This is one I’ve wanted for a while now but it’s always sold out, seems like I went browsing at the correct time , got it !

Today I attended a niche fragrance testing gathering and breakfast. Always nice to meetup with like-minded fellow fragrance enjoyers! Got to try out many of the mor epopular niche fragrances I haven't tested. There was plenty to go around, but here's the new ones for me that stood out, considering I tried them out from strip only: 1. M.Micallef Notorious XO. Been enjoying M.Micallef fragrances, but had not had the chance to try this one out. Didn't think I'dlike this one seeing plenty of gourmandish notes, but the boozy and spicy nature goe swell above the sweets on this one. Very nice, will be including a decant of it on my next haul. 2. Initio Narcotic Delight. Amazing. My focus went directly to how the declared fruitiness (cherry) blended with the sweetish tobacco and the spiciness. Absolutely decanting next as well. 3. Wasn't very impressed by the rest of the Torino line. I knew 21 only, and 22-25 didn;t impress me, the better one to my nose being 25. 4. Bond No.9 Lafayette Street. Not going to lie, this was very impressive to me. Now that's a fresh/sweet fragrance I can really enjoy. Floral notes not very prominent to my nose, it comes out more spicy/sweet to me, with citruses freshening it up. 5. Fragrances from the Mexico Perume Museum (MUPE). Three of them I found so good: Agave Mexica (green and citrusy, just a tad boozy), Coral Mexica (salty marine, coconut and very uplifting) and Chocolate Mexica (dark chocolaty, creamy, but very nicely balanced so it is not cloying or as gourmand as you'd think). Amazing. I understand sadly, that they're a yearly release, and once they're gone, they're gone. These were released on 2024. They can also be found in Fragrantica for a better idea. 6. Creed Original Santal, and OG Vetiver. I had never tried them nor was looking for them, but were actually pretty good! Very brighten-up sandalwood on the first, and vetiver not as prominent on the second, with citruses and fresher notes taking the stage. But the best of it was two guatemalan perfumers coming over. One I already knew, bringing some amazing summer scents based on banana note. First one being called Banana Young, being the fruitier, sweeter of the two, and Banana Summer, which my best way to describe is Virgin Island Water with a banana note and minus any booziness. Both were absolutely excellent. Extrait de Parfums... but me? Out of budget right now 😅

My focus has shifted more towards Spring, and I am getting back into warmer-weather scents. I have also started adding second wearings as I am committed to getting more out of my collection.

What is the best physical store that you’ve been to for fragrances. Bonus points for east coast and double bonus points for northeast. Someplace that has a great selection of high end and rare collections.

After waiting more than 6 weeks for The Parfums to ship Grand Soir to me, I cancelled the order. They clearly never had a reliable way of getting the product they sold, which is just bad business. To their credit, they refunded my money quickly, but since there's no way of knowing if you'll actually receive what you pay for, this was a one-n-done for me.