• SumoMe

Today we break new ground into the cologne world. Portland General Store (PGS) was kind enough to send over a huge box of some really great products (more reviews of those coming soon), and since I haven’t reviewed a cologne yet, I figured this should be the first one. I haven’t kept away from colognes because I don’t like them; much to the contrary, I advocate that men wear a touch of cologne every day. However, my aversion was mostly medium-based: how do you describe a cologne without letting someone smell it? Nevertheless, here goes nothing.

The first thing I noticed, as usual, was the packaging. The bottle came in the really cool tube (pictured), and I’m sure I will find a way to reuse this sucker. The labels are also really great, they have one of the coolest company logos I’ve seen in a while. You can tell the labels had human hands involved, and that’s a huge plus for me.

WHY?! My only complaint.

So I take the bottle out, and to my immediate horror I find the top screws off. Okay, I realize the cologne works just as well if you dab it rather than spray it, but still. This was really the biggest thing that bothered me about the cologne. Their aftershave has a spout that makes the liquid drip out, and I strongly suggest that they do the same (or put a spray top) for their cologne. It isn’t exactly user friendly.

Ok, I had to get that off my chest. That said, the actual product is really quite good. When you screw off the top, the “Maine” scent is a really great, not over-powering smell. I’ve never been to Maine, so I can’t say it smells like Maine, but it definitely smells good. PGS describes the smell as “a scent to celebrate the rugged land and hardy spirit of Maine, with notes from the sea and forest.” I definitely get some sea and forest, which is a really great and unique smell mixed together.

However, we can’t just keep it in the bottle… you have to use it! So, I tried it out for three full days to test how long it lasted and how it “grew” with me throughout the day. When I first applied it, it had a really strong alcohol scent to it. I think this is because it dabs, but doesn’t spray, which means the formula doesn’t disperse as well. However, after a few minutes (like five) the scent really became more natural and smelled like it did from the bottle. Refreshing, fresh, natural, and cool. It stayed “active” all day when applied to my wrists, and held up to my shirt cuffs and watch rubbing it all day. Bravo.

The smell was also very consistent. Some really lame colognes smell great for a few hours and then as your body sweats or warms up the cologne starts to smell like death. Not so with this cologne from PGS. Overall, I’m a fan of this stuff, and I wish I could smell the other scents. Believe me, the screw-off cap is not that big of a deal, it would just take the product up to another level–the actual cologne is very good as it stands. You should head over to their store and learn more about it, or pick up a bottle for yourself.

Edit–A word from Lisa, the PGS owner: “I’m looking to re-design the bottles; however, I don’t know that I’ll ever put an atomizer on them. You see, atomizers work best on colognes/perfumes with chemicals in them that help them last longer, and they are usually larger in volume. Using an atomizer with our expensive ingredients would be wasteful, as more than what should be used would be sprayed out. We use no chemicals, our colognes are 100% natural.” I did not know that. Thanks, Lisa!

Have you used the PGS cologne before? Do you have any specific questions or comments? Shares your experiences or curiosities in the comments below.