Yesterday before work I hit the pharmacy for a prescription. While waiting, I browsed the perfume section to test something new. (I only pick 2 frags at a time to test.) I chose Acqua di Giò Profondo and Dior Homme Eau Man. At the opening I slightly preferred the Dior, but as the night went on I fell absolutely in love with it — it became a "must have" buy. So I go to look up the price online... and discover it's been discontinued for years. Today I went back to the pharmacy to investigate. The clerk (I'm a regular, we know each other) insisted the EDT they carry is the Eau Man. I told her to open the box — if it matched, I'd buy it on the spot. She opened it with total confidence I was wrong... and then her jaw dropped when the juice was obviously a different color. I tried to buy the tester bottle right there, but she didn't have the authority and the manager wasn't in. She suggested that if I bought a travel atomizer, she'd fill it for free — and mentioned they usually give away old testers for a $5 charity donation (didn't catch which charity, something women's-related 🤣). Perfect. Bought the atomizer, got 5ml free, made my $5 donation. Now the tester is locked away with my name and number on it, flagged as donated, just waiting on manager approval. If it goes through, I'm looking at roughly 50ml for $5 — on top of the $20 atomizer fill!! Pray to the perfume gods for me, brothers 🙏 I'm already thrilled with 5ml for $20 — but if that tester comes through, it'll be the best perfume score of my life!

Today I reached for Santal from Floris London. It’s warm and sunny here in Greenvale this morning, with the weather expected to turn a little heavier later in the day, so I wanted something that could comfortably move with the day. Fresh enough for August. But with a little more depth behind it. Santal does that beautifully. It opens with bergamot, lemon, black pepper and cardamom, which gives it a bright, slightly spicy freshness right from the start. Then the lavender, clove and nutmeg begin to show themselves before everything settles into sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, frankincense, amber and musk. What I enjoy most is the balance. There is warmth here, but it doesn’t feel heavy. There is spice, but it isn’t aggressive. And the sandalwood gives it a smooth, polished character that feels very much in keeping with what I’ve come to appreciate about Floris as a house. There is also something I really enjoy about wearing a fragrance from a house with this much history. Santal itself takes inspiration from a Floris sandalwood fragrance originally created in the 1800s, but it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing something old-fashioned. It feels classic. And I think there is an important difference between the two. More and more, that is what I find myself drawn to — things that have history, craftsmanship and tradition behind them, but still make complete sense in my life today. Floris Santal feels exactly like that. 😎