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!

Bright Crystal vs Absolu Perfume Comparison

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Versace Bright Crystal has been very popular for many years now. It has since been joined by Absolu, a more concentrated version of this fragrance. Of course, this causes the dilemma, of which perfume do you buy? Which scent is better Bright Crystal vs Absolu? In this post, I will break it down by category, before declaring a winner.

Tale of the Tape: Bright Crystal vs. Absolu

Bright Crystal

Notes include: yuzo, peony, pomegranate, musk, magnolia, iced accord, lotus, amber

Click Here to try Bright Crystal: Versace Bright Crystal Eau de Toilette Spray for Women, 3 Ounce

Read my review: Versace Bright Crystal

Bright Crystal Absolu

Notes include: peony, pomegranate, raspberry, lotus, yuzu, magnolia, musk

Click here to try: Bright Crystal Absolu, 3 Ounce

Opening

Bright Crystal opens up with its fruity notes out in full force. It’s pomegranate and yuzu, dominating the top. Underneath that, are the floral notes, of peony and lotus. It is indeed ‘bright’ and juicy.

The fruity notes, will eventually give way to more of a floral aroma, led by the peony. It’s peony with some musk, watery lotus, and yuzu really coming through.

Absolu is sweeter and fruitier in its opening. You get much of the same thing, but this time with a raspberry note, and some more lotus in the early stages.

Absolu will also stay fruitier throughout, than its predecessor. Which is better in the opening act? Well, it’s extremely close, but I do like the raspberry touch in Absolu. So, it gets a slight edge.

Edge: Absolu

Projection

Bright Crystal is pretty moderate with its sillage at the start. For me, it will project 4-6 feet at first, then move in closer. It’s ultimately a light to moderate wear.

Is Absolu stronger? Yes, somewhat. Again, it isn’t a powerhouse, but it does seem to have a bit more presence.

Neither is super consistent for the duration of the wear. But, you will get a solid sillage for the first hours with each. Absolu just does it better for longer.

Edge: Absolu

Longevity

With Bright Crystal, it will hang around on my skin, for an 8-10 hour period. Very good longevity.

Absolu and Bright Crystal are sometimes even in longevity. However, I can get a few extra hours, from Absolu. I’d say up to 12. 9-12 hours, depending on the climate.

These two have been pretty impressive for these sorts of popular mainstream fragrances. Unless they have undergone reformulations recently, how long each lasts shouldn’t be a problem at all.

But again, the edge goes to Absolu.

Edge: Absolu

Versatility

I don’t see any real difference between these two fragrances, in terms of when they can be worn. Daily wear, warm weather, and highly versatile with places you could wear it.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

These two scents are very close, by there very nature. Honestly, I really enjoy how both of them smell. I like the yuzu and pomegranate. I like the peony drydown with the original.

Which is the better buy? Well, if you’re talking pure performance that’ll go to Bright Crystal Absolu. It’s a stronger dose.

With the smell, that depends on what you’d rather have. Bright Crystal is more floral, with stronger citrus, and muskiness.

Absolu is sweeter, fruitier, and while it brings the peony…it lacks the same yuzu strength.

For me, I’d probably lean Absolu. That’s my choice, as of now. Though, you should consider your own personal taste. The pomegranate and raspberry notes are very nice.

The initial lotus is a bit better than the blend in the original. But, the floral notes do change up and favor that one. Obviously, there is a whole lot of overlap with these two, but Absolu got my attention more.

Winner: Absolu

Versace Eau Fraiche vs. Dylan Blue Comparison

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In this match up, we have two options from Versace, Man Eau Fraiche vs. Dylan Blue Pour Homme. Which of these two best sellers from the Italian designer, smells the best? Which lasts longer? In this post, I am going to break down my thoughts on each, comparing them between categories. I have worn and reviewed both fragrances on this site, so, I’m familiar with the pros and cons of each. Is there a clear winner here?

Tale of the Tape: Eau Fraiche vs. Dylan Blue

Dylan Blue

Notes include: black pepper, violet leaf, grapefruit, bergamot, tonka bean, ambrox, fig leaf

Click here to try: VERSACE Pour Homme Sealed Dylan Blue Eau de Toilette, 3.4 Ounce

Read my full review: Dylan Blue

Versace Man Eau Fraiche

Notes include: Lemon, Rosewood, Carambola, Cedar leaves, Tarragon, Sage, Musk, Amber, Sycamore

Click here to try: Versace Man Eau Fraiche By Gianni Versace For Men Edt Spray 3.4 Oz

Read my review: Man Eau Fraiche

Opening

Dylan Blue opens up with bergamot and grapefruit at the top. These two citrus ingredient sit within a watery aquatic aroma, with an increasingly strengthening ambroxan. It has hints of being like Sauvage, but at the start, Dylan Blue adds a fig note to the citrus aquatic scent. This sets it apart and also creates what is one of my favorite aspects of this fragrance.

Eau Fraiche also starts out with citrus top notes, paring lemon with the bergamot, and then adding starfruit. It is bright and very attractive. Then there is a slight herbal kick, added to the cologne to give it more depth.

Which is better? The opening act of Dylan Blue is quite good and I am tempted to give it the nod, but I really do like how that Versace starts out. Normally, the citrus opening might not be enough to impress, but that lemon and starfruit combination really grabs my attention. It is ultimately what I prefer.

Edge: Eau Fraiche

Projection

Dylan Blue is pretty strong at the start and for an hour or so, before the sillage shifts more into the moderate end of things. Upon spraying, it is one that can fill a room, and then quiets down. Meanwhile, Eau Fraiche, starts out more moderate and becomes light and airy.

There isn’t a huge difference in the sillage of each of these two. However, Dylan Blue does have a bit more power, in my experience.

Edge: Dylan Blue

Longevity

Dylan Blue is the stronger of the two contenders, however, both of these colognes last 6-7 hours while wearing. That is what I get out of both of them pretty consistently. In my experience, there is no edge.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Both of these scents are very versatile, in their application. They can work year round, but I like them each for the warmer weather. Eau Fraiche is great in summer. They can both work casually, at work, school, or wherever.

I think Dylan Blue has the edge, as a nightlife scent, and that’s the only real distinction I make between them.

Edge: Dylan Blue

Overall Scent

So, when I first tried out Dylan Blue, I was pretty indifferent toward the fragrance. Since then, I’ve worn it a bunch of more times, and now have a bit more of an appreciation for it.

I really like how it opens with the aquatic citrus vibe, but am still pretty indifferent to the dry down period. It’s citrus and fig notes are the highlights, but after that, I really don’t care for it.

It becomes more about the ambroxan, pepper, and violet leaf; as it moves forward. It’s not as enjoyable, at that point, but still nice.

Between these two, I would rather wear Eau Fraiche. The citrus opening is awesome, with the inclusion of the starfruit. Then, it also has an amber note in the dry down, but not as dominant as Dylan Blue and a woody base.

The wood they use is rosewood, which does have a distinct and different aroma, which I rather like. I like the opening act of this one better than its dry down, but I think the entire experience is simply more enjoyable.

It’s cleaner, less of the ambroxan note which can create too much of that synthetic ‘blue’ aroma. I don’t hate Dylan Blue, Fraiche just takes this one.

Winner: Eau Fraiche

Stronger With You by Emporio Armani

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Continuing on, with the site’s fragrance reviews, I wanted to post up my thoughts about a more recent edition to the Armani line: Stronger With You. While I completely dislike the name, I still was looking forward to giving this a try. I was supposed to get a sample of it, back in 2018, but it was left out of my order. So, I instead, gave it a try recently. How does it smell? Does Stronger with You, last a long time? Is it worth a try?

What Does Stronger With You Smell Like?

Notes include: vanilla, mint, cardamom, chesnut, amber, pink pepper, sage, violet leaf

Click here to try: Emporio Armani Stronger With You for Men Eau de Toilette Spray, 1.7 oz

My Full Review

I tested out Stronger With You after getting off of a plane and walking into a duty free shop. So, this is going to be a one wear review, but I did get to spend plenty of time with it to collect my thoughts.

Update: I’ve since come back to this cologne, adding additional thoughts.

Stronger With You, opens up, and really reminds me of Azzaro Wanted. They aren’t exactly the same, Stronger is much better in my mind, and doesn’t have that same lemon note sitting there.

The cardamom, however, really hits the same chord in the beginning. Again, the Armani smells better, it’s got a fresher vibe with mint and pink pepper, and the oncoming warmth of the rest of the notes.

A few minutes into the wear, the sage note, struck my nose. I like it, helps to add a layer of freshness, in a warmer and sweeter type of cologne.

The next phase of this Armani, the vanilla, really begins to come through. The cardamom, is stronger at first, but thereafter it’s the vanilla’s fragrance. First thing to notice here, is how well the vanilla and cardamom pairs together.

Next, is that delicious nutty note running through the middle of Stronger with You. It’s a great addition, and helps to bring this quite a far way, from that Wanted-like opening act.

When the vanilla comes in, it is a sweet/spicy blend, with a solid amount of wood at the base. Cedar with a slight amber added. The pink pepper, sage, and cardamom bring a warm spice which livens up that already wonderful vanilla/chesnut combination.

So, it goes from cardamom sweet, to vanilla/sweet/herbal, to vanilla with drier herbal/woody notes. Honestly, it gets better as it moves along. Not the biggest fan of the start, but it began to win me over.

Longevity and Sillage

Projection wise, the sillage of Stronger With You, is pretty darn strong. It’s not the loudest bomb of a fragrance ever, but it’s not going to require very much. I used about three sprays, during my test run, and that got me a noticeable scent bubble around me.

You don’t have to worry about weakness with this particular fragrance, so, don’t be afraid to go lighter with the sprays.

This cologne hits at least 9 hours of wear. I sort of lost track of it, during this wear, but it was there throughout the day. It’s not weak and it performs very well. You’re not going to get ripped off by the performance.

Update: Trying this again, I once again got past 9 hours, with three or four sprays. I’d say on my skin, it’ll hit just above ten hours in total. The last bit, is pretty much some latent vanilla and maybe a touch of amber.

But, it’s indeed still there.

Versatility

Seasonally, this one is for the colder months. Its too sweet and has a certain thickness to it, that’s not going to be great, in the high heat. Outside of that though, this one can hang beautifully in the air.

Stronger with You can serve as a nightlife fragrance or one to wear out on dates. If you go light with it, this one wouldn’t be too out of place, in a more casual or office situation.

The sweetness and the power, does require some type of moderation to wear it in these scenarios, however.

While I wore it once and didn’t get any complements, I would expect this to pretty popular, amongst the public. Stronger with You has enough of those familiar, popular elements, to get noticed by plenty of folks.

Overall Scent

Overall, do I like Stronger with You? I do. The start had me worried, that this was going to be an Azzaro Wanted redux, but it surprised me with its development. I like the opening here better, and the fact that it doesn’t have that lemon note, is awesome.

However, it gets better to my nose, as it dries down and the vanilla takes the lead.

The spices, the woody freshness, and that sweetness really come through. The nutty note holds it all together at times, and is one of my favorite aspects, of this fragrance.

Coming back to this, years later, it does resemble The Most Wanted by Azzaro, which came out a long time after this initial review. That one is great, this one has more complexity, but I enjoy them both.

I’d say that this is worth a try. Particularly, this is a really great option for younger guys, who want to attract attention during the autumn/winter months.

I’m not in love with this fragrance, but I ultimately enjoyed my experience. It got better over time, it lasts long, and will get positive feedback. I can’t knock any of that.

Voyage Sport by Nautica

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So, the original Nautica Voyage has been an insanely popular fragrance for a long time now. This is because of both the smell, but more importantly, the price. It’s a good deal, getting a cologne like that for under $20, and why Nautica has been trying to capitalize on that name by releasing subsequent flanker fragrances. Today’s entry is one of those, Nautica Voyage Sport. How does this scent stack up? Perform? Is it even worth a try?

What Does Nautica Voyage Sport Smell Like?

Notes include: sea spray accord, citrus zest, coriander, palm leaves, green peppercorn, apple, Brazil wood, vetiver

Click here to try: NAUTICA Voyage Sport Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.4 Fluid Ounce

My Full Wear Review

It is pretty difficult for me to determine what exactly is going on during the opening of Nautica Voyage Sport. All of the notes seem to run together and makes it hard to distinguish one ingredient from another.

It’s kind of musky, citrusy, and has that familiar alcohol smell. A couple minutes in, the cologne settles down, but the first two minutes are messy.

Once it does settle, Voyage Sport provides both a citrus zest and spice from corainder and the green peppercorn note. This is all surrounded by the so-called ‘sea spray accord’, which is just a somewhat salty aromatic approximation of the ocean.

The spices are much more noticeable to me than are the citrus notes and Voyage Sport, almost has a similar vibe to Tommy Bahama’s Very Cool (though, smells differently).

When I try to pick up similarities between this and the original Voyage, there really isn’t much there to work with. Maybe some muted fruitiness and a touch of musk, but that seems to be all. It actually smells kind of dry for a fragrance with sea spray, as a main attraction, but that seems to come from the spices, vetiver, and wood notes.

There is an apple note, as well, but gets quite overshadowed by the citrus notes up top. So, it’s not going to resemble Voyage, even with that fruit note.

As it dries down more, Voyage Sport, becomes less spicy and more aquatic in character. The coriander fades a whole lot and I start to pick up more fruit and musk, as I wrote, it’s citrus more so than the apple note.

From this point forward, what I get is a semi-oceanic fragrance with citrus some musk and a cool/crisp underlying spice. There’s a bit of woodiness in there, but doesn’t ever form much of a strong base.

Sillage, Longevity, and When It Should be Worn

Projection wise, Voyage Sport is pretty darn mediocre. The sillage isn’t much above skin scent for me, at it’s peak, and even if I put it on a shirt nearby I don’t really detect it. Super weak, really doesn’t live up to the original Voyage’s performance level.

Even the notes themselves, suggest a lighter fragrance (sea spray and citrus zest). That’s fine, but there’s really very little actual substance with Sport, even for a summertime kind of wear.

The longevity also isn’t great. It can go 3-4 hours as a skin scent, but again the performance is lacking and it makes it kind of not worth it. If it were a lighter to moderate scent with around six hours, that’d be pretty respectable for the price point.

I know Nautica fragrances, quickly get sent to the clearance shelves after release, but I wish they’d do a better job with the performance. Even when the colognes are pretty run of the mill, at least make them last somewhat long.

Seasonally, it’s a spring/summer wear. It’s casual all the way. Voyage Sport is for a younger guy, probably high school age, maybe college. It’s not something to be worn formally or as a date night scent.

Just something to quickly freshen up or wear out, if you can get decent performance out of it. As the name says, it’s a ‘sport’ fragrance. Don’t expect much, outside of being a starter fragrance or something to spray for a workout or super casual situations.

Overall Impression

Overall, do I like Nautica Voyage Sport? I don’t hate it, it is just not very good, in totality. The scent itself smells pretty good, but not anything amazing. However, that wouldn’t be a problem for an inexpensive cologne like this, if it had awesome performance…it doesn’t.

It might be worth a shot, because it is so cheap, to try it out and see if performs on your skin. It is cheap enough that double spraying, won’t be an issue or hurdle to simply buying another bottle.

It’s a pass for me, there are plenty of other cheapies, that smell better and have greater performance. Nautica could probably have an insane lock on the cheapie market, if they produced more performers or interesting fragrances, Sport definitely isn’t either of those.

Most of the Voyage Flankers haven’t lived up to the billing, of what the original offers. Not one that smells amazing. Not one that really serves as a value play.

Polo Red vs Polo Blue EDT Cologne Comparison

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I’ve done a whole lot of reviews of Ralph Lauren Polo scents on this site already and even created a list of the brand’s top fragrances. In this post, I want to compare Polo Red cologne versus Polo Blue and see which one will be a better fit for most guys out there.

As always, I will break it down by various performance metrics and include my original reviews for each of these scents.

Which Cologne is Better Polo Red or Blue?

Polo Red Tale of the Tape

rp_polo-red-300x259.jpg

Notes of Polo Red: grapefruit, italian lemon, cranberry, saffron, sage

Try Polo Red: Ralph Lauren Polo Red Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 4.2 Ounce

Read my original review: Polo Red Ralph Lauren Review

Polo Blue Tale of the Tape

Notes include: melon, orange, sage, basil, cucumber, geranium, suede, musk

Read my original review: Polo Blue Review

Opening

These two scents are a contrast of cool (Blue) vs. warm (Red) during the opening. Neither one of these fragrances smells bad at first, so, it really comes down to one’s preference between the aquatic opening and warmer citrus/fruit blend. I enjoy the latter.

Polo Blue EDT kicks things off with cucumber, melon, and citrus notes. Obviously, the cucumber and melon give off that crisp and watery vibe.

It is actually quite nice, and as the years have passed, it has grown on me more and more. Underneath that, is an herbal mix of basil and some other notes, giving a slight spice to Blue.

Red, meanwhile, starts with a very sharp/tart lemon and cranberry mix that gets its warm support from amber. Yes, it gets infused with a sweetness too, but I really dig the use of cranberry in this cologne. It isn’t a note that is ever really utilized and it creates a unique vibe.

I have grown to like Blue more than I used to, but Polo Red still has the better opening act, to me. That lemon and cranberry mix, can really hit hard with the amber undertones. So, it can get some taking used to.

Edge: Polo Red

Projection

Neither cologne is a beast. Both are rather moderate. Polo Red seems to be the weaker of the two in this regard and it usually takes me using a bit more of it to get good performance.

Red actually starts off pretty powerful. It settles down, much more than Blue does, and doesn’t have that same intensity of sillage. Blue, is moderate, but keeps fairly steady for longer.

Red might actually have the higher peak, but it just doesn’t hold as well.

Edge: Polo Blue

Longevity

Polo Red has some problems with longevity, which I’ve somewhat solved by just applying more. Depending on how much I wear, it will last in the 4-7 hour range, in most cases.

Not amazing, but it can be quite useful. When it’s colder outside, it will hit the higher end of the spectrum.

Blue, on the other hand, has good longevity and will get a full workday out of it most of the time. So, 7-9 hours, give or take. It isn’t powerful, but it will hang around, with you.

Most of the Blue scents, outside of Ultra, will hit about this same amount. Some better than others.

Edge: Polo Blue

Versatility

I’d say both are equally versatile in their application in terms of: season, occasion, personal style, etc.

Blue is probably better for being low key, in office situations, as it isn’t nearly as sweet, when compared to Red. However, on balance, they both have about equal usefulness.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I enjoy Polo Red much more than Blue. That’s just my personal preference. I find it to be more unique and a better smelling fragrance overall. Polo Red has released other flankers under this name, but they aren’t really the same as the original

. So, if you want that mix of tart, sweetness, and warmth with less spice…you need the original.

Polo Blue seems more generic and while it is attractive, it smells like a whole lot of other aquatics out there. For instance, Eternity Aqua is almost exactly the same, and is usually cheaper. I also like Polo Blue EDP and Deep Blue more than the original.

However, in terms of value and everyday wear, many guys would probably find Polo Blue to be the better fit for them. It does project better and last longer than Red does. Again though, you can get a cheaper version from other brands, or a better version from Polo.

Blue is the safer choice, but Red is a more interesting one.

Winner: Polo Blue (for most guys) but Polo Red smells a bit better