Match #48 in the second-chance bracket is a study in contrasts: Lattafa Mashrabya versus Prada Luna Rossa Ocean Eau de Parfum. Mashrabya (2024) is an affordable powerhouse—a rich amber vanilla fragrance built around apple shisha, cinnamon, tobacco, caramel, vanilla, oud, and patchouli. It's sweet, smoky, and strong, and I can certainly see reaching for it when the weather gets seriously cold. Prada Luna Rossa Ocean EDP (2023, created by Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm) feels much fresher, particularly in the opening, with grapefruit leading into incense, vanilla, amber, and woods. It has plenty of depth, but it's considerably more versatile than Mashrabya. And ultimately, that's the test I've been using throughout this tournament: which one would I actually reach for more often? For me, it's Prada every time. Add in the emotional connection—Ocean was one of the first fragrances in my collection and the one I wore when I first met my fiancée in Hong Kong—and this decision becomes even easier. Prada Luna Rossa Ocean EDP survives for another round, while Lattafa Mashrabya is eliminated from the tournament. I'm glad Ocean is sticking around. This bottle has a story attached to it.

I heard LV will be reformulating Imagination and figured it was now or never. So I sold a bunch of bottles that I wasn’t reaching for anymore, called the nearest LV boutique to make sure they had it, and snagged their last bottle of Imagination. And… I *might* have figured out a hack to get it at a discount. The LV boutique downtown is in a Nordstroms, and I apparently had a $10 Nordstroms reward that I was able to apply to the purchase price then and there. But even better, my Amex card is having a promotion of $50 off any purchase of $200 or more at Nordstroms, and the LV boutique in Nordstroms bills through Nordstroms — so hopefully I’ll get $50 more off on this purchase. I’d call $60 off my LV purchase a big win if it actually works out. But either way this is a fantastic fragrance, I burned through several decants and samples and I’m happy to finally have a bottle in my collection