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Working from my home office today and I continue to test and review decants I have received. The opening is a blast of sweet Apple and Cinnamon. After 15 minutes, I am starting to pick up some of the darkness and dryness from the Leather note. At 30 minutes in, I am getting a deeper dryness from the Leather and Moss notes, with a very slight Rose/Floral undertone. 60 minutes into the wear, the fragrance has settled down nicely and I am getting a soft leathery and slightly (very light) spiciness off of my skin. The dry down of this fragrance is a slightly dry leather scent with some earthy undertones. Performance: Projection of this fragrance is moderate with a scent bubble of about 2 feet for about 2 hours. Longevity on my skin is about 7 to 8 hours with the fragrance becoming a skin scent at about hour 6. Sillage is a scent bubble of about 2 feet for about 90 minutes.

A brand-new release for this year, MYSLF L'Absolu is a Spicey/Woody Scent from perfumer Christophe Raynaud. That’s the guy responsible for the JPG Scandal line. This is the third addition to the YSL line following the original 2023 EDP and 2024’s Le Parfum. A more intense and spiced version of the original. Even the bottle is the same although the shiny polished finish makes it a smudge collector. It’s a beautifully crafted scent, I have noticed that it does leave an oily film on the back of my hand when testing. So I’m assuming there is a fairly higher than normal concentration here! The opening is the most noticeable departure from the original. It features a prominent and invigorating blend of ginger & cardamom, which adds a fresh, spicy & slightly quality. This is balanced by a hint of bergamot, carrying over the clean, citrusy feel of the original. At the heart, the signature orange blossom note from the MYSLF line is magnified. YSL claim too source this from their Ourika Community Gardens in Morocco. This note provides a clean, floral, and almost soapy or "fabric softener" like quality although I would suggest this is more to do with the Ambrofix that is lurking in the base notes. The dry-down is anchored by a generous overdose of patchouli, which is not overly earthy or dirty; instead, it's more of a "suave," warm, & sensual woodiness that provides a solid foundation for the scent. I’m also picking up Lavandin in the dry down. This is probably my favourite from YSL too date, although in fairness, this is only my third bottle. Performance is stellar with an easy 8 hrs on my skin, it projects for just under 3 at arm’s length before becoming a skin scent. But this comes at a premium. A 100ml bottle at my local will set you back €155. They did through in a gorgeous leather YSL branded toiletries bag and a 7.5ml travel splash bottle to sample which was nice, but we aint chasing bag collections here, it’s the juice that counts. My Rating: 8/10 Scent: 2.5 Longevity: 2.5

The opening of this fragrance is soft and creamy. At 15 minutes the scent is still soft, and I am getting a soapy undertone. I am not picking up any Green or Pine notes yet. As the fragrance continues to develop, at 30 minutes this is another fragrance that truly does not reflect the notes and accords listed on Fragrantica. To my nose the fragrance is soft and creamy with some sweet undertones. I am really not getting any woody or green accords. At dry down this fragrance has become a skin scent with some mild projection. The fragrance has dried down to a clean Lavender scent with a slight creaminess to it. Not bad, but also nothing spectacular. I would wear on a flight or to a meeting where I did not want to overpower the room. Performance is fair, but this is definitely a scent that is made for the wearer to enjoy and not so much as a compliment getter. Longevity on my skin was about 4 hours.

---Choose a designer classic over a niche choice.--- What say you, Gents? As my nose developed, I naturally moved away from designers and more toward niche and indie offerings. But that's truly a disservice, there's many designers that are just as good, if not better than many niche out there! Which designer brand are you wearing today? What designer frag is as good as, if not superior than, niche? Post here or in the SOTD. Love to hear from ya'!