Good day everyone! Finally got around adding these staple, mass-pleasing niche (and one designer) fragrances. Had postponed these due to the price, which is infalted even more when taking into account import fees and duties to Guatemala. Those made these just way too expensive. Thanks to a cousin travelling from the US to GT, who happily offered to bring me some stuff, got these then at US prices with no additional cost, which is an absolute bargain for Guatemala prices! Still have two last 2026 bottles on the way. That will close out 2026, no more purchases allowed. - Sospiro Vibrato 100ml Tester. Have tried the most popular fragrances following this DNA. Tygar/Vibrato/Ingenious Ginger etc. Love Ingenious Ginger as a warmer more mellow take on it, and Vibrato the best sparkly, bright one. - PDM Sedley 120ml. It took a while, because the most popular inspirations didn't really sell me on the idea. Figured I just didn't like Sedley then. Eventually ended up getting a decant, and oh my. No inspirations I tried came close to do this justice. This is must have freshie for me! - PDM Percival 75ml: The higher end Fierce take. Awesome scent, with awesome quality and performance. Got a 75ml only as even though I really like it, I don't need a bigger bottle of this DNA. - Tom Ford Eau d'Ombre Leather 100ml: Not a fan of leather scents. But this one take the in-your-face leather into a much more mellow, spicy and warm take. Absolutely loved it, and is the only leather fragrance so far that I know I will love wearing. Now the hard part. These 4 plus the 2 on their way places me above my bottle limit, while I have curated my small colelction into a group of fragrances I love. All of them. Will have to sacrifice something... will take some time to make the decission.

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

For those of you with not only a decent collection of bottles, but also a lot of samples or travel sprays, which do you prioritize when choosing what to wear each day? I don't have many mini-samples, but I have close to 60 travel sprays now, and I can't decide whether to try to work through them and reduce that number, or focus more on the full bottles.

Boy, did this delivery ever make my day today. I’m practically giddy and have a renewed energy coursing through me this afternoon. In the past few months, I have become obsessed with Dior Homme Parfum 2014. A fragrance I put off trying for years (regrettably), until recently, due to my fear of the iris note and a bad experience I had with a fragrance featuring that note at one point. But of course, upon finally realizing my love for the fragrance, I think we all know how hard it is to find that discontinued gem these days, and if you do? Well, say goodbye to your wallet! I bought a bottle of Leather Intense from Alexandria Fragrances, which is their dupe of DHP, and while it is a GREAT stand-in, it’s still just not quite DHP. Anyway, a couple months ago, I was looking at some old decants that I hadn’t touched in a while (like a couple years) and I came across a sample of Boadicea the Victorious Harmonious that Mr. @Renato Carotti was kind enough to send me back in my early days of collecting. I remembered thinking it was ok, but it was a bit too complex and nuanced for my novice nose, that really didn’t know what to think of it at the time. “I certainly wouldn’t wear this,” I thought. As I popped the cap off of the sample (which had evaporated into a now tiny amount of syrup-like, thick fragrance oil) I was immediately struck by the similarity to DHP 2014. I sprayed (squirted) some of this treacly substance onto my arm, which seemed to never dry, as it was basically pure oil at this point, and I fell in love with the stuff just like I had with DHP. They were virtually identical! They have their subtle differences. Harmonious is smoother and a bit more nuanced, but the dry-downs are essentially the same to my nose. And the best part? It’s still in production! Now, Boadicea fragrances are not cheap either, but I had worn DHP and Harmonious enough now to know that either one would be a signature scent for me. So at this point, I was willing to pay a little more than I might normally spend on a bottle. However, I was able to find an incredible deal, and from a company that I trust very much and have built a good relationship with. So, to my surprise, it’s only the 3rd, or so, most expensive bottle I’ve ever bought.

The weather is getting a little cooler here in London so I thought it dust off my bottle of Sauvage Elixir. What's your SOTD?