FragranceBuy (Canada's Fragflex) has a section of "door crasher deals." (Which IMHO is stupid. It's a website. It doesn't have a door to crash! But it has additional savings on whatever stock they're trying to clear out.) Whenever I buy anything from their site, I check the "door crasher" deals and usually make a blind buy or two. When I ordered my Terre d'Hermès, I added 2 Middle Eastern frags. Today I'll share my first Lattafa buy ever, Khamrah Qahwa. First off, I never mention packaging, but this was exceptionally well done. The box it comes in has a mirrored back wall to reflect the bottle — a nice touch. The bottle looks good. Cap is plastic, large, and probably the worst part of it all, but it works fine. From my understanding this isn't an exact clone of Kilian's Angels' Share, which is a bonus to me, because I'm not a huge fan. Still, it's a completely different style of frag than anything else in my collection, and it was under $30... so let's roll the dice! The opening was a bit harsh, but not unpleasant. As it dried down I appreciated it more and more. I was expecting a sweet vanilla / coffee gourmand, but in the first hour it was closer to a scented spiced candle you'd light around Christmas time. Not bad, but not what I expected. After a nap, I woke up to a scent closer to Spicebomb Extreme, but with more amber. (Spicy, dark, vanilla, amber.) It's near beast mode in projection and longevity. I've been led to believe this frag needs some maceration time to really shine, but even without it, it's pretty good. I'm giving it a 6.8 today and I strongly suspect this will be above an 8 after a few months. I'm happy with this purchase already. I had nothing with this scent profile in my collection. It's a welcome addition.

Happy Saturday, Brotherhood! After an eventful night enjoying a concert from my favorite group of all time, Wu-Tang Clan, I’m still on cloud nine—and definitely still tired! 😂 This morning, my water delivery made sure sleeping in wasn’t an option. It’s funny when I think about it: I’ve been engulfed in hip-hop culture for about as long as I’ve been collecting and loving fragrance—roughly 30 years. In many ways, the two have traveled alongside me, so today’s fragrance feels especially appropriate. My Scent of the Day is Time Travelin by Memoir Fragrances, named after an iconic hip-hop song by Common. I classify this composition as an adult, sophisticated gourmand. I’m not exactly sure why it screamed at me from the armoire this morning, but when it did, I grabbed it without hesitation and applied vigorously! 😂 Will I pay for that decision when Chicago reaches the high 80s later today? We shall see! Time Travelin starts with a beautifully smooth boozy nuttiness before transitioning into a semi-sweet, woody and spicy heart. But the drydown is where this fragrance truly sings. Elements from the opening and heart carry all the way through, creating this rich boozy, woody, slightly vanillic concoction. The scent takes me somewhere. It’s reminiscent of a slow, sultry dance in a dimly lit nightclub during the golden era of hip-hop—grown, sophisticated, smooth and just a little seductive. 🎶🥃 Performance matches the composition: Projection: Stellar Sillage: Unforgettable Longevity: 8–10 hours on my skin, eventually settling into a seductive skin scent. Time Travelin earns a well-deserved 9.0/10. After spending last night with the Wu, it only seems right that today I’m Time Travelin through another piece of hip-hop culture. Have a fantastic Saturday, Brotherhood—and as always, smell blessed doing it! 👐🏾