In April 2019, Louis Vuitton released 3 new cologne style fragrances on to the market. The nose behind all 3 is Louis Vuitton’s in-house perfumer Jacques Cavallier. The three new perfumes are designed to invoke the Californian lifestyle, from the beach to the desert. The fragrances are presented in bright flacons and boxes designed by Californian artist, Alex Israel. As you can see below, the presentation is very much on point, but it’s the juice inside that counts and I recently had the chance to sample all 3 fragrances.
Sun Song: Sun Song comprises orange blossom, citron, jasmine and musk. It opens zesty with citron and orange blossom. Jasmine adds a floral touch. If you like Tom Ford Neroli Portofino or Sole di Positano you will like Sun Song. Sun Song has a heavy musk dry down that ensures it longevity stretches past the 8 hour mark.
Cactus Garden: Cactus Garden is the most unique fragrance out of the 3. Lemongrass is the main player, but it’s supported by yerba mate, geranium and bergamot. The yerba mate adds a green herbal dryness to the fragrance, and the bergamot and lemongrass balance this dryness with fresh notes. Incense is listed as a note but I didn’t pick it up on first wearing. This one lasted 6 hours on skin.
Afternoon Swim: Afternoon Swim is billed as a burst of vitamin C. It delivers this in spades. Sicilian orange, bergamot and mandarin provide a rush of freshness, that continues throughout the life of the fragrance. The ginger in this fragrance provides further zing. Afternoon swim is a citrus lover’s dream. It lasted 6-8 hours on skin.
Verdict: Even though these are “colognes”, the 3 fragrances are eau de parfum concentration. They all have above average longevity for fresher scents. Cactus Garden is the most left of centre of the three and for this reason is my favourite. It will be interesting to see as I sample them again if the more traditional cologne style Sun Song or Afternoon Swim overtake Cactus Garden as my favourite. They all work well on skin and they’re very well constructed fragrances that do the job they set out to do.
The biggest sticking point I have with the collection is the price. $350 Australian Dollars for 100ml of fragrance is very pricey. That’s over 1000 bucks if you order all 3. For that price, I could afford a return flight to Los Angeles and experience the Californian lifestyle in the flesh, with enough spare change to visit In-N-Out for a Double Double. If they were available in a 3 pack of 10ml travel sprays I would certainly consider adding them to my collection. However, Cactus Garden aside, the fragrances aren’t unique enough to justify the pricing, and therefore I won’t be adding any full bottles of these fragrances to my collection.