Midnight Desert Lou de Pre 2025

I was made aware of Lou de Pre by Miki Monumental ("Broke Because of Fragrances"). In his video, he particularly praises the quality of the fragrances compared to other typical dupe brands like One Avenue or La Rive. When I happened to pass by the perfume shelf in my local DM yesterday and was able to test Dark Cedrus, Amber Flame, and Midnight Desert, I spontaneously decided to take the latter home.

This Y Eau de Parfum clone starts with a beautiful, citrusy zest that reminds me of typical summer drinks like Sprite or Schartner Bombe. It then develops in a very aquatic direction and remains predominantly fresh, with a slightly woody amber base resonating in the background. This base persists in the dry down until the fragrance completely fades after about 7 hours.

The longevity is really impressive for a cheapie. While I don't know the original well enough to compare its performance, for a €15 cheapie, it is more than satisfactory. The sillage is initially very good and fills the room, but the scent trail quickly retracts and settles at about 20-30 cm. Nevertheless, I am very satisfied with this performance overall.

Conclusion: Given the price, one really has to wonder how Lou de Pre managed this. The fragrance is excellently composed, all the ingredients feel high quality, and the longevity/sillage are completely satisfactory. Amber Flame and Dark Cedrus are also very high quality, but it was especially the freshness and zest of Midnight Desert that tempted me to buy it. Anyone looking for a very affordable summer fragrance that in no way has to hide from expensive designers should definitely grab this!