Fragrances

Polo (Green) vs Polo Blue Cologne Comparison

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In this post, I want to do another cologne comparison between two fragrances from the Ralph Lauren line, Polo and Polo Blue. Now, Polo is a classic fragrance from the 1970s, comes in that familiar green bottle, and has been a best seller for decades.

Blue EDT is a more recent addition to the lineup but has been well received thus far. Which of these colognes smells better? Which performs better? Who should consider wearing each? Read below for the complete breakdown.

Which is Better? Polo vs. Polo Blue

Polo Blue Tale of the Tape

Notes include: amber, melon, patchouli, geranium, cucumber, tangerine, moss, musk

Read my original review: Polo Blue Review

Polo (Green) Tale of the Tape

polo

Notes include: basil, leather, tobacco, oakmoss, pine, cedar, and more.

Click here to try: Polo by Ralph Lauren for Men, Eau de Toilette Natural Spray, 4-Fluid Ounce

Read my original Review

Opening

This is a battle between an aquatic opening in Polo Blue versus the dry woodsy/leathery opening of the original Polo. Polo Green is stronger and more complex then Blue is. I find it to be a much more interesting fragrance.

Blue opens with a cool and crisp blend of cucumber, melon, and some citrus (mainly tangerine). This combination, gives it that sort of aquatic and familiar appeal. Behind that watery trio is a herbal basil note.

Green is a classic sort of scent. It mainly kicks off with pine and leather, but you will also pick up hints of tobacco and the basil, that’s also in Blue.

Between these two, I tend to favor the opening of Green.  Yes, the original Polo has more of an old school aroma, but I like it better.

Blue smells nice, but it’s pretty commonplace, and feels like so many other scents, of that fragrance type.

Edge: Green

Projection

Polo Blue is rather moderate in its projection, it isn’t super strong but it gets the job done. Polo Green is a strong fragrance and can dominate a room if overused…it’s much more of a beast.

The original Polo doesn’t have the same power it once had, but it still brings the power more than Blue EDT.

They’re both decent for what they bring to the table, but neither hits beast mode. That being said, the original Green bottle is the more powerful between them.

Edge: Green

Longevity

The difference between these two is that Blue will usually be good for 6-9 hours while Green is a 8+ hour scent. Blue EDT has a wide range and much less consistency in what I get from it. It’s not bad, but it can sometimes quit earlier than expected.

Unless either of them has been reformulated in the past couple of years, Green still takes this category over Blue.

Edge: Green

Versatility

The original Polo is a more mature fragrance and thus eliminates some potential younger users. It can also be too heavy at times for use in close quarters.

I think overall it holds up well, however. Seasonally, it’ll be best autumn through early spring. While Blue can for sure be of use for most of the calendar year as well.

Blue is a much more versatile and manageable scent that can appeal to multiple types of men. I think that it performs better in the warmer months too, without feeling completely out of place in the more mild parts of the year.

Edge: Blue

Overall Scent

It’s tough to compare these two, since they are really quite different scents. Polo Green is has a dry/smoky/woodsy/green type of aroma and Blue is more aquatic/woodsy.

I think that Green is probably the better scent overall but Blue is a really good choice for everyday wear, that probably has a wider appeal.

It really depends on what you’re looking for in a cologne. If you want a more modern scent, go with Blue. If you want a classic blend of woody notes, smoothness, and some additional spice Polo Green is great.

Actually, you might want to give Polo Intense a try, as it’s a modern update to the classic Green.

Honestly, for most guys, Blue EDT will be a better bet. If you favor Blue, I’d actually pick up Blue EDP or Deep Blue before Blue EDT.

Winner: Polo Green

Versace Eau Fraiche vs. Dylan Blue Comparison

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In this match up, we have two options from Versace, Man Eau Fraiche vs. Dylan Blue Pour Homme. Which of these two best sellers from the Italian designer, smells the best? Which lasts longer? In this post, I am going to break down my thoughts on each, comparing them between categories. I have worn and reviewed both fragrances on this site, so, I’m familiar with the pros and cons of each. Is there a clear winner here?

Tale of the Tape: Eau Fraiche vs. Dylan Blue

Dylan Blue

Notes include: black pepper, violet leaf, grapefruit, bergamot, tonka bean, ambrox, fig leaf

Click here to try: VERSACE Pour Homme Sealed Dylan Blue Eau de Toilette, 3.4 Ounce

Read my full review: Dylan Blue

Versace Man Eau Fraiche

Notes include: Lemon, Rosewood, Carambola, Cedar leaves, Tarragon, Sage, Musk, Amber, Sycamore

Click here to try: Versace Man Eau Fraiche By Gianni Versace For Men Edt Spray 3.4 Oz

Read my review: Man Eau Fraiche

Opening

Dylan Blue opens up with bergamot and grapefruit at the top. These two citrus ingredient sit within a watery aquatic aroma, with an increasingly strengthening ambroxan. It has hints of being like Sauvage, but at the start, Dylan Blue adds a fig note to the citrus aquatic scent. This sets it apart and also creates what is one of my favorite aspects of this fragrance.

Eau Fraiche also starts out with citrus top notes, paring lemon with the bergamot, and then adding starfruit. It is bright and very attractive. Then there is a slight herbal kick, added to the cologne to give it more depth.

Which is better? The opening act of Dylan Blue is quite good and I am tempted to give it the nod, but I really do like how that Versace starts out. Normally, the citrus opening might not be enough to impress, but that lemon and starfruit combination really grabs my attention. It is ultimately what I prefer.

Edge: Eau Fraiche

Projection

Dylan Blue is pretty strong at the start and for an hour or so, before the sillage shifts more into the moderate end of things. Upon spraying, it is one that can fill a room, and then quiets down. Meanwhile, Eau Fraiche, starts out more moderate and becomes light and airy.

There isn’t a huge difference in the sillage of each of these two. However, Dylan Blue does have a bit more power, in my experience.

Edge: Dylan Blue

Longevity

Dylan Blue is the stronger of the two contenders, however, both of these colognes last 6-7 hours while wearing. That is what I get out of both of them pretty consistently. In my experience, there is no edge.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Both of these scents are very versatile, in their application. They can work year round, but I like them each for the warmer weather. Eau Fraiche is great in summer. They can both work casually, at work, school, or wherever.

I think Dylan Blue has the edge, as a nightlife scent, and that’s the only real distinction I make between them.

Edge: Dylan Blue

Overall Scent

So, when I first tried out Dylan Blue, I was pretty indifferent toward the fragrance. Since then, I’ve worn it a bunch of more times, and now have a bit more of an appreciation for it.

I really like how it opens with the aquatic citrus vibe, but am still pretty indifferent to the dry down period. It’s citrus and fig notes are the highlights, but after that, I really don’t care for it.

It becomes more about the ambroxan, pepper, and violet leaf; as it moves forward. It’s not as enjoyable, at that point, but still nice.

Between these two, I would rather wear Eau Fraiche. The citrus opening is awesome, with the inclusion of the starfruit. Then, it also has an amber note in the dry down, but not as dominant as Dylan Blue and a woody base.

The wood they use is rosewood, which does have a distinct and different aroma, which I rather like. I like the opening act of this one better than its dry down, but I think the entire experience is simply more enjoyable.

It’s cleaner, less of the ambroxan note which can create too much of that synthetic ‘blue’ aroma. I don’t hate Dylan Blue, Fraiche just takes this one.

Winner: Eau Fraiche

Voyage Sport by Nautica

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So, the original Nautica Voyage has been an insanely popular fragrance for a long time now. This is because of both the smell, but more importantly, the price. It’s a good deal, getting a cologne like that for under $20, and why Nautica has been trying to capitalize on that name by releasing subsequent flanker fragrances. Today’s entry is one of those, Nautica Voyage Sport. How does this scent stack up? Perform? Is it even worth a try?

What Does Nautica Voyage Sport Smell Like?

Notes include: sea spray accord, citrus zest, coriander, palm leaves, green peppercorn, apple, Brazil wood, vetiver

Click here to try: NAUTICA Voyage Sport Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.4 Fluid Ounce

My Full Wear Review

It is pretty difficult for me to determine what exactly is going on during the opening of Nautica Voyage Sport. All of the notes seem to run together and makes it hard to distinguish one ingredient from another.

It’s kind of musky, citrusy, and has that familiar alcohol smell. A couple minutes in, the cologne settles down, but the first two minutes are messy.

Once it does settle, Voyage Sport provides both a citrus zest and spice from corainder and the green peppercorn note. This is all surrounded by the so-called ‘sea spray accord’, which is just a somewhat salty aromatic approximation of the ocean.

The spices are much more noticeable to me than are the citrus notes and Voyage Sport, almost has a similar vibe to Tommy Bahama’s Very Cool (though, smells differently).

When I try to pick up similarities between this and the original Voyage, there really isn’t much there to work with. Maybe some muted fruitiness and a touch of musk, but that seems to be all. It actually smells kind of dry for a fragrance with sea spray, as a main attraction, but that seems to come from the spices, vetiver, and wood notes.

There is an apple note, as well, but gets quite overshadowed by the citrus notes up top. So, it’s not going to resemble Voyage, even with that fruit note.

As it dries down more, Voyage Sport, becomes less spicy and more aquatic in character. The coriander fades a whole lot and I start to pick up more fruit and musk, as I wrote, it’s citrus more so than the apple note.

From this point forward, what I get is a semi-oceanic fragrance with citrus some musk and a cool/crisp underlying spice. There’s a bit of woodiness in there, but doesn’t ever form much of a strong base.

Sillage, Longevity, and When It Should be Worn

Projection wise, Voyage Sport is pretty darn mediocre. The sillage isn’t much above skin scent for me, at it’s peak, and even if I put it on a shirt nearby I don’t really detect it. Super weak, really doesn’t live up to the original Voyage’s performance level.

Even the notes themselves, suggest a lighter fragrance (sea spray and citrus zest). That’s fine, but there’s really very little actual substance with Sport, even for a summertime kind of wear.

The longevity also isn’t great. It can go 3-4 hours as a skin scent, but again the performance is lacking and it makes it kind of not worth it. If it were a lighter to moderate scent with around six hours, that’d be pretty respectable for the price point.

I know Nautica fragrances, quickly get sent to the clearance shelves after release, but I wish they’d do a better job with the performance. Even when the colognes are pretty run of the mill, at least make them last somewhat long.

Seasonally, it’s a spring/summer wear. It’s casual all the way. Voyage Sport is for a younger guy, probably high school age, maybe college. It’s not something to be worn formally or as a date night scent.

Just something to quickly freshen up or wear out, if you can get decent performance out of it. As the name says, it’s a ‘sport’ fragrance. Don’t expect much, outside of being a starter fragrance or something to spray for a workout or super casual situations.

Overall Impression

Overall, do I like Nautica Voyage Sport? I don’t hate it, it is just not very good, in totality. The scent itself smells pretty good, but not anything amazing. However, that wouldn’t be a problem for an inexpensive cologne like this, if it had awesome performance…it doesn’t.

It might be worth a shot, because it is so cheap, to try it out and see if performs on your skin. It is cheap enough that double spraying, won’t be an issue or hurdle to simply buying another bottle.

It’s a pass for me, there are plenty of other cheapies, that smell better and have greater performance. Nautica could probably have an insane lock on the cheapie market, if they produced more performers or interesting fragrances, Sport definitely isn’t either of those.

Most of the Voyage Flankers haven’t lived up to the billing, of what the original offers. Not one that smells amazing. Not one that really serves as a value play.

Polo Red vs Polo Blue EDT Cologne Comparison

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I’ve done a whole lot of reviews of Ralph Lauren Polo scents on this site already and even created a list of the brand’s top fragrances. In this post, I want to compare Polo Red cologne versus Polo Blue and see which one will be a better fit for most guys out there.

As always, I will break it down by various performance metrics and include my original reviews for each of these scents.

Which Cologne is Better Polo Red or Blue?

Polo Red Tale of the Tape

rp_polo-red-300x259.jpg

Notes of Polo Red: grapefruit, italian lemon, cranberry, saffron, sage

Try Polo Red: Ralph Lauren Polo Red Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 4.2 Ounce

Read my original review: Polo Red Ralph Lauren Review

Polo Blue Tale of the Tape

Notes include: melon, orange, sage, basil, cucumber, geranium, suede, musk

Read my original review: Polo Blue Review

Opening

These two scents are a contrast of cool (Blue) vs. warm (Red) during the opening. Neither one of these fragrances smells bad at first, so, it really comes down to one’s preference between the aquatic opening and warmer citrus/fruit blend. I enjoy the latter.

Polo Blue EDT kicks things off with cucumber, melon, and citrus notes. Obviously, the cucumber and melon give off that crisp and watery vibe.

It is actually quite nice, and as the years have passed, it has grown on me more and more. Underneath that, is an herbal mix of basil and some other notes, giving a slight spice to Blue.

Red, meanwhile, starts with a very sharp/tart lemon and cranberry mix that gets its warm support from amber. Yes, it gets infused with a sweetness too, but I really dig the use of cranberry in this cologne. It isn’t a note that is ever really utilized and it creates a unique vibe.

I have grown to like Blue more than I used to, but Polo Red still has the better opening act, to me. That lemon and cranberry mix, can really hit hard with the amber undertones. So, it can get some taking used to.

Edge: Polo Red

Projection

Neither cologne is a beast. Both are rather moderate. Polo Red seems to be the weaker of the two in this regard and it usually takes me using a bit more of it to get good performance.

Red actually starts off pretty powerful. It settles down, much more than Blue does, and doesn’t have that same intensity of sillage. Blue, is moderate, but keeps fairly steady for longer.

Red might actually have the higher peak, but it just doesn’t hold as well.

Edge: Polo Blue

Longevity

Polo Red has some problems with longevity, which I’ve somewhat solved by just applying more. Depending on how much I wear, it will last in the 4-7 hour range, in most cases.

Not amazing, but it can be quite useful. When it’s colder outside, it will hit the higher end of the spectrum.

Blue, on the other hand, has good longevity and will get a full workday out of it most of the time. So, 7-9 hours, give or take. It isn’t powerful, but it will hang around, with you.

Most of the Blue scents, outside of Ultra, will hit about this same amount. Some better than others.

Edge: Polo Blue

Versatility

I’d say both are equally versatile in their application in terms of: season, occasion, personal style, etc.

Blue is probably better for being low key, in office situations, as it isn’t nearly as sweet, when compared to Red. However, on balance, they both have about equal usefulness.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I enjoy Polo Red much more than Blue. That’s just my personal preference. I find it to be more unique and a better smelling fragrance overall. Polo Red has released other flankers under this name, but they aren’t really the same as the original

. So, if you want that mix of tart, sweetness, and warmth with less spice…you need the original.

Polo Blue seems more generic and while it is attractive, it smells like a whole lot of other aquatics out there. For instance, Eternity Aqua is almost exactly the same, and is usually cheaper. I also like Polo Blue EDP and Deep Blue more than the original.

However, in terms of value and everyday wear, many guys would probably find Polo Blue to be the better fit for them. It does project better and last longer than Red does. Again though, you can get a cheaper version from other brands, or a better version from Polo.

Blue is the safer choice, but Red is a more interesting one.

Winner: Polo Blue (for most guys) but Polo Red smells a bit better

6 Best Smelling Kenneth Cole Colognes

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Kenneth Cole has released plenty of popular men’s fragrances over the years and has quite a lineup to choose from, up to this day. Yet, this brand still flies under the radar sometimes, and doesn’t particularly get its due.

Are most of its colognes groundbreaking? No, but there is plenty of great options, that are usually available at value prices. So, in this post I want to cover what I feel are the six best smelling scents from Kenneth Cole for men.

What are the Top Kenneth Cole Fragrances for Men?

Best Summer Cole Scent

Kenneth Cole Reaction, 3.4 Fl oz– Reaction is still a very popular men’s fragrance after all of these years, and will seemingly be for a long time. It is fairly simple overall, but very fresh and crisp. You get a blend of citrus fruits, apple, and melon.

Reaction has a youthful vibe and fits in nicely for many occasions. During the dry down, it is mostly the melon, some apple, and the smooth sandalwood note.

With the melon notes and apple, you do get a crispness, and that sort of watery juiciness that comes with those fruits. So, Reaction does put off a somewhat aquatic feel. Really, Kenneth Cole Reaction is going to be best served, by being worn by a younger man. It does give of a very youthful vibe.

Best Daily Wear Fragrance

Kenneth Cole Signature, 3.4 Fl Oz– Kenneth Cole Signature is another great option from this brand. It starts off with citrus and slightly spicy and warm notes, including cardamom, at the top. Then, it transitions more into a woody fragrance with a unique papyrus ingredient. 

It starts off with that sweet citrus and spicy blend, but the spices take over more further along, and blends with the earthiness of the woods. Not a huge sillage, but certainly not weak. Just a solid performer all around, with a fairly creative, and masculine scent.

When the citrus is at its most powerful, this does come across as a more mature version of Reaction. The woody period is very fresh, while still being understated.

Light Fruity Scent

Kenneth Cole Reaction Connected Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 4.2 Ounce– Reaction Connected is another fruity based scent at the top, with a melon quality, and a slight salty/aquatic feeling that can seem oceanic. That’s really what it’s like, at the start.

However, as it dries down, you still get the fruits but also plenty of violet leaf and wood. The middle is more herbal and the end is more earthy/woody. Connected has a really nice sweet and juicy fruit profile, but with more depth than other similar fragrances, on the market.

Reaction Connected is a lot like Nautica Voyage, but with less of the green-ish smell, and the floral notes. Melon with a ‘blue’ impression and some earthier qualities in the dry down. Pretty simple and a nice alternative to the original Reaction.

Best Seller

Kenneth Cole Black, 3.4 Fl Oz– Kenneth Cole Black is probably the most popular men’s fragrance from this line and it actually is one of the best. The opening blast of mandarin orange is wonderful and juicy.

This is paired with notes like mint and basil, which gives it an intoxication herbal spice which pairs well with the citrus. Black is very fresh and not heavy and dark.

In fact, it dries down with a lovely lotus flower note, to go along with the aforementioned ingredients. This is a good option for guys who want a daily wear, with decent performance, and isn’t ‘too loud’.

Simple and Clean

Kenneth Cole Mankind, 3.4 Fl oz– The original is the best, from the Mankind lineup, and is a much better version than Mankind Ultimate. Mankind is a pretty simple one, with pineapple giving it a fruitiness, and dry woods permeating throughout.

Also, you get some spice from ginger/tarragon and others, but not too much. It ultimately dries down into a clean wood scent, with some pineapple and tonka bean creaminess.

The opening fresh spiciness is great, I really dig the ginger note in this one. Performance is okay, but still serviceable. Smells very similar to many different fragrances out there, but has enough differences to stand on its own. Needs a bit more power, but a good scent to wear.

Great Black Flanker

Copper Black– This one is a nice pickup, with some similarities to Legend Night by Montblanc (though, that one is better in my opinion). Night has a bit more power and freshness to it.

Anyway, Copper Black gives you a nice apple opening with undertones of bourbon coming through. The warm spice is provided by the liquor and the cardamom note, which overlaps with Legend Night.

It’s going to shift more towards the vanilla and tonka bean notes, as the booze burns off pretty much entirely. However, you get a nice journey and development from this one. I would expect this to be a heavier scent, based on the notes, but it really isn’t.

Performance is okay, definitely pretty average as a whole, but the scent itself is without a doubt one of the best from Kenneth Cole.