Ambrette
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Musk
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Valcore
4 Reviews
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Valcore
Top Review
11
Like California Dream, only better.
As I explored the fragrance worlds of Louis Vuitton, I fell in love at first sniff with Cactus Garden. Such an amazing indescribably good scent. Unfortunately, it had 2 significant drawbacks. 1. The price and 2. the longevity. Both were absolutely not in proportion. Through a fragrance sample, I then stumbled upon California Dream by LV. Also a very fine, wonderful scent with strong mandarin in the opening. Ideal for hot days. But again, the price-performance ratio was absolutely terrible. That's why these 2 beautiful summer fragrances never found their way into my collection. When LV then announced that Cactus Garden would be discontinued, I was a bit downcast, after all, I had not smelled a comparable fragrance before, and now the chance to perhaps indulge in it one day was gone.
Through some research on the internet, I tried to find an alternative and ended up at Dua Fragrances. Allegedly, they replicate almost every brand/niche fragrance very well and at a fair price (about $45 for 30 ML).
I thought to myself, come on, give it a try and ordered the dupes of Cactus Garden and California Dream.
Unfortunately, shipping takes a bit longer since the bottles are flown in from LA and have to go through customs. When the dupe of California Dream arrived, I was absolutely surprised at how close Dua comes to the original.
Fresh mandarin in the opening, with a slight hint of neroli.
Admittedly, if you spray both fragrances, California Dream and Cali Life, on a scent strip and smell them directly, you can already tell which one is the original. It just smells a bit "finer" "more premium." BUT...and here comes the BUT...if you let both scent strips sit for half an hour and then compare again, there is absolutely no difference recognizable. The fragrances from Dua seem to deviate only slightly from the original in the top note, which is not meant to be a 1 to 1 copy, and as soon as it comes to the heart note, the dupe is about 95% close to the original.
What surprised me the most was that the dupes from Dua last and last and last, while the original LV completely disappears from the scent strip after a maximum of 1-2 hours. At a price of €240, that's quite steep if you have to constantly reapply.
The dupe of Cactus Garden behaves the same way. There is a noticeable difference in the top note, but after that, it's at most very minimal. The longevity of the dupe, however, is outstanding.
This is probably also because all Dua fragrances are Extrait de Parfum, meaning they come with a high concentration of fragrance materials.
In principle, I am also in favor of always preferring the original. But in this case, the price, longevity, and partly also the lack of availability are so far apart that I can, with a clear conscience, reach for the dupe. After all, I have my beloved Cactus Garden back.
So, if you want to try an expensive niche fragrance without investing a lot of money, I can wholeheartedly recommend the dupes from Dua. Longevity, quality, and price are absolutely right here. The only thing is that the bottle design is more a matter of taste :D
I have worn the dupes many times and have been asked if I was wearing the LV scent ;) and that from people who know the originals well. So it seems to be really difficult to recognize the difference after the top notes fade.
I hope I was able to give you a little insight; for me, this was definitely not the last Dua fragrance that finds its way into my collection.
Through some research on the internet, I tried to find an alternative and ended up at Dua Fragrances. Allegedly, they replicate almost every brand/niche fragrance very well and at a fair price (about $45 for 30 ML).
I thought to myself, come on, give it a try and ordered the dupes of Cactus Garden and California Dream.
Unfortunately, shipping takes a bit longer since the bottles are flown in from LA and have to go through customs. When the dupe of California Dream arrived, I was absolutely surprised at how close Dua comes to the original.
Fresh mandarin in the opening, with a slight hint of neroli.
Admittedly, if you spray both fragrances, California Dream and Cali Life, on a scent strip and smell them directly, you can already tell which one is the original. It just smells a bit "finer" "more premium." BUT...and here comes the BUT...if you let both scent strips sit for half an hour and then compare again, there is absolutely no difference recognizable. The fragrances from Dua seem to deviate only slightly from the original in the top note, which is not meant to be a 1 to 1 copy, and as soon as it comes to the heart note, the dupe is about 95% close to the original.
What surprised me the most was that the dupes from Dua last and last and last, while the original LV completely disappears from the scent strip after a maximum of 1-2 hours. At a price of €240, that's quite steep if you have to constantly reapply.
The dupe of Cactus Garden behaves the same way. There is a noticeable difference in the top note, but after that, it's at most very minimal. The longevity of the dupe, however, is outstanding.
This is probably also because all Dua fragrances are Extrait de Parfum, meaning they come with a high concentration of fragrance materials.
In principle, I am also in favor of always preferring the original. But in this case, the price, longevity, and partly also the lack of availability are so far apart that I can, with a clear conscience, reach for the dupe. After all, I have my beloved Cactus Garden back.
So, if you want to try an expensive niche fragrance without investing a lot of money, I can wholeheartedly recommend the dupes from Dua. Longevity, quality, and price are absolutely right here. The only thing is that the bottle design is more a matter of taste :D
I have worn the dupes many times and have been asked if I was wearing the LV scent ;) and that from people who know the originals well. So it seems to be really difficult to recognize the difference after the top notes fade.
I hope I was able to give you a little insight; for me, this was definitely not the last Dua fragrance that finds its way into my collection.
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