Cologne Reviews

Bleu Noir EDP by Narciso Rodriguez

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Bleu Noir EDP is another flanker fragrance from this Narciso Reodriguez line of scents. It was released in 2022. I recently bout a sample of this one along with the Parfum, in order to give each a full test and review for the site. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is EDP worth a try?

What does Bleu Noir EDP smell like?

Notes include: musk, ebony wood, amber, cedar, and vetiver

Click here to try: Bleu Noir EDP

My Full Review

The opening of Bleu Noir EDP is mostly about the musk and the vetiver notes. Fresh, sort of earthy with a hint of dirtiness under the cleaner aspects. It’s got a fairly dry profile, at this stage. 

As we move along, I get less of the vetiver on my skin, and the musk takes the top spot for the rest of the way. With that, comes the ebony wood and amber, and Bleu Noir becomes smoother and much warmer. 

There is still a slight sweetness here and even a powdery touch. Even though, this one doesn’t officially have that same iris note that is in the Parfum version. 

This is how it goes on for most of the way. The aroma of the vetiver will continue declining and some cedar will be more apparent with the ebony wood.

The final dry down for me, is essentially just the musk and amber with a very light woody scent floating about in the background. This isn’t a very complex fragrance.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is at best moderate. It’s a lighter fragrance that hangs around your skin without a ton of projection. During that first 30-60 minutes or so, you do get some nice ability to project, but this isn’t a massive scent.

The longevity is pretty good, not great. On me, it lasts between 6-7 hours, before finally disappearing. Again, the back half is especially when this one is sticking close to the skin. It is still around and somewhat noticeable, but past the 7 hour mark, I get nothing from it.

Seasonally, because it isn’t a heavy cologne, it can kind of fit in most scenarios. It’s probably not the best for high heat and humidity, but outside of that this Bleu Noir flanker will hold up well.

It is also very versatile in terms of when you can wear it. It can work as a daily wear scent to the office and be worn out at night. It’s not the boldest nightclub scent or the sexiest fragrance you might grab for a night out. But, it will fit in well enough, and not really be a bad choice.

Overall Impressions of Bleu Noir EDP

Overall, do I like Bleu Noir EDP? It’s pretty good, but nothing special. The Parfum version is indeed better than this one. 

The opening is fine, not my favorite. Though, I do like the middle, when you still get some of the vetiver with the amber and woods also in balance with one another.

Still, even with that, I’m never completely loving wearing this cologne. It’s nice enough and has its moments that are quality, just nothing that I need to have in my rotation.

The performance is pretty basic too. Bleu EDP is the type of fragrance that you can wear almost anywhere, but it’s not going to stand out or blow you away with how long it lasts.

That all being said, it’s probably worth a try, at least. The pricing isn’t crazy and it can cover so many bases for guys, that it warrants consideration. The smell itself might endear itself more to you, than it did for me.

Terre d’Hermes Eau Intense Vetiver by Hermes

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Eau Intense Vetiver is a Terre d’Hermes flanker fragrance that was released back in 2018. I’ve thought it was the best of the line, back when I originally tried it, and I recently bought a sample to try and confirm that opinion. I’ve been testing Intense Vetiver out for a full review, as of late. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Terre d’Hermes Eau Intense Vetiver Smell Like?

Notes include: bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, Sichuan pepper, vetiver, geranium, amberwood, patchouli, olibanum

Click here to try: Eau Intense Vetiver

My Full Review

A nice mix of citrus, but not as noticeable as in the original or Tres Fraiche. It’s a balance between grapefruit, lemon, and bergamot. Not orange like the others in the series, but it actually still seems to have an orangey aroma, at times.

That citrus top is blended with the geranium note and the already peaking through star of the show, vetiver. Fresh and a minty sort of geranium as found in Tres Fraiche.

You also do get that peppery kick pretty early on. The citrus notes will already start backing off in favor of the woodsier notes and the Sichuan pepper.

For me, it’s after about 15 minutes and this one smells like a clean and peppery woods cologne, with an old school style to it. Very crisp and cooling.

The citrus doesn’t fade away completely per se, it just sort of adds a further brightness to the feeling of this one. Eventually, it becomes less peppery, you get more wood, and a touch of olibanum smoke.

But really, this is a big hefty dose of vetiver. Vetiver with a refreshing additional woodsy style, built more for the warmer weather. Not super complex with its composition.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The opening hour has a good reach with its projection. It’s not a fragrance that feels heavy, substantial enough to leave a trail in your wake, and not a light mist around you. Above average with its sillage and doesn’t evaporate quickly into a skin scent.

On my skin, Intense Vetiver lasted just over 7 hours. Maybe, 7.5. It’s pretty solid with the performance, not a marathon wear or complete beast. Though, it basically gives you what you’d need from it.

This is one of the Terre d’Hermes flankers that works well in the cooler weather. I’d stick to this autumn through early springtime. I tried it out in the summer heat on day, wasn’t great, took on a slightly weird smell.

This is one that you can wear casually or as a daily wear to the office. Intense Vetiver is going to be mostly a daytime fragrance. Not a sexy nightlife beast or one that’s super formal (though, it’s fine when dressed up). It’s clean and fresh, not too much of an attention grabber.

Overall Impressions of Eau Intense Vetiver

Overall, do I like Intense Vetiver? Yes. I’m not in love with any of the Terre d’Hermes fragrances, but I think that this is my favorite of the bunch. Was never the one that I would’ve picked out based on the notes alone, but it’s quite good.

I think that Eau Intense Vetiver has a nice balance in the notes, until the vetiver fully emerges. Even, if it’s not my favorite note ever, it all works well in conjunction with everything else.

Yet, this is one of the best Hermes fragrances for men, even as a flanker of the brand’s most popular release.

You get a light citrus, smokiness, earthiness, woods all wrapped up in a classic styling. Others in the series have been too sharp with the citrus or even too much of the earthy/dirtiness. This has a more even distribution.

If you liked the original Terre d’Hermes, you’ll almost certainly enjoy this one too. There are better vetiver colognes out there, but I think this is a very nice example, that has enough depth and other notes to make it not be a one tone fragrance.

Terre d’Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche by Hermes

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Eau Tres Fraiche is a Terre d’Hermes flanker that was released in 2014. This was one of the variants of the original cologne, that I wanted to test out, as it sounded like something that I might like. I recently bought a sample of Eau Tres Fraiche for review. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Terre D’Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche Smell Like?

Notes include: orange, citrus, water notes, geranium, cedar, patchouli, woods

My Full Review

Hermes’ tag-line: From the Earth springs a new freshness

Tres Fraiche kicks things off with an initial blast of the orange note and sharp citruses. The orange actually smells less like the fruit itself and more of a rind, to my nose.

The other citrus notes are more of a generic sort of aroma. But, they do really pack a punch. Light and clean, just sharp.

Underneath it, has a greenish/woodsy aroma. Fresh quite mint-like geranium. All of this combined into a watery base. There’s a definite spiciness here, especially in the early stages.

The citrus will thankfully begin to receded somewhat as it moves into the middle act. Once it does, the cedar and patchouli emerge and the earthy aspects to the fragrance are more apparent.

However, to me the citrus still hasn’t burned off enough at this point. Yes, it does have that extremely fresh cooling sensation when all put together, but it’s pretty irritating and has a distinct earthy/dirty accord, at this stage.

Once more of the citrus burns off, this is a better scent. I wouldn’t have thought that would be the case before testing it out, but, the woods taking control really improves Tres Fraiche’s likeability.

The dry woodiness aspect has a heavier weighting, while the earthiness isn’t as pronounced. It’s like a cedar clean soaking in orange water. Nice and refreshing for summer.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one actually does start off projecting very well. It’s not a heavy scent obviously, but it’s got some reach at 6+ feet from where you spray.

That does wear off pretty quickly, though. For the rest of the wear past maybe 30 minutes, it’ll be within three feet, if not much closer. Not terrible, just not consistently strong.

On my skin, it lasts maybe 6-6.5 hours maximum. Even with that, the last few hours a pretty much skin scent territory. It’s slightly above average in its longevity, not much beyond that.

For a summer fragrance of this sort, it’s good enough.

Seasonally, spring and summertime. It’s something to wear during the daytime in the heat, when you want a refreshing feeling. It does give you that, at least. It can work casually or just as a daily wear during the hottest parts of the year.

Overall Impressions of Eau Tres Fraiche

Overall, do I like this scent? Not really. That opening and the next early phase just kills my interest in wearing it.

I’m already not much of a fan of this Terre d’Hermes series (I know, I’m in the minority), but this is one of my least favorite of the line. Based on the notes, I thought that I was really going to enjoy this, but that’s not how it worked out at all.

The dry down is better and much more of a pleasant warm weather wear, but it takes too long to get there, and the journey isn’t worth it for me.

Sharp sort of sour and watery citrus, intense freshness, and a very earthy base…it’s too much.

Fans of this series, will probably enjoy this. So, if that’s you, it’s probably worth a try. Or, if you’re someone who likes a little dirtiness to their scents, here’s a summer option for you.

Eau Tres Fraiche has been discontinued since it was released back in 2014. Those who are interested will have to find it online from a third party discount seller.

Le Male Elixir by Jean Paul Gaultier

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Another year brings us another Le Male flanker from JPG. However, this year’s edition called ‘Elixir’, has been getting a ton of attention and hype since its announcement and subsequent release in Europe. It’s finally here in the US and I purchased a bottle for myself to test out. How does Elixir smell? Is it long lasting? Is it actually worth a buy?

What does Le Male Elixir Smell Like?

Notes include: mint, honey, lavender, tonka bean, benzoin, tobacco, vanilla

Click here to try: Le Male Elixir at Macy’s

My Full Review

Here’s how JPG describes it: Le Male Elixir sports a gold-striped sailor top with transparent amber reflections that reveal his powerful physique and coppery skin. This bottle of desire contains an intense and aromatic woody, amber perfume. This fragrance sets the atmosphere ablaze and revitalises the skin.

The opening spray is minty with a cooling spice. The original Le Male pairing of that mint and lavender is quite apparent. This time, the vanilla note is initially pretty subdued, in favor of the tonka bean.

It doesn’t smell the same, but I get a similar vibe from Chanel Allure Sport Eau Extreme with the mint and heavy tonka opening act. This is for sure sweeter and has a syrupy quality to it, but it was strange to have Elixir trigger that scent memory.

This phase is pretty quickly moved through. The honey and fuzzy amber warmth of the benzoin will quickly seep into the aroma. Less coolness after 5-10 minutes and the scent has the permanent honey glaze for the rest of the wear.

I don’t find the honey or even the tobacco note to be particularly heavy in this mix, but they are certainly noticeable.

The closest comparable fragrance to this is Le Male Le Parfum. However, I do think they are different for most of the way.

In Le Parfum, the dry down of lavender, vanilla, and amber is close to what you get at times with Elixir. But, Elixir’s honey, tobacco, and that tonka bean gives it an added layer. I absolutely think that it’s enough to distinguish them in the back half of the wear.

Earlier, the similarities are fewer as the cardamom and iris notes found in Le Parfum’s first hour aren’t here at all.

So, as we get into the back half, the freshness of the mint is miniscule. Elixir is about its tonka bean and vanilla combination, lavender, honey soaked tobacco, and the less fuzzy now benzoin.

The vanilla slowly eats away at the dominance of the tonka bean throughout the wear. It probably starts off close to 80/20 and then reverses in favor of vanilla, by the end.

The sweetness here is somewhat cloying, it’s worse in the heat. But, I don’t find it to be oppressively thick (earlier, it is a heavier feeling) or too sugary. Again, I’d call the honey a glaze-like effect, even with the amber base.

So, that’s the end of it. Basically, the vanilla and lavender of Le Parfum with that honeyed tobacco influence. This is JPG’s masculine version of La Belle EDP, it would seem.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This is absolutely one of the loudest, most likely to leave a long scent trail, and furthest projecting colognes of the series. It’s still a notch below Ultra Male (at least the original bottles, not sure if it’s been weakened over time).

Le Male Elixir is a powerhouse, that certainly outdoes Le Parfum, which never struck me as being all that massive with its reach. You don’t need a lot with Elixir and you certainly get your money’s worth, in terms of performance.

It will last around 9 hours, but is capable of going beyond that. I’d say around 10.5 hours, during this initial testing run. If I get it to go beyond that, I’ll come back and update.

That’s me testing it out indoors, since this was released at the height of summer in the US. Which, seasonally, that’s not what this is built for.

Autumn and winter, mainly. Potential to move into spring, based on where you live or what you’re going to use this for.

I will say, I think this has more versatility than Ultra Male. That one, I loved a lot initially, even if it was limited to nightlife wear. Still like it, but something I break out once in a while, nowadays.

Elixir is also geared more towards the nightlife and wear for younger guys. It’s one of the louder and sort of obnoxious flankers of the Le Male line, which is one of the things that makes it great.

But, I also think that this could be used better in casual daily situations and has a sweet/warm cozy vibe, that can lend itself to a couple of sprays, and not stick out like a sore thumb. So, not a bad option for school, if you go light.

For professional environments, I’d go with something else entirely. Save this one for your down time, as this is not a formal scent. Fun to wear, but there’s a time and place for it and the office probably isn’t it for most guys.

Overall Impressions of Le Male Elixir

Overall, do I like Elixir? Absolutely. While I still think the original Le Male Le Parfum is still the best daily wear of the series, this one, might be my new favorite flanker. Like, the scent itself has the highest peak, but it’s not something I’d want to wear each day.

It’s better than Le Parfum with its complexity, has taken the place of Ultra Male, and pretty easily beats out Airlines. I’ve been wearing the original quite a lot lately and this will be the next choice out of the five Le Male’s I own.

From the minty fresh and tonka bean opening, into the emergence of the honey and tobacco, I am enthralled with Elixir. Smelling it up close on the skin, I’m less taken with it, but it really hangs around beautifully.

It’s without a doubt one of the better mainstream designer scents this year. I bought and enjoy 1 Million Royal, but this one gets my vote in comparison.

Just as a Le Male flanker, it’s already a special one, with so many forgettable releases like In the Navy in the back catalog.

If you don’t like other Le Male colognes, I don’t think this is going to change your mind. It’s probably not going to be your style. Also, if the sweeter and bold fragrances don’t do it for you, you can probably safely skip it.

Otherwise, this is one I would absolutely recommend trying out, if it sounds interesting to you. At least find it in store to let yourself experience a few sprays out of a tester, before committing to a full bottle.

Still, I think it’s among the best JPG fragrances. Not for everyone, though.

Does Elixir live up to the hype? It’s not the best fragrance ever, but it is indeed very good. For the bold and playful style of this Gaultier series, it is an absolute hit.

Blackberry Brandy by Dua Brand

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Blackberry Brandy was one of the Dua originals that I wanted to try out, when I came across it on the website. So, I bought one of the travel size vials for testing and full review. I wanted to see how the boozy perfume actually smelled and if it was actually worthwhile. Below is my experience with this scent.

What does Blackberry Brandy smell like?

Notes include: blackberry, berries, black cherry liqueur, cedar, amber, brandy, labdanum, vanilla

Click here to try: Blackberry Brandy

My Full Review

Blackberry Brandy starts off with the fruity end of its personality taking the lead. Yes, the blackberry will be here throughout, but the cherry liqueur note will be very prominent at the start.

There are some further berry notes here, but mostly get overshadowed by the blackberry itself.

Brandy is obvious too, from the very beginning. The note doesn’t take time to develop and it too sticks around the entire time.

After 10 or so minutes, I’ll pick up some warmer amber and labdanum notes. There’s some spice, still mostly sweet, and the boozy effect of the brandy note.

The initial fruits will fade, sands the blackberry. At this point, the blackberry is in charge, with the brandy playing second fiddle. Vanilla really comes through here, playing sort of a balancing role with the amber base.

To me, the only real change during the final dry down is that this perfume becomes more brandy dominant with blackberry falling back some. Less fruity, more boozy.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Blackberry Brandy does have a thicker and warmer kind of feeling while wearing it. Not super heavy or a massive projector. more like a cozy cloud of perfume. A bit above average with its reach, just not going to blow the doors off.

The fragrance lasts right about 7 hours, on my skin. It’s fine, nothing extreme, but slightly above average versus many other scents on the market. On the whole, the performance is pretty good, just not amazing.

Seasonally, this is autumn and winter all the way. Within that time frame, you’ll most likely want to wear this casually during the day or as more of a nighttime fragrance. Probably not the best idea to show up to the office smelling like brandy, so, it’s probably a bit more limited than other perfumes in that sense.

In the cold, however, this one really shines. It just hangs beautifully in the air around you and is quite comforting.

Overall Impressions of Blackberry Brandy

Overall, do I like Blackberry Brandy? Yes, but not completely in love with it. I’ve been trying to like the smell of brandy more than I actually do, it seems. I prefer rum, cognac, and whiskey fragrances when I want some booziness.

However, if you’re a big fan of brandy, this is for sure one to check out. It does everything well, the warmth, the blackberry note, the cherry liqueur, and that brandy note itself.

It’s not super complicated, but I like the depth of the aroma that the vanilla, amber, and labdanum notes add to this one. That cherry liqueur really stands out to me early and I like it a lot.

Performance is good, not incredible, but probably enough for what most people would use this fragrance for. It’s worth a shot or maybe try out one of their other brandy perfumes, if you’re not super into the smell of blackberry.