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!

Prada Paradoxe vs. Intense Comparison

by

Prada released Paradoxe in 2022 and it has already become one of the more popular fragrances out there. Obviously, they were going to follow it up with subsequent flanker releases. The first being, 2023’s Paradoxe Intense. I suspect more will be following. However, until then, I want to do a comparison post between these first two. Which smells better? Lasts longer? Is the right one to buy?

Tale of the Tape: Paradoxe vs. Paradoxe Intense

Paradoxe

Notes include: neroli, pear, tangerine, bergamot, orange blossom, white musk, jasmine, vanilla, amber, benzoin

Click here to try: Paradoxe by Prada

My review: Paradoxe EDP

Paradoxe Intense

Notes include: pear, neroli, bergamot,  jasmine, moss, ambrofix, vanilla

Click here to try: Paradoxe Intense by Prada

Opening

Paradoxe opens up sweet, fruity, and bright. The neroli is going to be a major factor in that first 20-30 minutes, as the floral note.

But, on me, that quickly shifts more into the orange blossom’s direction, as we enter the middle act.

The fruitiness comes across more like a candy flavoring versus a pure natural fruit. Some sparkling pear is in the mix, but lots of citrus influence (tangerine is the strongest fruit, early) for the opening of the original Paradoxe.

This will become more floral after the opening burst. Again, for me I get more orange blossom, even versus the jasmine. Neroli still has a presence, but the orange blossom is stronger at this point.

With Intense, you get a bit of a different start. It is still sweet, but it lacks the tangerine and orange blossom aspect. More neroli, with a balance between the pear and bergamot.

The other very noticeable differences are the jasmine and the moss note. The fruitiness is toned down, but between that and the moss, I do enjoy this initial fresh quality versus the candy fruitiness of the first Paradoxe.

It’s clean and you have hints of the substantial amber accord already popping up.

Which is better? It’s a close call. While I enjoy the orange blossom and the sweetness of the original, I have tended to favor the opening of Intense during testing.

It’s simpler and I enjoy the light fruit notes with the neroli, jasmine, and moss. All together, that smells quite nice.

Edge: Intense

Projection

I don’t find either of these fragrances to be particularly massive with how they project, hang in the air, etc. I’d say that each is well above average in the first hours.

Then, they’ll be more moderate. Noticeable to you, just not screaming for attention from anyone who’s not very close.

Between them, Intense does have a bit more power behind it. Not much more, but it is noticeably stronger, when I spray it on a shirt sitting across the room from me.

Edge: Intense

Longevity

The performance of each of these perfumes is great. Paradoxe seems to have a wide range of outcomes, in terms of hours that it lasts on skin.

For me it’s like 8.5-10 hours of wear before it completely goes away. The last 3-4 hours are just a slight musk, floral, and some amber. But, it is still there.

With Intense, it can go 11 hours and maybe a little past that. But, it hit double digit hours, each time that I used it. So, maybe an extra hour or two on the skin. That moss really hangs around.

Edge: Intense

Versatility

Not much difference here. They cover similar use cases, which is fairly vast, as both are solid daily wear options for a lot of people.

Seasonally, Intense is better in the winter. Paradoxe is better in the summer. However, neither are built specifically for those seasons. Slightly cool temperatures to slightly warm, is the sweet spot for each.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

So, overall which Paradoxe fragrance do I prefer between these first two entries of the series?

To start, I don’t think either is amazing. But, I find them both enjoyable and above average across the board.

While I do slightly prefer the opening of Paradoxe Intense, I’m going to have to go with the original, based on the whole experience.

The Intense opening isn’t a massive difference, but I think that Paradoxe smells better in the middle and dry down periods, than its flanker.

Intense goes mossy, jasmine, amber, with some vanilla to finish things off. Clean, kind of soapy, with that moss and amber really coming through. Actually, its the ambrofix, a lot have brands have been using which adds a further woody aroma to the scent.

Paradoxe Intense sort of reminds me of a Cartier release, during the back half of the wear. Like, one of the La Panthere perfumes (not as good), can’t remember which specifically though.

Meanwhile, Paradoxe dries down with more of a balance than that very sweet opening. It’s soapy, but goes with orange blossom, as its floral centerpiece. Though, more of that jasmine will come into play.

It’s fresh with it’s light musk note, still has some sweetness, less of the amber and vanilla (still present, though). I just like the orange blossom more than the jasmine note. And fruity sweetness to the moss.

There isn’t a large gap between them. If you don’t like sweet, you might consider going with Intense and it’s stronger performance. But, how everything plays out, I like the original.

Winner: Paradoxe

Boss Bottled Tonic by Hugo Boss

by

I have gone through a ton of different Hugo Boss fragrances on this site. Some surprised me as to how much I enjoyed wearing a particular fragrance, while others I couldn’t understand what the appeal of it actually was.

Today’s review is going to deal with the flanker fragrance to a Hugo Boss cologne that I actually enjoyed, and that flanker’s name is Boss Bottled Tonic.

How does this one smell? Perform? When should it be worn? Is it worth a buy? Please continue below for my full take on Tonic.

What does Boss Bottled Tonic Smell Like?

Notes include: citrus, apple, cinnamon, ginger, and woodsy notes

Click here to try: Hugo Boss BOTTLED TONIC Eau de Toilette, 3.3 Fl Oz

My Full Wear Review

Boss Bottled Tonic opens with a crisp and watery blend of apple and orange. It strikes me as quite cold, like iced club soda with citrus squeezed into it.

That’s actually a really nice change of pace. Many others that go this route, try to make it some sort of gin and tonic aroma. This Boss scent doesn’t go the alcoholic path.

It’s a light fragrance and one with a bit of spice to it. The ginger note is the main player but there is also the cinnamon found in the original Boss Bottled.

As it moves along, it becomes more woodsy. The ginger tonic water is still there but the citrus and apple notes have begun to recede at this point.

After this point, the fragrance really stops developing, as far as I can tell and is wholly linear. What your left with is a splash with ginger, light woods, and the remains of the opening fruit notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Boss Bottled Tonic is super light. Upon first application, it is fairly moderate, but that ends in short order. So, yeah, the sillage of this one isn’t great. It’s not going to leave a huge scent trail or even create much of a bubble for yourself to enjoy.

The longevity on my skin was kind of meh. I put a lot of it on my wrists and the scent was still gone in 4-5 hours. That seems to be the max. But, that super long type of wear is not really what this kind of cologne is designed for.

So, coming into purchasing this, you’ll have to expect a short-lived refresher kind of cologne. Much more limited in its use case versus others.

Seasonally, Boss Bottled Tonic is spring and summer. Built for casual wear or something low key for office settings. It’s not a club beast and while clean, isn’t what you’d call sexy. It could be worn subtly, to decent effect.

This fragrance is just something to spray on before the gym or when you want a quick refresher. It isn’t really strong enough, at least on me, to be very much more than that.

Though, within that framework in the summer, it does have a certain appeal to it.

Overall Impressions of Boss Bottled Tonic

Overall, do I like Boss Bottled Tonic. I like aspects of it, but would rather wear the original Boss Bottled. The overall composition never really grabs my attention and I can’t really see myself ever wanting to wear this, even if I had a full bottle available.

It’s nice, but it doesn’t really seem to serve any real purpose for me. Everything about it just screams average.

I enjoy the ginger note and the cool aroma it brings on a warm day. Other than that, the scent is entirely forgettable to me.

The ginger with the opening citrus and apple is my favorite part, I’d say. After that, it’s nothing that exciting.

If you can get this cheap, really love the Boss Bottled series, or are looking for a short-lived summertime freshie…maybe this will be one to consider. If you want a daily wear fragrance, this isn’t going to be it.

Polo Blue Parfum by Ralph Lauren

by

Polo Blue Parfum is one that I had encountered once last year in 2022, when it was released. This year, I finally got a sample, in order to test out this latest incarnation of the Blue formula. I had pretty much forgotten what it was like, so, this was almost like a new experience for me. What does it smell like? Does Polo Blue last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Polo Blue Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin, cardamom, pink pepper, clary sage, vetiver, lavender, jasmine, oak, olibanum, patchouli

Click here to try: Polo Blue Parfum

My Full Review

Here’s how Ralph Lauren describes it:  (Polo Blue Parfum) is an enveloping and seductive fragrance that adds a new intensity of rich sensuality to the iconic fragrance collection.

Blue Parfum starts off with its top notes different from the usual Polo Blue formula, but I can tell that this is a Polo Blue fragrance. It’s just using some different notes.

Actually, one thing I noticed is how this also resembles an Acqua di Gio scent. For me, it comes across as a spicier and less marine version of AdG eau de parfum. Also, lacks the metallic note of the Armani.

These two colognes do have a lot of overlap: mandarin, vetiver, patchouli, clary sage, and lavender.

So, Blue Parfum is like a Polo Blue (maybe closer to EDP) and Acqua di Gio EDP.

Anyway, Parfum starts off with its mandarin note, being quite apparent. Not as standalone powerful, as in AdG, but its there and noticeable. For me, I get clary sage, with the pink pepper and cardamom not overwhelming me with their intensity.

Yes, this is spicy and fresh, but it’s totally balanced with that citrus note.

The next phase comes in, with more of the vetiver and lavender. It’s smoother, less spicy, and the mandarin takes a back seat. The fruit, will stick around just not to the same extent.

Woodsy, clean, aromatic, with some earthy smokiness popping through. No worries though, this isn’t going to go completely ‘dirty’, sticking close to a mainstream wearable fougere fragrance.

As I get further into the dry down, it’s really woodsy. Oak, vetiver, patchouli, sage, and the rest all working in a balanced harmony with one another. Nothing too complex here, but clean and fresh and easy to wear.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one is none too heavy, but has a decent projection radius of 6-7 feet, in the early part of the wear. That will come in towards you, to become a more intimate fragrance shortly thereafter.

However, it’s certainly not weak and can hang in the air quite nicely.

On my skin, it’ll go 6-7.5 hours. The others in the series tend to be in the 5-7 hour range, but this gives me about an hour more, on the whole. Though, it seems to have made it to at least six hours each time that I tested Parfum out.

Blue Parfum is of course a very wearable fragrance for most of the year. It works well in warm weather, is decent on the hotter days as well. It’s one that is designed to be an easy to grab daily wear and it fits the bill.

It’s suitable for all ages. Can be worn to work, school, etc. Not a club beast or one of the ‘sexiest’ colognes out there, just smells nice and has a good balance.

Overall Impressions of Blue Parfum

Overall, do I like Blue Parfum? It’s pretty good. After testing this one for a while, I think I enjoy others in the series like EDT, EDP, and Deep Blue more than this.

Parfum certainly has its moments of being enjoyable. I like how they changed up the usual formula, while still managing to keep it a recognizable Polo Blue scent. Again, I don’t believe it to be better, but it certainly can compete with others in the series.

You get a woodsy rather than citrus and woody finish. More nuance than the EDT, depth, and a change in the notes. So, it has that going for it, if you happen to dig this style versus what you get with the others.

It’s still not completely unique, what with the overlaps between the other Blues and Acqua di Gio.

The one drawback is the price. This one is expensive for retail, especially considering that it might not be better (or that much better, depending on you tastes) versus others in the series.

I’d almost certainly go with an AdG or Chanel scent, if the choice was between them and Parfum, at this price point. With a good discount? Sure, this isn’t a bad selection.

6 Fragrances that Smell Similar to Missing Person

by

Missing Person is a perfume from Phlur, which has been making the rounds and gaining popularity as of late. I received a sample of this perfume as a part of a Phlur set, so, I’ve been testing it out and thinking of other scents it reminds me of. So, what are some alternatives or similar smelling fragrances to Missing Person? This is my running update of these other options.

Perfumes that smell similar to Missing Person

As of this first update, I don’t know of any perfumes that I would consider an exact match of Missing Person. But, here are the ones that strike a similar chord.

Finally

Without a Trace by Fine’ry– So, updating this page, I’ve finally found a much closer comparison fragrance to Missing. The good news is that this isn’t too pricey and you can also get it in a body spray, as well as the perfume version.

Musky, powdery, with a trace of suede giving this scent a leathery-sort of background. That’s the main differentiation to me versus what you get from the Phlur scent.

It’s got a very light sillage, so it’s not one that is going to overpower. The opening is more of a citrusy musk and it’s a smoother finish. Actually, quite a lot like our target perfume, but not exact.  Less woody, has suede, but the coziness and vibe is a match.

Similar, but Meh

Juliette Has A Gun Anyway Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.3 fl. oz.– Now, I personally don’t recommend this fragrance, but I must say that I was reminded of Anyway while testing out Missing Person.

Musky, citrus, and floral. Lime instead of bergamot, but you get neroli and the musk that’s in Missing Person, also. The problem is, it feels like a stripped down version of the scent we’re after, and the performance with Anyway is terrible.

It does have a more juicy citrus opening, but the musk and ambroxan that follows is weak and kind of bland. Anyway Perfume Review

Better Musky Fruit

English Pear & Freesia– So, English Pear & Freesia doesn’t sound like a similar scent based on the notes. But, it actually does have much of the same sort of style. Just deeper and a better perfume, in my opinion.

The pear here isn’t as sparkling as normally used in perfumes, but it has enough to mimic that brightness brought on by the bergamot in Missing Person. It’s fresh with freesia and melon, but the fruity notes have an edge early on.

What makes me draw comparisons is the use of the musk and the freesia itself. The white floral accord, has a greenish stem aroma, that is a bit rubbery and reminds me of that ‘skin musk’ accord in Missing. Not one to one, but it certainly made a connection in my head. My Full Review

Cheaper Clean Musky Floral

Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker for Women, Eau de Parfum, 3.4-Ounce Spray Bottle– Lovely also reminds me of Missing Person, but leans much more toward being a style close to that of Narciso Rodriguez, just not as good. Sort of in between these two perfumes.

I also don’t like this one as much as Missing Person, but it is inexpensive and still pretty good overall.

This goes with mandarin, musk, and a crisp apple top. This one is musk heavy early, with a nice use of patchouli, and orchid flower note. It delivers a light sillage and a clean finish much like Missing. Lovely by SJP Review

lovely perfume parker

Amazingly Pretty Similar

Philosophy Amazing Grace by Philosophy Eau De Toilette Spray for Women, 2 Ounce– Amazing Grace is the best-selling and most well-known perfume from Philosophy. It’s got a lot of scent in common with our target from Phlur.

It opens up with light and pleasant citrus notes, before the freesia, rose, and jasmine start to come in. Missing Person has that skin scent and a greater use of musk, early on.

As it dries down, Amazing Grace becomes muskier with the floral notes surrounding it. A simple and fresh daily wear, that won’t break the bank, but smells great.

It is a light sillage, here. Don’t expect a bomb and it dries down with more of a powdery musky aroma, then I get earlier on.

Diamond Sparkle

Pink Diamond by KKW– I’m adding this one to the list, even if it’s not an exact match, and it’s pretty tough to find at a reasonable price nowadays.

Pink Diamond is a perfume from the KKW line of scents. This one is one of Khloe Kardashian’s releases, under that brand.

It is a more floral version of this Missing Person style. Light fresh top, dewy, musk, with a woody base. The floral notes here are lilac, tuberose, and jasmine. The jasmine is the overlap between these two perfumes.

It’s less musky, but still has a powdery aspect to it that furthers the comparison with the Phlur.

Ralph’s Club Parfum by Ralph Lauren

by

Ralph’s Club has been a good success for Ralph Lauren. They followed up the original with today’s review entry, released in 2022, Ralph’s Club Parfum. I got a sample of this a long while ago, but finally got around to being able to test it out. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Ralph’s Club Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: lavender, apple, grapefruit, clary sage, geranium, orange blossom, vetiver, cedar, patchouli, cashmeran 

Click here to try: Ralph’s Club Parfum

My Full Review

Here’s how Ralph Lauren describes it: This authentically masculine scent evokes a rich and sensual fragrance experience. Discover the power of Ralph’s Club Parfum; the greatest night of your life captured in a fragrance.

Parfum opens up somewhat different from the EDP version. There’s more going on here, it’s less greenish, and the sage isn’t as potent.

Apple and grapefruit give Parfum a fruitiness that the original lacks. It’s mainly going to be the apple note, similar to Y EDP by YSL, but not nearly as sweet as that cologne.

The original Ralph’s Club had that same kind of ‘blue-ish’ aroma, but here it is more focused and apparent. Still with the sage and lavender coming through, but balanced with the fruit notes and a fresh geranium.

The apple does have the upper hand, even within that balanced presentation. Though, that lasts for about 15-20 minutes, and Ralph’s Club Parfum will become more floral and woody.

Lavender is still the strongest floral note in this version, but you do get a nice support of orange blossom during the first hour or so. It’s does remain sweeter than EDP throughout, while also not having the same powdery/soapy aspects that I got with that one.

The late middle and dry down periods have some smokiness and earthy parts. Patchouli and vetiver are very present, not overwhelming, but I think that it plays well off of the woods, sweetness, and aromatic freshness.

Towards the end, it’s a sweet smell with cedar, patchouli, and the remaining lavender. On me, I can’t really distinguish anything beyond that.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one actually projects very well and is a steady performer without a steep drop-off. Not a heavy fragrance that is going to bog down on you, but it hangs in the air with a solid radius projecting off of the skin.

It’s one of the better releases in this regard, from Ralph Lauren in the last handful of years or so.

On my skin, I get in the 8-9 hour range before it finally disappears completely. It’s not a massive beast or elite performer. But, it’ll give you what you need for most purposes, and a full work day.

Seasonally, this is about as close to a year round wear, as you can usually expect. I’d probably still go with something else on the hottest days or in the absolute depths of winter. Outside of then, you’re golden.

It also fits in pretty much any time that you need to wear it. More of a daily wear, that can be professional, while not coming across as stuffy or formal.

For formal situations, you may want an alternative. Same goes for a nightlife wear, if you need a club beast. This fragrance isn’t like that. Parfum is an easy reach, that is nearly a jack of all trades.

Overall Impressions of Ralph’s Club Parfum

Overall, do I like this fragrance? Yes, it’s quite nice. I liked the EDP, but I think Parfum is a bit better than that. Very much worth checking out, as it can be a signature cologne, or at least one that you can wear pretty much whenever.

I like the apple note in the opening. It gives off that sweet and fairly ‘blue’ aroma like Y EDP, but it’s not nearly as sweet and in your face about it. Parfum has a better balance in comparison.

It’s clean and has an updated formula to a classic cologne style. I do like the depth that Ralph’ Club Parum has. The smokiness, earthy, woods, and fruits…gives you plenty to enjoy.

The performance is also a selling point. Parfum doesn’t quit early and isn’t weak. There’s really nothing that this fragrance doesn’t do well.

To me, it’s not an amazing release, but it’s something that I can definitely like wear and recommend giving a try. Good all around and one that can cover a lot of bases.