Sometimes the best things in life are the things you can share with steal from your bae/roommate/best friend/platonic life partner, pending your current ~relationship status~. Old t-shirts. Jumpers. Jeans. Blazers. Bites of their chicken parmigiana when your temporary lapse in judgement has you ordering a salad at the pub. Beers. Playlists. Razors (seriously, get on it, for the cleanest shave of your life).

The next thing on our list of things we intend to claim as our own is bae’s cologne. We love a feminine scent as much as the next woman, but after happening upon a rogue Tom Ford Oud Wood in the office, we were sent into a cologne-trialling frenzy, from which we returned forever changed.

Watch your backs, boys. We’ve tried our fair share of the best colognes on the market, and now we’re coming for your signature scent…



Tom Ford Oud Wood

“Mmmmmmmppphhphhh” seems to be the only thing that comes out of my mouth when attempting to tell people how crazy I am for Tom Ford’s Oud Wood. Typing, however, allows for a proper review, despite the inability of words to do it any justice. Concocted with amber, sandalwood, vetiver, tonka bean, and, of course, oud wood, its scent is different with every wear. Always opulent, with a sweet warmth and intoxicating freshness. Let it be said: I had a hard time tossing up between this and Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille. Both have a really sexy, masculine femininity about them.

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Kiehl's Musk Eau De Toilette

Chances are you started sharing Kiehl’s Musk with your beau long before reading this round-up. If not, there’s no time like the present! The ~iconic~ scent was formulated by Kiehl’s long before it hit the market, originally deemed too sensual a perfume to be released to the unbridled public. Reow. Blending musk, rose, white patchouli, and neroli, Musk will have you fighting with bae over who gets to call it their signature.

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Byredo Mister Marvelous

It’s unlikely the ~mister marvellous~ in your life is going to appreciate the sleek, minimalist packaging of this crispy perfume as much as you do. Like the cult Byredo fragrances that have come before it (looking right at you, Gypsy Water), Byredo’s Mister Marvelous is going to up your bedside table’s chic-ness by a milli. Outside of looks, the perfume is as crisp as a Smith’s crinkle cut chip. After spritzing it on my décolletage, my nostrils feel as if they’ve been treated to a day out at the local farmer’s market, with top notes of mandarin leaves and neroli flower, heart notes of bamboo and green lavender, and base notes of black amber and white cedar wood. If you’re a selfish giver of gifts (guilty), then I’d 100% recommend buying this for bae’s next birthday.

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Aesop Tacit

When it comes to fragrance, Aesop knows what’s up. Tacit is a really unusual cologne. It’s such a subtle fragrance, but complex, with leading notes of basil, yuzu, and citrus behind its unique freshness. It’s super clean, too, making it the perfect straight-out-of-the-shower fragrance for a weeknight love-in. Be prepared to share!

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Thirdman Eau Contraire

On the topic of minimalism done well, Eau Contraire by Thirdman is it. If you or your sig’ other fancy themselves a bit of a worldly character, you’ll be pleased to know that the left-of-field fragrance mixes blood orange from Sicily with cardamom from India. Anything that inspires the feeling of the warm Mediterranean sun beating down on your skin, and the taste of a street market-purchased curry in New Delhi, gets a huge ol’ tick of approval from us. Created for both man and woman, this universal perfume holds a spot on wrists and necks the world over.

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Words, Madeleine Woon. Art Direction and photography, Carlie Fowler.