Happy Sunday Brothers on my way to Church gotta run but this Blend is Off the Chain!!

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the decline in participation here, so I figured I’d throw my two cents in. For me, I comment when I actually have something to add. If I own the fragrance, have sampled it, smelled it at a counter, know the house, or I’m interested in trying it, I’ll usually jump in. I like comparisons, first impressions, SOTDs with some substance, unpopular opinions, performance talk, clones versus originals, new releases, and anything that can actually turn into a conversation. But I also think the lack of engagement goes a little deeper than the posts themselves. I think people have become too sensitive to criticism and disagreement. A respectful difference of opinion is not disrespect. We are not all going to smell the same thing, like the same thing, or agree on what is better. That is actually where a lot of the learning comes from. I also think some good brothers have left because disagreements turned into resentment instead of just being disagreements. That is unfortunate. You should be able to tell me you completely disagree with my take on a fragrance, explain why, and we both move on. Maybe I even learn something from you. There is also a little selfishness with engagement. Some people want everybody commenting on their posts, but you rarely see them interacting with anyone else’s. If everybody only participates when they are the one posting, then eventually there is no real community. I have also heard people blame the AI bot for some of the decline. I think that is kind of ridiculous. I understand why people do not like the regurgitating and automatic bot engagement. I am actually not a fan of that part myself. But one comment from a bot does not prevent experienced brothers or newcomers from adding their own thoughts. If ten guys want to have a real conversation underneath it, the bot did not stop that. The human engagement is still up to us. Then I hear about the paid portion of the platform. I have not seen anybody kicked out of the Brotherhood because they did not participate in the paid side.

Happy Saturday to all in the brotherhood. I am trying to fully enjoy all my lighter fragrance while it’s still warm in Chicago. Today I chose this fantastic layering as you know Vibrato is Bright and Zesty in the opening and settles into this rich musky woody earthy base. I added more musk and florals for more body in the dry down and boy I’m not disappointed! Enjoy the rest of your day.

What fragrance are you wearing today, brothers? 🧴💨 Drop the name of your SOTD in the comments and tell us why you chose it! 👇🔥 Let’s see who has the best scent game in the Brotherhood! 😎💯

Heading to a friend’s place tonight to smoke cigars and hang out, mid 80s in Long Beach but that’s not stopping me. This was a recent pickup at the Amouage boutique in Beverly Hills for my wife’s birthday and it was love at first sniff. Only three notes here, oud, birch tar, and vanilla, but they’re blended incredibly well. Opens raw and animalic, real barnyard oud, and I get why that turns some people off. But as it dries down the vanilla takes over and smooths everything out into this rich, almost chocolatey, gourmand finish. This is one that changed how I think about oud. Perfect one for tonight.