Stronger With You vs. Wanted by Night

Armani’s Stronger with You and the Wanted series by Azzaro are two of the most popular lines out there today. Each has released a ton of variants over the years, of which each has their strengths and weakness. Today, I want to compare the original SWY against the flanker Wanted by Night to see which is better. Which lasts longer? Which is the top buy?

Tale of the Tape: Wanted by Night vs. Stronger with You

Wanted by Night

Notes include: cumin, cinnamon, lavender, tobacco, lemon, orange, cedar, cypress, patchouli, fruits

Click here to try: Azzaro Wanted by Night Eau de Parfum for Men – Mens Cologne

Read my full review: Wanted by Night

Stronger With You

Notes include: vanilla, mint, cardamom, chesnut, amber, pink pepper, sage, violet leaf

Click here to try: Emporio Armani Stronger With You for Men Eau de Toilette Spray, 1.7 oz

My Full Review: Stronger With You

Opening

The opening of Stronger with You has always reminded by of the original Azzaro Wanted, just minus the lemon smell. It’s a heavy cardamom, mint, pink pepper, and another big dose of sage.

I’m not a big fan of how this smells in the opening act. It’s a bit too much, fresh and has a nice kick to it, but I like SWY better once the vanilla comes in and some spice burns off.

Meanwhile, Wanted by Night has a better spice blend of cinnamon and cumin. It still has the lemon note of the original Wanted, paired with other fruity notes, but those play the background.

This one starts warm and bold. The benzoin note and incense help to round things out and add depth to the mix. To me, it’s just a much more dynamic and better smelling start than is SWY.

Edge: Wanted by Night

Projection

While one of these for sure, has better staying power, the ability to project is roughly the same between them. I’d probably give SWY a very slight edge here, as it can be pretty massive right after the opening sprays.

Nonetheless, they quickly settle into being pretty much equal. The good news is that both of these colognes are well above average with their sillage and don’t disappoint.

Edge: SWY (slightly)

Longevity

Wanted by Night will go for 7-9 hours, on my skin. It is much more of a range bound fragrance than is Most Wanted. Sometimes, you’ll get that lower end of the spectrum.

The original Stronger With You EDT lasts for at least 9 hours on my skin. However, it can go above 10 hours at times, as well. It just sometimes fails to hit that double digit hour mark. I’ve always had a long lasting wear with this Emporio Armani cologne. It takes this category.

Edge: SWY

Versatility

Seasonally, these both occupy the same space which is basically autumn and winter. If it’s temperate out, either is also fine, but their at their peak in the cooler months.

I think that SWY has better versatility. Both of these lean more towards nightlife wears, but the Armani can fit better during the day than the Azzaro. Once it dries down, SWY is more palatable in a daytime situation, while Azzaro has a nightlife vibe to it.

For some younger guys, Stronger may also be a daily wear type of cologne. I’d venture a guess that it’s less the case for Wanted by Night.

Edge: SWY

Overall Scent

Between these two fragrances, it is a tough call for me. There’s not much separation here, SWY has the better performance, but I prefer the actual scent of Wanted by Night a bit more.

Stronger with You has that great chestnut note, further spices, sweetness, and woodiness. The opening act is kind of bothersome to me, but I really like the dry down.

SWY also will last a long time and has the opening sillage, which can be pretty enveloping…nice if you actually dig the beginning aroma.

However, I’m going to give the nod to Wanted by Night, because I enjoy the entire wear somewhat more than the Armani. The performance is only a notch below, it is a bit more limited in its versatility…the fragrance just smells better to me.

If you do want a sweeter scent, go with SWY. Otherwise, I’d roll with Wanted by Night.

Winner: Wanted by Night

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.