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!

Fahrenheit Cologne by Dior

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Fahrenheit Cologne wasn’t a fragrance that I was really on the lookout for, since it’s been discontinued. But, when I had a chance to get a decant of it, I grabbed it anyway. I’m a huge Dior fan, but Fahrenheit was never something that I was personally all that into. How does this one do? What does it smell like? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Fahrenheit Cologne Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin, bergamot, lemon, violet, vetiver, nutmeg, cedar, caraway

My Full Review

Cologne opens up with a bold mix of the citrus notes and a pronounced and quite green violet note.

Right away, you can tell that this is related to the original Fahrenheit, but without the gasoline aroma, less grassy, and no leather.

The bergamot and lemon are the strongest of the citrus notes to me. The bergamot, especially early on is noticeable.

Violet is joined by the vetiver note, further creating a dry and fresh sort of smell. I would say that the caraway is also adding a green sort of vibe to this fragrance. A bit of that sweetish herbal spice, but this one is very violet leaf dominant.

As it dries down, that will change somewhat. Yes, the violet remains during the entirety. However, cedar and vetiver give this the fresh woodsy finish that sits very nicely underneath the citrus notes (that are now geared toward the lemon).

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Fahrenheit Cologne does open up with some power, but it’s not a massive projector or heavy scent, on the whole.

You’ll get good projection and a scent trail for an hour or so. But, it will come in much closer to the skin, as we get into the middle act. But, it’s above average in totality when compared to other fragrances out there.

The longevity is pretty middle of the road, however. I get 5-6 hours, on skin. It’s not the worst among this sort of citrus-led fragrance, but it isn’t among the elites either. How long it actually lasts, is worst aspect of this fragrance.

Even then, it’s still okay.

Seasonally, this one is built for the spring and summer months. It absolutely shines in the warm weather and wearing outdoors was a very nice experience. Mostly during the daytime, maybe also for something casual during the summer evenings.

This could be a daily wear for men during the warmer parts of the year. It’s fresh and has a fairly attractive aroma, but nothing that would be termed ‘sexy’ by most people.

Overall Impressions of Fahrenheit Cologne

Overall, do I like Fahrenheit Cologne? Yes, it’s enjoyable, but not amazing. Easier to wear than the original and gives you a nice option for spring and summer, if this fits your style.

I do like the citrus focus with Cologne, while I’m not a huge violet leaf fan, I don’t find it bothersome at all to wear with this Dior fragrance. That violet leaf dominates, but the caraway does help to give it a bit more balance in the early stages.

The performance is average to maybe slightly above average, so keep that in mind. The sillage is good enough, the longevity is less so. Fahrenheit Cologne’s performance doesn’t necessarily hinder someone from making a purchase of it though.

If you like the Fahrenheit series, this is a nice one to pick up. Similar to the original, but gives you a lighter and fresher option for the spring and summertime.

Since this one has been discontinued recently, if you want it, you should probably strike soon. Though, if the price is too high, I don’t think it’s really worth tracking down. It’s solid, nothing special, unless you’re a fan of the rest of them.

Attrape-Reves by Louis Vuitton

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Louis Vuitton has come out with an extensive line of fragrances over the past handful of years, after it had little in that way previously. One of my favorites out of the women’s lot of scents is Attrape-Rêves, which I found rather captivating back when I first tried it. Now, I grabbed another sample, in order to finally do a full review of this scent. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it really still worth a try?

What does Attrape-Reves Smell Like?

Notes include: cocoa, litchi, ginger, patchouli, peony, bergamot, Turkish rose

My Full Review

Here’s how Louis Vuitton describes it: Cocoa as airy-light as a wondrous journey somewhere between dream and reality. Like the Northern Lights appearing out of nowhere, Attrape-Rêves is the fragrant embodiment of supernatural phenomena forever embedded in the memory of some far-flung exploration.

Attrape-Rêves opens with its fruitier and fresh notes, taking center stage. The litchi leads the way, flanked by you typical bergamot clean brightness. What’s nice here is the bit of ginger spice that kicks early on.

The ginger won’t be a major player throughout, but I like the touch during these opening stages. Sweet, fresh, and a bit spicy early.

The next main note to really pop is the patchouli. Attrape-Rêves does have a significant amount of patchouli, but it isn’t the focus. However, it’s probably the second or third strongest note throughout the wear.

So, we have a fruit-chouli start, that morphs into being more floral dominant.

Here, the peony is going to be the star. The bergamot and ginger begin to fade from the composition, which allows the cocoa, peony, and rose to emerge.

At this point, it’s a lot of the peony, patchouli, and remaining litchi. On my skin, the litchi moves on out and the cocoa takes its place.

Not a strong Turkish rose, this one will mostly be about the peony. Attrape-Rêves starts to have less of that initial freshness and things become more gourmand thanks to that cocoa.

The ending part of this is very much your typical floral-patchouli aroma, but seemingly dipped in a dry cocoa, almost like its powdered form.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Attrape-Rêves is a perfume that will leave a above average to strong scent trail behind the wearer. Usually, the first 2 or so hours gives me strong projection, whether it is on the skin itself of an old t-shirt I spray it on.

Testing that out, it seems like 6-8 feet of projection is about what Attrape-Rêves is capable of with normal sprays. But, that also will come in closer. Much of the rest of the wear will be more moderate, but still better than the average perfume.

In terms of how long it lasts, I get up to 8.5 hours with the Louis Vuitton. The range falls into the 7-8.5 hour frame, which is absolutely good enough for most uses. Though, some might expect more from a high end designer.

Seasonally, it’s a versatile option that can work pretty much year round. But, it’d be a good idea to stay away from extreme heat and cold. The springtime is probably the ideal, but in summer, probably stick to the evening.

It’s not too heavy of a fragrance or super cloying, but the heat and humidity isn’t going to present Attrape-Rêves at its best.

Daytime wear or nighttime is fine. It’s attractive, non-offensive, but not the most formal of fragrances. Casual, semi-formal, dates, nightlife are all fine, however. This is a perfume that will provide plenty of use cases.

Overall Impressions of Attrape-Rêves

Overall, do I like Attrape-Rêves? Yes, it is indeed one of the best of the Louis Vuitton lineup, nothing has changed on that front.

The formulation itself is familiar to many other fragrances that you’ve come across before, but steeped in quality, with the cocoa note really helping it to create a distinct identity among the pack.

It gives you a perfume that can be used daily or for somewhat dressed up occasions. Very versatile, pretty, and one that can gather complements. While the performance isn’t elite, it doesn’t really disappoint, even if you’d still might like more from something at this price point.

On the balance, Attrape-Rêves is a very good fragrance that is bordering on being absolutely great. It’s probably safe to blind buy, but with the price you still might not want to. However, it is for sure one that you should give a try, if interested.

Irresistible EDT Fraiche by Givenchy

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Irresistible is one of the popular fragrance series from Givenchy. L’Interdit seems to get more attention, but this franchise also gives you a variety of choices to go with. A few months back, I received samples of the different Irresistible perfumes, in order to add full reviews of each. Today, I am covering Irresistible Fraiche and presenting my thoughts on this scent. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Irresistible Fraiche Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, iris, pink pepper, orange, musk, cedar

Click here to try: Irresistible Fraiche at Macy’s

irresistible fraiche review

My Full Review

Here’s how Givenchy describes it:  A captivating contrast between fresh rose and vibrant spices. Liberate your energy and express yourself freely with Irresistible Eau de Toilette Fraiche. A fusion of sheer spontaneity and exhilarating vitality.

Fraiche opens up with a bright and energetic kick, brought to you by the pink pepper and citrus zest of the orange note. It’s not overly spicy or really all that warm, in the beginning. Indeed, it takes that Fraiche moniker and delivers with a light and refreshing aroma.

Interestingly, the rose and the iris are coming through early. They aren’t especially heavy or domineering in this mix. But, there is that soft powdery quality coming from the iris. Fraiche will become much more of a musky floral.

I actually get more of the iris than the rose on my skin. Again, though not heavy floral notes here.

Still, with that same freshness throughout, but retaining a sweetness from the early orange and even pink pepper.

In the end, it’s pretty much a mix of the floral notes, musk, and that cedar base. The cedar is pretty prominent in the dry down of Irresistible Fraiche.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is what could be considered average, overall. But, in the early stages this one has a bit of power, nice scent trail, and an ability to project off of the skin.

Is that a super long lasting ability? Not really, but it is there for a while. So, Fraiche deserves some credit for that.

The total time that it lasts on the skin, is about 4-5 hours for me. Again, this is nothing special, but about what I would expect for this Fraiche style of perfume. Just know going in, that this isn’t going to be as good as others in the series or when compared to many other fragrances.

Seasonally, Irresistible Fraiche is one to break out in the spring and summer months. In the warmer to hotter weather, this one is really at its absolute best. The citrus opening and the lighter floral notes were attractive when I wore them outside in August.

Fraiche is one obviously to use to freshen up. Outside of that, it can be used as a daily wear, if you can reapply, once it has faded. It’s easy to spray on, not particularly sexy or formal, but pleasant enough.

Overall Impressions of Irresistible Fraiche

Overall, do I like Irresistible Fraiche? The smell is nice enough, but it doesn’t really cover any new ground. It’s just quite likeable and simple.

The performance isn’t very good, which was to be expected with a Fraiche version of this Irresistible formula. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, if you know what to expect going into wearing this Givenchy perfume.

I like the opening act with the zesty citrus and pink pepper note. That’s a really good start. The rose and the iris are a nice combination, more rose for me, but it’s all pretty boilerplate with how it all develops. There’s nothing that is all that unique or interesting here.

That being said, if you can get a heavy discount and this sounds like something you might enjoy, it could be worth a try for some ladies. I don’t think that most people would think that it smells horrible and would probably have a positive experience with it.

For me, it’s just okay on the whole, and there’s plenty of other options out there.

Dior Homme vs. Homme Sport (New Editions)

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Dior Homme is a long running line from the designer, with all of the accompanying flanker fragrances. However, the brand also revamps the scents every so often, and also completely changes them…as they did in 2020. So, it’s time for a new comparison post between the latest iterations of Dior Homme vs Dior Homme Sport. Which smells better? Lasts longer? Is the better buy?

Tale of the Tape: Dior Homme vs. Sport

Dior Homme (2020)

Notes include: bergamot, elemi, pink pepper, Haitian vetiver, Atlas cedar, musk, patchouli, cashmere, Iso E Super

Click here to try: Dior Homme at Macy’s

My Full Review: Dior Homme (2020)

Dior Homme Sport (2021)

Notes include: bergamot, aldehydes, lemon, elemi, pink pepper, wood, amber, olibanum

My Full Review: Dior Homme Sport

Opening

Dior EDT kicks off with a use of bergamot. The citrus is actually pretty toned down, even in comparison to Sport. It’s a cold and fresh start, with vetiver, pink pepper, and patchouli. It’s almost minty in how it comes across, at times.

Also, some slight resin from the elemi note. Dior Homme is a bit spicy, not overly so, and it will have more of a sweet woodsy quality as we roll along.

With Sport, you get a greater use of citrus. The lemon, bergamot, and orange notes really come through. The pink pepper note is the same here as in Dior Homme.

Elemi, olibanum, and the aldehydes are what really separate these two scents from one another. Less pronounced early on, but Sport has more of that resinous aroma, a bit smoky, but actually smells waxy to me.

The aldehydes give Sport a fresh laundered clothing sort of aroma.

Which is better? It’s tough, as I like the first part of Sport when it has its citrus out. Though, as that fades quickly, so does my enjoyment.

The entirety of the beginning? I think I’ll go with Dior Homme. Less citrus, but the overall woody fresh blend is great.

Edge: Dior Homme

Projection

I came into testing both of these with the expectation that Dior Homme would have the better performance. Actually, it turns out that they’re both pretty equal. I don’t really notice a difference between them.

The sillage of each is pretty moderate, but has some sneaky power. You might not notice the notes all of the time, and then, it’ll hit you hours into the wear. Neither is a beast, but quite solid.

Edge: Push

Longevity

Again, the longevity was about the same for each. I get between 6.5-8 hours of wear, on my skin with both Dior Homme and Sport.

It was a pleasant surprise that Sport had this sort of comparable staying power to its predecessor. However, it doesn’t surpass it.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Both of these fragrances are extremely versatile in their uses. They can pretty much fit in year round, even if I’d stay away from the far ends of the hot and cold spectrum. Both are great as daily wears, inoffensive, and have a certain mass appeal.

Though, I do think that Dior Homme EDT has the upper hand here. I’d say that it can more easily be a nightlife scent, even if that’s not its specialty. It’s much more fresh and dynamic, versus the clean persona of Sport.

So, it’s not a huge difference, but Homme has the slight edge.

Edge: Homme

Overall Scent

Overall, this competition really isn’t as close as it would seem, at least to me. Being that the old Dior Homme 2011 was my daily wear for a long time, I was skeptical of the entirely new direction Dior took with the line.

Though, I turned out to be pleasantly surprised with Dior Homme 2020. No, it’s not as good, but I do like it and think that it’s a solid pick up.

Dior Homme EDT has a very nice use of the vetiver and cedar notes. It’s fresh, earthy, spicy, and even sweet. Very well balanced and reminds me of being somewhat like the old Guerlain Homme, that I used to have a bottle of.

Meanwhile, I like the opening 20-30 minutes of Sport. After that? It’s my least favorite of the Dior Homme line, even the old 2017 version which previously held that distinction.

It’s not a off-putting smell. It’s just not exciting at all and I don’t particularly enjoy wearing it. The resin turns waxy, the aldehydes are just okay, and it has a lemony wood finish that doesn’t compare to Dior Homme.

If you do like the smell, the performance is there. There is also some overlap with EDT, just the distinctions definitely don’t improve the formula.

Winner: Dior Homme EDT

L’Interdit EDT by Givenchy

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L’Interdit EDT is one of the flanker scents to EDP version of the same name. While Rouge and Intense get more fanfare, this eau de toilette version isn’t just an exact toned down copy of the original. In this post, I want to give my full review of L’Interdit EDT after testing it out. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does L’Interdit EDT Smell Like?

Notes include: orange blossom, tuberose, Pavot flower, patchouli, musk, and vetiver

Click here to try: L’Interdit EDT

givenchy l'interdit perfume

My Full Review

Here’s how Givenchy describes it: White imbued with light. The shattering alliance of Orange Blossom & Tuberose is disrupted by an exciting floral paradox. A voluptuous white flower exposing a dark, hypnotic heart. The shock appeal of iridescent white provoked by deep woody undertones of Vetiver and Patchouli. Radiant, exalted. The underground flower emerges into light.

The EDT version opens up sort of like the EDP. Here it is more of a sparkling citrus/pear aroma versus that grape bubble gum like smell. But, still sweet and quite candy-like.

The Pavot flower is poppy flower. Which can create a fruity sort of effect and I imagine that’s a good deal of what I’m getting here. It’s still got an earthiness and dark quality, but the sweetness is nice.

Also, checking the chemical ingredients…citrus is also here, just not listed officially outside of orange blossom, but there’s lemon for sure.

Anyway, the poppy flower and orange blossom dominate the opening act of L’Interdit EDT. The initial citrus/sweetness will subside and it becomes more classically floral.  Between the poppy, tuberose, and the patchouli, this has a great earthy quality to it.

Not super dirty or anything, it’s weird almost truffle butter rich at times, with how it comes across.

As this moves along, L’Interdit EDT seems to lose a lot of its mojo. The poppy falls off of the map, the tuberose moves in, and it kind of becomes a basic white floral. Yes, very similar to the Eau de Parfum version, but somehow not as interesting.

It ends up being a dry and musky tuberose, with some of the remaining patchouli and orange blossom. Not bad smelling, just kind of meh.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Even the EDT version of L’Interdit will give you above average performance versus the bulk of the competition. This is probably what I would consider the lower end of what could be termed ‘strong’ sillage.

A scent trail of significant proportions for at least a few hours and a very solid ability to project off of the skin for much of the wear.

It lasts somewhere in the 7-8 hour range for me. Not as good as the others, but it is still one that is quite good in what it is capable of.

Seasonally, I’d say it can be worn anytime, outside of the height of summer. Summer nights might be fine if it isn’t too humid. But, just don’t wear it during the day.

Less of a casual fragrance. But not completely buttoned up and serious either. It has a sexy nightlife or date night vibe, even if it isn’t the most seductive perfume out there. I like it, it’s attractive, but that’s mostly in the early stages.

Overall Impressions of L’Interdit EDT

Do I like this scent? Yes, the whole L’Interdit lineup is really darn good. It might be unpopular to say, but I like this more than Intense in the beginning. Slightly more, but there’s something about it, I really enjoy.

That flips and Intense ends up being the better of the two, however.

EDT is maybe a notch below EDP, based on performance, and dry down. But neck and neck, with the different approach to the formulation early on. And Rouge, is the best of them for the duration.

On the whole, it’s technically my least favorite overall. However, it’s still a perfume that I like. The sparkling citrus and poppy flower are the absolute highlights for me. It gives you something that stays true to the L’Interdit line, but manages to do its own thing.

The performance is really good for an EDT concentration. Not an absolute bomb that will last all day, but really nothing to complain about either. L’Interdit EDT is one to try out. It might rank higher for you personally, in comparison to the others. It’s an enjoyable fragrance.