I decided several Months ago that since I didn’t have room “upstairs” where I dress for my collection but still wanted to have options. I would make decants of each and have them in my closet. I had some stands made on Etsy so I can have stadium seating for them all. Mi did some reorganization in my closet today and moved them to this spot and added lights. Before you say it. YES I’m a bit obsessive!! 😬 You should see the rest of the closet 🤣

This is gonna sound so stupid. But i’ve fallen in love with this subject so much that I’ve started teaching myself how to make perfumes now. I’ve spent a lot of hours studying chemistry, aromachemicals, even got a book on perfuming a few months ago. Been looking into proper suppliers and got a good supply of high end ingredients and musks. I’m nowhere NEAR the six year educated professionals like our brother who used to be here, Mike Payne. But i feel like im grasping it well. Now that being said, I really wanted to announce this sooner because of how proud I am to have started getting into this hobby. Maybe it’s just a fixation that I get, as a brother on the spectrum a little bit lol. I personally think that my fixation might be not intense as it is now, but i’ve always loved classy things and fragrance, and so I think this will stick for a lifetime. But now I’m reaching a point where collecting is awesome, but not enough. I want to start making them. And so as a hobby, when I can find the time, I’ve began this journey. I’m nowhere NEAR to the point where I can comfortably say that i’m good at this, nor will i let my stuff see the light of DAY for a little bit. But hey, no better place to announce this than here. So now getting into the subject of the post. The girl i made this for. First question is, why would I do this? Because i was in love once. It wasn’t a perfect relationship, it was actually incredibly painful for me, and I had to end it because it was getting too much, holding onto this, not knowing where I stood. But i loved her, deeply. We were just kids in highschool when we first met. Danced to a song by Ed Sheeran. Kept dancing even after the song ended. And I fell in love with her that night. And never stopped. But unfortunately, it didn’t end. I was tired of not knowing where I belonged in her life. It’s not that she was never there for me, but her inconsistency is what broke my heart. It was a constant cycle of intensity, push, pull, then nothing. And then restarting. And honestly, I felt like i was kept close enough to be there and decently present, but never close enough to really BE there. And as someone in love for years… that hurt me a lot!

Getting back to this series. My flight is delayed, so I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on some posts and work on a few things. This has been sititng in my drafts for a few weeks, so finally got time to work on it a little more: I picked up this sample on a visit earlier this year to Kuhl Linscomb in Houston. They carry a ton of indie and niche fragrances that I otherwise don’t get much opportunity to try out in Austin. I’ve been looking for some scents to wear for the summer that aren’t all grapefruit citrus freshie bombs, and the store clerk recommended ths and was nice enough to provide me with a free 2mL sample. Just a side note - I don’t think the manager there likes me. A few visits prior to this, I noticed they had moved all of their fragrance testers and put them behind the counter. You have to ask the sales clerk before the will let you spray. I asked him about it and he told me that basically they had too many people (like me) coming in, trying everything, and not buying anything. So to save their clerks from being blasted every day with dozens and dozens of scents, they opted to make people ask for them. I have bought multiple items from them at full retail or on sale pricing for the holidays, but every time I come in, he follows me and scowls at me and rebutts any attempt I make to have a conversation. The other clerks like me and recognize me and have great conversations and seem to have fun trying things. Anyway, Etat Libre d’Orange (ELDO) was created by Etienne de Swardt as a deliberately provocative and boundary-pushing fragrance line. Their motto is literally "Perfume is dead. Long live perfume." I Am Trash (or in French "Les Fleurs du Déchet", literally "Flowers of the Garbage”) was released in 2018 and created by Daniela Andrier. She's known being the nose behind many iconic Prada scents. The concept behind I Am Trash is eco-oriented sustainability: many of the raw materials are upcycled byproducts, including apple oil derived from apple juice production waste, rose absolute extracted from already-distilled rose petals, and cedarwood atlas recovered from sawdust before it gets turned into fuel. I think it’s a really cool idea.

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After four days of testing, multiple side-by-side wearings, and comparing them against a lot of other fragrances in my collection, this is how I would rank them from best to worst: 1. Torino 21 (Xerjoff) This is still the benchmark. The mint, lemon, basil, and green notes smell incredibly natural and perfectly balanced. It is bright, refreshing, and energetic without ever becoming harsh or synthetic. The quality is obvious from the opening all the way through the dry down. Every time I wear it, I’m reminded why it became one of the most popular warm-weather fragrances in the niche world. Longevity: 7-9 hours with moderate projection. 2. Torino 2021 (Montagne) This was the biggest surprise of the group. It captures much of what makes Torino 21 special while maintaining a smooth and refined character of its own. The mint and citrus are very recognizable, and it stays remarkably close to the original throughout the wear. What impressed me most was how well blended it is. Nothing feels harsh, synthetic, or cheap. While it doesn’t quite reach the depth and refinement of the Xerjoff, it gets much closer than many people would expect. Longevity: 7-8 hours with solid projection. 3. Turin 21 (Alexandria Fragrances) Alexandria did a very good job with this one. The DNA is instantly recognizable, and performance is excellent. Compared to the original, it feels slightly denser and heavier. Some people may actually prefer that. For me, it loses a little of the airy freshness that makes Torino 21 so addictive, but it is still a very enjoyable fragrance and one I would gladly wear. Longevity: 8-10+ hours with strong projection. 4. Platine Blanc (AROMATIX FRENCH AVENUE) Platine Blanc is a good fragrance, but when tested directly against the Torino-inspired scents, it simply doesn’t create the same excitement. It is clean, fresh, and easy to wear, but it lacks the sparkling mint-citrus combination that keeps drawing me back to Torino 21. I like it, but I don’t find myself reaching for it nearly as often as the other three.