Best Smelling Designer Aftershaves
Reviewed By A Woman
Products
- Carolina Herrera Bad Boy
- John Paul Gaultier Le Male
- Davidoff Cool Water
- Yves Saint Laurent Y
- Paco Rabanne 1 Million
- David Beckham Intimately Beckham
- Emporio Armani Diamonds For Men
Description
A review of 7 men’s aftershaves from the nose of a woman to determine which aftershave I think smells the best. I will try to describe each designer aftershave the best I can so you can get a better idea of which after is suitable for you or as a gift. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the type of guy that would wear the aftershave by the smell.
Each designer aftershave has been given score from 1-10 before I have mentioned the notes which form the main ingredients that form the smells. The top notes are the first smell, the heart notes the second smell and the base notes are the third smell. I have continued to smell each aftershave at least 25 times over the day and night in order that I can give an honest review according to my opinion alone as a woman.
I have described the bottle even though the score is based purely on the smell alone and the price has not been factored into the score.
Review Bad Boy – Carolina Herrera
The smell is warm and lightly spicy, I can smell the floral notes and vanilla. A hint of pepper is detected. The aftershave is slightly sweet and not overpowering. It is quite mild and light. It smells fresh and clean and slightly feminine. It is a nice smelling aftershave and I rather like it. From the shape of the black bottle, I did expect a stronger masculine smell and was quite surprised when I sprayed it on my skin. The bottle is designed as a lightning bolt representing a modern male with who is strong, energetic and confident but is also sensitive and relaxed. He is rebellious as a bad boy hence the name of the aftershave. I think this smell is more suited to a mature man or, a younger man who is mature in nature rather than a younger man. It smells expensive and has a sophistication about it. If I could rename this designer aftershave, I would think the name Sophisticated Man would suit the smell more. I think professional men would like this aftershave.
Score
Bad Boy by Carolina Herrera gets 9/10. The more I smell it, the more I like it. It is the type of smell that you want to keep smelling as it is really nice. It is delicate and refreshingly light and sweet. A man could wear this during the day and evening and as the nice sophisticated smell would not be out of place. A man who wants to draw the allure of women would do well with this one. I was really surprised by this one as I expected a masculine youthful smell like a strong deodorant by the Bad Boy name.
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Top Notes
- Bergamot
- White pepper
- Black pepper
Heart Notes
- Sage
- Cedarwood
Base Notes
- Tonka bean
- Cocoa
- Amberwood
Review Le Male – John Paul Gaultier
I absolutely love this smell. It smells strong, florally, woody and slightly chocolatey. I could imagine the type of man that wears this aftershave has style, is ambitious, is respected and mild-mannered. The aftershave lasts for about 12 hours and the smell does not seem to fade as the hours go by. Le Male is one of those aftershaves you just want to keep smelling so I would certainly recommend this one.
As a woman I am very drawn to this smell. The oriental smell of the tonka bean is very noticeable along with the bergamot and amberwood which give it the soft oriental smell. The blue bottle in the shape of the male torso with a striped sailor shirt expresses the sensual freedom of the male. I think this aftershave is suitable for most men as its masculine but the warm woody chocolate notes make it smell outdoorsy and edible at the same time. This is probably my favourite smelling designer aftershave out of all of the ones I have reviewed. I think every man should try Gaultier’s Le Male at least once and I’m sure you will be impressed.
Score
John Paul Gaultier Le Male deserves 10/10 for its lovely, long-lasting smell. John Paul Gaultier wanted to create the freedom and sensuality of man by combining feminine perfume notes with masculine ones. I think this has worked rather well as the smell is masculine but light with hints of floral but with a light tender touch.
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Top Notes
- Mint
- Lavender
- Cardamom
- Artemisia
- Bergamot
Heart Notes
- Orange
- Cumin
- Cinnamon
Base Notes
- Cedar
- Amber
- Tonka bean
- Sandalwood
- Vanilla
Cool water by Davidoff smells like a nice deodorant with a mix of masculine and feminine. The smell gets better after it has a moment to settle on the skin and dry off. The first spray is a bit strong. It seems okay for daywear but I don’t think it is strong enough for the evening if you like a deeper scent. I imagine the type of man who would wear this aftershave is someone who is sporty or likes going the gym and who would use this to freshen up a bit. It’s a mildly pleasant smell and I can smell a bit of all the notes it contains. The smell wears off a bit after 4 hours.
Score
I give Cool Water by Davidoff 6/10. It’s okay but doesn’t really stand out to me. The deep blue bottle is designed to evoke the crisp freshness of the ocean with the wavy lines at the sides of the bottle. A nice freshen up kind of aftershave so I think the bottle and the smell make this aftershave for an outdoor sporty younger male.
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Top Notes
- Rosemary
- Coriander
- Lavender
- Mint
- Sea water
Heart Notes
- Jasmine
- Geranium
- Neroli
- Sandalwood
Base Notes
- Cedarwood
- Amber
- Musk
- Oakmoss
- Tobacco
Y by YSL has a masculine smell that smells quite mature and expensive. It was designed for the modern, fearless man who wants a scent that transitions from a day to a evening scent. I imagined the type of man who wear this aftershave is a mature gentleman who like to look smart and who like an aftershave to be nice smelling without it being too much like a deodorant or a body wash. A man’s man type of guy I think Y by YSL is suited to. The type of man that does not want his aftershave to smell a bit feminine.
The blueness of the aftershave itself can be seen through the lighter black colour of the bottle. The colour black gets darker the further up the bottle. The chunky, broad, heavy glass bottle give the bottle a manly feel. The large letter ‘Y’ of its name across the bottle all represent the masculine tone of this aftershave. The letter Y represents the male chromosome. The black textured bottle top appears manly. The bottle and the smell is masculine. I would say this was an evening aftershave for a quiet, reserved male. It is fresh and heavily scented and long lasting.
Score
I give Y by Yves Saint Laurent 8/10. I like the smell of this aftershave it is long wearing too. I’m not completely bowled over enough though to give it a higher score.
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Top Notes
- Bergamot
- Ginger
- Elemi
- Apple
- Aldehydes
Heart Notes
- Juniper
- Sage
- Lavender
- Geranium
Base Notes
- Tonka bean
- Cedarwood
- Vetiver
- Frankincense
- Amberwood
Review 1 Million – Paco Rabanne
This aftershave smells quite good. It is a light and mild. I expected it to be much stronger and more powerful. I can smell a mix of amber and rose with a hint of orange. The front of the bottle resembles a gold bar with 1 million to the centre. It was designed to symbolise wealth, power and luxury but I think the smell lets the bottle down somewhat due to the mildness of the scent. It is a nice smell though and the smell does not fade for many hours. This aftershave would suit most men. It smells more masculine but the rose and peppermint ingredients adds a nice very mild herby flower smell. The novelty of the bottle is a nice touch and makes it an ideal gift for someone who likes a bit of luxury.
Score
I give 1 million by Paco Rabanne 8/10 for the smell that is quite long lasting on the skin. If you don’t like your aftershave too strong then this one is ideal.
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Top Notes
- Mandarin
- Pepper
Heart Notes
- Rose
- Cinnamon
Base Notes
- Amber
- Leather
Review Intimately Beckham – David Beckham
The smell was so strong I coughed when I sprayed it but it turns much milder when it has dried on the skin. I was not overtly impressed by the smell though. It’s okay but very weak and the scent didn’t last long. I could imagine the man who likes to wear this aftershave would be of latter teenage years as the smell is quite subdued so would be a good gift for a young male or, those who like a weaker aftershave. It smells like a mild amber rose smell with a hint of pepper. It smells masculine at first smell then a bit of both masculine and feminine after the third smell. I expected something a bit more powerful and longer lasting as this seems to wear off after a couple of hours.
The heavy, square base glass bottle with similar bottle top is meant to symbolise luxury. The smell does not speak of luxury unfortunately. The simple paper label in black and gold compliment the heavy luxurious, glass bottle but the aftershave in the bottle is weak in my opinion.
Score
Intimately Beckham by David Beckham gets 5/10. Iseally suited to the younger generation or those men who like a mild smelling aftershave.
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Top Notes
- Bergamot
- Grapefruiy
- Cardamon
Heart Notes
- Violet
- Nutmeg
- Anaise
Base Notes
- Amber
- Patchouli
- Sandalwood
Review Diamonds For Men – Emporio Armani
This is a very refreshing woodland smelling aftershave with feminine undertones. Like a nice body fresh and slightly perfumed body wash type of smell. It’s strong smelling but fades after a couple of hours but is not bad at all. I could imagine the type of man that wears this designer aftershave is one that is energetic and works out at the gym and uses it to freshen up quickly and wants to smell nice and clean. It smells like it can be worn day or night for a short period to time before re-applying. I don’t think the title Diamonds For Men match the scent as this makes the aftershave sound like it smells mega expensive which doesn’t equate with the smell at all. I would call it something a bit more basic like ‘Freshen Up’.
The tall bevelled glass bottle is supposed to represent a diamond with its facets but as a woman I cannot see much of a resemblance.
Score
I score Diamonds For Men by Emporio Armani 7/10. As I am basing the score on the smell alone and not the title or the bottle it does get a decent enough score. It does not smell cheap nor does it smell expensive.
Top Notes
- Wood
- Bergamot
Heart Notes
- Cedar
- Vetiver
- Pepper
Base Notes
- Amber
- Cacao
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