Cologne Reviews

Bvlgari has released a bunch of its Black flanker scents. Man Black Cologne was one that they put out back in 2016, that I never got around to. However, I recently grabbed a sample online to finally give a review. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

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What does Bvlgari Man Black Cologne Smell Like?

Notes include: rum, citrus, orange blossom, tuberose, amber, sandalwood, musk

Click here to try: Bvlgari Man Black Cologne 3.4 oz Eau de Toilette Spray

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My Full Review

“A fragrance like burning hot water”. That is the description of Man Black Cologne that is printed on the sample card, I bought. Sure, whatever. 

Really, I wanted to try this one out because I loved wearing Man in Black and this one is a spring/summer version of that cologne from Bvlgari. 

Man Black opens up with sharp citrus, heavy rum, and a greenish aroma. It’s quite a pungent kick to opening things and has some of the floral notes already wafting up. Honestly, I’m not a fan of the beginning. 

It’s sharp and almost comes across like body odor. That’s short-lived and Man Black will become more tolerable, as it moves along. I don’t enjoy the citrus notes here for whatever reason.

Once the citrus note fade, there is a white floral blend of tuberose and some remaining orange blossom. All of this will be wrapped up in an amber/benzoin blanket, that has been splashed with rum.

This is probably the highlight of the fragrance for me. I like that it adds some sweetness to the composition. Amber, white floral notes, with some woody/musk, and that signature rum note. 

The problem is, Man Black Cologne loses much of its power by the time the best of the fragrance rolls around. It’s still detectable and sticks around, but that initial burst of strength, isn’t there.

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Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here, much like Man in Black, isn’t all that powerful. Much more of a moderate aroma, with some decent projection for a time, but not going to blow the doors off. Still, it’s good for what you’ll need in the warmer months of the year.

The longevity is about 6.5-7 hours, on my skin. A bit better than Man in Black, maybe an extra hour or so of wear. Not a huge improvement, but it at least has an edge versus that version, in terms of performance. 

Seasonally, this is a spring and summertime wear. I do like the concept of giving us a Man in Black for these seasons, since that was limited to the colder months. 

Man Black Cologne is best used for casual outings or an evening on the town. It’s probably going to appeal most to guys in their 20s through early 30s. This isn’t an office wear or something formal, but you can pretty much wear it out to wherever else during summer.

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Overall Impressions of Man Black Cologne

Overall, do I like Man Black Cologne? It’s fine, but it didn’t have the same appeal to me as Man in Black. That one was great, just middling performance. This Bvlgari is pretty good with middling performance. 

The citrus, amber, and floral notes don’t particularly sit well on me. It’s got a harshness in the early stages, that made this one lose some of its appeal for me. 

The floral stage is nice. I don’t love it either, though with the rum and softened citrus notes, the amber and white floral notes. It’s softer, smoother, and still has that boozy spice. 

I don’t hate any of this. It’s just nothing all that amazing, either. The performance is decent, the smell is decent, and that’s about all. There are better summer citruses, boozy summer wears, etc. This isn’t a terrible investment, but Man Black EDT isn’t something I’d really ever reach for. 

I’ve been doing a lot of posts on Prada colognes lately and I do have a few more coming down the pipeline. Today, I am finally getting around to writing a review of the original Luna Rossa. I guess I could’ve done this at any time, but I just never did, and wanted to buy a new mini bottle so my thoughts wouldn’t have to rely on old memories.

As usual, I will cover how it smells, how it performs, when it should be worn, and whether or not Luna Rossa is worth a purchase.

Note: I have come back and updated this review, a few years after the original, after spending much more time with this fragrance.

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What does Luna Rossa Smell Like?

Notes include:  lavender, sage, spearmint, ambrette, ambroxan, and bitter orange

Click here to try: Prada Luna Rossa Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce

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My Full Wear Review

The first few minutes after spraying Luna Rossa on my skin, I get a very fresh blend of citrus and lavender. The citrus is orange and it is bright with quite an upbeat vibe. After that initial blast of citrus, the spearmint note begins to emerge and take over a larger part of the composition.

I really enjoy how the juiciness of the citrus plays off of the calm vibe of the lavender, it weakens gradually, but that top is great.

Luna Rossa has such an interesting and pretty unique blend, even the mint note has a different style from something like Guerlain Homme. The mint doesn’t have that same sharpness to it and is smoothed out but the lavender note, which is ubiquitous in all of the Luna Rossa fragrances.

The mintiness is joined by sage, so you get even more of a boost of fresh spice. Yet, it always remains clean, with that green herbal freshness and not a more distinct pepper like found in other fragrances.

I think I’ll say that this is a ‘breezy’ kind of cologne. While the amber is there, it doesn’t have that cloud-like warmth that hangs over you, it’s a cooler and refreshing breeze. The drydown, has more of a powdery/soapy feeling to it, but always retains the extreme freshness throughout.

The amber/ambroxan does show itself more in the latter stages of the wear, and by that point, it is mostly just lavender, a weaker mint, and that ambroxan.

Still, it is a very nice scent, even in the latter stages. Is it pretty simple and linear? Yes, but Luna Rossa works so very well, within that simplicity. I have found myself wearing this more often lately, in the later part of this spring, as it is such an easy cologne to reach for.

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Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage of Luna Rossa is pretty moderate. This one doesn’t need to be a bomb. In fact, it works much better being subdued, it’d get on your nerves if it were super loud.

This doesn’t mean that it’s weak by any stretch, you’ll know its there, but it won’t suffocate. I have a mini splash bottle and find that a few dabs are perfectly adequate. It also stays stable after application, Luna Rossa isn’t a scent that quickly turns into a skin scent.

Longevity, is good on my skin, I don’t think it’s amazing in this regard but it seems to fall into the 6-8 hour range…usually the higher end of the spectrum. It has been supremely consistent with how long it lasts.

It could be better in terms of how long it sticks around, though, it still is above average when compared to the whole lot of designer fragrances.

Is Luna Rossa a versatile fragrance? Yes, it is. However, it seems strange because you really don’t know how to categorize this scent at times. It can be worn casually, at work, or on a date. It’s fresh and clean, but also sexy, in its own way. Luna Rossa is a soft fragrance but also masculine in its presentation.

Warm weather, cold weather…it works. As I’ve said, I’ve been wearing this Prada a lot lately, and have been receiving plenty of complements when I have it on. It seems to appeal to women, pretty much across the board.

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Overall Impressions of Luna Rossa

Overall, do I recommend Luna Rossa by Prada? I do. I actually enjoy wearing all of the Luna Rossa scents, as I think that they each have their own appeal.

The original, has a great citrus opening and a unique blend of lavender and spearmint. It grows on you, and has such a simple minimalist appeal, that it defies expectations at times.

Luna Rossa is a good staple for almost any man to have in his rotation or for a guy who wants an everyday wear. You must enjoy the smell of lavender, if not, you might look elsewhere. However, it has enough of the mint/sage and orange, for the lavender not to feel like too much of a distraction.

It is bright and energetic, yet has a coldness about it, that is appealing. The closest to the original in the Luna Rossa lineup, is probably Luna Rossa Eau Sport.

Luna Rossa is an all-around performer, very balanced and easy to wear. This is one of my favorite Prada fragrances to spray on.

Yes, I am indeed still working my way through the samples of all of the Parfums de Marly colognes that I received a month plus ago. If you want to check out the rest, they are along with every other review I’ve ever done, on the fragrance reviews page.

We have now made it to Godolphin from this line and as always I want to explore and break down what makes this scent tick. How it performs, smells, what’s inside, etc. Godolphin was released in 2010.

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What does Godolphin Smell Like?

Notes include: saffron, leather, iris, rose, jasmine, amber, musk, cedar, thyme, mate, and vetiver

Click here to try: Parfums de Marly Godolphin Men’s Edp Spray, 4.2 Ounce

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My Full Wear Review

Right off the bat, I’m going to tell you that I enjoy this fragrance. In fact, I’ve already placed it on my top five fragrance from Parfums de Marly. Just so there’s no confusion about where my thoughts are going to fall on this particular cologne.

The opening is a leather and musk mix. Like the primal animal spice of the musk is sitting on top of the leather note and it also seems to feature some sort of metallic like aroma, of which I’m not quite sure what it is.

Perhaps, that is just the way the saffron is mixing with the other herbal notes and how it is all pieced together.

In a lot of ways, it is like Tuscan Leather and Ombre Leather by Tom Ford. It’s not an exact replica of either, but if you’re familiar with those, this is along those lines.

After the initial 10-15 minutes or so, the musk dies down quite a bit, and I get some sweeter fruit undertones and the emergence of the floral notes. Rose, in particular.

It has that bit of sweetness but it is combined with a dark and intriguing warmth one would expect from a masculine type of fragrance.

The saffron is the other main player here with the dominant leather. I don’t want to make Godolphin seem like an overly masculine scent because it does have those floral notes which give the cologne a great depth and moderation.

This is what I get for pretty much the rest of the way, a sweet leather blend, with a rich rose note, and a somewhat metallic aroma. I really love the saffron note in here. It’s such an underutilized ingredient outside of these more niche designers, but it’s fantastic. 

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Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it is fairly strong for the first couple of hours, but then becomes much more of a moderate scent. The sillage isn’t as powerful versus some of the other options by PdM, but it still has a nice strength to it. 

Godolphin also has very good longevity, easily eclipsing the 8+ hour range, and comfortably hitting double digit hours in most situations. It’s not the elite of the elite, but it does give you at least a full standard workday.

Update: Coming back to this fragrance, it seems to hit the 11 hour mark consistently. Occasionally, I’ll still pick it up after that, but 11 is about what I expect to get each time. 

I would say that it is a very versatile scent, at least within its seasonal range. Yes, this is a colder weather fragrance, but I’ve worn it in indoor environments here in the summertime.

It can be worn casually, but I think that it fits best when dressed up. Not necessarily formal wear, but for work or for a night on the town. It has a sense of intrigue and sexiness that will draw complements.

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Overall Impressions of Godolphin

Overall, do I like Godolphin? Obviously. I think it is a great leather based scent with a complex and amazingly put together profile. Like other Parfums de Marly colognes, it is pricy, but if you’re in the market for this scent…that shouldn’t be too much of a hurdle.

It smells great, performs well, and has a versatile ability to be worn in many situations. It has its similarities to the Tom Ford leather fragrances, while still maintaining its own unique character and providing you another option. 

The leather and saffron combination is very good. It’s probably never going to be a super mass appealing cologne, but Godolphin is easily one that can become a signature scent for the right man. 

Montblanc’s Legend line of fragrances have been monstrously successful over the past decade-plus and it still keeps cranking out flanker colognes to the original EDT. The latest, is Legend Eau de Parfum, which is going to stick much closer to the original release than something like Night. I received a sample of this with an order a few months back, so, I’ve of course tested it out. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it really worth a try?

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What does Legend Eau de Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: violet leaf, leather, jasmine, moss, bergamot, woods

Click here to try: MONTBLANC Legend eau de parfum 3.3 fl oz, 3.3 fl. oz.

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My Full Review

Violet leaf is the focus of Legend EDP from the get go. It is joined by a nice amount of citrus from the bergamot, which will dissipate pretty quickly, and leather. The leather and violet leaf are going to be the main distinctions from Legend EDT.

It’s got a fresh opening act, with a greenish aroma coming from the base, which is mostly from the ‘oakmoss’ aroma they use nowadays. Clean, but I notice that the leather never really comes through all that heavy in the mix. I mean, it’s there but doesn’t take over on my skin.

After a little while, the bergamot will fade out. I know there is jasmine in this blend, but I don’t pick it out as a separate aroma. What continues is violet leaf, woods, moss, and leather. That’s basically what I get for the rest of the way.

It feels flat and like there’s nothing there to give it much of a personality of its own. A mossy violet leaf with leather, sitting on top of wood. It doesn’t smell bad, by any means, just there isn’t all that much going on here.

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Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, I don’t find the EDP version of Legend to be much better, if at all than the original. It’s not a powerful projecting scent and is actually quite moderate. I don’t think that it really hits a higher peak with its strength versus the EDT, but may be steadier throughout the wear.

The longevity is better. It’s still not a beast, but I’ve gotten 6.5-8 hours of wear from Legend EDP during testing. Amazing? No, but better than the original, in terms of how long it will stick around on my skin.

The strength of the EDP is its versatility. Like the original, it’s a jack of all trades fragrance, which can be worn by all ages without issue.

Beyond that, it can venture into a variety of climates, pretty easily. I’d still stay away from the heat in the summer, but it’s fine in other conditions.

This can be worn casually, to work, to school, out on the town for an evening. Not going to be a nightclub kind of cologne, but it is a very versatile scent.

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Overall Impressions of Legend EDP

Overall, do I like Legend eau de parfum? Not particularly. I don’t hate the way it smells or anything, it’s just kind of boring. I still like the original more so than this one, and I’m not even a person who enjoyed that a lot. Montblanc can be pretty hit or miss, in my opinion.

It feels flat and uninspired. I like aspects of it, but Legend EDP doesn’t stand out in anyway. The violet leaf note, doesn’t add anything and it’s probably the worst aspect of the scent…despite it being a focus.

The leather is a nice touch, but it isn’t strong enough to give EDP a new direction. It’s like a violet leaf heavy version of the original, with some more greenish aromas, and it doesn’t manage to surpass it.

Should you buy it? Maybe if you’re a big fan of the original and want a longer lasting option. You might be able to get it for cheap, at some point, but I wouldn’t spend money on a full bottle.