Sometimes, when I smell a new fragrance, I fall in love. The most stark example of this was when I first tried Creed’s Oud Zarian. Stood at the counter, scatter-gunning bottle after bottle. Picked up the brown one, with the gold cap. One sniff, and I was gone. I actually made an involuntary noise. It’s an amazing scent. Must be all the 80-year-old Oud that’s in it. Y’know, the stuff that’s definitely there. There are a fair few smells that also did me dirty. Free Coco by BORNTOSTANDOUT. Fifty Four, the Jusbox smell from yesterday. A handful of others. And now, there’s Golden Serenade. The opening? Spicy as you like. The cloves do a number, almost curbstomping themselves into the frame against a mewling saffron and a burgeoning patchouli. Oddly, I feel the latter brings a touch of the barbershop into the frame, which was a genuine surprise. It’s not full-on Colonia, but it certainly strikes some kind of nostalgic chord. Perhaps the playlist (music from a Golden Age of swing, big bands and gramophones, which I greatly enjoyed) is insinuating something. As the scent dries down, the heavily cloven spicefest brings a smooth resinous amber against a typical vanilla, all held together by a warm and welcoming Oud. It’s delicious, moreish, sultry and strong. And it projects! I sprayed on at 9am… it’s now a full 16.5 hours later and it’s still barrelling about the room like an excitable Labrador puppy. Will I buy a full bottle? I’m telling myself it’s a strong MAYBE, but there’s a hint of self delusion in that. I know myself, and this is almost definitely a YES. The only aspect that’s reining me in and stopping me deliver my verdict full throated and from the chest is redundancy. This shares a palette with a few fragrances on my shelf already… there’s probably no space for another. Ah, who am I kidding? This is a YES. I’m now eight scents into the sixteen in the box, and I’m calling a Jusbox hiatus for a couple of days. I’ll be back into them sometime next week, with the aquatic Good Morning.

So hear me out…..🙄….😂🤣. Do I really need to have all this🤔, no 😑. Has it been fun as heck..yesss😆. For the few times I may or may not be away from home I am now ultra prepared. This has been a Definite spin off hobby for sure this past month. Besides, who wants to carry 3 or 4 bottles when traveling. This way I have numerous options.

This is one of the oldest debates in the fragrance world - and opinions run HOT. NICHE FRAGRANCES: Crafted by independent houses obsessed with artistry over mass appeal. Think Amouage, Creed, Serge Lutens. Bold, complex, unapologetically unique. You wear niche and you know no one else in the room is wearing the same thing. But you're paying for the privilege. DESIGNER FRAGRANCES — The Chanels, the Diors, the Tom Fords. Masterfully blended, backed by decades of heritage, and worn by people who know what they're doing. Dior Sauvage and Bleu de Chanel are bestsellers for a reason — they're refined, proven, and never embarrassing. The debate: Is niche fragrance the pinnacle of personal expression — or is it overpriced elitism dressed up as art? And are designer houses underrated gems hiding in plain sight? Tell us: Team Niche or Team Designer? Vote below 👇 — and tell me which house or specific fragrance makes your case? Roast the other camp respectfully — this is a gentleman's debate after all. 😄

Some have been asking for a recap on my fragrance journey during my trip to St. Barth's. I tried to take enough decants to be able to wear something new every day. The weather was unbelievable so the scents were allowed to shine more. MFK Gentle Fluidity Silver - A great fresh option that I will savor due to the price. Gives me a fresh metallic feel that really goes does fit the environment. Decent performance but the freshness of the scent did not allow me to get whiffs in passing. Bought a 30 ml and will savor this for special circumstances. Lucianno Coastal Breeze - My entrance into the LG Pacific Chill world and this does not disappoint. The apricot punch off the top really stands out to me. Being an Extrait de Parfum, the performance is really good for a freshie. One of my favorite fresh fragrance profiles I use. AdP Fico di Amalfi - My heart goes out for this one. I really want this to be better but the performance just really does not work as well as I hoped. The fig note is there at first spray, but it was not getting much lasting performance. Frangrance World Essence de Blanc - My entrance into the LV Imagination world. Was a hype beast for a minute when it came out. I really enjoy the profile and get pretty good performance. The team note is very captivating for me to really enjoy. My spouse even tried it and enjoyed. Nishane WuLong Cha - Going in the same vein as EdB, the tea note really generates a pretty good performing fresh fragrance. Bought a 15 ml discovery set and will look to get more when it runs out. Just so original, which it more enticing to me. Rasasi Hawas Tropical - Wore this out on the plane to PR and it is really becoming a quick favorite. Was originally concerned about the Coconut note but it comes off more like fresh cut and not creamy and heavy. AdP Colonia Pura - Considering this is an EDC, I really enjoy this super citrus bomb. Found a big bottle of this for a great price so I don't care if I overspray. Does not come off like a lemon cleaner. Just fresh and crisp.

Rocking one of the best designer scents and dna’s out there. Had to take my car to get some work done today and thought I would bless the waiting room with this incredible scent. Oversprayed the heck out of it so I am radiating like a signal beacon, even after 2 hours. This is such a universal scent that fits in any situation. Such an upbeat scent that brightens a room. It lasts all day and may not bring the compliments all the time, but definitely find people hanging out close to me for longer. Also one of my wife’s favorites on me so that’s a plus too. Stay smelling great my brothers.