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!

Women EDP by Calvin Klein

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So, Amazon randomly sent me a sample of the latest Calvin Klein women’s fragrance (note: I’ve updated this since), titled appropriately enough: Women. Released in 2018 Yeah, sure. Beyond the highly original name, I was actually curious to know how this one smelled, and whether or no there was a good perfume inside the sample vial.

As usual, I have worn it, and now have shared my thoughts below on everything Calvin Klein Women.

What does Women by Calvin Klein Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, cedar, black pepper, eucalyptus, orange blossom, musk, ambroxan, tea, and more

Click here to try: Calvin Klein WOMEN Perfume For Women 3.4 fl.oz(100ml) Eau De Parfum Spray

My Full Wear Review

Calvin Klein Women starts with an ultra-sharp citrus mix of lemon and grapefruit. It actually reminds me of a more feminine Sauvage, in that respect.

It seems like after every designer put out their version of a Sauvage clone for men, the women’s side had to also start adding heavy citrus and ambroxan and pepper to everything.

It comes across as strange though. Super citrus with spice, kind of messy. All of this sits on top of cedar wood and has a slight herbal tinge, from the tea note.

However, that sort of aroma at the start doesn’t last too long before Women shifts into more of a spicy orange blossom fragrance. I feel at times, as though I’m smelling bits of Light Blue by D&G, within this perfume’s DNA, but it never fully commits to smelling exactly like that fragrance.

As it dries down, I get more grapefruit than the lemon note, to go along with cedar and some floral notes…mainly, the aforementioned orange blossom, but a few others also.

The cedar seems to grow stronger the further along in the wear you are and the citrus still has that super sharp quality to it.

Once that initial blast wears off, Women becomes a very wearable, albeit not spectacular scent. I like the citrus, orange blossom, and fresh cedar pairing. Not too sharp anymore, but has a great cleanliness.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Calvin Klein Women starts off really strong, and then dries down soft to moderate. It was weird how much it settled down from that huge sillage it has at the beginning. So, it’s ultimately a fairly moderate fragrance.

It’s one of the quickest turnarounds that I’ve ever experienced. Seriously, it bombs at first, and it settles into something lighter in record time.

Longevity was pretty good, somewhere in the 6-7 hour neighborhood on my skin, not great but usable. CK fragrances, tend not to be ones that go on for double digit hours. Depending on the price, the value of having this scent can vary a loot.

The citrus and floral notes makes this one seem like it’s suited to be worn on the warmer days of the year. Though, it could be safely worn whenever. It just really feels like a spring/summer sort of fragrance.

I’d call it a casual, everyday wear. One could probably wear it to work, but it’s not a nightlife or date kind of perfume.

Overall Impressions of Women by CK

Overall, do I recommend, Calvin Klein Women? Ehhh, it’s okay. I hate how this perfume starts out but I think it gets better as it goes along. Although, even then, it never blows me away. You get a citrus/woody fragrance with floral and herbal spice undertones.

I feel like it strays more towards unisex, than something designed specifically for women. But whatever, I didn’t design their marketing campaign. It’s decent, though. This Calvin Klein isn’t anything special.

The one strength that it really has is how easy to wear and versatile it is. It does everything else decently, but this one isn’t original, nor will it knock your socks off.

If you’re a big fan of Light Blue or similar scents, this might be one to check out. Goes in a different direction with the orange blossom, but has a style that is reminiscent of that popular D&G perfume.

Cactus Garden by Louis Vuitton

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Cactus Garden is another one of the Les Parfums Louis Vuitton fragrances which came out in 2019. Another scent built for the warmer weather of summertime and housed in a cactus green bottle. What does this one smell like? How does it perform? Is Cactus Garden worth a try?

What does Cactus Garden Smell Like?

Notes include: mate, lemongrass, bergamot, incense, geranium

My Full Wear Review

Before we get into my thoughts about this fragrance, let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes it: The enthusiasm of mate to exalt the emotions. The cool freshness of an exotic patio. A breath of leaves defies the heat wave like an enchanted frisson on the skin.

The opening act of Cactus Garden is so utterly pleasant and has a bright summery attractiveness. I was kind of disappointed that the fragrance doesn’t actually contain a cactus note, which would’ve been an interesting touch. Though, it also doesn’t really need it.

Instead you get a delicious bergamot note, with lemongrass, and the herbal tea-like aroma of mate. The lemongrass in Cactus Garden is absolutely beautiful and it takes the lead, after the first few minutes from the bergamot.

As I get a bit deeper into the wear, the geranium freshness becomes more pronounced. Cactus Garden starts to feel more refreshing and cold than it had with the opening citrus brightness.

I know that Louis Vuitton says that there is an incense note, but it must be very light, because I don’t really get it. Maybe it’s just my nose, however. 

Eventually, the bergamot fades. Then, the lemongrass starts to bow out. Eventually, the last note standing is the mate. I mean, I do like the smell of that note, but the dry down is definitely the weakest of the entire composition. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here isn’t overly powerful, but it also isn’t weak. The first few hours are on the upper range of what could be considered moderate, before it settles much closer to the skin. Not a complete projection monster, but very decent.

The longevity is also pretty good, just not incredible. It will go for 7 hours on my skin, mostly as the remnants of the herbal aspects of the scent, but it is indeed still there.

Seasonally, this is spring and summertime in a bottle. Preferably, late spring and into the days of summer. It’s a well put together casual or semi-formal scent for either men or women. Very easy to wear and quite balanced for everyone. 

It does have an attractiveness to it, but it’s not a nightlife powerhouse or a date night scent either, really. 

 

Overall Impressions of Cactus Garden

Do I like this scent? Yes, I think that it is unique and the opening act is really outstanding. It’s such a great mix of citrus and that herbal aroma. Cactus Garden is a nice change of pace from the never-ending cycle of aquatics and other standard summer fare.

It actually has a similar style to Creed’s Green Irish Tweed, but I think that this Vuitton is the better smelling of the two. Again, the dry down isn’t at the same level, but I liked wearing this a lot. 

Is it worth the price? It isn’t a must have for everyone, that they should run out and pay LV prices. That being said, if that’s not an issue personally, I can recommend at least giving this fragrance a try…if not just grabbing a full bottle. 

I enjoy the smell and the longevity is decent for this type of perfume, but maybe not the price itself.

Update: As of 2023, Cactus Garden is now discontinued by LV. The 100mL bottle is listed as unavailable and it appears that it is gone for good. 

For potential dupe alternatives of Cactus, Dua has one called Garden of Thorns for sale. That should be a good one to go with for a very similar smell and ingredient list based on the Cactus Garden formula.

Wonderstruck Enchanted by Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift has been a giant pop star for a long time now. Add to that, her fragrance line has been around for about a decade, as well. Her Wonderstruck perfume was a rousing success, and was followed up by today’s review entry, Wonderstruck Enchanted.

Enchanted was released back in 2012. How does this T. Swift fragrance smell? What are the notes? How long does it last? Is it even worth a buy?

Update: Coming back to this years later, Taylor’s perfume line has been defunct for a long time, with no new releases since 2014.

What does Wonderstruck Enchanted Smell Like?

Notes include: pink poppy, wild berries, vanilla, peony, passion fruit, fressia, musk, champaca, woods

Click here to try: Taylor Swift Enchanted Wonderstruck Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 3.4 Ounce 

My Full Review

Enchanted Wonderstruck begins with a burst of sugary berries and passion fruit. The berries occupy about 80% of the fruit blend, to my nose, and the rest to the more tropical aroma.

Very sweet and juicy, but I find it to be fun and delicious. Underneath, these fruit notes is an array of flowers. The floral notes, aren’t too noticeable for me, until about 5 minutes in. Then, I do get poppy and some peony. Still, they’re quite light in the composition.

Most of this wear, is going to be a fruity/floral, with emphasis on the fruity part. Once the initial fruit wave has passed, you start to get some musk, and creamy vanilla.

At this point, it becomes more of a berry and vanilla blend, with passion fruit playing very little role at all. It tones down a lot of the excesses of the sweetness, in terms of the fruitiness. But, the sugar will start to dissipate, as well.

This is most of what you’re going to get from Wonderstruck Enchanted. A woody base, does emerge, to give this fragrance some grounding.

However, it is still completely led by berries, vanilla, and musk. The floral notes are around, but pretty much just blend into a non-descript aroma.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this isn’t a very strong fragrance. The projection isn’t going to make its way throughout a room. You can spray it fairly heavily and it will settle down closer to the skin, pretty quick.

That being said, the longevity was actually good for me. It was hanging around for 7-8 hours, at that point, it’s more about vanilla. Nonetheless, that’s still a great length of time, for the type of scent this is.

Seasonally, Wonderstruck Enchanted is cold weather dominant. It can venture into spring, but I’d keep it out of the heat. That sort of thick sweetness, will melt. But, within the colder months it is a very nice aroma and well worth a shot.

This Taylor Swift perfume definitely skews towards younger women. It’s not too childish or anything, so, someone older could wear this casually. Think wearing this to school, for casual wear, just to feel cozy, maybe a date. It’s not a formal sort of fragrance.

Overall Impression of Wonderstruck Enchanted

Overall, do I like Enchanted? I actually do enjoy this Taylor Swift perfume. The berries smell awesome, I know not everyone likes the sweet stuff, but I certainly do.

While I like the juicy fruit opening act, I particularly like when the vanilla and berries get to mix in the dry down. What a delightfully warm gourmand.

It’s not a super powerful fragrance or one that really projects all that much, but it actually provides solid longevity. Just an all around attractive wear for colder days, geared toward the younger set.

I believe that Wonderstruck Enchanted has been discontinued, so, you’ll have to grab a bottle online. It was inexpensive when introduced, but when supplies get limited, that can change. However, for the right price, this is a worthwhile try.

I wouldn’t pay a high price for it. If you’re getting close to designer prices, that’s probably too much. For a cheapie, this is a great winter sweet wear for a younger woman.

2023 Update: Yep, prices have officially gotten crazy for the limited bottles left. I’ve seen them selling for almost $200 a pop. Unless you’re a collector, it’s not worthwhile, at that price. Shame, this was a great value perfume, at one time.

Code Absolu by Giorgio Armani

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I recently requested and have now received a sample vial of the new for 2019 Giorgio Armani fragrances release, Code Absolu, and was really excited to try it out. Armani has come out with a lot of awesome scents in the past five years, including another Code flanker, Profumo.

That was one of my favorites a few years back during the wintertime, so, I wanted to see how this one would stack up. What does it smell like? What are the notes? How’s the performance? As usual, I have been wearing and testing this cologne out, and below are my full thoughts.

What does Code Absolu for Men Smell Like?

Notes include: vanilla, tonka bean, suede, nutmeg, rum accord, mandarin, apple, orange blossom, wood, and carrot seeds

Click here to try: Giorgio Armani Code Absolu EDP Eau de Parfum For Men 3.7oz

My Full Wear Review

The immediate opening of Absolu strikes me not like the original Code, rather, Code Profumo. This is awesome, because I loved Code Profumo. While there is a whole lot of similarities, the two fragrances, are somewhat distinct from one another.

But, wow! I am completely drawn into this scent, from the very beginning.

Absolu opens up with a strong mix of nutmeg, rum, suede, and tonka bean. I also catch the light citrus from mandarin and a hint of crisp apple.

To my nose, the nutmeg is the strongest at the top, along with tonka bean. This lasts for 5-10 minutes before the suede really comes in.

Even with the light touch of the fruit notes, they do play an important role, by not making the scent too dark and heavy. There’s just enough citrus for my nose to pick up on, but I love when I can pick up that underlying juiciness.

The nutmeg and rum accord, add a really fresh spice to the opening, but it isn’t as boozy as you’d find in something like Man in Black. That’s probably a good thing here, as it would distract from the overall smoothness of this cologne, and ruin the balance that it has.

The suede blending with the other notes, really has more of a leather smell, at times. It’s quite rich and just a fantastic addition to the overall composition. The orange blossom and mandarin note, are still detectable at this point.

I love that aspect, because orange blossom is one of my favorite floral notes. There’s not a lot of it, but just enough to catch my attention.

Further along, the vanilla and tonka bean, really assert themselves. Those two notes are going to be the main thrust of Absolu, so one will need to like them, to enjoy this cologne. During this dry down, there is a secondary layer of wood and the suede.

It smells fresh and darkly warm, with sweetness coming from mandarin and vanilla. It’s not as sweet as Profumo and I actually enjoy that fact, because that could be overwhelming at times, with that scent.

From there, it’s pretty straight forward, a warm mix of tonka and vanilla. Then, strong undertones of suede, wood, and what’s left of the rum spice/mandarin orange. However, in its simplicity, Code Absolu is still very seductive and enticing.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage with Absolu is quite strong, but not overpowering. It can project itself a ways away from the wearers skin, but it feels lighter than Code Profumo, and less likely to take over a room. That being said, it can be strong at first, so over-spraying is definitely possible.

The longevity is also outstanding and I’ve been routinely achieving double digit hour counts, while wearing Code Absolu. Performance wise, this fragrance is utterly great. The more I wear it, the more impressed I am by both its strength and longevity. Great stuff.

 

Seasonally, it also leans colder weather like Profumo, but I think with it smoother profile it can fit right in during the spring or other temperate days. In the heat, not really, but I’ve been wearing it on fairly warm spring nights and have had no issues with Absolu thus far.

Is it a versatile wear otherwise? Yes, it is. It can be worn from casual to formal occasions. It will fit well for men of almost any age. I do think that this one, is going to be another superb addition to the nightlife, and it will fit right in at a bar or nightclub.

It’s got the performance, but with an underlying sophistication. Code Absolu will garner complements and is a sexy type of cologne.

Overall Impression of Armani Code Absolu

Overall, do I like Armani Code Absolu? Yes, I really do. I compared it to a few sprays that I had left of Profumo, and I must say, I prefer this new release. They are very similar, so if you have one you won’t need the other, but I think that Absolu is smoother and more refined.

I love the way that the tonka and vanilla interact, the period in which the suede note gets its shine, and that nutmeg spice at the start. The more time that I spend with this fragrance, the more I find myself enjoying it. Profumo was amazing to me, and this, I feel takes it to another level. 

This is a great release from Armani and one that I’m going to be wearing a lot of, in the future. That’s saying something, as Armani has been crushing it with their new releases, in the past few years.

Update: Here in 2023, this one seems to be discontinued. Sad, as this was a fantastic flanker. Possibly the best Code flanker that Armani ever released, certainly top 3.

If you want a bottle now, you’d better be prepared to pay up for it. The women’s version still seems to have more bottles available, but the supply of this has evaporated.

I probably should’ve grabbed a bottle when Armani had its final sale and a discount code with Absolu for Men. 

Polo Red Parfum by Ralph Lauren

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Polo Red Parfum is another flanker in the long line of Red colognes, put out by Ralph Lauren. This one was released in 2023. I’ve already tried this one out once before, but now I’ve gotten a sample size sprayer in order to do a full review. How does it smell? Does Red Parfum last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Polo Red Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: blood orange, bergamot, pink pepper, absinthe, lavender, orris, musk, cedar, opoponax 

Click here to buy: Polo Red Parfum

My Full Review

Red Parfum starts out with a prominent blood orange note, like in Red Extreme. This time, however, it isn’t flanked by coffee and wood. Instead, early on, you get some assistance from a citrus bergamot note and some like warmth/spice of pink pepper.

The pink pepper is pretty subdued to my nose, especially when I compare it to other fragrances with a heavy use of that note.

I was interested in this scent, after reading about the absinthe as a note. Maybe a bit of bitterness in the first hour, underneath everything else. Other than that, it really doesn’t show up on my skin.

One thing that I will note, is the cranberry found in Polo Red EDT, does seem to be here to some limited extent. Not listed, but I keep getting hints of it coming through. So, it probably actually is a part of this blend.

A difference with the others in the line, is that the citrus loses much of its strength after 15 minutes or so. By this time, the lavender and orris notes have moved in. Now, the orris root adds a touch of powder to the scent, but is vastly overshadowed by lavender.

At this point in the wear, it’s: lavender, blood orange, pink pepper, musk, and orris.

Quite fresh, clean, warm, with some increasing resin in the base from the opoponax. In the end, it’s still sweet with the blood orange residue. But, mainly Red Parfum is about the lavender, musk, cedar, opoponax. Orris and pink pepper have faded to basically nothing.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Red Parfum isn’t a super heavy fragrance that bogs down. It does open up with a strong projection and a further reach than Red EDT.

From there, it’s in the upper range of moderate for a few hours, before it slides into something lighter to middling. Pretty good with the power, just not amazing.

On my skin, I get somewhere in the 6-7.5 hour range. It might go 8 hours, at times. Beyond that, I wouldn’t expect much. It’s above average and good for most uses.

Seasonally, Polo Red Parfum can work pretty much whenever, outside of the hottest days of the year. I’d go with something else during the summer months.

It is more of a casual and daytime wear. I think it can fit in more places than Red EDT since it doesn’t have that lemon and strong cranberry coming through the entire time.

Especially, once the citrus notes tone down, this will be able to be worn at the office or school without trouble. It’s not a formal sort of fragrance, but can fit in for the nightlife, without being a ‘club beast’.

Overall Impressions of Polo Red Parfum

Overall, do I like Red Parfum? I do. It’s about on par with the original Polo Red. I might like this one slightly more, but that could change day to day. Nonetheless, it is one of the better releases from this series, while still trailing Red Extreme.

I do love the return of the blood orange note, with the bergamot, and phantom cranberry note giving a nod to the original. It’s got a great citrus blend, fresh spice, clean lavender, and a woodsy base.

The back half of the wear is more basic. Polo Red Parfum loses some of its luster. Though, I find it to still be pleasant enough, and not bad at all.

The performance is better than the EDT and is above average, while not being elite. I never expect Ralph Lauren colognes to have crazy performance, but this is one that I have no real problems with.

All in all, it’s worth checking out, if you like this series. One of the better releases from this brand as of late.

It’s different in some ways, with familiar elements poking up throughout. Less tart and candy sweet than the EDT, over the long haul. It’s probably safe enough for a blind buy, but I might wait for it to go on sale, before grabbing a full bottle.