So one of the capstones to my month in Europe was a shopping spree at London Heathrow as they have some of the most frou frou duty-free shops I've ever seen. One of the bottles I ended up getting was Aventus Absolu. Almost every retailer and duty free I stopped in at during my trip was out of stock on this one and I was even told the same by the sales assistant until I dropped some coin on Memo exclusives (Memo is very difficult to sample where I live so I stocked up for sure on samples and Discovery sets so I know what to get at discounters). Once I had an additional 20% discount secured at the Duty free miraculously she found a bottle of Aventus Absolu and about five free samples. So she might have been protecting me from myself TBH. Anyways, we're here for the juice, not my backstory and this one is interesting given that I already have a couple of clones of this one in my collection. What makes the authentic juice so different is that it's a bit of a slow burn in comparison. It takes its time to ramp up to full potency so more a slow burn than a full press like Supremacy. Also, given that I haven't even opened the full presentation yet and I'm working through the myriad of samples she gave me, the less than stellar atomizer of the sampler is is one or two extra sprays then I would give normally for a Creed product. With that in mind, this one is definitely a banger! Everything I love about the fruity chypre DNA mixed with some of the darker more leathery notes that also song to me. I'm certainly glad they were out of stock until I had a 20% discount, but feel like I got a good deal. I will for sure do reviews of all of the Memo products I bought, but I'm to using delayed gratification and have an even unpacked them yet so that I can stretch out the dopamine a bit. Wishing you all a glorious weekend. Smell good my brothers!

This is just my take, but I think a lot of people jump into niche fragrances too early before their nose is really developed. There is nothing wrong with niche itself, and I am definitely not against it, but I do think the experience hits a lot differently when you actually have enough time in the game to understand what you are smelling. A lot of niche fragrances are more abstract, more challenging, or more subtle in the way they are built, and if your nose is not trained yet, it becomes easy to confuse price with quality or uniqueness with greatness. To me, having a developed nose means you can actually pick up on the blending, the transitions, the texture, the balance, and how the fragrance evolves from the opening to the drydown. That is when you really start appreciating what makes a scent special. Without that foundation, I think a lot of people end up buying off hype, reputation, exclusivity, or what they heard from other people instead of what truly connects with them. That does not mean you cannot start with niche, because anybody can wear whatever they like, but I do think the journey is a lot more rewarding when you have taken the time to smell different styles, learn notes, compare quality, and really build your taste. At that point, niche stops being just expensive bottles and starts becoming something you can genuinely understand and appreciate for yourself. Less expensive designers, quality clones, decants, and sample sets are often the smartest way to build your nose first without overspending. Why: - Designers usually help you learn the basics more easily because many are more wearable, more structured, and easier to understand. - Clones can help you explore profiles tied to expensive originals without paying full niche prices. - Decants and samples are probably the best route of all because they let you smell more and buy less. I think the best path is balance. Some people jump into niche too early before their nose is developed, but on the other side, too many people get stuck in the clone and designer world because of price, and never explore the full hobby. Budget matters, but if you never branch out, you can end up limiting your understanding of fragrance, quality, and creativity.

I’m starting to feel like this might be my last bottle. Even with 10–14 sprays, it’s gone within 40–50 minutes. Not sure if it’s a batch issue, but the performance feels weak, even for gym use. With the prices going up as well, it doesn’t feel like good value anymore. If BBW fixes the performance, I’d happily bring it back into my collection, but for now I don’t think it’s worth it.