This one finally came in and I’m excited to get it on skin. It’s an infusion of RDZ Playa Crashboat and Dara Caro Oud Coconut. So far on strip this is much better than Playa Crashboat to me, which was always a bit too much and overwhelmed my nose. It’s still got that punch but adds a creamy coconut warmth to it. Full review coming later. Did anyone else order this? https://rdzparfums.com/products/coco-crash-100ml?srsltid=AfmBOopYkr6VuPb9g9zCuUicdARTrEFHgMuZZvG5pwuTHNEn34llgGsI

When I look back, my fragrance journey is really part of a bigger life pattern for me. I’ve always started with what was accessible, but over time, I found myself wanting the real thing. When I was younger, I had a Kawasaki KZ900. It was a good bike, but I took the emblems off because, in my mind, it wasn’t a Harley. It wasn’t about the Kawasaki being bad. It was about knowing what I really wanted. The same thing happened with watches. Fake watches scratched the surface for a while, but once I finally bought the Rolex, I understood the difference. The fake could copy the look, but it could not copy the feeling, the pride, the quality, or the personal achievement behind owning the real thing. Fragrance has followed that same path. My designer journey really started with Yves Saint Laurent Kouros. That was the first designer fragrance I bought on my own in 1981, and I have always owned it. Kouros was not just another bottle to me. It represented stepping into fragrance on my own terms. It was bold, masculine, confident, and unforgettable. That one became part of my story. Then came fragrances like Drakkar Noir and a few other designers from that era. Those were the scents that shaped a lot of men’s fragrance memories. They were powerful, recognizable, and they had character. Back then, designers had identity. They were not just endless flankers chasing trends. They felt like statements. Later, when niche and artisan fragrances became more interesting to me, clones became a way to explore expensive scent profiles without jumping straight into full bottles. I still think clones have a place. They can be useful, especially when you are learning what you like or trying to understand a scent profile before spending serious money. But at one time, I owned several hundred clones, and after a while, it just was not satisfying. Seeing all of those bottles sitting on the shelf every day did not give me the same feeling as owning the real fragrance. There was no real story behind many of them. No connection to the original artist. No history with the house. No feeling that I owned the actual creation.

Hey good people, it’s been a while! I’m wearing this very nice, easy-to-wear fragrance from the house of Louis Vuitton. First things first: is it worth it?? Hell yeah! Is it worth the price? Hell no! 😂 I got a great deal on it and already decanted around 50ml with ease! This beauty smells like a luxury grapefruit cocktail. Bright, citrusy, with a sparkling touch of ginger, super clean… and somehow it smells expensive the entire way through. Performance? Honestly, not bad at all. I get around 2 hours of nice projection, then it settles closer to the skin and lasts a solid 6–7 hours on me. Definitely a bottle worth trying… just please, don’t pay retail! 😅

A few things came in that I’m excited to start wearing! These are rounding out my warm weather and year-round collection, and aside from a few few cheapies coming in the next few days (Aquatica and Adonis Icarus), I’m looking at maybe just two or three more bottles and then I’ll be all done buying as my collection will be pretty much complete for me - FDB Oud Bleu Intense: a delicious ambery resinous composition that comes at the “blue” category from a pretty different direction - Sospiro Vibrato: in my home battles this beat out Tygar, Ingenious Ginger and Aqua de Dora - Givenchy Gentlemen Only: my first Givenchy, this is a gem ( @Stephen DeMent posted about it today) - JPG Le Beau Paradise Garden: to me this was neck and neck with the Le Parfum version, but my GF had a strong preference for this one so of course that broke the tie

I tried this fragrance, it doesn't projects loud and overpowering. It's super expensive, and any good clones of this fragrance is fraction of price?