Gentlemen, following up on my last post about "The Collection"—let’s talk about the one that really surprised me: Confident Oud. The official breakdown claims only two notes: Bran and Agarwood (Oud). Personally, I’m calling BS on that. There is way more going on here. To my nose, I’m definitely picking up sandalwood, pepper, and a touch of tonka bean or vanilla in the dry down. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know exactly what "real" raw oud smells like, but this doesn't resemble the typical "oud" notes found in my other fragrances if any. This is what I would call a "dry boozy" scent. It isn't syrupy or dessert-like; it’s rugged and refined. This could have been part of @Renato Carotti booze wars. • The Opening: It starts with a literal shot of whiskey neat. It’s boozy, sharp, and commanding right out of the gate. • The Mid & Dry Down: Once the initial pour settles, you get a beautiful smoky, woody accord. Think of a charred whiskey barrel with just a tiny hint of sweetness peaking through. A Tobacco Oud Alternative? Confident Oud is very reminiscent of the discontinued Tom Ford Tobacco Oud. The Difference: Where the Tom Ford has more of a cigar or incense vibe in the opening, the Boss is more about that charred barrel woodiness. It’s slightly sweeter than the TF, but only just. If you never had the chance to try Tobacco Oud, this will definitely get you there. Performance & Versatility • Longevity: Excellent, giving me 8+ hours. • Projection: Solid for the first 3 hours before staying closer to the skin. This is not for the younger crowd. The booziness here isn't like Angels' Share—the sweetness is almost non-existent. This is definitely for the 30+ crowd. This is a versatile heavy-hitter. You can dress it up for a high-end dinner or dress it down for a night at the cigar lounge. Let me know your thoughts or if any of you have had a chance to get your nose on this one!

Second or third full wear today with this gem I grabbed at Ross a couple months ago. I already had the edt and enjoy it during the warm weather finding it extremely similar to Coach Open Road which I also have and enjoy (redundant), but this release is much smoother and less loud. It manages to keep the same dna but with more of a refined and rounded out blend while being mildly darker in a sense. It’s very nice and a touch more elegant if I had to call it anything. Performance is solid with good projection for an easy hour plus sillage. Dried down on skin it lasts another easy 6hrs. It opens citrusy woody and sweet all until this fantastic fig starts rolling around giving it that undeniable distinction. Eventually you’re left with a leathery woody sweet fig allure with that nice subtle saffron kiss 👌🏼. Fantastic fragrance. Have the best day brothers. Smell great out there.

Valentino Garavani has passed. RIP and thanks for the amazing fragrances!

Brothers- this has been a difficult week. My dad passed away on Tuesday, and we have his visitation and funeral tomorrow. I will be wearing a fragrance, so not wearing one isn’t an option. My question is, what type of fragrance would you choose? I’ve ever been the sentimental type when it comes to fragrances, so I don’t foresee me attaching his funeral to the fragrance forever, unless it’s something I wear just once. Let me know what you would choose.

Gentlemen, it feels good to be posting again. As we all know, life gets crazy and time slips away. I haven’t even managed a "mail call" post lately, but that doesn’t mean the collection hasn’t been growing! Lately, I’ve been exploring a specific house: Hugo Boss. Not the standard "Boss Bottled" line, but rather "The Collection." I’ve acquired about five of these now and am truly enjoying them—especially considering you can find them for around $75–$100 or lower if you go with a tester. I used to dance around this line because I could never find samples, until a recent trip to Mexico City where I stumbled upon a mall carrying the entire range. Let me introduce you to Elegant Vetiver. It features a beautifully balanced note breakdown: • Top Notes: Pistachio, Juniper • Heart Notes: Haitian Vetiver, Java Vetiver Oil • Base Notes: Cardamom, Labdanum For those of you who find vetiver a "challenging" note, this could be your perfect starter fragrance. It is incredibly unique in that it flirts with being a creamy gourmand but stops just short of it. Upon the opening, the pistachio and vetiver are the stars. The pistachio is nutty and prominent at first, but it’s quickly balanced by the juniper, which really shines here. The composition has a distinct "cashmere" feel—a smoothness that persists while the juniper and vetiver play in the background. To give you an idea of where this sits, let’s compare it to the Lalique Encre Noire line, which many of us consider the vetiver gold standard: • Vs. Encre Noire: While the original Lalique is dark, "inky," and reminds you of a damp forest, Elegant Vetiver is its bright, upscale cousin. It swaps that Gothic gloom for a nutty, polished creaminess. Imagine Batman the Dark Knight wearing Encre Noire and Diego de la Vega “1940’s Zorro “ wearing Elegant Vetiver • Vs. Encre Noire Sport: Even the "Sport" version of Lalique can be sharp and citrusy; the Boss version is much smoother and more "gentlemanly" thanks to that pistachio/cashmere influence.