1 Million Lucky by Paco Rabanne

Sometimes, I completely miss that a new popular fragrance has been released, and don’t find out about it until months later. That is the case with today’s cologne review, a new flanker scent by Paco Rabanne, 1 Million Lucky. Yep, there is a new continuation of the 1 Million namesake, but how does Lucky stack up? What’s it smell like? Is it any good? Continue below for my thoughts on this cologne after wearing it around for a while.

What does 1 Million Lucky Smell Like?

Notes include: hazelnut, cedar, green plum, patchouli, grapefruit, amber, and more

Click here to try: 1 Million Lucky by Paco Rabanne Eau de Toilette Spray 100ml

My Full Review

Many people are going to wonder how much Lucky smells like the original 1 Million. I’m going to do an entire comparison between these two scents in another post, but for now, I will say that there is some shared sensibilities.

The main highlights are different but they have a similar core with the overlapping cedar, patchouli, amber, and grapefruit notes. Those weren’t the main attractions in the original, but they were indeed there.

The opening of 1 Million Lucky, is a freshly sweet, warm, and woody aroma. The plum note sits on top and is paired with a bit of honey and a dash of citrus. It actually does have a tart quality, as well, which some may not enjoy. I like it.

These sweeter notes sit on top of a cedar wood base that is covered in amber. It’s a warm, though, not spicy cloud which has a creamy/nutty quality to it thanks to the hazelnut.

About 30 minutes in, is when I really notice the similarities with the original 1 Million, but again they are ultimately quite different. At this stage, I am detecting quite a bit of the cedar, amber, and the familiar patchouli note.

Further along, the hazelnut plays a bigger role. It is there at the start,  but really starts to show later when some of the fruit has burned off.

However, I ultimately get a sweet plum/honey mix as the strongest players within the composition. It’s plum, honey, amber, hazelnut, with a little grapefruit sitting on top of a cedar finish.

The very tail end is like a honeyed woods. Cedar and vetiver come through the most for me. Maybe a bit of patchouli which aids in the gourmand qualities of the honey and remaining hazelnut.

Feels much drier in the latter stages, not the same level of tart/sweetness either. The tart aspects are pretty much completely gone with the degraded plum.

Sillage, How Long Does it Last, and Versatility

Projection wise, is this a beast like the other 1 Million scents? Not really. The sillage isn’t bad but it isn’t a fragrance that will completely bomb a room, either.

It hangs much closer to the skin and projects out to maybe a 3-4 foot radius around the wearer. That’s a nice change of pace.

Don’t get me wrong, Lucky is still well above average and can be over-sprayed. It’s just that you probably won’t with most usual applications. All though, that opening 20 minutes or so, can be fairly loud.

Longevity wise, it isn’t that 12 hour plus wear of the original. I get about 6-7 hours from Lucky. Perhaps, as much as 8 hours, with the last bit being super close to the skin.

I’ve worn this probably 10+ times by now and I seemingly get the same results each time. 6-8ish hours of wear. Then, it is gone. That’s not bad performance at all.

Is Lucky a versatile fragrance? Yes, I think that this is the aspect where it has the original definitely beat. Since it is much more understated, Lucky can be worn during your everyday life, while also still serving as a club scent.

It is also kind of a unisex fragrance, more so than one simply for men. I know that they’ve released a women’s perfume version of Lucky, as well, but this one could be worn by anyone. Though, leans masculine.

It has more of youthful vibe, like early to mid 20s, but isn’t as polarizing as the original 1 Million. It does come across as unique and that plum note can have a sharp sort of smell.

What’s great about Lucky’s versatility, is that it works year round. It can do somewhat well in the heat of summer and won’t completely melt. These particular sweet notes aren’t going to melt like the usual gourmand sugary ingredients.

But, if it is too hot and humid, I’d skip out for something geared more towards that climate. 1 Million Lucky is at it’s best in colder to more temperate weather. Actually, autumn was my favorite time to use my mini bottle.

Overall Impression of Lucky

Overall, do I like 1 Million Lucky? Yes. At the moment, I’m not blown away by it, but I definitely enjoy it. It’s got a pretty unique profile versus most of what is out on the market today and differentiates itself enough from its predecessors.

I like the plum note here, as I think that it adds a different sort of sweetness than is found in many colognes. It’s ultimately a very good mix of sweetness, woody base, and a nutty top that has an understated attractiveness.

That being said, I don’t prefer it to either 1 Million or Prive. For younger guys, it actually could be a solid first option. It’s something I can only really throw on once in a while, but I do like the tart and sweetness.

The performance is good. It’s not elite, but for the mass of designer colognes out there, Lucky can hold its own versus most of them.

Update: It looks like this one is being discontinued now, just as Prive was a few years ago. As of this moment, it’s still available in stores, but it might be the last of the new stock. So, if you want this one, you would do well to grab a bottle.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.