Was chatting with a friend recently who told me he only buys scents when he goes through duty free. So on recent trip I thought it would be a good opportunity to sample some Creed frags. I had never smelled them before. The staff were great giving me lots to try...and had a pot of coffee beans to reset my nose (is that a thing?) between each sample. I thought there were some nice scents, but Aventus on cardboard strip isn't the best thing I have ever smelled. I enjoyed the Aventus Cologne more. But seeing as I don't own any Creed, I thought Aventus was the right choice. Now that I've sampled it directly on my skin...I have to say it's absolutely fantastic. I'm amazed that just a few sprays in the morning seems to last all day - longevity unlocked. Started with a 50ml bottle. It was only when I got home and checked the receipt, that I realised what people mean when they say Creed is a bit more expensive 😆 But it's so good. I going to be wearing and appreciating this one for a while!

Just test driving Terre d’Hermès Eau Intense Vétiver today, and first impression: this is Terre stripped down and pointed straight at the vetiver. Released in 2018 and created by Christine Nagel, it keeps the citrus-and-woods DNA of the original but pushes vetiver front and center, with bergamot, Sichuan pepper, geranium, and patchouli rounding it out. Right away it feels drier, greener, and a little earthier than the original Terre. Less orange mineral sparkle, more grounded and woody. The vetiver is sharp but clean, and it gives the whole thing a mature, understated confidence. This feels like an easy office fragrance or daytime wear for spring and fall—smart, versatile, and very “put together.” Not flashy at all, but if you like vetiver, this one feels like a very natural evolution of the Terre line.

I started off with a couple that let to a very large amount of fragrances for me, almost 40 full bottles plus A-ton of decants and discovery sets. The question here is which scents deserve a spot in the collection which one deserves a smaller bottle like 50ml or 30ml, which ones are good for 10ml, 5ml, 2ml decants and which should you skip all together. So where to start, There’s a base if it’s not full bottle worthy then it’s not worthy as a decant at all as I believe in this statement it’s not a fact it’s just a good base, again it’s just a base. Where I believe the smaller bottles 50ml 30ml is better then the 100ml is when you need less sprays and or your collection is big enough that you can’t wear as often so this way if in the future you no longer enjoy the same scent then you can finish the bottle faster (ex: I have a xerjoff Tony iommi monkey special 50ml as 2 sprays is all I need so if I grow out of it or don’t like it then I didn’t waste the same amount) where the 10ml and 5ml are great is where you enjoy the scent but it’s redundant in your collection and you would have better options like for example Versace Dylan blue there’s a lot better blue fragrances out there so owning a full bottle will get wasted, in this case 5-10ml will do if you still want it. Where the smaller decants come into place is actually testing in different scenarios or just experimenting, experiencing a certain scent profile. for that 1-3ml there’s no way around. agree disagree what’s your take on collecting and what size is your go to?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ74RVpRsLI/?igsh=NXlqczVrNzhzM2w0 FYI Here is an account that I follow. This reel she helps explain note breakdown between the different types of musk for example and what each note smells like. Guys just starting the journey might find this account helpful in understanding what to look for in basic terms so you can better describe and understand what you are smelling. Also there is a classroom tab here on the home page here that can also help educate. And as always you have the brotherhood that is always willing to share the knowledge.

My very first niche fragrance. My parents gifted it to me for for Christmas 24. That was only a few months into my journey. I don't wear it as much because I have hundreds a few years later. But I still can't help loving this sillage! It's kinda like the middle ground between the OG Aventus and Hacivat minus the pineapple of course. It just has that woody, smokey, citrusy blend that just freaking works. Totally signature scent worth and can be used year round, unless you live in a tropical climate. Wore it a bunch I spring while in Miami and got lots of love. Definitely more tear round here in Colorado though. Thoughts?