.

I have no idea why anyone would find this particularly offensive. To me it is a pretty nice iris fragrance and therefore a bit papery in the beginning. It has a tiny bit of smoke at first, but it is not peaty or dirty in any way in my opinion. The base is very vanilla centric and reminds me a lot of the Sora Dora also by Margaux. Performance is insanely good. I am considering the full bottle. EDIT: I got the bottle :)

My favourite from the brand, although don't be fooled by the head and middle notes. At start it's a papery Iris without any sweetness and creamy feel. It's rough and a bit sour. But all of this is supported by vanilla gourmand base, that for me is identical to cinnamon corn flakes. And it's steel very wearable! Longevity is great, not offensive but comes with you through whole day.

I’m not sure what everyone else is getting, but this sits as a beautiful, powdery, metallic iris on my skin. The opening gunpowder is strong enough to burn my nostrils but as the dry-down begins there is a tantalizing interplay between the scent of fresh paper, cold metal, and iris that lasts quite long before dissolving into a smooth tonka bean & vanilla.

Ah, a scent only a true warrior can understand. I'm in love with it. Not a safe blind buy and not for the mainstream crowd. In fact, the first time I tested it I felt it was too much. I came back around like 8 months later and it's phenomenal to me now. So enchanting. It evokes love and hate, power and weakness, victory and defeat.

This fragrance made me realize I love a metallic bloody note. I loveee eau de protection from ELDO and now I need a bottle of this for fall. Blood and flowers. Divine.

But I'm only human after all I'm only human after all Don't put your blame on me Don't put your blame on me this is what i imagine when i smell the fragrance