By Designer

I Love NY for Fathers by Bond No. 9

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Today’s review is going to be another one from Bond No. 9. Specifically, from its I Love NY line of scents that they came out with 5 or so years back. This review will be of the men’s fragrance, I Love NY for Fathers.

As usual, I will cover what notes it has, how it smells, how long it lasts, when it should be worn, and if it’s worth a purchase or not.

I Love New York for Father’s Overview

Notes include: musk, lime, lavender, amber, basil, and sage

Click here to try: BOND NO 9 Cologne, I Love Ny Father’s Day, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of I Love NY for Fathers is like an animalistic soapy kind of scent. The musk note and lavender seem to be the stars at the beginning with a subtle citrus scent provided by the lime plays the background.

Now, the lime not in this isn’t a really intense lime like that found in Set Sail St. Barts, for example. In fact, I don’t even think I would have been able to identify it as an ingredient if I hadn’t looked up what this cologne consisted of.

A few minutes in, I begin to catch a much more herbal aroma from basil and sage, that is quite mellow and subdued. It is fresh and clean but really not all that attention grabbing or unique for that matter.

I feel like it’s similar to hopping out of the shower having used a bar of soap that is available at any local grocery store and not something that would set you back over a hundred bucks per bottle.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The projection is fairly good. New York for Fathers isn’t an intense cologne and eventually develops into a skin scent but I found it pretty noticeable for the most part.

I’d say that the longevity is somewhere in the 5-7 hour range, especially when I wore it indoors. Not great but not terrible either.

A very casual scent that will perform best in the warmer months of the year. It reminds me of a spring day and it’s whole tone would fit well within that framework. This is not a sexy or romantic wear type of scent.

Overall Impressions

Overall, would I recommend I Love NY for Fathers? Not really. It’s not awful but it’s nothing special either. For the price, it’s not a good deal at all.

There are plenty of colognes or bath soaps out there which could produce the same effect for a fraction of the cost.

I really don’t see the point of owning this, unless you collect these scents or this is just an exact reflection of your personal style. No real personal appeal for me.

Best Smelling Colognes to Get Your Boyfriend or Husband

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When buying cologne as a gift for someone, it is important to factor in their lifestyle, the climate of the area they live in, and even their personal style so far as you can tell it. Consider you boyfriend or husband’s needs. Does he need something that can be worn to work? Or will you go with something that is more towards the sexy/romantic night on the town sort of fragrance? In this post, I want to give a list of cologne options that not only smell good but fit in a wide range of categories. I have not accounted at all for a budget but I will link below, other posts that I have done for scents within certain price ranges, that way you can have even more options.

Also see: Best Colognes Under $30 Part 1, Part 2, and Best Scents $30-50

 

Armani Code Profumo–  A flanker fragrance to the original Armani Code. To me, this one surpasses the original (which is also great, btw). Profumo is so utterly smooth, sexy, warm, and simply beautiful. Has easily become one of my favorites. My Full Code Profumo Review

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Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’homme Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.3-Ounce

Fresh and masucline with a bit of a powdery kind of spice to it. This one has been wildly popular since its release and for good reason. La Nuit as the name suggests is great for nighttime wear but also has the versatility and longevity to wear to work. La Nuit Review

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Burbérry London 3.3 oz for Men Eau de Toilette

Burberry London is a casual yet refined fragrance that blends notes of tobacco, cinnamon, leather, and pepper among others. It works very well in the colder months of the year and spicy/woodsy profile that is quite delightful. My Full Burberry London Review

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Polo Black by Ralph Lauren for Men – 4.2 Ounce EDT Spray

Black is one of those casual scents that does everything really well. It has an interesting mango note that isn’t too much on the sweet side and is bolstered by woodsy notes. Polo Black is also kind of a year round fragrance, as it seems to work in almost any weather condition while also smelling wonderful. Polo Black Review



Carolina Herrera Ch Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce

This is a beautiful fragrance by Carolina Herrera. It features notes of grapefruit, bergamot, nutmeg, jasmine, violet, leather, and amber. It is a sweetly sugary aroma with  vanilla and leather, which gives it  a rich and warm smoothness. The dry down is quite lovely.

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L’instant De Guerlain By Guerlain For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 4.2 Ounces
This great scent is quite sexy, refined, and unique in many ways. Notes of bergamot, lemon, pepper, and many others weave together a layered aromatic experience that is one of a kind.  Top Guerlain Scents

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Thierry Mugler Eau de Toilette Spray, Angel Men Pure Havane, 3.4 Ounce

Pure Havane is a sweet blend of tobacco, honey, patchouli, and bitter cocoa. It is a very warm and manly scent that screams to be used on a winter’s day. Angel Men Pure Havane Review

A*Men Pure Havane

 

Creed Aventus Creed 4 OZ Millesime Spray For Men

An upscale blend of citrus notes and woods which uses the finest ingredients. Aventus is wildly popular and can be worn on a multitude of occasions and fit in perfectly. In my opinion, it’s at its best in the spring and summer. Creed Aventus Review

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212 Vip by Carolina Herrera Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce

A bold fragrance that has the smoothness of an alcoholic drink (vodka is a note in VIP) and a subtle spice that really brings things together. I love wearing this stuff. Great for the nightlife and actually isn’t bad for everyday wear when done lightly. 212 VIP Review

212 VIP Herrera

 

There you have it. While this is by no means a complete list of all possible great buys, you should be able to find a great gift from it or through one of the links to my other lists. Also, be sure to check out the individual reviews of scents to get further detail and select one that is in the right ballpark for your husband or boyfriend.

 

Best Smelling Men’s Colognes Under $50

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All right, so I’ve already done two installments of the best smelling fragrances for guys under $30. As such, I thought that I’d step it up to the next level of expensiveness, while still being affordable.

So, in this post I’m going to focus on men’s colognes for under $50 BUT instead of rehashing the same cheap offerings, it’s going to be scents above 30 but below the 50 dollar cutoff.

This range opens a whole new list of possible daily wear scents and one’s that are a bit more complex than the average cheapy cologne. I’m going to base this list off of the current Amazon prices, so, these scents may be more expensive elsewhere.

Top Fragrances Under 50 Bucks for Men

L’homme Yves Saint Laurent By Yves Saint Laurent For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.3-Ounces
Ginger is the big star of the Yves Saint Laurent fragrance. However, the tonka bean in the heart of the fragrance provides a smooth sweetness and helps to make this one a special fragrance that garners compliments.  L’Homme Review

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Armani Code By Giorgio Armani For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 1.7 Oz.
Very attractive scent that works well for going out for a night on the town. Has enjoyed mega popularity for a number of years. My review

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Versace Eros Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Fluid Ounce
Tonka bean is one of the multitude of notes which makes Versace Eros tick along with mint, apple, and vanilla. It is extremely rich, complex, warm, and powerful. Great for the colder months. Eros Full Review

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Hugo Boss Men’s Boss No. 6 Eau de Toilette Natural Spray, 3.3 fl. oz.

A sweet and pleasant fragrance for casual wear with notes of apple and vanilla. Moderate longevity but a solid experience at this price point. My Boss No. 6 review

L’instant De Guerlain By Guerlain For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 4.2 Ounces

One of the best smelling colognes out of the house of Guerlain. This is a great buy for the price.

l'instant guerlain

Polo Blue by Ralph Lauren for Men, Eau De Toilette Natural Spray, 4.2 Ounce

I’m going to use Polo Blue as a stand in here to represent many Polo colognes that are available for under $50. It really depends what kind of scent you enjoy and Ralph Lauren probably makes something enjoyable in that style. Blue is a nice aquatic. Read my Review

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Acqua Di Gio By Giorgio Armani For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces

Acqua Di Gio is always a best seller. Smooth, masculine, citrus, refreshing. It gets worn a lot but for good reason. Read my full review

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Versace Man Eau Fraiche By Gianni Versace For Men Edt Spray 3.4 Oz

Another Versace scent. Eau Fraiche shines in the summertime, with it’s frozen citrus scent, that projects well and lasts for a long time. Read my Eau Fraiche review

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This is but a mere selection of the great scents available for men for under $50. The selections on the list will, however, fit a wide range of styles. Be sure to check out other options from these designers which will typically cost around the same amount.

Canoe by Dana

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I’m pretty sure that I am approaching or perhaps already have surpassed 100 fragrance reviews on this site since its launch almost 3 years ago.

Of course, there are always new scents to try out and relay my experiences with them to my readers, but sometimes I can call on an older cologne and put forth my two cents about it. One of the earliest fragrances that I was gifted was a scent called Canoe by Dana.

Apparently, this is one which dates back to the 1930s and has been steadily selling as a sort of drug store cologne ever since. In this post, I’d like to give an overview of this scent and its performance.

Notes include: lemon, oakmoss, cedar, lavender, vanilla, tonka bean, carnation

Click here to try: Canoe by Dana

The opening of Canoe always struck me as a warm blend of citrus and sweetness provided by the vanilla and tonka bean notes.

I really should like this cologne, as I enjoy vanilla scents such as Le Male and Opium, both of which add a layer of spiciness to the aroma but I simply could never vibe with Canoe.

It always seemed like an old scent (which it is) but it has all of the appeal of something an old man would wear…like senior citizen eau de cologne.

I don’t mind mature fragrances when I feel they are done well, Azzaro isn’t my style really, but I understand its dry and earthy appeal.

Canoe I think relies too much on floral notes, which just strikes me as kind of underwhelming when put together with the citrus notes.

One things, that I will say on the positive side of things, is that Canoe is quite a clean scent, so even if I don’t personally care for it, I can see what they were going for with it.

Projection is on the low-to-moderate side of things. That’s good in this case because I would utterly hate to be around an intense version of this cologne. Longevity is also pretty disappointing, maybe 5 hours tops with this stuff.

Is Canoe a buy? Not for me. It is really, really cheap but even still, I don’t recommend it. What’s the appeal?

It doesn’t last very long and smells completely dated and not that great to begin with. If you’re looking to save money, there are plenty of other options that are better than this.

Best Colognes for Date Night

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For this post, I want to present some cologne options for men when having a date night with a lady. Now, I’ve already addressed the best night colognes for summer and the most complemented fragrances and while there is some overlap between them, I want to focus this post on scents that are fresh, clean, masculine, and/or gourmand in their aromas. This is by no means a complete list, rather, it is a good starting point and there are plenty of options for almost any scenario and if not…check out some other posts on here. As always, I have linked each out to its page on Amazon for more info and ease of purchase.

 

Carolina Herrera Ch Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce
This is a beautiful fragrance by Carolina Herrera. It features notes of grapefruit, bergamot, nutmeg, jasmine, violet, leather, and amber. It is a sweetly sugary aroma with  vanilla and leather, which gives it  a rich and warm smoothness. The dry down is quite lovely.

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Armani Code By Giorgio Armani For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 4.2 Oz.
Very attractive scent that works well for going out for a night on the town. My review

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Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male By Jean Paul Gaultier For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 4.2 Oz.
The cologne has been extremely popular for a long time and for good reason. It is warm, seductive, and fresh. Ladies love this stuff. Review

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BURBERRY London for Men Eau de Toilette, 3.3 fl. oz
A wonderful blend of spice and woodsy elements. This fragrance is masculine and full of depth.Burberry London Review.

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Dior Homme By Christian Dior For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces
Light, fresh, elegant, and classy. Dior Homme is a modern classic. The longevity isn’t as great as desired but this is still a wonderful fragrance, you could also go with Homme Intense. Top Christian Dior Colognes for Men

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Givenchy Play Intense by Givenchy for Men – 3.3 Ounce EDT Spray
Great fragrance from Givenchy with woodsy and spice notes.  

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The One By Dolce and Gabbana for Men, 3.3 Ounce

One of my favorites in terms of smell. However, it simply doesn’t last long on my skin and I know others have this problem too…but not everyone. If it works for you, you’re lucky because The One is amazing.

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Rochas Man Eau de Toilette, Woody Gourmand, 3.3 fl. oz.

Sweet and warm gourmand with a strong coffee influence. This is one for the wintertime but it gets attention.

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Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’homme Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.3-Ounce
An entry from Yves Saint Laurent. With notes of bergamot, lavender, cedar, vetiver, and other floral notes…La Nuit is definitely a winner come autumn and is generally very well received. Here’s my review

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Kouros Body By Yves Saint Laurent For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 1.6 Ounces One of my favorites during the wintertime. This cologne is sweet and spicy and has the ability to draw women in it seems. My Full Review

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