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Rochas Lui: Wow what a sleeper!

post #1 of 40
10/4/07 at 9:21pm
Thread Starter 
Well Guys I just got a bottle of Rochas Lui in from a swap with Ebear....and I was expecting a ho hum, Boss #6 wannabe with maybe some twang of burberry brit...like everything else and their brother is these days...

Wow I was taken aback! Man this fragrance is totally unique in a M7 and Basala kinda way.....nothing else similar to it....like the Basala of woods/sweets frags....totally unique...

This type of frag doesn't come along very often...Its easily a top ten for me....Just in time for winter...

Woods, a little gourmand, but not much, a little syrup, and alot of spice added into the mix makes johnny a happy boy! Totally a compliment getter ...though not tested....

Anyone else on the bandwagon...how did I miss this frag for soo long....Forgive me for being mediocre minded with my fragrances! 9 out of 10...

Pugs
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post #2 of 40
10/4/07 at 9:35pm
Yeah, baby! Rochas Lui blew my shoes off when I first sniffed it too. Killer. Love the stuff. Reeks of old classic style, you're right with the comparisons to heavy hitters. I thought it a fantastic variation on Habit Rouge when I got it, and I'm reminded of that when I smell it too. Very different from HR at the same time, heck I don't really know.

But you're right--it's grand. On the current thread about disappointments I was surprised to read of several members listing Lui as one of their biggest disappointments. I'm so sorry people miss out on the pleasure I get from this one.
--Chris
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post #3 of 40
10/4/07 at 11:08pm
Some very decent prices on this one from Imagination Perfumery.
I've been tempted to get it, but I'm really trying to cut back my collection.

For those that have both Cacharel Nemo and Gucci Pour Homme:
Are these similar to Lui?
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post #4 of 40
10/5/07 at 12:16am
Before I discovered S. L. Lutens Un Cèdre (2005), Rochas' Lui (2003) was the only cedar fragrance I ever felt excited about. I discovered RL more or less by lucky accident because on the shelves one of the Gucci bottles always caught my eye first. From the beginning, Gucci pour Homme (2003) was everybody's favorite here. Look into BN reviews: there are 123 for GpH, but only 21 for RL. Both fragrances were not only released in the same year, they have also been done in the same prestigious house of Robertet. But only for Lui the perfumer is known: Michel Almairac, also famous for Voleur de Roses ( L'Artisan 1993).
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post #5 of 40
10/5/07 at 3:09am
I am one of the supporters on the forum of this fine frag. I discovered it earlier this year from a sample given to me by scentemental. It is perfect for me because I am drawn to those scents that have a nod to the past while feeling contemporary as well. The drydown with patchouli and vanilla is very pleasing to me. Glad you discovered it and enjoy!
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post #6 of 40
10/5/07 at 4:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB View Post

But you're right--it's grand. On the current thread about disappointments I was surprised to read of several members listing Lui as one of their biggest disappointments. I'm so sorry people miss out on the pleasure I get from this one.
--Chris

Count me in, among its admirers! Rochas Lui is the only mainstream designer fragrance I currently own in my wardrobe (Bois d'Argent is an exclusive and Pi EDP was a limited edition) - that sums up how much I love wearing it.

Yeah, I also couldn't understanding why so many Basenoters knocked it in the 'disappointments' thread...
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post #7 of 40
10/5/07 at 5:04am
Superb frag, just superb. Very, VERY old school stuff, this -- really seem as though it should be one of our revered Seventies/Eighties powerhouses.

The drydown is truly amazing -- a warm patchouli and vanilla base beneath bright lemon and rich cedar.

Fun "rocking bottom" on the bottle's bae, too!
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post #8 of 40
10/5/07 at 5:24am
I bought this blind a couple of weeks ago & I must say this is a great frag.
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post #9 of 40
10/5/07 at 6:28am
I bought this frag a couple of months ago as a blind buy based on the reviews posted here and I will say that I am totally a fan. I love its' warmth and the fact that I believe I will be able to wear it in any season. It works well in the heat and humidity as well as in the drier and cooler weather. Kind of reminds me of Zino Davidoff at times ( another fine frag bought blind!)
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post #10 of 40
10/5/07 at 6:32am
totally agree here - just got this in a trade and i'm LOVING it!!

i love the sweet grassy note in the middle and how it plays against the sharp & dry cedar. longevity and sillage are impressive, and it seems super versatile
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post #11 of 40
10/5/07 at 6:35am
I completely agree. People talk about Gucci PH like it's the second coming. Well it is fact that Rochas Lui is a more interesting scent (Gucci is a one trick pony), and I can argue it is more wearable too. I wore it for the first time this season last week and was blown away.
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post #12 of 40
10/5/07 at 7:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by trumpet_guy View Post

Some very decent prices on this one from Imagination Perfumery.
I've been tempted to get it, but I'm really trying to cut back my collection.

For those that have both Cacharel Nemo and Gucci Pour Homme:
Are these similar to Lui?

I knew Pugs would see it my way!

Trumpet Guy, fellow musician,
[puts on Gucci PH from sample] Wow, I'd forgotten how nice Gucci PH is. I don't see a lot of resemblance to Rochas Lui, though. I find Gucci to have an aromatic woods type of feel, darker, more evening-ish, whereas Rochas Lui has a fresher, out-in-the-fields character, rounded out with patchouli. I also just exhausted my sample of Nemo, which I quite liked as a rich oriental, but again, it didn't remind me of Lui at all.

Yet, you still picked things that I definitely like! Rochas Lui doesn't really remind me of anything, and that's one of the good things about it. (no doubt someone who has sniffed an additional 1000 items will come up with something that's similar).

I'm intrigued at how many people find Rochas Lui to be loud. I find it to be fresh and wearable almost anytime, and pretty dignified. But then again, I like strong stuff.
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post #13 of 40
10/5/07 at 7:57am
Have to try it.

really interesting infos about here.
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post #14 of 40
10/5/07 at 8:20am
Here we go again! Rochas Lui has been on my shortlist for some time, and this thread is probably going to tip me over the edge. I am especially curious about this scent's use of Bison Grass.

Though it is difficult to know exactly what Rochas means by "bison grass," the most likely guess is that they are referring to the aromatic herb also known as Sweetgrass, Manna Grass, Buffalo Grass, and several other names. A very hardy native perennial, this grass grows widespread throughout North America. In addition to being a favored grass for the North American Bison to eat, it also has been used for centuries for traditional medicine and ceremonial purposes among both indigenous and European populations. It owes its special aroma to coumarin.

From wikipedia:
Sweetgrass has a mellow, almost soporific effect, and for many is a useful aid to entering a meditative state. Coumarin, although not known to possess psychotropic effects, is common to a number of herbs used ritually which have strong anecdotal evidence for at least mild psychotropic properties.
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post #15 of 40
10/5/07 at 3:04pm
I forgot to mention this a while back but, when I last visited Arabian Oud, there was this spray perfume by the name of Mokhalat Momayaz. Initially, the notes interested me but, after spraying it on my skin, I kept on getting a strong sense of deja vu. It was only when I returned home it suddenly hit me that this perfume smelt EXACTLY like Rochas Lui.

Try it for yourself if you can...
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post #16 of 40
10/5/07 at 10:38pm
I bought it blind, tried to like it, cool bottle and all, but it was so flat/opaque on me. I traded it. I tested it again the other day and I still think it's flat.
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post #17 of 40
10/5/07 at 10:56pm
Thread Starter 
Doom on you...Doom on you....Doom on you! LOL
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post #18 of 40
10/6/07 at 1:03pm
Too much vanilla, too old school. Better ones in the retro category are YSL Rive Gauche, Gucci pour homme, CdG Man 2 and Michael for men
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post #19 of 40
6/2/10 at 5:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB View Post

Yeah, baby! Rochas Lui blew my shoes off when I first sniffed it too. Killer. Love the stuff. Reeks of old classic style, you're right with the comparisons to heavy hitters. I thought it a fantastic variation on Habit Rouge when I got it, and I'm reminded of that when I smell it too. Very different from HR at the same time, heck I don't really know.

--Chris

OMG, you just read my mind!!!
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post #20 of 40
6/2/10 at 7:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by B.I.G. View Post

OMG, you just read my mind!!!

Not only that - he read your mind three years ago, before you even knew what Rochas Lui was! Amazing!!!
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post #21 of 40
6/2/10 at 8:20am
smells majestic. one of the best, ever.
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post #22 of 40
6/2/10 at 8:28am
I've been meaning to blind buy this stuff for a while, and I think today is going to be the day.
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post #23 of 40
6/2/10 at 8:39am
This is one of the most underrated scents out there. It's gorgeous stuff. Very elegant and classy.
I am going to wear it tomorrow since this bumped thread has resurrected my memory of this beauty.
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post #24 of 40
6/2/10 at 8:41am
I love it. I think it is quite fantastic and one of the best designer releases from the last decade.
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post #25 of 40
6/2/10 at 9:16am
Does it has some similarities with Michael for men?
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post #26 of 40
6/2/10 at 11:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oslo-Fjord View Post

Does it has some similarities with Michael for men?

I have both and wouldn't immediately associate the two.
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post #27 of 40
6/2/10 at 1:52pm
Starts with citrus, ends with amber and vanilla... Something like Nicolai New York?
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post #28 of 40
6/2/10 at 2:38pm
Rochas' men's fragrances have never disappointed me. This is indeed a good one.
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post #29 of 40
6/2/10 at 8:09pm
Lui is in my top 10 frags of all time. My only issue is I can't wear during the summer.
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post #30 of 40
6/2/10 at 8:14pm
pardon me but "sleeper" means...?
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post #31 of 40
6/2/10 at 8:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neurosis View Post

pardon me but "sleeper" means...?

If you'll allow me to read your mind, I'll tell you in three years that it means something that we haven't noticed enough, that we've passed by foolishly while it is a sleeping beauty that suddenly awakens.

Like that, I'm thinkin'.

B.I.G., great to see you pulling this thread up again. Really great stuff isn't it?
Thanks.
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post #32 of 40
6/2/10 at 8:34pm
[Weird double post again]
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post #33 of 40
6/2/10 at 11:51pm
just scored yesterday;
Rochas LUI - terrific!
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post #34 of 40
6/3/10 at 5:20am
I almost forgot about this one!
Truly a GREAT designer, one of the best IMO
very unique and satisfying on various levels
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post #35 of 40
6/3/10 at 5:53am
It`s very confusing.. Someone compares it with Habit Rouge. Others, with Gucci Pour Homme!!
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post #36 of 40
6/3/10 at 8:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oslo-Fjord View Post

It`s very confusing.. Someone compares it with Habit Rouge. Others, with Gucci Pour Homme!!

Well I hate both Habit Rouge & Gucci pour Homme but absolutely love Rochas Lui. Go figure.
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post #37 of 40
6/3/10 at 8:31pm
Yeah, it's a bit special, isn't it?
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post #38 of 40
6/4/10 at 12:32pm
Yes!!! a very special fragrance.....Very different from the norm.....I'm glad that I have a bottle!!!
Gary
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post #39 of 40
6/4/10 at 1:31pm
I'll add to the consensus. Lovely fragrance, one of my favorites. Fascinating transitions, and the patchouli/vanilla base is positively bewitching to me. Fantastic bottle too.
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post #40 of 40
6/4/10 at 1:38pm
I have heard enough..Bottle is ordered! Blind!
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