Hands off, thumbs down (Dolce & Gabbana: Light Blue, Eau de Toilette)

Name: lillamarta

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Product:	Dolce & Gabbana: Light Blue, Eau de Toilette
Date:	22/02/08 (143 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Long-lasting

Disadvantages: Average, boring, unimpressive, dry down turns vile

Launched: 2007
Group: Citrus Aromatic

~ Introduction ~

A couple of months ago I bought Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue gift set for my sister and the shop assistant popped in a few of extra samples in the bag including Light Blue Pour Homme. Having found the ladies version nice and interesting will I give Light Blue Pour Homme the benefit of the doubt? Let's find out.

~ The Packaging ~

The name of the fragrance evokes the Mediterranean sea and the dazzling white limestone cliffs as a backdrop. The box follows the theme with a solid greyish light blue colour and silver engraved lettering. The box looks attractive though I found the bottle plain and unimpressive made of a chunky, cylindrical and dome-shaped milky white glass. The top and its blue lid sit on the 'dome' somewhat oversized. The whole appearance of the bottle doesn't say elegance to me but rather a certain cheapness and drugstore quality.

~ The fragrance ~

Top notes: mandarin, juniperberry, grapefruit, bergamot

The citrusy, warm and slightly spicy opening notes strike the right balance of a fresh citrus fragrance. Light Blue's start is not too bland, not too overpowering and will suit most skin types.

As opposed to most scents the top notes faded quicker than usual, and in a matter of minutes there was a only a subtle green tone of bergamot left of the fresh citrus notes. The scent did grow more masculine in the next 10 - 15 minutes when finally some spicy notes of black pepper became apparent.

Middle notes: black pepper, rosemary, rosewood

Light Blue's heart is still fresh but accented with green spiciness and a slightly sharp aquatic aroma that reminds me of wet vegetation. Just half an hour later I notice the first woody moss aroma that deepens the composition even more. There is a slight powderiness surrounding the middle notes and over time the heart gets warmer, rounder, more powdery, green and spicy and less and less sharp. The fresh green notes of bergamot seem to be still lingering on and the soothing, soft spiciness of rosemary adds a sun dried hay character to the scent. This middle phase smelled nice, though very average, just like hundreds of other drugstore eau de cologne to me.

Base notes: oakmoss, musk, insense

After about five hours, which I consider a long time for an eau de toilette, the base notes started to emerge. The scent became soft and turned down compared to the top and middle notes and a distinct, clear aroma of musk blending with some darker, wetter tones of moss.

I was beginning to think I had a low key blend on my hands only to be surprised by the unusual aroma of ash-like insense coming through. At first it was light, almost sweet smelling and reminded me of Elisabeth Arden's Spiced Green Tea, then it got more powerful started to smell like burnt rubber or ash. A few minutes later it blended into the other notes of the dry down producing a fairly solid, smoky and rubbery finish that stayed close to the skin and lasted throughout the day.

~ Conclusion ~

Starting from the first impressions of the fragrance that were too short-lived to appreciate to the aromatic but too ubiquitous heart and the strange, aggressive dry down, the fragrance smells of mediocrity and boredom.

To sum up, a disappointingly bland, uniteresting and average eau de toilette. The latest male fragrance from a designer house that in the past 13 years have only come up with two other fragrances for men in between should have fared a lot better.

Composition: 3/ 5
Originality: 2 / 5
Staying power: 4 / 5
Overall rating: 3 / 5

~ Price / where to buy ~

Boots, fragrance and department stores:

£25 / 40ml Eau de Toilette
£35 / 75ml Eau de Toilette
£45 / 125ml Eau de Toilette
£18 / 75g Light Blue Pour Homme Deo Stick

Thanks for reading.

©powered by lillybee

Summary: An average, one of a hundred fragrance.