Cologne Reviews

Code Profumo by Giorgio Armani

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I was quite pumped to get a new batch of sample fragrances to try out recently. I hadn’t heard anything about Armani Code Profumo and so had no expectations about it, nor even knew what notes made up this scent. I just figured that since it was from Giorgio Armani, that it might be a decent buy.

In this post, I want to give my impressions of this cologne, how it performs, when it should be worn, and whether or not it is worth picking up a bottle. Update: This originally came out in 2016, I have since added more to the review, as I gained more experience with this scent.

What does Armani Code Profumo Smell Like?

armani code profumo

Notes include: leather, amber, tonka bean, cardamom, lavender, and nutmeg

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Code Profumo had me hooked after the initial spray. I like fragrances that are sweet, warm, and smooth and this one delivers on that amazingly well. To me, it is some close relative to The One by Dolce and Gabbana, 1 Million by Paco Rabanne, or even Versace Eros (the tonka bean). Plus, an added dash of Kouros Body.

The One is one of my favorite smelling colognes, it just has a problem with longevity on my skin, and it happens to share the amber and cardamom notes with Profumo.

The opening is mostly a mix of the warm amber note and the creaminess of the tonka bean. It’s sweet and somewhat candy-like in it’s presentation, sort of like 1 Million, without that grape bubblegum kind of smell that the Paco Rabanne cologne opens with.

There are two fruit notes here: mandarin orange and apple. I don’t personally pick up any apple, but the orange is there, it’s just subdued and not the usual bright citrus that you’d be used to.

As I’ve spent more time with Profumo, I’ve noticed that the sweetness here takes on a soda-like fizziness, it’s like a cream soda type of smell.

It kind of makes sense when you think about tonka bean, nutmeg, and cardamom blending together and how that would play itself out. It’s much warmer, less fruity at the top, and it doesn’t have the same amount of leather as the original Code.

The nutmeg note gives it a bit of spice which is smoothed out by the masculine leather. This is a new release for 2016 from Armani and I really think they hit a home run for people like me who love this kind of scent.

The opening is so sweet that it might scare some folks off, but the dry down is really great. Amber, leather, and tonka bean; these notes sit perfectly in the night air on a cold winter’s evening. Warm, enveloping, and inviting.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

It isn’t a very heavy fragrance but it does project itself pretty darn well. It isn’t a complete beast in that regard, but it does its job and doesn’t quit.

Code Profumo is more of a moderate fragrance that hangs around you, but won’t blow the doors off of people. It’s a cozy and sweet warmth, which is quite nice on the colder evenings.

Longevity is yet another plus sign for Code Profumo. This is an all day wear, that will hold long enough for any occasion that you may need to wear it. Seriously, the longevity is great, I could wear this on night’s out and hit double digit hours with it still going on my skin.

Update: Yep, this is a 10+ hour wear for me. Always got great performance out of Profumo.

I’d say this is a distinctly Fall/Winter fragrance and one that is great for nights out on the town. Code Profumo is a dark and sexy type of cologne that can also be worn on casual occasions and not feel out of place.

It doesn’t have the same bold almost in your face feeling that 1 Million can have and it isn’t weak like The One is. I like to wear it in a more dressed up situation but if I’m also out at a bar or something, in a relaxed atmosphere, Profumo gets the job done.

Overall Impressions of Code Profumo

Overall, would I rate this cologne a buy? Absolutely. I’m totally digging this scent right now, it’s great. Now, will every guy like it? Probably not, but most will. Like I said, if you don’t like warm/sweet fragrances, Code Profumo isn’t for you.

Update: Code Absolu has now been released and it is a slightly better version. You wouldn’t need both of them, so, I’d pick Absolu over Profumo, now.

Update 2: This one has been discontinued, so, you’ll have to find it a discounters nowadays. Still very much worth it, assuming it isn’t insanely priced.

Also, if you want something for the warmer months of the year, go with something else. However, if you need a new cologne for those crisp days and nights during autumn/winter, this should do the trick.

It’s got a great composition and performs super well. Code Profumo is safe enough to wear just about any time during the colder months, because it isn’t as loud or in your face as some of the other colognes on the market. It’s well balanced and a total joy to wear.

Guilty Absolute for Men by Gucci

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I have another scent from the Gucci Guilty line, that I am going to post a review of in the very near future, but I wanted to get this one out first. I have been sampling, Guilty Absolute, and wanted to share my thoughts while they were still fresh in my mind. How does this flanker compare to the rest? What does it smell like? Does it perform well? Is it worth a try?

What Does Gucci Guilty Absolute Smell Like?

Notes include: leather, vetiver, patchouli, cypress, woods

Click here to try: Gucci Guilty Absolute Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

Guilty Absolute is a pretty distinct departure from the other fragrances, which bear the Guilty name. The opening hits hard, with an immediate leather, and a dry/dirty patchouli. It’s warm, somewhat spicy, but quite intense and surrounded by fresh woods.

I knew nothing about this formulation, going into the wear, and really wasn’t expecting something like this to come out of a Gucci Guilty fragrance. But, I like it.

This one also has a smoky aroma lurking around, as well. The cypress and golden wood notes, help bring about that. Up top, some people compare this to Dior Fahrenheit.

Is it? Meh, the dirty leather and patchouli, don’t have the same level of gasoline smell, to my nose. Plus, the violet leaf is noticeably missing. So, not really.

As it dries down, Absolute, becomes smoother and fresher. It’s less of a patchouli/leather scent and more of a leather/vetiver with dry woods. Not as in your face, but rich, warm, and dark. It’s a very masculine scent with an interesting depth to it.

The smoke is still around, but even it feels more tame and smoothed out.

Finally, it moves into being a leather and cypress scent, almost exclusively. The vetiver, doesn’t stick around the whole way, at least on my skin.

Sillage and Longevity

Guilty Absolute packs a punch. The sillage is pretty darn intense and extends a ways out there. I wouldn’t over spray this, though, it settles nicely.

Seriously, this is one of the stronger mainstream designer colognes, on my skin. Guilty Absolute completely radiates and surrounds me in a cloud. If you like leathery bombs, this is for sure one to check out.

Performance wise, this one gives you exactly what you want. It lets itself be known and will last for double digit hours. No complaints at all. I’m not sure the exact length of time, but I’ve noticed it hanging around 12 hours in.

Elite performance from a Guilty cologne is kind of funny, but Absolute pulls it off.

Versatility

Is this a super easy to wear mass appealing scent? Not really. It’s not going to appeal to every guy’s taste, but it is attractive, and will pull complements from a certain number of people.

It works best in the cooler temperatures, but within that it can be worn in a variety of occasions. Autumn and winter are a haven for this fragrance. Within those confines, you should still be able to get good use from it.

More casual or something you might want to wear more in the evenings. It could be used as a daily wear, provided you go light, and don’t expect something super formal.

Guilty Absolute will appeal to a more mature audience, but there will be plenty of younger men who dig this, because it does have a dynamic energy to it. Again, this isn’t an Invictus type of cologne with a lot of sweetness and the like.

Overall Scent

Do I like Gucci Guilty Absolute, overall? I do. It’s one that I would only be in the mood for, on occasion, but would completely love it during that time. It’s super leathery, earthy, dirty, dry, and woody.

It goes through stages and has fantastic performance. It isn’t one that will be in everyone’s wheel house, though, can totally be a signature fragrance for the right guy. It does everything well, it just comes down to whether or not this sort of cologne smells nice in your opinion.

It does take the Guilty line in a different direction from the original or even other limited edition flankers like the Love series. It’s kind of shocking to have a fragrance from this line have such massive sillage and longevity, but Absolute doesn’t skimp on the power.

The start is a bit harsh, not my favorite part, but I really enjoy the middle and latter stages. That initial leather, dirtiness of patchouli, and smoke just doesn’t much appeal to me. But, others might like it just fine.

The leather with the vetiver or when the cypress comes in for the final dry down, is great. Dark, smooth, with freshness, and warmth.

This is one, that if it sounds appealing to your personal style, you should give it a try.

Brooklyn by Bond No. 9

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So, I’m back to the site, after taking more than a month off from reviewing anything. I noticed that I hadn’t finished with all of my Bond No. 9 samples from a few months back and decided that I should get back to business. Today’s scent is Brooklyn, a unisex scent from the brand. How does it smell? What’s inside? Is Brooklyn worth a purchase? Scroll down to find out my complete take.

What does Brooklyn by Bond No. 9 Smell Like?

Notes include: gin, cedar, cypress, juniper berries, grapefruit, cardamom, leather

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 Brooklyn Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Brooklyn starts out with a really dry blend of cypress, cedar, and leather. It is an interesting combination and strikes me as somewhat different than many other woodsy scents.

A few minutes into its life, those notes are met with an outburst of juniper berry and gin. This creates an herbal/boozy/woody triumvirate that is surprisingly fresh and unoffensive.

From there on out, Brooklyn is a pretty linear fragrance. There isn’t much change that I noticed while wearing it. This particular blend of notes seems to give off a fizzy drink aroma, as if you added seltzer water to gin and berries. Brooklyn is a very clean type of scent with a zesty kick to it.

Cypress and the mixed drink element, really dominate this scent, and if you’re not into that Brooklyn isn’t the right choice. It’s kind of an odd choice to represent Brooklyn with, but that’s basically what you get here.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Brooklyn isn’t the best. I sprayed 3 times on my forearm and couldn’t detect it unless I moved my nose particularly close. It’s fine that it’s not a beast, but it does seem kind of weak, on my skin at least.

Update: Coming back to this again, it is pretty middle of the road. Even the initial sprays aren’t all that powerful and Brooklyn is going to stay quite close to the skin. 3-6 feet at its maximum.

In terms of its longevity, I got about six hours out of it as a skin scent. Not amazing but not the worst that I’ve ever encountered either. Update: Yep, still getting about six hours out of this. It’s just not a formula that seems to last all that long.

Brooklyn is a unisex scent and I would say that it leans more to the masculine side of things. The dry woods being balanced out by boozy fruit, makes this one a solid spring/early summer wear, in my mind.

Still, women can easily wear this one too. It’d be a nice change of pace from the usual fruity and floral fare.

Very casual scent not one that would feel particularly sexy or engaging. Just pleasant. Dry and then fizzy, with a nice crisp feeling. You could wear this at night or around town during the day. I don’t know that you’d want to smell like gin at work, so I’d probably skip wearing it as a daily.

Overall Impressions of Brooklyn

Overall, would I recommend Brooklyn? I think the fragrance is decent. I just wish that it would last longer on my skin. I’m definitely not blown away by the scent, in the slightest. Though, I do appreciate what they were going for and its certain level of uniqueness.

Update: Coming back to this one after a few years, this does have a lot of the same style as Vodka on the Rocks by Kilian. Obviously, Brooklyn came out in 2008, so it is more original. However, I was really reminded of that newer fizzy boozy perfume. This one has the leathery accord and that cypress sticks out. 

I like the gin, cypress, and leather notes. It’s not my favorite alcoholic aroma (prefer rum or cognac scent), but it’s nice enough overall.

The problem of course, is its pricing. If the cost doesn’t bother you, I’d say try it out, if it appears intriguing. If it’s a stretch for you to afford, I’d skip this one.

It’s going to appeal to a certain niche segment of fragrance wearers. For most, Brooklyn is completely not necessary. It’s fresh and interesting, just not amazing, in any way.

Boss Bottled Infinite by Hugo Boss

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Jumping back into the fragrance review, side of things. I have a post today of a newer release for 2019, in men’s fragrances, Boss Bottled Infinite by Hugo Boss. I didn’t even know, that they had come out with another flanker scent to this lineup, but wanted to give it a try when I saw it. What does it smell like? How does it perform? Is the sillage any good? Is this fragrance worth a try?

What Does Boss Bottled Infinite Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin, apple, cinnamon, lavender, sandalwood, rosemary, olive wood, and patchouli

Click here to try: BOSS Bottled Infinite Eau de Parfum – Fragrance for Men, 3.3 FL. OZ.

My Full Wear Review

This is going to be a one wear review of Infinite, that I will come back and add to, when I spend more time with this fragrance. However, I got to wear it from the store and took along a card sprayed with it, as well. So, I got a solid idea to what this one is all about, not that it’s super complex.

The opening is a blast of mandarin and some apple, at the top, and surrounded by a sense of freshness. It’s a slightly spicy freshness, but at that stage, the notes weren’t too distinguishable from one another.

However, looking at the notes, I’d say it is the cinnamon and rosemary coming through. Those two are probably slightly tempered by lavender and some sandalwood.

As it moves along a bit further, the mandarin takes more of the fruit share from the apple. This is joined by a fully emerged lavender and the smell of rosemary. Very smooth and clean, with that rosemary spice, and woodsy undertones.

Sandalwood? Some. Mostly, what I guess is olive wood, as I’m not familiar with that aroma.

Finally, the dry down, is a woodsy lavender fragrance with some citrus. It’s lavender, wood, patchouli, and mandarin.

At times, this does remind me of Boss Bottled Tonic, but like a stronger inversion. Bottled Tonic, wasn’t great, and this share the fruit and cinnamon. Bottled Infinite beefs up the woodsy notes and doesn’t rely so much of the fruit.

Sillage, Longevity, Versatility

This fragrance starts off fairly strong, for about an hour or two. The sillage is great, at the start, and will get noticed. It calms down substantially, thereafter, and is pretty moderate. Not completely weak. The longevity was pretty good.

Wasn’t an all day wear, based off that one test, but not crummy like some other Boss scents. It probably ran in the 7 hour range, for me. Again, I still want to test it more, but that’s the first go round. Update: Yep, 6-8 hours is what to expect from this one. Mostly, that midpoint 7 hour mark.

The strength of this fragrance, probably stems from its versatility. It isn’t really beholden to any one season, but probably not best at the height of summer.

Seems good for spring or autumn. Winter, it’ll do fine, it’s not the typical heavy cold weather fragrance. This one can pull double duty as a daily wear and/or nighttime go to. Boss Bottled Infinite is a cologne that can cover a lot of ground for those who only want to own a few fragrances.

It has a masculine smell, with an attractive, and sexy sort of aroma. I can see this one becoming a popular cologne over the next few years. In fact, the lady at the department store said that, Infinite was the best seller among the new releases. It should get plenty of complements.

Maybe not the most formal of fragrances, but it is well put together and stylish enough to be a daily wear at the office or school if you’re a younger guy.

Overall Impressions

Do I like Boss Bottled Infinite? Yes, I do. The first wear was nice. Update: Trying this some more, I still really enjoy wearing Infinite. The mandarin, lavender, and wood blend feels distinctly Hugo Boss.

I like the apple and mandarin here and the lavender doesn’t feel like it’s too overwhelming in the mix. Infinite has a nice balance of its ingredients.

Really, this is one of the better Boss Bottled releases, maybe my personal favorite of the past handful of years. Nothing too groundbreaking here, but this formula just works for me.

Like, I’ve come across all of these notes in their other scents, and it brings to mind so many of them. The orange, made me think of Boss in Motion, as that also has a spiciness to it.

It isn’t a terribly complex fragrance, nor is it super original. Nonetheless, it smells good and gives a good performance. Infinite is a well-balanced scent, that is going to be a good option for a guy, who wants a daily wear. Wants something that is easy to reach for and is going to be well-liked by others.

That’s what you’re going to get with this. I do still want to give Boss Bottled Infinite some more wears, but right now, I can recommend it as worth a try.

Ocean Royale by James Bond 007

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So, today I am going to review my second fragrance from the James Bond 007 lineup by Eon Productions. I have already tackled Quantum and have the original 007 review on the way. This entry is that of Ocean Royale, an aquatic take on the James Bond image and namesake. Is Ocean Royale worth it? What does this cologne smell like? Does it last long? Please continue below for my full wear take.

What does 007 Ocean Royale Smell Like?

Notes include: tonka bean, lime, iris, bergamot, coffee, sandalwood, seaweed, and anise

Click here to try: JAMES BOND 007 ocean royale, 4.2 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Ocean Royale is quite nice. What I get is an oceanic blend with a mix of lime, iris, and tonka bean. The smooth sort of powdery aroma reminds me of a cheaper imitation of Luna Rossa Sport. It is a very fresh and clean scent and has that aquatic sportiness.

Ocean Royal when compared to the Prada fragrance, is much more citrus based, and definitely not as high of quality. That’s just the category type that this James Bond cologne inhabits.

Ultimately, Ocean Royale has a sweetness, thanks to the citrus notes. It sort of sits on top of the powdery scent and provides a very pleasant tropical kind of experience. The oceanic accord maybe has a hint of seaweed, but it is more of a generic blue freshness.

This 007 scent is pretty darn linear after that, so don’t expect much in the way of depth. Pretty much the lime and bergamot mixed with tonka bean and iris. Some sandalwood peaks through, but I don’t get any of the other listed notes.

The sea notes pretty much fade from what they were, as being pretty heavy in that opening act. So, the dry down is basically the other notes minus the ‘ocean’ part of this cologne.

Sillage, How Long it Lasts, When to Wear

Projection wise, Ocean Royale is soft and airy. I wish it was more intense, as it would be an absolute steal, for a cheap price. It doesn’t pack enough of a punch, to be a must have.

The longevity isn’t great either. I get a few hours of that light wear from it, when applied rather heavily, before it descends into a skin scent. Even when you apply a lot of it, the performance just drops dramatically.

That’s a shame, because Ocean Royale has one of the best scents of the 007 series. But, as with the rest of them, they weren’t given much concentration of the actual fragrance. All of these are too weak to really ever be all that enjoyable.

Ocean Royale is a cologne for the warmer days of the months. It’s inoffensive and can be worn safely at work or in a casual situation. It’s not earth shattering but it is clean as hell and makes a solid impression.

I actually like it quite a bit when it’s warm outside and I can just go walk around. At least for 2 hours or so, Ocean Royale delivers most of what I would want, in a clean citrus summer cologne.

Overall Impressions of Ocean Royale

Overall, is Ocean Royale worth a buy? If you can get a bottle for cheap and need something casual for the summer, I’d say yes. However, the longevity isn’t very good. I wish it lasted longer, then, it’d get more support from me.

The actual fragrance here is nice for a cheapie. I like the use of citrus, the iris and tonka bean powdery elements, and the early oceanic aromas. It didn’t need to be too complicated, but the performance should be better.

It can be a little sharp with the citrus and isn’t of the highest quality. I’ve definitely come across a lot worse, however.

It’s a very straightforward cologne and quite simple. That’s not always a bad thing and for what it is, neither is Ocean Royale. The 007 lineup could have been a great inexpensive scent line, if the quality was just beefed up somewhat.

Eon Productions kind of dropped the ball with these. The lower end of the market has plenty of room for fragrances that are actually appealing and can last more than a few hours.

I really like the way this smells, just the performance is lacking. For under $10-15? Maybe. More than that? Not for me.