Luna Rossa Ocean
Eau de Toilette, Prada (2021)

Like Dylan Blue given a serious Prada makeover, with an iris heart transplant and some better manners. Still not really my thing, but doesn't deserve the ill will which is probably more related to the L'Oréal takeover, perfumer change, or perceived poor fit to the Luna Rossa line that was already all over the place anyway.

Kind of sits in the middle between Bleu de Chanel and Dylan Blue in terms of both scent and performance. The opening smells like you just used half a bar of soap for your shower, before things get a little funkier late in the dry down, but I don't think it will be loud enough at any stage to bother anyone.

Prada Luna Rossa Ocean EDT (sample) -


Roses are red,

The Ocean is blue,

Sublimating notes of aromatic freshness mixed with sophisticated sensuality,

This fume 'aint for me,

It's all for you.


Enjoy!


1/5 stars

I bought this looking for an alternative for BdC, since that frag turns rotten and sour smelling on my skin after the first or second hour mark then dries down to cigarette smell. I tried this on a whim in Dillard's after seeing it on the best seller's list at Sephora, went back into the store and sprayed some on my arm, and then ordered the 5oz jumbo bottle from Macy's. Finally, something that didn't make me think of an old guy's barber shop or old lady's makeup bag!

This is a "shower gel intense" fragrance. It smells like you washed yourself with way too much of the gift set cologne and didn't wash off properly. Don't interpret that negatively - this fragrance is fantastic and to my nose it's a clear winner over BdC on paper and on skin. I'm not able to pick out individual notes, but I can tell you it smells oceanic and green with a citrus and floral (but not gross like AdG is) undertone. Very pleasant and easy to wear, something you can spray on and smell very nice almost anywhere. The beauty of the fragrance is that it's complex if you smell closely, but simple enough for anyone to enjoy. Projection was enough to gag me with just 4 sprays for over 6 hours.

I call this fragrance the "sexy and cultured man's scent". It takes the base of a really nice Method shower gel and adds in a little complexity as well as a bit of that strong bar soap prada base. The fact it needs some hunting to get a deal and in stock in now of all times tells you this is a winner.

I later ended up returning this because of the lackluster projection and just keeping Sauvage EDT. The hotel bar soap dry down was really too much for me.

As most have already mentioned, this is Prada's unapologetic entrant into the Bleu de Chanel et al type of scent.
However, I do detect the original Luna Rossa in this just not enough to convince it is a flanker thereof, and therein lies the rub: not enough of the original's DNA to allow this to shine sadly.
Me? I like it quite a bit.

Nothing groundbreaking and average performance, but Luna Rossa Ocean is a mix of proven crowd-pleasing, modern, masculine fragrance DNA and should work well in many situations. I see this as more casual and daytime, but just my opinion.

Sweet, bubblegum-fresh opening that dries down to something that reminds me of Fierce. I don't get much of a blue or aquatic scent, but it compares well against the likes of BdC or Dylan Blue, so there's that.

Again, just average performance, meaning it's perfect for office, dates, casual wear.

This makes me sad, as Prada has generally maintained a quality signature (usually musky or ambery iris) even in its mass market offerings, but this is just a generic "bleu" scent with herbs and a marine fougere backbone. With thanks to Varanis's review for the explanation, I have little to add. I hope the rest of the Prada line doesn't suffer this fate.