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 🤣

Taking advantage of the warm weather and trying a little bit of a warmer scent. I typically wear this in fall Or spring and thought I’d see how it fairs today in the heat. It’s been doing well.

So, as I continue this journey, I am starting to see the different faces of the fragrance community (mostly good). I see the awareness of hype trains, love for classics, and honest/genuine breakdowns of everything smelled in here. So that got me wondering 🤔. What are popular (or not) awful smelling fragrances discontinued or still in production that you know of? The only one I know of (heard it’s bad, never smelled) is JOOP! the edt. And then I heard the parfum is good. Anyways, let me know.

Late post (very busy work day) wore yesterday. Got at a discounter in the beginning of my fragrance journey for like 25$. Liked the opening and bought immediately. Noted as woody/fruity, I still get an aquatic feel to it. Could be the bottle which I think is original and beautiful. But honestly, weak projection, and longevity is like 4-5 hours. Really let me down because I do enjoy this fragrance. Had to reapply 3x for the day. Will make a question in the Q section later about this on when and why we use these types of fragrances.

After hearing Sebastian talking about fragrances today and me being in this brotherhood, and reviewing several videos by @Antonio Centeno and Sebastian, they both have a love for fragrances and also have a wide respect and demonstrated knowledge for what they like, whether it's Niche, Designer, Clone, etc. As a member of this brotherhood, my takeaway and some knowledge for the brothers is this. The more I watch fragrance debates, the more I notice every group has its favorite defense. Clone warriors hide behind price. Niche snobs hide behind artistry. Designer loyalists hide behind safety and compliments. Clone warriors always bring up price because that is the strongest argument they have. They will say, “But it only costs $25 or $40,” as if a lower price automatically means it is equal to the original. I understand saving money. There is nothing wrong with value. But value and quality are not always the same thing. A clone can be a good deal and still not have the same smoothness, depth, transitions, or refinement as the original. And notice how clone warriors usually run straight to Middle Eastern clone houses and act like that is the whole clone world. It is not. There are better American and European clone-style houses that often do a better job with smoothness, balance, accuracy, and wearability. Houses like Montagne and Alexandria may cost more than some Middle Eastern dupes, but many times the blending, quality, and closeness to the original are better. The reason some clone warriors ignore them is simple: they do not protect the cheapest-price argument as well. A $45–$60 clone forces a more honest conversation. Now you cannot just say, “It only costs $25.” You have to talk about accuracy, quality, materials, smoothness, and how it actually compares to the original. That is where a lot of the hype starts to fall apart. Middle Eastern clones can be good. Some are excellent for the money. But a lot of them are also louder, sweeter, harsher, more synthetic, and less refined. Many chase performance and projection more than balance.