Been busy this weekend but this is what I brought home.

After seeing @Brett Sutton ’s post yesterday, I finally decided to try my sample of Guerlain. I have to say, I have mixed feelings about this one. It opens with a smooth blend of almond and citrus, but the most prominent notes for me are rosemary and thyme. Without looking at the notes, I honestly thought I was smelling candied nuts, bergamot, and something like beef seasoning. I expected the cherry note I keep hearing about to hit me upfront, but for me, it crept in slowly and subtly. The cherry is mild, while I get more incense and rose in the heart. Once it fully dries down, the fragrance transforms completely. You start to notice leather, woods, tonka bean, smooth sandalwood, and vanilla. There’s still a faint trace of cherry and spices. This one’s powdery, spicy, sweet, nutty, smoky, fruity, and woody. A beautifully blended, unique composition. It a bit grown-up and elegant, something mature men over 25 would naturally gravitate towards. That said, I’m not sure if I truly like it yet. I’ve sampled well over 150 different fragrance DNA profiles, and I can honestly say I’ve never smelled anything quite like this. It’s not even remotely similar to anything I know, which makes it incredibly unique. Plus, I’ve never smelled this on anyone else before. My biggest issue is performance. For an EDP, it performs more like an EDT lasting 4-6 hours with soft projection, and becoming a skin scent after about an hour. You definitely need to overspray. I’ve heard newer batches are significantly weaker and require 10 to 20 sprays, which is a shame. It feels watered down, lacking the richness it’s supposed to have. Imagine if Athair was diluted to the point where it lost its thick, masterpiece quality. Initially, I’d rate it 8/10, but I think that score could improve with time and if I get to try a better-performing batch. It’s not love at first sniff, but time will tell how much I grow to like it. I’m now eager to explore the entire L’Homme lineup, sooner than I expected.

It's true! Parfums de Marly Kalan is one of the few PDM male fragrances I still haven't tried. I hear it's a real departure from the typical PDM style, and highly polarizing. The note breakdown is fascinating: Blood Orange, Spices, Lavender, and a heavy Woody/Mossy Base. If you own or have tested Kalan: 1. Is the opening too harsh/spicy, or is it a masterpiece? 2. Does it belong with the PDM greats (Layton, Herod, Haltane), or at the bottom of the list? I need the real-world opinion! Is Kalan a bold, beautiful beast, or an acquired taste?

This is one of my favorite purchases at Scentxplore 2025. Kensei is a tea, citrus, woody fragrance, before i go any further, this is nothing like lv imagination in fact this is the father of imagination who works a blue collar job, works out in a dark lit room hearing nothing but his yells and panting and sound of metal plates banging and clacking and when going to attend formal events, he is the man everyone sees and goes to, this is a little bit tea heavy with great citrus from Yuzu, Blood Orange, Mandarin and crisp Pear. Now that opening first spray is aromatic, refreshing but like I said nothing like imagination. You will constantly smell your hand because everything is addictive. In the drydown, it sort of mellows in a way where the citrus starts to become soothing with amberwood and cedar, the greens, the tea, and florals notes, giving a sweet green citrus aroma almost like a very expensive high quality tea. Now I haven't tried it out to see longevity and projection but will def it try it out tonight at work during the night watch hours

I took advantage of the Dua sale over Black Friday and a portion of it got delivered today. Did a quick test sniff on test strips and for sure will need to leave these ones alone. How do you brothers leave Dua’s alone for?