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!

The One for Men by Dolce & Gabbana

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The One EDT was literally one of the first fragrances I bought to review when I started this site back in 2013. If I actually ever posted my review, it has since been deleted, as the performance of this cologne was so bad that I felt it to be useless to post.

Well, fast forward to today, I wanted to dive into this whole D&G collection and start off by revisiting this 2008 release that has been mega-popular ever since. I always loved the smell, it just lasted for less than an hour on my skin, at the time. Has that changed? What are my thoughts now after nearly a decade of avoidance? Please continue below for my full take.

What does The One for Men Smell Like?

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

Click here to try: The One EDT

the one for men review

My Full Review

Before we get into my review, here’s how D&G describes it: Dolce & Gabbana The One for Men is an elegant, sensual perfume that is decidedly modern but also a unique, timeless classic. It is the natural, masculine version of Dolce & Gabbana The One. An Oriental Spicy perfume which is developed from the harmony of Tobacco notes and refined spices.

The One EDT opens up fresh with its grapefruit and array of spices taking center stage.  The grapefruit here is more along the lines of the older versions of the brand’s Light Blue fragrances, instead of the realistic one used in Light Blue Forever.

The spices early on are a mix, but you can pick out a few. The coriander is stronger than that basil note, but even that has its run during the initial spray.

It’s a warm oriental sort of spice, sitting on that base sea of amber, and given a pop by the fairly short-lived citrus note. Basil and ginger are two of my favorite and underutilized spices in fragrances…and both are the first to fade away.

Coriander and cardamom are really the one’s which show up on my skin. With the latter, adding a bit more of a citrus like impression with grapefruit and the white floral orange blossom heart.

The initial fresh spiciness will begin to take a back seat. The One becomes smoother and smokier with how it presents itself. Just a light smokiness, rather than heavy incense or anything like that.

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 without much else. Still smells nice, you just need to press your nose to it. Spicy and fresh gives way to a still warm and somewhat sweet scent.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, that initial 30-45 minutes or so is pretty solid. Even with 4-5 sprays from sample vials, I still got a good trail going from either skin or clothing.

It probably peaks at the 5-6 foot range off of the skin. After that, you’re going to be looking at something that sits within 1-2 feet. That draw down is really fast from being noticeable to if not a skin scent, close to it.

So, I also tested The One out side by side with a fragrance of a similar style, Noir Extreme by Tom Ford. 5 sprays on the one sample vial versus 2 sprays of a Noir Extreme vial. An hour or so in, the Tom Ford has a much more noticeable presence.

Seasonally, the warmth and spices is built for the autumn and winter months. I would avoid the hotter weather and humidity. Cold to moderate temperatures is where The One for Men smells absolutely divine.

It is a versatile fragrance. It is a sexy and attractive date night or nightlife wear. Though, it’s not offensive or completely out of place during the day. The tobacco note, might not always be appropriate, but it also might not be strong enough to really matter.

It is an interesting fragrance, as it does have a level of maturity to it. While also being dynamic and not at all stuffy. Younger guys and a lot of teenagers, really wouldn’t have an issue using this cologne.

Overall Impressions of The One EDT

Overall, do I like The One for Men? The smell, I still adore. The performance…still pretty bad. Though, not as terrible as I remember.

I mean 3-4 hours is absolutely not great. Especially when the projection is so light a few hours in. This is in contrast to my memory of it not lasting an hour previously.

The One features some of my favorite notes and a style, which I really enjoy. Ginger, basil, cardamom. Orange blossom is among my favorite floral notes. Amber is great. Plus, a very nice rich tobacco note for this sort of mainstream cologne.

The problem is, when all combined together…these notes don’t hold up in an EDT concentration.

As such, is it a buy? I mean, maybe. I would try to get a huge discount. Probably putting on some unscented lotion on my skin before spraying, to aid longevity. Also, I’d spray it heavily each time using.

The One EDT is an amazing smelling and mass appealing fragrance. Performance for most folks, just isn’t great. Really, among the best sellers in this category, it smells better than the vast majority.

Kate Spade New York EDP

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Kate Spade New York EDP is a perfume that was released back in 2020. It really wasn’t on my radar for a long time, but when I had the opportunity to get a hold of a sample, I made sure to grab it. I have been testing it out on and off over the past few months, in order to post my full review. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Kate Spade New York EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: strawberry, rose, ambroxan, cashmeran, freesia, citrus

Click here to try: Kate Spade New York

My Full Review

Here’s how the brand describes it: Sparkling, joyful, sensual and feminine, the Kate Spade New York fragrance is a bright, colorful blend of fruits and flowers including wild strawberry and rose essence with alluring hints of ambrox and cashmeran.

When I first received a sample of this perfume, I really wasn’t in any sort of rush to try it out. Though, I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised with what I got from Kate Spade New York.

The strawberry is the main attraction in the early stage, especially. Very nice and more of a naturalistic sort of strawberry aroma than something completely candy-like. But, there is still a mixed drink aspect to this with the citrus notes.

So, leaning natural, but somewhere in between that and a strawberry flavoring.

Bergamot and I think there is some grapefruit coming through as well. These support players really help to make the strawberry pop after first spraying. Plus, this doesn’t ever stray too tart to my nose, more sweetish without overdoing it.

The rose essence isn’t too heavy in the mix. So, if you’re looking for a rose-based scent, this won’t be it. More of a background player early on, and definitely loses some ground to the freesia, which adds a light watery vibe to the composition.

Also, that dewy aroma does give it a touch of light greenish smell, after the initial fruity overload subsides.

This will be led by the strawberry note for the duration. Ambroxan gives it that synthetic amber finish and the woodiness of the cashmeran becomes more pronounced, as it enters the final stage.

So: strawberry and the remaining citrus, cashmeran, ambroxan, and the general floral impression that is left.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this one opens up with a strong punch and an ability to leave a trail. Though, it will moderate quite a bit.

To me, it never weakens entirely and is fairly solid during its complete cycle. It just doesn’t maintain that initial burst caused by the fruity notes.

It will project well. Maybe around 7 feet at the max, more 3-4 foot range, for much of the wear.

On me, this seems to stick around for 6-7 hours. That last hour is faint, but New York is still there. It’s not a workhorse or a monster performer, but pretty decent on the whole.

Seasonally, the uplifting fruitiness makes this a star in the spring and summer months. Really sits well in the warmer air and is just pleasant to be around. Maybe out of place in the autumn and winter, however.

This is geared toward a younger woman’s style. It’s a nice daily wear. Not completely immature, mind you, but teens and women in their 20s would do fine with this one.

Very attractive and pretty, than anything like a ‘sexy’ nightlife perfume. A playful fruity perfume, that isn’t an overly sweet or cloying mess. It’s got style, but remains fun.

Overall Impressions of Kate Spade New York

Overall, do I like Kate Spade New York? I do. It’s not a super amazing perfume, but I like it and its rather simple profile.

The style is very much like Burberry Her, while smelling fairly different and better, for that matter. I like the pairing of the strawberry and citrus notes. With the floral notes, ambroxan, and casmeran you get a good balance…while still getting a fruiter perfume.

The performance is good enough for what it is. A daily wear for the warmer months, that is pleasing and not going to break the bank. It never felt like a weak perfume, while wearing it.

It’s worth checking out, if this sounds like it might be your style. Nothing groundbreaking, just one that is well-executed, and enjoyable.

Paris-Riviera by Chanel

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Les Eaux de Chanel is a newer series of fragrances from the famous French design house. I’ve tested out the first five from the line and have been posting my reviews of each. Today, it is going to be my thoughts on Paris-Riviera. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does Paris-Riviera Smell Like?

Notes include: orange, neroli, petitgrain, sandalwood, jasmine, musk, benzoin

Click here to try: Paris-Riviera by Chanel

My Full Review

Here’s how Chanel describes it: A fresh, solar fragrance that evokes the carefree charm of the French Riviera, where Gabrielle Chanel built her villa, La Pausa.

Paris-Riviera starts off with a burst of zesty citrus and neroli. The citrus is mostly made up of orange, but I do detect a bit of the bergamot note, the designer seems to use in other perfumes.

The zest of that citrus is joined by the dominant neroli note and petitgrain. Both of which have their own citrus aromas and the green freshness of the petitgrain also plays a big role at this early stage.

This one isn’t sweet. The fragrance does have more of a bitter orange aroma, especially during the latter part that the citrus sticks around.

Paris-Riviera does remind me a lot of the array of Tom Ford summertime fragrances, that utilize neroli. So, could serve as an alternative to those who are fans of those scents.

It’s not too heavy or sharp, but has a fresh and clean energetic kind of aroma to it. The jasmine note does come in for me, taking over the neroli as the heavier weighting, but early it’s about the neroli. Though, it’s never too lopsided either way.

The jasmine will be joined by a general muskiness and benzoin note, which gives this some resinous highlights during the dry down. Paris-Riviera becomes less about zesty citrus and more of a soapy and indeed drier perfume.

Jasmine, sandalwood, neroli, and that benzoin/muskiness. Sandalwood really seems to make a late push with this and Riviera ends up being a woody floral…not wholly the citrus floral, that started things out.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this one is pretty moderate. Probably on the lighter side of the moderate spectrum. Though, I think that it has a fairly strong peak in the beginning. With normal sprays, you should get a little scent trail from it.

On the whole, I found it to be just fine during testing. Noticeable, while note being particularly in your face about it.

Paris-Riviera seems to hit the 4-6 foot mark, in terms of how far it will project off of my skin. Not bad, but this isn’t a powerhouse.

The longevity is in the 6-7 hour range. Again, not spectacular, but solid and pretty useful for this style of perfume. Really about what the other Les Eaux fragrances give you in terms of hours of wear.

Seasonally, this is spring and summer all the way. Clean, fresh, and upbeat with bright aroma in the early stages.

It does have pretty good versatility within that seasonal context. It’s much much more of a daytime sort of fragrance. Casual, semi-formal, or work is fine.

It’s a pleasant aroma, but not something that is going to be wildly attractive or sexy. Not really a Chanel that is built for the nightlife.

Overall Impressions of Paris-Riviera

Overall, do I like Paris-Riviera? I do like it. It’s not a love for me, but I find it to be an enjoyable enough perfume. As of now, I’d rank it as my fourth favorite from the Les Eaux de Chanel line of scents.

I thought that I might like this one more than I actually do, going into the testing. It’s a fine fragrance, probably a bit too expensive based on what you get with Chanel prices. Likeable and certainly nothing offensive even amid the periods of greater intensity.

The opening might be a mixed back for some people. It can have a cleaner-like aroma, but I don’t find it to be too off-putting. The citrus is the usual Chanel fare, with the petitgrain and neroli too, it might overwhelm some folks.

However, the dry down is particularly nice. Soft and low key. But, the sandalwood and benzoin mixing with a more balanced floral presentation works well for this perfume.

Good performance for a summer scent, just don’t expect anything amazing. That being said, this is a good Chanel perfume, just not a top tier option. So, you may not want to pay their prices just to own it.

Paris-Riviera isn’t a must have, but certainly worth a try, if this sounds like it could fit your personal style.

Invictus Victory by Paco Rabanne

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Invictus Victory was the 2021 flanker release from this popular line. I don’t know if it has caught on quite to the same extent as some of the others, as of yet, but seems to have a generally positive rating among people. I grabbed a sample a while back of this Paco Rabanne cologne and have been testing it out. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Invictus Victory Smell Like?

Notes include: pink pepper, lemon, vanilla, amber, tonka bean, olibanum, and lavender

Click here to try: Invictus Victory

invictus victory review

My Full Review

Here’s how Paco Rabanne describes this cologne: The new Invictus Victory extreme eau de parfum seizes with its power and seduces with its freshness. Instantly, citric lemon notes flow. The woody fragrance of incense strengthens the composition whilst the sensual vanilla wraps itself around a fiery Tonka bean. An eau de parfum that subtly celebrates modern masculinity.

So, this Paco Rabanne is actually not anything like the other entries in the Invictus line of fragrances, and instead, shares a whole lot of overlap with the less popular (but nice) Pure XS line.

It’s almost like they decided to not make a third Pure XS flanker and just rebranded it under the Invictus label. Nonetheless, Victory is a likeable cologne, no matter the nametag it is presenting under.

Pure XS is boozy and sweet. Pure XS Night is spicy and sweet. This is more of a warm gourmand with hints of spice, but with a heavier use of vanilla, tonka bean, and amber.

The opening act gives me a nice dose of lemon, a general warmth, and a peppery kick to round things off. The pink pepper gives it that extra bit of a warm vibe, but isn’t super overwhelming in the mix.

The marketing definitely overplays the lemon note, as it is the weakest of the bunch, and is gone pretty quickly.

It’s also got a smokiness in the very early part of the wear. That’s from the olibanum note, which replaces the myrrh that’s found in the Pure XS scents. Basically, incense. Later, it smells more like a generic wood, just smooth.

As it dries down, that’s when it becomes more of a vanilla and amber based cologne. But, with everything coming together, Invictus Victory actually gets a chocolate smell, also. Sort of a mix between vanilla and chocolate.

Not sugary milk chocolate, mind you, more of a raw cacao. Lavender comes into play, at this point in time.

Clean and smooth for the middle act. Then, a thicker finish with less of the lavender. Really, vanilla is going to dominate. Tonka bean and amber fight out for most of the rest of the space.

Lavender and the general woodiness stick around in a pretty sparing amount.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, Victory doesn’t come across as a powerhouse to me. Strong initially, but fairly middle of the road for much of the duration. You’ll get a nice scent trail going, but it’s projection wasn’t huge off the skin.

Still, it is a solid wear and never felt weak to my nose.

With the longevity, it can go just over eight hours. Maybe nine, depending on the day. That is great for the price range of this. You’ll get your money’s worth from the performance with Victory.

On clothing itself, it will go for days.

Seasonally, this one is an autumn and winter wear for the most part. You could probably sneak it into the early springtime, but I’d pass on spraying it for the summer.

Victory is more of a younger man’s fragrance, like most of the rest of the Invictus scents. It has a nice appeal for the nightlife and should catch attention with its gourmand style. Is it really sexy? Not really, but that delicious attractiveness should do just fine.

Overall Impressions of Invictus Victory

Overall, do I like this fragrance? Yes, I think that it is nice. Victory gives you a youthful gourmand sweetness that is attractive and easy to wear.

The opening is interesting. The brief lemon is a nice touch, that I wish lasted a bit longer. Good smokiness from the incense note.

The dry down isn’t super complex or anything. It’s still good, just doesn’t catch my attention in the same way.

It’s like the long lost brother of the Pure XS line and has some similarities to something like Code Profumo. This one goes heavy on the vanilla and tonka bean, sweet, amber-laden, and  can be a bit too cloying for some.

If you’re not into that sort of fragrance, you might want to skip on Victory. Also considering that it doesn’t have much to do with the other Invictus colognes that have been release. As such, if you’re a fan of those, you might not enjoy this one.

Mandarino di Amalfi by Tom Ford

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Continuing my reviews of the Tom Ford fragrance lineup, we have another entry led by citrus notes: Mandarino di Amalfi. This one was released in 2014 as a unisex scent and has enjoyed some popularity ever since. In this post, I will cover: how it smells, what the notes are, how it performs, when it should be worn, and if it is even worth a try.

What does Mandarino di Amalfi Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, lemon, wildflowers, mint, tarragon, orange blossom, sage, amber, vetiver, basil, black pepper, black currant

Click here to try: Tom Ford Mandarino Di Amalfi Eau de Parfum, 1.7oz./50ml

My Full Wear Review

Mandarino di Amalfi opens up of course with the great citrus notes of lemon and grapefruit. These two notes are so juicy and great within this composition. There also seems to be a black currant in there too, but it isn’t that powerful, and doesn’t have that same sharpness as in other scents.

Yet, it is still sweet and provides that familiar bright zesty aroma, which is also found in Neroli Portofino.

The other element that is present at the start of Mandarino di Amalfi is the herbal/spice notes that are sitting underneath the citrus top. Cool mint, tarragon, basil, and some black pepper is what my nose mostly picks up.

It gives the fragrance a refreshing and soapy kind of smell while it is still of course, juicy and lemony. Yes, this is found in plenty of different scents, but I really like how this Tom Ford brings it all together and the herbal notes don’t override the citrus.

As you move along in the wear, there is more of a floral influence, to the aroma. We have a very nice orange blossom, which is one of my favorite floral ingredients, and then a generic wildflower listing.

I get lots of ‘greeness’ from the sage, basil, and tarragon; but also, plenty of spice from those same notes and the mint and dash of black pepper. In addition, there is a bitter quality at times. Mandarino is pretty linear and straightforward from there.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise,  the sillage isn’t huge, but it honestly is pretty darn good for a citrus. People nearby will be able to pick it up, for the first few hours of wear, but then it will sit closer to the skin. Not weak or a total skin scent, but not a monster by any stretch.

The longevity for me has been somewhere around six hours, give or take. Not an elite performer, but it is okay, in that regard. Most of these style of fragrances aren’t that great with their performance, this is a pretty good one.

But, that’s also at the low end of what I would personally consider acceptable for this price point.

Seasonally, spring and summertime. Mandarino has that perfect summer’s day sensation of warmth, citrus, and floral notes. This is more of a casual to dressed up wear than anything that is particularly exciting or sexy.

Not a night club wear. It is something to wear during the daytime, when the weather and climate, are particularly right. It is also a unisex scent, that actually leans feminine more than masculine.

Overall Impressions of Mandarino de Amalfi

Overall, do I like Mandarino di Amalfi? Sure, it’s a very pleasant experience overall. Is it insanely good or a must have? No. Just a nice example of a solid citrus/floral/herbal blend, with decent performance.

I think that the use of lemon and grapefruit here is really great, though, and that’s probably my favorite aspect of it. Would I pay for a full bottle? No. Would I want to wear it? Yes, sometimes, it’d be nice to break out.

Smooth, refreshing, and great for the summer months of the year. The greenish notes and the floral aspect do give this one a bit more depth, while note making it messy at all.

Again, it is Tom Ford, so the pleasure of ownership comes with quite a cost upfront. Personally, I like it more so than Neroli Portofino. The citrus and spice mix here is more interesting and while the floral notes aren’t as prominent, I think that is to Mandarino’s credit.