Out for a back to school dinner and gelato with my goddaughters and ended up at Bath & Bodyworks and Marshall’s. While they shopped I took a look in the men’s fragrance cabinet and found a 50mL of Terre d’Hermes EDT on clearance sale for $26!!! It’s on sale at Jomashop for $48 and retails for $120, so score! I’ve nearly used up the 10mL decant I’ve been using the last year, and was planning to put it on my birthday list, so double score! It’s such a classic and a staple for my collection. So happy to pick this up.

Match #43 in the second-chance bracket features Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum versus the now-discontinued Dunhill Icon—and this one is a fairly easy decision. Bleu de Chanel EDP (2014, created by Jacques Polge) remains one of the most versatile fragrances out there and, for me, one of the most sophisticated takes on the fresh blue fragrance. Grapefruit, ginger, incense, cedar, and sandalwood give it freshness without sacrificing depth. Office, casual, evening, almost any season—it simply works. Dunhill Icon (2015, created by Carlos Benaïm) also starts in fresh territory, with bergamot, neroli, black pepper, and lavender over vetiver and woods. I enjoy the aromatic citrus opening, but there's a slightly synthetic quality to it on my skin that keeps it from competing with the smoothness of the Chanel. No real drama today. Bleu de Chanel is the more polished, balanced, and versatile fragrance, and it advances comfortably. Dunhill Icon is eliminated from the tournament. And Chanel continues to have an impressive run: two fragrances remain in the main bracket, with three more still fighting their way through the second-chance bracket.

When one bottle of Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce just isn’t enough… you collect the sizes. 1000 mL / 296 mL / 200 mL / 100 mL (might need to hunt for a 50 mL) 1,596 mL of Fierce.. From the iconic oversized bottle to the classic 100 mL, this is less of a fragrance collection and more of a Fierce archive. Some collect fragrances. Some collect houses. I apparently collect Fierce in bulk. What’s the largest bottle in your collection?