I have mostly been a lurker here because as a scent newbie I stand by the “ remain silent and be thought a fool rather than speak and remove all doubt” statement. I have elected to pay to stay here and continue to learn but I know some of you will leave and I wanted to make sure you each knew you were appreciated. I feel not about paying for access but helping to continue to support the group and pay my share. If I was in Antonio’s shoes it would be hard for me to swallow my pride and ask for help. At any rate you guys are awesome and I wish you the very best no matter your choice.

I am not going to give a doctoral thesis, but I would like to point out a few things, especially for some of the newer brothers here in the group. I know I keep saying certain articles and videos are advertisements, and to me, that's all they are. Whether it comes from a magazine or Gentscents, which I adore, it is still just advertising to me, as these writers and YouTube influencers have created a business out of fragrance. Even our own Antonio does not post his YouTube videos on his own group, which he created. Like Most of us here, we are Fragrance lovers who love the art of Perfumery. I started my Journey with Dupes or Clones, as we put it, because I did not have the funds to jump in immediately. But my journey started in my youth and in college, as I always had 1 or 2 of the top designer fragrances that worked for me. The reason I joined this brotherhood was the opportunity to interact with brothers and to learn from them. With like-minded people who share a love of this hobby. That being said, I will always ask what the performance is, etc., etc., because there is a bond that develops and a mutual trust, as now I am getting advice from someone whom I personally interact with on almost a daily basis. I get a real, live accounting, sometimes varying, accounting of what and how the fragrance performs with a real, live person who I interact with and is giving me thier real, live opinions!!! We all have access to magazine articles, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, Magazines, Articles, books, etc. If I wanted info from that, I would be able to pull it up myself. I could interact with total strangers and possibly Schills in the comment sections!!! No, I joined this to get and compare real-life notes with brothers whom I trust, not strangers or salespeople, but brothers who share the same passion and who may have had a better or worse experience with said fragrances, so I can compare notes and learn!!! Anyway, just some food for thought, as it seems like we are letting outside influences take up a large portion of the group. I do not care what Mr Dua has to say or Mr Chaos fragrance!!! or even Mr Gent Scents!!! I can find all that out on myself. I dont care what the GQ or Vogue writers have to say or what brand they are pushing for more Ads, as I can read that on my own!!!

Merry Christmas BOS. First and foremost I want to give thanks for God for providing abundant blessing to my family and me. One of those blessing is this Brotherhood where I have developed some amazing friendships and connections with so many people who have the same passion for fragrance. I am truly a blessed man! Today's morning SODT is Vanilla Powder. The opening is a powdery and slightly subtle Coconut scent. At 15 minutes, I am starting to pick up some of the Vanilla notes. This is not an overwhelmingly sweet vanilla, but more of a creamy vanilla. At 30 minutes the scent has not changed much since the 15 minute mark, but this is definitely a soft and subtle fragrance. At the 60 minute wear and dry down, this fragrance is a beautiful blend of a creamy/powdery Vanilla with a tinge of sweetness from the Coconut and a balance of soft woods and Musk. Not overpowering but an elegant scent that simply states "I don't need to overwhelm you with scent to make my presence known!" Performance. The projection of this fragrance is fair at best. It sits close to the skin and at I am only getting about a 12" scent bubble for about 90 minutes. The sillage is also fair with a slightly better scent trail of 18" for about an hour. Longevity is actually OK on my skin as I am getting about 4 to 5 hours as a skin scent.

Wishing you all the merriest Christmas today frag family. GOD bless you all forever, enjoy your family today, eat, drink, laugh, and smell amazing. I love you all. ✟ He has come ✟

Felt like a perfect pick for Christmas Eve dinner out. This one is an old money favorite of mine. The Pine note in this is more then beyond perfect for the season. Feel like I’m at a country club around Christmas Time in the Mid 80s. Sipping on a drink and smoking a cigar with some kind of Power Tie on in the 80s Suspender suits. Definitely the vibe this puts out.