Happy New Year’s Day, Fragrance Family. Wishing everyone a blessed, peaceful, and positive start to the new year. Chicago is showing no mercy this morning, as we’re kicking things off in very frigid fashion, the kind of cold that makes staying indoors feel like the right decision. Today is all about resetting, slowing down, and taking a moment to breathe before life ramps back up again. I’ll be relaxing at home and soaking in the calm while I can, especially with work starting back up tomorrow. Today’s scent of the day is Luxor Oud by Memo Paris, and it feels perfectly suited for a quiet winter day like this. Luxor Oud opens with a refined richness that immediately draws you in, setting a confident and elegant tone. As it develops, the oud reveals itself in a smooth, polished way—never harsh—layered with warmth and depth that feels both comforting and luxurious. The performance is excellent, with strong projection early on that makes its presence known, then settling into a steady, enveloping aura. Longevity is equally impressive, lingering on the skin for hours without losing its character or balance. Luxor Oud is bold yet wearable, sophisticated without being overpowering, and ideal for cold weather when deeper scents really shine. It carries a sense of quiet confidence that works just as well for a relaxed day at home as it would for a more formal setting. This one earns a solid 8.5 rating for its great performance, projection, and longevity. Here’s to starting the year off grounded, rested, and well-scented. Stay warm and enjoy the day, fam.

Kicking the year off with a great start, now before anyone starts shouting. yes rhis is the dreaded 2025 formulation. I checked the batch codes and this was all they had in stock. I had my nose on the edp and this one which was a touch sweeter. I could have gone for the intense, but there was no tester and at these prices I'm not taking risks on something I have. No experience with. So this is another Francis Kurkdjian effort after the eau forte and the limited €15000 Sauvage fiasco's I should have ran away. But it's actually not a bad fragrance to be fair. Ok fans of the original formulation might be pissed, I believe the old one was and Iris/leather base which I would love to try whereas the new 2025 is a warm amber based scent So there is still Iris in the opening, it's strong, powdery and clean, but alas, it fades away rather quickly. There is also an Orange note in there plays a nice support role in the opening and could easily be missed. At the heart, the Amber accord takes over the show and it dominates. This is were the sweetness and warmth come from. This is designed totally with the Amber in control, the base has Coumarin, Patchouli and some Vetiver and a Hay Cut? Which gives an overall earthy/woody foundation to anchor the sweetness of the Amber. I won't even try to make comparisons here. From what I've read this is a totally different fragrance and in all fairness should have been given it's own line name. But the money men rule the roost right. This may be a cash in, but it's a good one imo, I quite like this and it makes me want to explore at least the others, definitely want to try the intense and if I can find an old formulation of this, Iris and leather sound amazing. I've gotten a solid 6 hrs with this, it's consistent for the duration. Projection is good for the first 2hrs, before settling into a moderate, refined scent bubble. Like most of my collection I tend to be drawn towards the Autumn/Winter fragrances and this is no different. I'd say this will appeal to the masses as it's quite versatile and could work just as well in the office as on a date night. If you haven't already tried it, give it a go, just judge it on its own merits and don't make comparisons. This is a Dior Homme in name only. It could have easily been named Pour Homme or Homme Amber?