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!

Uomo Acqua EDT by Valentino

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With my last batch of samples, I picked up a couple more flanker fragrances, from the Valentino line. Today, I am going to be getting into Uomo Acqua, and sharing my experience testing this scent out. How does it smell? What’s the sillage like? Does it last a long time? Is it worth a buy?

What Does Uomo Acqua Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin, citron, iris, leather, green tomato, sage, patchouli

Click here to try: Valentino Uomo Acqua By Valentino for Men – 4.2 Oz Edt Spray, 4.2 Oz

valentino acqua review

My Full Wear Review

Before we get into my personal review, let’s see what Valentino has to say about this fragrance: A fresh and elegant fragrance with a clash of scents that is so very Valentino. The top notes reveal the aromatic freshness of an Italian garden with a citrus hint of mandarin and citron. The invigorating hook is soon offset by the dark and velvety depth of iridescent leather. The perfect harmony of freshness and intensity, embodying the subtle balance of Italian elegance.

Immediately upon spraying, I was in love with this fragrance. Uomo, had one of my favorite opening acts ever, and now Uomo Acqua takes a similar path. While this is of course, going to share some common traits with the rest of the Valentino Uomo line, Acqua takes its own path. It’s an awesome one.

The top notes of mandarin and citron are great, but the key here is the tomato leaf note. It’s not used in that many mainstream fragrances, but it is actually a gem of an ingredient.

I remember the tomato leaf aroma from Adidas Moves, which I used to wear back in high school, but it is way better in Acqua.

The tomato leaf and citrus notes are joined by the iris note, which presents itself a bit differently than in the other Uomo fragrances. It is super fresh, citrus, green, and like how they described as a garden.

There is also a bit of sage, in the beginning, which only adds to the freshness and give Uomo Acqua a hint of herbal spice. That note, is however, fairly short lived.

As it moves along, the scent becomes more about the iris, leather, and tomato. It’s smoother, with less of the overt citrus coming through, it’s more of a hint from this point forward. The dry down stays pretty linear, as this isn’t a complex cologne at all, but there is some patchouli in here.

Acqua isn’t an aquatic fragrance in the usual sense, so, don’t go into trying this expecting it to be. The name is isn’t ideal, but think of it as a warm weather flanker of the Uomo lineup. The juiciness/watery feeling of the tomato and citrus is probably as close to being aquatic as you’ll get.

Sillage and Longevity

Projection wise, the sillage on Uomo Acqua, is really solid for the first 30 minutes. Then, is hangs quite close to the skin. Admittedly, I was bummed out that I didn’t get a huge sillage from this stuff, as I love it. But other people have been noticing it, so, it can’t be that ‘weak’.

The longevity is better than you’d think, even with the light sillage. I wore this out on a Saturday night, to bars with indoor/outdoor spaces, and with both high heat and humidity.

I could still smell it on my skin, when I got home really late. It must have been 6-7 hours. Sure, it wasn’t strong, but it was still clearly detectable.

Other times, just wearing it around the house, I might squeeze an extra hour of wear from this Valentino. Not amazing, but it’s pretty good.

When Should it Be Worn?

This is built for the warmer weather. Spring/summer, this is probably going to be a go to, for me. With the floral aspects of this fragrance, the springtime seems to be the absolute ideal use case with Acqua.

You can wear it for any occasion, from formal to casual. It’s light enough to fit in and not really cause any problems by being overwhelming or having any offensive notes to it.

People really seem to like it, especially early on, when the citrus is popping. Uomo Acqua is one that will draw complements. It’s super fresh and quite sexy.

Overall Impressions

This one has become one of my favorite scents, over the past week or so. The opening, is absolutely amazing, to my nose. I cannot get enough of it. I plan on buying a full bottle, in the near future.

That being said, I do wish it was stronger. I wish Valentino would make an intense version, but not make too many changes to the formula, and have it smell like this.

This is a great option for the warmer months, when you don’t want something that is oceanic or beachy. It retains some of what is great about Uomo, but, changes enough to fit the spring/summer months The tomato leaf, citrus, iris, and leather are just about perfect.

Is it a buy? For me, it is. Bottles are inexpensive enough, to where double or triple spraying won’t break the bank. You’ll have to put on more, as the power, isn’t ideal. Though, the smell, absolutely is. I think that this is now my favorite Uomo cologne.

Champaca Absolute by Tom Ford

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I’m getting towards finishing up my Tom Ford fragrance reviews, in this latest batch of samples. Today, I have a bit of an older release from 2009, but one that is still in production. That being, Champaca Absolute. What does it smell like? How does it perform? Is it worth a try?

What does Champaca Absolute Smell Like?

Notes include: champaca, amber, sandalwood, cognac, vanilla bean, tokaji wine, orchid, jasmine

Click here to try: Tom Ford Champaca Absolute Edp Eau De Parfum Spray Private Blend 1.7 Fl / 50 Ml

My Full Wear Review

Here’s how Tom Ford describes it: CHAMPACA ABSOLUTE PERFUME SHIMMERS IN THE DARK, A PROVOCATIVE AND VORACIOUS FLORAL BEAUTY THAT BECOMES ELUSIVE, JUST AS YOU THINK YOU’VE CAPTURED IT.

Right off the bat, I’ve never actually smelled champaca before this. Never even knew what it was, before getting a sample of this Tom Ford perfume. So, I really didn’t know what to expect from it. 

It opens up with the boozy notes, of cognac and the tokaji wine. I also had to figure out what tokaji wine was, before sampling this perfume, and it seems to be a wine grown in a region of Hungary.

Nonetheless, I don’t think it’s ever that strong, or just gets overshadowed by the cognac…which I do know the smell of quite well.

Along with the cognac, is a hint of citrus, some sweet vanilla, and the emergence of floral notes. Luckily, my nose can pretty readily pick up on jasmine and orchid, to distinguish those aromas from other scents. Here, it has helped me to single out what I deduce is the champaca. 

The composition comes across as warm and somewhat dark, at first, while the booze settles in. Then, it becomes a lovely yellowish floral perfume, with vanilla, and soaked in a sea of amber. The cognac hangs around, but it is never as potent, as it once was.

The good news is that, there is some nuttiness that peaks through more once the cognac has started to fade out. It’s noticeable at times after the opening, but that richness sits in the amber aroma quite nicely.

To my nose, the dry down really develops a creaminess, which I find very appealing. That’s going to happen with these floral notes, when blended with vanilla, and sandalwood. Here though, it is impeccable.

Finally, the two main notes left are the champaca and sandalwood. Champaca Absolute has a drier feeling, at this point, woody yet sweet. Calming and lovely.

Sillage, Longevity, Versatility

The sillage here isn’t super strong, it has a certain airiness, but hangs around. Champaca Absolute is a perfume which will sneak up on you, with it’s power. It’s not a bomb or anything, but you won’t think that it’s projecting as much as it actually is.

I put some of my tester on a shirt and was catching some whiffs of the perfume, as I walked by a few days later. I had forgotten that I’d even done so.

The longevity for me, was in the 8-9 hour range. That’s on skin. Not elite, but it’ll certainly serve almost everyone’s purpose. What is great about the performance, is that the sillage didn’t completely degrade, and stayed solid even when diminished hours into the wear.

 

Seasonally, I don’t think that this would have a problem in any climate, really. Champaca is probably much better in the cold, but can make a nice transition when things warm up.

Maybe avoid it in the summer, during the daytime. Autumn through spring is when this one would really be at its peak.

It is listed as unisex. It is, but leans more feminine. Not every guy, will want to wear something like this, but it’s not all that girly either. Mostly going to be one that women would want to wear around.

This has a certain level of sexiness to it. Sultry and a bit seductive, while still being pretty and charming. Probably best for casual or other events, rather than the office. You might not want to have a somewhat boozy fragrance on, at work. 

Overall Impression of Champaca Absolute

Do I like this perfume? I do. It does everything well and has a unique style. This is a great option for floral lovers, who want something different.

While it is different, it isn’t so completely out there as to be unwearable. Champaca Absolute actually smells good, delivers great performance, and changes up the pace.

As a man, it’s not something that I’m going to wear personally, beyond testing it out. However, it is one that I would enjoy smelling on a woman, and is a nice release from Tom Ford. 

The cognac, nuttiness, and sweet fruit aspects of this fragrance are highlights for me. The white floral transition is cool too, but those other notes help this one to not just be another boring floral scent. 

Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming by Dior

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So, today, we have another entry from Christian Dior and the Miss Dior lineup: Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming. This flanker was released in 2016 and instantly became a popular name in the fragrance game. Does it actually live up to its popularity? How does it smell? What are the ingredients? Does Absolutely Blooming perform well? Please continue below for my full wear take and review.

What does Absolutely Blooming Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, peony, musk, pink pepper, black currant, and red berries

Click here to try: Christian Dior Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming Women’s Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Review

Before we get started on the review, let’s see what Dior says about Absolutely Blooming: Delectable red berry notes embroidered on a fresh peony accord and exalted by a profusion of rose petals from Grasse. The intensity of a delicious floral.

The opening of Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming starts off with raspberry and pomegranate notes, to go along with the white musk. It’s sweet and bright with a slightly musky undertone. The berry notes smell quite juicy and delicious and the sillage from the start is strong.

After 5-10 minutes, the floral notes really start to emerge, with the peony being the most noticeable early and then the rose coming up more later on in the wear.

Beyond that, there is also a black currant note that is quite sharp/sour, and adds to the fruitiness but takes it in a different direction.

Black currant can be kind of hit or miss for me, but I don’t mind it within this particular composition. There is some overlap between this Dior perfume and Si by Armani. Here, the sharpness of the fruit is tempered somewhat by the rose and peony, and isn’t allowed to run wild.

Finally, what I ultimately get from this perfume, is a feminine and fresh blend of rose, some peony, light musk, and a jockeying between the fruit notes. It’s got a juicy aroma throughout much of it but feels much more floral the closer my nose gets to the skin.

The fruitiness towards the end is more of an impression of sweetness, rather than the distinct juiciness or tartness of any of the individual notes in the mix. Absolutely Blooming goes from more of a fruity/floral to a floral with some fruit.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Absolutely Blooming actually has pretty darn strong sillage. Now, it tones down somewhat as time goes on, but at first it’s a strong fragrance. No performance problems with this one.

This can leave a nice scent trail, as you exit a room. Plus, the projection can be in the 5-7 foot range, off of the skin. Not a complete monster that will overwhelm, but I found the performance to be great on me.

Also, it lasts all day, and can hit double digit in the number of hours it will stay on one’s skin. For what you can often get with these sorts of fragrances, that is a fantastic level of performance. Not the elite of the elite, but one notch below.

I’m not sure of the exact total number of hours, but I’d say it’s probably 11-12, in my experience. It just works extremely well.

Seasonally, this is for the warmer months, of the year. Probably more spring than summer. However, I don’t think it’s bad here in winter time, it just feels a bit out of place. Anywhere from a mild climate to hot days, would be appropriate.

If this does happen to come across as sharper on your skin, the cold and crisp air of winter might make it more of a problem. But, the whole vibe of the fragrance feels better suited to the sun-drenched days of spring into summer.

This is fine for casual wear, work (just go easy), a night out, or romantic wear. It is very attractive and probably a bit sexier than the other Miss Dior offerings, at least in my mind.

Less of the pure floral mix or soapiness that those can tend to have. Maybe not the most overtly sexual or beastly perfume, but there’s just something attractive about it.

Absolutely Blooming does have a very versatile use case and can easily become a daily wear fragrance, for those that enjoy it.

Overall Impressions of Absolutely Blooming 

Overall, do I like Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming? Yes, I do. It is a great fruity floral mix with juicy berries and is grounded by a nice mix of rose and peony. It is playful, upbeat, and beautiful.

This perfume gives great performance and has a unique aroma while being familiar to the Miss Dior line of scents. I really have no complaints about this one and it conjures up positive feelings when I smell it.

Some, may not like the fruit notes here, but for most it seems to be a perfect blend. It simply does everything well, without any real glaring flaws about it.

If you want a stronger balance of floral notes, you should probably consider another scent. Otherwise, this is a great one and one of the top Dior releases.

Black XS for Her by Paco Rabanne

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Making my way through even more boxes of fragrance samples, I have another one for the ladies, even if it has been out a long time: Black XS for Her EDT by Paco Rabanne. This has been a fairly popular scent since its release in the mid-2000s, but does it actually live up to its reputation? In this post, I’m going to explore how it smells, performs, when it should be worn, and if this eau de toilette is even worth a buy?

What does Black Xs for Her EDT Smell Like?

Notes include: cacao, cranberry, rose, musk, vanilla, patchouli, pink pepper, wood, violet

Click here to try: Paco Rabanne Black Xs By Paco Rabanne For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 2.7-Ounces

My Full Review

Upon first sniff, the opening of Black XS for Her, really reminded me of the men’s version. Fruity and patchouli. The difference? The women’s version is so much better and toned down the patchouli to a more tolerable level.

Also, they use cranberry in this one in lieu of lemon. I was having a hard time distinguishing the cranberry note, until it struck me that the opening had elements of another men’s fragrance, Polo Red.

Make no mistake, however, Black XS for her is a wholly feminine perfume and it starts off hard. That cranberry note is tart and delicious. It’s joined by the aforementioned patchouli, rose, and that semi-sweet cacao.

These are the notes which dominated this eau de toilette for the first 30 minutes or so. It’s funny, I don’t really smell the rose at all after this point, and it’s usually one that hangs around for the long haul.

I definitely like the pink pepper note here, that comes along later in the wear. It really does a great job at playing off of the cranberry note and adding a layer of warm spice with the mus

k. Also, I guess this has tamarind as an ingredient also. But, I’m not really familiar with exactly how that note smells. A bit spicy, I believe.

As it dries down, I get more of that raw cacao aroma, musk, and patchouli.

The cranberry becomes less prevalent and Black XS takes on a different kind of vibe. It’s sweeter and less tart, cacao and vanilla will do that to a perfume.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the early phase is pretty strong. At least it feels that way, because of the cranberry note. Again, it changes as it moves along and feels much more moderate to my nose.

So, at the start it can feel as if it’s been over-sprayed. Unless you really did pour it on, this perfume will settle down.

The longevity was actually good on my skin, I got at least seven hours out of Black XS, maybe a tad more. For what this is, that’s not bad at all. Since it’s really not a daily wear fragrance, you probably won’t need it to go 10+ hours in almost any scenario.

Seasonally, this is built for winter, or late autumn. Cold weather all the way. It would seemingly be a mess in any conditions that are too warm.

This isn’t an office kind of scent either. Black XS is great for the nightlife. It is youthful (not total teenager but twenties) and actually smells really sexy and appealing.

As a guy, I would love smelling this on a woman. It’s so sweet and has that gourmand edible quality to it. This Paco Rabanne perfume isn’t some complicated masterpiece, but it sure strikes a chord.

Overall Impressions of Black Xs for Her

Overall, would I recommend trying Black XS for her? Yes. That is of course, provided you enjoy berry-laden, warm, sweet, and chocolatey fragrances. It’s not really going to be an everyday wear, since it doesn’t fit into all of those situations.

However, for nights out? Yep! This stuff hangs beautifully in the wintertime and again for sure has sex appeal. Give it a look.

The performance is above average and the aroma is really darn attractive. A bottle is usually not too expensive either, so it can find a spot in one’s rotation, without having to shell out the cash.

This is much better to me than the men’s version. The cranberry and cacao are actually quite nice up top. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy that as much as I did, but the patchouli and vanilla come in and really provide great support.

It’s a mix of sweet gourmand and earthy light spice. The rose note doesn’t really do much on my skin, but maybe other people will get more of that note.

Quantum by James Bond 007

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There are of course a plethora of celebrity fragrances on the market today. One interesting aspect of the market, is that there are also fictional characters with their own line of scents. James Bond, the uber-famous British secret agent character, is such an example of this.

There are plenty of Bond 007 colognes that have been released by Eon Productions, but today I am going to focus on one, Quantum.

What does Quantum Smell Like?

Notes include: leather, juniper berries, sandalwood, bergamot, and violet leaf

Click here to try: James Bond 007 Quantum Eau de Toilette Spray, 4.2 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Quantum is a mix of juniper berries and bergamot on top of a leathery base. Honestly, it reminds me of a slightly different version of the ‘grape bubblegum’ aroma that is associated with 1 Million. Maybe even Polo Red, but without the same level of citrus sharpness.

The leather note, however, just isn’t all that impressive to me and while it has some appeal it just isn’t rich enough. It’s a light leather, that doesn’t really grab you or stand out.

After a ten or so minute opening, it shifts a bit with the sandalwood note becoming more prominent. Still, it is still a smooth scent with fruity sweet highlights and a very slight spice to it. After this point, it’s pretty much linear.

Mostly, juniper, some leather, and sandalwood. Simple and straightforward. The blend is solid and the aroma itself is pretty easy to wear and enjoyable.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s toward the weaker end of things. It’s light to moderate.

Also, the performance isn’t great. Somewhere between 1-2 hours of decent power and then a sharp decline to a skin scent thereafter. It’s not going to leave a scent trail and the projection from the skin will be maybe a few feet for the majority of the wear.

That second stage of being a skin scent also only lasts a few hours. In total, around 3-4 hours on my skin for the entirety of the wear.

I guess this would be considered a casual scent. It has a nice appeal to it, as in, it is actually somewhat sexy, in my opinion. That is, if the performance was better, it could find a use as a cheapy. The versatility is pretty good, as this doesn’t smell like a completely ‘cheap’ fragrance.

Seasonally, I’d keep it out of the high heat of the summer months, but it’s fine in basically any other climate that you can throw at it.

Overall Impressions of Quantum

Overall, would I recommend Quantum? Not really. I like the smell somewhat and I wouldn’t be completely opposed to it, if the longevity was decent.

That being said, it isn’t, and while the fragrance itself smells good, it doesn’t really blow me away. Quantum is fairly mediocre. Plus, there are better James Bond colognes available.

The juniper and bergamot mix up top is probably the highlight of the entire thing. With the sandalwood and leather sitting underneath, Quantum has some personality going for it. But after that point, it’s just okay.

The leather isn’t great. Kind of just weak and not a good example of that note.

The whole line of 007 colognes is pretty bad with the performance, however. This one is a perfect example of that being the case.

It is a very inexpensive fragrance, but not one that provides any real value. A high level of performance could’ve make it a worthwhile investment. In reality, it’s just not.

So, unless you have to have a bottle because it’s a 007 scent, I’d pass.