Decant House Blog

Two new fragrances from the house of Xerjoff in collaboration with the English Pop Rock band Duran Duran. Let’s put our Velcro shoes on and go for a ride!

This has surely been one of my most perplexing battles yet so you better strap in because this is a battle folks! Get ready to rumble with the Light Blues!

Three recently released fragrances have gotten my attention, let’s see how they smell and are they worthy of your spring collection in 2025?

Known for their budget-friendly options with over-the-top performance, Rasasi is slowly starting to ramp up their Hawas line to really stand out amongst the rest of the clone playing field. Which fragrance is my favorite pick?

Yves Saint Laurent, or YSL, has long been one of the go-to fragrance brands known for their unique scent profiles and must-have frags. So which one is the best? Let’s see how they rank!

2024 is almost over and a new year of exciting fragrance releases is upon us! Let’s have a look at this past year and see what topped the charts!

Fall is my favorite season, but it’s also the most challenging time of year in New England. The perfect weather lasts only a few weeks, and then the sun sets at 4:30 pm, the temperature drops, and winter sometimes arrives before we even celebrate Thanksgiving. But hey, it’s also the time of year when I can indulge in my love for cold-weather scents and let them enjoy even a little daylight. Here are my top five scents that I absolutely cannot live without, in no particular order.

5. Louis Vuitton – Ombre Nomade

Listen, I get it, I’ve written about this one a few times, but it stands alone in a crowded room just waiting to be acknowledged and if you haven’t already, you need to jump on this one this season. I’ve given this a 9.4/10 in my most recent blog and with absolutely good reason too. It’s SO powerful, three sprays will take you into the next couple of days and that’s something that I can attest to through experience. If you go gung-ho and spray like a beast you will absolutely fill the room and potentially choke out everyone in it. I think the only time I’d say go heavy is if you’re outdoors and someone can take a couple steps back if the need to. Other than that, it’s filled with oud, incense, rose, raspberry, saffron, amberwood, birch, benzoin and geranium. I don’t think I could ever let this fragrance go and it will always be in my collection. Can’t recommend this one enough, if you haven’t already…get one right here…today.

4. Givenchy – Gentleman Society Extreme

I believe I had the original Gentleman Society in my top five fragrances of 2023 as well as my 5 New Fragrances to Start 2023, but this one is different so I can write about it again. The original and the extreme version are way too similar to write about their differences, it’s more about their similarities. It’s another case of “this designer created a fragrance, then spit out another one, and another one, put a different concentration label on it, called it a day”. I will say though, the Extreme version is the one that you didn’t know you wanted but actually did. I owned the original Gentleman Society and sold it to get the Extreme version and man I’m glad I did. This one out-performs the original by a mile without question and it definitely gets a lot of compliments. Not only does it last longer but projects even better than the last one. The notes are nutmeg, peppermint, clary sage, coffee, orris root, French narcissus, Madagascar vetiver, Haitian vetiver, regular vetiver, Madagascar vanilla, Australian sandalwood and Himalayan cedar. Not quite sure why there’s three types of vetivers in here but whatever it is, it works. If you haven’t tried this one yet, you can grab one here and I definitely recommend this one for sure.

3. Tom Ford – Oud Wood Parfum

My first bottle of Oud Wood EDP was one of my first “expensive” fragrance purchases. Bought it off eBay (don’t judge), and it was one of my absolute favorites. But the scent alone wasn’t what I was truly after. The scent is perfect in my opinion, but what made it a tough sell for me was longevity. I’ve said this many times – if you ask me to pay north of $300 for a fragrance, it needs to last 6 to 8 hours minimum, no questions asked and no excuses. You can’t tell me that a $19 bottle of Nautica Voyage will last me 10+ hours but a $300+ bottle of Oud Wood will only last me 4 or 5 hours. That was where I had to let it go. I couldn’t see myself carrying around this bottle in my pocket to re-up every few hours and make sure it was still present on my skin. That all changed with the Parfum version that just came out this year. Take ALL of the good stuff about Oud Wood and make it last until the sun goes down. Notes are cardamom, pink pepper, rosemary, sandalwood, oud, patchouli, vetiver, vanilla, tonka and amber. My love for Oud Wood is forever re-kindled with this new fragrance. It’s dark, it’s sweet, it’s woody and it’s perfect in my opinion. Give this one a try but try the original one as well and see if you can tell where I’m coming from. It’s just so good.

2. Maison Martin Margiela– By the Fireplace

The Replica line is a line that I really think is slept on and I think it’s mostly because they’re not really cheap and also, they are I think all EDT concentrations, which everyone knows usually means they aren’t good performers. But…there are a few sleepers in this line and By the Fireplace is definitely one of them. I grabbed a decant of this one and tried it out and I have to say, if you live up north where it’s cold and you rely on cold-weather fragrances, and you grew up around fireplaces or campfires, you’ll get it. You just know what I’m talking about. It’s comfort in a bottle. As soon as it hits your nose it takes you back and reminds you of better times with good people around the fire. I used to go camping as a pre-teen and this fragrance really brings me back to those times at the campsite sitting around the campfire with my family and friends and enjoying life. That’s what Replica aims to do with this line, and they nail it every time. The notes here are cloves, pink pepper, orange blossom, chestnut, guaiac wood, juniper, vanilla, Peru balsam, and cashmeran. Give this one a try for yourself and, if you like it, there are other great cold weather fragrances from this house worthy of trying as well.

1. Goldfield & Banks – Purple Suede

I can’t remember when I first smelled this one but obviously it was good enough to order a full bottle and sit in my collection. This is a fragrance from a house in Australia that uses local ingredients to produce niche-quality fragrances at reasonable prices. Reasonable meaning that you can probably get two 100ml bottles for cheaper than a 50ml bottle of Tom Ford Oud Wood Parfum. Don’t think that the lesser price means lesser fragrance because it does not. This fragrance is one that I’ve worn multiple times and people around me just can’t stop talking about it and none of the comments are negative. It’s a leather-based fragrance and I’ll be honest, I gave up Tom Ford Ombre Leather and kept this in my collection instead, so that should say how good this is. Leather, lavender, pink pepper, leatherwood, hyssop, coriander, cashmeran, oud, amber, patchouli, civet, and oakmoss are the notes for this fragrance. Civet is a musk scent and in all my years I’ve never heard of leatherwood but whatever it is makes up for a really great cold weather fragrance. If you haven’t tried anything from Goldfield & Banks, here’s your chance. Their fragrances are really unique and there’s something there for everyone.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! My top five cold weather fragrances right now. These five are in my active rotation, as I write this blog and while I have more cold weather fragrances in my arsenal, these are the ones that turn most heads and I’m curious to see if you’ve tried them yet or what your thoughts are on them. Leave your comments below on what your favorite cold weather fragrance is. As always, I’ll catch you guys in the next one. Peace!

As of today, late October in 2024, as I type this blog, I’m floored with the results that I’m looking at. I knew I wanted to write this blog and it’s been an intense labor of love to develop it and having such a strong love for LV really made it easier. However, when I’m writing this and I quickly go and glance at Google Trends and search “Men’s Fragrances”, I’m astounded that within the top 5 results, sits “Louis Vuitton – Fashion brand”. This is below 4 topics: winter, vanilla, autumn, and niche perfume. Notice, there are no other brands in the top 5. This was just an amazing validation that NOW is the time for this blog. So, without further rambling, let’s cover ALL men’s fragrances available at Louis Vuitton as of October 2024.

These fragrances are in no particular order, and I’ll rate them as I go. Some of these are still my original thoughts from previous blogs but some of my thoughts and ratings have changed!

Pacific Chill – 9.6/10

I’m going to start with the one that everyone is always looking for even though it’s not that hard to find. Pacific Chill was launched in 2023 and in my original rating I gave it a 6.8/10. My reasons back then were valid though. The scent was great, but the longevity was trash. For some reason, I feel like maybe LV was listening because the scent is now a beast in my opinion. Top notes are Citron, Orange, Mint, Lemon, Black Currant and Coriander; middle notes are Apricot, Basil, Carrot Seeds and May Rose; base notes are Fig, Dates and Ambrette. It’s just a really unique and pleasant scent that is unmatched. Definite top tier frag right here. If you could only have a top three for your collection you NEED this to be there, without question.

City of Stars – 8/10

Released in 2022, City of Stars is still a must try for anyone out there that loves unique fresh fragrances. It’s simple, fresh, vibrant and so inviting. It’s a massive spring/summer vibe but honestly, I wear this to the gym even in the colder months and it’s one that you can easily wear whenever. Top notes are Lime, Blood Orange, Blood Mandarin, Bergamot and Lemon; middle note is Tiare Flower; base notes are Powdery Notes, Musk and Sandalwood. My rating on this fragrance has not changed since my initial review and is a solid 8/10. Perfect for men or women, I highly recommend this one for sure.

Nuit de Feu – 6/10

I legitimately hate myself for giving this a trash rating. I’ve almost used an entire 2ml tester bottle of this throughout the last few weeks and I really wanted this fragrance to be at LEAST top seven, but alas, it didn’t make the cut. I’ve tested this in the store before (yes, I actually DO go into their store and spray like 5 sometimes 6 fragrances at various parts of my body and smell them throughout the day) and I really have some thoughts. The scent profile of this fragrance is a solid 8.9/10. It’s amazing, it’s smoky, it’s leathery, it’s perfection for fall and winter. But that longevity, man, it’s a huge disappointment. The notes are the simplest of them out there; Incense (top three for me), Olibanum, leather, oud and musk. That’s it. If you know anything about my likes as far as notes are concerned, my top three are grapefruit (if done right – I see you D&G Light Blue Forever), incense and patchouli. Do these notes justice and the fragrance is for me. But…make it only last a few hours on skin, and we have a problem. First time I sprayed this on skin it was along with Orage, and when I got halfway through the mall after spraying it on, the scent was almost non-existent on my skin. I get it, we become anosmic and can’t smell it sometimes, but if it’s on your hand and you spray two sprays you should be able to still smell it after a few hours. This may be just me though, maybe someone else has a different experience. For me, if it lasted even 7 hours and had decent projection, I’d gladly sell Ombre Nomade and pick this up since Ombre Nomade is overpowered. I don’t know, maybe Nuit de Feu will get better like Pacific Chill did over time? For now, it’s disappointing for me.

On the Beach – 8.9/10

Launched in 2021, On the Beach was I believe my second LV fragrance I ever bought. At the time, Afternoon Swim was all the rage so that was my first purchase, but OTB was just glaring at me on the table at my local LV store. Fragrances, to me, aren’t JUST the fragrance. In some cases, yes, but most of the time if the company does the fragrance justice from the bottle to the scent, I’m just a sucker, I guess. The colors of the OTB bottle just scream summer and…well…on the beach. Does it SMELL like the beach, nope and I don’t think it necessarily has to. Top notes are Yuzu and Neroli; middle notes are Rosemary, Thyme, Sand, Cloves and Pink Pepper; base note is Cypress. I really think this fragrance more or less isn’t the smell OF the beach but the scent you should wear ON the beach, as the name implies. I say wear it anywhere and anytime, it’s fantastic! I originally gave this an 8.5 out of 10 but I think I’m going to up this now to an 8.9/10. A perfect scent for the warm seasons.

Orage – 7.9/10

Every time I go into the LV store, I spray Orage on me somewhere along with 3 or 4 others and always keep going back to it but never seem to buy it. That ends very soon as I think I’ve figured out that I like Orage way more than others in terms of scent profile but still lacks the pungent stopping power that Ombre Nomade commands. The scent of Orage is different – it’s woody but also peppery with patchouli in the mix – just a masterpiece and smells unique. Top notes are Bergamot and Grapefruit; middle notes are Iris, Pepper and Hedione; base notes are Java vetiver oil, Patchouli, Iso E Super and White Musk. If you had to tell me to only pick five to have for the rest of my life, I’d like to think Orage would be in the mix. Wouldn’t make top three but top five for sure.

California Dream – 8.2/10

California Dream was released in 2020 and is also a citrus-forward fragrance. There aren’t many notes in this one to speak of and they are mandarin orange, musk, pear, ambrette and benzoin. I feel as though this fragrance was shadowed by bigger names in the California line and I don’t think it’s fair to do that. Yes, Pacific Chill and Afternoon Swim have more mass appeal, but California Dream to me is just as good. My initial review was a 7/10 and it’s grown on me as time has gone on. It’s fresh and floral notes are smoothed out by the powdery musk throughout. It’s an amazing blend of scents wrapped up in another amazing looking bottle. The new review score is justifiably deserved. Don’t sleep on this one!

Sur la Route – 5/10

This fragrance was on my radar for a while, and I finally caved the last time I was at my local LV store. Since it’s now considered fall here in New England, this fragrance is now “out of season”, however, we’ve had some warmer days, and I now have some thoughts. I should have known when I was on my way back from LV and had 4 different scents on various parts of my hands and arms that before I got home, Sur la Route was all but a distant memory to my nose. The rest though were still partying it up and going strong. I think this is my biggest problem with a lot of LV frags – they smell AMAZING, but lack in performance. Top notes are Citruses, Calabrian bergamot, Lemon and Pink Pepper; middle notes are Grass, Nutmeg, Hedione and Cardamom; base notes are Leather, Cedar, Patchouli, Iso E Super and Peru Balsam. Based on these notes alone, this fragrance does smell amazing, and they were so good I bought it. But for me, on my skin, I just don’t feel it. I don’t get whiffs from time to time, I put my nose to my arm after a few hours and just don’t smell it anymore but really really wish I did. Another beautiful LV frag plagued by performance.

Afternoon Swim – 9.5/10

You know, back in April I gave this one my overwhelming top mark and it was my #1 LV fragrance from the California collection. I can tell you, it’s still high, but I feel like the pool has gotten bigger and there’s more swimming around than there was before. It’s still a stellar fragrance, but there are better ones. I’m going to keep my 9.5 rating since it really is a good frag, but it’s been put on notice that there are bigger sharks in the water now. Notes are mandarin orange, Sicilian orange, bergamot, ambergris and ginger. I wouldn’t suggest spraying this on and then going for a swim because you will immediately dilute this gorgeous masterpiece and wash it right off. I do recommend however that you wear this in the warmer months for sure.

Lovers – 9/10

The most recent fragrance of the bunch, Lovers, was released only a few months ago at the time of this writing and is probably one of the only few fragrances you definitively can wear year-round from LV. Top notes are Galbanum and Bergamot; middle notes are Ginger and Solar Notes; base notes are Sandalwood and Cedarwood. When I flew to Florida this past summer, I only took two fragrances with me; Creed Virgin Island Water and of course, LV Lovers. It wasn’t because it was the newest frag in my collection at the time, but because when you spray this as it is it’s one thing, but then go out in the hot sun and it’s a completely different animal. I went into the LV store to buy Pacific Chill (still don’t own it as of this writing lol) and left with Lovers. Took that first initial nose hit, and I looked right at the client advisor and bought it without hesitation. It had JUST come out that day as well so had I gone in a day before maybe Pacific Chill would be sitting on my shelf right now, just sayin’. My rating hasn’t changed from my initial review, 9/10 is well deserved for this frag. You must try it!

Nouveau Monde – 6/10

I have this thing with fragrances that smell too similar to each other. I think if you’ve been reading my thoughts in this blog for more than a year now, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Can we label this? Would this be like, the nepotism of fragrances? I don’t know, maybe it’s just me? The notes in Nouveau Monde are agarwood (oud), leather, cacao, saffron, rose, caramel, vanilla, Amberwood, olibanum, black currant, and patchouli. These notes aren’t exact, but similar to Ombre Nomade. I’ve done a side-by-side comparison in my own lab and can definitively tell you that they are close…so close, but not exactly the same. My problem is that they shouldn’t have made one this close in the first place. It smells great, I’m not discounting that, but it literally IS the discounted Ombre Nomade; in performance, in price and in sillage. Just doesn’t compare. Great fall and winter scent though. Just wish it was more different than it already is. If you ONLY smelled this one and stayed away from Ombre Nomade you’d be totally happy.

L'Immensite – 8/10

This fragrance off the rip reminds me of my childhood. I don’t remember exactly what fragrance I would have worn in the 90’s but I think it was Gravity. This fragrance isn’t exactly like that one but for some reason really takes me back to those times of being a teen and buying fragrances for the first time. It’s fresh, bright and aromatic with the perfect amount of projection and longevity. Starts off with beaming citrus with a bit of herbal notes and dries down to a warmer spicy feel. Top notes are Grapefruit, Ginger and Bergamot; middle notes are Water Notes, Sage, Rosemary and Geranium; base notes are Ambroxan, Amber and Labdanum. This fragrance should be worn in spring, summer or fall but as I mentioned before, if you go to the gym a lot like I do this is another good one even in winter for the gym. A worthy fragrance to add to your collection for sure.

Imagination – 9.2/10

Imagination is the fragrance that everyone is talking about lately (other than Ombre Nomade and Pacific Chill) and for good reason. It’s the simplest, cleanest and most “soapy clean” fragrance that Louis Vuitton makes. Top notes are Citron, Calabrian bergamot and Sicilian Orange; middle notes are Tunisian Neroli, Nigerian Ginger and Ceylon Cinnamon; base notes are Chinese Black Tea, Ambroxan, Guaiac Wood and Olibanum. If I’m being totally honest, I don’t smell the cinnamon or the woody notes at all. Mostly just those citruses, ginger and tea notes. It’s a spring/summer/gym monster and has amazing projection and sillage. It's one absent from my collection but won’t be for long. This is a dumb reach for sure.

Ombre Nomade – 9.4/10

The fall and winter king has entered the building. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve sprayed this on and DAYS later still smell it. I mean the amount of performance AND projection from this fragrance is out of this world. There is one flaw to a fragrance like this, and that is, if you don’t like it, you REALLY won’t like it. Loud fragrances tend to become that much more obnoxious to others around you and this one is definitely on notice. Usually, I do about 5 to 8 sprays depending on the fragrance. Ombre Nomade? Gets three…MAX. I’ve worn this outside on a cool day and people in my surrounding area can smell it immediately it's that strong. Notes are agarwood (oud), incense, rose, raspberry, saffron, Amberwood, birch, benzoin, and geranium. This one should absolutely be on your list to try if you have not yet. I highly recommend getting a sample first just to see how those around you will react to this because it is on the more expensive side of LV frags so buying this only to find out nobody likes it would be a terrible waste of $410 plus tax.

Meteore – 9.4/10

I have a special place in my heart for Meteore. It’s the one that nobody talks about but, in my opinion, is way better than Imagination. Top notes are Mandarin Orange, Sicilian Orange and Calabrian bergamot; middle notes are Pink Pepper, Pepper, Tunisian Neroli, Indonesian Nutmeg and Guatemalan Cardamom; base note is Java vetiver oil. I get the citruses, I get the cardamom but don’t necessarily get the nutmeg. What I do get though, is that vetiver. Java vetiver is different from other vetivers because it’s smoky and has more of an earthy and green scent. I get that a lot in here. Mix those citrus notes with an earthy vetiver and I love it. Sadly, this isn’t in my collection as of right now but hope it will be in the near future. Definitely try this one out. Do a side by side with Imagination and tell me you don’t like Meteore better. So good.

Fleur du Desert – 4/10

This fragrance is perplexing. If we’re talking strictly unisex on this fragrance and not even a smidge masculine leaning, I’d say it’s not even in the same ballpark. This fragrance is lovely. It’s not bad at all, but it’s towing the line of feminine and exiting the unisex realm in my opinion. Top notes are Honey and Cinnamon; middle notes are Jasmine, Rose and Orange Blossom; base notes are Agarwood (Oud), Ambroxan and Ambrette (Musk Mallow). Again, I don’t get cinnamon in this fragrance at all but what I do get is a bomb of powdery, floral, and oud throughout the opening and dry down. If you’re looking for a good, dark fragrance for your wife or girlfriend this season, this is definitely one to try. I don’t think it’s one for my collection but that’s just me.

Les Sables Roses – 3/10

This fragrance to me sits in line with Fleur du Desert in terms of being more feminine leaning and not masculine at all to my nose. There’s something about the fragrance that I just really am not a fan of. The notes are quite simple; Rose, Bulgarian rose, oud, ambergris, saffron and black pepper. Now, I’ve smelled numerous fragrances with oud, ambergris, saffron and black pepper…numerous. I’ve also smelled fragrances with rose in it before. However, something about this fragrance smells like…dolls. Hear me out for a second. If you’re an 80s baby, you would know that when dolls or action figures were new out of the package, they had a distinct plasticky/rubbery smell to them. This fragrance reminds me of that. Again, this is just me talking (or writing) here, this may be a 9/10 for someone else’s nose, but for me, this is the worst of the bunch. Not a fan at all and even long after this has dried down, it just not one that I like at all. Try for yourself, comment below, I’m curious what you think.

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Final Thoughts

Well, there you have it! The ultimate buying guide of all fragrances available for men at Louis. As usual, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed testing these. LV is up there in terms of designers for me and their simplistic approach to their presentation is nothing compared to the fragrances in the bottles. They are all unique and not distant clones of anything else I’ve smelled. I urge you to give these a try. And, for those of you keeping score, my favorite out of all of these was Pacific Chill (one of my worst ratings in a previous blog, now #1) and my worst was Les Sables Roses. Let me know what your favorite and least favorite was in the comments below.

Want me to review another collection of fragrances? Let us know either in the comments or send us an email and we’ll look into it! As always, I’ll catch you all in the next one!

An old-school classic spirit in a glass bottle you can’t drink. Sounds weird right? Let’s take a sniff at the new release from Kilian and see what the hype is all about!

Two new fragrances from Creed are on the horizon just in time for the season they are destined for. I’ve been testing both of these for a good solid week now and I’ve got some thoughts.