8 Best Smelling Versace Perfumes for Ladies

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Versace is a design house with a long history of elegance and success in creating fragrances for both men and women. In this post, I want to put forth eight options from their perfume line, which I consider to be the best of the bunch.

These are the ladies’ scents that I have plucked from the lot of them, and that, both perform well and have plenty of charm about them. I have linked out to my own personal reviews of each, where appropriate, and linked to each scent on Amazon.

What are the Top Smelling Fragrances for Her by Versace?

Most Popular Versace

Versace Bright Crystal Eau de Toilette Spray for Women, 3 Ounce– The most popular and quite possibly one of the best Versace fragrances, depending on your tastes. It is a juicy mix of fruits and florals that is bright and energetic.

Bright Crystal opens up with a juicy pomegranate note with yuzo citrus and an iced accord to make the whole thing seem chilled.

The peony is the main floral note here, with a watery and fairly light lotus peaking through, at times. Ultimately, it will boil down to being more about the peony and yuzu combination, with additional musk.

It does have a really sunny and upbeat disposition from the start and later some floral notes including, peony and lotus. Bright Crystal is a very good everyday wear option, as it will last over 8 hours, smells great, and has solid versatility.  Versace Bright Crystal Review

bright crystals

Lady Eros

Versace Eros Pour Femme Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounce– For my Eros pick, I think that I’m going to have to go with the EDT version. I was really surprised by how good this one smells.

It opens up with a cool raspberry sorbet aroma with lemon and a hint of orange. Actually, it’s a ‘frozen’ sorbet note and it does actually come across as being quite cold. The citrus is tart in the first 10 minutes, then, the raspberry takes over with its sweet sugariness.

The floral heart is a white petal accord of freesia, jasmine, and magnolia. Eros Pour Femme EDT is very bright and uplifting, with a deliciousness that is great for spring/summer.

The performance is okay, just not amazing. It’s fairly strong, but moderate in how long it lasts. Eros Pour Femme Review

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The Best Dylan

Dylan Blue Pour Femme– I’m not completely blown away by Dylan Blue, but it’s still a fairly nice fragrance deserving of a spot. It’s better than Turquoise, but may be replaced by the newer Purple, once it’s released in the US and I get to test that out.

Update: I like Purple too, kind of basic, but it’s less sharp than Blue. It has a citrus top with a freesia-led floral middle. Fruity, smooth, clean. It might be a good alternative to Blue for some people.

Blue kicks things off with a pretty sharp fruity mix of apple and blackcurrant. The sharpness will subside and this one gets more floral and somewhat sweeter than might be expected. Jasmine and Forget Me Not will stand out as the two main floral notes.

The opening isn’t my favorite, but the dry down is attractive. Dylan Blue will come off as a cleanish soapy or body wash kind of perfume. Performance is moderate, but there is plenty to like here. Dylan Blue by Versace Review

Concentrated Crystal

Bright Crystal Absolu- I had to include the flanker fragrance, to the above offering. Bright Crystal Absolu is a more concentrated version of the original. It has an added raspberry note, is sweeter, and somewhat less floral/citrus.

It still has the same notes, just the strength of each has been altered. It does have more power and longevity. Absolu should be the choice if, you want a fruitier peony scented perfume, instead of the more yuzu citrus/peony mix of the original.

Bright Crystal Absolu will last from 9-12 hours on the skin, and is absolutely wonderful, in the spring and summer months. This has become one of Versace’s best sellers.

If you can’t find this one, Dua has their inspired take: Absolute Crystal Glow.

Floral Fruity Daily Wear

Versace Woman By Gianni Versace For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.4 Oz.– Flowers, fruits, musk, and woodsy notes. The plum and raspberry notes combine to give it a sweet aroma, which is then joined by cedar to give it a stronger and unique feel, it’s quite powdery.

Beyond that, you get the terrific rose note, and a bit of lotus flower in there also. Versace Woman is a bit musky, but doesn’t overdo it. The sweetness isn’t crazy heavy. but pairs well with the wood base and the rose which becomes a stronger component, during the dry down.

Versace Woman is soft, highly wearable, and has great subtle details added in. For instance, the hint of smokiness that underlies the woodiness. Again, not too heavy of a sillage, but good performance and great aroma.

versacewoman

Bright Yellow Floral

Versace Yellow Diamond Eau De Toilette Spray, Yellow, 3 Ounce– It’s notes include water lily, mimosa, orange blossom, musk, and lemon. It’s a juicy citrus scent upon opening that settles down into something sophisticated, vibrant, and clean.

The usually strong Versace lemon note is made softer by mimosa and fressia floral notes.

Initially, it is more citrus, then becomes balanced, and then becomes more floral. All the while, Yellow Diamond keeps up an aroma that really does call forth the color yellow, to your mind’s eye. It is light enough and has enough performance to be worn at work or school or even casually.

While it is pretty linear, after the first 20 minutes or so, you get to experience all of the ingredients at times, within the framework of the composition. I like this one for a spring day, it does give you an outdoorsy feel, like walking in a grove or flower garden.  Yellow Diamond Full Review

yellowdiamond

Easy to Wear, Similar to Chanel

Versace Versense By Gianni Versace For Women Edt Spray 3.4 Oz– Versense goes away from the fruity/floral combination and airs more towards the woodsy/citrus.

The opening notes are dominated by bergamot and mandarin, while it gets later support from cedar and fig. It has a very similar aroma to Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche.

However, it is mostly a fresh and clean citrus wear, with some lily and the cedar note, as the solidifying force in the whole thing. A lime and lemon verbena wear with later elements of sandalwood coming in.

A great lighter choice for daily wear, especially during the spring and summer months.

Versense is very well put together overall. I enjoy the woody notes, that come through in the base. I think that they play extremely well off of the citrus notes. Such a clean and delightful fragrance. Quite popular.

versense

Popular White Floral and Currant

Versace Crystal Noir by Versace for Women – 3 Ounce EDT Spray– Crystal Noir opens up with a familiar and sharp black currant note, which is paired with fig, and a couple of floral notes (violet and tuberose).

The black currant and fig sit on top of the floral ingredients, as well as, a cream sandalwood/vanilla combination.

However, as it dries down, the black currant sharpness fades and other floral notes (jasmine) come in to create a bouquet effect. In the end, Crystal Noir EDT is a white floral fragrance, with woody undertones, and purple flowers in support.

The sillage is light to moderate but it has good longevity in the 6-8 hour range. Note: There are now two versions of this perfume, that are quite distinct from one another. I think that the EDT version is a tad better than the EDP.  Crystal Noir EDT Review

crystalnoir

5 Best YSL Black Opium Perfumes

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Black Opium is still one of the best selling ladies’ fragrances on the planet right now. Due to that fact, it has spawned a bunch of flanker fragrances trading off of the success of that name. This always raises the question as to which is the best Black Opium? In this post, I want to present my top 5 picks to vie for this title.

What are the Best Smelling Black Opium Perfumes (Ranked)?

The New Best

Black Opium Le Parfum– Coming back to update this list a few years later, I now think of Le Parfum as being the best of this series. 

This one is a very vanilla based version of the Black Opium style. Early, it is lighter on the pear and green mandarin, while also having a good dose of cinnamon to go with its various vanilla notes.

Much smoother and a cleaner presentation versus the original EDP. The coffee here doesn’t feel like roasted beans. Rather, it is like a cinnamon and vanilla coffee drink, especially early. The coffee though, isn’t too powerful in the mix, however.

Warm, sweet, and somewhat spicy. A well above average sillage and can last in the 8-9 hour range, making it also one of the best performers in the group. Le Parfum Review

Green

Black Opium Illicit Green– While the original Black Opium has better performance than this, I like the smell of Illicit Green more so. It reminds me most of Neon, from the series, but Green smells better.

It’s lighter and cleaner in the opening act with green mandarin, pear, and fig. You can very much tell that this is a Black Opium perfume, but has a bit of a different take, in order to make it distinct enough.

I get more coffee than vanilla in this one. But, that’ll be joined by fig, orange blossom, and patchouli in the dry down. Less of that initial freshness. Though, I still enjoy it. Performance is okay, just not great. Illicit Green Review

The Original

Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, Black Opium, 3 Ounce– I was never a huge fan of the original Black Opium EDP. However, it is still among the best of this line, overall.

I do think that Neon, listed below, smells marginally better. Though, EDP has much superior performance.

If you haven’t tried this one by now, the opening act can be kind of a mess. White flowers, vanilla, and cedar are kind of just thrown at you.

But, it does get better as things move forward. When the coffee and vanilla fully take over, with some pink pepper thrown in…this is really very nice.

The performance really separates this one from the other flankers. 8+ hours of wear on the skin, easily, and often hitting 10+. It is also stronger with its sillage.

Again, you may find that the others smell better for you than the original, but this brings the total package. Black Opium EDP Review

Best Smelling, Decent Performance

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Neon EDP 2.5 oz 75 ml Women NEW– If the coffee and vanilla are too much for you in the original EDP, Neon could be an option, as those notes aren’t nearly as strong.

This one opens up with a nice mix of dragon fruit and mandarin essence. It is energetic and a bit tropical and just not as heavy of an experience as EDP. For the beginning of the wear, it is the fruit notes with a stronger orange blossom and jasmine coming through.

The next phase, is quite a bit like the original. Slightly different weightings of the notes, with a very similar smell. It isn’t a completely weak scent, it spends much of the wear as pretty moderate, and will last for close to 7 hours. 

If this one, were just a bit stronger, it’d be another spot higher for sure. Still, it’s a good fragrance. Black Opium Neon Review

 

 

Most Unique

Black Opium Intense– Based on the name, you might think that this would be an amped up version of EDP…but it’s not. It’s actually much softer, but with 7-8 hours of wear.

What it does have going for it, is a unique blend that utilizes blue absinthe and licorice. It’s smooth with that licorice aroma being prominent throughout. This is all sitting on the coffee and vanilla, which is a different sort of smell, yet kind of familiar during the dry down.

Is the uniqueness amazing? To me, no. It’s pretty good, but even switching things up like this didn’t move it to the top of the list. Black Opium Intense Review

Shelter Island by Bond No. 9

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Shelter Island is one of the summer fragrance entries from Bond No. 9 New York. One, which goes more into the aquatic camp, with its use of seaweed. It was released in 2014.

I bought a sample of this a while ago, for testing and to see how I actually got along with a that marine note, that I generally dislike. How does Shelter Island smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Shelter Island by Bond No. 9 Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, black pepper, seaweed, lily, oud, musk, sandalwood, amber, myrrh

Click here to try: Shelter Island

shelter bond review

My Full Review

Here’s how Bond describes it: quietly daring, sparkling-clean, unisex, rife with nonchalant beach-time exotica.

Shelter Island opens fresh and bright with a spiciness via the black pepper. The lemon is a light spritzing on top of the marine accord that features seaweed.

The aquatic aspect isn’t overpowering here. Sure, it’s dominant, but balanced out by its surrounding notes. I’m glad I didn’t get a massive seaweed note, that makes you smell like some sort of marine life.

The lily will come in with its waxy aroma, which pairs with the emergence of the resinous myrrh and amber notes in the base. These three, really seem to keep the seaweed in check, and don’t allow this to be just a salty oceanic fragrance.

The lemon and black pepper basically fade completely. This is an aquatic and beachy oud-floral in the middle. Starting to get musky and taking on a bit of a sun tan lotion scent. At this point, it’s more like sitting by the shore than being in the water itself.

That will continue, as this becomes woodier and muskier in the dry down.

Still somewhat aquatic, with a mix of the woodsy notes, a musky aroma, and that amber and myrrh still a bit detectable.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This Bond fragrance opens up with plenty of initial punch. It’ll leave a slight scent trail and project well enough off of the skin. It’s definitely above average in the first hour or so.

Thereafter, Shelter will be much more moderate, before lightening up in the back half of the wear.

While it isn’t a massively projecting nor heavy sitting fragrance, Shelter Island does a good job at sticking around. On my skin, I can still detect it up to about 9 hours. Which is plenty for what most people are going to use this scent for.

Seasonally, this is a spring and summer wear. Mainly, for the warmest days. A good change of pace from the pure citrus perfumes which usually inhabit those months. A solid marine and wood aquatic for something different.

This is a unisex fragrance, maybe leaning slightly masculine, in the early stages. But, that will balance out, as you move further into the wear.

It’s a niche and fairly casual fragrance for daytime wear. Shelter Island isn’t going to be one that you’re very likely to wear for dates, nightlife, or formal occasions. For those outdoor summer events, it can be a fine choice.

Overall Impressions of Shelter Island

Overall, do I like Shelter Island? It’s pretty good. I never thought that I’d be the target audience for this Bond No. 9, once I saw the seaweed and oud notes together.

However, I was sort of surprised that I wasn’t indifferent towards Shelter Island, and that it had its enjoyable moments for me.

The seaweed, really came through here. It’s front and center, but doesn’t overpower everything else. Very fresh and marine done right, where so many other scents with this note have fallen flat.

The longevity is also great, especially for a summertime scent. Sure, it’s not a massive beast of a fragrance, but this one doesn’t quit early on you either.

The downside? Well, the price for the largest bottle, is currently $300 as of writing. As such, Shelter Island probably isn’t a perfume that most are going to want to buy on a whim.

If you want a beachy aquatic with sun tan lotion vibes, this Bond does a good job at hitting the mark. Find a way to get a sample of this stuff, if that sounds like something you’re after.

10 Best Smelling Diptyque Fragrances

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Diptyque is a French design house that is know for it’s amazing niche fragrances as well as the great candles that they produce. They have such a wide variety of ladies’ perfumes and unisex scents that it can be quite difficult to know where to start.

For this post, I wanted to present 10 options, of some of the best options.

Plus, I wanted to have some variety of scents, so that almost anyone could find something that fits their personal taste. In the end, I narrowed it down to the following list below.

Favorite Diptyque Perfumes for Men and Women

Best Smelling Overall Perfume

Diptyque Eau Duelle Eau De Parfum– Spice meets vanilla with an underlying herbal tea note.  Smooth and warm with less sweetness than many other vanilla scented parfums. Eau Duelle is unisex.

The vanilla is initially paired with labdanum and an ambroxan note. Vanilla creamy/sweetness, paired with a warm and slightly salty amber. The spices up top are also quite noticeable.

Later, the spices subside somewhat, and there is a fairly woody base. The base has a smoky quality, like an aged barrel. It all comes together as warm and swimming in a sea of rich vanilla.

Notes include: vanilla, tea, labdanum, ambroxan, pink pepper, cardamom

  • Who should wear it? Men or Women
  • When to wear? Autumn or Winter
  • When to Avoid? Hot weather or tropical climates

Best Diptyque for Summer and Top Seller

Diptyque Philosykos 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray– One of the unisex entries on the list, Philosykos, brings on the fig note in a big and very nice way. There is an underlying woodsy and coconut essence but the leafy sort of fig notes are the unique and enjoyable star here.

The opening act is green with a watery sort of smell from the fruit. The fig leaf is there and a very light coconut scent. Between the actual fig and coconut, Philosykos, takes on a fairly milky quality. That milkiness is paired with the leafy green aroma.

Later, you get to the woody base, of cedar and fig tree wood. It is less ‘green’ here, more towards the sweet end of the aroma. Yet, it is never overly sweet or fruity. Well balanced and natural.

Notes include: coconut, fig leaf, fig, cedar

  • Who should wear it? Men or Women
  • When to wear? Spring or Summer, mostly.
  • When to Avoid? If you don’t like fig or coconut

Top Springtime Wear

Diptyque – Eau Rose Eau de Toilette – 100 ml– As the name suggests, rose is the main attraction in this one. However, don’t expect a complete floral bomb because it is joined by fruity notes including black currant.

A beautiful rose note, with a sweet and carefree vibe that won’t overwhelm, but is inherently pretty.

Eau Rose kicks things off, with its fruity notes. A tart black current and a nice juicy litchi. Very clean and bright, at this point. Then, the rose comes in with some jasmine, to take away much of the fruitiness.

However, it will remain for the rest of the way. As it moves even deeper into the wear, Eau Rose, takes on a refreshing and earthy/woodsy aroma. Mainly from the cedar.

It’s very balanced between being a pure rose perfume, having a nice juicy fruitiness, and some clean woods underneath.

Notes include: litchi, rose, jasmine, cedar

  • Who should wear it? Women
  • When to wear? Year round, but mainly springtime
  • When to Avoid? You don’t like rose

Best Smelling Woody Perfume

Diptyque Tam Dao Eau De Parfum– Another more of a pure bred sandalwood scent. This one is definitely a woodsy/forest type of scent with other notes such as cedar and cypress. Has a very dry and soft aroma.

Tam Dao opens with more of the cypress note, before the dry down transitions to having the santal be the leader of the pack. Lots of wood notes with some amber and slight spices.

This is the choice for those who want a woodsy fragrance, way beyond just what the sandalwood provides. The cypress and cedar, are also joined by rosewood. So, this one can get quite dry and forest-like.

That can be a selling point for some folks, while others would want to stay away. Nonetheless, I think this is the type of fragrance, that could easily win someone over to trying out a deeply woody scent.

Notes include: sandalwood, cypress, rosewood, cedar

  • Who should wear it? Men or Women
  • When to wear? Year round
  • When to Avoid? If you’re not a fan of wood fragrances

Tuberose Bouquet

Diptyque Do Son Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 2.5 Ounce– A scent for the floral lovers out there. Do Son features notes such as tuberose, iris, rose, and orange flower. More of a fresh and natural kind of fragrance.

Specifically, Do Son, is for those who are looking for a tuberose perfume. That is the most dominant of the floral notes inside of this one.

It’s a very realistic rendition of tuberose, with some nice pink pepper, and greenish notes flanking this scent.

Later, it becomes creamier, and there is a healthy dose of musk in the base of this perfume.

Notes include: pink pepper, tuberose, musk, iris, orange flower

  • Who should wear it? Women
  • When to wear? Spring and Summer
  • When to Avoid? You don’t like greenish or realistic floral perfumes

One for Patchouli Lovers

 

Tempo Eau de Parfum– This is an odd one, but a fragrance that deserves a spot on the list. Tempo offers up a fresh green opening, with bitter herbal facets. Then, you get an earthy patchouli with a powdery finish from the violet.

The citrus bergamot top gives it enough of a bright and light touch, in the early stages. Though, it isn’t an overwhelming factor. Spices from some sage and the pink pepper, to break up some of that patchouli dominance.

Yet, the patchouli is what to expect. It’s really quality here. Tempo gives you a long lasting aroma with plenty of potency. So, not too many sprays are required.

Notes include: patchouli, violet leaf, mate, sage

  • Who should wear it? Men or Women (more for men)
  • When to wear? Autumn through Spring
  • When to Avoid? Hot weather with humidity

Most Unique Scent

Diptyque 34 Eau De Toilette 50ml– Quite a complex scent that is almost wholly unique. 34 Saint Germain is woody and spicy but there is also fruity notes that pop up during wear and add a layer of sweetness. Very well-blended and an overall winner.

34 Saint Germain opens up with its warm and spiced fruits, including that familiar black currant.

It can be quite sharp, spicy, and somewhat herbal from the start. Nonetheless, this one will balance out as it wears on, just hang in there.

The next phase, becomes more floral, yet a resinous spice still remains from notes such as cardamom and cinnamon. There is an iris and rose note, which gives this a clean powdery aroma.

Dry, warm, spicy, with great fruity highlights. This will probably be one, you’d want to try out before committing to a full bottle, but could become a signature scent for the right person.

Notes include: fig leaf, iris, clove, black currant, cinnamon, rose, and more

  • Who should wear it? Men or Women
  • When to wear? Autumn or Winter
  • When to Avoid? Hot weather or tropical climates. 

Green, Outdoorsy, Rose

L’Ombre Dans L’Eau Eau de Toilette spray 50 ml by Diptyque– A fresh leafy green floral with rose notes and fruit supplied by black currant. Very subdued, one of a kind, and highly attractive.

The black currant here is similar to what it smells like, in 34 Saint Germain, with some added citrus to liven up the composition. Yet, the fruits here aren’t ever that powerful.

Sure, they’re present, but they never seem to have the spotlight to themselves (the black currant does add its tart sharpness to things).

L’Ombre Dan L’eau, starts off with a dewy green aroma, the subtlety of the fruits, and an overall outdoorsy feeling.

As it dries down more, the fragrance has an herbal and leaf disposition, with a very light rose peeking through the heart of everything. It’s certainly an odd scent, but it totally works. Don’t know why it does, but it does.

Notes include: rose, black currant, musk, cassis

  • Who should wear it? Women
  • When to wear? Year round, basically
  • When to Avoid? You want something more mainstream

Best New Diptyque Release

Eau Rihla EDP–  This is one of their more recent releases, that I need to spend more time with, but is deserving a spot on the list.

Here’s how Diptyque describes Eau Rihla. “Conceived as the chronicle of a long journey, the perfume features a leather that changes throughout its composition.”

It kicks off with the pink pepper note, leather, and raspberry. The raspberry is very noticeable in this composition, but the opening act has a harsher quality to it. I think the dry down is where this one really comes into its own. 

Iris, cedar, leather, and raspberry. It’s a bit powdery, has some light fruity sweetness, smooth almost suede-like leather, and fresh woods. There is a bit of a creaminess from vanilla and periods where the saffron is featured. 

  • Who should wear it? Unisex
  • When to wear? Autumn through early Spring
  • When to Avoid? You don’t want a leathery scent

Another Newer Entry

Orpheon EDP by Diptyque– Fresh and clean with a juniper and peppery sort of top. Citrus is involved early on, as well, but short-lived.

Orpheon comes across in a multitude of ways. It always has a powdery dry down, but sometimes, the juniper and cedar come through a lot more and change of the tone of the scent.

The woodiness here can make it feel more masculine. However, I think that it is a well-balanced perfume with the powder and jasmine heart controlling things.

Quite lovely, with a good performance, and one that can be easily enjoyed by most.

  • Who should wear it? Unisex
  • When to wear? Autumn through Spring
  • When to Avoid? Height of Summer. You hate powdery scents.

Sauvage Elixir vs. Spicebomb Extreme

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Two fragrances which have become massively popular for the colder months are Spicebomb Extreme and Sauvage Elixir. Both the Dior and Viktor & Rolf colognes are flankers to their super successful original namesakes.

The question is, which of these scents is better? Which lasts longer? Which cologne should you buy?

Tale of the Tape: Spicebomb Extreme vs. Sauvage Elixir

Sauvage Elixir

Notes include: grapefruit, wood, lavender, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, patchouli, vetiver

Click here to try: Sauvage Elixir at Macy’s

Read my review: Sauvage Elixir

Spicebomb Extreme

Notes include: tobacco, cumin, cinnamon, saffron, vanilla, bourbon

Click here to try: Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme Eau De Parfum Spray 50ml/1.7oz

Read my Full Review: Spicebomb Extreme

spicebomb extreme edp

Opening

The spice in Spicebomb Extreme is actually kind of toned down versus what you get with the original. Yes, cumin and cinnamon are still players here, just not massive with it.

Instead, the early stages are really going to be dominated by vanilla, tobacco, and lavender notes. Smooth and warm, led by the tobacco, with a further freshness supplied by saffron peaking up through the middle.

With Sauvage Elixir, you get a lot of spice. In the Dior it’s: cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In the top, there is a lighter grapefruit versus the EDT version’s heavier use of citrus.

The next phase will have more of the lavender and some sweetness from licorice and amber. Sauvage Elixir is spicy, woody, with enough sweetness to change it up. Lots going on in the mix.

Which is better? It’s a tight race between them. Though, I think that I slightly prefer the opening of Spicebomb Extreme versus the loud spicy affair that is Elixir.

Edge: Spicebomb Extreme

Projection

Spicebomb Extreme starts out strong, maintains its level for a long time, but spends much of the rest of the wear at something that could be considered moderate.

Elixir, starts off stronger. It also stays very powerful for a longer time, and pretty easily takes this category against a Spicebomb fragrance that is no slouch itself.

Edge: Elixir

Longevity

Both of these colognes have been utterly awesome for me, with their performance.

Spicebomb Extreme goes at least 10 hours and can go as high as 12-13, depending on the climate of the day, etc.

Elixir routinely hit 12 hours for me. I’m not sure where it drops off at, as I will shower in that time frame, but it’s more than enough for anyone.

So, while both do have a long lasting duration of wear, Sauvage Elixir can take it a bit further.

Edge: Elixir

Versatility

Both of these fragrances are mainly for autumn and winter. I would avoid both during the hottest summer months, especially.

Also, I’d much prefer to wear both in casual or nightlife scenarios, versus the office. They are more mature as flankers than each of their original predecessors. Though, neither is really all that formal.

Well put together, yes. But, not tuxedo level formality.

I don’t really see much distance between them here.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

Overall, which of these two colognes do I think is better? I really enjoy both of these, so, it’s not easy to have to choose between them.

With Elixir, you get a significantly altered version of the Sauvage formula. A focus on some different spices and the inclusion of a great licorice note, which somehow doesn’t get massively annoying with that unique aroma.

There are plenty of colognes similar to Sauvage EDT, but Elixir really sets itself apart, while remaining somewhat true to the idea of the series.

The performance is awesome. One of the best mainstream designer fragrances out there right now, in terms of its sillage and how long it stays around.

To me, though, I’d rather have Spicebomb Extreme. You take a bit of a step back with the performance, while still being excellent. The fragrance itself, smells better to me versus the Sauvage.

The vanilla and tobacco are awesome together. I like the spices, they are softer, but the round things out. Plus, the saffron helps to keep it from getting boring.

Not a huge margin between them, Extreme smells better and has long been a cold weather gem.

Winner: Spicebomb Extreme