Masculin Pluriel / Maison Francis Kurkdjian — back to another “modern” barbershop fragrance today

Yesterday, I stopped by an outlet mall with one mission and one mission only: pick up Gisada Ambassador Intense. Simple enough, right? Well, after visiting three different fragrance stores, I discovered not a single one carried the line… but apparently they all carried temptation. So naturally, instead of leaving empty-handed like a disciplined adult, I somehow walked out with four new fragrances. Michael Malul Jet Black Mahogany and Citizen Jack Absolute started the financial damage, Bleu Suit – Private Collection by Lomani joined the party shortly after, and Graphite by Lika Milano delivered the final knockout punch to my wallet. At this point, I’m convinced fragrance shopping has less to do with self-control and more to do with survival instincts. I went looking for one bottle and returned home like I was building a backup fragrance collection for national emergencies.

French Avenue Amber Empire. Clone of Clive Christian Blonde Amber.

Picked this up at the Amouage store in the Houston Galleria mall last week, and decided to give it a try. This is my second day wearing it. It gets a lot of negative reviews online, and I don't know why. For me, this is a 9/10 fragrance, and I will definitely be picking up at least a 5 or 10mL decant. The opening is fresh and clean with that typical Amouage muskiness. As it dries down, it becomes more woody and spicy, but retains that brightness in the opening. I got about 10 hours yesterday out of it, which, for Amouage is on the more quiet side. It worked great in the higher heat, and I enjoyed smelling it on myself throughout the day.