BluChallenge

I ordered the new Acqua di Giò Profondo Eau de Toilette directly along with a bottle of "Acqua di Giò Profondo (2024) (Eau de Parfum) | Giorgio Armani," as I had only tested this one 1-2 times in the drugstore.

In the opening, you can immediately notice the biggest difference. While the edp offers the typical Profondo DNA with a sweet mandarin, the edt goes straight into a freshness explosion. It is significantly less sweet, but more citrusy (yet very pleasant and beautifully balanced!). It also immediately smells very mineral-marine, leaving a brief impression of mint.

In the drydown, it approaches the Profondo edp, but without its depth and sweetness, rather like a "light" version of the edp. The sillage is really good for the first 3 hours, but then it becomes more intimate. In terms of longevity, the edt is only 1-2 hours weaker, but after the initial ~3 hours, unlike the edp, not much scent remains on the skin.

For summer or the gym, it's a really good candidate! Fresher, less sweet, less spicy/woody. It fits perfectly into the line and was an expected extension. Just as Acqua di Giò pour Homme Eau de Toilette relates to "Acqua di Giò pour Homme (Eau de Parfum) | Giorgio Armani," so it is with Acqua di Giò Profondo Eau de Toilette and "Acqua di Giò Profondo (2024) (Eau de Parfum) | Giorgio Armani."

If you own one, you probably don't need the others. Each is always and everywhere usable. However, if you are a fan of the line, I would categorize them for the following occasions:

Acqua di Giò Profondo Parfum - Evening & Winter
Acqua di Giò Profondo (2024) Eau de Parfum - Everyday and Work
Acqua di Giò Profondo Eau de Toilette - Gym and Summer

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A small addition: The edt reminds me quite a bit of Chrome Extrême without its sweetness!

I know, strictly speaking, Imagination is not a niche fragrance but a designer one. However, just like exclusive Privée lines from major fashion houses, I would still categorize Louis Vuitton at a niche level. With an in-house perfumer and prices beyond the tolerance limit of a non-perfume addict, it becomes difficult to place it among typical designers.

If one could compare it to a designer (not in terms of scent itself), it would probably be Sauvage Eau de Toilette. Both are perfect all-rounders. You can wear them with a white shirt, with a suit, in the evening, in summer, in winter, simply anytime and anywhere. They may not always be the best choice, but they are never the wrong choice.

When I smell from the spray, pure happiness overwhelms me. There is a (slightly cinnamon) sweetness that sits on the scent of cleanliness. I feel transported to another place and time. A peaceful place with a light blue sky, sunshine, and contentment.

However, immediately after spraying, the citrus along with synthetic notes takes over, and you don’t want to get too close to the skin with your nose, otherwise, you might experience headache-cleaner (albeit the best of all cleaners).

Once the opening settles down a bit, the scent from the spray returns in a softened form. You are surrounded by a cloud of fresh air. It smells as if you are smelling fresh laundry with a slight hint of lemon. The cinnamon plays a very subtle role in the background. However, everything is so well intertwined that you simply perceive it as general freshness.

Similar to Sauvage Eau de Toilette, I get headaches with too many sprays here as well. If I wear the scent too often in succession, it quickly becomes annoying, as I notice the synthetic notes more rapidly. This is (besides the price) the only problem with the perfume.

So, if you are looking for an all-rounder for everything and want to stand out from the (fragrance-wearing) crowd, this scent is ideal. It does everything, but nothing perfectly. There are better summer fragrances, work fragrances, going-out fragrances, etc. That’s why I consider it Sauvage 2.0!

Addendum: Sillage and longevity are extremely good for a fresh perfume! Some may quickly become nose-blind, but you will still be approached even after 6 hours. However, it cannot compete with dark, spicy, woody, and sweet fragrances. If more precise divisions were possible, I would give it a 7.5 in longevity and sillage.
The bottle is simple and elegant. Especially in the 200ml version, the LV bottles look chic. The spray is very good. I like it!

Who doesn't know it? You have a beautiful piece of cake with a single cherry as the highlight. You look forward to it the whole time until it’s gone after one bite.

With this fragrance, it’s the opposite. You start with an incredibly delicious and realistic cherry that has a distinct gum-like scent. For my part, the entire fragrance could be based on this. However, this cherry fades quite quickly and briefly shares its place with the cognac.

It becomes boozy and sweet, with both scent directions balancing each other out. Tobacco and pepper round off the fragrance but play a rather subordinate role.

In the drydown, it remains a still quite sweet and beautiful, but now somewhat monotonous cognac.

The fragrance itself feels somewhat unbalanced at times. First the extreme sweetness, then the extreme alcohol. You have to like this type of fragrance. For me, it leans towards "Khamrah / خمرة | Lattafa / لطافة" and "Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Absolutely | Giorgio Armani," but it doesn’t directly copy any scent.

Side Effect has some similarities, but smells different.
Narcotic Delight is significantly denser/heavier, sweeter, more alcoholic, and everything revolves around the cognac as the core note.
Side Effect feels more balanced, as no note stands out particularly.

The longevity has been very good for me. A test spray on my hand lasted throughout the entire night, about 15 hours in total, after which I took a shower. The sillage, however, is weaker. The heavy fragrance sits quite close to the body.

I can only partially understand the negative reviews. I didn’t notice the hype and only found the notes interesting. The fragrance knocked me off my feet right away. On the other hand, I understand that the fragrance can deter anyone expecting a weak rum like in Side Effect. The cognac here is much more intense, and you have to like it. Moreover, it is not far from a designer scent. Niche fragrances often offer more complexity than one can expect here. For the price, that’s a big disappointment. Nevertheless, after sharing, I immediately got a full bottle, as it is simply a bomb for winter!

Of the four new Zara fragrances, the names of Nostalgia Blue and Absolutely Dark have certainly been mixed up. The Absolutely Dark is, in fact, the epitome of a nostalgic blue scent.

As mentioned several times, it is almost a 1-to-1 clone of Percival. It smells like a typical 90s shower gel or deodorant. Fresh, spicy, and strongly reminiscent of Fierce Cologne.

Compared to Percival, this one has a slightly alcoholic opening, while Percival stands out with extremely strong (for me, almost piercing) citrus notes. I actually find the opening of the Zara a bit more pleasant, although this is probably also a sign of weaker longevity. Nevertheless, it has a scent that lasts a good 6-8 hours on me and wants to be noticed in the first two hours.

All in all, a top everyday, sports, and leisure fragrance at an unbeatable price. I have since stopped buying backup bottles for later and have sold all my previous ones. Here, however, I needed to get 3 replacement bottles right away, and if it goes on sale, the next ones will follow immediately. Since receiving it (about a week ago), I have already used over 5ml :)

I don't know "Imagination | Louis Vuitton," but I already knew before purchasing that "Sunrise on the Red Sand Dunes | Zara" is supposed to come very close to it. And since Imagination scores very well here, I thought I couldn't go wrong. And I was right.

The scent is brilliant for hot temperatures and really comes into its own when body heat rises. It feels very sober. In my statement, I compared it to the small drinks from supermarkets that consist of 99% water and 1% tea extracts. These never smell sweet (after all, they are not sweetened) but are refreshing with a hint of tea. This fragrance behaves exactly the same way. It smells a bit like fruit tea with a slight lemon note and a very light floral background. You can't go wrong with it, wear it in inappropriate situations, or get tired of it. This is also because it doesn't offer much more depth.

I will definitely wear it more often in the summer, especially when it's very humid and I usually can't stand most fragrances. For me, it is roughly the opposite of "Versace Man Eau Fraîche (Eau de Toilette) | Versace," which is also designed for hot temperatures but can quickly become bothersome.

A really big plus point, however, is the sprayer, which (especially for this price!) is incredibly good. Longevity and sillage are limited, but that fits the theme of the fragrance. If you're looking for a summer perfume, you really can't go wrong here, as it's hard not to like it!

"Sunrise on the Red Sand Dunes | Zara" is for me a nice, affordable fragrance that doesn't offend anywhere and can be worn in any heat. But that's about it. It's a great scent that you can wear when you don't really want to wear perfume in the summer. At the same time, it is neither particularly unique nor does it take the wearer on a journey. And while I have no complaints about the fragrance, I still can't fully understand this strong hype. Maybe that will change in the summer, though.