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!

New York Sandalwood by Bond No. 9

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The second Bond No.9 sample vial that I recently received is New York Sandalwood. It actually came in a spray vial instead of the usual Bond vial, that requires you to dab, and has a cap that’s a pain to take off…which was a welcome change.

Anyways, in this post, I’m going to cover: how it smells, what notes are included, how it performs, who this scent is for, and if it is worth a buy or not.

What does New York Sandalwood Smell Like?

Notes include: sandalwood, orris, carrot, amber, papyrus, musk, fig, cardamom, and oak moss

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 New York Sandalwood 3.3 oz Eau de Parfum Spray

My Full Wear Review

The opening of New York Sandalwood is a blast of sandalwood, amber, and oak moss. It’s a very dry warmth, something along the lines of Azzaro Pour Homme, as the mossy wood aroma quickly reminded me of.

Sandalwood, is obviously the star of this scent, and this fragrance is mostly all about how the rest of the notes fit in concert with that.

What’s unique about this fragrance, is the carrot note. What an unusual note to include and it is actually quite potent throughout. It just smells really odd to my nose, not terrible, but I don’t enjoy it at all either. It’s inclusion just sort of baffles me, as I’ve never wanted to smell like a carrot before.

Anyways, there is a level of spiciness to New York Sandalwood, with the musk and an added dryness beyond the oak moss and sandalwood.

I would attribute it to papyrus, which I have familiarity working with in paper form. It’s a subtle scent but if you know it, you’ll notice that it is there. Also, the orris root tempers everything with its powdery presence.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s fairly strong, but never struck me as overly so. Bond No. 9 did a good job with it’s performance in that regard and also with the longevity. It’ll project itself probably around 6 feet at the max. Then, it’ll draw itself closer in to the skin.

I got around 7 or closer to 8 hours of wear out of New York Sandalwood, which is definitely a plus. Not a complete marathon runner, but close to a full workday of sticking around.

This is a cold weather and casual scent. I couldn’t call this one sexy or something that would appeal to the majority of people, it really strikes me as a niche fragrance. While it’s listed as unisex, this Bond No. 9, leans much more to the masculine side of the spectrum.

Overall Impressions of New York Sandalwood

Overall, would I recommend New York Sandalwood? Maybe to a select few. I personally won’t be wearing it again, since I didn’t find it to be that enjoyable. This smell isn’t awful to me, but I’m not a huge sandalwood fan.

If you are, this would be one to consider, but there are cheaper sandalwood scents on the market that might do a better job. Again, this is a really niche fragrance, both in terms of smell and price. I’m almost completely indifferent towards it.

Just Different by Hugo Boss

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For today’s review, I am going to cover another Hugo Boss scent, the 2011 release Just Different. How does this casual fragrance from Boss stack up? How does it smell? Is it ultimately worth a purchase? Please continue reading below for my full wear review.

What does Just Different Smell Like?

Notes include: mint, freesia, basil, cashmeran, patchouli and apple

Click here to try: Hugo Boss Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, Just Different, 4.2 Ounce

My Full Review

Now, naming fragrances can be a funny business. For example, there are many ‘intense’ versions of colognes out there that are actually weak as hell. Just Different by Hugo Boss takes its name and delivers something quite familiar and ordinary.

That’s not to say that this fragrance is bad, just the name really doesn’t fit.

The opening is a really fresh blast of cool mint and along with the patchouli, reminds me of Ice Men. These two colognes are not the same but they do share some similarities.

Where they differ (and where I think Just Different is better) is the light apple note and the herbal spice provided by the basil. I also feel that this Hugo Boss scent shares some DNA with Lacoste L.12.12. White, so I’d put it as a blend between that and the aforementioned Ice Men.

Just Different has a ‘cold’ energy to it. This is a very fresh/clean type of scent and the patchouli seems to give it a bit more body, to an otherwise thin or light cologne. It’s a pretty linear fragrance and what you smell is what you get after the initial opening 5 minutes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The projection is quite light. It is noticeable but definitely not a heavy hitter. Maybe at the lower end of the range of what could be considered moderate, at its peak.

The performance in terms of longevity is actually pretty decent, I can get up to 6 hours of wear. Not great but not as bad a some others out there on the market.

Just Different strikes me as a casual scent for spring/summer. It’s a change of pace from the usual citrus or aquatic fragrances and takes a bit of different path with the mint note (maybe that’s what’s so ‘different’ about it).

Overall Impressions of Just Different

Overall, this is a very meh fragrance. Hugo Boss seems to have a lot of these over the years, colognes that don’t really stand out and are pretty generic in almost every way.

I mean, it smells pretty nice, but isn’t fantastic by any stretch. What’s the point of owning this? Maybe if you got a really cheap bottle. Even the somewhat close alternatives of Ice Man and Lacoste White, aren’t amazing fragrances.

Yellow Diamond by Versace

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I still have a box with a dozen or so samples to get through and review. That being the case, I thought that it was time again to a review of a ladies’ fragrance, as they are seemingly most of what it left in the box. Today’s scent is from Versace and was released in 2011, under the title of Yellow Diamond.

As usual, I am going to share my experience  with and impressions of this scent. Plus, give details on how it performs, when it should be worn, and if I think it is worth a purchase or not.

What does Yellow Diamond Smell Like?

Notes include: citron, pear, neroli, bergamot, nymphea, freesia, orange blossom, mimosa, amber wood, musk, palo santo

Click here to try: Versace Yellow Diamond Eau de Toilette Spray, 3 Fluid Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of Yellow Diamond is quite interesting to me. On the one hand you have a blend of citrus, which could come off as potent (as it does in Versace’s Eau Fraiche for Men). However, the notes are actually tempered by the contingent of floral notes, namely the mimosa but I also detect a fairly strong freesia.

So, those who may be worried about a runaway citrus aroma, can be at ease that Yellow Diamond is not like that.

It’s kind of cool how Versace managed to essentially create the color yellow within the confines of a fragrance. The initial aroma really does invoke images of all kinds of yellow flowers and lemons growing off of trees.

At about 10-15 minutes in, I pick up more of the floral notes than I do the citrus, and the scent becomes like being among some lush greenery.

Yellow Diamond does a nice job of not being a linear scent experience during wear and you do actually get to pick up on the variety of notes throughout the day. The overall all picture of it that I get is that, this is a bright/warm daytime fragrance with an air of floral sweetness to it.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it starts out as a moderate but is mostly a light fragrance throughout its lifespan. I don’t mean to say that it is weak or anything like that but it isn’t something that will absolutely envelope you (unless you go overboard with the spraying).

The longevity is decent but not crazy good, I found that I got about 6 hours on my skin, where the perfume was noticeable.

Because Yellow Diamond flies under the radar, it can be a good choice for casual situations such as work or school. I’d say that it’s best in the springtime but I’d definitely keep it on in the daytime. It really doesn’t strike me as a ‘sexy’ perfume.

Like, if I smelled this on a woman while out on the town for an evening, I’d think that it’s a pleasant scent but it wouldn’t drive me crazy in the slightest.

Overall Impressions of Yellow Diamond

Overall, is Yellow Diamond worth a buy? It’s a good everyday wear, though, it isn’t some amazing experience. If you like the floral notes that are in it, like citrus, and need a daytime fragrance…then, this might be the solution for you.

If you enjoy more candy-like sweetness or a dark/spicy perfume, then, you’d be served well to look elsewhere. Yellow Diamond is a very solid perfume, good but not great.

Obsessed for Women by Calvin Klein

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I’ve already reviewed Obsessed for Men, on this site, which was a pretty good fragrance. So, when I got a sample of Obsessed for Women, I was intrigued to see what direction Calvin Klein was going to take this in.

This is actually a new release for 2017 and shares a similar name with the classic Obsession, though, their doesn’t appear to be any actual similarities between them.

In this post, I’m going to go over how it smells, performs, what the notes are, and whether or not it is worth a further look.

What does Obsessed for Women Smell Like?

Notes include: musk, sage, lavender, citrus, neroli, violet leaf

Click here to try: Calvin Klein Obsessed for Women Eau De Parfum, 1 fl. oz.

My Full Review

The packaging that the sample vial of Obsessed for Women came in, says that it is ‘a female interpretation of an oriental fougere’.  With that, I wasn’t expecting something that was hyper feminine or sweet, and after use this does feel more like an unisex perfume.

The opening is floral, herbal, and musky. The lavender has that familiar scent and reminds me of the lavender Epsom bath salt that I use for sore muscles.

The citrus notes are noticeable at the start, as well, and give it kind of an aquatic aroma. It really does bring back memories of two of Calvin Klein’s 90s unisex fragrances, CK One and CK Be, but retains something different from each of those scents.

I think the warm musky spice and the sage, set it apart, and there is this underlying body wash/soapy quality to Obsessed.

Obsessed is fresh throughout its lifespan and the floral notes provided by the neroli and violet leaf begin to come into play about 20-30 minutes after application. That is when it begins to shift more towards the feminine side of the spectrum, after the quite ambiguous start.

However, it stays mostly in that floral/soft/spice/fresh water aquatic, mode throughout.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s a lighter scent, and definitely didn’t seem overpowering to me. I also sprayed it three times on a shirt and parked it about 4 feet away and didn’t really detect it.

So, it’s not going to be a massive radius and no long scent trail in your wake, unless you really spray the heck out of it.

Obsessed is a perfume that performs somewhat well, but you have to get closer. Longevity, again, was decent. Maybe 6+ hours, depending on the environment.

It feels more appropriate as a spring/summer scent but I think that it could perform well in any season really. While it does enjoy seasonal versatility, I’d classify it as casual.

It’s a pleasant perfume, but I don’t find it sexy or anything of that nature. A good low-key scent for work or school or some other casual function.

Overall Impressions of Obsessed for Women

Overall, is Obsessed worth a purchase? I don’t have anything bad to say about it. It serves its purpose as a fresh scent that is a nice change from the usual fruity or hyper-sweet perfumes.

So, if you’re in the market for that thing and are a fan of lavender, musk, and sage; then this one might be a good fit as a daily wear.

It’s very much a Calvin Klein fragrance, without even looking at the bottle, you can sort of just tell. Better than average, the usual notes, and not a big performer.

I don’t find it to be some incredible scent that is a must have, but it is nice, low key, and veers more to the unisex than girly.

Tuscan Leather vs Tobacco Oud Comparison

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For this post, I wanted to do another comparison between two Tom Ford scents: Tuscan Leather vs. Tobacco Oud. Which of these two popular Private Blend fragrances smells the best? Which lasts longer? Which is the better buy? I have worn and reviewed both, and will now, break down each by category before declaring an ultimate winner.

Tale of the Tape

Tobacco Oud

Notes include: tobacco, oud, amber, whiskey, vanilla, cinnamon, benzoin, patchouli, sandalwood, coriander, cedar, incense

Click here to try: Tom Ford Private Blend Tobacco Oud Eau De Parfum Spray 100ml/3.4oz

Read my original review: Tobacco Oud Review

Tuscan Leather

Notes include: leather, suede, raspberry, jasmine, olibanum, saffron, amber

Click here to try: Tom Ford Tuscan Leather Eau De Parfume Spray for Men, 1.7 Ounce

My original Review: Tuscan Leather

Opening

Tobacco Oud actually starts out with a burst of the oud and whiskey. The tobacco is there, but it doesn’t become as prominent, until later on in the wear. Instead, you get a boozy oud aroma. It is kind of rough and smoky, but with coriander, patchouli, and incense underneath the two top notes.

Tuscan Leather starts off with that leather note, which is fantastic, along with saffron. I love this combination. Beyond that is a suede note, which helps to further smooth things out, and some juicy raspberry.

Which is better? To me, the start isn’t really a contest. I think that Tuscan Leather is much better in the beginning, as the open is probably the worst part of Tobacco Oud. I like whiskey, but not as much, when paired with a strong oud note.

Edge: Tuscan Leather

Projection

Both are pretty strong with the sillage, at the start, and then move into something that is more moderate. To me, there really isn’t a distinction between them. Tobacco Oud is heavier, but doesn’t out project.

Edge: Push

Longevity

Tobacco Oud will go for 10+ hours on my skin. Tuscan, will get me 8-9 hours. Pretty straightforward win here for Tobacco Oud. Though, Tuscan Leather is no slouch.

Edge: Tobacco Oud

Versatility

Both of these fragrance work best in the colder parts of the year. I’d say Tuscan can hold up better in warmer weather, but not hot. I’d much rather wear Tuscan as a casual fragrance or a date night cologne, versus Tobacco Oud. Both can however, fit in during more formal occasions.

Edge: Tuscan Leather

Overall Scent

Tobacco Oud is a nice fragrance, that gets better, as it dries down. It becomes woodier, with more sweetness, and a mix of smoky tobacco. The opening is kind of off putting, but in terms of performance and overall quality, it is a very good option for oud lovers.

However, I much prefer Tuscan Leather to it. The leather note is one of the best that I’ve ever come across and when paired with suede…it’s super smooth. It’s a darkly deep fragrance with great amber warmth, saffron, and even raspberry. When it all comes together, it is a great experience to wear.

Between the two, I would think that most people would rather wear Tuscan Leather, as it has a more mass appealing smell and one that can even be worn by women.

Winner: Tuscan Leather