Am I becoming a fragrance snob? I thought something like this would never happen to me, and yet here I am, delaying a favorable review of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue EDT for the silliest reason of it being too popular and too mainstream! I really hope I’ll soon be back to my usual self, spraying on myself whatever smells fantastic, no matter if too many other people are wearing it or not.
Anyway, I believe that Light Blue‘s popularity is well earned (I’m speaking of the female version, though I’d also love to try the male cologne someday). Its only disadvantage is that its top notes go away too fast, and this is quite tragic because I fell in love precisely with these top notes. I know too well that hesperidic notes are the most volatile of them all, citruses smell great, but their smell will never stay. Still, fancy having a perfume with the divine aroma of Light Blue that would remain for long, long hours!
There’s lemon, orange zest, a touch of bergamot. Something piny, too, but it’s far in the distance. Yes, these are definitely some evergreen needles, though I can’t say whether it’s a fir or a pine or a cedar (the description says it’s the latter). It is definitely Mediterranean, anyway. Light Blue is like taking a deep breath of sea air, warmed by the Mediterranean sun. You smell it, and all at once, you are there — Italy, the French Riviera, Croatia or Montenegro? (yeah yeah, I know that the latter two are washed by the Adriatic, it’s basically a big gulf of the Mediterranean). Suddenly, all you see is palm trees, Italian pines, golden sand of the beaches, turquoise water, white limestone-paved waterfront promenades, cafés with terraces in front of those limestone buildings… Evergreens and citrus trees everywhere. You look at yourself, and you are wearing a light summer dress, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses — as if you were a Hollywood Golden Age diva or an incognito princess. You have the best summer vacation ever, and you are taking the time of your life. This is the real dolce vita. (Thought aside: this is also the right fragrance to bear the name “La vie est belle,” alas, the one carrying this name is an abomination before whatever deity one could think of).
The illusion of a summer at a high-end sea resort lingers after the citruses are gone, thankfully. More evergreen needles and salty sea breeze, it’s still the Mediterranean, life is still beautiful and sweet. It’s still great. But the citruses made it more than great, they made it divine. Can I keep them, pretty pretty please?
The dry-down, which comes next, lasts for some 9-10 hours. It envelops you with the warmest and sunniest of woods. The bright citruses are missed, but the woody embrace is so sensuous and tender that you won’t be wistful about them.
All this being said, there’s a considerable drawback in Light Blue. It is one of the only two fragrances from that Macy’s sampler set I bought a full bottle of (the other one being, naturally, L’Interdit). So high were my hopes for it to help me survive Massachusets winter with its Mediterranean sunshine. Now, when November chills are here to stay, I see the flaw in this plan. Alas, Light Blue can’t stand cold weather. Where there were sweet citruses and refreshing sea breeze, now there’s only the sourest green apple and fresh rhubarb. Sour to make one’s jaw hurt. The woody dry-down is still there, but alas, Light Blue‘s most beautiful phase is replaced with green acidity. Ah, my good friend, it seems that I’ll have to wait till summer to meet you again. You enhance summer’s beauty, but you can’t live without it.