Top Notes 
Bergamot
Ginger
Petitgrain
Heart Notes 
Chinese black tea
Geranium
Frankincense
Base Notes 
Musk
Ambroxan
Gaiac wood
radicool
4 Reviews
radicool
Helpful Review
8
HOLY IMAGINATION, BATMAN!!!
Jumpin' Jesus, this one is SUPER close to the OG. Can't recommend picking this one up enough, there are samples available if you are skeptical.
Let me start by saying I am a nurse who works bedside in a hospital. I can't really wear most of my collection there as it has to be subtle and NOT offensive for the sake of being professional. I could technically get in trouble and nursing is stressful enough. Anyway...
Imagination is the perfect DNA as it just smells like you have a great hygiene regimen and know how to take care of yourself; like you just lathered yourself in luxury bath soap. Like an expensive hotel lobby. Very soothing, clean, musky, charismatic, watery and alluring. However, I do not want to spend that much on a fragrance. The hunt for a suitable replacement at a reasonable price ensues.
So, I have owned or tested a few of the Imagination clones, particularly Game of Spades Fullhouse . While I really liked that one and just finished the bottle this month, it is not as close as I once thought. It is sweeter and doesn't get the tea aspect nearly as well. It did make me smell clean though which I appreciated. The life of the fragrance did not last as long as I hoped (4-6 hours) but I usually carry around a decant and tend to lightly refresh throughout the day so that wasn't really a problem.
"Amber Oud Aqua Dubai | Al Haramain / الحرمين" was also great, but also did not have the tea note and leaned way more towards the soapy side as if it was a room spray or clean linen. Not a bad thing, just a slightly different vibe. I still really like that twist though with impressive longevity about 8-10 hours. Could be great for layering or just as a dumb reach out the shower.
**
Onto "Marwa / مروة | Arabiyat": For $48.69 total, this arrived May 20th from Aromatix's TikTok shop as I had heard about how close it was supposed to be but thought it was the usual hype machine pumping up the algorithm to maximize sales commissions, I took it with a grain of salt especially considering how new this fragrance is. I was about to purchase Aqua Dubai after a small sample, but something told me to try this instead.
"Maybe it will knock my socks off...". & it did! The hype is real.
I can see this fragrance gaining some steam, similar to how Aqua Dubai became one of the darling frags in the clone sphere (along with Liquid Brun, Turathi Blue, Lattafa Asad/Khamrah).
But MAN! If you are searching for a 1:1 around the same price as the others I mentioned, LOOK NO FURTHER! And I have only owned it for 3 full days! No maceration needed, at least for me.
The juice inside is hands down the closest interpretation to Louis Vuitton's Imagination that I have ever smelled, even side by side with the 2 mL sample I procured from the LV store, I can't smell a noticeable difference.
Perhaps the LV has more sparkly pop, more watery tea-musk on the opening towards the mid but for several hundred dollars more, that difference is minimal. The ultimate definition of diminishing return in my book. Just save your coin and buy this.
Closeness to the OG
- Opening: 9/10. It is not blended as well and is slightly bitter-synthetic up close but that is only compared directly side by side. Otherwise, in the air, it smells highly expensive and absolutely CAPTURES attention. Fresh out the shower with luxury bar of soap. They won't be thinking "What cologne do you wear?" but rather "you smell good, what soap and lotion do you use?"
- Mid to Dry Down: 10/10. The tea note is stunning. I can't believe this is $50. It does stay fairly linear from the heart notes on, being more tea/soap dominant, whereas the OG gets slightly more creamy as if from a high quality lotion despite becoming more of a weaker skin scent. I can tell this one still pushes out well past that 8 hour mark as I catch whiffs myself when moving around, telling me that I am still actively projecting and have not gone nose-blind.
- Sillage: It creates the most alluring scent trail. I walked past the nurse's station into the medical supply room & had my coworker follow me from the station to ask "Is that you? We all turned our heads wondering who was *aggressively* clean". I normally don't get a ton of compliments, because most people just think it in their heads but don't say anything. There's a kind of resistance to getting compliments in a way, sometimes it is awkward for them to say it. The fact that this one got a verbal response on the FIRST day tells you all you might need to know. I did not gatekeep and explained its a dupe of an expensive LV fragrance but they could smell like me for $50. It blew their minds. I've worn it to work every day since it came in and somebody new has stopped to ask what lotion or soap that I use.
- Longevity: Lasts a good while straight out of the box, no maceration needed necessarily. I'd say about 6-8 hours easily with a skin scent of about 8-10 hours. Still actively testing over the last 10 days. It will get stronger over time due to maceration in a dark closet too. Again, Aqua Dubai lasts longer but this one is closer so I don't mind reapplying.
- Projection/Strength: 9/10. Certainly more powerful than the OG and about on-par with Aqua Dubai (which is known for its outward push like most Al-Haramain frags). You will be noticed with this one. If you first apply some Vaseline (petroleum jelly) onto your pulse points such as neck, forearms and hands, THEN spray those same points, your skin will cling onto the fragrance to increase performance/projection for a few extra hours.
- Versatility: 10/10. the DNA is super versatile, year round since it just smells clean. if you are familiar with imagination, you will know it could be used year round with no problem. A true daily driver. Nothing much to say here. However, I would lean towards the warmer months as there's something about this citrus-tea-soap combo that SINGS in the sunlight.
- Price Value: 10/10. $50 instead of $400. Enough said! I might have to buy a backup. I wonder if the hype train will catch this one because the price might jump up. Then again, it was relatively hard to find as I got lucky buying before it sold out on TikTok because there were non-reputable sites that were selling it but that's taking a chance.
- Bottle Design: This sleek silver bottle comes in an equally eye-catching box that is cut as if a samurai sculpted it with a sword. Looks sharp, literally! The cap is heavy and takes a light tug to remove it so you can hold it by the cap briefly. It is also see through if you shine a light so you can monitor your dent over time.
Now, there are handfuls of clones that I have not tried but am I itching and clamoring to try them?
Nope. Not really. Maybe at some point I'd try the takes from Alexandra, Dua, Montagne or Yom & Layl but since those brands are likely $80-100 for a 50 mL, I'd honestly rather buy a backup bottle of this instead for half the price and double the juice. Like I mentioned, diminishing returns. They might be incrementally closer, but for the price I won't justify it.
I understand that frags get glazed and the community can be really toxic & misleading towards compliments/consumerism but I must say this one deserves it.
The hype is real. If you are not a fan of the Imagination DNA, move right along because this is a 1:1 attempt. Then again, I don't know why you'd be reading this if you weren't. Just buy it, internet friend. You won't be disappointed.
Let me start by saying I am a nurse who works bedside in a hospital. I can't really wear most of my collection there as it has to be subtle and NOT offensive for the sake of being professional. I could technically get in trouble and nursing is stressful enough. Anyway...
Imagination is the perfect DNA as it just smells like you have a great hygiene regimen and know how to take care of yourself; like you just lathered yourself in luxury bath soap. Like an expensive hotel lobby. Very soothing, clean, musky, charismatic, watery and alluring. However, I do not want to spend that much on a fragrance. The hunt for a suitable replacement at a reasonable price ensues.
So, I have owned or tested a few of the Imagination clones, particularly Game of Spades Fullhouse . While I really liked that one and just finished the bottle this month, it is not as close as I once thought. It is sweeter and doesn't get the tea aspect nearly as well. It did make me smell clean though which I appreciated. The life of the fragrance did not last as long as I hoped (4-6 hours) but I usually carry around a decant and tend to lightly refresh throughout the day so that wasn't really a problem.
"Amber Oud Aqua Dubai | Al Haramain / الحرمين" was also great, but also did not have the tea note and leaned way more towards the soapy side as if it was a room spray or clean linen. Not a bad thing, just a slightly different vibe. I still really like that twist though with impressive longevity about 8-10 hours. Could be great for layering or just as a dumb reach out the shower.
**
Onto "Marwa / مروة | Arabiyat": For $48.69 total, this arrived May 20th from Aromatix's TikTok shop as I had heard about how close it was supposed to be but thought it was the usual hype machine pumping up the algorithm to maximize sales commissions, I took it with a grain of salt especially considering how new this fragrance is. I was about to purchase Aqua Dubai after a small sample, but something told me to try this instead.
"Maybe it will knock my socks off...". & it did! The hype is real.
I can see this fragrance gaining some steam, similar to how Aqua Dubai became one of the darling frags in the clone sphere (along with Liquid Brun, Turathi Blue, Lattafa Asad/Khamrah).
But MAN! If you are searching for a 1:1 around the same price as the others I mentioned, LOOK NO FURTHER! And I have only owned it for 3 full days! No maceration needed, at least for me.
The juice inside is hands down the closest interpretation to Louis Vuitton's Imagination that I have ever smelled, even side by side with the 2 mL sample I procured from the LV store, I can't smell a noticeable difference.
Perhaps the LV has more sparkly pop, more watery tea-musk on the opening towards the mid but for several hundred dollars more, that difference is minimal. The ultimate definition of diminishing return in my book. Just save your coin and buy this.
Closeness to the OG
- Opening: 9/10. It is not blended as well and is slightly bitter-synthetic up close but that is only compared directly side by side. Otherwise, in the air, it smells highly expensive and absolutely CAPTURES attention. Fresh out the shower with luxury bar of soap. They won't be thinking "What cologne do you wear?" but rather "you smell good, what soap and lotion do you use?"
- Mid to Dry Down: 10/10. The tea note is stunning. I can't believe this is $50. It does stay fairly linear from the heart notes on, being more tea/soap dominant, whereas the OG gets slightly more creamy as if from a high quality lotion despite becoming more of a weaker skin scent. I can tell this one still pushes out well past that 8 hour mark as I catch whiffs myself when moving around, telling me that I am still actively projecting and have not gone nose-blind.
- Sillage: It creates the most alluring scent trail. I walked past the nurse's station into the medical supply room & had my coworker follow me from the station to ask "Is that you? We all turned our heads wondering who was *aggressively* clean". I normally don't get a ton of compliments, because most people just think it in their heads but don't say anything. There's a kind of resistance to getting compliments in a way, sometimes it is awkward for them to say it. The fact that this one got a verbal response on the FIRST day tells you all you might need to know. I did not gatekeep and explained its a dupe of an expensive LV fragrance but they could smell like me for $50. It blew their minds. I've worn it to work every day since it came in and somebody new has stopped to ask what lotion or soap that I use.
- Longevity: Lasts a good while straight out of the box, no maceration needed necessarily. I'd say about 6-8 hours easily with a skin scent of about 8-10 hours. Still actively testing over the last 10 days. It will get stronger over time due to maceration in a dark closet too. Again, Aqua Dubai lasts longer but this one is closer so I don't mind reapplying.
- Projection/Strength: 9/10. Certainly more powerful than the OG and about on-par with Aqua Dubai (which is known for its outward push like most Al-Haramain frags). You will be noticed with this one. If you first apply some Vaseline (petroleum jelly) onto your pulse points such as neck, forearms and hands, THEN spray those same points, your skin will cling onto the fragrance to increase performance/projection for a few extra hours.
- Versatility: 10/10. the DNA is super versatile, year round since it just smells clean. if you are familiar with imagination, you will know it could be used year round with no problem. A true daily driver. Nothing much to say here. However, I would lean towards the warmer months as there's something about this citrus-tea-soap combo that SINGS in the sunlight.
- Price Value: 10/10. $50 instead of $400. Enough said! I might have to buy a backup. I wonder if the hype train will catch this one because the price might jump up. Then again, it was relatively hard to find as I got lucky buying before it sold out on TikTok because there were non-reputable sites that were selling it but that's taking a chance.
- Bottle Design: This sleek silver bottle comes in an equally eye-catching box that is cut as if a samurai sculpted it with a sword. Looks sharp, literally! The cap is heavy and takes a light tug to remove it so you can hold it by the cap briefly. It is also see through if you shine a light so you can monitor your dent over time.
Now, there are handfuls of clones that I have not tried but am I itching and clamoring to try them?
Nope. Not really. Maybe at some point I'd try the takes from Alexandra, Dua, Montagne or Yom & Layl but since those brands are likely $80-100 for a 50 mL, I'd honestly rather buy a backup bottle of this instead for half the price and double the juice. Like I mentioned, diminishing returns. They might be incrementally closer, but for the price I won't justify it.
I understand that frags get glazed and the community can be really toxic & misleading towards compliments/consumerism but I must say this one deserves it.
The hype is real. If you are not a fan of the Imagination DNA, move right along because this is a 1:1 attempt. Then again, I don't know why you'd be reading this if you weren't. Just buy it, internet friend. You won't be disappointed.
RPLIMA
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