Drakkar Bleu by Guy Laroche

An affordable fragrance that doesn’t excite or offend anyone. Well balanced. In the opening you notice more mint and apple, and after a few hours you notice more of the floral, mossy, and woody notes, but they’re very subtle and blended into each other. An ideal everyday perfume. I liked it. For its price, it’s worth having on your shelf.

A perfume that in the opening seems like it’s going to be very good; however, throughout its development it’s a constant battle between being a great fresh, versatile, masculine perfume and suddenly catching that mass-market, personality-less teenage scent of Y by YSL. A shame of a perfume that could have been good but fell short.

The opening is astringent and disconcerting. Soon green apple and mint emerge, bringing a very fresh air over an aquatic and spicy base that I perceive as somewhat synthetic (but that happens to me almost always with this type of aroma). It holds well during the drydown; it’s not a fragrance with much evolution. At the end, fir shows up very timidly. It’s a fragrance that performs quite well for what it costs; I think it can be a very good buy if you like this type of fragrance. I see it as good for transitional weather, that is, any season except the coldest of winter and the hottest of summer. That said, you have to keep in mind that it moves quite far from the Drakkar DNA. It lacks the sage note so characteristic of Drakkar, or at least I don’t perceive it.

Blue perfumes don’t appeal to me, but since Drakkar Noir is one of my all-time favorite fragrances, I couldn’t resist trying this Bleu. It opens sweetish, in a modern style as commented below. I do feel that green apple so characteristic that was popularized by the YSL brand… and it’s really a note that always stands out to me above the rest. In the drydown, the perfume improves to my taste because it balances out and stays on the fresh herbal side, with touches of that very pleasant fir note. Considering its price, it’s a perfume that delivers, although it certainly doesn’t propose anything new. Here the brand has played it safe, which is a totally respectable approach, but for the most hardcore enthusiasts it leaves us wanting more. PS: Very similar to Cool Night by Ted Lapidus.

Careful with this perfume: I’ve had it for a couple of months now and its evolution has surprised me. It’s as if you added a dense layer of Granny Smith apple extract on top of Drakkar Noir, plus a few drops of spearmint Listerine. At first it didn’t last long on me, not even just after applying it, and as time goes on I’m noticing it with much more character. I perceive a delicious fresh, green, clean, sparkling scent; at first it disappointed me because it smelled just like Invictus 🙁 but over time I’ve discovered aspects I love; I feel a more ‘alpha’ vibe for its category. Yes, it also has that fruity, run-of-the-mill side, but with maturity… it also has a certain resemblance to Fierce by A&F, but its biggest resemblance is to Johnson & Johnson’s apple baby shampoo; it’s that, taken into adulthood. Honestly, at first you don’t feel the Drakkar imprint; it seems like a 180-degree turn, but no! There are reminiscences of the classic. Right now, in the middle of winter, I’m working the night shift in a gym with the heating permanently at 25 degrees, and it’s amazing! The lavender, patchouli and green apple blend perfectly to create a fresh but authoritative scent. It’s incredible how this fruit has taken over the market; almost everything with green apple is liked and feels youthful (but generic); it’s the common scent of today, but with flashbacks to a 2000s fougère… exactly, it takes me straight to a barbershop in 2004. However, I think above 25 degrees it would become heavy. As I’ve described it, the fragrance seems playful, but no… it’s quite serious! Of a serious, neat and temperamental man. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under 26. It’s not special or different either, but for going to work it’s perfect… to feel clean, bright, soapy, classic but at the forefront. I’ve already enjoyed a quarter of a 100 ml bottle. Summary: Green apple > spearmint > Gillette shaving foam (the classic one). One of the best generic scents I’ve found; at first it feels like ‘more of the same’, but it has its differentiating factor. It seems to cause olfactory fatigue and fade quickly, but I’ve noticed it performs a good 4/5 hours! Good buy. Scent: 8.5. Projection/Sillage: 6.1. Longevity: 5.3. Final rating: 6/10. ***66.3% perfection***

I was expecting a flanker of Noir, like the Intense is, but no: this one doesn’t have even 0% of that line, and I can’t help but think of Y or Yeah when I smell it; that’s the style. It starts off minty and fruity, and then it’s a clone of Y by YSL. If you don’t have or can’t get the Arabic versions, it’s a good option for the price. Longevity is low for now, but I’ve only had it for a couple of days; it needs to oxygenate. It’s not what I expected; I already have Yeah, Yeah EDP, and a decant of Fackar Black, so I’m going to have to exchange it because it’s not a scent I like (Y and its flankers), and having so many similar ones, I’ll never finish them.

It’s okay, it’s far from the quality of other Drakkar fragrances but it does the job reasonably well for the money. A good daily summer scent, without too much sillage.

A little blue one for year-round use, not to say generic, but this isn’t a negative criticism. If you’re going for something safe, this is the kind of fragrance you should have. It reminds me of many other fragrances. In my experience, it’s 98% identical to H. BOSS United.

I like Drakkar Blue, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Personally, I don’t perceive it as a fresh fragrance, at least not in extreme heat conditions. Right now it’s 30°C and I find it a bit heavy, which surprised me. As for longevity, being an Eau de Parfum, I expected it to outperform Drakkar Noir, but it seemed pretty similar in longevity. Even so, the longevity is acceptable. I think it can work in summer, but on moderately warm days, not on extremely muggy days like today.

I’m not usually a fan of ‘blue’ perfumes, but since Drakkar Noir is a classic of mine, I couldn’t resist trying this Bleu. It opens sweet and modern, though that typical YSL green apple note always stands out above the rest. As it dries down, it improves, staying herbal and fresh with a pleasant fir note. It delivers for the price, although it doesn’t bring anything new; the brand played it safe, which is respectable but might feel underwhelming to purists. P.S.: Very similar to Ted Lapidus Cool Night.

watch out for this one; I’ve been wearing it for two months and its evolution caught me off guard. Imagine Drakkar Noir with a layer of Granny Smith apple and a few drops of Listerine mint. At first, it didn’t last even right after application, but now it has more character. It smells fresh, green, and clean with a spark; initially, I was disappointed because it smelled like pure Invictus, but over time I discovered a more “alpha” vibe for its category. Yes, it has that fruity and common side, but with maturity. It resembles Fierce by A&F, but its closest match is Johnson & Johnson’s apple shampoo, just for adults. At first, I didn’t feel the classic’s signature; it seemed like a 180-degree turn, but there are reminiscences! Now, in the middle of winter, working out at night with 25 degrees, it goes wild. The lavender, patchouli, and green apple blend perfectly: fresh but authoritative. It’s incredible how green apple has conquered the market; almost everything smells this way, youthful but generic, today’s common aroma with flashbacks to a 2004 fougere, straight from the barbershop. But above 25 degrees, it would get heavy. As I described, it seems playful but no, it’s serious: for a neat and temperamental man. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under 26. It’s neither special nor different, but perfect for work: clean, bright, soapy, classic, and modern. I’ve already enjoyed a quarter of the 100 ml bottle. Summary: Green apple > peppermint > classic Gillette shaving foam. One of the best generics I’ve gotten; at first it seems like “more of the same” but it has its differentiating factor. It seems to tire and fade, but it delivers its 4-5 hours well. Good buy. Scent: 8.5, Projection: 6.1, Longevity: 5.3. Final Rating: 6/10. ***66.3% perfection***

This perfume is a gem, very rich.

Well, honestly, it’s a good perfume, nothing extraordinary, even reminds me of Hawass Ice right out of the bottle; it’s extremely similar. For the price I got it in Mexico (500 pesos), I won’t demand more than 6 hours of longevity, but it’s true that I don’t smell it after about 2 hours; probably it’s olfactory fatigue and it’s quite weak, nothing an extra application can’t solve. It’s good, yes, but it’s nothing out of this world; it even passes as an imitation of any other perfume. I’m not complaining about the price.

I was hoping for a flanker of Noir, like the Intense, but this has not even 0% of the line’s DNA. I can’t stop thinking about the Y or the Yeah, that’s the style: it comes out mentholated and fruity and then it’s a clone of YSL’s Y. If you don’t have or can’t get the Arabic versions, it’s a good option for the price. The longevity is low for now, but I’ve worn it for a couple of days and it needs to oxygenate. It’s not what I expected; I already have the Yeah, the Yeah EDP, and a decant of Fackar Black, so I’ll have to swap it because it’s not a scent I like (Y and its flankers), and with so many similar ones, I’ll never finish them.