Run!!! Only kidding, but here are the facts!!! Can you Blind buy a fragrance based on the note Breakdown? In my opinion, no — not with any real accuracy. A note breakdown can give you a general idea of where the fragrance may be going, but it does not tell the whole story. A lot of notes are really perceived effects. When a brand lists apple, leather, tobacco, amber, sea breeze, or vanilla, that does not always mean those exact materials are sitting in the bottle. Many times, those notes are created with aroma chemicals, accords, naturals, or a mix of materials that give you the impression of that note. That is why two fragrances can list some of the same notes and smell completely different. The formula matters. The quality of materials matters. The blending matters. The dosage matters. The sweetness, texture, projection, density, and drydown all matter. A note breakdown does not tell you how sweet the fragrance really is, how smooth or harsh it may feel, how synthetic or natural it smells, how loud it projects, how it changes on skin, or what actually dominates when you wear it. That is why I think it can be misleading when someone says, “I do not like that fragrance because I do not like one of the notes listed.” You may hate coconut in one fragrance and love it in another. You may dislike oud in a note breakdown but enjoy a clean woody oud accord. You may think you hate leather, but maybe what you really dislike is smoky leather, not a soft suede type of leather. To me, the note breakdown is only a guide. It is not the fragrance itself. The only real way to know if you like something is to smell it, put it on skin, and wear it through the opening, mid, and dry down. Notes can point you in a direction, but they cannot replace actual experience. So the next time someone tells you they blind bought a fragrance only because of the note breakdown, I would take that with caution. Notes are perceived. Notes can be completely constructed. They can be created through aroma chemicals, accords, naturals, or a blend of materials working together. On top of that, those same materials can be blended differently, dosed differently, and supported by different base materials, which can completely change the way the fragrance smells.

I haven’t felt very patriotic lately, so going out and celebrating wasn’t something I initially wanted to do. But my friends convinced me to go out, and I’m so glad that I did. The local parks and rec department put on an amazing celebration. We had probably 10-15K people from all walks of life coming together to celebrate. It just goes to show that sometimes you have to touch grass and ignore the doom scrolling and pundits with agendas. So my fragrance today was a little symbolic. I wore Tempestarii from indie house Andromedas Curse. It’s a rain storm themed scent that is pretty realistic. It captures that scent of rain on the wind just as the temperature falls and the first drops begin to fall. It’s earthy, slightly floral, ozonic and a little damp. On top of it. I did a couple of sprays of The Noir 29 to put some black tea mixed into the eye of the storm. My own olfactory nod to the tea party that started it all. I hope that wherever you are , however you celebrate, that you had a fun, safe night tonight.