Zoom in to see full.

My 10mL traveler of the reformulated New Orleans arrived yesterday, and I was able to give it a good test run. I sprayed the old formulation on my right arm, and I sprayed the new version on my left one. My overall impression - these are two different fragrances with the same backbone. One is Lestat, and the other is Louis de Pointe du Lac. Cut from a similar cloth, but each separate and distinct with their own motivations. The original New Orleans Jazz and Booze (I'm going to call it JAB from here forward) has this discordant rhubarb that adds some bitter sweetness up front that dies down a bit, but lasts throughout the dry down as well. It's much more of a fruity gourmand with a ton of notes like butter and raspberry and jackfruit in the opening and cinnamon, praline, hazelnut, rose, and chocolatey patchouli in the dry down. It's very complex, but the overall effect is like having a beignet with an Irish coffee while sitting on the steps of the church in Jackson Square. It echoes my favorite memories of the Crescent City with its rich history, savory sweet scents, and mix of the old and the new. The new New Orleans is much more of a boozy sweet fragrance (I'm going to call this one NOLA). It's meant to echo an Old Fashioned, which, prior to me getting sober, was one of my favorite drinks to order. It has that sweet whiskey and dark cherry up front, with a bit of tobacco and amber vanilla in the dry down. It's really pretty, and it's going to get a lot of compliments and probably be one of City Rhythm's best sellers. BUT, I can't help but be reminded of Angel's Share, Kahmra Qahwah, Jazz Club, and even their own Austin. Maybe because they all share that Old Fashioned inspiration and DNA. It's very well done, and has it's own distinctiveness, but it also feels redundant and not quite as unique is JAB did. While NOLA's reformulation is welcome, and in many ways, it is probably the superior fragrance just because it is much more wearable, it's lost that thing that made JAB unique and separated it from the other fragrances in City Rhythm's lineup. JAB is New Orleans. It captures the heart and soul of the city. It challenges your senses, makes you constantly aware of it, and mixes different notes and textures into a new tapestry that is bigger as a whole. NOLA is more like a Cajun restaurant in Kansas City. It might be great, but it's been sanitized to fit a wider customer clientele.

Well my brothers, I can't believe I'm making this post here, and apologies for my lack of a lot of engagement the last few weeks, it's been quite hectic and busy for me. As you guys know, I'm preparing to serve a mission for my church, and so as a result I'll be gone for 24 months. In the grand scheme of things, it isn't that long, but all of that being said, I'll still miss you guys a lot. I'll be able to stay in contact through email, however, so shoot me a DM and i'll be able to add you guys there to my list, and we can stay in contact there :) I just wanted to genuinely give this community my thanks and love, for being so supportive, kind, generous, and guiding me along the way. A lot of perfume collectors and communities can become snobbish or condescending, and rude to newcomers and make them feel less, but this community is the complete opposite, and allowed me to grow from inexperienced, to ambitious, to where I am now, successfully developing the tastes I've been able to have, and to the point where I've fallen in love with this hobby so much, that I want to start my own house one day. That right there is life changing, and honestly fragrance changed the course of my life, and gave me something to hope for, that I felt like I belonged in, perfectly. I've struggled to make friends a lot outside. Felt people who related to me. Felt like an oddball, like I didn't belong, and as a result I've felt so incredibly lonely and by myself, but building confidence, finding groups like this one, and ones outside in my real life have changed me so much. I know who I am now. I feel happy and comfortable in my skin. I've found my genuine style, passions, and dreams for the future, and I'm ready to start moving. So before I leave, I wanted to give you all shoutouts. To those who mean so much to me, I love you all, and I mean it. @Sean Kavanaugh, you've been such a wise and caring figure in my life, all with a strong sense of discipline, working, and hustling toward your goals. Your daily posts and quotes from Andy Frisella really helped me, and I've really missed hearing from you. Sending love and prayers, and hoping all is going well for you, my friend.

Broke up with my gf and needed some retail therapy to help recover. Both of these were love at first sniff — didn’t even have to work through the decants before knowing I wanted (needed?) these in my collection

Yeah this happened a couple hours ago. Bottle fell a couple feet to my desk, bottle is ok. I emailed MG, lets see what they say. Update: It's unfortunate, they will not do anything since it has just been over a year. They even replied and called me by another name. I guess no more Mind Games for me