Recently, I have been away from the community for a while. Life has been rather busy and a little messy as well. I was adjusting to working remotely and trying to manage my time properly, while also putting a large portion of my salary aside for some long-term goals. It was the right thing to do financially, but it also made me feel rather tight with money for a while. Thankfully, I'm in a much better place mentally now, and I'm slowly getting myself back into the things I enjoy. As for fragrances, working from home has naturally changed things quite a bit. Since I don't go out nearly as much anymore, I don't reach for my usual fragrances as often. During the summer I've mostly been using lighter options, including some cheaper alternatives, body mists and sprays. And honestly, Egyptian summer is not exactly forgiving. I still don't own a proper summer fragrance that I love — something along the lines of Bleu de Chanel or another fresh "blue" fragrance — so that's definitely something I'd like to change eventually. When I do go out, I still wear fragrance, but I've been staying away from the heavier ones. Something like Brazilian Tobacco in this heat would probably be an act of violence. 😄 There is, however, something else I've been dealing with recently. I've started getting quite severe itching, redness and burning wherever I spray fragrance, especially when I'm exposed to the sun afterwards. The heat here in Egypt has been intense, and unfortunately even fragrances that normally don't bother me can become uncomfortable in direct sunlight. I'm not entirely sure whether it's the fragrance itself, the combination of fragrance and sunlight, or simply the heat. If anyone here has experienced something similar or knows what might be causing it, I'd genuinely appreciate hearing your experience and what helped you. Anyway, it's good to be back. Hopefully I'll have some new fragrances, reviews and experiences to share soon.

This one surprised me. Sunkissed Sands is one of those fragrances that reminds me that you don’t have to spend $300–$400 to get something that smells really good and feels put together. Right from the opening I get this bright, juicy tropical freshness. The mango is definitely there, mixed with grapefruit and bergamot, but it doesn’t come across like some overly sweet tropical fruit cocktail. There’s enough citrus and freshness around it to keep everything bright and wearable. As it develops, the iris, jasmine and pink pepper smooth everything out and give it a little more sophistication. Then you get amber, vetiver and agarwood underneath it. That woody base is important because it gives Sunkissed Sands some backbone and keeps it from becoming just another fruity summer fragrance. This is exactly the type of scent I like in hot weather—fresh and tropical, but with enough depth that it doesn’t smell thin or cheap. And that brings me to the biggest thing here: value. Sphinx lists the 100 ml at $139.99, which in today’s fragrance world is relatively inexpensive, especially considering how many niche fragrances are pushing $250, $300 and well beyond that. And when they run a sale close to 100.00. Performance is also very good for this style of fragrance. It pushes off my skin nicely and leaves a noticeable scent trail without becoming obnoxious. For a warm-weather fragrance, that’s exactly what I want. Scent: 9/10 Projection: 8/10 Sillage: 8/10 Value: 9.5/10 This is easily one of the better Sphinx fragrances I’ve smelled and one I think deserves more attention. Highly rated by me, relatively inexpensive, easy to wear, and it smells considerably more expensive than what you’re paying. Also highly rated on Parfumo and Fragrantica!!! Sometimes we get so caught up chasing expensive niche bottles that we forget a fragrance doesn’t have to cost $350 to be excellent. Sunkissed Sands is proof of that.