Cologne Reviews

Le Beau Le Parfum by JPG

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Le Beau Le Parfum is a new release for 2022 from Jean Paul Gaultier. I bought a sample of it in a batch with others a while back, in order to give it a test and full review for the site. How does this one smell? Is it long last? When should it be worn? Is it actually worth trying?

What does Le Beau Le Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: ginger, pineapple, sandalwood, ambergris, iris, cypress, coconut, tonka bean, woods

le beau parfum review

My Full Review

Here’s how JPG describes it: It’s impossible to resist temptation in the Gaultier garden, with Le Beau Le Parfum and his intense Eau de Parfum. The forbidden fruit of a fresh and extremely addictive oriental-woody scent, blending ginger and pineapple with the animal sensuality of ambergris and the powerful virility of sandalwood.

Upon first spraying, I get a really tropical vibe with the pineapple coming out of the gate strong and the coconut note sitting underneath. It’s juicy, creamy, and sweet with an added light spicy kick from the ginger note.

The ginger will fall away and the pineapple will lose its prominence at the top. Coconut, tonka bean, amber, and a general set of woods will dry this one up and take away the juiciness of that tropical vibe, at least.

It’s crazy how quickly that aspect fades from the picture. Sure, that sweetness stays around for the duration, just not in the same way.

Sandalwood and the tonka bean really do assist a lot at adding the creamy finish to this one. There is some powdery iris, but honestly, it gets lost in the shuffle and vanishes. Maybe it has more of a role on other people’s skin, definitely not with mine.

This one starts to turn much woodier in the dry down. Not like a green forest or anything, but more sandalwood dominant. With the cypress and other woods, the woodiness really stands out.

A light amber, tonka bean, and coconut take up the rest of the composition. It’s sweet, fresh, warm, and has an appealing aroma that’s surprisingly clean in the latter stages.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The JPG scent starts out with a great deal of power. It’s not massive, but it will project itself off the skin and can fill a room early on with enough sprays.

But, that’ll temper down and it will be basically above average in sillage for the rest of the way. Lighter for sure, just never weak until the very end.

The longevity here is really good here.  With Le Beau Le Parfum, I get somewhere in the 9 hour range. Once, it lasted about 10, but that probably is its maximum…on my skin, at least.

Those last few hours are definitely softer with how it comes across, however.

Seasonally, this one starts out as being best for spring and summer, but with the woodiness it’d work just fine in the rest of the year too. Maybe skip the depths of winter, but Le Beau works well with a variety of climates.

That’s probably a main strength of this fragrance.

It is more of a casual to nightlife sort of cologne. Not something that is going to come across as being a formal scent. Not really an office wear or anything. More suited for younger guys, but does offer a nice amount of versatility at times when you don’t need to be serious.

Overall Impressions of Le Beau Le Parfum

Overall, do I like Le Beau Le Parfum? Sure. That opening with the pineapple note, is really interesting and one of the aspects I like about Le Parfum. It is short-lived, enjoyable, but I can also see how it might get annoying after a period of time.

The rest of the way is nice. The latter stages are fine, just not my favorite. Dry and woody with tonka bean and that remaining coconut. Some might love it, but it’s not something that I’m completely into.

However, on the whole, this is a solid release from Jean Paul Gaultier. It brings something different to the table versus a lot of other fragrances in the market. Which is one of the things, JPG colognes are known for.

It does have a youthful and playful vibe. So, it’ll probably best serve a younger guy. A burst of tropical sweetness with a dry and creamy finish.

As one to try? Absolutely, if it sounds interesting to you, give this one a go. It can be a great pick up for the right guy.

Stronger With You Intensely by Emporio Armani

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Stronger With You continues to roll along as a fragrance series for the Emporio Armani label. I’ve been going through the releases over the past little while, in order to give each of them full reviews. Today, I finish up my thoughts on Stronger With You Intensely. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does Stronger With You Intensely Smell Like?

Notes include: pink pepper, cinnamon, toffee, lavender, sage, suede, amber, violet, vetiver

Click here to try: Stronger With You Intensely

My Full Review

Here’s how Armani describes it: This addictive fougere scent features notes of pink pepper, vanilla and an ambery wood accord. It reflects the personality of today’s young man in search of an intense fragrance that lights up his profound love story!

Intensely really kicks off with its spicy notes blazing. That pink pepper really commands attention, a dash of sage, and even a little bit of the cinnamon, as a part of that toffee accord, and that’s found in other fragrances from this series.

But, it’s not a complete spicy takeover, since the sweetness it there early on too. It’s got more of a caramel aroma early on, that will shift more towards the vanilla end of things by the end of the wear.

That initial spiciness isn’t a long lasting affair. Stronger With You Intensely shifts to a warmer and sweeter overall aroma. But, the lavender note becomes more noticeable to me after the opening is done.

In Absolutely, the lavender comes on strong in the end.

The good news for me, is that lavender will get weaker in favor of the amber note. Toffee and vanilla. Plus, a bit of suede giving it a smooth leathery finish.

The pink pepper and other spices are basically gone for the back half of this one, on me at least.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this one is well above average, and will leave a scent trail behind in one’s wake for a few hours at least.

The projection is really good, able to reach pretty far across a room. Then, it’ll become a 4-5 foot scent bubble, and finally a skin scent. Not the heaviest or most beast mode projection out there, but I wasn’t disappointed.

On my skin, Intensely lasts up to 11 or 12 hours. It’s really got fantastic performance for a designer mass market fragrance. Now, those last few hours aren’t really that strong, but the cologne is still there.

Seasonally, this one has autumn and winter written all over it. You can probably venture into the spring, since this is a great choice for the nightlife, but I’d stay out of the heat with Intensely.

It’s a sweeter fragrance, a nice one for romantic wear, nightlife, and such. Probably not what most will want to go with to the office.

It probably does skew younger in its appeal. But, it doesn’t strike me as being completely immature or only a teenager’s fragrance.

Overall Impressions of Stronger With You Intensely

Overall, do I like Stronger With You Intensely? I do and it might be my favorite from the whole series. Though, I like Leather, also. Kind of a toss up with those.

Just on performance alone, you already get the awesome longevity and sillage of the original EDT, but amped up and with a better smelling formula.

While the spices don’t last that long on my skin, I do like that bold kick to start off. Then, with the toffee/caramel aroma comes in with the suede and vanilla, that’s when Intensely is really a joy to wear around.

This one is sweet. Which, I get can be too much for some people. I find this to be more tolerable to wear than the original, which I found much more cloying.

So, if you don’t want the sweetness to the same extent, maybe try out Absolutely. That Stronger With You fragrance is almost as good to me, but I like Intensely slightly more.

But, I do think that I prefer The Most Wanted by Azzaro to this one, which often gets compared to Intensely. That has a simpler aroma, more cardamom, but really works on my skin.

L’Immensité by Louis Vuitton

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I’ve been gradually making my way through the Louis Vuitton line for review purposes, with most of them that have been released in the books. L’Immensité is one that I’ve already tried before, but I grabbed a sample of more recently, do give it a full testing. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does L’Immensité Smell Like?

Notes include: ginger, bergamot, grapefruit, sage, rosemary, geranium, watery notes, amber, labdanum

My Full Review

Here’s how Louis Vuitton describes it: A whisper of fresh ginger speaks of an infinite inner journey. To open your arms so wide it’s as if they were wings deployed to take flight. Like a response to a vast, beckoning sea that nourishes fantasies of total freedom. Sometimes, finding yourself before a limitless horizon that stretches to the sky is all it takes to make your heart beat faster.

L’Immensité opens up with its potent ginger note being joined by the bergamot and grapefruit. Initially, that sharp and juicy bergamot is stronger on my skin than is the grapefruit, but that will flip as it moves along.

Underneath all of that is an aquatic accord, which helps adds to that summertime vibe, but this one never completely veers oceanic. A bit salty, that’s about it.

The ginger is the star of the spiciness within this mix. Sage and rosemary might make up around 30% of the rest, at their peak. Sage sticks around for a while, though, neither is too big of a player.

Most of this one is about the amber note coming in. The ginger and grapefruit sit on top of all of that amber, which gives it a warmer vibe. The style is similar to Bleu de Chanel EDP, but ultimately fairly different fragrances.

The drydown is a fresh and slightly citrus amber. Very little of that aquatic accord is still present.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage is actually pretty strong for this type of fragrance, for the first few hours. It gets softer, thereafter, but that amber note really sticks out to me when wearing it during those late stages.

It does have a nice 6-7 foot projection or so, at its peak. It will leave a scent trail for like an hour to and hour and a half. After that, this one moves in much closer to the wearer, but isn’t as soft as you might think. Seems like it has a tendency to sort of make you nose blind to it, at times.

On my skin, I can get up to 8 hours from this Louis Vuitton scent. It actually fluctuates between 6.5 and that 8 hour mark, so, expect about 7 a good portion of the time.

Seasonally, it’s mainly going to be a spring and summer play. But really, any time the climate is pretty moderate, it’d be fine too. Great in the warmer temperatures, but probably not my go to in the wintertime.

L’Immensité isn’t an offensive or super loud fragrance. It’s well put together, so it has enough style to fit into a pretty wide variety of situations. The versatility of this cologne, is probably its greatest strength.

Overall Impressions of L’Immensité

Overall, do I like L’Immensité? I do like it, but there are better options from Louis Vuitton or just in general with this sort of fragrance. It was formerly a part of my best LV men’s fragrance list, but just barely, and got pushed aside by Imagination.

That’s got some similarities to this one, but Imagination is ultimately better.

The opening act is where this one shines. That fresh citrus, ginger, other spices, and the aquatic-like feel of it…is all something that I enjoy.

Later, the amber and citrus just kind of gets on my nerves. It’s fine, nothing too exciting, but it does get old for me while wearing it.

The performance is good. Not amazing, but not terrible either, on my skin. Still, I do want a bit more from the fragrance, if I’m paying Louis Vuitton prices.

L’Immensité is worth trying out. You may indeed like it and want a full bottle. Personally, the brand has better options to sort through during the warmer months of the year.

Fahrenheit Parfum by Dior

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Fahrenheit was a late 1980s hit for Dior and has been a part of their lineup ever since. Naturally, they have come out with waves of flankers and special editions. In 2014, the design house released, Fahrenheit Parfum. I got a hold of a decant of this fragrance a while ago and have been testing it out, taking notes. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does Fahrenheit Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: violet leaf, rum, suede, vanilla, cumin, orange, licorice, and more

My Full Review

Parfum opens up sweet, smooth, and fresh. It’s strange how you get the booziness of the rum, but the spice doesn’t hit you like it does in something like Bvlgari’s Man in Black.

Instead, you get a light orange and licorice sweetness combining with the warmth of the rum note. Yet, it isn’t at all cloying. Suede and violet leaf keep things light and with a leather like refinement.

The violet leaf compared to the original Fahrenheit is toned down. You do still get some greenish qualities early, no gasoline smell, but a light aquatic feel to Fahrenheit Parfum.

This is a fairly big departure from the original Dior release, so, don’t expect to smell something similar in this flanker. There is some overlap, but a lot of that will be in the background.

On me, that sweetness subsides in about 10 minutes. The top citrus note does have a bit of a sparkle to it. The style of this fragrance actually reminds me of Armani Code Absolu, just not nearly as thick, and with a fresher aroma.

The next phase is a rummy vanilla scent with the suede and violet leaf sitting underneath that. I do get some licorice and very light spice, but a lot of the top is basically gone. At this stage, it also seems to acquire a bit of a fizziness.

The final dry down is a dark vanilla suede and violet leaf blend. Those are the notes that I can still pick up. It’s very smooth, not really all that sweet, and well-balanced.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is above average, on the whole, and starts off fairly strong. Though, Fahrenheit Parfum doesn’t project all that hugely, especially after the first wave begins to wear off.

The opening act? Sure, it’ll give you 5-7 feet worth of projection or thereabouts. But, it moves in much closer.

On my skin, it lasts somewhere in the 8.5-9.5 hour range. Kind of depended, when I was testing it out. Not really something that hits double digits for me, but came as close as you can get.

Still, the performance really isn’t disappointing and quite good, if you’re into how this one smells.

Seasonally, obviously with the notes, this is best in autumn and winter. The thing is, Parfum isn’t all that heavy or super cloying. It can venture into the springtime (early part), since it does have the freshness from the violet leaf and citrus.

I wouldn’t go too hot with the temperatures while wearing this, but it’d be fine for a good chunk of the year.

This is a well put together scent that has a maturity about it, is attractive, and is very wearable. I like it more for nighttime engagements, but it wouldn’t be out of place to wear during the day. Maybe go easy at work or something like that, since it does have a rum note prominently featured.

Overall Impressions of Fahrenheit Parfum

Overall, do I like Fahrenheit Parfum? I do. It’s more enjoyable for me, than is the original Fahrenheit.

However, it’s still not a complete love for me. I almost blind bought a full bottle, but I’m kind of glad I didn’t and got a decant first. I like it, while not being super enthusiastic about wearing it.

The opening is interesting and that’s when I feel Parfum is at its peak. The blend of rum, citrus, suede, spice, and violet leaf is very well done. It’s such a great mix of different notes and is stitched together beautifully.

After that? Fahrenheit Parfum smells good, it’s just not all that exciting. It feels much flatter than how it started out and I’m not too into any longer. I said that I was reminded of Code Absolu and I’d rather have a bottle of that versus Fahrenheit Parfum.

The performance and everything is solid. No worries there. Fahrenheit Parfum is a scent that is well worth a try from Dior, but with the price and limited availability, may not be worth a blind buy.

Very good, but doesn’t cross the great barrier.

Bvlgari Man Glacial Essence

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Bvlgari’s Essence line had a fairly extensive release over the past few years, but already looks like it’s going away. I’ve been testing them out over the past few months to see what they’re all about. Today’s entry is Glacial Essence, the icy fragrance of the line. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Bvgari Man Glacial Essence Smell Like?

Notes include: juniper, ginger, geranium, cedar, musk, wood, orris root, sandalwood, artemisia

Click here to try: Glacial Essence

glacial essence review

My Full Review

Here’s how Bvlgari describes it: BVLGARI MAN GLACIAL ESSENCE enriches the Bvlgari Man collection dedicated to the power of natural elements. After fire and wood, Bvlgari Man explores air. The BVLGARI MAN GLACIAL ESSENCE fragrance captures the unbridled magnitude of the frozen mountains and the unstoppable masculinity of a man on a constant quest for greatness.

So, the opening is indeed quite cold and fresh. The freshness comes across more like a blue-ish detergent sort of aroma, but not as harsh and thick.

This does get the frosty mountain air feeling down pretty well…not naturalistic, more like the deodorant sort of interpretation. It’s likeable, just not great.

Juniper is huge within the mix. Geranium pairs up with it early to give it a further cold and somewhat minty aroma. Along with the spicy pop of the ginger note up top.

A few minutes in the bitterness of the artemisia really comes through on my skin. It’s not very long lasting, but for like a 15 minute stretch it felt like it was the second or third strongest note, behind juniper.

After that passes, this one becomes quite musky and woody. Clear and cedar wood. Fresh blue aroma with wood and musk. That’s about it. Most of the top notes have burned away and there is some sandalwood involved, but not a ton.

A mix of fresh notes, coldness, that dries down into a woodsy musk. Glacial Essence is pretty simple.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This has a solid bit of power after the first spray. The top fresh notes really can project decently off of the skin and has a short-lived scent trail.

After that? Glacial Essence will be more of a scent bubble type of fragrance. Within 3 or so feet from the skin. It’s all a bit better than average, just not by much, and not for the entirety.

In terms of longevity, I get about 6.5 hours, on my skin. Again, the entire time isn’t super powerful, but Glacial Essence does hang around in that lighter state.

Seasonally, this is a spring and summer wear. I have to say, the highlight of testing came when I wore this outside in the heat. When the juniper, ginger, and geranium really were at their peak; this one had some pleasant moments.

More of a daily wear or casual fragrance. Not nightlife or something that’d be considered sexy.

Just a simple one to spray on to freshen up. Not particularly formal or serious, just clean and cold. It’d be fine for younger guys who want to wear something that’s pretty low key.

Overall Impressions of Glacial Essence

Overall, do I like Glacial Essence? Not really. It’s almost certainly my least favorite cologne from the Essence series. It’s not terrible to me, but I also don’t really enjoy wearing it that much.

The opening does really give you a icy blast that simulates the mountain air. But, it also feels like a synthetic detergent type of smell too. I mean, it’s better than the laundry stuff, but still not all that appealing.

That freshness can be quite nice. Ginger and geranium are highlights, but don’t hang around for the duration. I wish those notes had more prominence.

The rest of the way is kind of simple. The performance isn’t amazing. It’s all kind of boring. Which is disappointing, as I would’ve thought that this would be one of my favorite Essence colognes, but it’s last on the list in reality.

While this Bvlgari surely wouldn’t offend anyone, I don’t think most people would be too thrilled if they bought it without testing. Sure, some will be fans of this, but it really doesn’t have that universal appeal.

With a discount? Maybe take a shot. Retail price? I’d pass.