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!

4 Best Smelling Taylor Swift Perfumes

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Taylor Swift is a massive star in the world of music and has begun to expand outside of that realm and lend her name to certain products including fragrances. She has released several perfumes at a very inexpensive pricing point that are geared towards younger women and teenagers. For this list, I will present four of the best choices that are available thus far by Taylor Swift.

What are the Best Taylor Swift Perfumes?

Best Overall T. Swift Fragrance

Taylor by Taylor Swift – Made of Starlight Musical Jewlery Box w/ 3.4 FL. OZ. Taylor Perfume- Soft floral notes meet with apricot and peach to create a subtle, pretty, and youthful fragrance. Made of Starlight does lean much more towards the fruity side of things, with a nice sweetness, highlighted by the aforementioned notes and some passion fruit.

This is a flanker fragrance to the original ‘Taylor’ by Taylor Swift. However, the sequel is definitely an improvement over that initial release. The juiciness of the fruits, along with orange blossom, make this one a definite wear for the warmer months of the year.

Overall, I think that this is the best fragrance from Taylor. It’s not head and shoulders above the rest, but it has enough strong points, to give Made of Starlight the edge. Not super heavy, but has pretty good longevity.

Most Popular/Best Seller

Taylor Swift Women’s Wonderstruck Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.4 Fluid Ounce–The original Taylor Swift perfume. Wonderstruck is a fruity sweet gourmand fragrance that is warmed by notes of vanilla, amber, and musk. Smooth, light, and fresh.

Wonderstruck keeps the sweet theme of Taylor Swift fragrances going. It opts for the berry route. Blackberry and raspberry highlight the opening act, with a somewhat cold and less juicy aroma, than the other options on the list.

The drydown becomes much more of the usual amber and vanilla affair, found in so many fragrances. However, the tea note, really helps to give it a slightly unique edge. This is an easy and enjoyable wear, that gives you plenty of value for a low price.

Most Unique Scent

Taylor Swift Incredible Things Eau de Parfum Spray, 1.7 Ounce-  Vanilla, woodsy notes, and musk. A sweet but not too sweet offering with earthy undertones. Incredible Things goes against the fruitiness of the other perfumes here, but does have some tropical hints, at times.

What is interesting, is the inclusion of a suede note. When blended with vanilla and musk, it becomes very smooth, with a powdery finish. Those notes really come into their own, later on. At first, the passion flower is pretty noticeable, but never stands out as the most powerful note.

Incredible Things is very balanced with a great musky/suede finish in the latter stages. Nice performance, but not a complete bomb.

Best Winter Perfume

Taylor Swift Enchanted Wonderstruck Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 3.4 Ounce- A sweeter and more fruity version of Wonderstruck with notes of berries and sugar to go along with the floral and vanilla notes. More towards the floral/berry side of the spectrum than the original.

It opens up with passion fruit and that blend of berry notes. The latter smell really fantastic and the opening is a sweet and juicy affair, with the floral notes initially taking a back seat. Peony and poppy flower, do start to seep into the composition more and more, as time moves on.

Later, the vanilla and some musk becomes a part of the draw. Mostly, Wonderstruck Enchanted is a fruity floral perfume with enough vanilla, to keep it from being a summertime scent. The longevity and overall performance of this perfume is very good for the price point. Wonderstruck Enchanted Full Review

Solarissimo Marettimo by Azzaro

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Still making my way through the box of samples I have sitting in my closet, which includes a few more Azzaro fragrances, that I’ve never gotten to use before. Today’s entry is from the Solarissimo lineup and is entitled, Marettimo.

The card describes it as, “an invigorating and sunny getaway. This woody Eau de Toilette with marine notes encapsulates all of the Mediterranean’s natural freshness.” Does it deliver? Continue reading below for my full take on Solarissimo Marettimo.

What does Solarissimo Marettimo Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, calypsone, and cedar

Click here to try: Azzaro Solarissimo Marettimo Cologne For Men 2.5 oz Eau De Toilette Spray

My Full Wear Review

I had never heard of this scent by Azzaro before getting a hold of the sample vial and so had no preconceptions about what it is.

After spraying this on my skin, the opening was so very familiar, and I haven’t been able to match what Solarissimo Marettimo smells like…but it is a dead ringer for another cologne, that I’ve reviewed.

Maybe, I’m conflating multiple scents?

Anyway, the fragrance opens with a lemon note which floats on top of the sea water, which adds that usual slight saltiness to the composition. There is of course the cedar note which provides a woody base, think of a piece of driftwood, floating on the ocean’s surface.

Other than that, there is also a bit of a spice within the cologne, I think it might be musk but I’m not 100% on that. Maybe it’s a part of the calypsone note, which is the sea water aroma. Not sure which.

This Azzaro scent is very linear and within a few minutes, what you smell is what you get from there on out.

The only real change is the citrus fades some more and the marine notes, with the cedar base, take over. That’s what I got from it. Simple. Though, I do like how it smells.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s fairly weak. Like, the sillage is that of a skin scent, even when I sprayed three times in the same spot. Weakness.

When I sprayed even more, it’s basically a fragrance that is going to sit within about 3 feet of where you sprayed. This stuff is light and not going to leave a huge scent trail.

The longevity isn’t good either, I can detect it for about 4 hours on my skin before it evaporates completely. That’s what I expected once I realized how light of a cologne it was going to be.

Kind of sucks, as Marrettimo really had a lot of potential as a summertime sleeper, if it could muster any type of performance.

In terms of it’s versatility, I would chalk it up as a warm weather casual cologne. I suppose you could wear it in a more dressy situation, but you probably won’t be able to smell it, due to the poor performance…so not like it matters.

To be fair, maybe that’s just how it lasts on my skin. If you can get better performance, it would be a pretty good scent to wear for the summertime. Also, could fit with any age group.

Overall Impressions of Solarissimo Marettimo

Overall, do I recommend Solarissimo Marettimo? I can’t. It smells nice and I wish I could tell you what other better performing cologne it reminds me of, but I really can’t place it. It’s kind of in the same vein as something like the Light Blue series by D&G, but doesn’t smell the same.

This is a fairly generic oceanic citrus fragrance, without much longevity or personality. It’s pleasant but that’s about it. I do like the oceanic note here, with the citron or lemon note, it does come across nicely.

Azzaro can really be hit or miss with their fragrances. They seem to have a lot of random scents that are entirely forgettable. Then, they will release something that becomes extremely popular. This cologne is one of the former.

It wouldn’t be a bad pickup if you needed something for the summer months and found this one at a steep discount. I don’t dislike it, just never wows me, or develops into something all that interesting.

Cedar Essence by Ferrari

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I’m not sure that I have samples of every single Ferrari cologne that they’ve released, but I definitely have most of them. As such, you can expect more of them, in the very near future once I am done writing them all up.

In this post, I want to take a closer look at Cedar Essence, which is a part of the Ferrari Essence line of scents. What does this one smell like? How does it perform? Is it even worth a purchase?

What does Cedar Essence by Ferrari Smell Like?

Notes include: orange, peppermint, lime, watermelon, cedar leaves, ocean sprays, cedar, amber, patchouli, coffee beans

Click here to try: Ferrari Cedar Essence Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Review

Wow. This is such a unique and sort of baffling fragrance. Cedar Essence opens with an oceanic salty blast mixed with watermelon, peppermint, and lime.

This gives it a cold fruity aroma that has a really crisp spice to it. Add to that, the cedar which is stable throughout and there is a woody base with all of these notes blended around.

Ferrari Cedar Essence is a very marine and open blue water scent. It isn’t overly salty like many other oceanic scents, but it’s there. It’s such an odd cologne, it’s almost like they tried for something like Creed’s Millesime Imperial, and then just added a bunch of other stuff out of left field.

As it dries down, it becomes more of a normal sort of cologne. I get an amber-laden cedar, mint, and the watermelon with a marine accord. It’s smooth and refreshing with a bit of spice.

However, the cedar note isn’t as prominent as one would expect from the name. It’s there but I was expecting something a lot more woodsy, not a fragrance that is really oceanic/aquatic.

That’s essentially what I pick up from Cedar Essence. Not much development, oddly named, but interesting with what it brings forth.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage of Cedar Essence actually starts out fairly strong. It isn’t insanely heavy but I knew it was there the whole time I was wearing it. I weakened pretty quickly, as the longevity isn’t the best, but during those first few hours it was solid.

During the rest of the wear, it’s light and doesn’t project very far from the skin. It burns bright up top, but that’s short-lived.

I think I got about 5 usable hours from this Ferrari, maybe 2.5 before it became a complete skin scent. A few more hours with this hanging around would’ve been nice.

The Ferrari colognes are usually decent, but not amazing with how long they last, and this is a great example of that.

This strikes me as a nice spring/summer casual cologne. Pretty nondescript at times, but pleasant and has an upbeat feeling to it, within the aroma. I could see wearing Cedar Essence with a t-shirt and shorts during the daytime.

Overall Impressions of Cedar Essence

Overall, do I recommend this cologne? I honestly can’t say. I really don’t know what to make of it, at times, as the notes are such an odd combination. It has some really unique moments and then at other times, this cologne seems completely generic.

I don’t love it, but I have moments where I think it’s pretty good. The fact that it never fully won me over, makes me want to say that it’s a pass for me, since I’m not ambivalent about any other fragrance that I truly do like.

That opening is a nice blue and marine sort of fragrance. I like the breeze, peppermint, watermelon, and lime. It’s a unique and fairly nice smelling blend versus what you get with many fragrances.

The amber and cedar part is also pretty good, but it’s not as intriguing.

Plus, the performance is pretty mediocre. If that weren’t the case, a cheap bottle of this Ferrari cologne, might be worth having around.

This scent threw me for a loop, as I thought I’d be getting a super rich/fresh woody scent. Sort of, but the mint, lime, watermelon, and aquatic notes weren’t so expected here.

Vanitas EDP by Versace

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So, I found some older samples in a box, that I had stashed in a closet. Among a few Amouage cologne sprayers, I had a women’s perfume by Versace, Vanitas EDP.

I figured that I might as well give it a try and write up a review, seeing as I never got around to it however many months ago. Continue reading below for my full take of this scent and whether or note Vanitas is worth a buy.

What does Vanitas EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: freesia, tiare, bergamot, cedar, tonka bean

Click here to try: Vanitas Women Eau De Parfum Spray by Versace, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of Vanitas Eau de Parfum is of course heavily-laden with the white floral notes of freesia and tiare. These two are what dominate throughout the fragrance. While there is a bergamot note added for a citrus effect, it lies underneath and isn’t all that powerful at first, in my opinion.

Anyhow, the bergamot definitely isn’t a powerhouse feature like it can be in many other perfumes. Although, I do find that it emerges a bit more during the dry down.

Vanitas is a bright, quite clean, and very classic floral perfume. As it dries down, the cedar adds a slight woodiness to the scent, which allows the fragrance to become more centered and less like a bouquet. It strikes me as a ‘green’ scent with the aroma of floral stems and a low-key musk quality to it.

The tonka bean affords the fragrance with a bit of a creamy quality to take some of the edge of the strong floral notes. There isn’t much development of Vanitas beyond this, it’s a pretty linear scent.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, I found it to be powerful. A few sprays was more than enough and any more than that just seems overboard to me. This is the type that can take over a room, if you let it. Not that much is needed, which will at least save some cash with fewer sprays.

This Versace perfume is most assuredly a performer with all working day longevity. It lasted on my skin for 9 or so hours. The EDP delivers plenty of value from this perspective.

Testing it out multiple times, that’s about what I get with it. It can go slightly over 10 hours, at times, but it’s not a sure thing.

I’d call this more a mature type of perfume. It is feminine but not girly and doesn’t have any of that teenage candy-like sugar aroma in it at all. It might be an avoid for high school or college-aged ladies.

Best worn casually, as a daily wear, or even semi-formal occasions during the spring and summer months. Vanitas has a very natural botanic smell.

So, it does have good versatility within that sort of climate. This can be a great go-to scent for those who live in a more tropical region. Not the sexiest scent, but attractive enough.

Overall Impressions of Vanitas

Overall, would I recommend Vanitas? It isn’t a super unique fragrance by any means, but it is pretty exemplary as a white floral perfume. It feels familiar and probably has a lot of similar scents to it out on the market, but it performs very well, for what it is.

The performance here gives you plenty of power and time to spend with it. Compared with a lot of other designer fragrances, this one doesn’t disappoint in that regard.

The aroma itself if good. It doesn’t completely blow me away, but I like aspects of it. The bergamot and cedar play their roles here well. I like the cleanliness and bit of sparkle that this one has.

Update: Looks like this one got discontinued. Bottles as of 2025 are like $200 each. So, if you loved this one, probably should grab what you can.

The tiare flower is nice up top. It does become green and musky during the latter stages, which isn’t my favorite. But, the edge is taken off by the tonka bean note. That creaminess is the best part of the tail end of the wear.

Nice scent. Not a sweet one, so, you get a change of pace versus much of the norm and a lovely fresh experience for the most part.

If you’re a floral lover, this might be a good option as an everyday wear or as another option within your collection. If you hate white florals, then it’d be wise to steer clear. Versace Vanitas isn’t the best perfume out there but it is well put together and has a classic appeal.

Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau Fraiche

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One of the women’s fragrance samples that I picked up recently is an entry from Jean Paul Gaultier. This is a summertime edition of Gaultier Classique, Eau Fraiche. In this post, I am going to break down what it smells like, how it performs, and whether or not it is worth a purchase.

What does Gaultier Eau Fraiche Smell Like?

Notes include: sorbet, vanilla, sugar, musk, orange blossom, jasmine, tiare, and ginger

Click here to try: Jean Paul Gaultier Classique (Betty Boop) Eau Fraiche Eau De Toilette Spray 100ml/3.4oz

My Full Review

Just to be clear from the start, this is a review of JPG Classique Eau Fraiche with the Betty Boop logo on the bottle. There are seemingly 50 different variations of Gaultier Classique and so it can get quite confusing as to which is which…even when they can be almost the exact same fragrance.

Okay, so the opening of this perfume is a sweet blend of the floral notes. What I detect from right out of the gate are the jasmine, tiare, and orange blossom notes with some musk thrown in. Maybe, a slight ginger kick.

To me, it’s almost an inversion of the note structure. I get more floral notes up front. Then, the sorbet and sugary sweetness really come on.

It is a good deal like what I remember the original JPG Classique smelling like. It’s a pretty powerful opening and immediately hits you as to what sort of fragrance you’re going to get here.

As it dries down, the sweeter aspect of this scent gets stronger and takes the center stage. The lemon sorbet adds to the sweet vibe but the citrus keeps Eau Fraiche in its intended summertime category.

It is sugary and refreshing with a creamy vanilla note which only adds to its appeal and balance. So, you have this sweet and somewhat musky blend that is really feminine and confident.

The floral notes are still present the further along, but it’s more of a musky vanilla and sugared blend, versus being completely dominated by flowers.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Classique Eau Fraiche, struck me as being pretty powerful. Before I even wore any on my skin, I sprayed it on a shirt hanging in a closet, and could smell it when walking down the hallway.

That sillage is a monster with the trail that it can leave in your wake, especially in tat first hour.

It does mellow out as it moves through the wear, but it can feel like an absolute bomb upon first application. When in doubt, go light with it and see how it reacts to your skin.

 

Longevity here is also excellent. This is an all day wear in my opinion, it was definitely over 8 hours of performance. I lost track of time, but I dare say, that it got to double digit hours. Great.

It’s not one to go super far into double digits on skin, but on clothes it’ll be days of strength.

In terms of the versatility, this could be worn casually or for a night on the town. As a man, I actually think that this perfume is sexy, and that it is really appealing. I found myself wanting to get another sniff of the aroma it produced.

Not a formal or office sort of scent, but for most everything else, Classique Eau Fraiche works well.

Eau Fraiche is also one for the spring and summer months specifically, but I don’t think it’d be bad during the winter either.

Overall Impressions of Classique Eau Fraiche

Overall, do I recommend Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau Fraiche? Absolutely. I think that it smells really good, is sexy, and gives a great performance. Now, it is a really sugary sweet type of fragrance, but not in a teenage girl perfume kind of way.

It’s more mature and musky, but if sweet scents aren’t your thing, I’d look elsewhere.

I really like the lemon sorbet, orange blossom, and vanilla. It comes together to be sweet and creamy, while maintaining a light, fun, and summery aroma. 

This is a pretty heavy scent to wear. As such, it can get on your nerves, especially if you’re sensitive to these sorts of perfumes. With the name, Eau Fraiche, I was expecting something a bit lighter and fresher. But, it’s still well worth a try.