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Best Smelling Men’s Colognes Under $50

March 27, 2025September 1, 2016 by Best Men's Colognes

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

April 9, 2025August 3, 2016 by Best Men's Colognes

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 Smelling Unisex Fragrances 2016

July 25, 2016 by Best Men's Colognes

There are many fragrances out their built specifically for men or woman and the opposite sex wearing these scents can seem quite out of place. However, there are also plenty of great unisex perfumes for ladies and gentleman, that not only smell good but also perform well in a variety of life situations. For this post, I wanted to explore some of the best smelling unisex fragrances on the market today. This is by no means a complete list of your options but this is a great place to start. As usual, I have linked each selection out to its Amazon page for more info and ease of purchase.

Calvin Klein ck one Eau de Toilette, 6.7 fl. oz.
CK One is a part of the unisex fragrances that Calvin Klein has released and the most popular of them all. Notes of papaya, pineapple, and jasmine give it a intriguing sweetness while the green tea and amber add warm layers to its simple base. My Review of CK One

BE Perfume for Unisex new in box 6.7 FL OZ./200 ML.
Another choice fragrance from the unisex line. CK Be features floral and fruity notes with an undercurrent of musk. It’s a light fragrance that still commands notice. Full Review

Creed Virgin Island Water by Creed Eau De Parfum Spray for Unisex, 4 Ounce This Creed scent is like summertime in a bottle. Lime, coconut, and rum are the highlights and the smooth/creamy coconut is the main note during the drydown. Great stuff. If you want a cheaper alternative (that isn’t as good but similar) try Tommy Bahama St. Barts.

Bond No 9 New Haarlem Cologne, 3.4 Ounce
This bold scent was one of the originals released in 2003 and still maintains it uniqueness to this very day. Lavender, bergmot, coffee, and cedar notes is a great choice for those who like to cause a stir.

Eau De Cartier By Cartier For Men and Women, Eau De Toilette Spray, 6.75-Ounce Bottle
This is a unisex fragrance, so it won’t be a good choice for guys who want something wholly masculine. However, this is a good and light choice for those who like a citrus based fragrance that settles down into something more earthy. Best Cartier Colognes for Men

Bond No.9 Bleecker Street Women Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.3 Ounce
Bleeker Street is a fantastic fragrance designed to invoke standing in a NYC pastry shop. Sounds weird, right? Don’t worry because the scent is simply great. Sweet sort of parfum that can settle into something with a hint of spice to it. Categorized as a perfume for women but it is more unisex and can be worn anytime.

Tobacco Vanille– Warm fragrance that is quite heavy and projects a whole lot. It’s not for everybody, despite being unisex, as it is such an enormous scent.

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THIERRY MUGLER COLOGNE by Thierry Mugler EDT SPRAY 3.4 OZ

A summertime fragrance that is light, green, soapy, and a little musky. It’s so fresh and clean and perfect for a daily wear.

Best Colognes for Date Night

July 24, 2016 by Best Men's Colognes

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

Polo by Ralph Lauren Men’s Cologne Review

April 10, 2025July 23, 2016 by Best Men's Colognes

I have already covered the best smelling men’s fragrances by Ralph Lauren and have done several reviews on this brand’s colognes. However, I have until now neglected to do a review of one of the originals which dates back to the late 1970s, Polo by Ralph Lauren.

In this post, I want to take a closer look at this now classic men’s scent and determine how it performs, what it smells like, what notes it contains, when it should be worn, and if it is really worth a purchase at all. My Reviews of: Polo Red, Double Black, and Polo Blue.

Polo by Ralph Lauren Overview

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

My Full Review

What strikes me about the opening of Polo is how dry and masculine it is. That isn’t a bad thing, this is classically masculine, so don’t expect sweet fruits and floral notes like so many more modern examples.

It’s an interesting mix of pine and leather notes which gives it a rich, grassy/green type of aroma, that feels quite complex and dark. I completely dig it as a change of pace from the norm.

After 20 minutes or so of that initial blast, Polo begins its transformation into more of a tobacco laden cologne with a distinct patchouli note poking through. This drydown phase is warm and smoky and still retains that dry woodsy element that makes the opening so intriguing.

Projection wise, Polo is a pretty heavy fragrance, so 1-2 sprays max. This one can fill a room if you’re not careful and it will take it from pleasant to overbearing.

Longevity wise, this stuff is really damn good, 8+ hours for each use in my experience. I would stay away from wearing Polo in the summer or on any warm day really, as it doesn’t hold up that well and seems out of place.

However, during the fall and into the winter, this is when Polo really shines.

Overall, is Polo worth a purchase? This one is for the older set. Not that younger guys couldn’t pull it off in some cases, but I’d say, 30 and up is your best bet.

So, yes, if you are in that age group and want something that a change of pace from the usual sweet type of fragrances, then Polo is a terrific choice which lasts a long time and performs great as a casual and everyday cologne.