Cuba Royal

Cuba Paris' Cuba Royal is one of two scents I purchased at Burlington for 7.99 last night. I already sprayed it on me and am ready to give my thoughts on it based on one wearing. Let's hope I don't regret this later... Anyway Cuba Royal, reminds me a little bit of Paco Rabanne 1 Million but I feel it performs like a linear predecessor to 1 Million Privé with 1 Million Cologne wearibility. There is something that gives the cinnamon that gives 1 Million scents its spice a slight smell of citruses but with a pretty good tobacco feel like with Privé to it along with the vanilla note listed in the notes breakdown as well. It really has a nice scent to it. The downside is a linear scent that is much different than what I am used to, even if it isn't a huge one. Even most clones I buy are typical note pyramid-based scents. It threw me for a loop but I like it none the less. The length is pretty good for a discount scent. It lasts about 1-3 hours projection wise though no where near 1 Million or even Privé level of about 3-5. I find it lasts about 3-5 hours on top of that hitting the 6/7 hours total that I also find with Privé and at times 1 Million. So I do like its longevity and performance based on this fact. The wearability of this scent is what makes it an all-star. Unlike the 1 Million Privé flanker as well as the original 1 Million, it can be used in the day as well as in spring and even summer, similar to the 1 Million Cologne flanker even if Cuba Royal isn't an aquatic like 1 Million Cologne is. Is it a work scent, yes actually. It is but be careful on the sprays. That said, it is entirely wearable during the daytime whether to kick it or for a day date. Is it a club scent, no but it can work for a few drinks at the bar. But it is far more relaxing than 1 Million or even Privé is, due to how strong they get. For this I actually will rate Cuba Royal a little bit higher than Privé at about an 8.2 out of 10 due to price point and increased wearability. I honestly love this scent since it is so wearable, especially in Arizona.

A lot of people say it reminds then of 1 million. I don't have 1 million so I can't speak on that. Heavy Vanilla after dry down with a bit of spice and tobacco. A steal at the $10-$15 price for 3.3 oz on Amazon. Look, I love vanilla based cologne in general. As such, at this price point and with the awesome vanilla scent, this is a winner that will be in my everyday rotation. I'll save Le Male, Eros, and Black Vanilla Absolute for date night. I don't have the nose to tell you any other notes besides vanilla, tobacco, and spice. I do think that this combined with Voyage would make an excellent start to a modern cologne collection. Both are inexpensive, different from each other, and smell great. This is probably a night/fall/winter cologne but I fully admit I ignore all that mess and just wear what I want and what I want to smell like, time of day and season completely ignored. I'm hopeless. Lol. As a newbie to cologne, I'd give this a solid 8.5. It really is quite nice. But take that with a bit of skepticism since, you know, what do I really know anyways? Worth picking up and trying for the price. To paligap: I noticed this too! I bought the large size Royal new from Amazon and there seemed to be an awful lot of air in there. Same with the 4 sample pack with gold, blue, red, and orange I bought new at Ross. They were the smaller 1.7 is size but seemed to have a lot of air in there. Maybe just the way it's packaged? Hard to say if they are full (oz-wise) without actually taking it all out and measuring. As is, I paid @$8-$10 for each so not a deal breaker but disconcerting nonetheless.

Vanilla-Tobacco-1 Million. Kind of light and doesn't last long - but that's actually what I was hoping for!!! Sounds strange, right? Well, its strong suit is the dry down! The dry down lasts for a LONG time on my skin, and it's the dry down that I was after when I purchased this. This shares the same deeper dry down that Armaf Tag Him Prestige does, only less strong and slightly more feminine due to the vanilla. Also slightly similar to the dry down of Versace The Dreamer, and there's definitely some nice strong tobacco in this scent. My suggestion: spray slightly heavy and allow it to dry down before leaving the house. I own One Million, One Million Intense, and a few clones, and I'll be experimenting with using this to layer and freshen up those scents in the future. At its price, this is the One Million variant that you can leave in your car to freshen up, and the "vanilla-tobacco-1 Million" dry down is awesome! For the price of $8 for a 3.4 oz bottle, you can't really go wrong. Just don't purchase it expecting that same monster projection and longevity that you'd usually get with One Million. The dry down, I will say, does project quite well on my skin. You'll get a small waft of this every 5 seconds or so. Also, as cheesy as it sounds, I really like the bottle! I can't say I'd like having an entire collection of cigar bottles, but it looks great in person when the light hits it.

I've deleted my old review after wearing Cuba Royal (CR) and One Million (1M) side by side. Make no mistake about it Cuba Royal is a clone of One Million, one that I prefer over the original. 20 minutes in: CR is reminiscent of 1M. CR feels much lighter. Mids: almost identical. The main difference is that Cuba Royal's midnotes begin much earlier and fade much quicker into the drydown. Drydown: CR and 1M are brothers but each have an individual characteristic. 1M is spicy (cinnamon). CR is the sweeter brother. For CR's drydown I get a grape soda with vanilla infusion. Like a vanilla coke (except grape flavoured). CR lacks in projection and longevity but I like the scent more than One Million. CR also transitions into its midnotes quicker. I find CR's drydown to be noticeably different but I prefer it. CR is better for casual use it's projection isn't over the top. It's not as heavy as 1M so it's more of a fall scent. 1M is $50 more for better projection and 6 more hours of longevity. I prefer CR's sweeter vanilla based drydown. For clubbing I apply 5-6 sprays and get the same results. Top 5 cheapie.

Some of the reviews cause me to laugh. For example, when people refer to Cuba colognes as 'dupes' or 'clones' of more expensive fragrances. Please stop saying this is a clone of PR 1 Million. Cuba Royal was released in 2006. 1 Million was released in 2008 (two years later) 1 Million is the dupe! Not the other way around. Cuba Fragrances were here before many other, significantly more popular and more expensive fragrances. Please do some research before posting which fragrances are dupes vs the original. It's making people who post such things look a bit silly. I confess I've done such things myself before, but we're all here to learn. Right? About the fragrance.. This is damn good! It's not overpowering, not cloying and a much better bang for the buck than 1 Million. I prefer this to 1 Million and I get as many compliments as when I wear 1 Million. This is an underrated fragrance and a surprisingly great value. All things considered this is hands down better than 1 Million. Sorry PR 1 Million.. move over. The Real Sheriff is in town. .

Do I get the comparison to PR1M? Yes, of course I do. This just isn’t all THAT similar to it. It’s not as sweet. The vanilla isn’t as loud. The tobacco is more prominent (thank goodness). So I really enjoy it. I also enjoy 1 Million if I just HAVE to get recognized for how I smell, but I think I would feel more... innocent throwing about a half dozen sprays of this on before hitting a date night during the fall and cooler months. Don’t try your luck with this one in the heat. To me, this is unisex, but only a very particular type of confidence will be found with any woman who goes this route. She’d have my attention, that’s all I’m saying. Anyway, guys, just get some. You can have the “Magnum” bottle for 9 bucks. It’s a no-brainer. There’s mild projection, and it does last a decent amount of time, just don’t expect anyone to notice from more than a couple feet away after the first couple hours.

The notes on here are definitely wrong. Fragluxe has the correct notes listed on its website, and this is definitely Cuba's interpretation of 1 Million, although a much better one than its predecessor. It smells excellent, and for the price, it's worth having in your collection. I haven't smelled any of the other fragrances from the Cuba line, but if they are similar in price/quality ratio to Royal, than I would most likely snatch them up if the opportunity presents itself. Oh, and the longevity and sillage on this are both very good. I get at least 4-5 hours of strong projection before it settles down to more of a skin scent, but the smell lasts for around 7 or 8 hours easily for me. I will use this as my cheapo every day scent for the fall and winter when I can't decide on what to wear for the day.

Cuba Royal stands out as an affordable fragrance, offering a delightful blend of vanilla, amber, woody, and tobacco notes that create a unique and captivating scent. The opening can be quite harsh, but after allowing it to dry down for about 15-20 minutes, the fragrance truly shines with a smooth and well-balanced aroma. On my skin, it impressively lasts 6-7 hours, making it a reliable choice for daily wear. Many people compare Cuba Royal to 1 Million, though I believe they smell quite different. While Cuba Royal offers excellent value for its price, it lacks the refined complexity of pricier fragrances such as 1 Million. If you are seeking a more complex fragrance, Cuba Royal might not be the best choice. However, for those looking for an economical yet appealing scent, it is a commendable option.

If u are here for clone of Paco Rabanne 1 million i must dissapoint u.. the 1m is clone of this one.. royal smells richer, more mature, sugary/papery tones i smell there something like scent of new book. It ́s just tasty as Cuba Winner (Invictus) and again Cuba is even lasting longer than invictus.. For 5 euros ? best cheapy out there who even beats 100euro fragrances. Lasting aroung 5 hours of strong/med sillage after 5 hours its getting more intimate but still u can smell it. Opening is without alcohol but not that rich as 1m, after 20 minutes of drying its getting lead over 1m its just getting richer and richer. Scent 7/10 Longevity 8/10 Price 10/10 Design 7/10 (nice cigar but not gold bar as 1M) Overal 7.5/10

Cuba Royal EDT Vanilla, tobacco, cedar, and olibanum. That's it. Four notes that combine to form a great smelling and inexpensive frag. One Million that doesn't cost one million. Longevity and sillage are better than most other Cuba Paris frags, but you're still only going to get maybe 3-4 hours tops. Great for fall and winter. It's a scent that both men and women could pull off (although I still would classify this as a masculine fragrance). A 100 mil bottle is still going to last you awhile, and at less than $15 US, how can you go wrong. I would put this in my current top 10. I come back to this one quite often. Wouls make a good signature scent. Highest recommendation.

It seems like everyone else adores Cuba Royal, but sadly I'll have to add in my vote that the drydown smells much too musky/unappealing. Whoever said it smells a bit like stale urine was spot-on. Not recommended, but at least I can give it points for being "strong" - albeit in the worst possible way. Edit: I've been using it for a few more weeks, I actually like it, but it smells incredibly offensive to my mom, so overall I don't recommend it at all. It's way, way too musky, full stop, urine-esque scent.

I agree that there's a big 'grape soda' vibe to this. Starts out very sweet with just a little bit of an edge from the cinnamon. As it dries down the sweetness fades after 2-3 hours so the grape soda takes on more of a 'dried fruits' kind of smell. The cinnamon starts to come out more in the drydown. If you like the port wine accord in Burberry London, this has more of that without the tobacco and woods. Sweet and dense with some spices. Highly recommended for the price.

Amazing scent and value. Wearing it right now. I have a vintage 2012 bottle of 1 million. When I spray them side by side on test strips, they smell nearly identical from wet down to dry down. And similar performance. After 10 hours I still smell them both on the test strips. The Cuba Royale seems to be a less cloying. I love how well the Cuba Royal works with my skin's PH. Great Juice for a ridiculously great price on discounters!

The note breakdown, surprisingly, is very accurate. It does not smell that close to 1 million IMO. SURE, it has the same vibe, but here you get a balsamic-sweet tobacco. Quality is not great, but for 10$, I think you get more than you pay for. I get good projection from this in the first 2h, afterwards it sits close to the skin for another 6-7h (disclaimer : perfumes last more on my skin than on most other people)

1 Million is one of my favorite fragrances of all time. But to be honest, Cuba Royal is a better fragrance. Considering you can get 100ml for less than 1/8th the price of 1 Million, this is the one I reach for instead of 1M. The opening, drydown and basenotes are overall better and more mellow than 1M. One of the best cheapies I have bought, and I will 100% buy this over 1M.

I still maintain that Cuba Paris fragrances are a sort of wry commentary on the current designer offerings. Cuba Royal is like a blend of the two similar fragrances with similar packaging, One Million and The Secret. I think more people say it smells like One Million because of its popularity over The Secret- but honestly, it could be mistaken easily for either!

@thenoseknows85 I have said that while there is 1 Million in Cuba Royal, Cuba Royal comes off a bit like a prototype of 1 Million Prive. Obviously, Prive is smoother and more rounded out, but Cuba Royal with the mix of leather, tobacco and cinnamon, gives it enough of a nod to Prive than most 1 Million dupes out there which just copies 1 Million.

I was super lucky that both my wife and my mistress loved this scent. It's dirt cheap so I could hide any lingering sent of the other woman with a heavy spritzing of this and the next party in line was both appreciative and unlikely to ask questions. It's a cheap blind buy and I will always have it around - for nostalgia if nothing else.

I kid you not, someone said this morning, are you wearing 1million. I said nope a duplicate and gave them the name. This cologne obviously compares to 1million . Longevity is poor so keep spraying. For 10$ or less you should spray away. So far this is my most complimented fragrance. I am in my early 30s and its good enough for me.

revisited this last night and this morning i got a wonderful cigarette scent.the vanilla is not so heavy that it smothers me as opposed to the original.still the original is darn good but royale is very good for just a passerby pickup scent.i'm glad i own this and i shouldve held on to copacabana which i just wasted.