Cuba Prestige

I've never smelled the Mugler everyone compares this to but I'm a huge fan of Intoxicated by Kilian. I can't justify paying for a full bottle of Intoxicated but I've had a fair few decants which have served me well. It's very much one of my favourites and my idea of perfection for wearing on a nice autumn evening. Because of the cost I've been looking for an alternative. 007 by Alexandria Fragrances is extremely close. Close enough in all respects not to really matter too much. The longevity is superior on that one too. In addition and out of curiosity I ordered Cuba Paris Prestige because I'd read of the Intoxicated similarities. I've previously had a reasonable experience with Cuba Gold which is a less polished Le Male. So, is Cuba Paris Prestige a substitute for a fragrance costing upwards of twenty times as much money? Well you know the answer to that. What you get is closer than you'd imagine. Closer than the cost would ever lead you to believe and especially in the first half an hour. Slightly rough as expected but nowhere near rough enough to turn you off it. Its really very good indeed. The longevity is poor compared to either the real deal or Alexandria Fragrances 007 but obviously that can be countered with reapplication. I've had it on all morning, it's lunchtime now and I'm getting frequent wafts of Kilian Intoxicated from it however. That's exactly what I was looking for. Sweet beautiful smooth coffee. Worth the money and well recommended.

Update: I recently decided to experiment using this scent as a base for other Mugler fragrances, given its linear nature and excellent value. I noticed that, after about the 3 hour mark, this began to subtley resemble parts of Pure Havane and Pure Malt. As a result, I made small decants of Pure Malt, Pure Wood, Pure Tonka and Insurrection Wild II, and applied them on top of Cuba Prestige after about 2 hours. The results were encouraging: Pure Malt - Markedly increased projection and added chocolate vibe. Pure Wood - Increased projection AND longevity, with almost a sweet cherry vibe after ~1 hour IWII - Increased density and sweetness of scent, increased projection, with added vanilla at ~3 hour mark Pure Tonka - Increased sweetness and overall scent quality at ~3 hour mark. This combination would probably work better if Tonka was applied FIRST. On average, each scent received 1-2 MORE compliments than usual per use. However, more testing will be required to clarify whether this was due to the increase in projection, scent appeal, or the fact that the combination was just "different" from what I normally wear. So that's it. I've previously referred to these combos as "Super-Men", with props to Reggie for suggesting the Pure Malt-A*Men layering. If for some reason you don't like Cuba Prestige as a stand alone fragrance, you may want to give it a try as a base to give your other Mugler frags a boost. For this price, it's worth a go at least. Cheers.

I absolutely love this fragrance - especially because of the VALUE FOR MONEY - you can't go wrong for the price. I paid about $13 for almost a 100ml "cigar". In terms of the comparison with the original O.G. (A*men), after smelling them side-by-side, you can tell it is not completely the same. BUT, I feel Cuba Prestige takes out some of the louder/aggressive aspects of A*men and keeps the sweet/chocolaty/amber-ish aspects so that it makes it relatively more wearable on a regular basis in the Spring/Fall/Winter. There is no doubt that the Mugler fragrance is stronger, projects more, and is more apt to leave a scent trail wherever you go. Cuba Prestige, in my testing, DEFINITELY lasts just as LONG as A*men (e.g. 12+ hours guaranteed - and at times I really have to scrub myself when taking a shower in order to completely remove the lovely scent from my body). Another reviewer on here said that Prestige removes the start/top of A*men and keeps the mid and drydown/base smell and I would definitely agree with that. I could go on and on about this but just to be fair and play devil's advocate: the only thing about Prestige that knocks it against A*men, in my opinion, is the sort of metallic/alcoholic smell you get on initial spray. It takes a few minutes to disappear but once it does, you can't stop smiling to yourself about the fact that you just paid $13 for a scent that can compare to the legendary A*men.

Cuba Paris' Cuba Prestige was my first experience of the Cuba Paris line of fragrances. Much like I find in most Cuba Paris fragrances, Fragrantica missed a note or two. In this case a slight coffee note and caramel, much like the scent this copies, Theirry Mugler's A*Men. The scent is gourmandy but with those notes it makes Cuba Prestige a real gourmand. This is A*Men in length and smell, minus the tar open (which I don't really mind.) It blasts you with a citrusy and vanillay scent from the start and the vanilla just sticks throughout. It don't really have any noticable notes other than the vanilla like notes like coffee and caramel to my nose. I happen to like A*Men and gourmands but this I am a little unsure of this one due to the vanilla blast that it gives over most of the other notes. Cuba Prestige is only really beat by A*Men in one real mode, projection. A*Men's projection is nearly heavy while this is a solid moderate that lasts about 30 minutes to an hour tops while A*Men will do it for hours. I have to give Cuba Paris Cuba Prestige an 8.2 mainly for the price compared to A*Men in most places (I gave A*Men a 8.6). Under $10 for up to 3.0oz/90ml vs. $40 for 1oz/30ml of A*Men. Sometimes you trade quality for price.

@mkpunk @carlitos Now I am pretty sure. Cuba Prestige Gold (US name) or Cuba Prestige Legacy (name in Europe) is a VERY GOOD clone of PC 1 Million Intense. So far it is still absent from the Fragrantica DataBase. Together with Cuba Prestige (or Cuba Prestige Classic if you prefer), Cuba Paris has two magnificent clones in their Prestige line. I do have both frags now (bought 1MI last week and CPL last month) and: - Both are Woody Spicy! - There is a very strong resemblance in the opening, middle notes and base notes! Cuba's fragrance lasts about 20% less than 1MI but this Paco Rabane frag tends to be a beast in longevity and projection. Let's wait for Fragrantica to include it in the DataBase to make better comparisons. I have done the simple test of having 2 sprays of each in the back of my hands. I asked 6 different people to smell my hands twice (10 minutes and 1 hour after spraying them) and all of them thought it was the same fragrance. On the other hand the info in the Fraglux site is a simplified one. The real notes of Cuba Prestige Legacy are: Top Notes: mandarin, cardamom, black pepper and saffron Heart Notes: rose, neroli and cinnamon Base Notes: leather, orris, patchouli and sandalwood ... a xerox copy !!!

Shheeeeeeeeeeeiiiiit man, you weren't kiddin'! @TonyAKAMrClean, I decided to check out Debutant as mentioned in your review below, and you're absolutely right. What a great find! At $13 (shipped), Debutant REALLY is a fantastic A*Men clone - Tar 'n' all. Sure, the bottle is kind of cheesy and the cap is God aweful (like, AWEFUL aweful), but the atomizer works great. And the opening is virtually IDENTICAL to A*Men. Although I gotta say, give it a few minutes on my skin, and I find it to be lacking a few of the sweet finishing notes that Cuba Prestige has in spades. This has two effects. First, it makes it a little dirtier with that tar and patchouli vibe; and second, there is no lingering after-sweetness in the nose, which I guess can make it seem more masculine; but it also harms the performance, which is actually disappointing on me. So here's what I'm thinking - combine the two of them - and we've got magic. The better opening and earthiness of Debutant and the sweet, salty caramel of Cuba Prestige. A great combo in my books. And for dirt cheap too. Thanks again for the heads up!

My second Cuba Paris buy after Gold, and again I am amazed at how good their frags smell, and how well this performs at their price-point. I have no doubt, had I smelled this on someone and having asked the price, £60 would not have surprised me. It seems richer than Gold, and I like that smoky frag a lot. This dries down to a not-too-sweet, warm incense, with a gorgeous cedar wood presence after about two hours - and still there after ten hours. The vanilla is also there, no, I don't see vanilla in the notes either, but it sure smells like it is - perhaps from the amber, but quietly in the background, and it starts to fade away first from the dry down, with the labdanum becoming more prominent, A delight, an absolute bargain, and one I shall always want to own. I would wear it any time I want to enjoy it, but I can see most people favouring it on cold days because of its warmth.

My husband owns Cuba Prestige, and I love it whenever he wears it. He picked it up on a whim at Ross for $10 or less. After seeing the horrible plastic packaging, I was rolling my eyes, thinking that it was going to smell terrible. He sprayed it on in the car (as all true perfume addicts do!), and it smelled amazing. It reminds me of a stronger version of Bath and Body Works Sensual Amber due to the strong, sweet amber notes. It starts out with an overly sweet amber note. My initial impressions were a warm, caramel coffee scent after the sweetness died down. I can smell the lavender, but the other notes blend together really well. Cuba Prestige does have very decent silage, I can smell it on my husband pretty easily when he wears it. It also has longer than average lasting power on him. This is one of those scents that I borrow randomly because I love it so much.

I bought this while on holiday in the US: it was $7.99 at Ross. I bought it unsmelled and with a vague recollection that it was similar to some other well-known fragrance. It was not until I returned to Australia that I really examined it. Ah, so, it smells like, A*Men does it? Well I have only tried A*Men once, in June 2011 and remember thinking that it was nauseating, but I kind of like Cuba Prestige. Perhaps the fact that this fragrance was less than 1/12th of the price of Amen (here in Australia) makes me more kindly disposed to it. There is a definite vanilla-like and a rich, sweet gourmand aspect to both this and A*Men, but I cannot say much more. IMHO, it is vastly inferior to B*Men, which I love. This fragrance is definitely better in the dry-down stage than the opening.

>>> SKIDOOSH <<< YES in ALL categories: Scent - 10/10 Longevity - 9/10 - Exactly what I was hoping for Projection - 8/10 - EXACTLY what I was hoping for Overall - 9.5/10 This stuff is so bang on that I got rid of my A*Men and bought a couple other bottles in its place. No more waiting for that awesome drydown. No more unwanted BEASTLY projection. Now I can enjoy the linear scent I want, HOW I want and without the hassle of overspraying. And for what??? 10 bucks??? Are you KIDDING Me??? I'm telling you guys, the smell of this in the morning with freshly brewed and pressed organic coffee just brings a huge smile to my face. Dirt cheap, but so good that it's like blasting across the alkali flats in a jet powered, monkey navigated...

Can't believe only a single other person has mentioned how this smells like Axe Dark Temptation. It's dead on. Of course it lasts longer and has a more rounded and complex nose to it, but it's right there nonetheless. That said, despite the notes listed, it comes off a chocolately gourmand as has already been mentioned. Has a nice, almost buttery accord to it that gives it some caramel or vanilla like qualities. This paired with Axe Dark Temptation body wash is a fantastic pairing for fans of gourmand fragrances, or even just someone looking for something a little different and off the traditional beaten path of woods, flowers, and botanicals. Ross basically always has it in stock for a mere $8.99 so it's hard to lose either way.

Amazing fragrance, the complexity this has for the $9 I paid for it is unbeatable. Sometimes I smell chocolate, then caramel, then earthy patchouli, then sweet tar, then honey, candy notes and sometimes mocha. The first fragrance I ever adored was my friends bottle of a*men by mugler and this is as close as you're going to get without buying the real stuff which after smelling this scent DNA again almost 20 years later I will be buying a real bottle of a*men. Edit: I got my bottle of a*men in the mail. The smell is indistinguishable from the nozzle if you want a*men for the cheap just get this but nothing beats the quality blend of mugler. This gets you a ticket on the train but mugler takes you to the destination.

@TheWolf: I don't know where this guy is coming but he knows how to go for the juggler, but sadly it's a howler, he hasn't got a clue what he is talking about! I recognise a shill when I see one! Read how many positive reviews there are and I echo them! This is a super and excellent fragrance and what you pay for it makes it all the more better than one could hope for. It smells really great and the longevity is brilliant and projection is good. Only an idiot would say something negative about this even Angel is their cup of tea and it's as good as the orginal I read. I haven't smelt the orginal but for me this is a 9 out of 10 all the way and I'm chuffed I purchased it! Excellent copy!!!???

Cuba Prestige does remember A*Men.during the first couple of hours or maybe a bit longer. It dries out differently but in a superb way as well. From the second hour onward, a gorgeous amber dominates with an extreme elegance in the CP, meanwhile in the A*Men, coffee, patchouli, vanilla, and tonka do dominate the residual Amber for a bigger longevity and sillage, besides the somewhat different scent In summary we are talking about two great perfumes, with big similarities but with some differences as well. Of course, the A*Men costs 6 times more than the CP..... You want my opinion? - I own two bottles of each :-) and have two great perfumes to choose from.

I am one who was never able to understand why so many people loved A*Men. I then read a review on Cuba prestige from a man who shared the same opinion as i did. I absolutely hate the opening of A*Men! The tar note is so harsh i couldn't sniff it without getting a headache. The same reviewer stated that this is exactly like A*Men except without the opening of the tar note. So i picked this up at Ross for $8 and boy am i ever glad. This smells amazing and for only a fraction of the price. The quality is above average as well as the longevity and has really good projection for the first 4 hours.

This is an amazing scent! Does it smell similar to A*Men .... yes. Does it smell great ... Yes! Does it have projection and longevity ... yes! Is it cheap and readily available ... yes! Unless you're a fragrance snob, you're going to love this! If you don't, it will make a great gift! You can't go wrong for less than $15 for 3.4 oz of Creamy Caramel Tobacco-ish Bourbon Bliss minus the rubber! Forgot to mention, I like this much more than *OF Angel for Men or the current A*Menl The price is like 5 cherries on top instead of 1. ;-) *Original Formula Happy smells to you!

Strikingly similar to A*MEN by Thierry Mugler. This fragrance copies the DNA but makes it more synthetic and cheap smelling. It smells amazing though but it doesn't last long at all. But for around 8.99 USD it's an affordable alternative to Angel for Men. ' Performance is lacking with this fragrance. On my skin, I get around 3-4 hours with a soft-medium projection. I recommend this fragrance for the winter and fall, this works best in the night. Overspray with this one for sure. In conclusion: Smell 8/10 Longevity: 4/10 Projection: 3/10 Cuba Prestige Classic: 7/10

99% A*Men from Mugler and it does not smell cheap or polished. It's an equal substitute. While the sillage is not that great, the longevity I get is easily 10h+. Amazing, it was only 8$ for a 100ml bottle and while I'm not the biggest fan of the scent itself (A*men or this) it's worth adding to collection and use in the right mood from time to time. Unbelievably quality for the price of a beer. You can't get anything better for that price.

The best Cuba cologne of all time hands down. Got it for 9 dollars at Ross for a huge bottle in a really nice tin. It smells like a powdery cake, with a light citrus in the opening but then a warm, sweet, woodsy smell in the dry down. Lasts long and projects well too. The only qualm I had with it is that the cap often gets stuck on the bottle but that is a small price to pay for such a great fragrance. 10/10 for the price.

This has to be the king of "Most Bang for the Buck" catagory. It is a fantastic gourmand smell very reminiscent of several Thierry Mugler juices but at a small fraction of the cost. And if that were not enough, it projects better and last longer than just about any other frag in my collection (which at this time is about 40)! If you are a fan of Angel, A*men, and the like, you will LOVE this! 10 thumbs up!

Although they make a lot of great scents at an excellent value, Prestige is the best the Cuba Paris house has to offer currently. It's so similar to the scent of A*men but better! It doesn't have the monster projection of A*Men but it's still an excellent performer with above average longevity and projection. It's a gourmand so it works perfectly in the autumn. Amazing gem.

I don't have A*men, so if this is the clone of A*men, I'll definitely get that. I love this perfume that starts with a woody tobacco and settles into a creamy chocolate-caramel scent. The performance is weak, though. You'll need to spray at least 5 times to get the most out of this. The bottle is glass, but the lid is a cheap plastic. A great blind-buy!

The other reviews on here are no lie. This is excellent for the price, I actually have prestige on my left wrist and a men on my right at the moment. I wanted to do a side by side comparison, and prestige is out performing an hour later. Hard to believe but true. Two similar scents, both great! If you see it for $10 or less don't think, just buy it.

Perfect example of price being irrelevant in fragrances. Some niche house could bottle this, limit sipply, and pay a few cleavage showing female influences on youtube to get a nosegasm over it. You'll hear "Makes me want to eat my man when he wears this." People will rush to buy it $250. Fragrance success is 20% smell and 80% marketing.

Love this one. Smells manly and sexy to me. Definitely a lot of amber in there. And I get whiffs of black currant too. Longevity is quite good. even up to 12 hours as a skin scent. On clothes more than a day. Projection for 2-3 hours within arm length. Sillage smells amazing, girls love it. Overall if I consider price its 9/10.

tried this for the first time today and i have to say i am really impressed... the open was strange but the dry down was wonderful i have no idea why i was getting a tabacco vibe... im not sure if it was simply in my mind or not but it was pleasurable for under 12 bucks this was worth every penny....

Hello! what should I write ?! just an exquisite Amen TM clone, I'm shocked, the great smell smells very expensive, the cool unusual bottle, and smells tasty feel the note of coffee and patchouli with a touch of lavender. I love absolutely. Good price for such an expensive smell. I would recommend!

I have Red, Blue, Orange, Gold, and Prestige. Prestige is my favorite of them and one of my favorite colognes in general. It lasts about 9 hours on my skin which is amazing for the low price. The smell is so deliciously sweet and reminds me of pancakes with maple syrup. I'll be buying more of it.

Extremely good. 95 % TM A*men current formulation without the tar note.And this actually turns cholocatty at the 4-5 hour mark,so you might say it's even better than the original. No points on uniqueness. Scent - 8/10 Longetivity - 8 hours + Projection - moderate Price-10/10 Overall - 8/10

I love A*Men... This is so close.. Cuba paris did it again.. I am still trying to put my finger on what Cuba Green smells like.. This smells just like A*Men. I'll see how long it lasts and edit this post... 7-10 starts.. I'd give it 10-1`0 but its a rip-off.. WOW!!!

I've tried other 'Cuba' frags, so was hesitant of approaching this one. But, to my very great surprise, this is a (very) decent replica of Thierry Mugler's A*Men. So, if you wanna save some wonga, by all means give this heedy, warm and sensual scent a try!

Pure caramel/vanilla delight. Sans tar & tobacco. This is a modern classic. A signature scent. A powerful scent. It far exceeds its 'inspiration' (A*Men) No, I will never buy another awful overpriced Thierry Mugler fragrance again. Neither should you.

I like the Prestige line, but I really hate the lids. I wish they would lose the big, bulky plastic lids and replace it with gold or silver caps resembling a cigar band. Other than that, these are the best value on the market for sure.

liquid vanilla vapour mist...the sprayer is short but misty...this stuff is soooooooooooooooooooooooo underateddddddddddddddddd...great to layer with...or blend with...have i mention its dirt freakin cheap...this is awesome shit...

I love the hate for this cheap juice it makes me want to wear it more. You don't need to drop $130 on a fragrance made from same chemicals. Prestige is not the God of scents but it's a good damn gourmand for the NON snob crowd.

Smells like The original A*men but has more of a chocolate gourmet with a vanilla powdery dry down pretty strong great alternative great price recommend 100% This was only $10 no colonge is better than this for the same price

To me, this is my go to scent- Chocolately, sweet, boozy, and lots of amber. I haven't smelled the oringinal Angel man since that is very rare to find. However, this clone is fairly priced and pleanstly smelling.

@carlosalbertoan Cuba Prestige Legacy is a woody scent with woody notes, musk, lavender, basil and sandalwood. It that don't last on me. On Fragluxe's website, Cuba Prestige is now known as Cuba Prestige Classic.

I have 2010 amen & apart from opening strong tar & more natural notes, cuba is better value & dries down no different.. So pleased , I have ebayed my amen. As a TM lover I am sad to admit this

I have 2010 amen & apart from opening strong tar & more natural notes, cuba is better value & dries down no different.. So pleased , I have ebayed my amen. As a TM lover I am sad to admit this

Absolutely wonderful, a bit pungent, but with a fantastic smell. Can not wait to come in the winter to test it. Worth every penny. Who needs expensive perfumes, as long as there Cuba Prestige?

Get a bottle for under a tenner and if gourmand frags are your bag, this one is a must. Really is superb. P.s. ditch the crap plastic cigar case thing - it'll help you forget how cheap it is!

Put it this way,,this smells more closer to amen than the new formulation of amen. I do like the amber drydown in this, and its a good substitute for amen, but I prefer the original beast.

Does anybody know what Cuba Prestige Legacy stands for? This new Cuba fragrance is not present in the Fragrantica database. The flask is pretty similar to the current Cuba Prestige...

More werable version of Thierry Mugler A*Men. I like this a lot, last 8+ hours with decent projection. For this price you can't find a better perfume than this, highly recommended.

Been using this for a while now. It's like a cross between A*men and Animale Animale. Cuba prestige is superb....fantastic value for money. Love it to bits!

I can't resist buying this classic scent for $10/90ml. Woody, aromatic and sweet, perfect for everyday wear. A safe blind buy. A few sprays last all day.

Probably one of the greatest cheapies of all time. For reference, this is a lightly underpowered version of Mugler Amen. For the pricepoint it’s GOOD.

I don't have much to add. I agree with many others. I had A*Men many years ago and can't tell the difference. For the price, you can't go wrong!

Don't pay attention to the note pyramid listed here. Total bunk. Just look at the one on A*men and that will pretty well sum this one up nicely.