Men’s Fashion

Creed Aventus vs Imperial Millesime Comparison

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Deciding which fragrance to buy can be tricky sometimes, as there are a multitude of factors from which to consider. This can become especially true when the colognes that you are considering cost in the triple digits to buy.

It is one thing to purchase a crummy scent that was $20 for the bottle versus one which was $175+. Creed is a luxury boutique brand known for its high quality ingredients and beautifully crafted scents.

In this post, I want to do a bit of a comparison between two options from Creed, Aventus vs Imperial Millesime and break down which will be the better option for most people and highlight the pros and cons of each.

Tale of the Tape: Aventus vs. Imperial Millesime

 

Creed Aventus 

creed aventus

Notes of Creed Aventus: 

Top: Blackcurrant,Italian bergamot, French apples and pineapple

Middle: Rose, dry birch, Moroccan jasmine, and patchouli

Base Notes: musk, oak moss, ambergris, and vanilla.

Click here to read my original Aventus Review

Click here to get Aventus: Aventus by Creed

Creed Imperial Millesime

Notes include: Lemon, Iris, Green Bergamot, Mandarin

My original review of Imperial

Click here to try Imperial Millesime: Creed Imperial

Opening 

The opening of Aventus can be a pretty harsh citrus to deal with. I don’t really like the opening of Aventus and if all I’d have to go by was the first 15 minutes or so, I’d think that this fragrance wasn’t worth wearing. The pineapple, blackcurrant, and the dryness of birch can be a bit much at first.

However, the fragrance settles down into something much more enjoyable and fresh. The next wave has less of the pineapple, more birch/oak moss, and some sweetness provided by a light vanilla and French apple. 

Meanwhile, the opening of Imperial is much smoother, with a wonderful melon type of scent that blends with sea salt to create something quite pleasant.

The melon-like smell is like a blend of a standard melon and a bit of watermelon. This is paired with a salty aquatic note, which is why I suppose it comes across smelling that way. It’s actually lemon and mandarin orange, as the notes, and not any watermelon. 

Anyway, Imperial Millesime is juicy, musky, and very bright in the opening stages. Which scent is better? To me, I greatly prefer the start to Imperial, more than I ever have Aventus. 

Edge: Imperial Millesime

Projection

Neither one of these fragrances is slipping in quality when it comes to projection. Aventus never really requires more than two sprays while Imperial is no slouch either. Aventus is the stronger of the two and I’d say it projects more than Imperial does.

So, both start strong, but Aventus reaches the higher heights of sillage and keeps at it for longer. 

Edge: Aventus

Longevity

Wearing both of these colognes, I haven’t noticed a difference in terms of how long they last. I usually get 7-10 hours of solid performance out of each. Mostly, Aventus will go 8 or 9 hours on my skin, a bit less when it’s hot out.

Imperial is usually around 7 or 8 hours, but can last better in the heat than can Aventus. It can also reach that 10 hour mark, on occasion, like Aventus. No clear winner, in my experience. 

Edge: Push

Versatility

Creed Aventus is best worn in the spring and autumn, in my opinion. I don’t think that it holds up well in the heat, but early summer isn’t bad. On the other hand, Imperial Millesime is great for summertime wear as well as the warmer months of spring.

However, Aventus can be pulled off rather well in the winter months, to whereas Imperial would seem out of place in the cold weather.

As far as, on what occasion each of these scents could be worn, I’d say that they could arguably be worn anywhere for any event. I wouldn’t really call Imperial a date night type of cologne though and even if I’d wear other scents besides Aventus on a night out, it could be done well. 

I much prefer Imperial, as a daytime wear, in more casual situations. Overall, I’d say Aventus has the greater versatility. 

Edge: Aventus

 

 

Overall Scent

Aventus develops into something that is woodsy/masculine/leathery and the citrus notes become undertones as the fragrances wears on. Meanwhile, Imperial has that unique fruity quality blended with salt notes that just reminds me of the summer and the ocean.

I actually like Imperial better in terms of its smell, BUT I think that most men would be better served by Aventus out of the two.

I say this simply because of its greater versatility of being worn. Imperial Millesime is a great signature type of scent, but I feel that it does have its limitations.

Aventus fits in better, during more situations and climates. Imperial is rather straightforward, but has a really delightful salty melon aroma. Aventus is deeper with greater nuance.

These two are pretty neck and neck, in my book, but most would go with Aventus.  I have grown sort of tired of the formula, as there have been endless Creed Aventus ‘dupes’ coming to market over the years.

Winner: Aventus (for most guys)

9 Best Smelling Bay Rum Colognes

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Bay Rum is a classic scent for men. Most of the use, however, lies in the past. For many, it brings about thoughts of their grandfathers or some pirate sailing around the Caribbean. Despite any of that, it’s still a type of fragrance with many fans and others who’d like to give it a try. In this post, i’d like to present you some options to get the bay leaf experience in either aftershave or cologne form.

What are the Best Bay Rum Colognes and Aftershaves for Men?

St. Johns Bay Rum– St. John’s is a powerful example of bay rum and one that is heavily weighted towards the spicy notes. Seriously, this stuff is a clove and cinnamon experience in a bottle.

The bay leaf and rum won’t be taking over, but, this is an exhilarating aftershave for guys who want the spice bomb treatment.

Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum– Pinaud is a very inexpensive option for guys looking for this kind of scent. The rum here is strong, but surprisingly good for the price point. Plenty of spice and booze with Virgin Island bay rum, but less of the leaf.

This one can be used as either an aftershave or cologne. Bold and masculine, with a cinnamon rum kind of aroma.

Royall Bay Rhum– Royall Bay Rhum fits in the aftershave category, more than the cologne end of things, as it doesn’t have a huge longevity. That being said, the smell itself, is that classic sort of fragrance that we’re looking for.

This one leans heavy on the bay leaf, with less clove and spices than the other, but it does include a really great mint boost.

C.O. Bigelow Bay Rum– A nice and affordable bay rum, with a big hit of clove, for those who are a fan of that ingredient. It’s spicy and bold up top, with a light citrus finish.

It does settle down somewhat, from its intense introduction, and you will get more of the bay leaf and booze soaked smell.

Yes, a clove bomb at first, but it will balance out and provides a fantastic example of a bay rum scent.

Havana by Aramis– Havana is a fragrance that has a bay rum feel, while taking things in a slightly different direction. As its name would suggest, you’re going to get a tobacco note in spades, with this one. It’s less smoky and more of a cured tobacco.

Woody? Yep. Spicy? Yes. Bay Leaf? Some, but not a huge amount. Not really as boozy as it is herbal and woody. Dry and masculine in the dry down stage, with a deep fir note and classic oak moss aroma.

Havana straddles the line in two types of scent categories, but does a very good job of it.

Island Life by Tommy Bahama– Not as much of a boozy fragrance than the other offerings on the list, no bay leaf, but this does still manage to fit the bill in many ways.

Island Life is a tropical offering, with plenty of nutmeg spice, an oceanic/island vibe, and a fresh and clean cedar base note.

A nice scent, if you can still get a hold of a bottle, as it has been discontinued for a while. I figured that I may as well include it on this list, for those who are interested.

Man In Black- This cologne from Bvlgari isn’t a bay rum, really, as it doesn’t have a bay leaf note. However, it brings the spices and rum, in spades. It’s one of my favorites to put on in the autumn and winter months and it does a good job at getting close to what we’re looking for.

Add to the booze, tobacco, leather, and woods with a mix of spices including cinnamon.  This is a winner, and one I suspect many guys looking for bay rum, will enjoy. It has more depth and feels darker than typical bay rum.  Man in Black Review

Bentley for Men Intense– As far as colognes go, this is a really close example of that bay rum sort of aroma. It checks all of the boxes: rum, bay leaf, spices. Add to that, a nice leather note and woody base.

The opening of Bentley Intense is quite rum soaked with a plenty of cinnamon, bay leaf, and pepper. As it dries down, this one becomes smoother, with the boozy rum and leather pairing up. You still get the spices and bay leaf, but they are more reserved in the latter stages.

Agua Brava– This is kind of borderline, but close enough to bay rum, that I thought that I should include it on the list. Agua Brava is a classic scent from Antonio Puig, that doesn’t have the rum, but gives you plenty of spice and a woody base.

Pine and bay leaf combine to give you a masculine aroma, in the base, but you get a nice citrus and spice kick off up top. Again, not an exact match, but definitely shares many characteristics of what we’re in the hunt for.

Instinct vs Intimately Beckham Cologne Comparison

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David Beckham has put out a bunch of different fragrance for men over the years. In the celebrity perfume space, they are both quite popular, and highly affordable. Two of the best sellers from his line are, Intimately Beckham and Instinct. As such, these are the two guys have to decide between most often. Which smells best? Which lasts longer? Which is the better buy?

Tale of the Tape: Instinct or Intimately Beckham?

Instinct

Notes include: Amber, mandarin, orange, anise, bergamot, cardamom, patchouli, vetiver

Click here to try: David Beckham Instinct EDT Spray For Men, 2.5 Ounce

My review: David Beckham Instinct Cologne

Intimately Beckham

Notes include: Amber, sandalwood, cardamom, grapefruit, star anise, nutmeg, violet

My review: Intimately Beckham for Men

Opening

Instinct kicks things off with its citrus notes, taking center stage. It is a blend of mostly orange, but with some bergamot. It smells super clean with some spicy anise and a slight soapy quality, thanks to the vetiver added in.

Intimately Beckham opens up with a woodsy/spicy/earthy sort of aroma. It features sandalwood, violet, and cardamom as the main trio up front. Along with that there is added spice from nutmeg and a very light citrus smell from grapefruit.

Which is better? I much prefer the start to Instinct versus Intimately Beckham. The citrus and fresh cleanliness are very well done. Intimately, gets better with some time, but I’m not much of a fan of the opening. Too much violet and spice.

Edge: Instinct

Sillage

Which fragrance projects itself better? While neither fragrance is a beast, Intimately Beckham does have more strength than its competitor.

Instinct starts off as a lower tier moderate scent, becoming pretty much a skin scent, in its latter stages. Meanwhile, Intimately starts off a notch above Instinct, but also ends up as a lighter perfume. Again, not a huge difference, but Intimately does hit a higher peak.

Edge: Intimately Beckham

Longevity

On my skin, Instinct lasts about 3-4 hours. Intimately Beckham will go 4-5. Obviously, neither is going to be elite, but Intimately is a little bit better. Considering both are available in the $10-15 range, I wouldn’t expect crazy performance.

Putting down a layer of unscented lotion on the skin before spraying, can help add some longevity, but it won’t work miracles.

Edge: Intimately

Versatility

I think that either of these can work in a variety of social situations. They’re non-offensive, can be worn by the younger crowd, and are versatile for daily wear or an evening out. Equal in this regard.

Climate wise, Instinct has much better versatility. It can be worn year round, performs well in heat, and isn’t out of place in the wintertime. Intimately, doesn’t hold up well in heat. It becomes cloying and not too pleasant. In the cold? Really nice, but not so, in the summer.

Edge: Instinct

 

 

Overall Scent

Thus far, it has been an extremely tight race between these two fragrances. Both have their strengths and negatives. For the price, I think both smell really good, and have a higher quality than most others in the same range. However, the sacrifice comes on the performance end of things.

Intimately Beckham has better performance, and I thin, that it’s dry down smells much better than how it opens. I like the sandalwood and amber notes, with a blend of spices like anise, surrounding it.

The violet also gets better. Though, I’m not crazy about the smell. It’s certainly pleasant, but not outstanding.

Instinct doesn’t quite measure up performance wise, but it has the better versatility. It’s a true year round scent. Plus, I ultimately think that it smells better than Intimately Beckham.

I’d be willing to give up perhaps an hour of wear for the better aroma. Thus, it’s going to win this battle, for my tastes.

Winner: Instinct

4 Colognes Similar to Jimmy Choo Man

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Jimmy Choo’s line of fragrances, has gotten a lot of fans as of late. It all started out with the original, Jimmy Choo Man. Guys dig the fresh pineapple and suede notes. Though, it can be pretty expensive, in many places. What are some good smelling alternatives? Any comparable options that smell alike to Jimmy Choo Man?

What Fragrances Smell Similar to Jimmy Choo Man?

A Designer Alternative

Coach New York Eau de Toilette Spray For Men, 3.3 Fl Oz– If you want an alternative to Jimmy Choo Man, that smells quite a bit the same, Coach for Men is that scent. 

It utilizes kumquat, citrus, and pear in lieu of the pineapple note. Coach’s fruit notes are surrounded by amber. The pear is the strongest of the lot, but it has a bright underlying citrus aroma. Fairly linear fragrance, that lasts around 5 hours, on my skin.

Personally, I think that Jimmy Choo Man smells better, due to the suede note. Though, they are fairly close. Coach for Men Review

Cheaper with a Similar Style

Antonio Banderas King of Seduction Men Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.4 Ounce– King of Seduction is a fragrance that sits in the same family as Jimmy Choo Man, while not being a complete match. It has some similarities with Blue Seduction, Jimmy Choo Man, Invictus and a hint of Aventus by Creed.

Another summer scent with a vetiver and cedar base to prevent it from going too far into the aquatic category. However, King of Seduction does have oceanic notes, which separates it from our target.

Though, it overlaps with pineapple, suede, and citrus. This Antonio Banderas fragrance is fruity, musky, with an aquatic aroma permeating it. 

The Better Jimmy Choo Scent

Intense Eau De Toilette, Fougere Oriental Woody, 3.3 fl. oz. JIMMY CHOO – I’m putting the flanker to Man on here, as it smells very similar, and I think it is a better cologne. Though, I will say, I think I prefer the opening few minutes of the original more.

However, I get better performance from Intense, as well as the overall smell in totality.

Intense gives you a nice juicy fruitiness, paired with lavender, and tonka bean. Sitting underneath that, is a nice small dose of spiciness, provided by pepper and patchouli. Man Intense is very well-liked and will receive complements.

This is the type of cologne, for a guy who wants a simple daily wear, that will be appreciated and not too heavy. No worries, the Intense name, doesn’t mean the sillage is unbearable. Pretty moderate, in fact, but that’s what you’d want for its purpose. My Review

 

 

Melon Tonic

Abercrombie & Fitch First Instinct Men Eau De Toilette, 3.4 Ounce– First Instinct features a gin and tonic accord, which gives it that carbonated sensation of tonic water. It’s sweet with sort of a tropical vibe at times, along with a nice pepper note.

This isn’t as fruity as Jimmy Choo Man, but you get: melon, citrus, and suede. Giving First Instinct, a relative relatedness to our target. Admittedly, not a one to one comparison, by any means. 

It mellows out the sweetness some during the dry down and you get the wonderful melon note along with musk. You could also go with First Instinct Blue, if you can find a bottle of the stuff. That one, is pretty close to Coach for Men. 

Guilty Essence (Black) Pour Homme by Gucci

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I first reviewed this fragrance way back in the beginning of this website. Actually, it was one of the first handful of full wear reviews that I ever wrote. Gucci Guilty Black was a cologne that I would wear quite a lot and really enjoyed it back then.

As such, I felt that it was time to update this page, and expand upon what makes this scent what it is. Especially since Gucci has now changed the name to Guilty Essence. Same cologne, new marketing.

I will cover how it smells, what’s inside, how it performs, and if it is still even worth a try.

Gucci Guilty Essence Overview

Gucci Best Cologne

Guilty Black Notes: green coriander, lavender, orange flower, neroli, patchouli, and cedar wood

Click here to try: Gucci Guilty Black Pour Homme Fragrance Collection 3.0-oz. Eau de Toilette

My Full Review

The first thing I’d like to say about Guilty Essence is that it definitely is not a boring fragrance. One of the best words I’ve read described it as, ‘hypnotic’, and I would agree wholeheartedly with that assessment.

It is a refreshing scent that isn’t fruity or too light, rather, it is completely masculine and versatile in its uses.

I notice immediately, how it shares a very similar DNA to its predecessor, Gucci Guilty. However, Essence doesn’t have that same citrus fruit top, but relies instead on orange flower and neroli to provide a different experience.

It starts off with a bit more of a spicier kick than the EDT version.

I will say, that I think Guilty Essence is better than Guilty Pour Homme. It’d be a tougher pick between this one and Guilty Intense, but I don’t want to get too off track here.

Essence is such a well-blended fragrance, that it can be hard to actually distinguish the notes themselves. Instead, it is more like you get the impression that each ingredient would normally give you, and sort of infer that it is there.

That being said, I can obviously pick up on that oh so familiar lavender, the other floral notes, and that great spicy coriander which adds a sexiness to the composition. The whole thing comes together as very green, fresh, masculine, with a great underlying spice/woodiness.

It shares that really clean and bright feeling that you get from wearing the other Gucci Guilty scents. I love the energy of this one and how I can pick out hints of notes, such as patchouli, when catching a whiff of it on my skin.

Sillage (Projection)

Projection wise, it was always very solid for me. Not huge, but not a weak skin scent either. Here’s what I wrote back in 2014, about it’s staying power: Also, it seems to both project well and it lasts long without fading. I put it on this morning at around 7:30 and it was still there at 6 PM when I left work, so it has staying power. 

This was of course from the original bottles of Guilty Black, but the longevity was great on my skin, and the sillage stayed pretty moderate throughout.

How Long does Guilty Black Last?

Coming back to testing this cologne out again, I still manage to get anywhere from 7-12 hours. It really depends on the climate and how much time I spend outside with Guilty Black on.

Updating again: I don’t seem to get double digit hours with Essence now. It’s more in the 7-9 hour range.

Season and When To Wear

Seasonally, another sort of year round wear. The Guilty line, always struck me as better in warm weather, but ubiquitous enough to spray it on whenever.  This is a cologne which is appropriate for the business world, but can be worn effectively for a date or a night at the club, as it draws attention.

Mostly, I always for it as a casual cologne, with t-shirt and jeans. Here’s another snippet of my initial experiences:  I’ve worn it three days thus far and have had at least one person comment positively on it during each one of those days. 

This is a scent for a man who exudes confidence and wants to be noticed and while it isn’t overpowering it does stand out. That can be a good or bad thing depending on your own personality but with a scent like this, one won’t stand out in a bad way.

It isn’t a heavy scent either, it’s clean, but not really definable as a clear woodsy scent or aquatic or even sporty.

 

 

Overall Impressions of Gucci Guilty Essence

Overall, do I think Guilty Essence is worth a try? Yep. This one has gained a substantial following since its release way back in 2013. It smells good and covers so many bases, that it is great to have on hand, when you just want something easy to wear.

Is it groundbreaking? No. It’s just a pleasant and sexy fragrance, which gets complements, and has nice performance. Sometimes, that is enough to make a cologne worthwhile.

This is still one of the best Gucci colognes for men, one of the better performers, and has good versatility.

They changed the name to Essence, but the formula remains the same and they’re still selling it, more than a decade later. So, you know it has plenty of fans, when so many other scents in this series got discontinued. It, just got rebranded.