Cologne Reviews

10 Long Lasting Colognes for Men 2019

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There are plenty of great smelling colognes for men out there on the market. However, some of those fantastic perfumes don’t seem to last very long at all and evaporate from one’s skin within a few hours. I mean, it’s great to have a really sexy or fresh fragrance, but what’s ultimately the point if it’s completely gone or simply a skin scent by the time you’re out of the house? So, with that in mind I have put together an updated list for 2019 of colognes that last all day and can also have great sillage. These colognes are longevity champs and will include a those also with versatile uses; from the office to a night out at the bars.

 

Best Smelling Men’s Perfumes that are Long Lasting

 

1 Million FOR MEN by Paco Rabanne – 3.4 oz EDT Spray– The original 1 Million is now utterly legendary and a constant best seller, after what, 20+ years? One of the main reasons, this sweet club beast has garnered so much attention, is how long it lasts. When you talk about all day wears, 1 Million is one that immediately comes to mind in the world of men’s perfumes.

It’s loud, it’s in your face with a sweet, smooth, and often imitated profile with notes ranging from cinnamon to rose to leather to citrus. It’s layered and has a great vibe about it. One of its flankers, 1 Million Prive, smells better in my opinion but doesn’t have the same extreme longevity…it does have great performance also, just not to the same level. So, if you want something a bit more refined check out Prive. My 1 Million Review

 

Sauvage by Dior Eau de Parfum Spray 60ml– The EDP version of Sauvage, is much better than the original EDT release, in my opinion. Not only does it smell better, it’s sexier, and lasts longer than its predecessor. This one starts out with a strong ambroxan note which tones down the bergamot and pepper, which were so harsh in the EDT.

Sauvage EDP is super smooth thereafter, with lavender and vanilla, notes giving it a calm and sweeter demeanor. Then, there is the layer of spice which adds nutmeg and star anise to the Sichuan pepper. It’s got that juicy bergamot lurking in there, with some sharp moments, but ultimately very clean. The sillage in this fragrance is huge on my skin and the wear lasts for over 10 hours. This version really made me appreciate the Sauvage name, a lot more. Sauvage EDP Review

 

212 Vip by Carolina Herrera Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce– A boozy club scent, that lasts all night? Yep, that’s 212 VIP from Carolina Herrera. Vodka is a main ingredient, especially towards the top of the wear, with tonka bean, vanilla, and pepper kicking in. It also has frozen mint and lime, bringing spice and citrus juiciness. It’s smooth and very boozy at first, but dries down with an alluring spice and sexiness. This stuff is an absolute beast with the sillage and longevity. I have a full bottle and I only break it out on certain occasions and keep the sprays limited. Is 212 VIP for everyone? No way, but for certain guys, this stuff is just plain awesome. 212 VIP Review

Prada L’homme Intense Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce– This flanker to the original Prada L’Homme opens up with that powdery iris note, amber, and rich leather. Intense is a mature and clean fragrance with a smooth warmth provided from the main players, as well as, notes like the tonka bean. The solid woody outdoorsy base, adds another dimension to this cologne, with the emergence of sandalwood and patchouli. The sillage on this one is moderate to strong, but the longevity is great, and Intense is a classy fragrance for work or the night life. Prada L’Homme Intense Review

 

Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male Eau de Toilette Intense 40ml Spray– The original Le Male had really good performance and is still very popular. However, with the release of its flanker fragrance Ultra Male, Jean Paul Gaultier kicked up the intensity even further. Ultra Male is sexy and has a spicy and candy-like sweet aroma, that not only projects well, but also goes far into those cold weather evenings of wintertime. It opens up with pear, vanilla, cinnamon, and mint notes, which of course add to the spicy sweetness of this cologne. It has a bold start with the projection, but becomes more moderate. Ultra Male performs best in cooler weather and really isn’t suitable for warmer days. Ultra Male Review

 

Versace Eros Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Fluid Ounce– Versace Eros is one of the most popular scents on the market and has been so since its introduction in 2012. Sure, it a monster in terms of its sillage, but that’s just a part of the experience that is this cologne. It’s sweet, crisp, masculine, and bold. With notes like mint, apple, vanilla, and tonka bean…it’s no wonder why this stuff lures so many folks in. It can keep going and going, throughout an entire evening, or daytime depending on one’s application.

Eros opens with the apple note and some citrus assistance provided by Italian lemon. The driving force in the composition is the mint note, which gives it that familiar cooled spice edge, to help offset some of the overwhelming sweetness. This is a autumn/wintertime fragrance with insanely good projection and longevity in the double digit hours sphere. Look, simply put, Eros is popular for a reason. Yes, it’s sexy. Yes, it gets complements. Versace Eros Review

Christian Dior Dior Homme Intense Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 1.7 Ounce– The opening minutes of Dior Homme Intense, are probably my favorite ever from any cologne. While I do, very slightly prefer wearing the original Dior Homme, I think this one has a bit more sex appeal. Note: Dior Homme and Intense are pretty much a 1A and 1B ranking, that depends on my mood. Plus, I’ll often wear both at the same time.

Cedar and vetiver notes lead the way to be paired with a powdery iris floral. Then, a cacao note comes along to give Dior Intense, a gourmand sensibility. It’s almost like powdered chocolate, in my mind, at one point during the wear. The name suggests it will be loud but it’s not overly so and the longevity of this fragrance is absolutely great.

With this Dior cologne, I can pretty easily hit double digit hours in wear and still maintain solid sillage throughout. Dior Intense is classy, refined, while still maintaining its attractiveness. Versatile enough for office or date night wear.  Dior Intense Full Review

 

PARFUMS de MARLY Herod, 4.2 fl. oz.– A great luxury fragrance from the French brand, Parfums de Marly. Herod is a sweet and spicy blend of tobacco, cinnamon, black pepper, and vanilla among other notes. This is a super rich and attract men’s cologne with a captivating resinous aroma with a somewhat smoky air. Herod is a gentlemen’s fragrance that can be worn in the office, at a formal event, or out on the town for the evening. The sillage isn’t super loud, like 1 Million, but you’ll know that it’s there and still chugging along without fail.

Prada Luna Rossa CARBON for Men Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.4 ounce– Luna Rossa Carbon starts off with a pretty strong opening but then becomes much more of a moderate fragrance. However, while it’s sillage isn’t extreme, Carbon’s longevity is. This Prada flanker scent will hit 10+ hours of wear without much trouble. It is good as an everyday scent, with a very similar profile to Sauvage, and features lavender as its main note. Also, here are: ambroxan, pepper, bergamot, and patchouli. Luna Rossa Carbon Full Review

 

 

 

 

 

Giorgio Armani Code Absolu for Men Eau De Parfum Spray, 2 Oz– Finally, rounding out the list is a newer release. Not only is this a follow up flanker to the classic best-seller Armani Code, it is also one of the best colognes on the market currently. Code Absolu is a beautiful blend, which opens up with notes of: rum, nutmeg, suede, and tonka bean. Also, very light fruit notes in the background.

As it moves along, the composition becomes smoother and sweeter, after its freshly spiced opening act. Add to the fact, that Code Absolu is by no means weak, and lasts for well over 10 hours on my skin…and you’ve got a winner. Best in the cooler months of the year, but it’s a stud, during this time. Code Absolu Review

 

CH Men by Carolina Herrera Cologne Review

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In this post, I would like to delve into a name, that I never got around to doing a review on. Well, apparently, this old name has a new formula and is basically a new cologne: CH Men by Carolina Herrera. In this post, I want to explore what the notes are, how it smells, how it performs, when it should be worn, and if it is worth a purchase?

 

Notes include: violet leaves, grapefruit, cyclamen, saffron, cashmere, leather

Click here to try: Carolina Herrera CH Eau De Toilette Spray – 100ml/3.4oz

 

So, right off of the bat, CH Men has been reformulated and isn’t the same scent as it was before. The ingredients have changed significantly and I will be reviewing this newer version.

The opening of CH Men I get plenty of saffron, violet, and grapefruit. It is fresh with a bright fruity sweetness and grassy notes, that sit underneath it all. It’s clean and has a pretty unique aroma, yet feels familiar, like the structure is similar to other colognes but the individual notes are different.

As it moves along, CH Men becomes more of a green floral with woody notes emerging from the base. I get  mostly cashmere and I think some sandalwood is in there, as well. Violet leaf and saffron are still the two main notes that hit my nose, with the secondary layer consisting of green grassy notes and spice. The floral note here is cyclamen, which I’m not familiar with how that smells, but perhaps is what is providing that green aroma.

Finally, there is a leather and woody base. It is smooth and masculine and provides a nice balance with the saffron and violet leaf. The grapefruit, at this stage, is pretty much gone completely. So, what you’re left with is a green freshness led by saffron and violet leaf, with leathery woods, and with floral notes.

Projection wise, the sillage is pretty light with CH Men. This is definitely a candidate for overspraying the hell out of it. I would double up each side of the neck and possibly once more. That way, you might get a better performance from it. The longevity isn’t great either, about 4-5 hours, of light sillage.


Seasonally, it’s one that seemingly can be worn year round, and fit in just fine. It is attractive and office safe, with the ability to venture into the nightlife, just won’t be a bold beast performer. CH Men is the type of scent that will get complements, if you can get it to perform up to par.

Overall, do I like CH Men? The smell of it is really good. I’m already a fan of saffron and leather, but Carolina Herrera takes it in a new, and appealing direction with this new formulation. The only issue that I have, is the performance. I wish that it was stronger and would last on my skin, but it doesn’t seem to want to. If you can get a good price for a bottle, it might be worth just doubling or tripling the sprays, as the scent itself is quite enjoyable.

CH Men Prive by Carolina Herrera Cologne Review

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Carolina Herrera is low key one of the best fragrance design houses out there, in my opinion. The 212 scents, such as 212 VIP and 212, are fantastic and distinct in their own ways. With so many positive experiences I’ve had trying out this designer’s line of fragrances, I always look forward to picking a new scent and giving it a wear. This time around it’s, CH Men Prive, which I gave a one time wear while at yet another duty free shop over in Europe.  I want to use this post to give my impressions of Prive and explore exactly what kind of fragrance it is.

 

Notes include: lavender, cardamom, sage, leather, whiskey, grapefruit, tonka bean, benzoin

Click here to try: Carolina Herrera Prive Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Fl Oz

 

Immediately, CH Men Prive, has me hooked by its scent. Leathery, boozy, tonka bean laden scents are among my favorite and Prive is right in that lane. 212 VIP also by Carolina Herrera, uses vodka as its alcohol of choice for an upbeat/club type of vibe, while Prive chooses whiskey with leather to create something darker and more mature. Prive is sort of like a cousin of Bvlgari’s Man in Black (which I wore heavily this past winter and even last Saturday night), as they share the leather, tonka, and benzoin notes but Man in Black uses rum as its booze note. I’d say that Man in Black is the spicier of the two, while Prive has that smooth/neat feel to it.

The leather is rich and warm and is paired very well with the whiskey note. However, it doesn’t seem to stray too far into the hyper-masculine arena, as Prive has a nice touch of sweetness to it. It’s not really a fruity sweetness or candy-like, more like a refined sugar. To me the benzoin note brings to mind, Kouros Body by YSL. The whiskey note isn’t overpowering and in fact starts to take a backseat after the initial opening. The vodka in 212 VIP and the rum in Man in Black are both much more prevalent than this whiskey of Prive.

I don’t know what the ‘wood’ note is in this cologne but I do detect one in the scent. I’d have to spend more time with it but it was a pleasant surprise.

Projection wise, it starts off pretty big but then ends up being fairly moderate. It’s not huge and overwhelming but you’ll know it’s there. The longevity is also pretty good, I got maybe 6-7 hours, when I wore it. Maybe it was the conditions, but it didn’t strike me as a powerhouse scent.

I could definitely wear this casually but like Man in Black, I would use it more for nightlife or for going out on dates. It’s a fall/winter scent but as long as it’s not too hot at night, it should hold up well in the evenings. CH Men Prive is dark and sensual and should attract plenty of female attention.

Overall, is CH Men Prive worth a buy? To me, yes. I hardly need another cold weather favorite, as I have so many options but Prive is really damn good. I don’t know if there’s a Carolina Herrera cologne that I hate and if there is it sure isn’t Prive. If you like well balanced, masculine scents, full of leathery goodness, then you’d do well to check this one out.


I Love NY for Fathers by Bond No. 9 Cologne Review

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Today’s review is going to be another one from Bond No. 9. Specifically, from its I Love NY line of scents that they came out with 5 or so years back. This review will be of the men’s fragrance, I Love NY for Fathers. As usual, I will cover what notes it has, how it smells, how long it lasts, when it should be worn, and if it’s worth a purchase or not.

 

Notes include: musk, lime, lavender, amber, basil, and sage

Click here to try: BOND NO 9 Cologne, I Love Ny Father’s Day, 3.4 Ounce

 

The opening of I Love NY for Fathers is like an animalistic soapy kind of scent. The musk note and lavender seem to be the stars at the beginning with a subtle citrus scent provided by the lime plays the background. Now, the lime not in this isn’t a really intense lime like that found in Set Sail St. Barts, for example. In fact, I don’t even think I would have been able to identify it as an ingredient if I hadn’t looked up what this cologne consisted of.

A few minutes in, I begin to catch a much more herbal aroma from basil and sage, that is quite mellow and subdued. It is fresh and clean but really not all that attention grabbing or unique for that matter. I feel like it’s similar to hopping out of the shower having used a bar of soap that is available at any local grocery store and not something that would set you back over a hundred bucks per bottle.

The projection is fairly good. New York for Fathers isn’t an intense cologne and eventually develops into a skin scent but I found it pretty noticeable for the most part. I’d say that the longevity is somewhere in the 5-7 hour range, especially when I wore it indoors. Not great but not terrible either.

A very casual scent that will perform best in the warmer months of the year. It reminds me of a spring day and it’s whole tone would fit well within that framework. This is not a sexy or romantic wear type of scent.

Overall, would I recommend I Love NY for Fathers? Not really. It’s not awful but it’s nothing special either. For the price, it’s not a good deal at all. There are plenty of colognes or bath soaps out there which could produce the same effect for a fraction of the cost. I really don’t see the point of owning this, unless you collect these scents or this is just an exact reflection of your personal style. No real personal appeal for me.

 


Canoe by Dana Men’s Cologne Review

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I’m pretty sure that I am approaching or perhaps already have surpassed 100 fragrance reviews on this site since its launch almost 3 years ago. Of course, there are always new scents to try out and relay my experiences with them to my readers, but sometimes I can call on an older cologne and put forth my two cents about it. One of the earliest fragrances that I was gifted was a scent called Canoe by Dana. Apparently, this is one which dates back to the 1930s and has been steadily selling as a sort of drug store cologne ever since. In this post, I’d like to give an overview of this scent and its performance.

 

 

Notes include: lemon, oakmoss, cedar, lavender, vanilla, tonka bean, carnation

 

The opening of Canoe always struck me as a warm blend of citrus and sweetness provided by the vanilla and tonka bean notes. I really should like this cologne, as I enjoy vanilla scents such as Le Male and Opium, both of which add a layer of spiciness to the aroma but I simply could never vibe with Canoe.  It always seemed like an old scent (which it is) but it has all of the appeal of something an old man would wear…like senior citizen eau de cologne.

I don’t mind mature fragrances when I feel they are done well, Azzaro isn’t my style really, but I understand its dry and earthy appeal. Canoe I think relies too much on floral notes, which just strikes me as kind of underwhelming when put together with the citrus notes. One things, that I will say on the positive side of things, is that Canoe is quite a clean scent, so even if I don’t personally care for it, I can see what they were going for with it.

Projection is on the low-to-moderate side of things. That’s good in this case because I would utterly hate to be around an intense version of this cologne. Longevity is also pretty disappointing, maybe 5 hours tops with this stuff.

Is Canoe a buy? Not for me. It is really, really cheap but even still, I don’t recommend it. What’s the appeal? It doesn’t last very long and smells completely dated and not that great to begin with. If you’re looking to save money, there are plenty of other options that are better than this.