Best Smelling Colognes for Men (2011)

This year hundreds of colognes for men were released and I have decided to take on the task of picking the top 10 colognes that I feel were the best of 2011. These top men's colognes were selected based on my personal taste, so you may or may not agree with me. The only requirement I placed on myself is that the fragrance had to have been released in the year of 2011. Since many of you will have strong opinions on which fragrance should be the best for 2011, I urge you to leave a comment or even share your own personal best colognes for men list.

DSQUARED Potion was released earlier this year and has become popular. Its warm, spicy yet fresh fragrance is appealing to most men. This fragrance is perfect for a cold night with its fresh notes of mint, cinnamon and patchouli. This cologne has a nice, classic appeal which is why it lands at number 10 on the best fragrances for men in 2011.

This fragrance was inspired by a brand new, white polo shirt. This is a simple and elegant fragrance made of strong citrus notes that are brought down with warm, spicy, floral notes. White Lacoste is perfect for any summer occasion. The most obvious notes in Lacoste are Grapefruit which is balanced with ylang-ylang and notes of suede. The popularity and simplicity of this cologne is why I decided to place 2.12 White at number 9 on the best colognes for men in the year of 2011.

Armani Code Sport hit stores in June of 2011 and made a pretty big splash. Armani Sport is a fresh, green scent with strong notes of citrus. Like Lacoste White this is a great scent for summer. This invigorating and refreshing scent has strong notes of lemon, mint, and ginger.

This cologne is different from the previous ones mentioned on my list. Dior Homme Intense is a masculine scent made up of woody notes and powdery floral accords. Dior Homme has intense notes of Iris, Lavender and Vetiver which makes it perfect for a night out in the city.

212 VIP is meant to reflect the style of guys who enjoy the city night life. Any stylish guy will enjoy Carolina Herrera's spicy, fresh fragrance. This cologne is unique with its strong notes of vodka, mint and leather. This is a cologne that will hopefully make you stand apart from the rest which is exactly why it lands at number 6 on my 2011 best colognes for men list.

Hugo Boss released Boss Orange earlier this year. Boss Orange has a warm, woodsy scent that has strong fruity notes. It's a fragrance that makes people happy and carefree. Boss Orange is a good cologne for the summer. The blend of Apples, spices and vanilla makes this cologne smell amazing.

Fahrenheit was huge in the 80's, but in February of 2011 Dior introduced a twist to the Fahrenheit fragrance line. Aqua Fahrenheit has stronger citrus and fresh notes than the classic Fahrenheit. However, it still has the strong green notes that Fahrenheit lovers enjoy. Notes of leather, lemon and violet make this a nice addition to the Fahrenheit collection. I would suggest wearing the classic Fahrenheit at night and wear Fahrenheit Aqua during the day.

L'Homme Libre by Yves Saint Laurent is the fragrance that I wear. It was recently released in September of 2011. This fragrance is a fresh, green, ozonic scent with hints of spice. It's a nice well-rounded fragrance that is perfect for any day. It has strong notes of violet leaves, pink pepper, and hints of patchouli. If you're a Dior Fahrenheit fan you'll like this one as well.

This is a very modern yet traditional cologne that is very masculine. It is a more intense version of Amber Pour Homme by Prada that was released in 2006. This is a woodsy fragrance with strong notes of Patchouli and Amber. Any guy who is a fan of traditional men's cologne will like this one which is why it's number 2 on the best fragrances of 2011.

This is an amazing fragrance that is a new version of the original A*Man cologne. However, it's a limited edition, so who knows how long you'll be able to get your hands on it. A*Man Havane is a sweet fragrance with notes of tobacco and honey. This fragrance is what I imagine the finest Cuban cigars smell like. This cologne will hit you with strong notes of tobacco leaves with the soothing scent of honey. A*Man is then balanced out with Vanilla and Cocoa notes. This sweet, masculine scent is perfect for a frosty night on the town. This perfect scent is simply amazing which is why I placed it at number one on my best colognes for men in 2011 list.

I think clean, citrus, and fresh scents were a common trend in 2011. Most men are stepping away from the musky fragrances, and stepping into fresh green scents or fresh citrus fragrances. These clean scents left a lasting mark in 2011 and I'm excited to see what new fragrances will be coming in 2012.