A lot of people want validation in their fragrance choices because fragrance is personal. We are not just buying a smell. We are buying a mood, a style, confidence, and sometimes even the feeling that we made the right decision. When someone buys a fragrance, especially if it is expensive, hyped, niche, discontinued, or a blind buy, they naturally want to feel like they made a good choice. Nobody wants to feel like they wasted their money or got caught up in hype. So when people post their bottle, SOTD, or collection, sometimes they are not only sharing — they are also looking for reassurance. This is also why it can be hard to take anyone else’s reviews too seriously. A review is not always just an honest breakdown of the fragrance. Sometimes it is mixed with hype, buyer’s remorse, personal bias, a desire to justify a purchase, or a desire for other people to agree with their taste. Some people review something right after buying it, while they are still excited about it. Others may overpraise a fragrance because they paid a lot for it. After all, the community already hyped it, or they want to feel validated in owning it. The same thing happens with clones and inspired-by fragrances, but from the opposite side. Because clones are usually much cheaper, some people want to validate them as being “just as good,” “better than the original,” or “not worth paying for the real thing.” Sometimes that may be their honest opinion, but other times the lower price becomes part of the review. Instead of judging the fragrance completely on quality, depth, blending, performance, and how close it really is, the review turns into proving they made the smarter financial choice. I understand why clones are popular. They let people experience a similar scent profile without spending hundreds of dollars. They can be useful for testing a DNA, wearing something casually, or enjoying a style without using up an expensive bottle. But price can create bias. If someone only paid $30 or $40, they may be more forgiving of rough edges, weaker blending, missing depth, or differences from the original. On the other hand, if someone paid $300 or more for the original, they may want to defend that purchase too.

I've been very strict about new purchases this year, but I have really been diving back into Maison Margiela's fragrances again. They were the first "niche" brand that I ever tried, and I absolutely fell in love with Jazz Club and Sailing Day from their discovery kit. I've only have a couple of the fuller bottles. I usually purchase the 10mL travelers just because I don't want to commit to the larger sizes. Last year, I bought the 10mL traveler of Never-ending Summer, and I used the entire thing up by the end of the very warm fall we had last year. It became one of my favorite summer scents, along with Prisma Citron and House of Mammoth Everett. This year, with summer soon approaching, I wanted to pick up a bottle of NES, and I've been keeping an eye out for a good sale or good trade opportunity. I was super lucky, and managed to grab this from Costco just before it disappeared from their sale (once Costco sells through their inventory, they almost never bring something back, with only a few exceptions). I managed to get the 100mL for just under $80, which was an absolute steal. I think the only place I've ever seen lower is at Aura, but they don't have NES listed in their inventory, yet. I'm so excited about this one I've been bouncing up and down waiting for it to arrive, and today it finally came. The scent opens with a bright, juicy, slightly bitter orange note that adds in a little booziness from Aperol. As it dries down, the woodier, spicier notes come into play, but they continue that slightly bitter theme with the earl grey tea. The whole effect is a lovely aromatic, citrusy woody fragrance that evokes the heat of summer, riding your bike through a field with the wind in your hair, thinking you are Evel Knievel jumping curbs, and and doing wheelies with your friends till the sun starts to go down. No phones or pagers, no text messages or social media to distract you. Just your buddies and the knowledge that you had to be home before the street lamps came on, or you'd be late for dinner, and mom might worry.

Good day gentlemen. Another revisit. I got this about 12 months ago, and I have only worn it once not really all that keen on it first time I wore it. It’s still OK. Very old-school from 1982. I mean just look at that note breakdown two screenshots just to get all the notes in. I still don’t think I’ll wear it very often, but I will wear it from time to time. whether it’s matured in the bottle or my taste has changed. I’m not sure.

#sotd... Impossible Iris by Ramon Monegal... To me, this is a unisex fragrance that definitely leans more feminine than masculine. Don't get me wrong, it can still be pulled off by a man. Impossible Iris opens strong with the scent of white florals. You do pick it up throughout the wear but it does fade to the back after a few hours or so. Deep in the dry down, I did pick up on some smooth woodsiness. Okay projection and performance. I went 5 hours before it fell off and became a skin scent. This is definitely a more intimate scent. I give this a 7 out of 10. Only because of how much it leans feminine. (From a man's point of view)... Not bad, just not something I'd personally wear a lot of. It will probably find its way to my wife's side of the room.

What to say in your intro? Share where you're from, your reason for joining, perhaps your favorite fragrance, watch or a picture of you dressed sharp! It's a small action, but a HUGE step in you getting value from this community becasue you go from being a lurker to an ACTIVE member. In fact men that introduce themselves are 10X more likely to the actions to becoming their best selves. Bonus Point - By introducing yourself you're guaranteed to level-up. Seriously, you'll get at least 5-20 likes/points (oftentimes more) which will move you to level 2 and possibly level 3. And just like that you have access to more of this community!