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!

Best Les Eaux de Chanel Fragrances

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Chanel released its line of perfumes under the Les Eaux de Chanel banner starting a few years ago. There are currently five fragrances with the designation and I grabbed samples of them a few months ago.

Since then, I’ve tested out these scents, and wanted to create a post ranking them. The following is my current standings and I’ll update this page if I change my mind or any new releases are brought to market in the future.

What are the Top Les Eaux de Chanel Perfumes?

The Best

Paris-Venise by Chanel– Paris-Venise is my pick for the best of this Chanel line. My number two pick was a close challenger, but I think Venise pretty easily surpasses the other options.

Venise features notes of neroli, vanilla, and tonka bean. It kicks off with a great citrus accord, ylang-ylang, and a powdery mix of iris and violet. It’s fresh, unique, and a dynamic summertime wear.

The citrus, iris, and ylang-ylang (plus other floral notes) are most prominent in the opening act. Then, as it settles, you get the softer sweet and creamy notes coming through. With enough of the iris/violet combination to make it interesting. Paris-Venise is a very beautiful fragrance.

Lime and Basil Wonder

Paris-Deauville by Chanel– Deauville secured the number two spot without much trouble. After testing each of these perfumes, I kept coming back to this gem, time and time again.

Lime, lemon, and mandarin orange start things off here. But, it’s not a purely citrus fragrance, as there is also a prominent basil note and an overall green aroma in Paris-Deauville. The main notes are lime, basil, and patchouli.

That’s the trio for most of the wear. There is a floral aspect to this with a bit of rose and jasmine, but they really aren’t that major in the mix.

I get about 7 hours of wear on my skin. Deauville is a pretty simple scent, that’ll be a spring and summer wear, but it’s a really great use of lime. Read my full review

Green Gin Forest

Paris – Édimbourg– Paris–Édimbourg is the next in line and the top Eaux des Chanel for men. The others on the list, outside of Biarritz maybe, are pretty darn feminine.

This one is also the most unique. With this we go green and really fresh with notes of juniper and cypress, producing a gin-like aroma. It’s bright and woodsy, with the vetiver playing a larger role in the latter stages.

Vanilla adds a light creamy and sweet touch to the fragrance and helps to keep it more in the unisex camp. If you don’t want to go with a citrus or citrus/floral wear from this line for the summer, check out this, because it could be your number one pick. Paris-Edimbourg Review

Zesty Neroli

Paris-Riviera by Chanel– Riviera could easily be in the third spot, but I ultimately decided that I liked the unique aspect of Edimbourg more.

Paris-Riviera is a citrus floral perfume, with top notes of orange, neroli, and petitgrain. I recognize that Chanel orange note immediately and the neroli reminds me of the various Tom Ford summertime perfumes.

Riviera is quite zesty and uplifting in the early stages with a slight fresh spiciness to it. As it wears on, this Chanel will become more about the floral notes. Jasmine will eventually overtake the neroli, but it is a pretty even split.

The tail end becomes muskier with a late kick from the sandalwood note to add a further dryness to the mix. While I like Biarritz listed below, Riviera is better and lasts longer, so it’ll get the number four spot.

Hyper-Citrus Aquatic

Paris-Biarritz– Paris-Biarritz starts off with a powerful blast of cold citrus notes. Here it is going to be grapefruit and mandarin orange, according to Chanel. However, there is also very clearly a lemon note in here and it’s actually the strongest at the beginning.

Underneath that, what I think may throw some folks off, is the aquatic note in here. There is an oceanic aroma, not super strong, but it’s there and gives this a different feel. Lily of the valley and vetiver are present in the dry down.

I’m giving this one the bottom spot, even if it’s not a bad fragrance. Actually, I like it quite a bit. However, there are better options on this list that have a similar style and other Chanel fragrance that are also close to this.

Paris-Biarritz does have that awesome ice cold citrus and aquatic aroma that I like. Ultimately, the performance isn’t good enough and it doesn’t do anything better than the others on the list. Really, the 3 to 5 spots could be up for grabs, but this is how I’ve landed after using each for a while.

Guilty Love Edition Pour Homme by Gucci

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Guilty is a line that is continually having new fragrances brought out under its banner. 2020 saw the release of the first Love Editions, which were followed up in 2021. For this review, I am taking a closer look at Guilty Love Edition Pour Homme (2020). I hadn’t tried it out last year and wanted to see what it was all about. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a buy?

What does Guilty Love Edition Pour Homme Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin orange, kumquat, ginger, lavender, rosemary, geranium, pink pepper, vetiver, patchouli, benzoin

Click here to try: Gucci Guilty Love Edition by Gucci Eau De Toilette Spray 3 oz Men

My Full Review

Guilty Love Edition opens up with a fresh blast of kumquat and mandarin orange. This is sitting on top of a mix of ginger, rosemary, and pink pepper. The ginger has a short run at the top, but the rosemary will become a more dominant force.

The citrus, floral, and spiciness is pretty reminiscent of a fragrance like Acqua di Gio. That’s the style of cologne to expect here, but this Gucci isn’t really an exact match.

The citrus is bright, but not all that juicy. In fact, this comes across as a pretty dry fragrance. The mandarin does have the edge, in terms of strength over the kumquat.

Once that initial opening burns off, we enter a more floral/woodsy phase. The stars here will be: geranium, lavender, and vetiver. Rosemary sticks around and fully overtakes the pink pepper and faded ginger note.

Guilty Love now has a soapier quality to it versus that initial citrus blast. The lavender is the center point, though, it doesn’t completely overpower the other notes. Guilty Love Pour Homme has more balance.

The geranium and vetiver give it a cold and dry aroma. Then, there is the remaining herbal notes floating around. The patchouli is noticeable at this point, giving this an earthier kick to finish. It’s not too complicated of a cologne.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this is a light to moderate fragrance. You do have to go pretty heavy on the sprays for it to have very much ability to project. Even then, it’s not going to be for all that long. Performance is definitely the weak spot of Guilty Love.

In terms of longevity, I can get up to six hours of wear. It’s more of a range of 4-6 hours. Again, not great, but I’ve got other workhorses in my collection for it to be too much of an issue personally.

However, this wouldn’t be my go to cologne, if I were looking for one scent to be my go to.

Seasonally, it’s mostly a spring and summertime wear. I’ve been wearing Guilty Love Edition here in the autumn and it works well. So long as it’s not too cold, this is a decent option.

This Gucci flanker is mostly or casual wear. It is clean enough to be worn semi-formally and light enough that it isn’t ever going to offend. The cleanliness and freshness do allow it to have more use cases versus something completely niche.

While it’s called Love Edition, that doesn’t seem to have any real bearing on its actual presentation. It’s not a particularly sexy fragrance, even among its peers in the series.

 

Overall Impressions of Guilty Love Edition

Overall, do I like Guilty Love Edition Pour Homme? I do. I bought a full bottle in my last fragrance order, so, it definitely appeals to me.

That being said, this didn’t seem to be all that popular of a cologne in 2020. I just really enjoy the opening act and how it emanates from my skin. Mandarin and kumquat together are great. I love ginger as a note and the dry fougere base notes give it some more refinement.

I had the sample of this Guilty along with the EDP version and kept coming back to this versus that one. Both of them have spices and floral notes, but I think the pairing simply works better here.

Is it the greatest ever? Nope. The longevity is pretty mediocre also. The 2020 version of Guilty Love Edition is upbeat and enjoyable to wear. It requires lots of sprays and I’ll go through the bottle fast, but it’s worth it.

At full price? Probably going to be a pass for most guys. At a discount? Give it a shot or at least get a sample to see if it vibes with you.

Update (2024): It’s been out of production for a while now and definitely left the scene without making too much of an impact. I finished my bottle, mostly using at as a chill summertime scent or something light that I might wear to the gym.

If you can find a bottle for cheap, it can fit that sort of casual role well. I wouldn’t go out of my way to obtain a new bottle, but it’s a fragrance that I got some enjoyment out of wearing for a while.

Heures d’Absence by Louis Vuitton

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Heures d’Absence is the last Louis Vuitton perfume from my large sample batch, that I needed to review. Yes, I now have to track down all the other releases, but I’ve now gotten around a dozen scent reviews from this designer. Is Heures d’Absence saving the best for last? What does it smell like? How long does it last? Is it actually worth a buy?

What does Heures d’Absence smell like?

Notes include: mimosa, jasmine, May rose, balsam of Peru, sandalwood, musk

My Full Review

Let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes this perfume: A beautiful escape through the flowery fields of Grasse. Heures d’Absence is an invitation to let yourself go and enjoy those moments when time suspends its flight. An enchanting break we would love to last forever.

Heures d’Absence opens up with a scent that is a sweet floral clean, with a nice hint of juicy raspberry up top. Now, the fruit isn’t too strong, but I do appreciate its presence in the mix.

So, there apparently was a perfume from Louis Vuitton with this same name back in 1927, but I don’t know if this is a remake or the brand just reusing the name.

Among the floral notes, mimosa and jasmine are the strongest here. Also, Heures is quite musky giving it a further soapy clean kind of vibe. The third floral note is May rose and its plays a minor role here.

Jasmine will come to be the main attraction, but it shares that title with mimosa early on.

The fruitiness and sweetness settle down somewhat and the aroma becomes greener with a powdery smell coming from the mimosa.

There isn’t too much complexity with Heures d’Absence. The scent turns into a classic soap aroma with a strong freshness and a watery semi-aquatic finish to it. It’s sweetness makes it feel very feminine versus some of the other more unisex entries from Vuitton.

Finally, it dries down pretty green with sandalwood playing a larger role. In the end, it is a musky jasmine sitting on top of a base of sandalwood.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

To me, the performance of Heures is one of its top qualities. For a floral, it has strong sillage, in the early stages of the wear. It’s not a complete sillage bomb, but it projects well in the first few hours.

On my skin, it becomes pretty moderate thereafter, and isn’t a skin scent. I was always aware of its presence on my skin, right until it finally began to fade.

When was that? Well, the longevity is close to 10 hours. I don’t think it crossed the double digit mark during any of my tests, but Heures d’Absence came as close as it can to accomplishing that. One of the longer lasting Louis Vuitton perfumes that I’ve tested.

Seasonally, stick to the spring and summer months with this one. The sweetness, freshness, and general clean feeling might be too sharp in the air on colder days.

This is a versatile daily wear. It is inoffensive and can be worn casually or to the office or just around town. It’s not a sexy perfume and not one that’s really going to standout or be a nightclub monster.

Heures d’Absence is low key and understated, which can be exactly what some women are looking for.

Overall Impressions of Heures d’Absence

Overall do I like Heures d’Absence? It’s fine. It smells nice enough, but isn’t all that exciting. I don’t think that its worth the price of entry. That being said, it is a versatile and well performing fragrance, so it can be a worthwhile choice for some.

This Vuitton scent has a classic style and gives you a clean floral aroma, packed with plenty of jasmine.

I like the raspberry in the opening and the mix of the sweetness with the semi-aquatic qualities of this fragrance. The rest of it is something that I feel like I’ve experience a thousand times before, at a cheaper price point.

There’s nothing here that is all that memorable for me. It’s definitely not a bad perfume by any stretch. However, it doesn’t particularly move the needle.

Guilty Pour Homme EDP by Gucci

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Guilty has been a massively successful line from Gucci in the past decade. It has seemed like each successive iteration has had less to do with the original fragrance than those that preceded it. Until, they’ve become colognes that just have the same name.

So, getting ahold of Gucci Guilty Eau de Parfum, I wasn’t sure of what to expect from this. How does it smell? Is the performance amped up? Is it even worth trying?

What does Guilty Pour Homme Eau de Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, French lavender, neroli, chili pepper, orange blossom, patchouli, vinegar, salt

Click here to try: GUCCI GUILTY POUR HOMME by Gucci, EAU DE PARFUM SPRAY 3 OZ

Full Wear Review

Here’s how Gucci describes it: The celebration of freedom expressed by the statement #ForeverGuilty continues with Gucci Guilty Pour Homme Eau de Parfum, a Woody Aromatic Spicy fragrance created to provoke. A contemporary take on two iconic perfumery ingredients popular in the ’70s.

The starts of Guilty EDP is intriguing. I read the list of notes before ever trying out this fragrance and wanted to know how they were going to infuse chili pepper, vinegar, and salt into this blend…because it sounds weird.

It does open up with a balsamic aroma. It’s spicy, warm, and has a greenish finish thanks to the presence of the rose (it doesn’t strike me as a red rose, more of a pink).

There is a touch of salt in the air, but the parfum has a fresh and soapier cleanliness that lurks underneath. One that will grow, as we move forward.

Neroli and red pepper add spice and the white floral notes sit underneath the rose. It favors the rose at first. Then, the neroli and orange blossom shine. Finally, the fragrance will feature the lavender and orange blossom.

The patchouli and rose combination do provide this with a classic feeling and an overall greenish earthiness.

At some point, the spiciness rolls off and it becomes a warmer floral fragrance, with patchouli and light woods. That soapy clean aroma becomes more apparent. There still is some chili pepper, but the balsamic aspect goes away.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

I was expecting a much more powerful scent with this eau de parfum version. Actually, the sillage is softer to moderate. Sure, the early stages are pretty solid, and that lasts about an hour or two. Thereafter, Guilty EDP is quite soft.

The longevity isn’t all that great either. It’s really not much different from the EDT, from my recollection. EDP sticks around for 5-6 hours. That’s about it.

The Guilty collection is fairly hit and miss with how long each of them lasts. They all seem to top out at the 8-9 hour mark, at the high end, and around here for the rest of them.

Guilty eau de parfum does provide a versatile wear, even if the performance isn’t top notch. It might not have a clear universal appeal, but for those who enjoy it, EDP can be worn almost anywhere and not feel too out of place.

It’s low key enough to be worn to an office. Though, I’d more want to wear it casually or for certain evenings out.

It’s not amazing in the heat. I’ve worn it in cooler autumn temperatures and on more moderate days without issue. It’s really when this cologne is at its best. Not too hot or too cold.

Overall Impressions of Guilty Pour Homme EDP

Overall, do I like Guilty EDP? Sort of. The opening act is really good. The balsamic rose with red pepper spice? Very interesting and smells great. Not my favorite fragrance ever, but it wasn’t a boring experience.

After that? Meh. It’s got some of the same notes as earlier entries into the series. Lavender, orange blossom, cedar. But, it doesn’t strike me as the same as Intense or even EDT. There’s elements there, though, the aroma is different.

I currently have an mini of Guilty Intense and the resemblance comparing them side by side, just isn’t that great.

Guilty Pour Homme EDP goes from interesting to forgettable. Yet, it still never reached a high level of enjoyment for me. It’s fine in terms of the smell.

I actually opted for a bottle of Guilty Love 2020 after sampling both it and EDP. Also, I later bought Guilty Parfum when it was released. I liked that better than EDP, as well. But, it’s also not amazing, kind of got boring after a while.

Plus, the performance isn’t all that great.

I do think that Guilty EDP is worth a try. Perhaps, you will have more of a love for it than I do. It’s fine, has its moments, but not one that I personally need to own.

Cœur Battant by Louis Vuitton

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Cœur Battant is a Louis Vuitton fragrance release for women, which came out in 2019. It’s one of the dozen-plus sample perfumes that I bought from this brand in order to review them. This is one of the last of that batch and I have come back to it off and on, over the past six months. How does Cœur Battant smell? When should it be worn? How long does it last?

What does Cœur Battant Smell Like?

Notes include: pear, jasmine, narcissus, patchouli, ylang-ylang, ambrette

My Full Review

Let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes it: Fresh pear and white flowers waft you away into the whirlwind of life. Like a wave of emotion sweeping through you, Cœur Battant is an invitation to listen to your heart and live every moment with passion. 

Cœur Battant starts off with its pear note out in full force. Very juicy and it smells great, helping to give this perfume an aquatic character right from the start. The ambrette note is ever-present in the mix and plays an early supporting role for the pear.

However, the patchouli is probably the second strongest note, in the beginning of the wear. It’s a fruit-chouli sort of scent early on, with aquatic touches. But, these notes will wain and the white floral notes rise to join the pear.

Jasmine is the strongest of the floral notes at first, but the perfume becomes much more balanced with narcissus and ylang-ylang. It has a nice sweetness and the floral notes don’t ever come across as too heavy nor green.

The final dry down is mostly a light floral with the remaining ambrette coming through. The floral notes, at this point are really distinguishable from one another, to my nose. There is some type of mossy note in this, as well. But, it’s really not that strong in the composition.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage is pretty light as a whole. However, not a skin scent. It does project itself well enough to create a scent bubble around you. Cœur Battant does have very nice performance, it’s just never a complete powerhouse with its sillage.

Cœur Battant lasts anywhere from 7-9 hours, depending on the day. That’s what I consistently got out of the fragrance during testing. Never went beyond that, never stalled out early. By no means amazing, especially for the price, but it works for most scenarios.

Seasonally, this could probably be worn year round. It might be a little too bright and aquatic for super cold days in winter. However, it’s excellent in the spring and summer months.

It does have a more youthful vibe, but it doesn’t ever feel cheap or too much like a teen fragrance. Good for wear during the daytime. Can be worn casually, semi-formally, or to work for some folks.

Cœur Battant isn’t a nightlife perfume and isn’t what I’d call sexy. Sweet, pleasant, and easy to wear.

Overall Impressions of Cœur Battant

Overall, do I like Cœur Battant? Yes, it’s one of my favorites from the women’s side of things by Louis Vuitton. It’s not the greatest scent ever or one that everyone will be clamoring to wear, but it is a enchanting scent as a whole.

Fresh, sweet, somewhat aquatic. There is plenty of development packed into the entire wear and Cœur Battant needs some time to truly reveal itself. In the end, it is interesting, dynamic, and fairly unique.

It gives you familiar notes, with its own style. A very versatile perfume.

If you don’t like patchouli or pear, you can probably skip this one. To me, the patchouli isn’t bothersome, and it’s not one of my go to notes either. Maybe not a blind buy, for the price, but it is one of the safest LV fragrances. Give it a try.

Update: Checking in here in 2024, Cœur Battant is still being sold by Louis Vuitton. So, I guess I wasn’t the only one who really liked this perfume. Some of the others which came out around this time period, did get axed from the lineup.