Hey good people, very chilly morning today in Canada. I decided to give this interesting fragrance a wear. Honestly, when I first bought it, it wasn’t my thing. I love Argos, but this one gave me a cough syrup vibe, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever appreciate it. It has grown on me… today, I finally understood the fragrance, and I’m happy that I kept it! Triumph of Bacchus is rich, boozy, peachy tobacco goodness. That opening can definitely come off a bit medicinal at first (I know I’m not the only one 😅), but once it settles, it turns into this smooth, warm, slightly seductive vanilla-tobacco blend. Not a dumb reach, this is a “I chose this on purpose” scent. Perfect for colder days like today, great for evenings and date nights, with solid performance without being nuclear. This thing will get compliments! To me, it sits somewhere between Herod and Naxos, but with that boozy twist that gives it personality. Not the most groundbreaking DNA, but it’s blended so well that it just works. Easy to enjoy once it clicks, and clearly… it finally did for me. Cheers BOS, I’m getting ready to grab a beer!🍻

From actress Kate Walsh. Already placed an order- stay tuned. Boyfriend Perfume

From left to right in that order. In our Facebook group, I traded L’Homme Ideal EDP and Xerjoff Starlight for an extra bottle of Percival. Thanks, brother @Steve Wong I bought Hermes Pairs Eau d’Orange Verte and Eau de Citron Noir because I enjoyed them before and they were a good deal. I had to have Memo Paris Winter Palace because it has a great tea note and wanted in my collection. I traded an item for Electimuss Trajan and Mercurial Cashmere, looking for Astrum Nova. I bought Dolce & Gabbana Intenso and Pour Homme from a great fellow member, @Frank Barnett Finally, I found Micheal Malul & Gents Scents West Loop for a really good deal and I’m looking for the last three to complete my collection.

As staple for the late 90’s and early 2000’s, it seemed every guy had this one. And it was a beast. The question is raised: Are the current formulations and clones similar to the original, or must we look elsewhere to get those notes of juniper, amber, cactus, and lavender that we loved so much. Let’s dive in. Liz Claiborne’s Curve for Men. The original. I applied this today, and immediately, I was taken back. This twenty year old 5 mL bottle smells exactly as I remembered it. Smooth, deep woody, ambery, lavender, with a unique cactus undercurrent. There is also a slight peppery and juniper note. There is pineapple listed as a note, but I do not detect that at all, and I can’t say that I remember a pineapple note at all either when I wore it decades ago. So I do not think that top note has degraded over time. It must be and has been a subtle accenting note if it was even there. But did I say this fragrance is smooth? Dang, it’s good. Curve was coming out of the “complex” era of fragrances where the notes were many and well blended. So individual note details are hard to describe, and the fragrance functions as a whole. This is a strictly linear fragrance and doesn’t change much if at all over its lifespan. As for performance, it has decent projection, but not crazy. Again, this one works well in a work space, but spray heavier if outdoors or in an open space. It does lend itself to cooler weather because it does feel thicker and heavy, but it could be worn in an evening setting during warmer weather. As for longevity, it projected nicely for at least 5 hours, then it was a skin scent. It was gone in 8 hours. In 2011, Liz Claiborne was acquired by Elizabeth Arden Co. and the Claiborne name was dropped from the label. And alas, the downhill slide from there is real. Elizabeth Arden’s Curve for Men. I would like to think that I am not aggravated by many things. But this is one of them. I do not know why, but synthetic rubbing alcohol pineapple is where they thought this fragrance needed to be. The pineapple is up front, and not in a good way like Aventus DNA. Though I can’t help but think they brought the pineapple forward after Aventus’ success. The opening doesn’t smell like I remember the fragrance at all, and when compared to LC Curve, that seems truer than ever. The opening is just awful. For one hour, this is a vastly different fragrance. Then, to say something nice, it finally lands pretty close to the original late in its life as the pineapple alcohol evaporates away. Although it does seem to lean a tad bit more on the black pepper and juniper; and the cactus note seems absent. As for performance, this is right on par with the original. And as for longevity it is a skin scent after 5 hours. It actually may last just a tad longer than the original, just a tad longer.

Good morning, Fragrance Family, and happy Friday. Today marks the first day of spring, and Chicago is blessing us with temperatures in the 60s. Definitely unseasonably warm for this time of year, but I am going to enjoy every bit of it. I am also looking forward to some fun with my grandsons this weekend when they come in from out of town. My scent of the day is what I like to call Santal Austral Overdose. I layered both the EDP and Extrait formulations from Matiere Premiere, and this has officially taken the crown as my favorite sandalwood fragrance of all time. It is woody, slightly floral, and gently sweet, with a sandalwood accord that gives the fragrance such a deep, smooth, luxurious flow. Layering the EDP and Extrait takes it to another level. It adds more projection and creates an impenetrable sillage bubble that lasts for hours. This fragrance is absolutely ironclad. 10.00 Have a fantastic Friday and enjoy the day, fam.