Versace Dylan Blue vs Eros Flame

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Versace has been releasing lots of popular fragrances over the past five or so years. Dylan Blue has been one such a release, that has gained traction with the younger set. Eros Flame is a newer release, which follows the huge popularity of the original Eros. It hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success, but seems to be growing. Which of these two colognes is better? Which one lasts longer? Which is the best buy?

Tale of the Tape

Eros Flame

Notes include: lemon, tangerine, chinotto accord, black pepper, wild mountain rosemary, pepperwood, geranium, rose, cedar, patchouli, vetiver, oak moss, sandalwood, tonka bean, and vanilla

Click here to try: Versace Eros Flame 100ml 3.4Oz Eau de Parfume For Men

My review: Eros Flame

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

My review: Dylan Blue

Opening

Eros Flame opens up with familiar lemon of Eros, but this time it is paired with tangerine. Along with that, is: black pepper, chinotto accord, with some vanilla and tonka bean. The latter two, will be heavier later, but now take on a smaller role.

I like the added citrus vibe to Eros Flame, a lot, as it is my favorite part of the wear. I think the pairing is fresh, bright, and has enough earthiness/spice to make it interesting.

Meanwhile, Dylan Blue kicks off with its grapefruit note leading the way. This citrus ingredient is flanked by ambroxan and an aquatic accord, giving this cologne a slight watery feel.

What sets this fragrance apart, is its use of the fig note, and is what really made me like wearing this scent sometimes.

Which is better? It’s close in my mind, but I prefer the way Dylan Blue starts off. It’s smoother, has a unique quality while being familiar to other scents, and the fragrance just comes together quite well.

Edge: Dylan Blue

Projection

Dylan Blue starts off with a strong sillage, but later becomes much more moderate. You could over spray this scent, though, most normal applications will be just fine.

Eros Flame has a very strong sillage. Like monstrous. This can absolutely fill a room, if you spray too much. I’d say stick to 2-3 sprays, max, with Eros Flame. It’s without a doubt, stronger than Dylan Blue.

I will applaud Versace for really delivering with Flame, in performance terms. I did have a bottle of the original batch and I’m not sure if it has been weakened in the intervening years.

Edge: Eros Flame

Longevity

I’ve worn both of these scents, plenty of times, and it’s really the same results each time. Dylan Blue goes 6-7 hours, with extreme consistency, on my skin.

Eros Flame, just keeps going on and on. It always go for over 10 hours and I’ve detected on my skin, even 15-16 hours later.

Just from pure longevity and strength, Flame is among the best on the market. Again, I’m not sure if this has been changed, but Flame could out do the original Eros EDT formulation.

Edge: Eros Flame

Versatility

Eros Flame is best used in cooler to moderate climates and temperatures. It doesn’t work well in the heat and humidity. So, limited there. Dylan Blue can be worn year round, without issue pretty much.

Eros Flame is better used for the nightlife or casual situations. Dylan Blue, can be used in a wider range of scenarios. It can be worn during the day: school or office wear, though, it is better suited for younger guys.

Flame can be so overbearing at times, it’s not really one to wear to work or school or really a daily basis.

Between the two, I’d say Dylan Blue has better versatility.

Edge: Dylan Blue

Overall Scent

Eros Flame is an interesting take on the original Versace Eros and has amazing performance. When I first got my bottle of Flame, I liked this cologne a lot more than I do now.

Now, it doesn’t smell as good to me. The dry down becomes much more woodsy and has rosemary coming through.

Plus, the vanilla and tonka bean combo, feels a bit off with the citrus and herbal woods ingredients. It’s not a bad fragrance, I just don’t want to wear it that often.

It can actually be headache inducing. It’s greatest strength, is the fact that it is so strong and long lasting…but it does hinder its ability to be worn in a variety of situations.

Dylan Blue, has never been my favorite scent. Though, I have warmed up to it more. The opening is still the best part, while the dry down still feels generic to me.

The performance isn’t amazing, but it’s solid. I think that it smells better than Flame, overall. Also, it is much more versatile.

I think both of these are decent, but flawed fragrances overall. Lots of people seem to like Eros Flame, more than I ever have, so I guess take that into account. Dylan Blue isn’t a great cologne, but it does enough in comparison, to win this.

Winner: Dylan Blue

Anyway by Juliette Has a Gun

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As a part of my last batch of samples, I included a scent that I had never heard of at the time. This always interests me, since it can be quite a change of pace, and I can hopefully find a hidden gem. That fragrance is: Anyway by Juliette Has a Gun. Yeah, great name…In this post, I am going to go over what it contains, how it smells, performs, and whether or not this unisex fragrance is worth a purchase.

What does Anyway by Juliette Has a Gun Smell Like?

Notes include: neroli, lime, ambroxan, and musk

Click here to try: Juliette Has A Gun Anyway Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.3 fl. oz.

My Full Wear Review

Anyway starts out with the top notes of neroli and lime. It’s a nice citrus aroma that doesn’t have quite the same intense lime as something like, Set Sail St. Barts. It’s downplayed and actually quite lovely in its presentation. I have to say the opening is my favorite part of Anyway, it is fresh and smells great.

I love lime in a summer fragrance, but there are so few that can truly hold on for long periods of time.

That’s about as good as it gets. The initial top notes fade after about ten minutes and what you’re left with is a musky mix or floral notes and ambroxan.

It’s warm but almost completely without any personality, in my opinion. There is only a hint of that nice lime left and it all just smells very blasé. Anyway becomes as indifferent, as I become to wearing it.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s starts off moderate and quickly turns into a skin scent. Not really even an interesting skin scent. It’s sort of there but never wows you.

The sillage on this stuff comes out okay, but then just fades out almost entirely. That seems to happen with lots of these citrus based scents, just no staying power.

The longevity is poor and this fragrance only last for a few hours, tops. Lame. Seriously, I tested it out multiple times, with heavy spraying and still not much of anything here.

I guess this was designed to be a casual spring/summer scent. Though, it doesn’t perform well enough to really assign it a category. Other than, being unisex for the short time it does anything.

If it lasted on your skin, I guess it would have pretty good versatility in the warmer months of the year. I’d keep it to daytime wear, semi-formal, casual, or work.

Overall Impressions of Anyway

Overall, I’m obviously not going to recommend this scent. I mean, I like the lime note, but it is too short lived. Secondly, it’s extremely boring for the rest of the time it hangs around on your skin. I don’t think it ever smells bad, it’s just not interesting past 10 minutes.

If it had better longevity, it could be an okay choice for the summer months. But that’s also assuming that you could get it at a cheap price. I don’t see the point of owning this fragrance at all.

Azzaro Wanted vs. 1 Million Comparison

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1 Million has been a best seller for over a decade and is basically a legend, at this point. It once ruled much of the nightlife, not as much anymore, but it’s a great scent. Wanted was released by Azzaro and quickly grew a following. Between the two, which is better? Which lasts longer? Which is the better buy?

Tale of the Tape: 1 Million vs. Wanted

1 Million

Notes include: grapefruit, blood orange, rose, mint, cinnamon, amber, leather, patchouli, and more

Click here to try: Paco Rabanne 1 Million Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Fluid Ounce

Read my original review: 1 Million Cologne Review

Wanted by Azzaro

Notes include: tonka bean, lemon, cardamom, vetiver, juniper, ginger, geranium, mint, amber wood

Click here to try: Azzaro Wanted Eau De Toilette Spray, 3.4 Ounce

Read my original Review: Wanted Review

Opening

1 Million has always been compared to grape bubblegum in the opening act, by a lot of people. The initial blood orange, grapefruit, leather, and mint combination does make it come across like that.

The latest batch that I tried, seems to have less of that overall. It’s still there, just the start now feels warmer with more spice.

Cinnamon, mainly. Along with an earlier emergence of amber and rose, than I remember. Sweetness, warmth, with a playful spice.

Meanwhile, Wanted kicks off with a lemon note in the lead. It’s actually not as sharp as one would expect and the opening resembles Invictus by Paco Rabanne, somewhat. It definitely differs from that fragrance, when the tonka bean and cardamom grow in strength. 

Which is better at the beginning? I’m going with 1 Million. I don’t think that either opens up amazingly well, but I prefer the aroma of 1 Million versus the pseudo-Invictus opening of Wanted.

Edge: 1 Million

Sillage

Older bottles of 1 Million were monstrous with how they projected. However, it doesn’t have that same punch. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still strong, just lost a step. 

For much of the wear, it will be stronger than average, but just not blowing the doors off with its projection or heaviness.

Wanted starts off about equal to newer bottles of 1 Million, but becomes much more moderate when it settles. While, 1 Million keeps up its power for longer on my skin.

Edge: 1 Million

Longevity

Vintage 1 Million would go for 12+ hours on me, without issue. Newer bottles? Around 8-9 hours of wear. Still very good, just not elite.

With Wanted it’s in the 7-9 hour range. All in all, I’d say they’re about equal to one another now. It used to be a pretty clear win for the Paco Rabanne, but no more.

 

Edge: Push

 

 

Versatility

Seasonally, I think that Wanted has the edge. Neither of these is good for the heat, but 1 Million is best in colder temperatures. Wanted can go warm weather, just avoid extreme heat.

Both skew towards younger guys. With Wanted being appropriate in a wider array of situations. While, 1 Million is geared toward nightlife or casual wear.

Edge: Wanted

Overall Scent

Wanted is a good fragrance, but really not one of my favorites. I like it more once it dries down and develops its own personality.  Tonka bean, apple, and juniper berry are really nice touches after the Invictus-like opening act. 

It does everything well, but nothing amazing.

I’ve always enjoyed wearing 1 Million. I know a lot of people never liked this scent, but it was always a fun and unique wear. If I were comparing Wanted to the older bottles of this Paco Rabanne scent, it’d be any easy win for 1 Million.

Now, it’s a tighter race. Though, I’m still going 1 Million. It just smells better to me, still has good performance, and more depth. 

I would go with either The Most Wanted or The Most Wanted Parfum before either of these. But, between these two, it’s the Paco Rabanne.

Winner: 1 Million

Black Opium vs Prada Candy Perfume Comparison

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So, here we are, back with another round of perfume comparisons. Today, we have two sweet and popular designers scents for women: Black Opium EDP by Yves Saint Laurent vs. Prada Candy. Now, both of these are the eau de parfum versions of each respective scents. Which of these two gourmand perfumes smells the best? Which gives a better performance? Please continue below for my full take of them head to head.

Tale of the Tape: Black Opium vs. Candy

Black Opium

black opium perfume review

Notes include: coffee, vanilla, patchouli, pink pepper, orange blossom, cedar

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, Black Opium, 3 Ounce

Read my original review: Black Opium

Prada Candy

Notes include: caramel, musk, and benzoin

Click here to try: Prada Prada Candy Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, 2.7 Ounce

Read my original review: Prada Candy

Opening

The opening of Black Opium is probably when it’s at its worst. It’s messy and has a lot going on. Orange blossom, vanilla, and cedar among other notes are heavily present and intense. The YSL scent just takes about ten minutes to work itself out before the perfume really gets going.

After that, we get a still super sweet fragrance, but the vanilla and emergent coffee pair up to straighten out the composition.

Meanwhile, Prada Candy, is also sweet just darker. It doesn’t have the intensity and swaps in caramel to be paired with benzoin and some musk.

I love the benzoin note here and it strikes me as being sort of like a more feminine version of Body Kouros, which is actually a Yves Saint Laurent cologne.

Between the two? I prefer the start to Prada Candy. Black Opium gets better, just the opening struggles for a bit. It’s kind of messy and I think some of the later flankers to Black Opium got it better, in this regard.

Edge: Candy

Projection

Black Opium is very strong perfume. A couple sprays should do it for just about any occasion and any more than that just won’t be necessary. Prada Candy is much more of a light to moderate scent and cannot compete with the sillage of Black Opium.

It’s probably a good thing for Candy, as if it were strong, it’d start to get annoying. Nonetheless, the stronger of the two is the YSL fragrance.

Edge: Black Opium

Longevity

I get about 6-7 hours from Prada Candy, on my skin. That’s solid and could be useful in a variety of scenarios. Still, it’s nothing that’s amazing or of great value versus the Prada price point.

However, Black Opium is an all day wear. I got double digit hours out of that perfume with no trouble at all. Performance wise, the YSL is dominant. Some later Black Opium flankers didn’t seem to ever reach this same level.

As far as I’ve experienced with the original, it hasn’t gotten noticeably weaker over the years.

Prada is serviceable, but Black Opium gets you plenty of bang for your buck.

Edge: Black Opium

Versatility

Both of these perfumes are cold weather wears. Both can be worn casually or at work. Plus, have enough sexiness to be worn out at night. Perhaps, Prada Candy is a bit safer for work because it isn’t as loud, but that’s really the only edge I see.

Either is a nice and sweet selection that can be a easy reach when the temperatures start to drop.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

So, the both of these perfumes are of the sweet, gourmand, and cold weather variety. Prada Candy is fairly linear and moderate in its presentation and performance.

You get the sweet and salty caramel and then later, more of benzoin and musk. There is also a dash of powder in there for good measure.

Black Opium EDP is a bold fragrance that isn’t dark like the name would suggest. It’s really sweet with vanilla and coffee.

Add to that, a warm pink pepper note, and the ever present orange blossom note. It has more of a rich and cozy feeling than does Candy, while also being more complex and ultimately more interesting.

Which is better? I’d go with Black Opium. For most ladies, it will be the better bet. Now, if you want something subtler, Candy might be the way to go.

However, Black Opium gives a better performance and outside of the opening 10 minutes of confusion, it smells nicer than does Prada Candy.

Winner: Black Opium

7 Best Smelling John Varvatos Colognes

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I think that John Varvatos makes some pretty good and masculines colognes overall. Two of these scents, I have reviewed here on the site thus far (Artisan and Artisan Aqua), and while both were very pleasant fragrances for men…they both had some longevity issue which made it hard to enjoy.

For this post, I want to select seven other scents from the Varvatos collection, which I consider to be the best overall (in terms of smell and longevity).

What are the Best Smelling Varvatos Colognes?

Best Overall Varvatos Cologne

Vintage– Warm, fresh, and incredibly smooth. Vintage is a masculine scent that grabs attention in an understated way. Notes include: tobacco, suede, tonka bean, jasmine, rhubarb, absinthe, and others.

The opening act is pretty powerful and ‘in your face’. Fir and a blend of spices announces that Vintage has arrived. Much like the other scents, on this list, it will settle down into something that is more palatable and great.

I love tonka bean, as a note, which gets flanked by that suede note and rich cured tobacco. As it dries down, I feel that it gets sweeter and the light citrus and rhubarb touches become a great deal more noticeable. Up top, those notes get lost in the fray, on my skin.

Performance is decent, but not anything that special. Nonetheless, this is probably the best smelling of the Varvatos colognes, or at least top 2-3.

vintage

Best Artisan Cologne

Artisan Pure– Pure is in my mind, the second best fragrance from the Artisan line. However, Black doesn’t seem to be around much anymore, so I’m putting this one on the list (Artisan Black is still below). 

Pure has the usual Artisan citrus flare, but pairs it with some nice herbal notes like thyme and petitgrain, to give it a slightly different touch. Pure is a very fresh citrus scent, full of rich green undertones, and a bit of a floral finish.

I like the smell of many of the other Artisan scents. This one, has better performance, and stands out with its unique aroma versus some of the other options. 

Hard to Find Artisan

Artisan Black-A citrus blend with supporting notes of ginger and some floral. This is a scent for the warmer months for guys who enjoy a sweet citric fragrance in the summertime.

I think that this one has now been discontinued. I haven’t seen any bottles of Artisan Black for a while. I’m going to leave it on the list, because you can probably hunt one down online, and I think that this was the best scent from the Artisan lineup. I’m also adding Artisan Pure to the list, as a sort of replacement.

black

Most Popular Varvatos

John Varvatos– A woodsy and leathery affair at first that emerges into a fragrance that has a certain sweetness to it present by the fruit notes. The initial start of the cologne is a mix of the leather and wood notes, like tamarind and fir.

Then, you get the fruity notes, mainly dates. Between the dates and wood, John Varvatos for Men has a unique yet familiar scent. Dates, vanilla, amber, and caramel give this one a sweetness to play off the spice and woody ingredients.

In the later stages, most of the sweeter notes fade away and you’re left with: amber, leather, and woods. The performance is pretty mediocre, so, I’d only pick it up for cheap (some other best cheap colognes for men). However, the smell is really attractive and a joy to wear. John Varvatos Review

jv

Dark and Spicy Cologne

Dark Rebel– Dark Rebel is a masculine and spicy scent, with many similarities to Man in Black by Bvlgari. It starts out with rum, tobacco, and pepper. The pepper note is pretty intense within that first 10 minute window, but settles thereafter. 

I like Rebel, once that spice has burned itself off. Vanilla, tobacco, with some underlying rum give it a sweet smoothness; that I find very enjoyable. Still further: leather, herbs, and woods emerge to give the fragrance an interesting finish.

Note: Dark Rebel Rider, probably has the better smelling opening act versus this one. However, the performance of that scent is atrocious. So, it didn’t make the cut.

Now, the performance here, isn’t great. Many John Varvatos scents (particularly the Artisan line), don’t last very long. Though, I wanted to give this one a spot because it does smell good. Another one that could be worth picking up for winter wear, if the price is right. Dark Rebel Full Review

Underrated Varvatos Scent

Star USA– Juniper berries, citron, woods, and ginger are the main stars of this moderate scent. It is woodsy and slightly spicy and kind of linear but not bad overall.

In fact, the aroma was always the highlight, even when the performance lagged. Star USA gives you that amazing citrus clean, pairs it with ginger, and finishes with a blend of woods. Together, it is super fresh and attractive.

Finishes very dry and clean. Wish it would have had more power, overall. Discontinued, but there are cheap bottles floating around in some places.

star

Newer Varvatos

XX Artisan Teal– I had tried XX Indigo and it wasn’t anything too great. However, the Teal edition of the XX series, is actually quite good. Surprisingly, the performance isn’t bad, unlike some of the other Artisan releases.

This one has a blue-ish marine aroma. Not fully immersed in sea notes, but there is a salty aquatic element to it. A mix of lemon and rosemary spice up top. All together I thought it might have an Acqua di Gio scent. Nope, close in style, though.

The blue/aquatic vibe and the pink pepper remind me somewhat of Living Stromboli from the Light Blue series. But, this is different. Muskier with more depth.

The dry down fully lets you enjoy the saltier aspect of this cologne along with the driftwood base note. Lasts six, maybe 7 hours. Not amazing performance, but worth picking up at the right price.