Lacoste Challenge Eau de Toilette Spray ($40.00 for 1.6 oz.) is a cologne with a tennis theme. The top notes are “The Serve” and include tangerine, lemon, and a “burst of” lavender. The middle notes are “The Volley” and include spice and ginger. The base notes are “The Baseline” and include rosewood, teak, and ebony. The bottle itself is designed to resemble the handle of a tennis racket.

The cologne opens with a fresh, lightly citrus-y scent that’s a little synthetic, but not unpleasant. Once the middle notes take place, there’s a bit more spiciness, kind of a lemon on black pepper feel. Eventually, it dries down to a soft, smoky, woody scent. While the scent doesn’t strike my fancy initially (it’s just so-so) initially, I really like the dry down. I like catching a whiff of this on my boy when I cuddle close. It’s masculine without being overwhelming, and it has this just slight smokiness that smells really sexy! (This is not BBQ-pit smoky at all–this is very sensual.)

The packaging is fun, though don’t let it mislead you, there’s more bottle hiding behind the “handle.” It actually made an apt cologne to give my boyfriend to test, because my boyfriend loves tennis. I personally would have thought to use a tennis star as a promoter rather than Hayden Christensen, but it doesn’t affect the product itself. My only complaint about the fragrance is that it doesn’t last all day. It does have a tendency to fade quite a bit after five or six hours of wear.

• Product: 7/10
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 8/10
• Packaging: 8/10

Recommendation: For a scent that isn’t musky, but still masculine with a woody, smoky scent, try this.

Availability: Sephora