#sotd... Old Money by Armaf... This is an oriental woody fragrance. In my opinion this opens a little harsh. Give it a minute or two and it smooths out. Old Money blends a fresh spicy opening with a powdery semi-sweet gourmand mid with a smokey Mineral dry down. This has a really nice powdery vibe to it. Good projection for the first couple hours. I was able to go 8 hours before I refreshed. I give this an 8.5 out of 10. Great value for the price.

I'm not sure if it's me, where I'm at in the hobby, or if it is just generally not a great release year, but I've been struggling to get excited about most of the new releases this year. Flankers for brands and lines that I'd been collecting up to this point seem boring and flat. Is anyone else finding this year's releases less than stellar? I'm just wondering if it's that or perhaps I've hit a saturation point in my collection. M aybe it's both? Curious as to others experiences this year, and as always, open to recommendations to things that might be more exciting that you've discovered this year.

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.