Despite reading the many glowing reviews, my first impression of REPLICA By the Fireplace by Maison Margiela was surprisingly underwhelming. The opening clove note, followed quickly by a heavy balsamic, woody accord, felt more sharp and resinous than cozy, and it never quite pulled me in. While the fragrance leans heavily into woody, vanilla, amber, and warm spicy accords, the balance didn’t translate to the inviting warmth I expected. Overall, I’d rate it a 3 out of 5—interesting in concept, but not something I’d reach for while snuggled up next to my wife by a crackling fireplace.

Sometimes people become too religious about ethereal and optional created boundaries, theories, traditions, perfection and correctness, in all aspects of life. All of these are not a bad thing, I believe we all have some of that. The challenge comes when we dare to impose those things to others, instead of sharing our ways and let people decide if they want to try our way, if they stick to their ways because works for them. Perfumery isn’t the exception. Isn’t perfumery an art? Isn’t the art abstract? Yes, the artist is the only one who knows exactly what he ment or wanted to imprint in his work, the rest of the humanity can just interpret that work based on their knowledge, experience, nuance, perspective, preferences, needs, etc. So, the same rule as in language applies here, “the use establishes the correctness.” What is correct to many, could be considered incorrect to others. But the main purpose of language is communication, and if everyone speaks the same language, the message will be understood using correct or incorrect words. Moral, do your thing, be happy, respect others, and let them be as well. Everyone will learn from their own mistakes and grow, nobody learns from other people’s experiences. All that said, I want to bring to discussion one of the simplest things we do as fragrance enthusiasts, where to apply your fragrance. When I started to use fragrances (my dad’s colognes when I was very young) I always had to apply them on my clothing because they always burned my skin. I had no choice until very late on my adulthood. Now I use the on skin and clothing. We all now that a fragrance only develops on skin due to temperature, chemistry, chemical reactions, compounds, etc. However, IMO when I apply them on skin and clothing, I experience best of the 2 worlds, the development on the skin, and the fresh eternal opening at the same time. While the fragrance on skin fades away, I still smell amazing until I finish my day without having to reapply. Let me know how you prefer to apply your fragrance and why, we all have our own rituals.

My favorite of the ocean flankers. Citrus, woods and vanilla. A simple yet elegant frag. Perfect for year round wear with good performance

Mission Fragrance Courage for today. Couple of in person compliments today!

Hey, fellow scent adventurers and connoisseurs of olfactory artistry! 👋 Alright, brothers, let's talk about the digital frontier of our fragrant passion. We all love our juice, our bottles, our carefully curated collections that bring joy to our noses and confidence to our stride. But let's be real – keeping track of it all can be... a task. The dreaded spreadsheet. We've all been there, haven't we? Rows, columns, trying to remember if you logged that new decant or where you put the purchase date for that vintage gem. Shivers. Which brings me to my light-hearted muse for today: Has anyone here in the Brotherhood been harnessing the power of Fragrantica (https://www.fragrantica.com/) to upload and meticulously track their magnificent fragrance collections? Seriously, once you go Fragrantica, you realize it definitely beats using a spreadsheet! It's like upgrading from a dusty old map to a full-blown GPS for your scent journey. Imagine: all your beloved bottles, decants, and samples neatly cataloged, with all the notes, perfumers, and reviews right at your fingertips. No more endless scrolling through Google images to remember what that one flanker looked like! If you haven't dived in yet, here's the super simple lowdown to get started and liberate your collection from the tyranny of rows and columns: 🚶‍♀️ Getting Started on Fragrantica 1. Head to the Site: Navigate your browser to https://www.fragrantica.com/. 2. Register Your Account: Look for the "Register" or "Join" link, usually in the top right corner. You'll just need a username, email, and password. It's quick, painless, and free! 3. Confirm Your Email: They'll send you a confirmation email. Click the link, and boom – you're officially part of the Fragrantica family. 📝 Recording Your Fragrances 1. Find Your Fragrance: Once logged in, use the search bar at the top of the page. Type in the name of a fragrance you own (e.g., "Creed Aventus," "Dior Sauvage," "Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille"). 2. Add to Your Collection: On the fragrance's page, you'll see a section like "I have it," "I had it," "I want it," etc. Click on "I have it"! 3. Specify Details (Optional but Fun!): A little pop-up will appear. You can specify details like: 4. Repeat! Go through your collection and add all your treasures.