I’ve finally made the leap and added my very first niche. Xerjoff erba gold. It is a strong summer scent. Fruity and projects really well.

Today marks Day 2 of my five-day Afnan Discovery odyssey. After the bang average 9pm Elixir yesterday, we're feeling Blue with Historic Olmeda. Is a fragrance dispensed from a tiny "stone" pillar good enough to build up my hopes? From the outset, the bottle design brooks no understatement. It's a blue bottle, for a Blue fragrance. As Blue scents are a packed category on my shelf, a shelf for which there's an actual waiting list for prospective residents, Olmeda will have to go gangbusters to even make it to the wobbly table situated by the bins. It starts strong. Fresh, citrus, check. No sign of anything aquatic, but that's likely for the best considering my personal chemistry. What there IS, however, is a bold blast of pepper backed with cardamom, a combination that definitely tickles my tastebuds. I love a pepper note, and this delivers in spades. It's loud, sure, but it's blended enough to feel classy while being spicy enough to rattle a few windows. If that continued for a goodly time, I'd be waxing poetic about this release to all who'd listen. But after an hour, the profile shifts, deepens, smooths down, and becomes personal. It's not a bad thing, but it does feel a partial surrender, a small betrayal to my younger aspect who'd be happy to blast this for days. Here, the comparison with Bleu de Chanel is likely the most obvious, but while BDC stands out through a superior refinement, Olmeda feels slightly more basic at its core. It's nice, and it lasts a good 8-10 hours at an intimate proximity, but it feels more generic than I'd been hoping since the initial spicy fanfare suggested. Overall, I think it's a Maybe from me. Not a strong Maybe either, but I do think that I might be swayed into a purchase driven by the ultra low cost and the value proposition contained within. If you're looking for alternative Blueness, this is definitely worth a consideration. I'm not, so I don't think it passes muster.