Has anyone else experienced falling out of love with specific fragrances? Not necessarily fragrance fatigue as a whole, but fragrances that you genuinely loved at one point and now just don’t feel the same about. Maybe you’ve overused them, your taste has changed, or you’ve simply started noticing something about the fragrance that you didn’t before. Have you ever managed to fall back in love with a fragrance after that happens? If so, what worked for you? Did you take a break from it, try wearing it in a different season or setting, layer it with something else, or just accept that the fragrance had run its course? Would be interested to hear what actually worked for people.

Match #36 features two relatively recent additions to my collection that I've quickly grown to enjoy: Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir Eau de Parfum versus Terre d'Hermès Eau Givrée. Bleu Noir EDP (2018, created by Sonia Constant) is an incredibly versatile woody-musky fragrance built around vetiver, cedar, ebony wood, amber, and that signature Narciso Rodriguez musk. It's smooth, understated, mature, and one of those rare fragrances I could comfortably wear in all four seasons. Terre d'Hermès Eau Givrée (2022, created by Christine Nagel) is less versatile seasonally, but what it does, it does exceptionally well. The opening burst of citron, juniper berries, and Timut pepper gives way to that familiar Terre combination of woods and mineral notes. It's bright and refreshing without ever becoming a generic citrus freshie. As much as I enjoy Bleu Noir, Eau Givrée is starting to make a serious claim to becoming my spring and summer signature fragrance. Every time I wear it, I'm reminded just how beautifully balanced it is. Terre d'Hermès Eau Givrée moves into the quarterfinals, while Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir EDP drops into the second-chance bracket.

I've been intrigued by Sartorial for a long time, and it all started with a description that I couldn't get out of my head when I heard a brother here describe it as a freshly pressed white business shirt. I've been trying to find a decant for quite a while, and thanks to Joe A.'s Decants, I finally got the chance to wear it. And now that I have, I understand why that description stayed with me. Sartorial is immediately fresh, crisp and airy. The lavender and aldehydic character gives it that almost freshly pressed quality, while beeswax, leather, woods and a soft muskiness give it warmth and depth as it develops. The closest I've ever come to the image I get with this is Prada L'Homme. Unfortunately, L'Homme is very iris forward, and I've never been a fan of iris. Sartorial gives me that same image without the iris getting in the way. There is something very masculine about it, without it being dark, loud or aggressive. And the musk is important here. The freshness gets my attention, but that soft muskiness is what keeps drawing me back to my skin. It gives the fragrance a warmth and sensuality that I really enjoy. As an EDT, it projects predictably in an alluring way. The sillage is moderate and noticeably softer as it dries down. The longevity is more about how it returns to you in your own scent bubble with a muskiness that give hours of pleasure. A genuine thank-you to Joe A.'s Decants for helping me finally get my hands on this one. I've been chasing Sartorial for quite a while, and Joe came through when I couldn't find it anywhere. He was also generous enough to include a couple of other samples which I will also be posting about after the wears.