Good morning everyone. Yesterday I Had to visit my orthopedic surgeon for post op on my knee and when I got into the elevator, the woman next to me-though my back was facing her-said “welcome back, Mr. Asumendi.” I didn’t immediately recognize her but she said”I know it was you because no other man smells as good as you do.” I was wearing MFK Baccarat Rouge 540 but in the several years I’ve been a patient there I’ve worn different fragrances. Started my morning out with a bang followed by a very positive report from the doctor. Happy Hump Day!

I've had a rough couple of months. It's just been one string of bad stuff after another. But despite that, I've had some really big wins and some bright spots that have shown through the clouds and made things better, even for a little bit. This board continues to be a source of light for me, and I really want to say thank you to @Raymond Reeves who surprised me with his unsolicited generosity. Thank you so much for the decants. I've been wearing Ottoman Amber every day since I opened the box, and I am definitely buying a bottle. It is the scent of my early adulthood, and it takes me right back to that place when i was in grad school, wearing a mixture of patchouli oil, frankincense, and myrrh that my then girlfriend had given me. I wore it on my wrists for years until it finally ran out. I still have the little bottle that I stored it in. It is the scent that my long time friends most associate with me, and I didn't realize how much I had missed it. But on that first spray, it was like coming home again for the first time in decades. My best friend told me yesterday that when she smelled it on me, she couldn't shake how much she associated it with the early days of our friendship. It is a scent that is so intertwined with my body chemistry that it may as well have been created specifically for me. I cannot thank you enough for this gift. I haven't even tried the others, yet, and there's a decant of Aqua di Gio Profumo in there that i am absolutely dying to wear. You have given me something that I didn't know I missed.

For the last two years, I've been steadily increasing the size of my fragrance collection. Even just a month ago, I probably would have jumped at Antonio's House of Dastan discovery set deal. Today, I find myself slightly interested but unable to justify the unnecessary expenditure. I currently have hundreds of samples (mostly miniatures but close to 100 travel-size) and dozens of full-size bottles. The only explanation I have is my most recent full-size bottle purchase: Xerjoff 40 Knots. As it turns out, while I thought I was always searching for the next great fragrance with all my sampling, perhaps the truth is that I was subconsciously searching for one thing in particular: a suitable replacement for Minotaure. It's the fragrance I wore in high school and early in college, even after it was discontinued. Yes, I can still find a bottle here or there, but the quality and performance - either due to age, reformulation, or whatever - is very much lacking. I now have two solid options (at least) to serve as permanent go-to fragrances for every category I could possibly need and a smattering of change-up options that will last for years with sporadic use. Going forward, I'm not sure I'll feel the need to purchase anything in a full-size bottle except for a go-to replacement. I'll hold in reserve the caveat that a new fragrance could appear which I sample and love and, as a result, feel the need to purchase a full bottle. However, I'd also wager that it would most likely still be a replacement - replacing an existing go-to rather than adding a new slot to the equation. ** All Purpose Go-To's ** - Layton by PDM - 40 Knots by Xerjoff ** Travel Go-To's ** - Man Eau Fraiche by Versace - Eros Parfum by Versace ** Hot Weather (85 degrees and up) Go-To's ** - Bergamask by Orto Parisi - Elysium by Roja Dove - Eros Energy by Versace ** Warm Weather (65 - 85 degrees) Go-To's ** - Explorer by Montblanc - Acqua di Giò Profondo by Giorgio Armani

“My creativity is attached to my emotions and I always say that whatever triggers emotion is a source of inspiration.”— Honorine Blanc Emotion is not a distraction from meaningful work; it is often the spark that gives the work its purpose. Pay attention to what moves you today, because inspiration usually begins where something feels deeply personal. Enjoy the #Journey. Love to hear from ya’!

So, I had some luck last year with a shower oil, but there was one significant issue - it had a distinct scent of its own. For working from home days, this wasn't a big deal, and I did like the convenience of applying the oil to my body at the end of my shower, letting it sit for a couple of minutes, and then rinsing off the excess. I noticed little difference in my chest, arms, and elbows between this and applying traditional moisturizer after showering. However, because of the scent of the shower oil, I ended up abandoning it after that first supply ran out and going back to the traditional routine. Of course, this also meant that certain parts of my body were getting as much moisturization as they could, since applying lotion is a more tedious process. A few days ago, though, I started a new moisturizing routine... I ordered some organic, fractionated coconut oil off of Amazon to try out as a shower oil. As it turns out, it seems to work just as well as that 'proprietary' shower oil blend - as a full-body moisturizer. However, people weren't kidding about the fragrance benefits. I've noticed a significant improvement in both longevity and projection over the last few days. I'm still, of course, applying an extra layer of face moisturizer to my face as well as body moisturizer with SPF to my head and neck after I shower, but I no longer have to take 15-20 minutes once a week (being generous with how often I actually did it) to apply body moisturizer to my entire body. Instead, I take an extra ≈3 minutes at the end of my shower to apply the fractionated coconut oil and the end result is both improved moisturization for my whole body plus increased fragrance performance. What about you guys? Do you use fractionated coconut oil as a moisturizer, or elsewhere in your fragrance routine?