SOTD - LEVEL 9 with a dash of You? by House of Dastan
Good evening, Brotherhood! Man, today had me running around like a caffeinated squirrel, but I finally carved out some time to tap in with you all. First off, huge honor hitting Level 9, not because the number looks cool, but because itās a reminder of how much Iāve learned, how much Iām still learning, and most importantly, the connections made along the way. That alone is worth its weight in protein powder, creatine, AND a full tub of pre-workout! So today I dove into a few samples from the House of Dastan, and the one I landed on was⦠You? Who, me? No no⦠YOU? Yep, the fragrance is literally called āYOU?ā According to the brand, this one is inspired by ādiscovering who you are and who you aspire to become.ā And honestly, with a note list longer than my holiday shopping receipts and some wild, unexpected ingredients, Iām convinced this one is meant for you to interpret however your nose wants. It really leans into that ādefine what makes you, YOUā vibe. This is a Floral Fruity Gourmand from 2024 by Richard Herpin. The opening hits you with this waxy fig citrus combo dusted with cinnamon. It took me a minute to figure out what I was smelling, had me questioning my entire olfactory education. I had to keep re-spraying just to wrap my head around the opening because it doesnāt stay long before shifting into a smooth, milky, slightly vanillic, creamy phase with a woody base. On skin vs. clothes? Night and day.On skin, that milky vibe hangs around like it paid rent.On clothes, the jasmine, bergamot, and brighter florals take over and stay lively. Later in the dry down, the white chocolate makes an appearance, and surprisingly⦠itās not bad. Actually, kind of unique. Overall, this is a very distinctive unisex scent definitely one of those āyour nose tells its own storyā types. For me personally? A bit too milky. Not quite my jam. But my wife? Sheād absolutely rock this one and probably smell amazing doing it. Performance is above average still catching whiffs 6ā7 hours later. Projection is just under an armās length, and the sillage is present but not beast mode.