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!

Gucci Guilty vs Guilty Intense

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In this edition, of the head to head men’s cologne comparisons, we have to entries from the Gucci line: Guilty vs. Guilty Intense. Which of these fragrances smells the best? The original or it’s flanker descendant? Which has the better performance? Out of the two, which is the better buy? Please continue below for my full break down, as well as, the original reviews of both scents.

Guilty vs Intense: Tale of the Tape

Gucci Guilty

Notes include: lemon, orange blossom, lavender, patchouli, cedar, pink pepper, neroli

Click here to try: Guilty By Gucci EDT spray for Men, 3 Ounce

Read my original review: Gucci Guilty

Gucci Guilty Intense

Notes include: lemon, lavender, coriander, amber, orange blossom, neroli, cedar, patchouli

Click here to try: Gucci Guilty Intense Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3 Ounce

Read my original review: Guilty Intense

Opening

Gucci Guilty opens up with a blend of lemon, pink pepper, and lavender. It’s a light, warm, and calming fragrance with added base notes of cedar and patchouli. While it feels simple, it’s actually fairly unique in how it comes across when compared to other scents.

Guilty Intense obviously has a lot of similarities to its predecessor, however, it goes lighter on the lemon. Also, the lavender and amber notes are heavier, with addition spice from coriander and patchouli.

Which do I enjoy more? While I think the original is nice with the citrus note, I think that the use of the amber and lavender in Intense is just a better mix. Also, the extra bit of spice really adds more substance to the fragrance.

I really like the amber quality of Intense, coriander is a spice that I usually enjoy, and it plays well off of the calming lavender. Guilty’s lemon and pink pepper is good, but not great, in comparison.

Edge: Intense

Projection

Obviously, in this category, Intense should have the upper hand. It does. However, neither cologne is particularly powerful. The original is pretty moderate for a few hours and then light and airy.

Intense, is stronger and more persistent, probably on the upper edge of moderate. I guess it is, technically more intense than the original, but is by no means a huge fragrance.

To get a massive version of the Guilty name, you have to go with some of the flankers, that don’t really compare to the original release in how it’s structured.

Overall, the strength of Guilty Intense is good, just don’t expect a crazy sillage from it. Nonetheless, it is the clear winner in this category.

Edge: Intense

Longevity

Gucci Guilty lasts 5-6 hours on my skin. Meanwhile, I get 7-8 from Guilty Intense.

I like the original Guilty, but performance has never been all that good, especially at this price point. Guilty Intense will stick around for more situations, one will find themselves in. Pretty much a standard work day and can make it through a night out, just fine.

None of the fragrances from this Gucci lineup seem to have insane longevity (Absolute does, though, it’s an entirely different type of scent), but the winner is certain, in this battle.

Edge: Intense

Versatility

Both of these scents have great versatility and are basically identical, in that regard. Seasonally, they can be worn year round pretty much. Are fine for casual wear, work, and smell good enough for dates. Also, both seem best for guys in their 20s-30s to wear.

I think that I enjoy wearing either of them in the warmer weather. The extreme cold and extreme heat, probably aren’t the ideal scenarios to wear these…but it’s not too much of an issue.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I like Gucci Guilty, but it never really impressed me. It is a simple and clean fragrance, that is a good go to for a wide variety of situations. The main attractions are the lemon, lavender, and pink pepper note.

It has a slight woody/earthiness to the aroma, but also some nice floral sweetness. Not a bad scent, just nothing spectacular.

Guilty Intense, is just a better cologne. The performance is better, but also, the composition is just much nicer. It’s probably my favorite from the Guilty line. It’s very warm with amber and floral notes led by the lavender.

I like the orange blossom in this one and how the light the lemon note is. I find it to be a very enjoyable fragrance to wear, even if it is pretty simple as well.

Winner: Gucci Guilty Intense

Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet by Dior

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I have a boatload of new samples to get through and write up reviews on. However, I’m still working my way through a box of older samples to post on the site, including today’s entry: Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet EDT.

This is one of the many flanker perfumes that has branched off from the original Miss Dior lineup, but how does this scent fair? Continue below for my full wear take.

What does Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet Smell Like?

Notes include: Calabrian bergamot, peony, Damsacus rose, musk, and more

Click here to try: Christian Dior Miss Blooming Bouquet Eau de Toilette Spray for Women, 1.7 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of this fragrance struck me as absolutely lovely. I’m not a huge fan of florals, but I do like peony more than most, and especially how it blends with the Calabrian bergamot from the beginning. The citrus note just sits on top of the floral array creating a slightly juicy aroma. Here’s how the sample insert from Dior describes Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet:

A bouquet of delicate Peony and Rose notes honed by the freshness of Calabrian Bergamot and adorned with a lacework of White Musks. The caress of a fresh floral.

The freshness of the bergamot is quite accurate, I think that this note is wonderfully done within the composition. It’s a very feminine type of scent, utterly soft, and a floral without the ‘greeness’ of a lot of other perfumes within this category.

The musk note, which can often come across as spicy and heavy, is actually light and appropriately accompanies the peony and rose notes. It provides a solid base but doesn’t ever get loud or try to take over the aroma.

As it dries down, Blooming Bouquet becomes more floral than fruity, since the bergamot begins to fade somewhat. What is left is a bright and pretty scent, that is stylish without become overly girly or like an old lady floral.

The peony feels stronger towards middle to end of the wear. It ends up as a pretty and light fragrance with the brightness and citrus ingredients sitting underneath.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this Miss Dior is a light affair. I don’t think that it is weak, just softer and airy. It sticks around, in a more intimate scent bubble, and isn’t going to venture across the room outside of using a monster amount.

On my skin, the longevity wasn’t a problem, I could catch whiffs of it for up to 7 hours throughout the day. Good but not amazing, though, it would work just fine for most people’s purposes. I do wish that it had more, but it’s not a complete ripoff or anything.

This is a pretty versatile perfume. Blooming Bouquet is light enough to be worn at work or school. It an be worn casually or formally. It’s very attractive, more delicious, than sexy.

However, I found myself really attracted to this perfume and would love to smell it on a woman I was dating. It’s probably just not one for the night club scene, where louder fragrances seems to be all the rage.

Seasonally, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet is for the warmer months of the year. It’s bright and has a springtime vibe to it. The emergence of flowers and the bit of juiciness of the citrus, just exudes an upbeat and elegant charm.

On the whole, I’d say it works in spring through early autumn. Winter, you may want to go with a scent with a heavier profile.

Overall Impression of Blooming Bouquet

Overall, do I recommend this fragrance? Yes. It is a very good all around perfume. It obviously smells great but has a subtlety, which allows it to be a solid everyday wear choice. Is it super unique?

Not really, but not every fragrance has to be some stand out, in that regard. This is a soft and beautiful floral that doesn’t get too green or overly musky. It’s simple and low key great within that simplicity. Well done, Dior.

The opening bergamot note is a highlight for me and the interplay with the rose and peony notes is great. The sillage is light, but it has pretty good longevity, as it can last for most of a work day. Blooming Bouquet would be a great pick up as a mostly everyday wear.

This is definitely one of the best Miss Dior releases and one that you can’t really go wrong with as an easy to reach for daily wear. Unless you really don’t like rose and peony, there’s not any real reason to avoid giving it a try.

Joop! Homme by Joop

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Joop! Homme has been around since 1989 and has managed to maintain its popularity among men ever since. The name kind of threw me off of it the first time I encountered this fragrance, but I was quickly won over when I found out what it smelled like.

Joop! is not only a great scent and has a name that exclaims itself but it is also very affordable, which is something many guys are looking for in a fragrance.

Though, it’s inexpensiveness, doesn’t coincide with any weakness in this sharp men’s scent. With all that in mind, I wanted to take a bit of a closer look at this floral based men’s cologne and break down what makes it worth trying out.

Other pages to take a look at: Best Colognes Under $30, Top Long Lasting Fragrances

What does Joop! Pour Homme Smell Like?

Notes include: orange blossom, vanilla, cinnamon, mandarin, amber, cedar, jasmine, bergamot, lily, heliotrope, tonka bean, patchouli, and sandalwood

Click here to try:  Joop Pour Homme Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 4.2 Fluid Ounce

My Full Review

Joop! Homme is an interesting fragrance. Not only because of the name and its exclamation point, but also because it is a masculine floral scent.

Many of the more masculine florals are toned down, but not Joop!, it opens with a bang, and can be in your face and even insufferable to some folks.

This is not the kind of cologne that will appeal to everyone, it’s brash, it’s sweet, and it can be a lot to take for the first hour plus of wear. That being said, I love this stuff, at times.

Joop! Homme opens up with an intense spice, led by cinnamon and patchouli. It’s also warmed by amber and has a few sharp citrus notes poking through. Brace yourself, this is where it can be a pretty intense experience.

It’s spicy, syrupy sweet, and floral with a bit of honeyed essence in there to boot. There is a vanilla note that is quite prominent, but it is dominated by the spices in here for the first couple of hours of wear.

This purple/pinkish juice surprisingly has a dark edge, especially when considering the list of ingredients. Yes, it’s sweet but it has quite a deep composition, and a definite masculine side. The floral notes are nice, I personally enjoy orange blossom in scents, as well as jasmine.

Those two, are fairly commonplace in men’s colognes, but heliotrope is sort of the wildcard in Joop! These floral notes begin to really emerge during the dry down period as some of the spiciness begins to subside and the sweet syrupy aroma takes hold.

You get peaks of the sandalwood and cedar, which help give it a woodsy base from which to build off of. However, it is ultimately a cinnamon/vanilla floral, that is smooth and warm but opens with a big spice. Is it for everyone? Nope. But there are plenty of folks who will love it.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Joop! Homme is very strong. Now, I want to note that with long-selling fragrances, reformulations happen.

Sometimes, the companies change the formula to save money, and sometimes things change due to regulations.

The vintage Joop! is insanely strong, like, top tier all-time in terms of being a powerhouse for a mainstream scent.

Nowadays, it still has great sillage but lots of EU regulations, have cut much of the heart out of Joop! The last bottle that I purchased, still was plenty powerful, and had good longevity in the 7-9 hour range with just 2 sprays.

Seasonally, this one is a cold weather star. It can also do most of the springtime, but in the summer, it’s always felt too messy to my nose.

Is it versatile? Sort of. It can be really brash and not always the best option for close quarters.

I once wore it to work and a female co-worker of mine commented on how ‘damn spicy’ it was. Haha. So, yeah, maybe go with one spray at work or school. However, it’s been a club beast since its release, and still works there up to today.

Joop! has an aroma that is more suited to a younger man, think teens and twenties. I’ve pretty much outgrown it and don’t currently own a bottle, but I think I’d still wear it, if I didn’t already have countless bottles and samples of other stuff lying around for this website.

Some women are going to hate this, while others absolutely love it. I’ve experienced all sorts of reactions while wearing it. This is such a love or hate it type of cologne.

Overall Impressions of Joop! Pour Homme

Overall, Joop! is a fragrance that begs to be worn by a confident man. It has a certain energy to it and it always seems to draw women towards the guy wearing it or repel, based on their tastes.

It is a strong cologne, so, not too much is needed for the desired effect, but that’s a good thing anyways as you won’t have to buy new bottles constantly.

I love the boldness, the periods of spiciness, the vanilla, and the floral notes which aren’t too common in a men’s fragrance. Plus, it delivers total performance, at a cheap price point.

It’s not my favorite fragrance ever, but it’s one that I definitely had my time enjoying when I was younger. I don’t  have a bottle anymore. Though, I suppose that could be possible in the future.

If you are looking for a bold and sexy fragrance, then you may want to give Joop! a tryout. It’s really a throwback to the 1980s and has a unique vibe that you still won’t find with many men’s scents.

It’s not always beloved, but Joop! Homme can still bring the intensity, and has a place in many men’s collection.

Mille Feux by Louis Vuitton

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Mille Feux is one of the perfume releases which Louis Vuitton brought to market back in 2016. It also happens to be one of scents that has survived being cut from the lineup thus far. I bought a bunch of sample decants of Vuitton fragrances a few months ago and gradually posting my reviews since. I finally cracked open Mille Feux, recently, and put it through its paces. How does it smell? Is it worth a buy?

What does Mille Feux Smell Like?

Notes include: leather, raspberry, osmanthus, iris, saffron, jasmine, rose, patchouli, sandalwood

My Full Review

Let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes this perfume: An incandescent fusion of raspberry and leather creates an ode to light. A golden ray, a starlit sky, the aurora borealis: light contributes to the magic of travel.

When I saw that Mille Feux (thousand lights) had leather and raspberry in its notes, I immediately thought of Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather or Godolphin by PdM, with the saffron. However, this Louis Vuitton perfume comes across quite differently from those two, even while sharing plenty of overlap.

Mille Feux opens up with a much more intense and sweeter raspberry than does the Tom Ford. It’s bright and juicy, more feminine, and the osmanthus only adds to its brightness. LV says that the osmanthus, has a pear-like quality, and I do pick that up.

Underneath that, is obviously the leather note, which is great. I really enjoy the interplay between the fruity notes and the leather. It’s interesting that at times, Mille Feux has somewhat of a fruit-chouli vibe, as the patchouli note is pretty prominent.

It’s probably fifth place overall behind the osmanthus and saffron. The saffron note, makes this scent lean much closer to Godolphin than Tuscan Leather, just a womanly fruity/floral version of that fragrance.

For the dry down, I get a base of leather and patchouli. On top of that is the remaining raspberry and blend of floral notes. What’s nice is during these latter stages, I can pick out rose and some iris in the mix.

At this point, it takes some focus to really distinguish, but the notes are there.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This Louis Vuitton perfume is pretty light to moderate with its sillage. Don’t expect a powerhouse that projects like crazy, it’s going to stay pretty close to the skin for the entirety of the wear.

To me, this was the biggest disappointment with this fragrance. I wish the power had been amped up more, because the actual scent is lovely.

The longevity though, isn’t bad. While it isn’t a strong perfume, Mille Feux does stick around for over 8 hours. Not insane longevity, but it doesn’t disappear super quickly. It’s light and not always noticeable, but it is actually there.

Seasonally, the fragrance can work in winter through springtime. The summer might be a stretch, depending on how hot it gets in your locale. Maybe, as a nighttime fragrance it could work. Though, I’d generally keep it to the rest of the year.

It’s not a heavy fragrance that only works in the cold, however.

It is pretty versatile. Not a formal scent or a club beast, but it wouldn’t be entirely inappropriate elsewhere. Mille Feux is an attractive perfume, not necessarily sexy, but it is enjoyable to be around.

Overall Impressions of Mille Feux

Overall, do I like Mille Feux? I really do. I’m a fan of Goldolphin by PdM, so this fruitier version of that style of perfume, is obviously going to have appeal for me.

Mille Feux is more distinctly a woman’s scent, though. It’s two biggest weaknesses are perhaps its lack of unique style and how underpowered it is. I wish that this LV fragrance had more power behind it, but it just doesn’t.

What does it do well? The raspberry and osmanthus up top. The leather note. The saffron isn’t too heavy, but adds a nice touch. Heck, even the very light iris to give it some slight powdery quality. The aroma itself is great.

Is it worth buying a full bottle? Eh, maybe. If you want a quality fruity leather scent, I would for sure check it out. The lightness of the perfume, might be a hinderance for many looking to purchase it. On aroma alone? It’s a yes.

Libre EDP by YSL

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Libre has become a pretty popular release for YSL. The original EDP (which I am reviewing here) was released in 2019 and has spawned two other flanker fragrances since then. I picked up a few samples of the eau de parfum and Intense a few months ago and have tested each over the ensuing time period. How does Libre smell? Is it long lasting? Is it even worth a try?

What does YSL Libre Smell Like?

Notes include: lavender, white musks, orange flower, vanilla, orchid

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau De Parfum Spray for Women 90ml/3oz, clear

My Full Review

Before we get into my review, let’s see how YSL describes Libre: The first floral lavender for a singular trail like a breath of freedom. The iconic orange blossom flower from Morocco, a luminous and sensual white flower, twisted by the lavender from France, an ambiguous flower often considered as masculine, bringing boldness, freshness and texture. 

The opening of Libre EDP gives me a strong burst of the orange blossom, with some additional citrus juice for good measure. The lavender is there, but it actually takes a back seat to the other floral note at first.

It’s a clean aroma, soapy, a bit musky, with a touch of vanilla creaminess. I will say, while this does have vanilla/citrus in it, this isn’t going to be a sweet perfume. In fact, the opening can be somewhat bitter versus what you might expect. 

As it moves along, the lavender really starts to take over to my nose. The orange blossom loses some steam, it becomes less musky, and the other floral notes all play off of the lavender. 

The vanilla is never too strong on my skin, but it does take the place of much of the muskiness during the dry down. That’s basically all I get from this perfume. Simple. Lavender and orange blossom, with some vanilla, musk, and orchid in descending strength. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, I’d put Libre on the upper end of the moderate range at least. It’s not overwhelmingly powerful but it is borderline strong and has a nice ability to project itself throughout the wear. Libre EDP is pretty consistent as well. The perfume doesn’t just weaken completely an hour in.

So, if you enjoy it, you will get your money’s worth in terms of performance.

The fragrance itself lasts for 8-9 hours. That’s on my skin, which is usually pretty good at holding most scents. The performance is darn good, and again, not something that will disappoint. However, it doesn’t ever quite reach that elite status of double digit hour or all-day wears. 

Seasonally, Libre EDP can fit in, nearly year round. I would skip wearing it on the hottest and most humid days of summer, but outside of that this is a scent that can do well.

 

 

The EDP version is more of a daytime fragrance that can venture into evening wear. While Intense, is more of the nighttime version. Libre EDP is a good daily wear option for those who want a nice lavender blend to wear.

I’d go easy on the sprays, if you’re working in a enclosed space, however. As far as its uses, I wouldn’t call this a sexy fragrance, and it isn’t super seductive. So, skip Libre on a date night or evening out, when you want attention. 

Use it when you want a lavender, soapy, clean sort of perfume. It’s close to being unisex, as well. But, appropriate for a wide age range.

Overall Impressions of Libre EDP

Overall, do I like YSL Libre? It’s nice for what it is. I’m not enthralled with the fragrance, but I enjoy it somewhat. Libre EDP isn’t super complicated, though, it is a pleasant experience as a whole.

This is the more floral version from this line of scents. So, if you want a good lavender and orange blossom led perfume, this is one that you should check out. Soapy clean and versatile with a bold performance, there’s nothing here that is terrible. 

The opening act isn’t my favorite, but I do enjoy the dry down more so, once the orange flower is out of the way. Which is strange, since I generally like that note more than just straight lavender. I think the vanilla and the fading of the musks, makes the latter stages better. 

All in all, Libre is a fine entry from YSL. Their probably going to milk this name for years and Intense is already a better option, in my opinion. Libre EDP, is a nice base to start from, and at least worth a try if you’re interested.