Hi everybody, I have a question to all of you: Being in this brotherhood for more than a month taught me a lot of useful things, the most important is to test fragrances with decants befor buying a bottle !! I bought a bunch of high-end perfume samples—for example, 6–7 from Parfums de Marly and just as many from Tom Ford. On the one hand I say to myself "well made you saved a lot of money" 😅, on the other hand I however spent more than 120$ (High-end perfums 2ml samples around 9$), and sometimes I have the tought I threw away money without having a real bottle in my hand 😭. Where is the right solution, if there is any ? I don't think quickly testing a fragrance in a store can give me the same results and convictions of wearing a decant fragrance for 2-3 days exploring all her aspects. Perhaps the answer is that our passion/hobby is just an expensive one ?

Good morning everyone. Back to closet shopping today and ran across a Swiss Arabian sample set I received when I purchased Khalis Al Nisa, White Musk Special and Khalis Al Rijal from Maison d’ Orient last year. The sample I chose today was Attar Al Ghutra. Top: raspberry, saffron, Mandarin orange, bergamot Heart: rose, Frankincense, Oud, jasmine Base: patchouli, sandalwood, Tuscan Leather, suede, agar wood Based on the composition I thought I’d really like this fragrance but I don’t. I like masculine fragrances but this one goes overboard on smelling like I just smoked a cigar wearing my leather jacket. It’s way too smoky for my wearing pleasure and it really has longevity as I put it on at 6:00am and it is still a strong aroma six hours later. I guess if one is interested in a very smoky, very masculine leather fragrance this fills the bill perfectly, but it just not my preference.

Good morning everyone. Yesterday I Had to visit my orthopedic surgeon for post op on my knee and when I got into the elevator, the woman next to me-though my back was facing her-said “welcome back, Mr. Asumendi.” I didn’t immediately recognize her but she said”I know it was you because no other man smells as good as you do.” I was wearing MFK Baccarat Rouge 540 but in the several years I’ve been a patient there I’ve worn different fragrances. Started my morning out with a bang followed by a very positive report from the doctor. Happy Hump Day!

I've had a rough couple of months. It's just been one string of bad stuff after another. But despite that, I've had some really big wins and some bright spots that have shown through the clouds and made things better, even for a little bit. This board continues to be a source of light for me, and I really want to say thank you to @Raymond Reeves who surprised me with his unsolicited generosity. Thank you so much for the decants. I've been wearing Ottoman Amber every day since I opened the box, and I am definitely buying a bottle. It is the scent of my early adulthood, and it takes me right back to that place when i was in grad school, wearing a mixture of patchouli oil, frankincense, and myrrh that my then girlfriend had given me. I wore it on my wrists for years until it finally ran out. I still have the little bottle that I stored it in. It is the scent that my long time friends most associate with me, and I didn't realize how much I had missed it. But on that first spray, it was like coming home again for the first time in decades. My best friend told me yesterday that when she smelled it on me, she couldn't shake how much she associated it with the early days of our friendship. It is a scent that is so intertwined with my body chemistry that it may as well have been created specifically for me. I cannot thank you enough for this gift. I haven't even tried the others, yet, and there's a decant of Aqua di Gio Profumo in there that i am absolutely dying to wear. You have given me something that I didn't know I missed.

For the last two years, I've been steadily increasing the size of my fragrance collection. Even just a month ago, I probably would have jumped at Antonio's House of Dastan discovery set deal. Today, I find myself slightly interested but unable to justify the unnecessary expenditure. I currently have hundreds of samples (mostly miniatures but close to 100 travel-size) and dozens of full-size bottles. The only explanation I have is my most recent full-size bottle purchase: Xerjoff 40 Knots. As it turns out, while I thought I was always searching for the next great fragrance with all my sampling, perhaps the truth is that I was subconsciously searching for one thing in particular: a suitable replacement for Minotaure. It's the fragrance I wore in high school and early in college, even after it was discontinued. Yes, I can still find a bottle here or there, but the quality and performance - either due to age, reformulation, or whatever - is very much lacking. I now have two solid options (at least) to serve as permanent go-to fragrances for every category I could possibly need and a smattering of change-up options that will last for years with sporadic use. Going forward, I'm not sure I'll feel the need to purchase anything in a full-size bottle except for a go-to replacement. I'll hold in reserve the caveat that a new fragrance could appear which I sample and love and, as a result, feel the need to purchase a full bottle. However, I'd also wager that it would most likely still be a replacement - replacing an existing go-to rather than adding a new slot to the equation. ** All Purpose Go-To's ** - Layton by PDM - 40 Knots by Xerjoff ** Travel Go-To's ** - Man Eau Fraiche by Versace - Eros Parfum by Versace ** Hot Weather (85 degrees and up) Go-To's ** - Bergamask by Orto Parisi - Elysium by Roja Dove - Eros Energy by Versace ** Warm Weather (65 - 85 degrees) Go-To's ** - Explorer by Montblanc - Acqua di Giò Profondo by Giorgio Armani