Fragrances

Stronger with You vs. The Most Wanted

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Two of the more popular fragrances for younger guys are currently, The Most Wanted and Stronger with You. In this post, I’m going to provide my head to head breakdown of each, and declare at the end which cologne I think is better.

Tale of the Tape: Stronger with You vs. The Most Wanted

Stronger With You

Notes include: vanilla, mint, cardamom, chesnut, amber, pink pepper, sage, violet leaf

Click here to try: Emporio Armani Stronger With You for Men Eau de Toilette Spray, 1.7 oz

My Full Review: Stronger With You

The Most Wanted

notes include: caramel, cardamom, amberwood

Click here to try: Azzaro The Most Wanted Eau de Parfum Intense | Cologne for Men 1.7 fl oz

My Full Review: The Most Wanted

Opening

Stronger With You opens up fresh and with its spicier notes out front. To me, the cardamom really stands apart from the other notes, it has a share of the note weighting at the start.

Beyond that, it’s: pink pepper, mint, sage. The vanilla and chestnut notes are there also, but will gain strength a bit further in. Early on, it’s cardamom and the others.

The Most Wanted also has a cardamom note, but this one has a lemony touch, that brings to mind the original Wanted. It’s fresher, spicier, but less of a sharp sweetness than its predecessor.

Though, the Most Wanted is still sweet with the caramel and Bourbon vanilla note. Sweet, spicy, with some freshness is essentially what you get from this cologne the rest of the way.

Which is better? While The Most Wanted is simpler, I think that it works in its favor. It’s less of a mess early, which can feel like the Emporio Armani’s problem after spraying. It’s not bad, just not at its best.

Edge: The Most Wanted

Projection

When it comes to creating a scent trail and just pure ability to jump off of the skin, these fragrances are about equal, in my experience.

Really, both are great for mainstream designer scents. I’ve tested them out to see if there’s a difference and I really don’t think that there is.

So, this one is a tie.

Neither is an absolute monster with how they perform, but they’re right on the border and very strong scents.

Edge: Push

Longevity

The original Stronger With You EDT lasts for at least 9 hours on my skin. However, it can go above 10 hours at times, as well. It just sometimes fails to hit that double digit hour mark.

With The Most Wanted, I also get nine hours from it. But, it doesn’t seem to have that extra gear that Stronger can sometimes kick into.

Maybe newer bottles of SWY don’t have the same power. I’m not sure, but I haven’t heard anything about a declining performance. As such, I’ll give it the nod.

Edge: Stronger with You

Versatility

Both of them are best in the autumn and winter months. Though, each can sneak into the early spring, especially if you’re planning on using them for evening wear. Maybe, Stronger is a bit better in this regard.

Neither is a formal wear or one that is built for the office life. Casual, nightlife, and romantic wear would be better uses.

They also skew younger, not just for teenagers, but younger men in general could do well wearing these.

Not much of a distinction, but I might give the slight edge to the Armani.

Edge: Stronger (slightly)

Overall Scent

Which of these fragrances is the better buy overall?

With SWY, I have always liked aspects of it, but it never completely blew my mind. It’s not the best release from the series (personally, I like Intensely), but it is likeable, and has very nice moments as it dries down.

Frankly, it’s never been as good to my nose as The Most Wanted, which actually is my favorite from the Azzaro series.

The caramel and vanilla notes in The Most Wanted give you a great sweetness. The cardamom, warmth and spice. Plus, there is a freshness here that prevents the fragrance from becoming too heavy

They do share similarities of course, but I think the simplicity of The Most Wanted gives it the nod. The performance is almost equal, if more so favoring Stronger With You. End of the day, it really comes down to which one smells better.

For me, that’s The Most Wanted.

If I compare this to SWY Intensely or Absolutely, it’d be much closer, but I still think that I’d go with The Most Wanted. To me, it’s just a bit better, and I like the notes more than the Armani fragrances.

Winner: The Most Wanted

Stronger With You Freeze by Emporio Armani

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Stronger With You is a very popular series from Emporio Armani, that has taken things in some interesting directions, while still retaining that core fragrance DNA. 2020’s Freeze version is one of the more unique editions from the line, but is it actually any good?

How long does it last? I’ve been testing it out and this page is dedicated to my thoughts on Stronger With You Freeze.

Stronger With You Freeze Overview

Notes include: ginger, apple, vanilla, lime, sage, lavender, cardamom, amberwood

Click here to try: Freeze

My Full Review

Here’s how Armani describes it: Stronger With You Freeze, the seductive, crisp and fresh fragrance for men by Emporio Armani, captures the seductive energy of the man who lives in the present with distinct and elegant freshness. Urban, dynamic and contemporary.

So, opening up you immediately get hit with the strength of that frozen lime note. I almost always love a cold citrus start and this is no exception. Lime is the major citrus player here, with a bit of orange playing the background.

The other noticeable fruit note is apple. Actually the opening of Freeze has more than a passing resemblance to Y EDP. The weighting of the notes is different, but the overlap includes: apple, sage, citrus, ginger, geranium, and the amberwood.

The apple isn’t as strong in here, but it is more powerful than the orange note. Ginger and sage are pretty heavy hitters that will sit up top, as the lime note begins to weaken somewhat. But, it does stick around.

So, early on we have a cold citrus and apple fragrance with fresh sage and ginger (geranium, too for a bit).

As it shifts, the lavender note really comes out. The sage, apple, and much of the citrus punch will fade a whole lot. Ginger, lavender with the amberwood note coming from the base. In comparison to Y EDP, this has much less of the blue-ish amberwood influence.

Also, making an appearance is cardamom. Very greenish, with some light spice. It’s noticeable once the sage has moved on. The lavender, cardamom, and ginger note are leaders for a time. The background is vanilla, amberwood, and the remaining lime.

Then, the vanilla and some of the glazed chestnut aroma from the original Stronger With You comes to the forefront.

It becomes more like the original, as it dries down. Lighter, still some lime and the ginger…but vanilla, woody, and nutty.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

So, the Stronger With You fragrances all have great sillage and projection off of the skin. Not the elite of the elite, but for popular designer colognes, they do an awesome job.

Does Freeze stack up? Not to the same degree, it isn’t a heavy beast of a scent. But, it is above average and will create a nice scent bubble for much of the duration and a trail for an hour or two.

Really, this one holds up with its strength fairly well.

The longevity here is pretty good for this style, but definitely below the others in the series, since this is a lighter formulation. I get somewhere in the 7-8.5 hour range of wear, when I spray this on skin.

Very much a scent that isn’t just going to quit on you, shortly after applying.

Seasonally, Freeze allows you to wear the formulation for the spring and summer months. Sure, go with your other favorite SWY scents when it gets cold, but this is a nice options for the warmer weather.

But, it really wouldn’t be bad if it’s not super chilly out there. Temperate to warm is when Freeze is at its best.

This is sort of a casual to maybe semi-formal fragrance. Not too serious, but likeable and still has that mass appeal of the others. This can easily been worn in the day and venture into the nightlife as well.

Not offensive and has an energetic vibe. Freeze is a cologne that you can get a lot of use out of, if you like the smell.

Overall Impressions of Freeze

Overall, do I like Stronger With You Freeze? I do, but it’s probably my least favorite of the series. Which many of them score about the same to me, this one is just lower than the rest.

The other SWY Scents like Intensely, Absolutely, Leather, Oud, and the EDT are much more enjoyable to me overall.

I thought during the opening phase, that this would surpass the original EDT, at least. But, as it wore on, I started to like this one less. Never hated it, just that opening is my favorite part of Freeze.

Lime, ginger, sage, and that bit of apple are really nice. Again, it gives off a similar albeit different aroma than Y EDP from YSL. I like it and it’s got a cold and refreshing aroma that’s quite wonderful.

As it dries down, the lavender and amberwood come in more, and I start to enjoy Freeze less. It’s still fine, just not amazing.

The performance here delivers most of what you’d want with a fragrance. So, if you like Freeze, it gives you a good deal. This Stronger With You is definitely worth a try, but may not be for everyone to buy.

Update: This one has been discontinued, since this initial review. I wouldn’t overpay to get ahold of a bottle, but if you want to try Freeze, you shouldn’t wait around long.

Bad Boy Cobalt by Carolina Herrera

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Bad Boy is a series that Carolina Herrera seems to be staying with, though without the million flankers its Bad Girl line seems to get. Nonetheless, we do have another flanker scent on the men’s line this year (2022), Bad Boy Cobalt EDP Electrique.

How does this one smell? How long does it last? Is Bad Boy Cobalt actually worth a try?

Bad Boy Cobalt Overview

Notes include: pink pepper, geranium, lavender, black plum, truffle accord, vetiver

Click here to try: Bad Boy Cobalt

bad cobalt review

My Full Review

Here’s how Carolina Herrera describes it: Bad Boy Cobalt Eau de Parfum Électrique puts a bold new spin on the duality of modern masculinity – the concept that defines every Bad Boy fragrance. A fusion of mineral sexiness and wild freshness, this energizing and complex fragrance shows us Bad Boy at his most elegant, inspired to be himself and confident that anything is possible alongside his trusted friends.

I’m not a huge fan of either Bad Boy or Le Parfum. They’re both fine, but never blew me away. So, I really had no expectations of Cobalt. However, I saw plum and truffle listed as notes, which did intrigue me.

Cobalt starts off with a fresh spicy punch, that is boosted by the tart sweetness of the plum note. Pink pepper and geranium, really start this one off with a bang. Can kind of be too much, but this Bad Boy flanker will settle.

Geranium has an edge on my skin, early. But, that flips with the pink pepper and it will begin to diminish. Nice cool freshness.

The next phase sees the plum note really come into its own. It’s less tart in this stage, sweeter, and I do get the comparisons with 1 Million Lucky. These aren’t the same however, the plum is much more tolerable in Cobalt, also.

For me, the truffle here is much earthy and dirty versus having a sweeter or chocolate-like finish to it. I like it, gives the aroma a more naturalistic feel than it otherwise would.

This and the vetiver really help to temper the blend and keep it from going completely in that 1 Million Lucky direction.

At some point, about an hour in, the lavender takes over as the lead note for the plum. This is about what I get for the rest of the wear.

It’s an sweet, woody, earthy lavender led mix. The plum doesn’t stay too powerful, but it is there.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, Cobalt is pretty moderate. On me, it’s never entirely weak, either. I get a nice trail and scent bubble out of this one.

The projection is decent, but this one doesn’t seem as strong as the other Bad Boy colognes. Testing it a few more times after this initial review, and yeah, it’s pretty mid-tier with its performance.

I get about 6-7 hours of wear. With, Le Parfum, that number hit the 8-9 hour mark. Again, a slight step back from the others, but still pretty solid.

Seasonally, this is a versatile fragrance. Outside of the extremes of hot and cold, Cobalt would work just fine. Not going to melt when it is warm and can stand out on chilly outings.

It’s more of a casual, daily wear, nightlife, semi-formal fragrance for men. Not a super formal fragrance, but it can fit in for most other uses.

It’s attractive and mass pleasing. Leans more towards being for younger guys, but not totally limited to that demographic by any means. Date night? Yes. Maybe not the sexiest cologne out there, but it’ll do the job in most instances.

Overall Impressions of Cobalt

Overall, do I like Bad Boy Cobalt? It certainly has aspects of it that I enjoy. On the whole, it’s something that I like around the same extent as the others in the series. Fine, but not a cologne that I’m personally going to buy.

The plum and truffle combination is nice. Cobalt has its time as a sweeter type of fragrance, while also going pretty hard with the lavender and earthiness, later on in the wear.

With my nose pressed up against the skin, Cobalt does seem all that great. However, when it hits the air, I do find myself liking it much more. It seems to have periods of being very good, then maybe above average with how it smells.

The performance is run of the mill for a scent of this type. You do get a pretty unique aroma, it doesn’t smell exactly quite like anything, but just don’t expect Cobalt to be completely beast mode.

This should be a good option for younger guys and fans of the other Bad Boy colognes. I’m not sure that I prefer this to either of the two, but it’d probably fluctuate between that first and third spot depending on the day.

In the end, Bad Boy Cobalt is worth trying out to see if you like it. Not a bad fragrance and one that certainly already has its fanbase.

The Bad Boy line really isn’t that great, despite its popularity. They keep churning out new flankers, so, maybe one that I haven’t tried is elite.

All of the fragrances that I have tried are wearable, but none of them seem to deliver anything all that special. Cobalt certainly doesn’t despite having flashes of attractiveness.

Light Blue Eau Intense vs. Acqua di Gio Comparison

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Today’s fragrance comparison is going to be a battle between two popular summertime aquatic colognes: Light Blue Eau Intense vs. Acqua di Gio. Which of these scents is the better performer? The still highly popular 90s cologne or the Intense flanker to Light Blue? I will break down both by different metrics, before ultimately crowning a winner overall.

Tale of the Tape: Eau Intense vs. AdG

Acqua di Gio

Notes include: bergamot, tangerine, neroli, jasmine, rosemary, patchouli, rock rose, hyacinth, persimmon, marine notes

Click here to try: Acqua Di Gio By Giorgio Armani For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces

Read my review: Acqua di Gio 

Light Blue Eau Intense

Notes include: mandarin, frozen grapefruit, juniper, aquatic accord, amber woods, musk

Click here to try: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Intense Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 1.6 Ounce

My review: Light Blue Eau Intense

Opening

Acqua di Gio starts off with a now famous citrus aroma of bergamot and tangerine, which is then paired with an aquatic accord, which has an oceanic quality to it.

Underneath that, there are floral notes, which consist mostly of jasmine and some neroli. It is a fresh and quite pleasant.

It’s a sea breeze of the usual citrus fruit and persimmon with the jasmine note, which sits amazingly well in that initial juicy blend

I’ve come back to AdG over the past year, while testing out the Profondo’s from Armani, and it still is absolutely pleasant. Those opening minutes take me back and are still great after however many years.

It can be difficult to find something special about it after all these years and so many wears, but AdG’s mix of citrus and jasmine with the light sea breeze manages to do it.

Light Blue Eau Intense also starts off with citrus notes, instead opting for mandarin orange and frozen grapefruit. It actually does have a great cold feeling to it, that is refreshing to wear. The aquatic note is less of a salt marine type, but is joined by a nice juniper note.

Which is better? While I quite enjoy AdG and the way that it starts off, I think that Intense, is a bit better. The cold crispness of the fruit and the smooth aquatic note is really great.

Edge: Eau Intense

Projection

Both of these fragrances are pretty moderate in their sillage. Eau Intense will leave more of a trail. They can be pretty strong for the first few hours, then, sit closer to the skin but aren’t ever weak.

I’d say that Eau Intense probably hits a higher point for a period of time, but after that they are pretty equal.

Intense can definitely feel heavier up top, than Acqua di Gio ever does. Maybe the projection hits a few feet more, but Eau Intense has never been a beast-mode fragrance for me.

Edge: Intense (slightly)

Longevity

AdG gets me 6-7 hours of wear, on my skin. It’s a solid performer, in that regard. However, Intense will go for 9 hours for me, easily.

Acqua di Gio used to be a bit better than it is now, but newer bottles don’t have the same intensity, as they did upon initial release.

Update: Testing newer samples of AdG that I received with other purchases, it seems to be in the 5-7 hour range, depending on the day. Definitely, taken a step back from the original, but not terrible.

Edge: Intense

Versatility

Both of these fragrances are pretty much equal with when and where, they can be worn. They are great for the warmer months of the year, but can actually be worn any time, without issue. Neither is a more formal cologne, but for any other purpose, they’re great.

Update: Ehhh, I think I’ll give the edge to Acqua di Gio here. It probably is better for daily wear at school or an office. Coming back to Eau Intense, it is much more of a summertime fragrance.

Edge: AdG

Overall Scent

Acqua di Gio has been a great scent for men for over two decades, at this point. It is a fresh citrus aquatic with a masculine spice and smooth floral undertones. The performance is solid, it is highly popular, and smells fantastic.

However, Light Blue Eau Intense is the better of the two. Its take on the aquatic fragrance, is awesome. The frozen grapefruit and crisp aquatic accord are wonderful to smell.

Then, the juniper berry floating around the composition, and a solid amber wood base which keeps it all together.

The performance is better than AdG’s and the fragrance is just more interesting. If the longevity of the Armani was still high level, it would be a very close consideration for me.

The D&G cologne, wins this round. I know that there are some folks who don’t like Eau Intense, so, AdG might win on mass appeal.

I would say, that in that case, you might do well with AdG Profumo or Profondo…which are both better than the original Acqua di Gio.

I think that the AdG series has better options overall in comparison than does the Dolce line of colognes. But, in this case, Light Blue Eau Intense takes it.

Winner: Eau Intense

Allure Homme Sport Cologne by Chanel

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Chanel has a long list of flankers in the Allure series. The Allure Homme Sport series even has multiple versions of its own. One, that I have yet to review on the site is the Cologne version, which was released in 2007.

So, I recently grabbed some samples to go ahead and give it the full review. How does it smell? Is Allure Sport Cologne worth a try?

Allure Homme Sport Cologne Overview

Notes include: elemi, cedar, lovage, lemon, grapefruit, vetiver, neroli, and more

Click here to try: Allure Homme Sport Cologne from Chanel

allure sport review

My Full Review

Before we get into my review, let’s see how Chanel describes it: Allure in motion. More than a fragrance, ALLURE HOMME SPORT Cologne is a boost of well-being for the active man — a fresh, invigorating composition like a breath of energy. A generous citrus freshness is subtly heightened by spicy Lovage and Elemi notes and set against a backdrop of Cedar and White Musk.

This one often gets compared to Dior Homme Cologne. That’s a pretty accurate assessment of this version of Allure. I currently have both of these fragrances and that opening act is close to being the same.

The main differences are going to be that Dior Cologne has much more of a cold lemonade sort of aroma. Whereas, Chanel’s Cologne, is a bit warmer.

Secondly, this one has more of a neroli and lovage influence, with a tad less juiciness from the citrus top notes.

Thirdly, the usual Chanel aldehydes are in play, and you do get a resinous spice lingering in the background.

Allure Homme Sport Cologne opens with these juicy citrus notes, neroli, and lovage. Lovage apparently has a floral and slight greenish/celery sort of aroma. Which, when I press my nose to the skin, I can pick up on.

The background does have a bit of a resinous quality from both the lovage and elemi notes. It’s nothing too noticeable, and I’d guess, that most people wouldn’t even gather that unless the were super focused.

So, yeah, like 85-90% the same in the opening as the Dior.

The dry down does begin to separate these two somewhat. Cologne becomes a woodsier and more floral scent, than just the citrus top would suggest.

Cedar starts to play a greater role in the composition. I also get the same vetiver that’s found in Allure Homme Blanche, which also has some similarities to this.

That’s basically it, until the end. Neroli, cedar, vetiver, and the remnants of the other notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage on this one starts out pretty well. In the first fifteen to thirty minutes it will leave a decent scent trail and projects itself well off of the skin. You’ll notice it without question.

But, that is a rather short-lived experience. After an hour or so, this is pretty much a skin scent. Even when I spray the heck out of it, Allure Sport Cologne isn’t going to really go beast mode or stay around strong for too long.

The longevity here is also pretty meh. I get 3-4 hours, which is a shorter duration than Dior Cologne, which isn’t great if that’s your closest comp. Especially, once you start comparing pricing, Dior is usually available from online sellers for more of a discount.

The performance with this one really holds it back. That being said, it does have a spring and summer use case and isn’t super versatile, so spraying a lot won’t really matter. It’d probably still take a while to work through a bottle.

Seasonally, this one is spring and summer. This is of course a more casual or sporty wear for those months. One to wear during the daytime. Not a formal fragrance, but one could get a decent use case out of Cologne, when it gets warm enough.

Overall Impressions of Allure Homme Sport Cologne

Overall, do I like Cologne? I do enjoy the scent itself. Not my favorite thing ever, but I do like a good summer citrus, and this is a fine example.

But, I also don’t like it quite as much as Dior Cologne. With that one, I like the simple lemon and grapefruit blossom aroma, it’s colder and slightly more refreshing to me.

With the Chanel, I also get a pretty weak 3-4 hours of wear. I don’t really expect that much from this type of sporty summer fragrance, but I do want more than that at Chanel prices.

Also, I don’t know that I prefer it to any of the other Allure scents. It’s in the same ballpark, but I’d prefer wearing the others, even Blanche which occupies the same niche. It’s sort of the odd fragrance out from this line.

I know it’s the easy to wear summer version, but Blanche is better than this, and Dior Cologne is cheaper at the very least (and again better, in my opinion).

So, I smell alone, I can recommend this one. On all of the other intangibles? Probably not for most people. Just understand what sort of scent you’re buying with Allure Sport Cologne and don’t expect it to be your main wear for much of the year.