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!

Coach for Men by Coach

by

In today’s fragrance review, we have Coach for Men, which was released in the past few years (2017) and has enjoyed some popularity. Note: I’ve updated this page since the initial write up. I have tried it out and will report on all aspects of my experience with this cologne. How does it smell? What are the ingredients? Does it have good performance? Is it even worth a buy?

What does Coach for Men EDT Smell Like?

Notes include: bergamot, kumquat, ambergris, pear, vetiver, suede, coriander, cardamom, geranium

Click here to try: Coach New York Eau de Toilette Spray For Men, 3.3 Fl Oz

My Full Review

The opening of Coach for Men is a blast of the fruit notes consisting of pear, citrus, and kumquat. This is all surrounded by warm amber and some light spices thrown in.

It’s clean and pleasant, but smells totally familiar and like a bunch of other scents that I’ve come across before. It’s very fruity and sort of makes me think of Dylan Blue, with the amber note, but I think I like that one more.

The pear note is the strongest to my nose, in this one, but the citrus and kumquat are quite juicy and so it does have that bright citrus aroma sitting just underneath.

Ambergris is soaking the entire composition and I detect that smooth smell of suede. It’s enjoyably simple and smells quite nice.

As it dries down, it doesn’t change all that much for me. I do get hints of cardamom and coriander, after about an hour, but they aren’t too powerful and get outshined by everything else in here. Coach for Men is fairly linear, but the citrus aspect, does weaken as it moves along.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage is pretty moderate for the first few hours, it’s probably noticeable from 3-5 foot range. After that, it is really light and damn near a skin scent.

The longevity is much to write home about, I get about 5 hours on my skin, and that’s it. Meh. Again, only the first two hours have any projection that is noticeable. Really disappointed by the performance.

Coach strikes me as more of a spring/summer scent, but honestly, it can be worn year round without issue. It isn’t heavy and doesn’t seem to turn sour at any time.

It has great versatility and can be worn in seemingly any situation. Aroma wise, it is very safe to wear at work, and is great casually. It smells nice, but isn’t really sexy, and it’s not a club beast with it’s performance.

With better performance, this could absolutely be a daily wear and all-around fragrance, for a guy to own. That’s what they were going for, it just didn’t workout completely.

Overall Impression of Coach for Men

Overall, is Coach for Men good? It smells good. The performance is pretty weak. It smells like a lot of other scents out there. I do enjoy the fruity top notes, the pear and citrus mix is great, and the additional kumquat is a good change up.

It’s pretty much every other mass appeal fragrance of the last decade, with a slightly different blend of notes, to give it some sort of uniqueness.

I find it to be a good wear. However, at its price I don’t think I’d buy a full bottle. It’s performance is concerning and it doesn’t have any uniqueness to really capture my attention.

But, it does have a good level of likeability. If it actually lasted, I’d be higher on this scent.

Maybe, if you can get it on sale, it might be worthy of a pickup. If it were stronger, it’d be a definite yes. As it is, I pass, without a huge discount.

1 Million Parfum by Paco Rabanne

by

1 Million has once again spun off another flanker in that gold ingot bottle, this time it’s a Parfum version. I hadn’t done any research on 1 Million Parfum before I got a hold of the sample, so I didn’t know what to expect.

Would it just be an amped up 1 Million or closer to Intense? Well, I was actually quite surprised by the direction Paco Rabanne went with this one. So, please continue below as I share my complete thoughts on this scent.

What does 1 Million Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, solar leather, tuberose, pine, resin, amber

Click here to try: Paco Rabanne One 1 Million Pure Parfum Natural Spray For Men 100ml / 3.4oz

My Full Review

The opening act of 1 Million Parfum does bring to mind for me, the original 1 Million, but with alterations. If you replaced the blood orange with a juicy grapefruit note and added a warm semi-tropical twist to the leather, you’d have a good chunk of Parfum’s start.

I actually like it. It’s sweet, but has a unique flair that I wasn’t entirely expecting. This is a fragrance that does pull off a unique take, while maintaining that clear 1 Million DNA.

The white floral accord here, is really what helps to separate it from the pack. Initially, there seems like there is a good amount of tiare flower in this. That with the ‘solar notes’ and leather, gives this one a sort of island/beachy vibe. 

Yet, later on it will turn into mostly a tuberose fragrance. Anyway, the opening act is that grapefruit, tiare, solar leather blend. Underneath that, is a slightly salty ambergris and resin, which gives this one some more thickness.

It sticks to that track for a while, before the pine notes freshness peaks in. Leather and pine together do have that super fresh aroma, but it sort of stays underneath some of the other ingredients. It’s just a perpetual presence.

The final dry down is pretty simple. To me, it’s a blend of tuberose, leather, ambergris, and the remnants of the pine note. Honestly, it’s my least favorite part of 1 Million Parfum. Which sucks, as that’s what it is for most of the wear, after the first few hours.

It’s kind of a letdown after that opening act. I liked the kind of tropical aroma version of the original 1 Million, it was a nice change of pace from the norm.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here doesn’t feel extreme to me, but it is pretty powerful at first. It does project itself well, but sometimes it seems like it sneaks up on you, especially once that pronounced grapefruit note has fade. But, it’s not disappointing.

Longevity seems to fall in the 8 to 10 hour range. Very good, but not elite, at least on my skin. It does hang around for at least a full workday, so, no real complaints. I don’t know, I was expecting it to be more of a beast, but it’s really solid.

Seasonally, I’d say, autumn through spring. It’s not a super heavy fragrance and it does have some tropical elements, but I’m not sure that it’ll do well in the heat of summer. It’s already a warm scent, with resin, and plenty of ambergris. As such, it might melt.

Like the other entries in the 1 Million line, this does have a more youthful vibe. Not like the teenager quality of Lucky, rather, closer to Prive. Once it settles, it does have a mature and stylish character.

 

I’d wear this casually, out a night, or walking around town during the day. Wouldn’t really classify it as an office wear. Attractive and it does have a certain sexiness to it. 1 Million Parfum isn’t going to be one you reach for on formal occasions. 

Overall Impressions of 1 Million Parfum

Do I like this fragrance? I do. However, I’m also not blown away by it. I like the opening act way more than I do the draw down. Way too much of a fresh floral between the pine, leather, and tuberose…which, admittedly isn’t one of my favorite flowers.

I don’t think it’s a bad option, though. I do like that they at least went in a unique direction with Parfum, while giving nods to the original. For me, I’d still rather wear Prive and probably the original 1 Million ahead of this. 

Update: Also, 1 Million Elixir. Since that has come out since this original review was posted.

It wears on me, as it moves along, and I almost get fatigued from that dry down. Though, I can see why there will be people who will be completely into Parfum. I won’t be getting a full bottle, but it’s not a terrible fragrance, and it definitely has enjoyable aspects.

It could’ve been something really different and interesting, but didn’t make it to anything approaching classic status. 

Bad Boy Le Parfum by Carolina Herrera

by

Bad Boy was a great success for Carolina Herrera. Thus, they were sure to follow it up with a flanker, which they did with 2021’s Bad Boy Le Parfum. I got a hold of a decanted sample of this fragrance, in order to give it a try, and report back with a review on the site. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it even worth a try?

What does Bad Boy Le Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, hemp, black pepper, geranium, leather, and vetiver

My Full Review

First, if you’ve experienced the original Bad Boy by Carolina Herrera, Le Parfum is almost nothing like it. They share the black pepper note and both have citrus up top (grapefruit here versus bergamot).

The opening act of Bad Boy Le Parfum is the grapefruit and pepper note sitting underneath, a somewhat smoky cannabis. To me, it doesn’t smell exactly like a blunt or anything, but very reminiscent of the plant itself, maybe slightly cured.

On my skin, that note isn’t overwhelming, and it smells more like what you’d associate with weed when you apply it to clothing. Le Parfum is fresh, green, with an aromatic spiciness coming through.

The second phase, is where I start to pick up a lot of geranium and the leather (which grows in strength). It goes from being about the hemp note, to a split between those three. The pepper is still there and grapefruit begins to fade.

This is where it stands for much of the wear. Then, the final stage is vetiver and leather. Vetiver at the base is the strongest on me, in the final few hours. That, leather, and geranium. The cannabis is around somewhat, but has pretty much evaporated.

It’s actually a pretty standard fragrance, during this phase, and very familiar. I do like the vetiver and geranium combination, cold and fresh. Fairly intriguing scent, but doesn’t blow me away.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Bad Boy Le Parfum is at the upper end of the moderate range, in terms of its sillage. It has the ability to project itself pretty far with normal application. However, it does settle itself down into something much more manageable.

It’s not an absolute beast, but it does indeed have very nice performance.

On my skin, this Carolina Herrera fragrance hits the 8-9 hour mark, without too much issue. At the end, it isn’t super powerful but it’s there. It does die out before it hits that double digit hour frame. Very good, just short of great.

Seasonally, this one is pretty darn versatile. Le Parfum sits in that sweet spot, where it can smell great in the cold weather, but also hold up well enough in the warmer climates. I’d avoid spraying this in the dead of summer, outside of nighttime, that is.

Bad Boy Le Parfum is a nightlife and casual sort of fragrance. It’ll be a fit for most men up to their mid-30s and for those who just like something outside the norm. Not a scent for the office or for school, the hemp/cannabis note is much too potent, to really venture there.

Le Parfum actually is an attractive, and dare I say, sexy fragrance. Not the most seductive scent ever, but it comes across as masculine and playful enough. For at least part of the wear, it’s going to stand out as a unique cologne, so that can be a big plus.

 

 

Overall Impressions of Bad Boy Le Parfum

Overall, do I like Bad Boy Le Parfum? I enjoy it, but I’m not totally in love with this fragrance. I do like that Carolina Herrera took things into a completely different and unique direction.

It does end up being more of a vetiver and leather fragrance, than it would initially seem, but you do get a bit of a journey.

The performance here is great, even if the use case for many guys will be fairly limited. Again, sometimes you can’t afford to be smelling even remotely like cannabis, if you’ve got a job or are in school.

That being said, I can’t pick out one part of the wear that I didn’t like. The geranium is great, as is that hemp note, and the dry down. You might want to try it out before committing or have plenty of casual occasions to spray it on for.

3 Best Victoria’s Secret Colognes for Men

by

Victoria’s Secret is well known as a brand that sells women’s underwear, clothing, accessories, and fragrances. However, it does occasionally venture into men’s products, notably its limited line of colognes. Now, there have been sporadic releases over the years, but which of these VS colognes smell the best? In this list, I will present the options in order, from my experience trying out each.

What are the Best Smelling Men’s Colognes by Victoria Secret?

Very Sexy– To me, the original Very Sexy is the best Victoria’s Secret cologne. It’s a fairly simple fragrance highlighted by an opening citrus burst, with light cinnamon spice, on top of a dry woody base.

The spice of cinnamon and sage is at its peak, in the beginning, but will later weaken in favor of the woodier aspects of the scent. The spice and the citrus can create a feeling of sharpness, but the scent becomes clean with a sweet edge.

I like this one, because it lives up to its name, always had a unique yet familiar vibe, and the performance was good. Plus, I could get compliments fairly regularly, back when I had a bottle. Haven’t tried in a long time, but this tops the list.

Very Sexy Platinum– I’m not going to give this the number one spot, but I feel Platinum is the second best overall. I was tempted to put it number three, due to the fact that it isn’t unique, but it’s probably better than the one below.

Very Sexy Platinum smells like a mix between a weaker old school bottle of A&F Fierce and Montblanc Legend. Neither of which is my favorite, but I respect what they bring to the table.

The main differences between Platinum and those fragrances, to me at least, is a less spicy profile and it feels woodier. This could be a better option nowadays versus Fierce, as the newer editions of that cologne, are not the same as its heyday.

Very Sexy 2– Very Sexy 2 is a nice cologne, but I think that it’s the third option, on the list. Although, I’d probably take a bottle over Platinum, because this does provide something different.

It’s light, with a semi-aquatic feel, and a nice woody base. This one feels much more like a freshie fragrance, than does Very Sexy, and less ‘sexy’. Nonetheless, Very Sexy 2 is an attractive and enjoyable wear.

A softer option, but if I could find a cheap bottle, I would definitely enjoy wearing this one. I like the blend of woods, after about an hour of wear, that aroma is very well done.

Coco Mademoiselle vs. Gabrielle EDP Comparison

by

Chanel has an insane number of classic releases under its belt, in the world of fragrance, and really fashion as a whole. Coco Mademoiselle has become one such classic, over the past few decades, and is one of the most popular perfumes in the world. Chanel has more recently put out their Gabrielle perfume line, with the initial eau de parfum, kicking things off. Does it surpass Mademoiselle? Which lasts longer? Which is the better buy?

Tale of the Tape: Chanel Gabrielle vs. Coco Mademoiselle

Coco Mademoiselle

Notes include: orange, neroli, may rose, patchouli, vetiver, jasmine

Click here to try: Coco Mademoiselle

Read my full review: Coco Mademoiselle EDP

Gabrielle

Notes include: jasmine, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, tuberose, musk, citrus, pear

Click here to try: Chanel Gabrielle For Women Eau De Parfume Spray 3.4 Ounces

Read my review: Gabrielle EDP

Opening

Mademoiselle opens up with its powerful blend of neroli, patchouli, and orange. The citrus note takes the lead early on, before this perfume starts to feature its other floral notes, being jasmine and a slight rose.

Gabrielle EDP, also goes with a citrus and floral mix, though it smells like there is much less distinction among the notes. The citrus is more sparkling than juicy, there is pink pepper, ylang-ylang, and orange blossom.

Which is better? I prefer the start of Coco Mademoiselle EDP versus Gabrielle. I prefer the notes in that one, as a whole, and it has a great bold opening act.

Edge: Mademoiselle

Projection

Coco Mademoiselle is a strong fragrance with a really nice ability to project itself off of the skin. It’s not an absolute bomb, but it doesn’t disappoint in the slightest.

Gabrielle EDP has a much more moderate sillage, in comparison. It’s not weak, but never reaches the same level.

Edge: Mademoiselle

Longevity

This is another easy win for Mademoiselle. It will go 10+ hours without trouble. Gabrielle has pretty good longevity, but not great. That perfume will go 7-7.5 hours, on my skin.

Edge: Mademoiselle

Versatility

Both of these can fit in a variety of climates, but I think Gabrielle is better in the summertime, than is Coco Mademoiselle.

Mademoiselle is the sexier fragrance and fits in better in the nightlife. Either can be worn casually or for daily wear. It’s a pretty even split, after accounting for what each excels at.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I do like Gabrielle EDP. It’s a very nice floral bouquet fragrance with just enough sweetness, to keep things interesting. The overall presentation is quite good, but it never strikes me as being amazing. Also, Gabrielle Essence is the better of the two.

Coco Mademoiselle is a classic and just better all around when compared to the newer Gabrielle. You get a great citrus start, gourmand touches, a floral heart and creamy vanilla in the base.

The performance is superior and it is at least equal to Gabrielle in terms of its versatility of wear. For me, it’s an easy pick.

Winner: Coco Mademoiselle