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 test out and 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!

8 Best Smelling Acqua di Parma Fragrances for Men

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Acqua di Parma has been around for a long long time now. They have a wide range of scents that bring forth the smells of the Mediterranean, particularly citrus notes native to the region. In this post, I want to break down their catalog into 8 colognes for guys, that I consider to be the best of the bunch.

Now, I have included some unisex entries on the list, as Acqua di Parma has plenty of those and they do indeed rank among their best.

What Are the Best Acqua di Parma Perfumes?

Best Overall Acqua di Parma Scent and Summer

Acqua Di Parma Blue Mediterraneo Fico Di Amalfi Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 5 Ounce– This one gives you that familiar Blu Mediterraneo burst of citrus notes, including grapefruit and bergamot. Then, the outstanding fig note comes along as the dominant force, to create a sweet and unique experience.

The grapefruit and lemon are strongest at the top, but it leans more grapefruit, than the other perfumes on this list. Once the citrus settles down, it plays very well off of the fig, and light cedar base.

I don’t always like fig in fragrances, but this has to be one of the best examples, of how to do it right. Fico di Amalfi is a fragrance which can be worn by absolutely everyone, very unisex, and a magnificent summer perfume.

Best Winter Fragrance

Acqua Di Parma Blue Mediterraneo Mandorlo Di Sicilia Eau de Toilette Spray, 5 Ounce– One of the unisex entries on the list and while it does sit slightly more toward the feminine side, it is still a very nice scent for the cold weather.

Almond and vanilla are paired to create a warm and lightly enveloping aroma, that has a sweet candy-like quality.

This one reminds me of these little root beer candies, that I ate sometimes, as a child. Orange, almond, and the vanilla come together to give it a sweet, somewhat nutty, fizziness.

Akin to carbonation. Mandorlo is fresh and dries down, mostly as vanilla, with a powdered sugar quality. The sillage is fairly light, but it can last for 6-7 hours, on my skin.  My Full Review is Here

Most Popular Men’s Cologne

Acqua Di Parma Essenza Eau De Cologne Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce–  A shockingly clean and refined composition of citrus and herbal/floral notes. Essenza screams class.

With it’s fantastic performance, this is one to reach for during the warmer months of the year, and shares a lot of similarities with Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino Forte.

In this one, you get plenty of orange, grapefruit, and bergamot. Naturally, this is put together with neroli, as is so common in summertime scents. The citrus at opening is juicy and somewhat sharp, then, it dries down more into a soapy sort of scent.

Especially later in the wear, you can pick up rosemary and oakmoss, but Essenza is very well-blended and can be difficult to decipher. Nonetheless, you get yourself a classically styled unisex perfume, that is highly attractive though not heavy-handed.

Classic Fragrance for Him

Acqua Di Parma Cologne Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce– The original which traces its roots back to 1916. Features citrus with notes of rosemary and lavender. A classic clean with woodsy undertones, Colonia is sharp and well put together.

Colonia can be pretty strong with the lemon at first, but it needs a few minutes to settle, and have the lavender note come out fully. This has that old school barbershop type of character, with light musk in the dry down, and the rosemary peaking through at times.

This isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea; however, Colonia can still bring a pleasant experience after all of these decades. This is going to be for guys, who want a change of pace from the more modern or unisex fragrances on the market.

Most Underrated Acqua di Parma Perfume

Acqua Di Parma Blue Mediterraneo Arancia Di Capri Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 5 Ounce– A super citrus blend of oranges, grapefruit, and bergamot. Arancia di Capri, is a breath of fresh air and energy when applied, and enjoys such a naturalistic feel.

Clean, upbeat, and vibrant. It opens up, with those juicy citrus notes at the top of the composition.

These are the dominant notes for the first 20 minutes and are paired with, a light musk. Then, a sweet caramel note begins to emerge and join the mandarin orange note, as the main attractions. The other citrus notes fade quite a bit.

The fragrance smells absolutely wonderful. However, while the sillage starts off pretty powerful, it becomes a skin scent shortly thereafter. Not the best performing (on my skin, anyway), but definitely one of the best smelling Acqua fragrances.   My full review of Arancia di Capri

Best Masculine/ Intense Cologne

Acqua Di Parma Colonia Intensa 3.4 oz Eau de Cologne Spray– A woody and slightly spicy flanker of the original Colonia. This also shares the citrus notes but has a blend of leather, cardamom, and ginger which gives it that bit of kick.

It opens up with that same familiar blend of citrus notes, plenty of lemon, with lime coming through.

This is joined by that warm spice of cardamom and the fresh/cool spice of ginger. As it moves along, the leather and woody notes, take on a more prominent role while the citrus falls back.

It’s fresh, rich, dark, and full of a spicy edge. Leather, woody, spice, with an amber tone, and the citrus still hanging around somewhat.

Fizzy Clean

Chinotto di Liguria– Just reading the notes, before trying this out, I was afraid that this would be similar to Versace Eros Flame. Since that also features an opening of mandarin orange and chinotto notes.

But, this is actually quite different and has none of that overwhelming amber note, which drives me nuts with Flame.

The opening has a nice burst of orange, but that’s overshadowed by the rosemary and chinotto. It’s kind of fizzy, fresh, and has an herbal aroma. Which, usually plays very nicely off of a citrus note.

Less of a sweet fragrance, having more bitter highlights throughout. The base is a soapy clean musk, with the fresh greenish ingredients giving this one life. Not the best performance, but a really nice fragrance for the right guy.

Leather Goods

Leather by Acqua di Parma– Leather is a release that came out much more recently than others on the list. If you want a rich and quite realistic smelling leather note, from your fragrance, you can give this one a go.

Like Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford, you get a raspberry note up top. But, in this one, it is flanked by two citrus notes. It’s also much woodier and floral than the Tom Ford offering.

While rose and citrus play roles here, this isn’t always a clean leather scent. It can be dark, rough, and even has an earthy/dirtiness/smoky aroma as you get to the middle of the wear.

Not an option that will appeal to everyone, but this could be the top pick of the bunch, for some of you.

Riverside Drive by Bond No. 9

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This is going to serve as my inaugural review of a Bond No. 9 fragrance and I hope to cover them all in the future. However, since I’ve gotten a new vial of Riverside Drive wrapped in the bon-bon style this house’s samples are famous for, and it is fresh on my mind after wearing around…it’s time to write this out.

Riverside Drive is classified as unisex but it is slightly more towards the masculine side of things, though not overly so. In this post, I want to give my impressions of this scent, what it smells like, how it performs, and whether or not it is worth a buy.

Update: This is an older review from many years back. I’ve come back and made changes to it since. Also, Riverside Drive is now back in stock, after being gone from Bond’s lineup for a time.

What does Riverside Drive Smell Like?

Notes include: oakmoss, basil, pineapple, sandalwood, and violet

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 Riverside Drive by Bond No. 9 For Men. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 0z

riverside drive

My Full Review

The opening of Riverside Drive immediately strikes me as familiar. It is crazy how much this is like a blend of Creed’s Green Irish Tweed and L’Homme Libre by YSL.

On the Creed side of things, it’s the violet note and pineapple (GIT has lemon), which gives it a similar vibe…it also sort of seems like an Aventus style fragrance. Not the same, just a comparison.

So, off the bat, if you like any of those scents, you’ll probably like Riverside Drive. The basil note is quite prevalent as well, which is why Libre comes to mind.

I’d say it’s most similar to those fragrances in the initial phase of wear, the basil/woodsy/floral notes hit pretty hard at first, and then this Bond cologne mellows out into something fruitier. It does have a slight vegetal aroma, in the early stages before it dries out completely.

The oakmoss is more at play from the start and then becomes more of a background player. Riverside Drive just comes off as a very dry smelling fragrance (ala Azzaro Homme, which shares the oakmoss note), as the pineapple isn’t a ‘juicy’ scent when combined with the other notes.

A fresh and still somewhat mossy sandalwood with a light patchouli and violet earthiness underneath. The basil isn’t too prevalent, towards the end, but the pineapple’s effect does seem to stick around.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it strikes me as a moderate. It isn’t a heavy fragrance, more than intimate though, and definitely noticeable. Maybe a 3-4 foot radius around you, after it has settled down.

It also has very good longevity and sticks with me as the day wears on. Maybe 8-9 hours of wear, in total. Not completely amazing, but I wasn’t disappointed with how Riverside performs, as you’ll get plenty of time with it.

Riverside Drive is a good scent for the warmer months, it really doesn’t have that nightlife appeal, however. I like it as a daily wear option for spring, mainly. Maybe the early part of the autumn too.

It is an attractive scent and girls seem to enjoy it. Again, I’d wear it during the daytime in more casual situations or for work, versus it being something to wear out on a date.

Overall Impressions of Riverside Drive

Overall, is Riverside Drive, worth a buy? That depends. I enjoy the scent but much like GIT, it isn’t really my style. As such, I don’t want to pay for a full bottle.

However, plenty of people would really like this stuff. It is a fine fragrance in my opinion and if any of the aforementioned colognes are one’s you really enjoy, I’d say go for it.

The smell itself is nice and if this is your style, you should at least like it a lot, if not love. The performance is good and this can easily become a signature fragrance for the right guy.

Flowerbomb Midnight by Viktor & Rolf

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Midnight is another Flowerbomb flanker. This entry into the long-running series, was released in 2019. I grabbed a sample of this and Flowerbomb Dew, with my last order of fragrances that I bought online. How does Midnight smell? Does it last long? Is it actually worth a try?

What does Flowerbomb Midnight Smell Like?

Notes include: blackcurrant, pomegranate, Night blooming jasmine, peony, white musk, vanilla

Click here to buy: Flowerbomb Midnight

My Full Review

I guess they gave this one the title of ‘Midnight’ due to the jasmine note, being night blooming. But, the reality is that this isn’t a dark kind of fragrance.

Actually, it’s actually quite upbeat and has a playful sort of vibe to it. Yet, it develops into something much more mature.

The opening is fruity and juicy. A sweet and somewhat tart blend of pomegranate and blackcurrant. Initially, it’s a juicier pomegranate, before this takes on a jammy kind of fruitiness that some others in the Flowerbomb series have.

Not overly heavy. In fact, Flowerbomb Midnight has a definitely light freshness to it.  Not quite aquatic, but a somewhat similar effect.

The fruitiness is pretty short-lived, in its dominance. Midnight will then shift into a musky floral fragrance.

The rest of the way is basically a balanced blend of the peony and jasmine. With touches of vanilla, some of the remaining fruity sweetness, and a solid amount of musk.

At times, the jasmine really stands out on my skin. Others, I get more peony, but still very balanced between them.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This does have a lighter sillage. The freshness hangs gently in the air, but I actually find the projection to be pretty good. At least for the first, 1-2 hours of wear.

Thereafter, Flowerbomb Midnight will be a more intimate fragrance sitting within 3 feet of the skin, until it fades away completely.

The longevity here is okay. Don’t expect it to be great or anything approaching it. On my skin, Midnight will go for 6-6.5 hours in totality. Again, not bad, just nothing impressive.

Seasonally, this is going to be at its best autumn through spring. I’d say slightly chilly to moderate, is when Midnight peaks.

This is a versatile and pretty sort of scent. Again, it doesn’t seem to be dark or anything like that despite the name. Not really a sexy nightlife scent. However, the rest of the time, Midnight can fit in very well.

It’s a musky floral blend for much of the wear, so, it’s never going to stand out in a negative way.

Overall Impressions of Flowerbomb Midnight

Overall, do I like Flowerbomb Midnight? Yes, I do. I think that this is one of my favorite flankers of the series thus far.

It’s in my top four. The original is my favorite. Midnight ranks somewhere with Nectar and Ruby Orchid. I’m not sure any of them has an upper hand versus the other two.

I do really enjoy the pomegranate opening act. I wish that got more time to hang around. However, what you do get, is quite nice and a fun scent.

The dry down is more basic. Still, it does everything well. Good balance between the peony and jasmine, not overly musky, and with enough sweetness to keep me interested.

The performance could be better. I don’t mind the softer feel to this, but I’d like it to last longer than that six hour range. Nonetheless, Flowerbomb Midnight is worth checking out, if you get a chance. Not a ‘must have’, just a solid entry from Viktor & Rolf.

Alien Goddess Intense by Mugler

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Alien Goddess Intense is the follow up the very successful, Alien Goddess by Mugler. This flanker was released in 2022. I recently bought a sample of this perfume in order to test it out and see how it compares to the original. How does Intense smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Alien Goddess Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: coconut, bergamot, jasmine, jasmine tea, benzoin, vanilla, cashmere

Click here to try: Intense at Sephora

My Full Review

Here’s how Mugler describes it: Dazzling bergamot, a glorious infusion of jasmine and mesmerizing benzoin. When intensity meets extraordinary.

Goddess Intense has a more substantial feel from the start, than the lighter original. In that, coconut water and bergamot were the top.

Here, it is more of a regular coconut, that’s thickened by a substantial vanilla not and a touch of the bergamot. Neither editions, have much of the citrus, but it really doesn’t stand out here.

While the vanilla is around for the entire wear, it feels like it has more strength later on.

What it does have, is plenty of jasmine. Coconut, jasmine, and vanilla are the main trio in Goddess Intense. With the latter two, taking over the coconut influence as we move deeper.

Outside of that, benzoin. Sort of fuzzy and ambery coming through the base. There is a light wood, from the cashmere. Just not too massive.

Finally, this is a vanilla and amber blend with a somewhat soapy quality from the remaining jasmine note. Not really any coconut towards the end, on me.

Doesn’t have the same powdery heliotrope like the original Alien Goddess. Actually, comes across like the original Alien quite a bit. Not the same, but the similarities are very apparent.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The original was a lighter fragrance than this newer Intense version, but it still had above average projection. Alien Goddess Intense is somewhat thicker/heavy and has an improved projection radius.

However, it’s not that much stronger than the original. Again, certainly above average, but nothing that’s going to absolutely dominate a room for hours.

The longevity is borderline great. For a mainstream designer fragrance, it delivers plenty and more than what you get from many others. On my skin, it lasts at least 9 hours, with 10+ not being out of the question.

I don’t think it’s going to be a 12 hour performer, but it can come close.

Seasonally, this could probably work at any time. I might suggest using something else during the hottest days of summer, but Intense could probably work in the evenings then, too.

Really, it’s best when it’s slightly chilly out to slightly warm. Very versatile with the climates, that it can work well in. Personally, I liked it best on the colder testing day, that I tried this one out on.

It’s good as a daily wear perfume. Intense isn’t something that’s going to be totally formal or anything, but it’s put together enough to not feel childish or juvenile at all. Don’t expect some sophisticated masterpiece, just a nice smelling fragrance.

My Overall Impressions of Alien Goddess Intense

Overall, do I like this fragrance? Yes, I think that it is quite good and somewhat better than the original Alien Goddess release. Not miles better, but I do prefer this edition to the first.

This isn’t a complete 180 degree change from the original, but it is different enough to warrant a try, if you liked that one. The vanilla notes here are substantial, as is some jasmine and amber influence in the base.

The performance is good and what you should expect from most Mugler releases. I’m not at all blown away by this.

I do like the coconut note, with its more substantial aroma. The vanilla, benzoin, and amber are nice. Kind of basic, but fairly enjoyable throughout.

I don’t have too many complaints with Goddess Intense and think that it is a good release from Mugler. If you didn’t like the original, I wouldn’t bet on this version changing your mind, though.

To me, it’s a slight improvement versus that, and a nice scent on the whole.

5 Best Smelling Joop! Colognes for Men

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Joop! isn’t a high end fragrance designer and honestly can be pretty synthetic smelling in lots of their scents. That doesn’t mean that they don’t produce some good under the radar fragrances for guys, though.

Joop! actually has some very solid buys at an extremely attractive price point (usually under $25), which can be an absolute steal for men who want something different but don’t want to break the bank in the process.

In this post, I want to present five options from this designer that are the best that they have produced.

What are the Best Smelling Joop! Fragrances for Men?

Note: Joop! has apparently been somewhat busy with new releases over the last five years. Flankers of Joop Homme have come out and sound really nice, in the abstracts that I’ve read. However, they also seem to have only been released in Europe or other select markets. As such, I’ve yet to try them (as of this update).

The 80s Joop

Joop Pour Homme Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 4.2 Fluid Ounce– The original namesake fragrance, that is still a best seller among inexpensive colognes, decades after its release.

It opens up like an absolute bomb. Cinnamon and patchouli guide the way, with only touches of the citrus top notes. Thick with a syrupy sweetness, that will be present throughout, and gain more of a foothold in the middle to late stages.

Spicy, floral, and powdery with a sweetness provided by the honey note. This pink/purplish juice can be loved or hated but I fall on the side of generally being a fan. My Joop! Homme Review

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Clean Nights

Joop Nightflight By Joop For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 4.2 Oz.– Nightflight is a departure from the spiciness of Joop! Homme, it is highlighted by a pineapple note with a clean/soapy vibe provided by the lavender.

A moderate scent with good longevity, Nightflight came out in the early 1990s and had a long run as a daily wear sort of cheapie.

Almond, sandalwood, and rosewood come through in the middle and tail end to create a unique and memorable fragrance.

Update: This has been discontinued it seems. Prices are now pretty absurd online. Worth it, only if it’s like $40 or less.

Wow!

Joop Wow! for Men– Released in 2017, Wow isn’t exactly new anymore. But, it is one of the newer scents that you can fairly easily find around the world. There is also an Intense and Fresh version, that I would like to try (if I can ever find them). Intense sounds great, based on the notes.

This one is a great blend of spice and woods. Plus, there’s a creaminess courtesy of the vanilla, cashmere, and even that spiced cardamom top. Has a warmer quality to it, yet remains fresh thanks to those woody touches.

The violet leaf, is usually one note that I stay away from, but I didn’t find it to be intrusive in Wow!

It’s not as cheap (in the US), as some of the others on the list can be. But, this is a very nice cologne which flies under the radar of grabbing mass attention…from the buying public, it gets attention from its scent.

Joop! Go By Joop! For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4-Ounce– Probably my least favorite of the bunch, but that’s because I don’t really care for bitter orange as a note.

However, it is still pretty nice and has a sweet juicy/fruity type of aroma up top with that orange and some rhubarb.

Later, fir, violet, and geranium help to change things up. It feels more like a clean and green kind of aroma. Fresh. Been a long time, since I’ve come across this one, personally. Though, it still seems to be around for a pretty affordable price.

Wild Times

Joop Wild Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 4.2 Ounce– Wild is such an odd duck to me. I like it, but with notes such as rum and tobacco, you’d expect something dark and heavy.

Wild, however, is sweet and a loud nightlife kind of fragrance with a definite boozy smell. The rum and tobacco notes are of the sweeter variety and it is mixed with pink pepper.

That pink pepper opens up with a bang. But, Wild does settle into something more moderate, an hour or two in. Spicy, boozy, woody, and tobacco. Comes together rather unique.

Interesting to say the least and worth a look for the price. It’s really become a very popular scent from this brand, but probably still behind Joop! Homme in terms of sales.