Lü Bu Sora Dora 2025

I dislike this a lot but not for a reason you might think from looking at the notes. I love a good blood note, and I am no stranger to difficult and odd perfumes; in fact, those are my preferred scents. I liked Secretions Magnifiques, and I loved Redwood Alchemy's Blood. Lü Bu isn't one of these "difficult" scents! It's just powdery tonka and ambroxan (or amberwood) overload! It smells like a love child from Hypnotic Poison (EdT version) and Stronger with you (or whatever that stanky mess is called), or any other generic ambroxan-vanilla-tonka scent! No blood, no gunpowder, no "Armenian paper", no nothing! Just a powdery synthetic almond, mixed with shitty vanilla, overbearing tonka, and screechy amberwood! I have smelled this smell too many times, and my patience is running out. It's disgusting, and above all, generic and uninspired.

whoa, this is nice, unique and very interesting, I was very unsure from the notes at first, but this is a very seductive iris, vanilla/tonka, almonds, blood and gunpowder combo that just works

there's something violent but at the same time peaceful about this, the gunpowder/blood combo brings a metallicness, sharpness and smokiness that surprisingly balances everything really well, mostly on the spray and early dry down though, it eventually fades and leaves a nutty, sweet gourmand base while still keeping that sharpness and metallic edge from the blood/gunpowder in the background

super unique for a vanilla gourmand, and honestly seeing how many gourmands are out there right now, it's really refreshing to come across something as interesting as this

Mixed reviews made me a bit anxious; I didn't know what to expect.
Some said it was good, some it was terrible... Honestly, on me it works! Gunpowder? Check (and it doesn't pop out easily on my skin, so I guess this is a win for me); the note stays close to the skin, not too overwhelming, mixed with something that reminds me slightly of a very round, sweetened wine. Maybe cloves? But it doesn't sit as too spicy for me, I don't see cherries listed but it's almost like a cherry liquor. Still cool.
The iris is not bothering me; it's not central and it doesn't give aunt-vibes, mostly powder, that paired with armenian paper gives a bit of old manuscript aura to the scent.
I get 0 metallic notes, nothing reminding me of blood, and in the drydown there's still gunpowder AND tonka, but tonka isn't too much. Quite smoky and slightly sweet. Approved, even tho the pyramid is a bit misleading.

An amalgamation that unfortunately did not impress me or was able to create an olfactory delight. I picked this fragrance because I had been on the lookout for a perfume with a noticeable and actually perceivable gunpowder note. I think I have finally found one in Lü Bu. The gunpowder note is definitely noticeable here. Unfortunately, that is all the praise I am able to bestow upon this perfume. Sadly, the gunpowder note is integrated into a scent that is overwhelmingly and just generically sweet. The sweetness does not remind me of anything specifically, it is not a fruity or a gourmand sweetness per se. Just a vague but strongly detectable sweetness. That sweetness simply does not create a coherent scent in combination with the potent gunpowder note. It smells as if you spilled gunpowder onto a tray of slightly warmed-up baking ingredients. In my opinion, the resulting picture is an unpleasant olfactory cacophony. I don’t get the picture of a crime scene or a mysterious murderer or blood. All I get is a very weird variety of gunpowder that strangely smells weirdly sweet. If you want to experience gunpowder in a more coherent, colder and, in my opinion, much more appealing constellation, try Gritti’s Super Nova.
Scent: 3.5

Longevity on skin as well as fabric was fantastic, lasting easily 8 hours.
Longevity: 8

Lü Bu’s sillage and its projection were quite strong.
Sillage: 8

The bottle feels very unique and enticing. Definitely a bold design choice. The bottle and the overall presentation is what I enjoyed most about the perfume.
Bottle: 9

200€ for 50ml feels highly overpriced. I also did not feel the quality of the ingredients justified the high price.
Value for Money: 3

Overall: 5

To be honest: When I read the fragrance pyramid, I knew - this is going to be something strange… but most likely something I desperately need
One spray - and immediately a challenge: cool, metallic, as if it were looking me straight in the eyes without blinking. Kind of like: “Well? Didn’t see that coming?”
Over time, beneath this steel, an iris awakens - dry, powdery, self-assured, with balsamic notes and warm woodiness. It doesn’t try to please; it simply knows its worth.
And in the end, a delicious vanilla remains on my skin - like vanilla sugar from Dr. Oetker in a packet. Exactly this triptych I experienced with it.
On the skin, it resonates like strength that can be gentle. Very beautiful, deep, and mature.
After two decants, I immediately ordered the full size - I just couldn’t do without it