Solid colognes by The Southern Wolf

Continuing on the path of exploring as many solid colognes as possible, I came across a very nicely presented brand, the Southern Wolf.   These guys are in Tampa, Florida, USA.    Their product offering is focused on solid colognes and they have 6 core colognes along with 3 limited editions.

The Southern Wolf offers the following solid cologne options:

• Bayou Bourbon
• Jet fuel
• Eternal Moss
• Texas Nights
• Whiskey & Smoke
• Signature

Honestly, with names like these how is a gentleman to choose.  The Southern Wolf also offers a few limited editions:

• Wolfsbane
• Vervain
• Tank Leather

Shout out to Jonathan at the Southern Wolf.  Thank you for your support in making this review possible.

As you can see in the pictures and when you will check out there site, the product packaging is original, captivating and certainly stimulates your  imagination.  I want to say that with such imagery, we are clearly left to understand that the target audience for these colognes are men in general but nowadays there are less boundaries and there a definitely a number of women who could sport some of these scents.

Initially, when looking at this product selection, I was undecided…one of each please?!  As it turns out, I opted for the Jet fuel and Bayou Bourbon.  The Jet Fuel was just a gut choice.  Damn!  Look at the F14 – I want one!  For the Bayou Bourbon, it was a little more…let’s say: reflected.  As of late, I have been rediscovering the refined scents of various spirits such as; whiskey, brandy and rum to name but a few,  In that sense my nose guided me toward the Bourbon.

As stated above, the packaging and presentation is very nicely done.  Each cologne is properly packaged in a sliding box where it is nested in a foam cocoon.  The boxes are about 1.5″ X 3″ X ½” or in centimeters 4 X 6.5 X 1.5.  This goes hand in hand with one of the main perks of solid colognes: portability!  They are small, convenient and pack a decent punch of nose festivities.

This is something I mentioned in previous solid cologne posts, but it is an important element to repeat.  Contrary to traditional spray on colognes, the scent of a solid cologne does not mutate over the course of its adventure with you.  It essentially stays true to itself.  This is an important aspect because if your initial feeling about a fragrance is positive and you want to sprinkle some of it on you, you don’t want to find out 2 hours later that you smell differently than what you first taught.

In this review, we are covering the Bayou Bourbon and Jet fuel.  Spoiler alert: My favorite is the Jet Fuel.  …and no it has nothing to do with my passion for everything aeronautical!  😊

So let’s start with the Jet Fuel.  The Southern Wolf indicates that this is a “mild” fragrance which is accurate.  In fact, it is a very nicely balanced fresh scent.  If you have already explored solid colognes, you might have noticed that a number of makers offer 3 options or 3 scent groups which are referred to the 3 main military branches: Air force, Navy and Army.  Duke Cannon for example, offers: Air, Land and Sea. I will say that even though the Jet Fuel is unique, it fits in that “Air Force” olfactory grouping.

Considering my lifestyle as a downtown IT worker, this fresh, sweet, green and light cologne is a perfect option as it very pleasant, yet mild enough to not be disturbing to my cube mates.

The Bayou Bourbon on the other hand turned out to be somewhat different than what I was expecting.  In my mind, Bourbon is a warm and sweet alcohol.  The scent is a splendid aroma, but it does not remind me of Bourbon.  If anything it is more along the line of a classic modern men’s cologne.  It is also a stronger option.

We already mentioned that the fragrance does not mutate over the course of it’s stay on you, but how long does it last?  In my tests, I was rubbing a little of the wax on my index and applying it on my forearms and neck.  I could clearly smell it for about 2 hours after which it gradually faded until the 4 hour mark where I could no longer identify it.  This is line with most solid colognes and spray-ons out there.

Up top, I mentioned the packaging and here you can see the meticulous attention to details;  a nice wax seal on the outer box.

 

The thin metal is housed in a protective foam padding making sure your cologne is intact by delivery time.

As stated above, one of the key attraction to solid colognes is the very simple, natural and short ingredient list.  This approach is especially appealing for anyone with any health concerns, allergies or skin ailments.  The trouble often starts when the recipes of a cologne is composed of a plethora of chemical ingredients, along with stabilizer, balancers and preservatives.  The ingredient list here is nothing you wouldn’t be willing to put in your mouth and eat.  Maybe the essential oils that make up the fragrance portion of the formulation might give good breath as one of the worse side effects.  🙂

Below is a easy map reference from the folks at “The Art of Manliness“.  This should be helpful in showing you some of the key areas to put cologne.  In the case of solid cologne, application is ridiculously simple.  Open the can.  Rub your finger on the solid wax to collect some wax and then transfer that on the desired focus point points.  Done!  Even the simplest minded one of us will be able to smell better than a wet amazonian monkey.  One word though: MODERATION!  Over doing it is just as bad as smelling like that wet monkey.

Put just a little and bring the canister with you.  Touch up later on if need be.

In closing, the product line from The Southern Wolf certainly stimulates the imagination and the Jet Fuel cologne is a winner for this guy.

You can shop directly with the Southern Wolf for these and more solid colognes.