Cologne Reviews

Mambo for Men by Liz Claiborne

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I have already completed my list of the best Liz Claiborne fragrances for guys and on that list was the scent, Mambo. As such, I thought that it’d only be appropriate to do a review on this cologne and post it along side of the list.

This is the last review of the most recent batch of samples that I received, so I will have to get another order in and keep on posting more fragrance ratings. Mambo has been one of the more popular inexpensive options from Liz Claiborne, but is it actually worth a try?

What does Mambo by Liz Claiborne Smell Like?

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Notes include: lime, bergamot, thyme, cedar, cinnamon leaf, sandalwood, sage, lavender, patchouli

Click here to try: Mambo by Liz Claiborne for Men, Cologne Spray, 3.4-Ounce

My Full Wear Review

Mambo is another inexpensive selection from Liz Claiborne and it is among the best from that brand’s line of scents. I like Mambo better than Bora Bora, but in my opinion it isn’t as good as the staple, Curve.

Mambo has a certain exotic energy to it that makes it a pleasant wear, especially at such a cheap price point. It is sweet and has a soapy quality that gives it a clean and expressive scent.

The opening of Mambo, is where you are going to find most of the citrus expressing itself. However, it never really takes on a juicy fruity smell. It is mixed with some light spice, but especially lavender in the beginning.

I tend to notice the smooth sweetness of the sandalwood and lavender as it blends with the lime and bergamot notes, which give it a non-sour citrus kick.

It’s kind of a floral cologne that is supported by citrus notes and made more masculine by the woodsy notes such as cedar. Mambo is a very warm type of scent, that has a noticeable Latin influence, with its exotic spice.

The exotic-smelling spice, is really just a mix of cinnamon, sage, musk, and patchouli. It is really difficult to distinguish between all of those notes, but the cinnamon and musk, are most noticeable. It’s fresh and not an overpoweringly heavy spiciness. Definitely tempered, by the citrus and floral notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Longevity wise, Mambo does a really good job at making it through the day. Usually, I have gotten over 6 hours of wear without any problem and often 8-9. So, it really brings the value, in that regard.

Also, it is a well-projecting cologne and not overwhelming at all. I’d say that it is slightly above average for most of the wear. A good ‘pop’ at the start and then slowly declining. The performance is a highlight with Mambo and probably a big factor in its long-term sales success.

It can be worn in casual settings, but also during a night out. That’s mainly what I would use it, if I were to keep it around. As a daily wear? Sure, it’s not too intrusive or anything, Mambo isn’t particularly formal though.

I’m not sure that it has a particular season of wear, I don’t think it feels right in the winter but I don’t know that it would hold up during a really hot summer day either. Maybe, best on a more moderate day.

Overall Impressions of Mambo

Overall, I would say Mambo is worth a try for guys on a budget. It’s not an earth-shattering scent but it performs well and is an attractive cologne.

For the price, one could try it out and use it as a daily wear or on certain occasions when you didn’t want to use your more expensive stuff.

Mambo is by no means one of my favorites, but I think that it has its place in some guys’ rotation. And for that, it is a solid inexpensive wear for men. I had a mini for a long time and never felt much like wearing it. I don’t hate it, but it didn’t have too much appeal to me.

It’s pretty middle of the road, across the board. That’s really what makes it a value play, Mambo just doesn’t do anything great.

The citrus can be nice early on. Sandalwood, lavender, and cinnamon provide a clean and fresh base for the other notes to operate off of. There are times here, where the scent is fairly enjoyable, but most of the time I’m indifferent to it.

Uomo EDT by Valentino

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In this review, I’m going to be taking a closer look at a fragrance, that I’ve been meaning to try out for a long while but never really got around to doing so: 2014 release, Uomo EDT by Valentino. As usual, I am going to be going over the notes, how it smells, when it should be worn, and ultimately if it is worth a buy or not. Note: I originally reviewed this years ago and have updated since.

What does Uomo by Valentino Smell Like?

Notes include: myrtle, bergamot, leather, coffee, cedar, gianduja cream

Click here to try: Valentino Uomo FOR MEN by Valentino – 3.4 oz EDT Spray

My Full Uomo Review

The opening of Uomo by Valentino is awesome. Now, Dior Homme Intense, has long held my top spot for best opening act, but I think it’s got some real competition with this one. It starts off with a juicy and slightly sour bergamot that is paired with gianduja cream (smells like hazelnut), along with some myrtle.

This trio is utter heaven and I wouldn’t have ever thought to pair such things.

Further along, I begin to get a lot more similarities with the original Dior Homme, which explains why I’m digging this Valentino so much (because I wear Dior Homme often). Mostly this is from the cedar note, floral note (myrtle instead of iris) and the warm sweetness, which here is a mix of the gianduja and roasted coffee.

However, even with their similarities, those two fragrances are still quite distinct from one another. It’s mostly a similar vibe shared. There is also a similarity with 1 Million Lucky, due to the hazelnut, albeit this is much more mature, and less tart sans plum.

So, as the scent dries down, I get less of the bergamot (which is great) and more leather and the coffee note. It all comes together a very smooth and sort of has a chocolaty aroma to it, which is another Dior similarity.

Very delicious gourmand cologne, that blends sweet, warmth, smooth, and fresh together wonderfully.

Ultimately, what I get from Uomo is the hazelnut aroma, leather, bergamot, and the smell of roasted coffee. It’s sweet and inviting, while staying completely classy.

Fairly late into the wear, the citrus seems to make a comeback in the composition, and it’s like a different variation of the opening. It’s a good blend with the hint of coffee that is still hanging around.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Uomo starts off pretty strong, but it quickly moves to be a moderate within an hour. The sillage isn’t going to hit across the room, but people will be able to smell it around you. Above average, just not extreme or super bold.

The longevity is somewhere around 7 hours, maybe an hour more or less, depending on the climate. Not really great, but definitely serviceable. A few more hours with decent sillage and this Valentino would be an absolute gem…though, it’s still awesome.

Seasonally, mostly for autumn and winter, but like the Dior’s this one can be perfectly fine in the springtime. It’s not a really heavy scent that can only come out for two months of the year, but not really a summer wear, in the slightest.

Yes, it is safe to wear at work or casually. Even if it’s not a club beast, I still want to wear it out at night, because it strikes me as so attractive and sexy in a refined way. Very attractive and one that can grab complements, especially in those early stages.

Overall Impressions of Uomo

Overall, do I like Uomo by Valentino? Obviously, yes. I think that it is a fantastic cologne and I am really tempted to get a full bottle, even if I don’t have the need for any other scents right now.

Update: Years later, in 2022, I finally did pick up a full bottle of this that I saw in a department store. This and Oajan, became two of the colognes that I wore a lot over the following autumn and winter. I still enjoy wearing this fairly often, even if I’m not quite as enthusiastic as I initially was. Still very worth checking out.

The opening of bergamot, myrtle, and the gianduja cream is one of the best that I’ve ever come across. I do, however, really like this style personally. I cannot guarantee, everyone else will agree.

Beyond that, it has a great roasted coffee note and cedar at its base. The whole thing is well blended and a joy for me to wear. Yes, it has a lot of similarities with Dior Homme, but it is still quite distinct from anything else.

My only real gripe is that the performance isn’t superb, but still above average. This is wonderful overall, though.

The score gets docked due to the longevity and how much it has resemblance to plenty of other fragrances, mainly the old Dior Homme series. On smell alone? It’s great.

Invictus Victory Elixir by Paco Rabanne

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Invictus Victory Elixir is a 2023 release, coming off of the heels of the popular Invictus Victory. I received a small sample of this along with my order of 1 Million Royal. I was curious to try this one out, as I did enjoy Victory. How does Elixir smell? Does it last long? Is it actually worth a try?

What does Invictus Victory Elixir Smell Like?

Notes include: cardamom, black pepper, bergamot oil, lavender, incense, patchouli, vanilla, amber, and tonka bean

My Full Review

Here’s how Paco Rabanne describes it: Discover Invictus Victory Elixir, the pinnacle of intensity from Invictus, the new powerful fragrance for men by Paco Rabanne. A potent elixir made to push victory beyond limits. the time has come to embrace your moment of immortality. A rich, powerful, long-lasting nectar blending spicy woods and biting freshness, for the epic achiever. It’s the ultimate expression of victory. never stop winning.

So, right away this strikes me as being a much more concentrated version of Invictus Victory. That scent had a lot in common with the Pure XS colognes from Paco Rabanne, but Elixir sort of strips that away to a more focused point.

Victory had the pink pepper and lemon notes up top. Elixir kicks off with a warm, resinous, and vanilla blend. Black pepper is exchanged for the pink variety, but it only lasted a few minutes tops.

The amber accord provides some spice along with the resinous qualities, but it doesn’t hit you in the face with it. There is a light cardamom, but not too much of it.

The incense note, is also in Victory. However, I will say that I can’t detect much of it at all in Elixir. It was very present on my skin with Victory.

Very smooth with how warm it is and the creaminess of the vanilla note. I’m glad the vanilla is heavier in the weighting versus the tonka bean, as I think that it has a more enjoyable scent this way.

A few minutes in, this one starts to feel much sweeter. The way everything combines, it has almost a coconut finish to it. Nothing crazy or overwhelming, but it is there. More like dry coconut flakes than a watery fruit juice.

The dry down lightens up on that sweet/coconut aroma. I get more tonka bean, an increase in the amber, and a lavender note becoming fairly distinct. It was always in the mix, I think, but really wasn’t clear on its own until the middle of the wear. It sort of sits underneath everything else, until fading in the tail end.

That tail end? Pretty much a vanilla, tonka bean, amber, and general freshness. Warm, sort of sweet, but not a complete sweet and creamy mess. It’s nice, pretty basic, at this point.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is nice and powerful. Definitely one to leave a scent trail in your wake. The projection off of the skin is great and could be nuclear with a full bottle. I did only have that tiny sample sprayer, but even with that, I can tell this one is going to be a beast.

The longevity also just keeps going. 9 hours at least. Maybe up to 11 or so, on my skin. I did eventually shower, but it was still very noticeably immediately prior to that. I’d have to test Elixir again to see exactly how long it lasts.

Nonetheless, expect a strong and long lasting performance out of this Invictus flanker.

Seasonally, this would be best in autumn and winter. Not strictly cold weather, but it’s probably best to avoid the heat. Kind of too thick and loud, to not be cloying in the middle of summer. Go with something else, then.

This is more of a casual or nightlife wear for younger guys. Not just teenagers, but it does have a youthful vibe, while still being one of the more well put together Invictus colognes.

Elixir is probably going to be pretty popular and has that very mass appealing sort of style. I can see this one being worn at bars and nightclubs around the world, in the next few years. Not super sexy, but it has its appeal.

Overall Impressions of Invictus Victory Elixir

Overall, do I like Victory Elixir? I do. Based on this one try, I’m not sure that I prefer it to the original Victory, however. Currently, I rate the smell as being equally enjoyable. I’ll see as I update this, if that changes or not.

Victory Elixir is for sure the better performer between them.

Like some of the other Paco Rabanne scents, this can have a bit of an annoying synthetic quality to it. Not too much of a problem here, but at times I can get tired of a fragrance like this. 1 Million Lucky and the original Invictus a bigger culprits, in this regard.

The aroma is pretty similar to Le Beau Le Parfum from JPG. However, this is better. It has the illusion of coconut, the amber, and tonka bean as the overlap between them. Elixir is a more pleasant and well done experience, in my opinion.

All in all, if you’re a fan of this series, you’ll almost certainly like this one. It’s among the best of them to me, even after this one try. It’s definitely worth trying out, at the very least.

Black Xs L’Exces by Paco Rabanne

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I recently received a sample vial of Black XS L’Exces by Paco Rabanne for purposes of finally getting around to reviewing it for this website. I wore it around and have gathered my thoughts in this post. How does it smell? What’s inside? Does it perform well? When can it be worn? Please continue below for my full take on L’Exces.

What does Black Xs L’exces Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, patchouli, lavender, amber, cypriol oil

Click here to try: Paco Rabanne Black Xs L’exces Eau de Toilette Intense Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

I own a full bottle of the original Black Xs and hardly ever wear it. I think it’s been on my shelf for the past two years, with nary a wear on my part. It was a blind buy and while I do kind of enjoy how it smells, there are issues which always bugged me, however.

Update: Got rid of it, never having used it again.

Namely, the heavier patchouli note, and how it blends with the praline. So, when getting a hold of a sample vial of L’Exces, I was worried that it would be more of the same…just intense.

The opening of Black Xs L’Exces is actually quite similar to the original. It has the familiar lemon note, but in the original it smells like strawberry candy, and L’Exces smells more like pineapple. Yes, the ingredient is lemon, but how it blends with the other notes produces a different aroma.

What I noticed most, is that it doesn’t have the same sharpness or overwhelming patchouli note that original has. This is great! The note is still present, it is just that it has been subdued and doesn’t have a praline sweetness to blend with anymore.

So, in a real sense, L’Exces isn’t intense or excessive. It is a cleaner version of the original. What you get is the citrus/pineapple aroma, sitting on top of a woody/lavender base that is soaked in amber.

It is bright, fruity sweet, and with an outdoorsy heart lurking in the background. It’s pretty linear, but as it dries down, it gets less citric and the other notes take a bigger stage. Mainly, the more outdoorsy or woody notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it does start out strong. Again, not as sharp as the original Black XS that Paco Rabanne released, but it can be loud from the jump. However, it calms down significantly, and I feel that it is ultimately a moderate.

The longevity is also good, I get right around 8 hours of wear from this juice. Testing it out a few times, it doesn’t seem to go beyond that on my skin. Not that it really needs to, but it isn’t an insane performer.

The original felt like a strictly winter scent to me. This cologne, however, could fit in year round and not be a mess. It’s got a good profile for the summer months. I would say it is more of a casual or club kind of fragrance rather than something to wear to work or other formal settings.

At a daytime part in the summer, it actually would work pretty well. I’d lean towards spring and summer nights, either case would be fine.

Leans more for someone in their twenties to early 30s. Not super serious nor is it a teenager’s cologne. The original was definitely more youthful. Just as one to wear around, this can venture into a variety of scenarios and can be used pretty much as a daily wear.

Overall Impressions of L’Exces

Overall, do I like Black XS L’Exces? It’s nice. Even though, I’m digging this more than the original, it’s not something I’d want to wear all the time or even often. I do really like how the patchouli was toned down and the praline seems to be gone, that’s a huge plus.

The tropical aspect is quite appealing, better than that strawberry lemon candy of the original. The lavender and woodiness is something that’s been done a million times before. It’s all fine, just nothing that blows me away.

There’s nothing here that’s offensive. The smell itself is attractive and there’s no real weaknesses with L’Exces.

It also gives a great performance in terms of sillage and longevity. A very solid wear. I think it has been discontinued, so if you want a bottle you’ll have to get it on the secondary market.

Update: Yeah, this one is no longer produced.

The prices that I’ve seen for this are pretty high, so, it might just be one to forget about now. If you stumble across an affordable bottle, it’s worth a shot.

Original Santal by Creed

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Creed is a world renown luxury fragrance brand which has served the royalty and other assorted elites of the world for hundreds of years now. It is a design house known for it use of quality ingredients and rich and fragrant scents for both men and women which have stood the test of time.

While we have already taken a look at the top Creed fragrances and reviewed such popular scents as Aventus and Millesime Imperial, we are going to take a look at a lesser known commodity in this post, Original Santal. Santal is one that flies under the radar, but is it because it hasn’t been hyped up, or is it simply not that good?

Original Santal Overview

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Notes include: sandalwood, juniper berry, cinnamon, vanilla, coriander, rosemary, lavender, tonka bean 

Click here to try: Original Santal by Creed

My Review of Original Santal

Here’s how Creed describes it: Looking to Asia for inspiration, Olivier and Erwin combine Mysore sandalwood, fiery cinnamon, warm vanilla and tonka bean. A robust scent fit for both formal and casual occasions, Original Santal is destined to captivate a room. Prepare for compliments

Santal seems to be formulated as sort of a unisex perfume (I’m not sure if this is actually the case or not but I have seen it for sale as unisex). That being said, don’t expect something that is overly masculine, because that’s not what you’ll get.

What you will find is warmth, smoothness, with a spicy kick. The most noticeable notes for me are the sandalwood and the cinnamon, though, I also get a vanilla note that seems to balance out the composition.

Immediately, I was struck by how much this reminded me of Joop!, though, perhaps it is much more ‘natural’ and less synthetic than Joop in it’s smell. Also, Joop! is much heavier, less clean, and geared toward men and wouldn’t be presented as a unisex scent.

Since I am sort a fan of Joop!, as an inexpensive option for guys, I liked Santal right off the bat. The dry down doesn’t give off the same powdery feel that Joop! does but I feel that Santal is a  smoother fragrance as well.

It opens up with the cinnamon spice and the creamy smooth sandalwood note. It is fresh, while being warm, and there is a slight fruit aroma provided by the juniper berry.

Original Santal also has a resemblance to Mont Blanc Individuel, but this one is much better, and feels more substantial. Santal has a spicier profile at the opening with the cinnamon, but also the coriander note, which gives it a more dynamic warmth.

Santal starts off projecting rather well off of my skin and after 20-30 minutes the vanilla note seems to start kicking in more. There then comes a third wave of notes which I can distinctly detect the tonka bean and lavender, which presents a warmer and woodsy sensation to this cologne.

I have to say, Santal is very pleasant to wear.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

However, for me, Santal’s projection is bordering on average. The sillage falls in the lighter moderate part of the spectrum. It’s not going to really ever overwhelm, which I wouldn’t want it to, but some kind of power would be nice.

I don’t seem to get much longevity from it…maybe 4-5 hours. Perhaps, it will have better longevity on other guys’ skin but it really doesn’t last that long on mine. That is a disappointment because this is a nice scent.

It is a safe and versatile fragrance. It is more limited in terms of climate, as it’s at its best in the cooler weather. However, as far as on what occasion it can be worn, it is the type of cologne that can fit in almost anywhere.

Again, it’s not a sillage beast, so Santal isn’t going to go hard in a night club environment. Original Santal is an attractive scent and I have gotten complements from women, while wearing it. Is it super sexy? Not really, but it is one that draws people closer.

Also, on the negative side, it’s not a particularly unique or special fragrance either. Is a cleaner and probably better option than Joop? I’d say so but would I pay for a full bottle of Santal, at Creed prices versus Joop? I wouldn’t.

Not that I really want either, all that bad. Mont Blanc Individuel can also be had for a lot cheaper, if you want something quite similar.

I’d personally take the Joop! and buy another bottle of Guerlain and probably something else as well. I do like Santal a lot, just not at that pricing point and versus my many other options.

Overall Impressions of Original Santal

Is Santal worth a buy? On smell alone? I’d say, yes. At this price? Probably not, unless you don’t particularly mind the cost. It is a very nice fragrance, that really grew on me, the more I wore it.

I love a good cinnamon note and the early stages of Original Santal has it in spades. Obviously, the main attraction is the sandalwood note, which is lovely. But, I especially love the notes that are used in support of it.

Update: Coming back to this one, a few years later, I totally dig the way this one smells on me. It’s got such a smooth vibe. Still no luck, in the performance department. That 4-5 hour limit is really holding Santal back from being an absolute must from the Creed collection.

I really wish that it had better performance, because that would push into the definitely buy category. The sandalwood, cinnamon, vanilla, and tonka bean together are great.