Best Men's Colognes

Best Men's Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with the different fragrances that I've owned, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, that new hobby grew into a consistent passion, helping millions of readers along the way. I have personally written reviews for well over 800 perfumes and colognes for both men and women. This is along with writing hundreds of other in-depth fragrance guides. You can also follow me on: YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok!

8 Best Smelling Apple Scented Perfumes

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Apple is pretty popular as a note in perfumes. Most of the time, it is playing a supporting role, but it can be much more prominent. There are of course, many different varieties of apple, some more naturalistic than others. The type and its surrounding ingredients can go a long way to determining whether it is something beautiful, or an artificial smelling mess.

In this post, I want to provide eight examples of apple perfumes, done well. Each offers something a little different from the other, but all have a great apple front and center.

What are the Best Smelling Apple Fragrances for Her?

Great Daily Wear Perfume

Dkny Be Delicious By Donna Karan For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.4-Ounce Bottle– This Donna Karan perfume is a very enjoyable sensory experience. It has a rich fruity and floral profile that gives off a playful and seductive energy throughout the day.

Be Delicious opens up with its dominant apple note, along with, grapefruit and cucumber. It is fresh, cool, and crisp from the start. The dry down is less tart and juicy, with the floral notes and some sandalwood coming through.

Easy to wear and pleasant all around. Notes include: apple, violet, grapefruit, cucumber and more.

Most Popular Apple Scent

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue By Dolce & Gabbana For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.3 Oz
One of the most popular fragrances for women. Light blue is airy, light, and subtle. Great for casual wear. From the start, Light Blue is a bright and shimmering perfume with a crisp apple note and tart lemon, providing the top.

It’s a very clean scent that loses some of its fruitiness and moves into more of an earthy floral. As it dries down, the rose note is particularly noticeable. The lemon and apple combo is pretty intense at the start, but comes through much more mellow later on.

Notes include: rose, apple, musk and jasmine. Light Blue while not a heavy perfume by any means, has great longevity, and can go all day on one’s skin.  My Review of Light Blue for Women

Versatile Apple and Floral Perfume

Nina By Nina Ricci For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 2.7-Ounces – A beautiful blend of notes contained in that famous apple shaped bottle. It is a clean, sweet, and feminine perfume that works great for warmer months and is versatile enough to use for almost any occasion.

Nina has some light citrus, at the top, to go along with a sweet praline and apple duo. These are the main stars of the fragrance, with some additional peony and musk, once it has had time to settle.

This Nina Ricci perfume performs well and is highly versatile. It’s an easy to grab scent, that can fit in, on pretty much any occasion.

Juicy and Semi-Aquatic

Hugo By Hugo Boss For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 1.3 Ounces– A juicy/aquatic type of perfume that is dominated by fruit notes like apple, berries, and peach. Hugo Woman is clean, soft, fresh, and has some light floral notes to complement the fruits.

The apple leads the way, with peach and melon coming through, to add a further soft deliciousness to the composition. It doesn’t have any marine notes, but that underlying aquatic feeling is still there.

I would chalk it up to the melon, hyacinth, and lily notes coming together. This one has been around for a long time now and still serves as a very nice daily wear.

Apple Brandy

Pomme Trempee on the Rocks– So, this is the Dua Brand’s take on
Apple Brandy on the Rocks by Kilian. It’s a more affordable take on this boozy aroma.
Now, I wasn’t a massive fan of the Kilian perfume, but other people seem to love it more than me. I’ve realized that I’m not too keen on brandy as a note in perfume and this also has a pineapple that is prominent in the beginning…which isn’t my favorite either.
But, this does have very nice moments of our target apple note, vanilla, rum, and a cardamom kick. This is all much better than the opening act (which isn’t bad, by any means).
I thought that I’d include this one on the list, since On the Rocks has garnered so many admirers since its release a few years ago.

Best Luxury Apple Scent

Acqua Fiorentina Perfume by Creed for women Millesime Spray 2.5 oz
A complex fragrance that is a light aromatic with layered notes of (some) floral and (mostly) citrus. This is the go to, if you like fruitier compositions.

Bergamot, lemon, and plum start off Acqua Fiorentina with a very bright and quite sharp citrus sensation. However, there is also a crisp apple note in the mix, which adds to the overall juiciness.

As it dries down, there is a hint of rose and carnation, which balances out some of the fruit overload. Plus, the cedar/sandalwood which sits at the base, and holds this whole thing together. Very much like, The Scent of Peace for Her by Bond No. 9.

Notes include: rose, Virginian cedar, lemon, sandalwood, carnation, bergamot.

Crisp Apple from Parfums de Marly

Parfums de Marly Parfums de Marly Layton by parfums de marly for men – 4.2 Ounce edp spray, 4.2 Ounce– So, Layton is technically a men’s fragrance, but it can come across a pretty unisex. Nonetheless, the apple note here is really great and worth a try by anyone.

It’s sweet and delicious, but not a candy-like apple. More crisp and realistic. With the apple, the other two main notes are vanilla and sandalwood. Giving Layton a creamy balance and a solid base to start from.

Very versatile fragrance that can be worn pretty much year round and in a variety of situations or occasions. The vanilla isn’t a heavy one and keeps this from being relegated to just the winter time. My Layton Review

Apple Juice Layering

Eden Juicy Apple by Kayali– Apple, berries, and lychee start this one of sweet, juicy, with a candy-like aroma beyond just the apple juice scent. It’s intense and one for those who like the really sweet perfumes.

The next phase will tone down, the apple will fully take control and you’ll get more influence from jasmine, as well. That being the case, the dry down period is a clean shampoo/body wash kind of influence.

On it’s own, this one is pretty good as a standalone perfume. However, I think that it’ll be one that is better served as a layering scent with other Kayali entries or your own unique combination.

Eden Juicy Apple has that sort of versatility, which can be a great addition to an apple lover’s collection. Full Review

eden apple review

6 Fragrances Similar to Light Blue Pour Homme

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Light Blue Pour Homme is always among the top sellers in the world of men’s fragrance. It’s blend of citrus, spice, and wood is very approachable for any guy and it is an extremely versatile wear.

So, it’s really no surprise that people want something that smells similar to the Dolce & Gabbana cologne or something that is inspired by it, at a cheaper price. This is my ongoing page on the site, listing potential options.

What Colognes Smell Like or Similar to Light Blue by D&G?

The Inspired Cheaper Alternative

Citrus Marine by Dossier– I haven’t personally tried this Dossier fragrance, but I have had others in their line. This one, is their take on the formula of Light Blue Pour Homme.

So, if you’re looking for something that’s cheaper and has about the same aroma as the D&G, this’ll probably be your best bet.

You’ll at least save somewhat versus the actual Light Blue in terms of retail, but third party online sellers aren’t too much more than what Dossier is selling it for. Still, I imagine you’d do well with this.

Cheaper Blue Ocean

Agua Brava Azul by Puig– So, Azul isn’t one that tries to exactly mimic Light Blue. However, it is an inexpensive fragrance that occupies the same space as does the Dolce & Gabbana scent.

Different citrus notes with the lemon and bergamot, which aren’t as heavy in the mix as the citrus in Light Blue Pour Homme. Initially, yes, but that’ll change.

But, you get a fresh oceanic accord, sage, pink pepper, and a very nice woody base. For somewhere in the $20-25 range usually, Agua Brava Azul is a pretty nice pick up  to capture something along the same lines as Light Blue, without completely copying the formula.

Sky High Forever

Sky Blue Homme– This isn’t attempting to give you an experience like the original Light Blue Homme, but this one from Dua is an inspired creation based on Light Blue Forever.

Forever, gives you a different take on Light Blue, but very much still in the same vein. To me, it’s mostly an extremely realistic grapefruit note, greenish violet leaf, and an ozonic quality for much of the wear.

Not my personal favorite, I preferred, Light Blue Italian Love. Though, this one from Dua gives you a more affordable opportunity to re-create a very similar aroma to Forever

Sail the Atlantiqve 

BVLGARI Aqva Atlantiqve Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.3 Ounce– The Aqva line occupies sort of the same space as does D&G’s Light Blue Pour Homme series, except that it is more oceanic based.

For some people they’ll want a truer aquatic than Light Blue, that hits a lot of the same beats. Atlantiqve is probably the top pick, in my mind. This is a very nice fragrance that comes across sort of like an oceanic version of Versace’s Dylan Blue, also.

The two are most alike at the start, when the citrus is strongest. The sea notes are there, but it isn’t overly salty, and there is of course the ambergris.

Atlantiqve does a great job at evoking the depths of the ocean, while still bringing the pleasant citrus notes. The latter stages really start to bring in the amber and drier notes. Salty with that amberwood note, that’s found in Light Blue Eau Intense.

So, a marine Dylan Blue with bits of Eau Intense, and the original Light Blue Pour Homme. Not trying to match any exactly, but is in the same ballpark.

Another Option in the Same Vein

GIORGIO ARMANI Acqua Di Gio Profondo for Men Eau De Parfum Spray 4.2 Ounces, blue- The Light Blue series isn’t the same as Acqua di Gio, but they’re both very popular citrus/aquatic/woody fragrances. As such, people can generally enjoy either one of them.

Personally, I think AdG are the better smelling fragrances when compared head to head, and Profondo is probably the most like what you’d get from a Light Blue cologne. The original Acqua di Gio, too.

Profondo gives you a familiar citrus opening, deeper woody notes, and a general aquatic type of freshness. Doesn’t have the same spice profile as a Light Blue, but I think the wood notes help to match things a bit more.

Again, not the same, but another option for those who aren’t familiar with this line. Profondo Review

Similar Style, Different Smell

Versace Pour Homme– Now, these aren’t the same fragrances in terms of this being an exact match. However, they do have a similar enough style and price point that most fans of the D&G would like this one too.

A similar citrus top with musk coming on later, but Light Blue has a spicier and woodier profile. This one is a bit sweeter and more aromatic with everything. Really, the tonka bean sets it apart and makes this a closer direct comparison to Allure Homme Sport. 

Very likeable and easy to wear fragrance, a good alternative for our Dolce & Gabbana target. Versace Pour Homme review

 

Si Passione by Giorgio Armani

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Si has become one of the flagship names in ladies perfumes for Armani. Si Passione is one of the flankers by the brand, which was released back in 2017. I had a sample of it lying around from a past order, so, I thought that it might be time to finally do a full review. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Si Passione Smell Like?

Notes include: heliotrope, rose, grapefruit, black currant, pineapple, pear, cedar, vanilla, patchouli

Click here to try: Armani Si Passione Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4-oz. 

My Full Review

The opening act of Si Passione is quite fruity and attractive. Pear and pineapple are the dominant notes, with black currant and grapefruit playing secondary roles. I really enjoy the fruity opening and the way the pineapple note comes through on a warm day.

It is sweet and juicy, with some light tartness coming through.

As it moves a bit further along, the rose note comes out, along with heliotrope. It shifts from being majority fruity, to more of a standard fruity floral fragrance. It’s sweet, somewhat creamy/powdery from the vanilla and heliotrope.

A lot of the blackcurrant and the bit of grapefruit have essentially dissipated.

The rose isn’t overly intense and blends well with the rest of the composition. It really doesn’t strike me as a deep red rose smell at all. The further along I get, the more that the rose and pear take center stage as the main notes. Still, it’s never completely one-sided.

Finally, Si Passione keeps this same sort of dynamic, but it does start to get a bit of a soapy or musky clean finish. Definitely picking up some patchouli, but nothing is heavy handed or out of place.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Si Passione is a lighter to moderate fragrance. At first, it is pretty good at projecting itself, but won’t take over a room. Then, it is fairly intimate. Not a weak scent on my skin, just definitely not a powerhouse. I notice it throughout the wear without much effort.

I’m kind of surprised that it didn’t project massively in the early stages of the wear, with all those fruit notes. Nope, just a pretty above average perfume in this regard.

The longevity is 7-8.5 hours for me. Again, not an absolute monster performer, but I didn’t have the same lack of performance that some others have been complaining about with Passione.

It sticks around just fine, Passione just isn’t a heavy or a fragrance that really jumps off the skin.

Seasonally, it could absolutely work year round. Probably best in moderate to warmer weather though. Si Passione is a daily wear, work, casual sort of fragrance. I think that it is pretty, fresh, and clean rather than being a sexy nightlife wear.

Still, this one could fit in a wider variety of situations without issue. It’s got a great deal of versatility and can find a place pretty easily in one’s rotation.

Overall Impression of Si Passione

Overall, do I like this perfume? I do. Apparently, people weren’t to impressed with this scent upon release. While I don’t think it’s the most incredible fragrance, I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Between this and the original Si, I’d go with that one. Even if, I think this one is better than its reputation.

This Armani isn’t super complex and you’ve probably smelled something like it before. Though, I think that it has enough of its own character to stand apart and isn’t an exact clone of all the other popular ladies fragrances out there. Familiar, while being distinct.

Very fresh and fruity rose/heliotrope blend, with a somewhat musky/soapy clean finish in the dry down. Fairly straightforward and not groundbreaking. It’s just attractive and the performance for me was above average, just not with a heavy sillage.

I really don’t have anything too negative to say about it. Maybe, just buy it on a discount, instead of full Armani prices.

4 Best Smelling Chanel Chance Perfumes

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The Chance line of ladies’ perfumes by Chanel, have been a very big success for the brand, and all of the variants are among the top smelling fragrances now available from them. However, it is easy to question, which of the Chance perfumes actually smells the best out of all of them? Is it the original or one of the later released flanker bottles?

Ranking the Top 4 Chance Perfumes

Best Overall Chance

Chanel Chance Tendre Eau de Toilette Spray For Women 1.7 OZ./ 50 ml.– The EDT gets the nod, as the best. I used to kind of prefer EDP, but the last testing I did of each, saw EDT secure the title. It is a floral and citrus fragrance, with a grapefruit opening, and notes such as jasmine, iris, and hyacinth.

It is a light scent, with an airy disposition, but it also has great longevity. Eau Tendre is very popular and is a really good choice for those looking for an everyday wear perfume.

The citrus is crisp, the bouquet of flowers is beautiful, and there is a slight powdery and musky undertone to it all. I don’t think any of these Chance scents, are way above and beyond better, than the others. However, Chance Eau Tendre has the top spot.

The Other Tendre, Just a Notch Below

Chance Eau Tendre Eau de Parfum– The EDP version is also great. But, it gets the second spot here. Very youthful, fresh, fruity, and the added rose note really helps to set it apart. I’m not even a huge rose fan, but I dig this one completely.

The dry down is musky with the rose and jasmine notes providing the floral accord. An interesting change from the EDT’s iris and hyacinth mix with jasmine. The opening act with grapefruit and quince is fairly sharp, but not overly so, and it is great.

Chance Eau Tendre EDP is very simple to wear and is appropriate for a wide variety of situations and even seasons. Can easily be a signature scent for someone. A rosy fruity/floral.

Original EDP

Chance By Chanel 3.4 oz Eau De Parfum Spray For Women– Next on the list, is the original Chance, in the eau de parfum version. This is another floral based fragrance but has vanilla sweetness and some warm spice thrown in, for good measure.

Pink pepper, patchouli, and musk sit at the base of the perfume, giving of that warmth and spice. Meanwhile, jasmine, iris, and the vanilla are the most dominant notes.

The opening of EDP has less of the patchouli note, though. The jasmine is the strongest of the floral notes, for me early on. There’s a light fruitiness initially, but that will fade as this transitions into its vanilla and iris stage.

That vanilla and iris stage, might be my favorite. Very clean and with a powdery aroma that I enjoy.

Then, you get even further development with the musk, patchouli, and jasmine all getting their turns shining in the dry down.

Chance EDP has a heavier sillage, than does Eau Tendre, but it still isn’t an insanely heavy perfume by any means. The EDT is also, quite good, but probably a notch below this EDP version. Chance EDP Review

Great Fresh Perfume

Chance Chanel Eau Fraiche Eau De Toilette Spray, for Woman EDT 3.4 fl oz, 100 ml– Finally, number four on the list, is Chance Eau Fraiche. It’s tough to put this one, in the fourth spot, as it really is a great fragrance. All of these have their strengths and absolutely none are mediocre.

This is obviously a fresh take on the Chance moniker. Eau Fraiche is citrusy and a bit aquatic with woody base notes. Cedar, joins the pink pepper, and musk notes for a really clean and almost unisex fragrance.

A bright, clean, and lemon citrus floral with the usual Chance notes within its DNA. This is a great option for the summer months, as it sits very well in the heat, with a tremendous freshness.

Towards the end of the wear, Eau Fraiche can have more of an herbal/woody quality to it, versus the opening stages. Again, not the best, but still a great option from Chanel. My Full Review

So, there you have it. These are the top four choices from the Chanel Chance perfume collection, in my opinion. Again, these are all pretty close in terms of quality, so it’ll probably come down to which style you want. I think Eau Tendre has the slight edge over the others, but I cannot talk down about any of them.

Eau Vive was another option from the Chance lineup. It was still a good perfume, but a notch below the rest. I am looking forward to trying Eau Fraiche EDP, that came out in 2023, and I’ll update the list if it overtakes any of these four.

Angel Nova by Mugler

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Angel Nova was released in 2020 as yet another flanker fragrance in the popular Angel series. Yet, it really doesn’t have much of anything in common with the original. Which, made me fairly interested in giving Nova a try. How does it smell? How does Nova perform? Is it at all worth a try?

What does Angel Nova Smell Like?

Notes include: litchi, raspberry, benzoin, Damask rose, akigala wood

Click here to try: Angel Nova

My Full Review

Before I get into my review, let’s see what Mugler has to say about Nova: A new star. A new heroine. A new fragrance. Make your dreams a reality and reality a dream.

Raspberry. Wow. That’s a ton of raspberry in the opening and it’s quite juicy and paired with litchi. It feels quite bold and there’s also something tropical here. Possibly mango? It’s short lived, but it’s there and a part of that sweet/sour mix up top.

A few minutes after I sprayed this, I could already tell that this won’t be for everyone. But, I’m curiously drawn to Angel Nova.

It’s not just the intense raspberry here. The background notes in the opening are intriguing and they will become more pronounced as Nova develops. Firstly, a dry and slightly spicy akigalawood, think patchouli-like smell.

Secondly, the benzoin note. A bit sweet, though, it is difficult to pick out behind the fruity explosion. A nice, somewhat medicinal resinous aroma, that’s just lurking in the background.

As we get further along, it becomes less of a fruity fragrance, a more fruity floral. Damask rose comes in and the tropical element seems to fade entirely. The scent becomes earthier and dirtier, with out the super sweet/sour mix that punched through the opening act.

The raspberry is the star in the beginning, but that changes to the rose, and it never gives up the spot thereafter. The final dry down is rose, some fresh spice, earthiness, benzoin and the remaining raspberry note.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

To me, there are two phases. The opening sillage is a near bomb, but it settles into something that is pretty moderate, in the second act. It’s more of a function of the notes. Those fruits are just amped up in the beginning, which is fine, but it can come across as being a monster…it’s not really.

That opening projection is the type that can reach across a room, while the rest of the wear is going to be still noticeable but not taking over much beyond your personal space.

The longevity is great. Over 9 hours both times, I wore it. Probably 11, at the max. So, another Mugler with awesome performance, which is one of the best things about this designer. Great consistency.

Seasonally, I’d stick to warmer weather. I can’t imagine how sharp this would feel in colder air, but it’s nice in the warmth of spring. Honestly, I could see this being a summertime wear, also. Nights out, mostly. Though, I don’t think the humidity would mess Nova up at all.

Angel Nova probably skews younger in its target audience. Though, I wouldn’t say that it’s strictly for teenagers. It’s kind of got that youthful and fruity opening, with a more mature dry down scent. Maybe that extends the age range for this one?

If you go light, you could probably wear it to work. It’s more of a casual wear around town versus anything formal, however.

Overall Impressions of Angel Nova

Overall, do I like Angel Nova? Yes, I do. Will everyone else? Probably not.

It’s not quite a niche fragrance, because it does have some mass appeal. It just won’t be everyone’s favorite daily wear.

To me, the raspberry and litchi combination is great. The rose heart comes across well and the base of akigala and benzoin really ties it all together. It fakes like it’s just going to give you a fruity bomb, but then really develops some depth and nuance.

Lots of sweetness with Nova, with tart and sour aspects popping up, especially in the early stages. I’m not completely sold on the earthier rose dry down, but it’s fine.

Performance wise, you get the goods. Yes, it’s a rose based fragrance, but it separates itself from many others on the market. At the very least, you get something somewhat different than other best sellers being pushed nowadays.

Update: There’s been more releases that are sort of like this one with the same litchi and/or raspberry notes. Yet, I still personally like Nova quite a bit. Not incredible, but still very worth a try at a good price.