Cologne Reviews

212 by Carolina Herrera

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In today’s review post, I want to take a closer look at a reasonably priced fragrance for men, 212 by Carolina Herrera. I want to give an overview of its ingredients, my impressions of it, how it performs, and rate whether or not that I think it is worth a buy. Also, check out my post in the best Carolina Herrera colognes for men for more options that might suit your tastes better.

What does 212 by Carolina Herrera Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, sandalwood, bergamot, ginger, green notes, musk, spices, violet

Click here to try: 212 By Carolina Herrera For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces

My Review

The opening of 212 is a rather unique blend of green notes, ginger, and grapefruit. This gives is a sort of grassy/floral scent at the start, which isn’t my favorite but it is moderate and short lived enough that it doesn’t distract from the overall scent which is very pleasant.

While this cologne is for men, it strikes me more as a unisex fragrance with enough musk and spice to make it lean slightly masculine.

It has quite a bit of citrus after the beginning, a commonplace bright and clean aroma, with ginger and pepper sitting underneath the grapefruit. I can’t pinpoint what other fragrance that 212 smells like, but it has a pretty generic scent, so to speak.

When wearing it, it’s like I’ve been here before, just with another scent. Then, 212 gets more interesting.

The dry down period is where 212 really begins to shine. The floral/green note is present during the whole way and the citrus scent from the grapefruit and bergamot takes on a support role.

Ginger is a strong element to this fragrance and gathers some of it warmth and spice from the musk. It’s a very clean scent overall. I pick up on those notes, herbal elements, and sandalwood.

However, one note that really come through for my nose is violet, like the actual flower and not violet leaf that is usually used. The floral element in 212 has a well-established place in the dry down, among the other grassy/outdoorsy smells that are present. I like this part, much more than the typical start.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

212 is a moderate fragrance in terms of projection. At first, it comes on pretty strong (in terms of projection) but quiets down later in the wear.

Also, it longevity is average, not bad but really not an all-day longevity champ either. I can get 5-7 hours out of this one, on my skin. This doesn’t hit the same level as some of the other Herrera colognes, that can be absolute beasts.

It is a versatile cologne that can be worn on any occasion but it is a better where for the warmer months of spring and summer.

212 for Men is a pleasant sort of cologne. You can wear it casually, to school or work, or any other situation in which you need something that doesn’t require much thought.

Overall Impressions of 212 Men

Is 212 worth a buy? Yes, it is a moderate, non-offensive scent that is affordable enough to be a value purchase. Carolina Herrera, has a whole line of great scents for men. I personally like CH or 212 VIP better than this one, but 212 for men is still a great pick for many guys.

It’s longevity isn’t the best nor is it very original, but it smells good enough and has decent performance. 212 is a good starter fragrance or one that you can go to whenever and not really have to worry about it.

Eau de Lacoste L.12.12. White

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This is my second review of Lacoste’s L.12.12 cologne series. I already covered Rouge and my thoughts on it: here. This time around, I am covering Eau de Lacoste Blanc (White), and testing out this floral/woody cologne for men. As usual, I am going to overview how it smells, performs, when it should be worn, and whether or not this casual fragrance is worth a buy.

What does Lacoste Blanc Perfume for Men Smell Like?

lacoste l.12.12 white

Notes include: cardamom, grapefruit, ylang-ylang, cedar, rosemary, suede, tuberose, leather

Click here to try: Lacoste Eau de Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc Eau de Toilette for Men, 3.3 fl. oz.

My Full Review

With the opening of Lacoste Blanc, I am immediately reminded of daytime in the spring. It’s a very clean floral and woody opening, with the main note of grapefruit taking charge.

I detect the cedar note but it seems to be smoothed out and tempered by the suede/leather combo, which is surprisingly quite mild. This fragrance definitely starts out with a bang, as it both projects well and also brings a lot of energy. Blanc is very upbeat and bright.

The is a slight herbal spice to this, light rosemary, and some cardamom. However, it never makes all that much of an appearance for me. Cedar and leather? Yes, the others? Not so much.

The floral notes aren’t really the ‘girly’ kind of scent, more earthy, and get hidden some by the citrus of the grapefruit. The interplay between these two is quite nice. It’s tuberose, which is hardly ever used in a men’s fragrance, and ylang-ylang.

There is also a layer of sweetness in this cologne that doesn’t take over but lends itself well. It feels like everything about this fragrance is just blended the right way. The grapefruit is mainly responsible for it, especially when it gets paired together with the ylang-ylang note.

What I’m ultimately left with a very wonderful blend of citrus and cedar. It’s fresh and uplifting. Though, this does go in more of a unique direction, with those floral notes. It comes together as being super clean and a delight to have on.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The projection on this one starts out fairly strong, but begins to weaken pretty quickly. It does transform more into a floral/woodsy cologne during the dry down period but that is again, brief.

The longevity on this one really isn’t all that great, it’s better than L.12.12. Rouge, but still taps out to the 4-6 hour range and more towards the low end.

This is a warm weather fragrance that is great for office, casual, or even some dating type environments. It’s appropriate for any age group, but has more of a youthful sort of vibe.

I wouldn’t be wearing this during the winter or autumn, but it is great when the weather starts to improve.

Overall Impression of L.12.12 White

Overall, I think that L.12.12. White is a very good cologne and an interesting floral based scent for men. I do prefer it, to the Red version from Lacoste (which I also like), and think that it can be a really good casual choice for guys.

I wish the longevity was a little bit better but aside from that Blanc is a quality cologne that is fresh, clean, and energetic. Coming back to this scent, years after my initial review, I can say that this is the best of the L.12.12 lineup, from my perspective.

Blanc is the only one that truly delivers a great smell and has at least decent performance. This line from Lacoste, really had plenty of mediocre and unmemorable scents.

This is a bright spot. Smells quite good, average performance, and a good pick up if you can get it cheap.

Sun Song by Louis Vuitton

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Sun Song was one of the Les Parfums Louis Vuitton releases, with bottles designed by Alex Israel, that they brought out back in 2019. I’m still working my way through reviews of the Louis Vuitton decants that I have and figured I’d finish out this series. What does Sun Song Smell Like? How long does it last? Is it worth a buy?

What does Sun Song Smell Like?

Notes include: orange blossom, lemon, bergamot, neroli, jasmine, musk

My Full Review

Before we get into my review, let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes this fragrance: An ode to the orange blossom to brighten summer. The euphoria of those first beautiful days. Feeling the warmth of sunlight on the skin.

I really don’t like the opening act of Sun Song. The citrus is too sharp and the orange blossom (which I generally like) feels overwhelming. I imagine that plenty of folks will be turned off by that start, but it does get better.

Once it does settle down, this fragrance does greatly resemble Sole di Positano by Tom Ford. The citrus notes there are way better. The main differences are that the Tom Ford has some herbal spiciness early on and Sun Song gets somewhat musky.

As soon as I get past that harsh opening, I do begin to enjoy Sun Song much more. The floral notes start to balance out, while still being led by the orange blossom. Neroli is very present and there’s also a touch of jasmine.

The citrus falls into the background and the musk in the base rises, but never overtakes the strength of either orange blossom or neroli.

At this point, you’re getting exactly what you get for the rest of the wear. A smooth floral with citrus and musky highlights. Not too complicated, but very attractive.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sun Song is pretty strong on my skin. Especially, in the early stages of the wear. Overall, it’s a moderately projecting perfume, probably towards the upper end of that range. Quite a bit like its comp, Sole di Positano.

On skin, this Louis Vuitton will go for 7-8 hours. The last 90 minutes or so, stayed really close to the skin. I’ve also sprayed it on a t-shirt and it just goes and goes. Nice performance for this style of perfume.

Seasonally, Sun Song is made for the spring and summer months. Once it settles, it is a pretty fragrance and fairly delightful to catch whiffs of throughout the day.

Sun Song is a unisex fragrance. I will say the opening, is closer to a traditional ladies’ perfume, but it comes back more toward the center of things. As a man, you’re just going to have to enjoy wearing citrus/floral scents.

Within the context of spring and summer, this is a fragrance that can pretty much be worn anywhere. It’s classy enough for more formal occasions, while not being too stuffy to wear casually.

Overall Impressions of Sun Song

Do I like this fragrance? I do like it, except for the start. Once it dries down, the citrus notes lighten up and the orange blossom, neroli, and jasmine blend for a nice balanced aroma.

Also, the performance is solid and it isn’t going to just drop off after a few hours of wear.

But, the price point is the major hold up. Sole di Positano is the better fragrance. It smells better overall and is available at a better price.

This isn’t a bad fragrance from Louis Vuitton, but I think that the others in this series like, Cactus Garden or Afternoon Swim are more interesting and better.

Santal Royal by Guerlain

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When getting myself some new samples to go through, I saw some from Guerlain, and decided that I should pick up these fragrances that I hadn’t experienced before. One of these colognes, is Santal Royal. Obviously, it is going to be much more of a niche, sandalwood based scent. Is it worth a try?

What does Santal Royal Smell Like?

Notes include: sandalwood, oud, leather, rose, amber, cinnamon, musk

Click here to try: Guerlain ‘Santal Royal’ Eau de Parfum Spray 4.2oz/125ml

My Review

The opening of Santal Royal is much more about the oud and leather than the sandalwood with a touch of cinnamon spice. While it’s there, the sandalwood isn’t the main attraction, and much more of a supporting player…at least at the beginning.

The Guerlain fragrance has a warm air and a rose note that is joined by a sweet fruit note. It’s almost a fermented sort of fruit smell. Santal Royal is very rich and thick at times, which I guess adds to it’s ‘royal demeanor’.

As it dries down, Santal Royal becomes drier and woodier than it had been previously. The leather and sandalwood emerge much more and form a triumvirate with the oud note. I’m glad because oud and rose can be a bit too much for my nose, so, I’m glad that this one balanced things out.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Santal Royal is strong. This is a sillage beast and it really doesn’t require many sprays to be effective and I think too many would be a hindrance to enjoying this fragrance.

Longevity, is absolutely great also, it doesn’t crap out at any time during the wear and will last all day long. I’ve gotten at least 9 hours of wear with this one, each try during testing.

I would put this as an autumn/winter cologne. It is not at all a summertime scent and I can’t imagine wearing this in the heat. It is unisex to an extent, though, much more suited to the masculine end of things.

Santal Royal could be worn dressed up or for an evening on the town. It is mature but not old man smelling. One could wear it to the office, if you went light with the sprays.

Overall Impressions of Santal Royal

Overall, do I recommend Santal Royal by Guerlain? Yes, provided you fall into this niche of oud/sandalwood lovers. This isn’t something that everyone could wear or even enjoy, it’s much more unique (but very much like others in this niche) and complex, than an average best selling cologne.

You get a lot of oud, sandalwood, leather, and rose with some other notes giving their best support. For some, that’ll sound appealing. For others, not so much.

Miss Dior Le Parfum EDP by Christian Dior

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I’m sort of working my way through the Miss Dior line of fragrances that Christian Dior has been releasing over the years. I’ve already done one on Blooming Bouquet and have another one in the works.

However, today I want to focus my attention of Miss Dior Le Parfum. The EDP flanker was released in 2012. How does it smell? Does it actually perform? When can it be worn? Is it worth a try? Please continue below for my full wear take on Le Parfum.

What does Miss Dior Le Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: amber, vanilla, mandarin, Turkish rose, and patchouli

Click here to try: Christian Dior Miss Dior Le Parfum Spray for Women, 1.35 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of Miss Dior Le Parfum is just about the only time during the wear in which the mandarin orange note is truly prominent. You get that familiar citrus aroma sitting on top of a warm amber and a spicy patchouli note.

There is a beautiful almost sparkling quality to this fragrance. The sample card that came with the spray vial calls this scent, “Oriental Chypre Elegance”.

As it moves on, what you smell is pretty much what you get. The mandarin note gets toned down and the vanilla note emerges in it’s place. There is a rose note that you can detect if you try, but it has been subdued in the composition.

Le Parfum is very well blended and has a semi-sweet aroma thanks to the vanilla and citrus but ultimately it is a deep amber fragrance with smooth floral vanilla and that kick from the patchouli. The whole thing has a rich and enveloping sensation while wearing it.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, I never felt like Miss Dior Le Parfum was a heavy fragrance. Sure, it has a ‘thick’ aroma, but the sillage wasn’t super overpowering. It’s more moderate to strong and quiets down into a creamier scent during the dry down period.

It’s longevity was actually good on my skin, about 7-9 hours of total wear, with maybe six of a full punch to it.  Certainly not an elite performer, but still gives you plenty to work with.

Seasonally, this Dior eau de parfum, is all about the autumn and winter. It’s got way too much warmth, creaminess, and spice to be built for the high heat of summertime.

One advantage it does have within that seasonal limitedness, is how versatile it is. Le Parfum could be worn at work or school. It can be worn casually.

Plus, it has enough appeal and attractiveness to be utilized during the night. Actually, I’d prefer it at night.  I find it to be pretty sexy and would love smelling it on a woman, that I was dating.

Overall Impressions of Miss Dior Le Parfum

Overall, do I like Miss Dior Le Parfum? Yes, it’s simple but potent. The mixture of vanilla, patchouli, and amber is satisfying and has a dark richness. On the performance end, it projects well and lasts for a solid amount of time after application.

Le Parfum not only smells good but has a versatile quality, which could make it someone’s go to scent during the colder months of the year.

Update: I don’t see this for sale anymore on Dior’s website, so, I don’t know if it has been discontinued or not at this point. But, a lot of these Miss Dior scents and other lines by Dior get reformulated into something new, under the same name. So, if it comes back around, it might be different from these notes.