Reviews of Laguna Homme (2001)
by Salvador Dali

An amber aquatic, which is not quite a contradiction in terms; Laguna is 'pond' is Spanish. Not salty sea breezes but a calming, exotic, and tropical scent. OK it's not THAT great but it beats the hell out of Prada. Feels as if you're lying down on a hammock between coconut trees on a lazy afternoon. It's Tahiti time. Alas, nubile island girls serving Mai Tais, not included.

Hmmm… I was expecting great things from this one (even if the bottle looks like a suntan lotion product). At first, the topnotes seem promising but it quickly descends into a synthetic mess that’s hard for me to appreciate. There are definitely associations with salty seas and coconuts, but that wasn’t enough to maintain my dwindling fascination with it. It’s just one of those scents that quickly irritates.

Strangely enough, this seems to be very popular among Eastern European men – it’s the only time I encounter this scent in London (it’s impossible to obtain in the UK but I’ve been informed that it’s quite easy to find in countries such as Poland). I’m very curious as to why this is the case…

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

Doesn’t it smell quite much like Versace`s The Dreamer with additional note of benzoin plus that slightly salty metal accord….

Like The Dreamer, this indeed smells very synthetic but to my mind in a most pleasant way. Its very captivating juice. Works almost like a magnet.
Highly recommended if you like sweeter (oriental-fougere) scents and you’re not afraid of synthetic nuances.

Tasty scent and very pleasant wear with long lasting appearance.

This is a controversial scent, as you can see from the reviews in Basenotes. It really is a strange scent. I think the quinine note in it is responsible for both the positive and negative reactions. It's not exactly aquatic, but combined with the citrus notes, it makes for a lightly smoky and slightly metallic edge to the top note. I guess this is intrigued some and puts off others. The middle is a somewhat diverse collection of typical heart notes, woods, white floral, tobacco. Where the main interest lies for me is in the base notes: tonka bean, vanilla, and musk make for a bit of powderiness there; but the touch of labdanum and clary sage take it to a different level. On my skin, the powder hangs in the background, but the clary-labdanum win out. When to wear this? Warm weather definitely; when you are in a sunny, optimistic mood, too.

for me its kinda like being in a glass ball of pure blue water, where sting rays are my friends and all that can be heard to aquatic sounds
i loves it
i tend to have to use it like water tho wears off quickly

Like a boisterous speech, it is full of interesting points up front but subsequently finishes off it's tirade by simply falling off the platform into the audience. Massive vanilla/amber and absolutely NOTHING else. A political speech riddled with empty promises.

This is really loud, like any supermarket underarm spray. I don't think there's a single natural ingredient in Laguna. Hard-core synthetics. Spray this higher than your knees at your peril. Really saline. In fact, so salty hypertensives should take care! On others it smells above average, but I shy away from wearing it.

A bit of a conundrum, this. It's an aquatic -- no, wait, maybe not. It's a gourmand? Yes but no.

An odd vanilla bird in my collection. My husband wears it far more often than I do, and it's incredible on him. It seems to go back and forth between the edible and the "fresh" in the oddest of ways. For me personally, it's a warm weather frag only. For him? Oh, no -- he wears it no matter the temperature.

I can see why this one has a strong following on Basenotes -- it's quite pleasant, not to mention long lasting, and it's not just another boring aquatic clone -- by no means.

Sprayed sparingly this fragrance smells like air, it dissipates into nothing. Using 1/2 a tester tube I realised its aquatic title is more inspired by sweet coconut than aquatics. The basenotes seem quite similar to Hilary Duff's 'With Love'. This fragrance is probably too sweet for most men, but an unobtrusive fragrance suitable as unisex in my mind.

On the paper card, Laguna by Salvador Dali opens with a superb mandarin, lime, quinine accord. I have a hard time finding words to describe the excellence of that opening accord. The middle, is a sweet wood / soft tobacco accord—again, charming and pleasant. The base is a robust tonka and vanilla that is just ok to my nose.
That’s what happens on paper. What happens on my skin when I spray the fragrance on is a completely different story. On my skin, Laguna turns into a vanilla sillage monster. The vanilla / tonka bean overpowers everything else. It’s quite cloying and actually becomes headache inducing. I would love this one if it weren’t for the vanilla / tonka overload on my skin. It seems everything comes down to chemistry.

Basenotes describes it as a smooth oriental which I think really catches the essesce of it. Its not a fragrance which makes a bold statement, rather a laid back fragrace with a nice smell and an interesting evolution. I get about 4 hours of longevity with it, which for me is good but not exceptional.

Smells pretty good, but I get absolutely no longevity or projection with this one. I'm lucky if I get an hour.

Good stuff no doubt. Really nothing not to like. Unique and very strong lasts forever and a day. Not that interesting of a smell though, but no one would regret buying it. Smells very very good, but not all that interesting - like ungaro III, Yatagan, Antaeus, etc. Laguna is a very solid cologne. But not groundbreaking. But how many really are?

Gee this only makes so much sense, so bear with me. This is what I would classify as a beach scent, not an aquatic scent. It is sweet, and has lots of vanilla and coconut. The woods are very subtle if detectable at all on me. It has a slightly synthetic quality which isn't horribly bothersome but that the scent could do without. You could get away wearing this scent at the office, and it wouldn't be horribly out of place at night either, but all in all the only time this scent truly shines is at the beach. The beginning is good for a day at the beach and the dry down is good for a beautiful beach sunset or a wild summer beach party. Verdict: smells nice enough, just lacks versatility. Definately a good one to bring to Hawaii.

I might have smelled one that was bad, because i can't see why all the great reviews from this one. Good lasting quality, nice scent, but nothing interesting to me,it's casual but i wouldn't wear it.Compared to the wonderful Salvador Dali PH (even thought they are very different in composition and presence), this one pales. I'll pass.Acuatic? ,again as it is with male fragrances, it isn't.

What's not to love? Citrus, woods, and musk...this is a Laguna at night - tropical flowers blooming, fruit falling from the trees, lush green leaves and vines. Even better, the drydown is a warm oriental. Hands down the best offering from Dali next to the original women's Laguna - if you haven't tried that one, go for it...

I think It's a very good fragrance!!
It combines citric/marine with sweet notes in a way the result is never a scent of
discordant notes. Not offensive, sexy and can be worn casually or even formally.
Really, really reminds me of beach summer nights!!
If you want something stronger, but equally sexy, try Ysl M7.
Thumbs Up!

One of the best fragrances available based on price. Smells as good as any fresh aquatic/citrus out there, lasts pretty long, costs next to nothing. Can't lost.

This is great casual scent. Like Quasar, this has a tropical feel to it. Off the top it's a bit fruity, but not like other typical fruity fragrances. It's like the skin of a ripe mango or the outer shell of a coconut;not the juicy insides. The tobacco-like middle notes tame its sweetness so it isn't a sugar bomb. It reminds me of applying tanning lotion after sun bathing at the beach. It later develops into a soft vanilla note that isn't overly sweet in the least bit. Longevity and sillage is excellent. I bought this blind for $12.99 when Perfumania had a clearance so I couldn't lose.

The drydown is more interesting and sublime than the top notes which are, well if not common, then definitely not unique or ground-breaking. Yes, this is all about summer. This is a good stuff, but it lacked proper marketing and self-belief.

As any regular basenoter knows, Laguna is the premier choice of the distinguished Mr. Milamber on the boards. I share his affection for it only to a ertain extent. An able fragrance that I'd describe as a CK Be with a good dose of saltiness and a strong vanilla base. Lasts very well and is a good choice for guys with no other vanillas in their wardrobes.

Laguna is a nice sweet and aquatic fragrance. It’s along the lines of Body Kouros with a salty marine accord. It’s great for summer, and works wonders in humid weather. It’s nothing groundbreaking or amazing, but it’s nice enough that I swapped it, and then got it again when I missed it.

Fantastic fragrance! I got Laguna blind and was very pleasantly surprised. As mentioned by others, Laguna reminds me of relaxing under the warm sun on a calm beach with plenty of near by palm trees and coconut trees (Laguna smells like it has a slight coconut note on my skin). Laguna smells fresh and clean but not in a sharp way, I find it a very relaxing and uplifting smell which reminds me of vanilla, coconut and sun-cream.

I think Laguna would work perfectly in warm to hot weather. Laguna leaves the right about of sillage, it is easily detectable whilst not overpowering. I would say Laguna is a youthful yet mature scent which I think would be suitable for all ages.

Some scents are easily grown out of, however at this stage I can’t see myself ever getting tired of Laguna. Laguna is not sold at department stores near me, which helps to explain why it is so rare here in Western Australia. This scent is defiantly a keeper. If you are looking for a cheap, unique, non-common, high-quality, summer scent you should check out Laguna!

This fragrance is BRILLIANT and first of its kind!!! in terms of its burst of freshness as its top citrus notes...then it drysdown to a very smooth AMBERY VANILLA BASE!! A bottle of this is amazing during the summmer and will give loads of attention from the females!!!

Wow! What a well crafted fragrance. The top seems to be a tropical fruity mix that conjures up images of a hot, secluded beach with white sand and crystal water with a hint of vanilla in the air. The drydown becomes heavy on a creamy vanilla. So perfect.

AWFUL! Overly sweet synthetic smelling vile crap. That sums it up!

Delicious and beautiful fragrance. It reminds me of being on a beach and applying suntan oil to a gorgeous woman. The vanilla note is superb, clean and not cloying. Fresh as can be, and great for warm weather and sunny days.
This fragrance contains oceans of vanilla and a rich, breezy, misty sea breeze of pure joy.

I think it sucks.
Sorry, but that's about as sophisticated a review I can give. It struck me as oppressive and had a very discordant note in it, much like LeMale.
Sprayed it once and am now looking to unload it to one of its many admirers.

Firstly, it is rather hard to find so you'll be sure to be among the few people in your country/state that wears it. It's exclusivity is matched by its aromatic qualities that never fails to draw attention. At the mention of the name, people instantly get the sea-breeze connection so it is a very precisely crafted scent.

Secondly, this scent leaves behind a trail that is fresh and clean. It is the sort of sillage that gets people to look up from reading their newspaper or magazines on the train just to figure out who just passed by them.

Thirdly, it is very masculine. I get a kind of tobacco-like note that passes off as the salty sea spray that gets in your mouth and throat while walking along the beach during high tide. This mid-note lasts quite awhile on me before turning into a very sexy vanillic hue so that by evening, it transforms into a soft, mellow vanillic scent ideal for a quiet night out with a loved one.

Finally, after wearing a scent for some time, it is inevitable that the scent will carry many memorial baggage and luckily for me, this scent carries with it many happy memories of my youthful zest and abandonment. So much so that this scent has come to symbolise just that - youthful zest and wanton abandonment, a celebration of life, for me. That connection between scent and memory is for me, the most important utilitarian facet of this hobby, the essence of scent collection is as a repository of memories both sweet and bitter. It is magical isn't it, how a multitude of memories flood back at the simple spritz of a perfume bottle?

Sparkling,fruity freshenes at first, and then a smooth vanilla,very light,drydown that lasts a long time. Good for warm sunny days but works also on cold winter days. Very nice!

I usually go for heavy orientals so this is an exception to my perfume collection since it is exceptionally well blended...It smells so much like the female version that was launched in the early nineties which I am very glad about...It is a very uplifting scent (also very similar to DIESEL FEMININE)...

Laguna is awesome!!!! NUFF-SAID.