I began my Monday with first day to my new office. And I was very sure in my mind what I was gonna wear. A timeless classic. Versace Dylan Blue.

Good morning gents! Today we have a next decant to go: ADG Profondo EDT. Had been acting as a Gym fragrance, with an occassional wear here and there. A total Acqua di Gio fanboy, I knew I was going to enjoy this one. The EDP is among my all-time favorites. Without a doubt, found the EDT to be a fresher, less sweet, more citrusy Profondo. Also found the EDT to be more fresh aquatic, almost eliminating the saltier sea notes of the EDP, that I like very much. Opening is marvelous, with the citruses coming out blasting, but well accompanied by the trademark aquatic feels of the line. As it dries down, the citruses start dto disspiate, but not in a fast way as many do. They do accompany the fragrance lifetime rather well. As we're approaching the base notes, I get an unexpected greenish funk coming up from my skin. I suspect it's just my skin. Not awful, but a tad offputting. I suspect it would be the particular mix of the citruses used, woods and patchoulli. I do not get it off the EDP. Performance is on the lower side on me, going on about 4 hours average, at which it becomes a very close skin scent, if at all. A great addition to the ADG line for sure, very likeable and an even fresher take to the EDP. I can see liking this one very much, and very mass-appealing. Conclusion: Do I like it? I do. Did I enjoy the decant? Absolutely, great gym scent and hot days fragrance. Full bottle worthy, for me? Not for me. The EDP is so much more my vibe.

So I gave in to the online hype around the Superz house and, since I'm unfortunately not going to be in Budapest anytime soon, I found a decant supplier with Khamzat Smesh in stock. It arrived yesterday and I've been testing it yesterday and today. TLDR: it's really nice, but I'm not going to be looking to pick up a bottle. After wearing it a bit yesterday and finding it to be potentially weak in projection, today I blasted myself with it -- 4 sprays to each arm, 3 to the neck (granted, these are little baby decant sprays). It has a nice open that's a bit edgy -- I get some lavender, some bitter orange, some warm spices, and something... a bit funky. It might be the edge of the neroli (which my nose hates) coupled with some of the spices or moss, but to me it was a little off-putting, skunky funky. But then thankfully, a few minutes later it's gone and I'm left with an absolutely beautiful warm spicy scent. Spicy like Christmas, not spicy like chili. It's got a hint of sweetness, maybe from tonka, cinnamon and other sweet spices (kind of like a church incense sweetness). It's an overall lovely warm spicy scent through the mids and into the drydown which is ambery, spicy woody. I don't get a lot of vanilla, and there's not a lot of tang or any kind of edge from the moss and vetiver notes that Fragrantica lists -- it's just a nice warm spicy feel all the way from start to finish. That said... on my skin the performance was pretty abysmal. I got an hour of good projection (it was constantly in my nose off my arms and neck the whole time), then for the hour after that I was getting little wafts of it from time to time, but 3-4 hours in and I had to lean into my arms to keep getting it. After 5-6 hours total it was just this sort of gentle warm spicy skin scent for another few hours.. So unless the decant site watered this down... it's not going onto my full bottle list. Given the funky open and poor performance on my skin, I think so many other frags do the warm lightly sweet spicy thing a lot better. That said... this is a very nicely balanced and well crafted scent - I just wish performance and longevity were better.

Its Plumseption as we approach day 3 of trying out plum fragrances. 🍇 Today brings me to the final plum fragrance, Al Nashama by Lattafa, launched in 2024. Huge thanks again to @Henry Clay, for letting me take this plum-filled journey and enjoy these beauties! I first sprayed this one a couple of nights ago, and it worked wonderfully as a nighttime unwind scent (or as my Latin brothers would say mimi’s time 😴). But today, I’m giving it a full wear to see how it really performs. Opening: Right off the bat, it’s sweeeet, like biting into a ripe, juicy, grapey plum surrounded by white florals. Honestly, imagine tossing plums, pink pepper, sage, and jasmine into a Ziploc bag, then sticking your face in for a whiff. Overpowering, weird, and straight-up WTF?! 😂 Dry Down: As it settles, the grape vibe fades and the plum smooths out. Amber, mossy notes, and powdery warmth (likely from the leather) step in, rounding everything into a much more refined presentation. Overall: This fragrance comes across as warm, powdery, floral, sweet, and slightly woody, perfect for a playful night out or a casual date. To my nose, it leans a bit more feminine due to the florals, but a confident gentleman could still pull it off easily. It reminds me somewhat of Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir EDP, though many compare it to Lattafa’s Vintage Radio and Paragon by Initio. I give this a rating of 7.7 out of 10. (It would be higher if it leaned a little more masculine with some added wood or a patchouli undertone.) - Top Notes Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Sage - Middle Notes Plum, Black Pepper, Jasmine - Base Notes Saffiano Leather, Amber, Patchouli, Moss Have a blessed day, everyone, keep an open mind, try new things, and most importantly… smell amazing today!

I should have known better. I’m kicking myself. I hate buying something I end up hating. But here we are. Picked up a 10ml travel spray of Goldfield & Banks Tales of Amber from the G&B website. I got snookered by the consistent, glowing influencer reviews (Eau d’Erica, Redolesence, the Perfume Guy, Finn the Aussie kid etc). The note breakdown looked intriguing, but one note that’s historically been problematic for me stood out - Oris root, the bad boy cousin of one of my olfactory nemeses, Iris. I’ve found some frags with Oris that I don’t mind, so I had hoped this one might work. Good god I’m having a viscerally negative reaction to this scent. At the open I get hit with a sickly scent I can only describe as a bag of wet carrots well past its due date and left in a hot car for just a bit too long. I get a hint of moss, a touch of vanilla, and overwhelming earthiness and… carrots gone bad. I had to wash it off 1/2 hour in. Thankfully the projection was very modest (5 sprays to the arm and it was only barely reaching my nose 1/2 hr later) but I’m feeling deep deep regret at wasting money on this. I really should have known better. Ahh well - hopefully others will have a better experience with this one.