Level 0 to 9 · Brotherhood Of Scent

Level 0 to 9

Towards the end of my postgrad studies, I had a sudden surge of interest in fragrances. After a few days of exploring the internet, I came across one of Antonio’s videos where he spoke about his community. I remember thinking, “Huh, this brotherhood of scent sounds interesting.”

At the time, I was pretty clueless. My collection consisted of YSL Y EDP, Bvlgari Rain Essence, Bath & Body Works Ocean, and Mahogany Teakwood. I joined the community fully expecting to stay a lurker, just observing what people thought about different fragrances. I rarely commented, though I did make a few posts asking for recommendations. That alone opened the door to the world of samples and decants, and I ordered a handful. That moment officially marked the start of my fragrance discovery journey.

Initially, I shared short, casual descriptions of fragrances I tried from time to time. Soon after, I started visiting stores and testing scents on strips. I did this more and more, which helped me refine my taste and decide which samples to pick up next.

For the first few months, the community itself was still secondary to me. The real turning point, or the foundation if I may call it that, was

@Julio Gutierrez

. He was the first BOS member I met in real life. Super kind, incredibly knowledgeable, and generous enough to offer me a bunch of samples I would never have tried, some I had never even heard of. Those fragrances genuinely expanded my horizons and helped me understand just how deep this world goes. His parting words were simple: “Try to be more active.” I listened, and that changed everything.

Since then, I have become far more active, earned my flame, and developed real friendships and strong bonds with many of the brothers here:

and many more. I genuinely could not have reached level 9 without you all.

To mark this occasion, I did my first new bottle spray of one of my all time favourites: Creed Virgin Island Water. A true rum, coconut, and sugarcane masterclass.

I thought i will end this post with some stats.

Fragrances owned: 17

Fragrance samples: 199

Fragrances smelled: ~400

Time in BOS: 1 year, 5 months

Contributions: 3050

Highest rated fragrance: YSL Muse

Favourite fragrance: Mancera Amore Caffè

Favourite house: Mancera

Favourite note: Orris

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