Louis Vuitton Imagination sample: wear the original in 3ml first

What Louis Vuitton Imagination smells like

Imagination was launched in 2021 and is listed for men, and the catalogue credits a single perfumer for it. It opens on citrus: citron, Calabrian bergamot and Sicilian orange, a bright and slightly sharp start. The heart brings Tunisian neroli, Nigerian ginger and Ceylon cinnamon, so the freshness picks up a little warmth and spice.

The base is what sets it apart from a plain citrus perfume. It lists Chinese black tea, ambroxan, guaiac wood and olibanum. Read in order, that is a perfume that starts sparkling, turns gently spicy and settles into a dry tea note over a clean, woody base. The catalogue's accords are citrus, fresh spicy, green, fresh and aromatic.

Imagination's longevity votes settle clearly on "long lasting". On sillage, the majority of voters settle on "moderate". Spring, fall and winter are the seasons voters choose. For time of day, the votes go to day, office and evening. Those are votes, not a promise about how it behaves on your skin, which is exactly why a sample is worth having.

Imagination and the other three Louis Vuitton originals at a glance

10ML sells three more Louis Vuitton originals that make sensible next samples. The table sets all four side by side by catalogue notes and community votes. Where a cell says "leans", the votes point that way without a clear majority. If you are weighing a full bottle against these samples, read what Louis Vuitton perfume costs per ml, which covers the 100ml and 200ml bottles and the 30ml travel spray from the house's own French store.

Two things stand out. First, three of the four sit in the fresh, daytime camp, and only Ombre Nomade is voted for winter nights. Second, ambroxan appears in the base of both Imagination and L'Immensité, which is why those two make the closest pairing if you want to see how one house treats the same material in two different moods.

How the three next samples compare

L'Immensité by Louis Vuitton

L'Immensité is an earlier launch, from 2018, also listed for men and credited to the same perfumer. It opens on grapefruit, ginger and bergamot, then moves to water notes, sage, rosemary and geranium, and finishes on ambroxan, amber and labdanum. Its accords include aquatic, herbal and musky, so it reads more herbal and watery than Imagination. Votes on its longevity lean moderate, with long lasting second. Sillage votes land on moderate, by a clear majority. Summer and spring take its season votes. Day and office take its time-of-day votes. It is the sample to wear if Imagination feels a touch too warm.

Ombre Nomade by Louis Vuitton

Ombre Nomade is the odd one out of the four. Also from 2018 and listed as unisex, it opens on oud and raspberry, moves through rose, saffron and geranium, and rests on frankincense and benzoin. Its accords run from amber, warm spicy and oud to smoky, leather and sweet. A clear majority of voters rate its longevity "eternal". Its sillage votes land clearly on "strong". Winter is its only voted season. Night and evening are the times voters choose. A 3ml is the simplest way to find out whether you want it at all.

Afternoon Swim by Louis Vuitton

Afternoon Swim is a 2019 unisex release. The catalogue lists mandarin orange, Sicilian orange and bergamot on top, aquatic notes in the heart, and ambergris and ginger underneath. Most voters rate its longevity "moderate". Sillage votes also settle clearly on "moderate", with "intimate" second. It is voted for summer. Voters choose it for day wear. Pick it if the citrus in Imagination is the part you like and you want it over aquatic notes, ambergris and ginger.

The five-day wear test with 3ml decants

A single sniff on a card cannot show you how a perfume lives on your skin. Around 60 sprays in a 3ml decant leaves room to wear each perfume more than once, so this plan pairs Imagination with one other decant.

1. Day one, Imagination alone, in the morning. Apply to clean skin after a shower and do not rub your wrists together. Write down the opening, then the heart once the first citrus has faded, then what remains by the evening.
2. Day two, the second decant alone, at the same time of day. Use the same spot and the same amount, so the only thing that changed is the perfume.
3. Day three, one on each wrist. Put Imagination on one wrist and the second perfume on the other, then compare them side by side through the day. Swap the wrists on the next application if you can, so the wrist does not decide for you.
4. Day four, your real day. Wear the one you are leaning towards in the place you would really wear it, such as the office, a dinner or a weekend. Ask someone who spends time near you what they noticed, if you like.
5. Day five, a different setting. Wear the same one again in a different kind of weather or evening. Read your notes back and ask a single question: which one did you want back on your skin?

The most useful note is how the perfume changes from opening to base. A perfume you tired of by the afternoon gives a different answer from one that came together late in the day.

What a 3ml tells you before a 10ml

A 3ml decant tells you the things a shop card cannot: how the opening sits on your skin, whether the tea and ambroxan base is one you enjoy, and whether you reach for the bottle on a second and third day. It lets you rule a perfume in or out on your own skin.

What it does not tell you is how the perfume feels as a regular part of your week. For that you want a 10ml decant. It holds around 200 sprays, which lets you wear the perfume for weeks. Our sample page lists the sizes, what a perfume decant is explains how a decant is filled, and how long a 10ml perfume lasts covers what to expect from that size. For the rest of the house, see our guide to the best Louis Vuitton perfumes.

Which Louis Vuitton sample to try next

Choose by what you liked or did not like about Imagination:

• Try L'Immensité if you want the same ambroxan base with a more herbal, watery heart, voted for summer and spring.
• Try Ombre Nomade if you want something deeper and darker, voted for winter nights, with oud, rose and saffron.
• Try Afternoon Swim if you want the most citrus-led option, voted for summer days.
• Stay with Imagination if the tea note and the dry, woody finish are what you were hoping for. The 10ml decant, at 42,84 €, is your next step.

If you would rather see how other houses interpret this perfume, our guide to Imagination dupes covers that comparison.

Prices for the decants

Use the 3ml, around 60 sprays, to discover. Step up to a 10ml decant, around 200 sprays, when one of the four has won you over. 10ML is not affiliated with or endorsed by Louis Vuitton.