Match #38 is a study in contrasts: Versace Eros Eau de Toilette versus Tom Ford Ombré Leather. Eros (2012, created by Aurélien Guichard) was one of the first bottles I bought when I started this hobby two years ago, and I still enjoy it a great deal—although these days I prefer the Parfum flanker. It's unapologetically sweet and youthful, with vanilla, mint, green apple, and tonka bean creating that instantly recognizable Eros DNA. Tom Ford Ombré Leather (2018, created by Sonia Constant) operates in an entirely different world. Leather dominates, backed by cardamom, jasmine, patchouli, amber, and oakmoss. It's dark, smooth, sophisticated, and simply stunning. For me, this isn't particularly close. Ombré Leather is one of those fragrances that makes me look forward to cooler weather and date nights. I'd even wear it in the heat and humidity of Asia—although I'd definitely cut way back on the sprays. Tom Ford just gets leather fragrances. Ombré Leather advances to the quarterfinals, while Versace Eros drops into the second-chance bracket.

So my sister and her best friend arrived to visit Colorado here in Thursday. I just dropped them off at the airport. We did all of the required sight seeing within a couple of hours from Denver and it was a blast. My sister knows about my fragrance addiction all too well and when her friend asked her about what perfumes to bring, she said don't bring any because she was in for a treat. When she saw my display, she literally lost her shit.. While I do have some fragrances that are definitely unisex, I only have maybe 3 that are feminine leaning. So I was quite interested in what they'd like and want to wear. Well let me tell you, each of them happily went through them and picked out an SOTD & SOTE for all 5 days. It was very cool to see what they liked for them and what they liked on a man. My sister fell in love with Haltane and wants to buy it for her husband. Her friend and her both loved Carlisle on me. Petit Matin was her favorite for her though. My sister really loved Malachite, which is a god of fire dupe. All in all, it was a great time and we spent hours with rest strips trying out at least 30% of my collection. They definitely enjoyed wearing some fragrances that lean a bit more masculine too. Good times for sure!