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Le Vetiver - Bluff Lubin 2010

7.1 / 10 71 Ratings

A perfume by Lubin for men, released in 2010. The scent is spicy-woody. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Green

Fresh

Citrus

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Lime

Bergamot

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Heart Notes

Kola nut

Clary sage Iris

Iris

Base Notes

Sandalwood

Cedarwood

Vanilla

Vetiver

Patchouli

Perfumer

Thomas Fontaine

Ratings

Scent

7.171 Ratings

Longevity

6.152 Ratings

Sillage

5.152 Ratings

Bottle

7.252 Ratings

Submitted by Apicius, last update on 07/30/2024.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Jungle pour Homme Eau de Toilette

Freetrapper

Grey Vetiver Eau de Parfum

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/05/2012

9Scent

Perfaddict
4 Reviews

Perfaddict

Very helpful Review 4

Le Vetiver - Bluff - Lubin

The kola nut (a bitter-sweet fruit common to Nigeria and some other tropical countries) when crushed or masticated does not really smell like cola, the soft drink. Rather, it has a dry/bitter smell which is well reproduced in Bluff. Together with the central vetiver theme, the combination of star notes makes Bluff a unique vetiver scent worthy of attention.

Bluff has good sillage, though not a room-filler, and lasts quite well (easily 7+ hours on my skin)

I rate Bluff quite high.

12/15/2021

Hafshin
11 Reviews

Hafshin

1

Woody spicy delightful

It starts with a bitter tartness which, reminds me of dried lime, not the fresh. It also has some spicy undertone, which comes from nutmeg and kola nuts( which smells similar to nutmeg). The theme here is woods and spices. It has some earthy facets too.
You will find Iris here too, but not as a mail character and not too bold. It has the role of mellowing out the Composition here with a bit of powderiness. But you probably wouldn't call this powdery at all. At the end of its life, what is left is a silky smooth woody base. The longevity is good and, I got +5 hours from this fragrance.
Final Verdict:
If you are tired of woody-spicy fragrances you find in the market, try this cause this probably would change your mind.

10/22/2010

7Scent 5Longevity

Apicius
1328 Reviews

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Apicius

Top Review 16

Fear of One's Own Courage?

I bought Bluff not completely blind, but rather half-blind. It was presented at the Global Arts of Perfume fair in April of this year and has been on my wish list since then. Now it has finally been released in Germany.

Alongside Itasca, it is the second perfume in the Le Vetyver line, which has been given an American backstory. The managing director told me that an old recipe was found which produces a cola-like scent, and this is also mentioned on the website. That made sense, as a distinct cola accord was noticeable in Bluff among other things. The name fits perfectly, as such an impression can only be a bluff.

This is certainly something very special. I only know one cola perfume, namely "Cola" from the Alla Corte del Re line by Nobile 1942. However, Bluff was anything but a simple cola scent for youthful perfume beginners. The cola accord was just one aspect in a complex scent experience. Bluff seemed even more desirable to me than the wonderful Itasca, which was presented alongside it and did not impress me much at the time. So I was looking forward to the market launch.

But now I must, to my disappointment, realize that I have a completely different perfume in front of me! Either my scent memory is playing tricks on me - which I hardly believe - or the formula was changed before the market launch.

A cola accord is at best to be guessed at; instead, there is a mysterious fruity note, especially in the top and heart of Bluff. It smells most like apricot. The note is too subtle to be described as candy-like. It is also not perceivable on the skin, but comes and goes from a distance. This note does not suit me; I look in vain for a presumed wearer, but it probably belongs to the bluff after all. Otherwise, it is a woody-herbaceous scent, even slimmer than Itasca, with some spiciness in the top and heart notes. Vetiver - after all, part of the name - only makes a very restrained and gentle appearance, enhancing the woods in the base accord without taking the lead itself. Only towards the end of the development - which seems to be reached after about 4 hours - is a very subtle vetiver more discernible. Bluff is very far from the classic "Le Vetyver."

Well, it is easy to describe what Bluff does not smell like. But I struggle with positive statements about the scent notes. This is due to two things. First, a good perfumer was at work. They managed to bring everything together in such a way that Bluff cannot simply be grasped with three or four ingredients from the fragrance pyramid. And these are actually the more exciting perfumes, where I suspect a greater degree of craftsmanship, broader experience, and more care.

And secondly: Bluff is a distinctly subtle perfume that cloaks the wearer in a very vague aura, even when you spray heavily! It has a very weak scent intensity, comparable to perfumes like Kenzopower, Annick Goutal's Duel, or Eau de Cartier. This was also different in my memory from the perfume fair. Not only the scent intensity, but also the longevity is rather modest. While Itasca effortlessly lasts a whole day and longer, Bluff is done after about 4 hours. And it surprisingly lasts better on clothing than on skin!

Bluff seems to me mainly like a toned-down version of Itasca, stripped of everything that could smell in any way opulent. The original approach of releasing a perfume with a clearly noticeable cola note was apparently dropped at the last second. That would have required courage, and perhaps there was the opinion that such a thing could not be sold. Fear of one's own courage? Nevertheless, Bluff is a successful perfume that convinces mainly through its sophistication. However, I will need some time to get used to it.

01/12/2012

7Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Ergoproxy
1130 Reviews

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Ergoproxy

Very helpful Review 6

Almost Something for Me

Bluff is not at all my scent, but somehow it has something!

I sit here and wonder what it is about this perfume that excites me, even though I would never wear it myself?

Bluff starts with a not-so-fresh top note, unlike the classic vetiver from Lubin. Here, the spices already dominate.

The heart note is very unusual, but it doesn't really smell like cola on my skin. Somehow, the heart note feels powdery, yet also very aromatic at the same time. From a distance, Bluff even has a slightly smoky quality.

The base retains its aromatic component but takes on a slightly sweeter character and probably a bit more depth from the patchouli.

Bluff is a scent candidate for my husband. Such herbal-spicy perfumes simply smell better on him than on me.

06/12/2014

7Scent 7.5Longevity 2.5Sillage

Fluida
49 Reviews

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Fluida

4

Green Kola Nut

In search of a woody-spicy-fresh scent, I browse through men's fragrances, as the chance of finding something is greater there.
Bluff on my wrist is a delightful surprise; I actually smell green-citrusy and woody freshness along with a slight cola note at the beginning. However, this (the cola note) dissipates quite quickly, which I am fine with. Now it is woody without being oriental or too warm. I can only faintly detect the vetiver; it does not dominate the other woods, which I really like. I cannot perceive vanilla, but the cola makes a quiet return.
The herbal-freshness resonates in the background on a gentle wave, allowing me to experience the scent as green. Slowly, this fades away and makes room for the base. I smell wood, a lot of wood. I sense patchouli. I like it very much, and I find it quite wearable even for a woman who is no longer very young. In the fragrance description, it is labeled as unisex, and I can agree with that.
I find the bottle impossible, as it is designed roughly and lacks much sense of simple aesthetics. However, that should not diminish my enjoyment.

Addendum: The longevity is quite okay at just over 4 hours, the sillage is weak.

More reviews

Statements

6 short views on the fragrance

Yatagan

8 years ago

7Scent 6Longevity 5Sillage

7

1

This is supposed to be a vetiver and follows the tradition of Lubin vetivers, but it is dominated by finely crafted spice and wood.

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UntermWert

4 years ago

7Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

6

5

fresh-green-spicy good mood
there's also sage soap
then I'm distracted (miss kola nut)
soft-woody-friendly finish

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Caligari

5 years ago

6Scent 6Longevity 5Sillage

6

It's definitely green. No question about it. It doesn't have much to do with vetiver. But still, a very refreshing, luckily only slightly soapy green scent.

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Terra

4 years ago

6.5Scent

5

Quite a classic structure, vetiver is only prominent at the beginning. A bit synthetic, but interesting/unique due to the noticeable cola (nut) note.

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Zauber600

6 years ago

7Scent 7Longevity 5Sillage

5

Fresh-spicy start - from the heart note, Bluff starts to annoy - the woody base doesn't reconcile me
Uneven scent

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Waterbubbles

8 years ago

8Scent 4Sillage

2

Finally something with cola nut * I love it. Unfortunately, the scent is overall quite weak and apart from the cola, it's very serious, which makes it interesting.

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