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 test out and 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!

Spell on You by Louis Vuitton

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Spell On You is one of the many perfume releases, that Louis Vuitton has brought to market over the past few years. This one came out in 2021 and the ad campaign features actress Lea Seydoux, as the face of the fragrance.

What does Spell on You Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, violet, iris, peach, jasmine, acacia 

spell on you review

My Full Review

Here’s how Louis Vuitton describes it: Imbued with sophistication and sensuality, Spell On You expresses this thrilling tension of attraction as a magnetic floral composition. Like a love potion for the senses, upon contact with the body the fragrance releases an enveloping, euphoric warmth.

So, this has a lot of overlap with Rose des Vents, while not being the same at all. In fact, I rather prefer Spell On You versus that Louis Vuitton perfume.

Which is sort of odd, as I’m not a huge violet fan and would think that’d I’d like the fruitiness found in that scent when compared to what is on offer here.

The rose note will eventually be the main focus of Spell. However, at first, it kind of splits duties with the other floral notes. Violet and iris give this a slight powdery quality. It’s strange, I’ll catch a whiff of that, then it disappears, and comes back.

The opening is green, violet, that bit of powder, juicy peach, and the rose. The whole thing comes together as a semi-aquatic floral and peach fest.

The violet seems to fade the most on my skin. The iris will have more of a role to play, but the rose takes the lead, without ever becoming too heavy in the mix.

The final dry down will be less powdery and more soapy with the florals and the emergence of the white musk note. The ending is more of a generic soapy floral than anything special. The opening and middle are the strong points here.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, with a normal amount of sprays you will get a nice projection and scent trail coming off of the skin.

I’d say at it’s peak it’ll project about 7 feet from the skin. Somewhere within that radius thereafter. The peak isn’t too long and it’ll be a more intimate scent bubble at less than half that amount for much of the wear.

On my skin, I get close to 7.5 hours of wear from Spell. Not a complete performer, but it at least clears the hurdle of what I would expect for a perfume at this price point.

Seasonally, this is best in the moderate to warmer temperatures of spring. Can also be a summer scent and even into the early part of autumn. The energy is really nice during the warm weather.

It is a versatile fragrance. It can fit in almost anywhere during the daytime. Not really nightlife scent, but wouldn’t be out of place either. It actually has a youthful sort of vibe, without being childish.

As a man, I find it to be more pretty than sexy. I wouldn’t mind smelling it on a woman, but I don’t think that it would ever ‘cast a spell on me’. It’s more of a clean, enjoyable floral fragrance, and that’s it.

Overall Impressions of Spell On You

Overall, do I like Spell On You? I do. I don’t think that it is an amazing or groundbreaking must have sort of perfume. It is light and enjoyable, though.

The rose, iris, and sweetish peach mix is attractive for the entirety of the wear. While it doesn’t develop all that much, I don’t really think that it has to, since it smells good enough for what it is.

Spell does become muskier in the dry down.

The performance is pretty good. Not amazing. It doesn’t have a huge sillage, which really doesn’t need. Stays on the skin for over seven hours. Good, but for $300? Kind of a wash.

I don’t think that this is one that you need to rush out and buy a full bottle of. For some, it would rank among the top of the Louis Vuitton offerings. For others, they’d be massively disappointed.

I lean more towards the former camp. In my top 10, from LV (women’s), possibly a bit higher 7-8th maybe…I still need more time with it to decide. I like it more than Rose des Vents, this is worth sampling if you can.

If you’re not a huge rose or iris fan, I sincerely doubt this would change your mind.

H24 by Hermes

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Hermes is a brand that doesn’t seem to follow the trends, with its fragrance offerings for men. H24 is another example, released in 2021, which received mixed reviews from folks. I got my sample and have tested this Hermes cologne out, to see how it really performed. How does it smell? Is it worth a try?

What does H24 by Hermes Smell Like?

Notes includes: sage, narcissus, rosewood, sclarene

Click here to try: H24 by Hermes

h24 review

My Full Review

How does Hermes (best colognes) describe it: H24 is the first perfume expressing the contemporary man as seen by Hermès. A lively, sensual and bright perfume, stemming from the daring blend between nature and technology.

H24 isn’t all that complicated of a fragrance. However, I do think that it is an interesting one and takes things in a much different direction, than most other designer men’s colognes out today.

Upon first spraying, you get a sage bomb. The sage will be the strongest note in the mix here, which is pretty unusual for an ingredient which usually serves as a background player.

Also, noticeable with be the warmth of the metallic-like sclarene note. If I had to explain it, I’d say that it is sort of resinous, but not too thick. Warm. Almost like the carbon note found in Luna Rossa Carbon.

Underneath those two notes, sits the narcissus. Lending a nice floral aroma to the H24 blend. There does seem to be a light sweetness here also, from something fruity. Checking the chemical ingredients, I think it’s a bit of lemon blending with the flower.

Although, there’s something else there too. I just can’t quite pick it out.

After a while, the narcissus seems to back away. Rosewood occupies the base, along with some dry woodsiness. Again, an unlisted oakmoss note. Not too strong, but it even says it’s there on my sample card’s chemical breakdown.

So, fresh sage. Metallic warmth. Woods. Simple, right? Yes, but it really works for me.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage is moderate, but not at all weak on my skin. In fact, it provides a pretty substantial scent bubble early on, and sticks around fairly well.

The projection isn’t huge. However, 5-7 feet is about what I’ve experienced, and where I pick it up after spraying H24 on some clothing. Not a massive fragrance, but solid.

The fragrance stays on my skin for 6-7.5 hours. I had heard people say that this scent doesn’t last long. I don’t find that to be true. It worked well enough for me. Not an all day, marathon performance, just something I have no real complaints about.

Seasonally, this is beautiful in the warmth of the summer. Spring would also obviously be a good candidate for wearing H24. I wore this outside and then went inside to air conditioned stores, H24 adapted well and smelled great in the temperature changes.

This is a daytime wear. It’s attractive and pleasant. Not a nightlife banger or one for romantic evening occasions.

H24 is office and school safe. Not too casual or buttoned up and formal. It has a fairly wide use case during this spring and summer season.

Overall Impressions of H24

Overall, do I like H24? I do.

At first, I wasn’t too sure about it. Then, I tried this Hermes fragrance again and liked smelling it throughout the day. It’s not a complete love for me, just a pretty strong like.

I do like sage, so, that helps. But, this simple scent also gives you a unique blend of floral, metallic, sweetish, and woodsy underneath the herbal freshness. It’s modern and sleek. Very clean and inoffensive.

The performance is good, though not great. With around 7 hours of wear, H24 is good enough for most occasions.

This is worth a try. I wouldn’t mind having a bottle of it, but I’m not rushing out to purchase H24 either. If it’s on discount, it’s one that could get a lot of use in one’s collection.

Ombre Leather Parfum by Tom Ford

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Ombre Leather Eau de Parfum is one of my favorite entries from the Tom Ford line. When the brand released a 2021 Parfum version, I was really intrigued at giving it a try. Well, I’ve been testing it out and am now ready to post my review to the site. How does it smell? Is it as good?

What does Ombre Leather Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: leather, violet leaf, jasmine, orris, cedar, tobacco

Click here to try: Ombre Leather Parfum

My Full Review

Here’s how Tom Ford describes it: OMBRÉ LEATHER PARFUM INTENSIFIES THE ORIGINAL SCENT, FUSING HEATED LEATHER FLORALS WITH WOODS–CAPTURING THE UNBRIDLED SENSUALITY OF THE AMERICAN WEST.

Well, I don’t think there’s anything any more intense about Parfum versus the EDP. Actually, that one starts and finishes with a heavier boldness.

Parfum isn’t as warm and doesn’t have that cardamom spice up top. Instead, we get a lighter and cooler aroma at first versus EDP.

The violet leaf note really sets the tone. Watery to an extent, with its greenish floral aroma, giving the leather a cleaner feeling than the somewhat earthy example of the EDP.

Cedar, jasmine, and the orris note also come into the picture. The jasmine note won’t be as prominent as in the original, but it still does a lot next to the more dominant violet leaf.

Yes, the orris note is present. It gives Parfum whiffs of a light powdery smell, but really not too heavy.

This is fresher and never has that same dryness. Cedar bolsters the base and a general woodiness just sits underneath the leather and violet leaf.

Tobacco is a newer addition to this. Again, another light note that adds some sweetness and an overall smoother experience.

In the end, it does become dominated by the leather. If EDP was an older, beat up type of leather, this is a brand new jacket.

Leather, the violet leaf/jasmine combo, and woods. That’s the dry down, on me.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

With the longevity here, I still get the same 9-11 hours total on skin, like the EDP. But, whereas that gives me 6-8 hours of strong wear before become a skin scent. Parfum will go 5-6 and then be much softer.

The performance is by no means bad, but on my skin it is actually a slight step back from the original.

Seasonally, Ombre Leather Parfum is still mostly in the autumn and winter camp. Though, it has much more of an ability to be a late springtime wear versus the original. It’s lighter style is beneficial in that environment, holding up better in the heat.

Also, while both are unisex fragrances. Parfum is much more universal in its wear-ability. The original can be earthier and more animalic. With the violet leaf here, plus the lack of intensity from the cardamom and patchouli notes of the original.

This is an attractive scent. Good for nightlife. But, just know that not everyone appreciates the smell of leather, so it isn’t going to be universally beloved.

Overall Impressions of Ombre Leather Parfum

Overall, do I like Ombre Leather Parfum? I do. It shares plenty of overlap with the original, but takes things in a bit of a different direction.

I was worried about the leather and violet leaf before trying this. It could’ve veered more into the Fahrenheit by Dior direction, which isn’t a bad scent, but not one of my favorites.

This is a cleaner representation of the leather, actually can be a bit suede like. There is some tobacco and orris which gives it a smoother finish. Not all that powdery, but there is just a hint at times.

The jasmine that I loved in the EDP is also still here. Now, it splits weight with the violet leaf, which is just isn’t as good as the original.

Ombre Leather Parfum is a lighter version of this fragrance and probably will have a greater appeal in that regard.

Personally, I don’t like the smell of this one as much as the EDP. It’s still up there, just a notch below the eau de parfum.

Performance is also very good. So, which Ombre Leather you should go with is going to boil down to your personal taste, and not anything glaringly wrong with either. Softer, semi-aquatic suede? Or heavier earthier leather?

The One Royal Night by D&G

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Royal Night is part of The One ‘Night’ series from Dolce & Gabbana. It was released in 2015. I was interested in trying this one out, seeing how it compared to the originals and Luminous Night. The wood notes sounded intriguing and like this could have some more power behind it. How does it actually smell? When should it be worn? Is it actually worth a try?

What does The One Royal Night Smell Like?

Notes include: basil, cardamom, pear wood, nutmeg, amber, cedar, sandalwood, labdanum

Click here to try: The One Royal Night

royal night review

My Full Review

Here’s how D&G describes it: Steeped in mystery, sophistication and masculinity, The One Royal Night takes us on an olfactory journey to the Middle East, echoing its scents and sensations. Part of the Oriental Woody scent family, it explores the multi-faceted world of spices and brings the richness of Amber to life in a refined novel way.

The opening of The One Royal Night is really strong with the cardamom note. Basil and nutmeg also provide a spicy blast from the outset. You can tell that this shares plenty of the overlap with The One EDP or EDT, with how it starts.

But, noticeably absent is the grapefruit and the tobacco. This doesn’t have that same sweet warm and instead goes for something that is fresher and strong with woods.

Dolce describes the pear wood note as having a leathery facet. I do pick up something like that underneath the main accord along with some resinous and a bit scratchy base note.

The opening spice is short-lived. Basil gets out of the way quickly and nutmeg isn’t far behind. But, that sticks around for more than an hour. Royal Night really is the cardamom show for most of its existence, before the amber and woods start to take their share.

At this stage, it’s more about cardamom and cedar with what I guess is that pear wood note, taking a back seat. Less of a punchy spice and more of a clean and somewhat sharp wood.

Finally, the dry down is well, really dry. But, it has a certain sweetness to it that is kind of thick. The cardamom, amber, and sandalwood are the standouts. The rest of the composition is just the other woods.

So, it goes from major cardamom fragrance to a really woody cologne with amber and cardamom.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, the opening has some pop to it. But, it’s never all that loud with the scent trail or projecting that far off of the skin.

Sure, that initial basil and nutmeg punch does give it a strong start. However, I don’t think this has that much more power than the EDP version of The One. Maybe slightly stronger, just not much.

The latter stage is particularly soft. Woods and amber. Pretty light. Present, but not overwhelming.

The longevity seems to be right around that 5.5-7 hour range. Maybe I could squeeze a few more hours with more sprays, if I had a full bottle. But, with the sample sprayer this is about what I got.

Those last few hours are basically skin scent level projection.

Seasonally, break this one out in the autumn and winter months. Better as a nighttime wear, in more formal than casual situations. Not really one to wear to work during the day.

Better for older guys than teenagers. Royal Night does have a level of attractiveness to it, being a The One scent, but not the same type of date night vibe as the EDP. Still, wouldn’t be out of place in that context, however.

Overall Impressions of Royal Night

Overall, do I like Royal Night? I like it, don’t love it. I don’t think that it smells as good as The One EDP and doesn’t even surpass Luminous Night…but that’s a closer contest.

I think other people like this one for its woody depth and that amber/labdanum combination during the latter stages.

For me, I like that spicy opening. Amped up cardamom and basil from the original, that’s not held back by grapefruit or tobacco? I like it. Again, not to the same extent I like that original formulation, but it’s got an interesting aroma.

The dry down is just another amber and woods combination. That’s nice, smells fine, just kind of boring to me. The sandalwood is a good one, but nothing that I get too excited about.

The performance is decent, pretty standard fare for The One line, especially with the eau de parfums.

If the cardamom and woody aspects of the EDP edition appealed to you. Then, Royal Night might be the scent for you. Outside of that, it’s worth giving a try, but probably not one that a lot of people will want to blind buy.

The One for Men EDP by D&G

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The One from Dolce & Gabbana is a scent that I’ve loved the smell of for the longest time, but hated the performance. The eau de parfum version is one that I’ve encountered too, but never grabbed a full bottle of.

Well, I’ve been revisiting the entire series this year, and finally got my full bottle of The One EDP. How does it smell? Does it last any longer? Is it actually worth a try?

What does The One for Men Eau de Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, basil, coriander, amber, tobacco, ginger, cardamom, orange blossom, and cedar

Click here to try: The One EDP

the one edp review

My Full Review

Here’s how D&G describes it: The One for Men Eau de Parfum is part of the iconic world of The One, offering a deeper fragrance experience for the perfume connoisseur. Masculine and magnetic, this highly intense scent is a statement of charisma and sophistication.

Ah, so a lot of this is going to be a rehash of my EDT review, as these two smell extremely similar to one another as expected.

But. there are some slight differences in the early stages, as terms of how it smells.

The grapefruit note here has more of a role to play. It starts out with a stronger burst to my nose than it does in the EDT.

The spices are about the same, with the coriander being stronger than that basil. But, I think a larger part of that grapefruit-like smell comes from a bit more of the cardamom, which can have a citrusy smell.

But, beyond just that grapefruit, the amber and the tobacco come across as more powerful in this blend. It’s deeper and richer.

Again, this is mostly the same, but I do favor the slight EDP alterations a bit more.

As far as the spices, the ginger and basil are still short-lived. With the coriander and cardamom, being bigger players on my skin.

The initial fresh spiciness will begin to pass. The One becomes smoother, warmer, and smokier.

The spices also become more of a combination versus anything distinct in how they present. At this point, it’s a amber and tobacco show with a noticeable cedar, and hints of: spices, smokiness, orange blossom, and a very light citrus.

The final dry down is basically a faint amber and tobacco. Those are the last two standing and part of the reason that this can come across as not being a super powerful cologne.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, it’s still a lighter moderate cologne at its peak. Then, it will stick close to the skin and create a 1-2 foot scent bubble.

However, when you beef up the sprays this one can absolutely create a trail for a few hours and project very well off of the skin or clothing. Somewhere in the 5-8 foot range. With the way that I spray it, described below.

The longevity with The One EDP is much better than EDT. This is a fragrance that you’ll have to spray more of versus most others, to get performance. The EDT wasn’t capable of that, but the EDP is.

So, with normal sprays, it lasts on my skin for about 4-5 hours. Not as terrible. Not great.

If I go with heavy spraying, it can go to 6+ hours, with 2-3.5 hours of good sillage. Not much beyond six hours, but some. The rest will stay closer to the skin, but it doesn’t just drop off in the same way the EDT does. Skin scent for the last 2-3 hours.

What’s heavy spraying? Like, 3-4 sprays to each side of the neck. With some more sprays elsewhere, depending on what I’m wearing. Generally, hitting that 10-15 spray range in total.

It might not be something that you can do in every situation that you want to wear a fragrance, but it can be done. Plus, this scent has gotten affordable enough that you can use more without breaking the bank.

Seasonally, still the same with the autumn and winter being the main use case. But, I will still break it out in spring and summer, if it isn’t too hot and humid. Or, if I know that I’m going to be indoors for the night.

A nightlife machine, that is sexy and confident.  You can wear it in a variety of situations, appropriate for a wide array of ages, but may not want to go completely formal with it.

Romantic wear, nightlife, casual, and semi-formal.

Overall Impressions of The One EDP

Overall, do I like The One Eau de Parfum? Yes, I love it. It’s nearly identical to the original EDT, just with better performance. Some slight changes and depth to it.

But, I loved The One EDT and the way that it smelled, so this one is a must have in my collection. Coming back to it in 2022, really recaptured my admiration for this fragrance.

It is the best of The One collection, on the whole. I also like Luminous Night, but EDP is superior to that, as well.

This is one of the mass appealing designer scents that simply knocks it out of the park. Very easy to wear, versatile, and something that consistently grabs attention…even if it is extremely popular.

The performance is improved to where 6-8+ hours is possible to achieve with more sprays. Really, I got mine 100ml (3.3 ounce) bottle for around $70 and you could probably get a 5 oz for around the same price on sale. Maybe, $80-90.

So, that’s affordable enough to use this one with more sprays than it otherwise might take with other colognes. But, the smell is worth it. The EDT no longer is, but Eau de Parfum absolutely is.

The One EDP can be a bedrock fragrance for a lot of guys who don’t want or need a huge collection. Maybe grab another cologne for the summer or one for daytime use, and you’d be set.