Polo Double Black by Ralph Lauren

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Another of my recent sample colognes that I received is Polo Double Black. I certainly enjoy my fair share of Ralph Lauren produced fragrances and have a certain familiarity with them.

Having said that, I had yet to experience Double Black and was excited to see how it stood up to the rest of the Polo lineup and indeed if it would become a part of my regular rotation of scents. This one was released in 2006.

Please read on to see my full opinion on this scent and if it’s worth a buy. Note: I have updated this page, years after the initial review.

Also check out: Best Polo Scents for Men, Polo Red Review, Polo Blue Review

What does Double Black Smell Like?

Polo Double Black

Notes include: coffee, mango, juniper berry, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper, woods

Click here to try: Polo Double Black on Amazon

Double Black Full Review

Polo Double Black is certainly a ‘dark’ and masculine fragrance.  While you will notice that it contains mango and juniper berry notes, it is not a fruity scent, really at all.

The opening is noticeably spicy, with the pepper note taking the lead and you definitely get the emergence of this cologne’s overall warmth with the blend of coffee and woods. Also, this warm spicy feeling is solidified by the nutmeg, which peaks through at times.

Double Black opens up with the warm spice, which is a different look from the fruitier Polo Black. The same frozen mango exists at the top, along with the aforementioned juniper berry, but each has been subdued to the coffee, pepper, and nutmeg notes.

As it settles, you do start to get the sweetness to come out but I really don’t get much of a mango note here, but maybe that’s just my nose not picking it up. I can see this being a pretty decent choice during the winter months, as the warm spiciness should work well.

It does have almost a chocolate scent to it at some point, I guess I would call it mocha, with the coffee and maybe the sweetness is the mango note at work to create this aroma.

The more times that I wore the sample, the more that I appreciated this unique smell. It takes elements of the original Polo Black and then adds smooth spices to the mix. Double Black really began to charm me.

Longevity, Sillage, and Versatility

Which brings me to the performance issues. Polo Double Black, isn’t a scent which will go all day long, and into the night. In fact, it might not even go half the day. I got 4-5 hours of solid performance and maybe another hour in which I could somewhat detect it.

Sometimes, it was even worse than that. I might go 3 hours, not even bothering to stick around as a skin scent.

The projection is moderate in my opinion and not overwhelming at all. This is a huge problem, because the aroma itself it really quite captivating, but it just won’t last very long and has pretty bad sillage.

The projection will be in the 2-3 foot range, max, past the first hour or so. It has a good initial burst, but Double Black falls apart thereafter.

It does have good versatility, I could definitely wear this during work or out on the town, as it is quite attractive and warm. It seems more like a ‘dressy’ casual type of scent.

If it actually lasts on your skin and people can smell it, I’m almost certain that Double Black would be a draw for complements.

Double Black is better in the colder seasons. I wouldn’t wear this in the hot and humid weather, but during autumn and winter, it really comes out smelling great.

 

Overall Impressions of Polo Double Black

Overall, I don’t hate this fragrance. Actually, I’ve had to come back here and edit my original thoughts somewhat because I started to really like it more and more.

My main problem with it is the longevity, like Polo Red (which I also like a lot), Double Black has some longevity issues. Yet, Polo Red EDT can definitely outdo Double.

If this were an all-day trooper, I’d probably pick up a small bottle at least, for my collection.

There just seems to be much better bets out there for the price. The sweet/spicy coffee aroma is highly appealing, however. It’s also not as good as the original Polo Black.

It is an interesting take on the formula, just doesn’t have the execution to make it worthwhile. The aroma is nice, just no performance to back it up.

Update: I’m pretty sure that this is discontinued. Though, I still see bottles floating around for sale, at times. However, those bottles are usually pretty richly priced. While this is a likeable fragrance with how it smells, Polo Double Black isn’t worth paying nearly $100 for. 

Versace Pour Femme (Signature) EDP

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Versace Pour Femme (aka Versace Signature) was released back in 2007, by the brand. I had yet to do a review of this perfume, on the site, so I grabbed a sample to do some testing. In this post, I’m going to share my thoughts about what works or what doesn’t. How does it perform? Does Versace Signature smell good at all? Is it worth a try?

What does Versace Signature Pour Femme Smell Like?

Notes include: guava, lilac, jasmine, lotus, orchid, azaleas, wisteria, musk, cedar, vetiver

Click here to try: Versace Signature by Gianni Versace For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.4-Ounces

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Versace Pour Femme is fairly balanced between the floral notes and the guava fruit, which keeps this one from going into full bouquet mode. I immediately get a lot of lilac, jasmine, and what I suppose it wisteria.

I’m not too familiar with that flower’s aroma, but that’s my guess as to what that scent is. Nonetheless, the wisteria isn’t sticking around much, from what I can tell.

I really like the guava inclusion here, it plays very well off of the light dewy floral notes, and adds a great tropical sweetness. That, with a small part of black currant, makes Signature a really refreshing kind of wear.

A few minutes in, the lilac, is the dominant note for me. It stays that way for the rest of the wear, but lotus is also coming in, along with the jasmine. Floral, watery, with a great fresh cleanliness. 

Versace Signature is just a very pretty fragrance, overall. I’m really drawn to how balanced and fresh, this whole composition smells.

This is a fairly simple perfume, however, the base notes in the dry down do add some depth. Fresh cedarwood, vetiver, and musk. The vetiver and musk are fairly light. Though, I do pick up on a decent amount of cedar, later on in the wear.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage isn’t super powerful. It is a lighter sort of fragrance, but don’t mistake that for being weak. It’s just not a bomb, which is a good thing, as this excels as a daily wear perfume.

The longevity is good, and seems to be in that, 6-8 hour range. Not spectacular, but great for most purposes. Really, unless you absolutely have to have a bomb that goes double digit hours, it isn’t going to be an issue.

Seasonally, you can wear this anytime. I happen to think that it smells amazing in the spring and summer months. The fresh floral notes, don’t have that ‘green’ quality to them, and the guava is the star of the show.

That note, really holds everything together, and gives this perfume life. When I first tested out this fragrance, Versace Pour Femme was really great hanging around in the warm air of the outdoors. 

Versace Signature will work as a casual or slightly more formal perfume. It’s not really ‘sexy’, but it is definitely attractive, and a joy to smell. It’s not going to feel out of place, using it while dressed up, but it also isn’t a stuffy or overtly formal type of wear.

Overall Impressions of Versace Pour Femme

Overall, do I like Versace Pour Femme? Yep. This is a great choice for those wanting a floral dominant, daily wear fragrance. The guava sets the tone and makes this much more enjoyable.

The lilac, lotus, jasmine combination (along with lighter flowers) is really quite fresh and dynamic, when paired together. The performance is also good. It’s not a really unique or bold scent, but it does what it was designed to do very well. It’s a pretty safe blind buy.

I enjoy the pairing of the floral notes and the watery (semi-aquatic) aspects of this scent. For an easy to reach for daily wear, this is one of the best from the more popular designers. 

Update: This perfume has been discontinued and is getting more difficult to source an affordable bottle. So, unless it was already one that you loved or you’re a collector, it’s not likely worth it to pay up for Versace Pour Femme.

Nice perfume, though. This stuff had a uniqueness among the mainstream designer fragrances of the time and even up to today. Not something completely out of left field, but it had its particular nuances that made it distinct.

Skulls & Roses by Ed Hardy

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I was shopping in Target the other day and made my usual stop to the fragrance aisle. I’m pretty sure that I had tried every one of those colognes with the exception of this weird looking one in a black skull bottle. I kept seeing this bottle all the time but never bothered to smell it.

Well, I bit the bullet and tried it out and thought that I’d share my thoughts on this Christian Audigier fragrance for men, Skulls & Roses…under the Ed Hardy banner. In this post, I want to explore a bit on how it smells, performs, when it could be worn, and if I think it’s worth it to purchase a full bottle of this juice.

What does Skulls and Roses for Men Smell Like?

Notes included: lavender, bergamot, oakmoss, musk, cardamom

Click here to try: Skulls and Roses ED Hardy Colognes for Men, 2.5 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

From the bottle design and the name, I was expecting this scent to be something dark, sort of loud, and with a possible rose note lurking somewhere in there. Instead, what I got from this cologne was something clean, pleasant, and surprisingly very nice for the price point this sells at.

The opening is a blend of the lavender, bergamot, and a semi-spicy musk/cardamom mix. Totally not the winter beast I predicted it’d be. It’s a very light and familiar smell, sort of reminiscent of Mont Blanc, though a tad different in my opinion.

I sprayed it twice on my forearm and went about my day. It was fairly strong at first but definitely not overpowering and I kept bringing it up to my nose to smell some more. That’s always a good sign.

I really think that they got the musk note just right with this one. The note doesn’t feel like it dominates, but it does accentuate the clean aroma, brought on my the lavender and bergamot.

Skulls and Roses isn’t a very complex type of cologne that goes through multiple phases, in fact, it’s almost completely linear. That really isn’t a bad thing, as they got the opening done correctly, and didn’t need to stray too far from its roots in order to make a good smelling fragrance.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise it’s fairly moderate for the first hour or so and then really became a light scent on my skin after that.  That initial burst is good. It will create a decent radius around you, before moving into a range that is more intimate.

However, the longevity as a close to skin scent was pretty decent, at about six hours. This is the type of cologne that performs but will mostly only be noticeable in situations in which someone pulls closer…again, not a bad thing.

Update: Trying this a few more times over the years and it is indeed a steady 6-6.5 hours on my skin. Basically, no matter the circumstance, that’s what I’ll get.

I’d say its also a pretty good bet, for a date night scenario with its fresh sort of soapy vibe. There’s just enough bergamot and spice to keep it interesting. It’s not the sexiest fragrance on the planet or anything like that, but it’s attractive enough, especially at this price point.

Mostly though, I’d view this as a casual daily wear, for younger guys. Something that you can throw on before school or at your job or just hanging out around town.

If you need something cheap and clean, this one would serve well. Skulls isn’t a wintertime scent like I expected, I wore it on a mild day and it seemed very well suited for that and I’d venture a guess that it’d be fine in the summer also.

Overall Impressions of Skulls and Roses

Is Skulls and Roses worth a buy? I actually dug this cologne quite a bit. It’s not top tier, but you can do a lot worse, and it exceeds my expectations for something of this caliber.

It’s very simple and while not the best performer, it gets the job done. Plus, it’s inexpensive enough that one could just apply a bit more than usual to get the full effect.

It’s under $30 a bottle and often much cheaper than that. Skulls and Roses is a solid casual cologne that could also double as a date night go to. It isn’t a projection monster, so not great for the club scene. Very nice and I even kind of like the bottle design now, too.

I don’t think that this fragrance is going to blow any one away, but it is a great value play when compared to many others in its general price range.

J’adore vs. Miss Dior EDP Perfume Comparison

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In this edition of my fragrance comparisons, we are going to take a closer look at two women’s perfumes from Christian Dior, Miss Dior EDP vs. J’adore. Which of these popular ladies’ scents from the luxury designer, smells the best? Which lasts longer? I have worn, tested, and reviewed each scent and will break them down by category before declaring an overall winner.

Tale of the Tape: Miss Dior EDP vs. J’adore

J’adore

Notes include: jasmine, orchid, plum, rose, mandarin, musk, ylang-ylang, blackberry

Click here to try: Christian Dior J’Adore Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, 3.4 Ounce

My Review: J’adore Review

Miss Dior EDP

Notes include: jasmine, blood orange, patchouli, mandarin orange, rose, rosewood, pink pepper

Click here to try: Christian Dior Miss Dior, 50ml/1.7 oz.

My Review: Miss Dior

Opening

Update: Dior changes the formula of the Miss Dior line, every so often, while keeping the name. I’m keeping this page, as is, and will try to remember to create a new page when I fully test the newer Miss Dior. So, this post is based on the previous version of Miss Dior EDP, and not the newer 2021 edition.

J’adore opens with a massive floral accord, which consists of: ylang-ylang, jasmine, orchid, rose, and freesia. It’s got a green/watery aroma underneath the floral notes.

The fruit notes are light within the composition, however, they do add a nice juiciness and a bit of sharpness to the perfume.

Miss Dior starts off with citrus fruits, patchouli, and rose. It’s essentially a blend of orange and lemon, with patchouli, and a hint of rose.

The rose note isn’t too strong in either of these perfumes, at this stage. After about 15 minutes, the rose really begins to take over, and the patchouli flanks it. The citrus notes begin to fade into the background.

Which is better? I like the citrus opening of Miss Dior better than the plethora of floral notes from J’adore. It’s not massively better, but it simpler and juicier.

Edge: Miss Dior

Projection

Neither of these scents are extremely loud, by any means. Miss Dior is pretty moderate throughout the wear. Meanwhile, J’adore is a lighter sillage fragrance, but isn’t weak. Between the two? I’d say Miss Dior is the stronger scent.

Edge: Miss Dior

Longevity

Miss Dior lasts on my skin for about 8 hours. J’adore will go for 8 hours, at least, but can go for even longer depending on the climate. Both perform well, but J’adore is a bit better.

Edge: J’adore

Versatility

This Miss Dior fragrance is best served in the colder temperatures, all the way up to moderate, but not the high heat. J’adore has a springtime vibe, but can fit in just about any season. Outside of that, both of these perfumes can serve as a daily wear option. Smell nice, elegant, but not really ‘sexy’ nighttime scents.

Edge: J’adore

Overall Scent

Miss Dior is a nice scent. I really like the citrus and patchouli opening. Then, the rose takes over, and you get additional spice and a very solid rosewood note at the base. It’s simple and it smells good. The performance is good and the fragrance won’t give out in the middle of the day. It’s actually a very close competitor with J’adore.

However, I think that J’adore gets the edge, here. It’s bright and pretty. It is a floral fragrance, with the usual greenness thrown in, but you also get some fruit notes. The plum and melon are fresh and give the perfume an underlying juiciness.

The sillage is lighter, but you do get a few more hours of wear, versus J’adore and it can go year round.

For these reasons, I’m going to give it the win against Miss Dior EDP. It’s not that much better, but it has an advantage, and is a great daily wear floral perfume. These are both awesome options from Christian Dior, and it almost comes down to, which scent you prefer. As, both of these fragrance meet expectations.

Update: Again, this is between the old version of Miss Dior and J’adore. I’d probably still pick J’adore versus the modern edition of Miss Dior EDP. However, I only smelled that one time, as of this update, and am not 100% on that outcome.

Winner: J’adore

6 Best Smelling Cuba Colognes

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Cuba Paris is a brand which produces a line of very inexpensive fragrances for both men and women. Now, for most brands that this describes, their products aren’t usually any good. However, Cuba seems to be able to produce men’s colognes with a good quality. Not elite, but much better than many other cheapies.

Beyond that, they have the ability to replicate some famous scents in their own way, or even come up with something that is wholly unique to the Cuba brand. For this post, I have selected six colognes from the line, which I feel are the best. Obviously, with such a large catalog of fragrances, I had to leave some off but this is a great place to start.

What are the Best Smelling Cuba Colognes?

Citrus and Powder

Cuba Brazil Copacabana Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.3 Ounce– One of the lesser known fragrance offerings from Cuba. Copacabana opens up with a great citrus blend and floral notes, which gives it a bit of a powdery edge.

There’s a noticeable lavender and at least some rose within the composition. It is a fresh sorts of fragrance, which dries down with some clove spice, and underlying woody notes. Pretty straightforward fragrance, but smells quite nice, and has good performance.

Bleu de Cuba

Cuba Shadow– Shadow is a newer release from Cuba, which appears to try and mimic the scent of Bleu de Chanel. It’s a hot market to have a similar smell to popular designer fragrances, but this doesn’t hit the same mark exactly.

Sure, there are similarities and the notes are basically the same, but the aroma itself it pretty different.

The citrus isn’t as good here and the initial freshness of the mint and ginger notes, don’t come in as well, either. But, things do settle and Shadow becomes a wonderful blend of these familiar notes.

It becomes a smoother clean sort of fragrance. Musk and the floral aspect, seem heavier in this compared to BdC, but it’s at its most similar after the first hour or so.

Most Popular Cuba Fragrance

Cuba Gold By Cuba For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.3 Ounces– Smooth vanilla, vetiver, jasmine, and lavender. This one does have that famous Le Male scent, though, this precedes that popular fragrance.

You can definitely smell the similarities, though, this has more jasmine and is less spicy/smoky. Although, that is still around in the dry down period, thanks to the vetiver. It turns warm, sweet, and powdery with a great amber note.

A Million Bucks

Cuba Royal By Cuba, 3.30-Ounce– Royal is a fragrance, which often gets compared to 1 Million by Paco Rabanne, and it is easy to smell why. Royal is warm, starts off quite sweet, and has plenty of tobacco/spice during the dry down.

Is it an exact match? No, but when talking about a $10-12 option, it is close enough. This isn’t as close as Cuba Shadow is to BdC, for instance. Neither is exact, but the influence on each is totally there.

For instance, this doesn’t have the same leathery scent nor the distinct mint. While this is fairly strong, it doesn’t have the same sillage or staying power as 1 Million. Nonetheless, Royal is a fantastic option, particularly as a nighttime wear for guys who want to save money.

Sweet Warmth

Champs Cuba Prestige Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3 Ounce– Cuba Prestige is an under the radar cheapie, that actually scores high marks across the board, from its smell to performance. It kicks off with lemon, bergamot, and black currant which gives it a fruity sweetness and bright disposition.

Then, Prestige takes the sweetness into another direction, with floral powder of jasmine and lavender. It becomes warmer as the amber note progresses, for a baked goods like sweetness. Very interesting scent, well worth a shot.

Spiced Tobacco Fragrance

Cuba Red By Cuba For Men Edt Spray 3.3 Oz– Red has much less sweetness, than the other fragrances on the list. It’s dry with tobacco, woods, but gets boosted by some wonderful spice.

Cuba Red is a masculine cologne, with a strong tobacco note, which is an ingredient you’ll need to like to appreciate this. It has an underlying earthy/outdoorsy quality. Similar to Burberry London, though, not entirely.

I like that they went in more in a unique direction with Red, versus just trying to match London beat for beat. The end result is really nice and gives you somewhat of a different wear versus many of the modern colognes on the market.