Cologne Reviews

Absolu Aventus by Creed

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Absolu Aventus is a limited edition of the best selling name by Creed, which was released in 2023. As of now, the brand really limited the number of bottles that came out, and I’m not sure what the status will be for the future.

I did however, purchase a sample for quite a bit of money, in order to test it out and see how it actually smells, performs, and if it’s worth trying to get a hold of.

What does Absolu Aventus Smell Like?

Notes include: citron, bergamot, blackcurrant, vetiver, grapefruit, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, pink pepper, patchouli

Click here to try: Absolu Aventus

My Full Review

The differences between Absolu and the original Aventus will be quite apparent in the opening act. The pineapple and birch are noticeably missing.

Absolu Aventus is a smoother blend in comparison with bergamot still in the lead spot, but flanked with citron, grapefruit, and the same blackcurrant. It does still have a somewhat sharp bite to it, but it doesn’t hit in the same way.

This to me, is a welcome change of pace, as the opening has always been my least favorite aspect of Aventus.

The spices here are mainly the cinnamon and cardamom notes. Ginger is present, but never becomes a major factor in the mix for me.

Vetiver was the biggest shock to me early. I wasn’t expecting it to come through as much as it did. I actually get more of it than I ever do from the ginger. Between this and the patchouli, you’re going to get some earthiness wafting up from the base.

Nothing crazy, but enough freshness and woodsy/grassy aroma to make up for some of what is missing from the original. Somewhat smoky, but really not to the same extent at all.

Basically, this one is citrus, spice (cinnamon and an emergent pink pepper), and the vetiver/patchouli mix in the base. Clean and pleasant. Unique enough from the original Aventus, but doesn’t stray too far away.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

During my initial wear, I was quite pleased with this because it had the same bold opening as Aventus. Plenty of projection and it definitely had scent trail potential, albeit in with a less heavy feeling than its predecessor.

But, after only a few hours into it, Absolu Aventus became a skin scent. I tried it multiple times with the same result. Disappointing.

For me, this Creed lasts the same length of time as Aventus. I get 8-9 hours out of it. Again, not to the same strength, and 4-5 of those hours, Absolu is going to be hovering just off of the skin. Nothing much more than that.

Seasonally, I think that Absolu is at its best in the autumn through spring. With the deeper use of citrus, I thought it might be summer coming into testing. Nope. This fragrance is surprisingly great when it’s cool and crisp outside.

As far as when you can where it, just think any time that you wear the original. It retains that super versatile and signature scent aspect.

Overall Impressions of Absolu Aventus

Overall, do I like Absolu Aventus? Yes, it’s very much like the original Aventus, only with some changes at the edges to make this fragrance somewhat distinct.

I do enjoy those additions. The cinnamon might be my favorite part of this newer formula. The citron in this citrus heavy mix is also pleasant. In terms of how it smells, Absolu is a nice release.

My main issues with it are the performance and the price tag for what it is. Over $500 per bottle. I can explain away the latter as it being as limited edition or something for collectors.

Fine. I’m not in the market for an Aventus fragrance, so, it doesn’t really concern me. Definitely feels like a cash grab, though.

The nosedive that it seems to do after a few hours, with how it projects is my main gripe. It feels like it’s going to be an equal to the original and then it just turns into a skin scent for me.

With all of that in mind, I don’t think this is going to be worth tracking down for most people. If you love Aventus, sure you might want a different take on it. For the rest of you, you might want to go with a different Creed cologne or just pick up one of the other Aventus scents.

There’s nothing here that’s way different, just a bit of an alternative take on the popular smell of Creed Aventus.

Dior Homme Intense (2011) by Christian Dior

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Seeing as I just reviewed Dior Homme, I of course had to do one for its flanker fragrance, Dior Homme Intense. Don’t worry, I’ll do a comparison post of these two in the near future. Until then, I want to focus singularly on Intense as a stand alone scent.

How does it smell? How does it perform? When should it be worn? Is it worth a buy? Update: I am revising and updating this post, as I’ve gotten more experience with it, and the original Dior Homme.

What does Dior Homme Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: pear, iris, vetiver, ambrette, lavender, cedar

Click here to try: Christian Dior Dior Men Intense Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of Dior Homme Intense hits with a blast of lavender, cedar, and vetiver. It’s a smooth woody affair that pairs with the ambrette to create a warm woods feeling. The iris emerges for me, after about a minute of wear and gives off that familiar powdery floral aroma.

The lavender is in many ways the leader, but what I guess is the ambrette, gives this fragrance its warmth and adds to the cacao sort of aroma. Cedar and vetiver solidify the base. The latter two notes, will have a greater impact later on, but I can detect them from the start.

Honestly, I think that my favorite part is the opening 10-15 minutes with this fragrance. It’s just so layered and wonderful. To me, the opening beats out Dior Homme. That’s saying something, considering Dior Homme has become a staple in my rotation.

I’ve noted in subsequent comparisons between the two, that I enjoy Dior Homme more, overall. That being said, I will combine this two, and it’s essentially a 1A vs 1B scenario.

One of the main differences with Intense, is the lack of the leather note, when compared to the original. This is woodier, with a sweeter warmth.

The iris is still dominant, later on, but tempered when compared with Dior Homme. The lavender here, plays a pretty big role in how the iris gets to develop.

As it settles down, it draws more toward the powdery end of things, and there is definitely the cacao note that is found in the original Dior Homme lurking in this mixture.

It actually dries down into a rich, chocolate (somewhat vanilla) powder, gourmand and that’s how Intense separates itself from Dior Homme.

I get a fresh and semi-sweet fragrance, once it’s fully developed. This is all sitting on a dry base of cedar and vetiver. Powdery, clean, classy, and surprisingly seductive.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The projection on Dior Homme Intense is quite good. It’s not nearly as loud as something like 1 Million but it definitely earns the intense moniker.

The longevity is excellent. Dior Homme Intense is an all day wear and then some. That’s one thing, that I really appreciate about this cologne.

On my skin, I can hit that 9-11 hour range of solid wear. Yes, towards the end of that set, it is much more of a skin scent. However, the performance is very good overall.

For wear, it’s a late fall and winter wear in my book. It has a really warm, sweet gourmand fragrance and just sits perfectly in the colder air.

I stay away from the two Dior Homme’s in summertime. Maybe, if I’m going to be indoors, during the evening. But, it has to be air conditioned, and low humidity.

In terms of versatility, it is another classy and dressed up kind of scent. Hell, I’ll wear it with t-shirt and jeans, but it exudes sophistication and is best represented when dressed to the nines.

I like Dior Homme Intense best for evening wear and romantic wear. It does a great job at filling that role.

It is a masculine fragrance, but not in a rough, or overbearing sort of way. This is a man who is well put together, not weak, but not boorish either.

I have gotten plenty of complements, wearing Dior Homme Intense. Several drivers, when I’ve headed out to the bars, have commented on how much they like it. Also, women, once I arrive in whatever nightlife venue respond really positively toward this scent.

Now, I do wear Dior Homme, over this usually. But, I do often combine the two, for greater effect. Maybe two sprays of Dior Homme for one spray of Intense. It brings out enough strength, blends well, while giving you some highlights of each of the colognes.

Overall Impression of Dior Homme Intense

Overall, would I recommend Dior Homme Intense? Yes, indeed I would. I enjoy wearing it and like it’s different take on the original Dior Homme.

You can totally have both of them, as they are different enough, to create their own experiences and have a slightly different personality, so to speak.

I absolutely love the opening act of this fragrance. It’s about as perfect, as I can imagine a scent to be, or that I have come across in all the hundreds of tests that I’ve done. It’s fantastic.

The performance overall is outstanding and there’s no overwhelming negative, that I can tell from, all of my time spent with this cologne. Dior Intense has achieved classic status, in my book.

Update: Intense is now the remaining Dior Homme with this formulation (outside of the scarce Dior Homme Parfum). The brand revamped the Dior Homme lineup, producing: Dior Homme 2020 review and the Sport variant. As such, DHI would be my number one pick from this line.

Anyway by Juliette Has a Gun

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As a part of my last batch of samples, I included a scent that I had never heard of at the time. This always interests me, since it can be quite a change of pace, and I can hopefully find a hidden gem. That fragrance is: Anyway by Juliette Has a Gun. Yeah, great name…In this post, I am going to go over what it contains, how it smells, performs, and whether or not this unisex fragrance is worth a purchase.

What does Anyway by Juliette Has a Gun Smell Like?

Notes include: neroli, lime, ambroxan, and musk

Click here to try: Juliette Has A Gun Anyway Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.3 fl. oz.

My Full Wear Review

Anyway starts out with the top notes of neroli and lime. It’s a nice citrus aroma that doesn’t have quite the same intense lime as something like, Set Sail St. Barts. It’s downplayed and actually quite lovely in its presentation. I have to say the opening is my favorite part of Anyway, it is fresh and smells great.

I love lime in a summer fragrance, but there are so few that can truly hold on for long periods of time.

That’s about as good as it gets. The initial top notes fade after about ten minutes and what you’re left with is a musky mix or floral notes and ambroxan.

It’s warm but almost completely without any personality, in my opinion. There is only a hint of that nice lime left and it all just smells very blasé. Anyway becomes as indifferent, as I become to wearing it.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s starts off moderate and quickly turns into a skin scent. Not really even an interesting skin scent. It’s sort of there but never wows you.

The sillage on this stuff comes out okay, but then just fades out almost entirely. That seems to happen with lots of these citrus based scents, just no staying power.

The longevity is poor and this fragrance only last for a few hours, tops. Lame. Seriously, I tested it out multiple times, with heavy spraying and still not much of anything here.

I guess this was designed to be a casual spring/summer scent. Though, it doesn’t perform well enough to really assign it a category. Other than, being unisex for the short time it does anything.

If it lasted on your skin, I guess it would have pretty good versatility in the warmer months of the year. I’d keep it to daytime wear, semi-formal, casual, or work.

Overall Impressions of Anyway

Overall, I’m obviously not going to recommend this scent. I mean, I like the lime note, but it is too short lived. Secondly, it’s extremely boring for the rest of the time it hangs around on your skin. I don’t think it ever smells bad, it’s just not interesting past 10 minutes.

If it had better longevity, it could be an okay choice for the summer months. But that’s also assuming that you could get it at a cheap price. I don’t see the point of owning this fragrance at all.

Original Vetiver by Creed

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Another day, another review. This time, I’ve been trying out a sample vial of Original Vetiver by Creed. Creed has some nice fragrances for guys, but I’ve also been disappointed or underwhelmed by some of their releases, that I thought were really bland. Sure, I can still appreciated the quality craftsmanship of each scent, but at that price if it doesn’t smell good…what the hell is the point? Does Original Vetiver fall into the same trap?

What does Original Vetiver Smell Like?

Notes include: vetiver, ginger, bergamot, sandalwood, musk, iris, ambergris, mandarin

Click here to try: Creed Creed Original Vetiver Men Millesime Spray, 4 Ounce

My Full Review of Original Vetiver

Obviously, the main attraction here is the vetiver note. However, upon the initial opening the citrus pair of bergamot and mandarin are very prevalent and work well with the soft spicy undertones of the ginger.

While I do enjoy vetiver in many different colognes, I was unsure about how I would feel about it being a dominant force in a fragrance, but I have to say that Creed did a great job at making it work.

Original Vetiver has a ‘green’ quality to it, that is almost reminiscent of a mint note. While there is not actual mint in this scent to my knowledge, Vetiver, does create that illusion at times when I’m smelling it on my skin.

Ultimately, the citrus and the minty illusion fall by the wayside and the vetiver takes center stage and never releases its grip. It’s such an utterly clean and invigorating scent, that seems to give you a slight energy boost when inhaled.

It’s quite a classic composition in this sense, once it’s settled, Original Vetiver is a fairly linear scent. That’s fine by me, as the soapiness of the fragrance, is crisp and masculine.

I enjoy how it subtly lingers throughout the day but I will say that it strikes me as an ‘old time’ fragrance, like something that was worn by men decades ago, which may limit its appeal with some guys.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s not overly strong but I never felt it to be weak, either. You’ll know that Original Vetiver is there, though, it isn’t going to overwhelm. It’s on the upper end of moderate, in my mind.

This fragrance has very good longevity and I get a full day’s wear out of it. Most all, Creed scents will give you this type of performance, as they are typically so well crafted. At least 8 hours, is pretty standard with this one, and can go over 10.

Seasonally, I would wear this at any time except for the height of summer. It doesn’t strike me as having a summery vibe and I’m not particularly convinced that it would perform well with heat and high humidity.

Original Vetiver is also a business or business casual kind of fragrance. Not something that would be worn out to a club or perhaps not even a date (but it won’t totally be out of place in that instance).

Overall Impressions of Original Vetiver

Overall, would I recommend Original Vetiver? Yes, provided you’re a fan of vetiver, want a ‘classic’ clean/soapy fragrance, and prefer subtlety over extreme power.

Original Vetiver is very attractive on the whole with a green and masculine aroma that could find a place as a daily wear for a lot of guys.

The performance here is good and this is an example of a great vetiver cologne. Yes, it is on the expensive side of things, but it is worth it for those who want a classic kind of cologne.

Personally, it’s not something that I’d want to wear all of the time. But, as far as vetiver focused scents go, this has been among my favorites for a while now. I will say, the price has been getting pretty crazy for what you get in return. So, Original Vetiver is probably a try out before you buy fragrance nowadays.

Fahrenheit by Christian Dior

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Christian Dior has released a number of fantastic fragrances for both men and women over the years. Among  them, is the appropriately named, Fahrenheit.

This scent was released by the design house in 1988 and still retains its reputation as one of the most unique as well as one of the best smelling colognes of the market (for some people).

This cologne has many admirers as well as detractors who detest its smell. Fahrenheit can be rather pricey for many people but it is one fragrance that will definitely help a man stand out. In this post, I want to give my review of Fahrenheit and take a closer look at what makes it so either or.

What does Fahrenheit by Dior Smell Like?

rp_fahrenheit-300x300.jpg

Notes include: honeysuckle, leather, nutmeg, violet leaf, vetiver, cedar, mandarin, jasmine, tonka bean, patchouli, sandalwood and balsam.

Click here to try: Fahrenheit By Christian Dior For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 6.8 Oz.

My Full Review of Fahrenheit

The opening of Fahrenheit is notorious. One common critique of this cologne is that its opening smells like a petroleum product (gasoline, kerosene, take your pick). It does settle down a bit after that but the description of the scent is pretty dead on.

The violet and the honeysuckle can tend to cause that reaction. The leather is also present but not yet at its strongest point.

It is interesting how all of the notes, sort of combine to give off that aroma, out of all the potential things that a cologne could smell like. There is an accord of white floral notes, along with dry woods, and hint of citrus.

When brought together, it’s like a perfect storm of competing notes, and that gasoline smell is the product of that.

Fahrenheit is also quite a strong cologne and as such needs to be used lightly in order for it to be enjoyable. As I said, it does settle down  but can often be too much for some guys to handle from their fragrance.

The best part of Fahrenheit, to me, is the sweet and leathery notes that emerge which is quite remarkable.

The leather is probably the most noticeable note in this one but also the violet leaf. This, is either a good or bad thing, depending on your tastes.

Fahrenheit is quite a masculine scent that does give off a really manly vibe to it, which limits its versatility somewhat. It’s definitely too strong for every occasion.

As it dries down, I get some spice within a composition that is heavily weighted toward leather and violet leaf. Yes, there are some sweet white floral notes, such as jasmine in there.

However, this Dior cologne is laden with leather and that violet leaf. Everything else is a role player and pretty much blends together, for me.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage of Fahrenheit still packs a punch, even after reformulations and whatnot. It is strong and doesn’t require many sprays to be effective.

It does mellow out, still quite noticeable, but fairly moderate for the rest of the way.

It is such a different scent, I wore this the day after I wore my usual Dior Homme, and they are opposites in the vibe they give off.

The longevity is also top notch, it lasted all day on my skin.

The fact that this used to be stronger back in the day, is pretty hilarious. Is it the strongest men’s perfume, I’ve come across? No, but it is a tier or two below, and that’s after it’s lost a step or two. The performance is still great and it will hit double digit hours of wear.

Update: The last batch that I tried seemed to get around 8 hours of wear. Not sure if that was an aberration or what.

Seasonally, I’d put Fahrenheit as anything other than the middle of the summer. Colder to moderate temperatures. Even though, this has been a popular designer fragrance since the late 1980s, it is still pretty niche in many ways.

Does it have versatility? For the right guy, yes. It can go casual or office wear, but really feels like a t-shirt and/or motorcycle jacket fragrance. It’s really not a universally appealing cologne.

I can wear it, but it isn’t something that I am dying to reach for. There are plenty of guys, who have raving about the stuff for over 3 decades now. So, it has its base.

Overall Impressions of Fahrenheit

Most people seem to either love or hate this scent from Christian Dior. It honestly doesn’t smell bad to me and I quite like it at times, but Fahrenheit just doesn’t fit my style, at all.

However, this does have the potential to be many people’s favorite cologne. When I wear it, it doesn’t bring me a lot of enjoyment, it’s more of a curiosity as someone who goes through a lot of different scents for this site.

Like, ‘Wow. That’s something totally different’, and it actually is from everything that is released nowadays. Fahrenheit is one that you need to try out before committing to fully, but it will be an absolute gem for some percentage of guys.

A lot of people seem to like Fahrenheit Parfum more than this original. I would agree with that, but even that didn’t quite meet expectations. I liked it, just never loved it. And you can always try to track down other Fahrenheit flankers like, Cologne.

If you like the smell, the performance is great. So, it won’t disappoint, if you fall in this particular niche.