Elpadron95

... the time has come. The decanting of this grand fragrance is nearing its end.
So for me, the perfect reason to write a more detailed review of this gem.

If you are, of course, willing to pay this exorbitant price, you get a perfume that is anything but ordinary. To be honest, I don't even know how to properly name this.

It took me a long time to get accustomed to this DNA and this absolute POWER - when I received my decant, the first 2 sprays were a real SHOCK! This brutal animalistic note at the beginning is truly not for untrained noses - I was hit by a really phenomenal cloud of barn/cow and slightly ammonia-like acidity. It definitely leans a bit towards a fecal direction.

In my opinion, the saffron amplifies the oud component extremely at the beginning. I thought to myself, "WTF! Who willingly wears something like this and pays a ton of money for it?!

Nevertheless, I gave the fragrance a chance and let it develop.... many, many hours later, the oud became very pleasant in the nose, saffron receded a bit, the incense and rose joined in, while a slightly pleasant animalic note remained in the background, the sandalwood in the dry down gave off some warmth and woody nuances. The fragrance becomes really beautiful in the dry down and stays present; it is noticeable, so really perceptible for over 15 hours but without being annoying. I don't find it has a screeching character.

It takes a long time to enjoy the fragrance, but the reward is there - as soon as it reaches the dry down.

The strongest thing I've ever had under my nose… one spray on a tester and the hotel room, my clothes, and my little handbag smelled for 3 days afterwards - every time I opened it, a wave hit me.

The scent itself is actually very beautiful. It contains a very very dark leathery note. In addition, there’s honey, but not the sweet, sticky honey you would find in Naxos, rather a slightly bitter and strong one.

Almost like Manuka honey.

All of this is underscored by animalic notes (which can only be perceived in the air) and really makes the scent a nose-killer.

Brutal.

... was the question from my colleague when she entered the room....

I finally had my turn to test the most hyped dupe/whatever you want to call it, and I did what I like: I sprayed a generous amount from a decant.

When I sprayed some on my neck + wrists, it felt like I had walked through the toilet cleaner aisle at Edeka - that smoky citrus combined with blackcurrant at the beginning triggered the most accurate associations. Quite unpleasant, I had to air out my apartment afterward, and my commute was already met with some annoyed glances - but you know what? I don't care :D

When I arrived at the office about an hour later, this toilet block DNA had slowly faded away, and the actual scent finally revealed itself. My colleague entered the office 2 minutes later and first wondered who smelled so good - due to the absolutely POWER sillage, it was easy to tell - that it was little old me.

And so it continued all day, receiving compliment after compliment.
This somehow unsettled me, as I rarely get comments on my perfume at work - it must have been my lucky day.

CDNI accompanied me all day at work, during sports, and at the after-work beer with my colleagues, and I kept receiving compliments and positive remarks about it.

For the money, the scent does an absolutely flawless job and will have a place in my collection. Here you have a perfect no-brainer for a tight budget, you smell good, it has great performance, and people like the scent because it doesn’t clash.

Just be really careful during the first hour.

Thank you for your attention, and I wish you a wonderful day/evening.

With love,
the Padron

The name of this perfume is supposed to mean "immeasurability" when translated into German.

When you search for this aforementioned word on Google, this is what you get:

[1] of such great extent or such great manifestation that one cannot imagine it…


Yes, haha - it would be nice if it were as the name suggests.

…. L'Immensité is the haute couture of shower gel DNA. Absolutely unspectacular. Nothing about great extent or a significant manifestation.

The scent starts with a strong grapefruit-Ambroxan combination that provides a fresh kick. You feel like you've just stepped out of the shower. It's kind of nice, but also totally boring and "normal"; as I said, no need to talk about great extent.

Later, in the rather unremarkable progression, the scent becomes a bit warmer and more robust due to the labdanum and amber. It gives a rounded touch - so the quality is definitely present.

For me, it's a scent that is super wearable in the office and absolutely does not clash. A clean-cut option for the arrogant LV pricing policy at its finest.

Longevity is around 7-8 hours with a few pfft's on me. Sillage is noticeable but not intrusive.

The bottle design and quality get full marks. Heavy glass, wonderful sprayer, and great magnetic cap.

You can go for it, but you don't have to.

With best fragrance regards,
The Padron

Exactly that... yes exactly that - I thought to myself when I first sprayed "Sunrise on the Red Sand Dunes | Zara"... Huh?

Without a doubt, during this "Huh reaction," I wondered why this fragrance is praised to the heavens on absolutely every perfume platform, do you know why?

Because it's simply a super cool cheap freshy with a wide "scope of use"! BUT NOTHING MORE... for more, just keep reading, hehe. Treat yourself to a cup of coffee with it..^^

Red Dunes - that's what I'm calling this little gem now, starts fresh with a decent acidity that settles in the lemon and bergamot. The fresh-citrus opening quickly fades, and a bit of amber and orange blossom come in - this all gives a floral soapy base in the drydown - the only thing that comes MINIMALLY close to LV! is amber, or rather this Ambroxan similarity, to be honest - that's it... it's just not comparable, that thing!!

Why is there no similarity?
Okay okay.. I'll try to explain, I think my nose is at a good level to recognize this :D

Explanation: Imagination starts super fresh with a bombastic lemon hit paired with bergamot and orange - this freshness lasts for several hours until the neroli, Ceylon cinnamon, and especially this black tea note take over the perfume power. And EXACTLY this scent characteristic is what Red Dunes lacks! … BUT.....

…Good vibes are still on the agenda, because: the bottle is super clean and nicely heavy, looks good on the shelf, and the sprayer releases a decent amount of perfume - perfectly made for dousing, the bottle designer probably knew that too, because here we come to the next point - the performance.

One must consider that this fragrance costs under 30€, if we disregard the somewhat unnecessary retail prices - accordingly, you also get a somewhat "meh" performance. On me, it lasts a solid 4 hours before it starts to fade. Not bad, then you can just reapply in the evening or wear another fragrance.

As a gym scent, a refreshment in summer after the shower, or just a not-so-loud everyday scent, for the office etc., really nice in its way - especially for the slim wallet.

As a "dupe/alternative" to LV... rather less. Nooooo :-)

So that's it from me and my 2 cents...

Thanks for reading and have a nice day,

With love,
the Padron