Cologne Reviews

Kalan by Parfums de Marly

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Kalan is a Parfums de Marly release, that I never got around to when it came out back in 2019. I’ve had the sample for a long while now, just sitting in a box, so I figure it’s high time that I gave it a full review. How does this one smell? Does Kalan last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Kalan Smell Like?

Notes include: blood orange, black pepper, spices, orange blossom, lavender, sandalwood, moss, woods, amber, tonka bean

Click here to try: Kalan by PdM

kalan marly review

My Full Review

Here’s how PdM describes it: Intense and subtle at once- Kalan surprises with a sparkling opening, blending black pepper and spices with fresh notes of blood orange. The fragrances is embodied through a heart of orange blossom and lavender, while it evolves as facets of white sandalwood unfold and drape into notes of moss and precious wood.

The opening is a blast of the blood orange note and the spices. The black pepper is going to be the most noticeable under the juicy and sparkling citrus. But, there are some other spices lurking about.

Two other notes that I pick up early are: orange blossom and moss. The mossy aspect of this really comes through in the opening act, on my skin.

The next phase will be a mix of the moss, lavender, and the remaining blood orange influence. For me, most of the spice has dissipated by this point in the wear. It feels like a woodsy floral blend with some sweetness and amber peaking in.

As we move forward in the wear, earthy woods that is softened by lavender, with hints of amber is basically what I get. Lots of sandalwood, moss, and just sort of damp and generic smelling wood notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

With Kalan, I do get a pretty bold start. A strong projection and solid scent trail in your wake for an hour or so.

After that, it stays above average with its performance. I can detect it a good 4-6 feet from where I sprayed Kalan on a t-shirt, after a few hours. It of course will diminish into something more intimate, but it takes a while to get there.

On my skin, this will go up to about 9 hours. It may last a little longer or a tad less than that, but eight or nine is what Kalan seems to be capable of. Not too bad with its longevity.

Seasonally, this could be worn basically anytime outside of the height of summer. It’s fine when it’s temperate to warm out, but the hotter days wouldn’t be ideal for Kalan.

It’s spice, citrus, and woodiness to provide a good blend that can work in autumn and winter, while also being fine when things get somewhat warmer.

With that, Kalan can work in daytime and nighttime, but I don’t find it to be a particularly sexy fragrance. Again, it has the boldness to serve as a nightlife option, but there are better fragrances for that.

It’s not so heavy that it can’t work as an office scent. Though, I’d still go light with it, in that situation.

Overall Impressions of Kalan

Overall, do I like Kalan? Honestly, it’s not for me. It’s a pretty unique scent, isn’t going to have mass appeal, and this PdM isn’t one that I enjoyed wearing. It wasn’t terrible, but I never got into it.

Even as something with a unique style, there’s nothing about Kalan that I liked all that much. The lavender, amber, moss, and woods in the dry down is probably the best part to my nose and even that isn’t too exciting.

The opening feels messy and off-putting. Peppery moss with blood orange, isn’t all that appealing.

The performance does well enough for something at this price point. It’s not amazing, but if you do happen to enjoy the smell, it doesn’t just completely disappear in an hour or whatever.

This is a fragrance that I suggest testing before you buy, to see if you’re one of the people who will actually love wearing this. Most of you can skip it and not miss anything, though. At the high Parfums de Marly price, it’s not really one to blind buy for the majority of people.

Reveal Men by Calvin Klein Review

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Calvin Klein has a ton of fragrances that come and go from the market. Every year, there seems to be new ones which fly under the radar, or might stick around for a bit longer. Reveal Men was released in 2016 and seems to now be discontinued. No worries, bottles are available online. How does it smell? Perform? Is it worth a try?

What does Reveal Men Smell Like?

Notes include: agave, brandy, pear, tonka bean, ginger, melon, suede, vetiver, sage

Click here to try: Calvin Klein Reveal Eau de Toilette for Men, 1 Fl Oz

My Full Wear Review

Before we jump into my review of this fragrance, let’s see how Calvin Klein describes it: Magnetic and sensual, Reveal Men is a woody oriental. A vibrant freshness wrapped in an addictive woody signature. 

The opening moments of Reveal, I would describe as: sweet, boozy, and fresh. Honestly, it’s a very unique smelling scent. That doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily good, but it’s at least interesting.

Upon opening, I get a lot of tonka bean and brandy, with the melon and pear notes floating around. Pear and melon aren’t my favorite fruit notes, so, I’m kind of lost as to how I should feel about this opening.

I will say that, when sniffing the fragrance up close, it feels messy. However, some distance away, and it’s rather captivating. The pear note begins to fall away and then the agave comes in. Brandy and a tequila-like aroma, with a warm fresh sweetness. 

I’m really not sure why they call this one a ‘woody’ oriental. The vetiver note, or maybe the sage, is the only thing close to being woody. Neither of which, is all that powerful within the composition.

Further along, some of the sweetness fades. The melon is still very present, but underneath is an alcoholic drink, with amber, and a nice saltiness. The alcohol and any spices that are here get smoothed out by the tonka bean and very light suede. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this isn’t a complete projecting beast, but it is very good. People around you will notice it and it’s not a weak skin scent. I’d say it’s a stronger moderate cologne with its sillage.

Reveal Men will last for around 8 hours, on my skin. Many Calvin Klein fragrances, don’t have very good longevity, but this one actually does. I could get a full work day from this, no problem.

Seasonally, I could wear this almost any time. Maybe not on the hottest days, but summer evenings? I’m thinking that this would work just fine.  

I just wouldn’t like it on a day with a high level of heat and humidity. Honestly, it’d be at its best during a more moderate day.

I do like this as a casual or nightlife scent. Not really something for formal or serious business wear (it is boozy), but anything else would be fine.

 

 

Overall Impression of Reveal Men

Do I like this fragrance? Yes. It’s got some oddly placed notes, but it is something different and intriguing. Smelling it right against the skin, I’m not sold on it. However, just wearing it around, I really enjoy the scent bubble that it creates.

The performance is good and now bottles are available for super cheap. This is a very nice pickup for guys looking for a value play. Is it the best thing ever? No, but it does plenty, at a pretty high level. For $30 or less, I’d definitely take the chance on it. 

This strikes me as being better than Eternity Flame by Calvin Klein, which I just reviewed. Very fresh, nice sweetness, great agave note, and solid performance. 

Update: Coming back to this fragrance in late 2023, Reveal Men is now discontinued. As such, it’s not going to be a cheapie in most places, if you can still find it. It’s not worth paying a high price for it, but again, under thirty or so this can work well.

Aventus Cologne by Creed

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Aventus has been a best selling fragrance, for a long while now. Its popularity, was bound to spin off a flanker fragrance, at some point. Well, that moment came, and we have now been given Aventus Cologne. Sharing the name of Aventus, it is of course, going to be hyped and anticipated. However, is it actually worth a try? What’s it smell like? How does it perform?

What Does Aventus Cologne Smell Like?

Notes include: birch, ginger, baie rose, mandarin, musk, mint, pink pepper, apple, vetiver, styrax, patchouli, sandalwood

My Full Review

Aventus Cologne opens up different from its predecessor. The mandarin orange note is very nice and doesn’t have that same sharpness, that the pineapple had in the original fragrance.

I actually like the start, quite a lot. The orange is flanked by ginger and mint, which gives the scent a cooled freshness about it. It’s juicy and somewhat green, maybe a hint of the rose, but not much. There is a pink pepper note, but it honestly, gets buried underneath the ginger and mint.

One thing, that I noticed about Aventus Cologne, is that it doesn’t have that warm smoky quality. The original Aventus had it, but this one, just shares the dry woodiness of birch and sandalwood.

After about an hour, that’s when I really notice the similarities between the two Creed fragrances. They aren’t identical, but you can definitely get a sense of one, from the other.

The next wave is a blend of the birch wood, sandalwood, vetiver, and some patchouli. The patchouli isn’t all that heavy, to my nose, at least. At this point, it’s a citrusy aroma, with a very dry and fresh base.

It stays this way for a while longer, then, tonka bean and styrax, come through. Aventus Cologne becomes less fruity and has a green, woody, and a slightly different take from the original.

Finally, the musk begins to take over for the rest of the way home. It leads the way, with tonka bean, styrax, birch, mandarin and vetiver, following on its heels.

It’s a nice smell, at this point, and the Aventus comparisons really pop into my head. Just enough of a difference, to be distinct.

Aventus Cologne is less sharp citrus fruit fragrance, with dry undertones, and cooled fresh spices. Then, it becomes a musky/woodsy orange cologne, with a similar feel to its namesake fragrance.

How Long Does it Last? What’s the Sillage Like?

Projection wise, the sillage isn’t too powerful here. Definitely lighter than Aventus. It projects itself well for an hour or two, before becoming a light scent, for the rest of the way.

So, starts off with a moderate 4-5 foot projection. Then, sits pretty close to wear you sprayed it.

The longevity isn’t that great, either. On my skin, I got about 5 hours of solid performance, followed by a couple where I could detect it…if I pressed my nose to my skin. Total? 7, if you count its greatly weakened state.

That was the biggest letdown with this scent, the fact that it couldn’t even get close to the original Aventus’ performance.

If you double up on the sprays, it can go an hour or two more, but that’s it. Maybe, it just doesn’t work on my skin, but that’s all I’ve been able to muster during testing.

Versatility

Aventus Cologne is very easy to wear. It’s not going to offend anybody. It’s safe for work, casual, or even more formal events.

It’s not really a nighttime cologne. Aventus Cologne feels much more like a warm weather scent, especially in the opening.

The mandarin, other fruit, and ginger notes give it that light cleanliness and energy. It’s a very nice start to a daytime wear. Being a Creed fragrance, it obviously going to be well put together. Classy, elegant, and just a joy to wear.

Overall Scent

Overall, do I like Aventus Cologne? I do. It’s not amazing, but I do enjoy it. The opening is the best part, in my opinion. It loses a lot of the sharpness, that could put me off to Aventus, at times.

For me, the loss of the smokiness was no big deal; it still has that nice dry quality, without the heavy enveloping cloud. The performance isn’t as good as it should be. Not terrible, but for the price, I expect more.

If the orange, ginger, mint blend could have been a longer part of the wear…this could’ve been great. Or even, if it could get up to the 8-10 hour range of longevity, this would be a winner. Apparently, some other people do get that much out of Cologne, not even close to that level for me.

Still, I enjoy the aroma itself, even if it leaves much to be desired.

This is an expensive fragrance, so, I don’t think you need to pick it up if you already have Aventus.

That price has only risen since its release in 2018. It’s not better, to me, and it overlaps enough with the original to be superfluous for most folks. There are so many attempted Aventus ‘clones’, that maybe you pick up this one as a change of pace.

If you can get a cheap sample or decant, do so. You should consider buying, if the original Aventus was too powerful or had too much, pineapple and smoke.

Stronger with You Only by Emporio Armani

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Stronger with You carries on as a series, producing flanker after flanker cologne to the original. A 2022 release from this line was Stronger with You Only, which I picked up a sample of a month or so ago, to test out. How does Only Smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Stronger with You Only Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, geranium, chestnut, vanilla, lavender, labdanum

Click here to try: SWY Only

My Full Review

Stronger with You Only starts off with its grapefruit note, out front and center. It’s definitely not on its own, but it does have the leading role.

Early, I get a good deal of lavender with it, geranium, and that signature chestnut. Later, the vanilla will come more into play. However, I don’t find it all that powerful, early.

This one feels cleaner and less of the heavier sweetness of some of the other entries from this line. Only is streamlined and has a balance that the others can also lack.

That balance will initially come through, once the grapefruit takes a step back. The lavender and geranium come into an equal distribution with the citrus note.

The next phase, it’s lavender and vanilla in the driver’s seat. The chestnut is no longer super noticeable, but I do still get grapefruit and the tail end of geranium.

That’s essentially what this is. A mellowed out SWY blend (the labdanum playing a dampening role. Softer, less sweet, and a good one to reach for if you like this line and want a more relaxed edition.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Only isn’t a heavy feeling fragrance, but it is one with good projection and will leave a scent trail. That being said, it’s a step down in terms of strength versus others in the series. That’s by design.

Still, I think this one is solidly above average versus the average cologne out there and doesn’t disappoint.

The performance is solid enough. I get right at about 8 hours, each time that I’ve worn it. Doesn’t seem to want to go any further than that, but it’ll work for most use cases.

What are those use cases? Well, this one can venture into the warmer weather better than other Stronger with You offerings. Not quite a summertime fragrance, but this will do nicely in the spring. Autumn, too.

Not particularly formal. Only is a good clean and casual daily wear sort of scent for the mild to warmer parts of the years.

Overall Impressions of Stronger with You Only

Overall, do I like SWY Only? It’s okay. I’m not a massive fan of this Emporio Armani line and this is in the bottom half of my preferences.

It’s fairly bland and there’s nothing here that is all that new. Again, if the original is one of your favorites, you might enjoy this lighter edition of the SWY formula.

I enjoyed parts of the wear, but then, it could start to feel annoying to me. That’s how the original was with me, also. That’s what Only is like, just again, a cleaned up and toned down version.

If you’re a fan of that, you’ll almost certainly like SWY Only. I’m not sure that this would change too many minds, if you haven’t liked the others. It’s probably better than Freeze is, out of the lighter variants of this series.

Riverside Drive by Bond No. 9

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This is going to serve as my inaugural review of a Bond No. 9 fragrance and I hope to cover them all in the future. However, since I’ve gotten a new vial of Riverside Drive wrapped in the bon-bon style this house’s samples are famous for, and it is fresh on my mind after wearing around…it’s time to write this out.

Riverside Drive is classified as unisex but it is slightly more towards the masculine side of things, though not overly so. In this post, I want to give my impressions of this scent, what it smells like, how it performs, and whether or not it is worth a buy.

Update: This is an older review from many years back. I’ve come back and made changes to it since. Also, Riverside Drive is now back in stock, after being gone from Bond’s lineup for a time.

What does Riverside Drive Smell Like?

Notes include: oakmoss, basil, pineapple, sandalwood, and violet

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 Riverside Drive by Bond No. 9 For Men. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 0z

riverside drive

My Full Review

The opening of Riverside Drive immediately strikes me as familiar. It is crazy how much this is like a blend of Creed’s Green Irish Tweed and L’Homme Libre by YSL.

On the Creed side of things, it’s the violet note and pineapple (GIT has lemon), which gives it a similar vibe…it also sort of seems like an Aventus style fragrance. Not the same, just a comparison.

So, off the bat, if you like any of those scents, you’ll probably like Riverside Drive. The basil note is quite prevalent as well, which is why Libre comes to mind.

I’d say it’s most similar to those fragrances in the initial phase of wear, the basil/woodsy/floral notes hit pretty hard at first, and then this Bond cologne mellows out into something fruitier. It does have a slight vegetal aroma, in the early stages before it dries out completely.

The oakmoss is more at play from the start and then becomes more of a background player. Riverside Drive just comes off as a very dry smelling fragrance (ala Azzaro Homme, which shares the oakmoss note), as the pineapple isn’t a ‘juicy’ scent when combined with the other notes.

A fresh and still somewhat mossy sandalwood with a light patchouli and violet earthiness underneath. The basil isn’t too prevalent, towards the end, but the pineapple’s effect does seem to stick around.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it strikes me as a moderate. It isn’t a heavy fragrance, more than intimate though, and definitely noticeable. Maybe a 3-4 foot radius around you, after it has settled down.

It also has very good longevity and sticks with me as the day wears on. Maybe 8-9 hours of wear, in total. Not completely amazing, but I wasn’t disappointed with how Riverside performs, as you’ll get plenty of time with it.

Riverside Drive is a good scent for the warmer months, it really doesn’t have that nightlife appeal, however. I like it as a daily wear option for spring, mainly. Maybe the early part of the autumn too.

It is an attractive scent and girls seem to enjoy it. Again, I’d wear it during the daytime in more casual situations or for work, versus it being something to wear out on a date.

Overall Impressions of Riverside Drive

Overall, is Riverside Drive, worth a buy? That depends. I enjoy the scent but much like GIT, it isn’t really my style. As such, I don’t want to pay for a full bottle.

However, plenty of people would really like this stuff. It is a fine fragrance in my opinion and if any of the aforementioned colognes are one’s you really enjoy, I’d say go for it.

The smell itself is nice and if this is your style, you should at least like it a lot, if not love. The performance is good and this can easily become a signature fragrance for the right guy.