Wonderful morning, Brotherhood! Today I’m bringing you one of my newer acquisitions from the house of Mancera, Aqua Wood, released in 2020 and crafted by the legendary Pierre Montale. To my nose, this one opens with a bright blast of lemon-lime citrus paired with a light aquatic freshness, likely coming from the pear note. Now, full disclosure, I’m a heavy sprayer, so the opening came off a bit sharp at first. But that’s pretty standard Mancera behavior, so I let it breathe. Around the 30-minute mark, things start to settle beautifully. The citrus is still present but dialed back, allowing the dry feeling pear to appear and soften the brightness just right. Out of nowhere… Ummm why hello Rose... where did you come from??? Totally unexpected… The Turkish rose starts to peek through and instantly rounds off the remaining sharp edges, adding a smooth elegance I wasn’t expecting at all. Then at this point musk and amber rise up and really anchor the fragrance. It creates a well-balanced, addictive scent that had me going back for sniff after sniff. As it reaches its final form, the standout players are a bright, airy rose wrapped in musky amber tones, clean, classy, and extremely wearable. Performance is excellent, true to Mancera fashion. I pulled in two compliments at work, both followed by genuine curiosity about what I was wearing. Longevity sat over 7 hours, with noticeable sillage lingering well after I left the room. Projection pushed about 2–3 feet for the first couple of hours, then hovered closer to 1 foot for another four before settling into a strong, noticeable skin scent as I kept getting whiffs of it as I moved around. The bottle is hefty, and the pressurized atomizer is top-tier, one of the best in the game, and exactly what you expect from Mancera. Overall, I highly recommend giving Aqua Wood a try. It’s versatile, evolves nicely, fun to wear, and a certified compliment-getter. I’m glad I stumbled onto this one and scooped it up as it’s definitely a banger in my book.

“Inspired by an individual with steadfast ambition, whose tireless quest for excellence creates a profound impact. Hommasse La créme Intense has been crafted to distinguish itself. Offering a harmonious combination of rich opulent woods and spices, while incorporating vibrant and lush citrus that provide that final layer of confidence for the day ahead.” -Marquis Furlow, Hommasse La Créme Intense for Men Hello everyone. Today’s SOTD comes from a house that crafts fragrance with respect, love, and admiration: Marquis Furlow Fragrances, created by Marquis Furlow. I first discovered his work through an Instagram reel, which led me to order two discovery sets. They arrived on 1/12, and as stated in my first review of these fragrances , the aromatics announced themselves. It was immediately clear—this was a great decision. At 6:50 a.m., I reached for the second fragrance in my set—Hommasse La Crème Intense. Hommasse is French for “masculine,” while la crème translates to “cream of the crop,” a phrase used to describe something that represents the pinnacle—the most distinguished, top-tier expression within its category. A compliment from a coworker later that morning—“…by the way, you smell good…”—only confirmed this fragrance as truly zenith as a masculine scent, one designed to make me feel exactly as proclaimed by Macho Man Randy Savage (rest in peace): “…I am the cream of the crop, and the cream always rises to the top!” 🥃🕶️ Not only is there a sense of strength and calm weaved into this fragrance, but there’s also a balance of aromatic notes: tea, woods, spice, tobacco, and suede all brought in embodying masculine energy. Top Notes: Black tea, Italian Bergamot, Wood accords Middle Notes: Juniper berries, Cuban tobacco, Black pepper Base Notes: Blackwood, Oakmoss absolute, Vanilla beans, Suede As of 2:58 p.m., the fragrance lingers and wafts through the halls at work and by this time, I’ve received 6 other compliments towards it. A smile comes to my face, sheepish and a bit shy. I layered it with Eternal Perfume Oil’s Red Sweet Tobacco, a fine alternative to Mancera Red Tobacco. I also found something pleasant that worked well in my favor: cold weather really brings out the notes and enhances the layered fragrances.