Ladies and Gentlemen of the BoS, I am truly honored, humbled and speechless by my fellow members. Speechless. I am without speech... Today I received the following: From @Mark DiCiero, received decants of: - Paragon by Initio, - Haltane by PdM, - Fahrenheit Parfum by Dior, - Le Sel d'Issey by Issey Miyake, - Hacivat by Nishane, - Check Please by Mind Games. But my blessings did not end there. From @Jonathan Ventura I received: - A full new (in the factory wrapper) 100ml bottle of the highly rated Ramad by Arabiyat Prestige Gentlemen, your generosity goes far above and beyond... Thank you so much. Happy Holidays to all!

I posted earlier today about a video I watched and would like to break it down in a different way since most will not watch the video, so I wanted to throw some "unpopular opinions" out there to see where everyone stands. We all love the hunt for the perfect scent, but are we falling into some of these traps? 1. The "Beast Mode" Tax is Real The obsession with performance is actually hurting our wallets. Brands have realized they can slap an "Extrait" label on a bottle, pump up the Ambroxan, and charge us $400-$600 because we’ve been conditioned to think 12+ hours of longevity is the only metric that matters. Are we losing the artistry of subtle perfumery? 2. Buying isn't a Hobby—It’s an Addiction We’ve all seen the "rate my collection" posts with 100+ bottles. A huge realization for me lately is that learning about notes and history is the hobby; the act of purchasing is just a shopping habit. If your collection can't be finished in 3 years, are you actually enjoying the scents, or just the hit of dopamine from the delivery? 3. The "Paper Strip" Delusion It’s wild how many people still buy a full bottle based on the first 30 seconds at a counter. The opening is just the "pre-game." If you aren't living with the dry-down on your skin for at least 4 hours before committing, you aren't actually buying the fragrance—you're buying the marketing. 4. Subjectivity vs. The "Spectrometer" Scent is the most subjective thing on earth, yet we argue for hours in the comments about whether a note smells like "pickles" or "luxury woods." We have to admit that our memories and associations (like the "makeup bag" Iris in DHI) color our perception more than the actual ingredients do. 5. The Clone vs. Original Rivalry Clones are great for people who don't care, but a trained nose will almost always spot the 10% difference. Does that 10% difference justify a $300 price gap? For me, sometimes the "inspired" version hits the itch, but other times it’s like a sibling—close, but definitely not a twin.