If there was a fire, and I lost everything, these are the fragrances I would rebuild my collection with first: 1 - Byredo Gypsy Water / Fine'ry Magical Nomad - one of my all time favorite scents and a great utility scent I can wear year round 2 - Tom Ford Black Orchid EDP or Reserve - one or the other, but not both. This one makes me feel like me. This is my "makes me feel successful and like I own the room" fragrance 3 - Jacques Fath Velours Boise - another versatile year round fragrance that's elegant, elevated, and understated. Quiet, confident, classic 4 - Mauboussin Une Histoire d'Homme Irresistible - One of the best spring fragrances on the market, and it's usually in the $30 range when you can find it. 5 - Prisma Citron - fantastic citrus summer fragrance that handles the high Texas heat well 6 - Prisma Kiss The Moon - one of the best date night fragrances ever put on the market 7 - Imaginary Authors Telegrama - the fougere that turned me around on fougeres and a great versatile office fragrance or casual evening with friends kind of thing. It's been discontinued, so my backup would be El Gonzo Friday Edition 8 - Third Eye Fragrances Iris Obsidian - masculine leather and Iris for a combo that combines everything I love about Gypsy Water with a dark leather to create a polar opposite. The two are yin and yang to each other. 9 - Mauboussin Star Pour Homme - another excellent date night fragrance that's unique and stands out for less than $35 10 - Imaginary Authors O Unknown - my favorite one from the house. It's kind of weird and unique and different, but I absolutely love it. Bonus: 11 - Akro Dark - I love the dark chocolate notes of this one. Not something for every day use, but one of those guilty pleasure fragrances that's just fun to wear. 12 - Versace Dylan Blue - one of the best blue freshies ever made, and an absolute workhorse fragrance that can be worn anywhere, anytime, and still smell good. 13 - Hugo Boss Bottled Elixir - I just like this one, and its the one that really got me excited about fragrances.

I swear the fragrance hobby is half smelling good and half mental gymnastics to justify the next bottle. I’m guilty of all of these, so I’m calling myself out too: - “If it’s expensive, it must be better.”Sometimes you’re paying for the name, the bottle, and the hype. Price can mean quality, but it’s not a guarantee. - “Niche always beats designer.”Not even close. Some designers are smooth, mass-appealing, and really well-made. Some niche is just loud, weird, and overpriced. - “Beast mode = quality.”Lasting 12 hours doesn’t automatically mean it’s good. A scent can be nuclear and still smell rough or one-dimensional. - “It doesn’t last on my skin.”Half the time, I’m just nose-blind. Or my skin is dry, and I’m spraying like it’s a science experiment. Meanwhile, other people can still smell it. - “If I can’t smell it, it’s weak.”This lie creates oversprays. Just because you can’t smell it doesn’t mean the whole room can’t. - “More sprays = more compliments.”More sprays usually equal more people suffering in silence. Compliments come from being in the right distance at the right time, not choking out a hallway. - “I need a signature scent.”You don’t. A small rotation is way better: clean/everyday, night out, dressed up, and one you personally love. - “This just needs maceration.”Sometimes bottles settle, sure. But sometimes… You just don’t like it, and you’re trying to cope. - “This smells exactly like ____.”A lot of scents share a DNA. The opening can fool you. The drydown tells the truth. - “I’ll wear it when the time is right.”Then you never wear it. If you like it, wear it—just control the sprays and match the setting. - “Blind buying is a skill I’m developing.”Nah, it’s gambling with extra steps. Decants > regret. - “I need every flanker for the collection.”Most flankers are the same movie with a different filter. You end up with duplicates and wonder why your shelf feels repetitive. - “This is ONLY for winter / ONLY for summer.”Most scents can work year-round if you adjust sprays and don’t wear a warm amber bomb in 115° heat.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” -- Steve Jobs, late Founder and CEO of Apple A master perfumer doesn’t just mix ingredients, they chase emotion. Just as Steve Jobs obsessed over the invisible details inside an iPhone, a fragrance creator obsesses over the unseen architecture of a scent: the top notes that spark curiosity, the heart that tells the story, and the base that lingers in memory. Great fragrances, like great products, aren’t made for everyone. They’re made with conviction. They challenge trends. They create identity. They make people feel something before they can explain it. When passion leads the process, whether in technology or in scent, the result isn’t just functional. It’s unforgettable. Keep moving forward and #EnjoytheJourney

"I'm not here to do what others do. I'm here to do something that has never been done before". -Aaron Terence Hughes, Indie Perfumer Refuse to live in someone else’s blueprint. Comparison is easy, copying is safe, and following trends is comfortable… but legacy is built in the uncomfortable space where no map exists. Of the two paths, take the one less traveled.... Keep moving forward and #EnjoytheJourney

I have a family friend who calls me all the time, and he loves fragrances, or he may be competing with me as he has been over the house and has seen my Vast collection. He calls me several times to get my opinion and always lets me know his latest pickups. He asks questions to compare notes and when to wear, etc., etc., and has sent several texts with pictures of his latest acquisitions. and several of his collection, as he lives 2 states over in Colorado. Here is my thing, lots of the questions he asks are on fragrances he owns, and the catch is that of a collection of about 400 alot of the boxes are unopened and still have the plastic on them. I dont want to sound critical, and I dont know if he is purchasing them to look good in my eyes and then returning them, as he has very limited fragrance knowledge, and I cant bring it up in conversation as I am too direct and would surely start a war. The thing is, every purchase I have made, and I own over 900 bottles, although I may not have gotten full wear out of them, they have been ripped open by me and sprayed on skin and on testers. I at least know how every purchase smells, and I have none left in plastic unopened and not sprayed unless it is a backup bottle. Actually, I get the mail call open, and I pretty much spray immediately and test each one for the first 2-3 days, even if it is not going to be a full wear. I am getting to the point where I am about to tell him to stop sending me pictures of unopened boxes of perfume that are supposedly purchased, because this practice is unknown to me! I have confirmed that he said he has purchased them and is not thinking of purchasing them, although I find it hard to believe. Any Thoughts?