https://www.dillards.com/p/azzaro-forever-wanted-absolu-eau-de-parfum/521355221

One of my favorite scents to wear. Iris, Tonka, Sandalwood and leather: this is an excellent scent. Work safe/ daytime / evening/ casual or formal. Spring/ Fall/ Winter scent. Projection and longevity are very good off my skin 7-8hrs and 1-2ft projection. The presentation is very nice. It’s a sleek dark bottle with a cap that slides into place with a very nice atomizer. I have recently gotten a back up bottle of this one. This is one of my favorite scents to wear to the office or getting dressed up. 9/10

I remember smelling this in store back in 2024, when BBA had just been released. I remember loving this one when I tried it, and not really enjoying BBA as much. Since then, I’ve always wanted to give it a proper wearing. So here are my thoughts. It opens warm and spicy with cardamom, alongside a balsamic, incense like quality from frankincense. This profile holds for a while before patchouli starts to share the stage. About an hour in, I gave it another sniff and could clearly pick up the balsamic leather from labdanum and the deep woodiness from cedarwood. Vetiver joins the party much later, but it plays its role well. Overall, it’s a spicy, leathery, very masculine DNA that feels unique while staying true to the Boss line. On my skin, it’s less spicy and more balsamic than I remember from the test strip. I also recall picking up something cumin like back then, but that may just have been my untrained nose. Performance is typical of Boss fragrances, in a good way. 6 hrs in, I can still smell it easily, with total longevity sitting around 8-10 hrs. Projection is about two feet initially, dropping to roughly a foot by the 5th hr. Honestly, it’s a strong performer. I do feel like I made the right choice by going with BBA. Don’t get me wrong, BBE is like Batman Begins, but BBA is The Dark Knight. The sequel simply outdid the original. That said, this is still a very nice fragrance. I’d give it an 8.3/10. I enjoy this DNA, but it does remind me of Tauer 02 L’Air du Désert Marocain, which has more character and complexity and therefore edges it out for me. Definitely not a blind buy, so sample it first. What do you think of the fragrance? And would you pick this over BBA?

BMA edp: Spicy, woody (sandalwood), incensy, olibanum (frankincense) opening Classy, masculine, dark, woody, rich, and smoky, but not overpowering Moderate Longevity: around 4-5 hours, with a good 2-hour scent bubble Very affordable, making it a popular choice: about $25 DP edp: Prominent woody, incensy, spicy, smoother, niche version, with hints of vanilla in the opening More luxurious, refined take on the woody-incense theme Much better longevity and projection than BMA, approximately 8-9 hours total Significantly more expensive, cheapest would be $250 at discounters Both have subtly animalic but not skanky Oud.. smoky and rich oud with addictive qualities that develops on repeated wearing.. blending well with the other notes and accords.. Final Verdict: You want the woody, spicy, incense scent at an excellent value, enjoy the style but don't need beast-mode performance, or want a great introduction to this fragrance type.. Choose Bentley for Men Absolute. You love the scent profile of Bentley Absolute but crave superior performance, a more luxurious feel, and are willing to pay a premium for a niche fragrance experience.. Chose Bond No. 9 Dubai Platinum.. You be the judge.. remember both were created by the same perfumer Michel Almairac.. is 10x the price point all worth it..? or a little bit of sacrifice on the longevity and quality can compensate for the huge savings..?

Grabbed a few clone decants from a seller off of Etsy and have been giving them the initial test. Rayhaan Obsidian - I never tried the OG, Dior Homme Parfum in any of its iterations but I do have a few iris frags so I wanted to give this a shot to see if it was redundant. The iris isn't as pronounced as in DHI and is less lipsticky. It mixes with that leather and becomes very smooth. The two come together and form something I've never really smelled before, but it's good! Has a lot of promise for a full bottle as it is different from the other iris frags I have. Lattafa Asad Elixir - Tried the OG, Boss Bottled Absolu in store and I get the similarity but it's not too close. Less patchouli I think. Seems smoother and easier to wear than BBA. In the same vein as regular Asad in a way. If it goes down to the cheap price of regular Asad I'd probably grab it. Rayhaan Terra - Again, never smelled to OG, Amouage Outlands but just smelling this one I have to say it's great. Woodsy, spicy and a little sweetness that runs through with a touch of oud. Very classy and niche smelling. A Banger for sure and no doubt full bottle worthy (because I'm not shelling out the bucks for the OG). Lattafa Vintage Radio - Clone of Initio Parfums Privés Paragon which I haven't tried either. This is my least favorite of them all. Supposed to be plum that dries down to a woodsiness. On paper (the seller shipped some free test strips) the plum is prominent and lasts a bit. On my skin, the plum disappears in less than a minute and what's left is a woodsy, kind of green and kind of funky. I don't know if it's the Palo Santo but it's not very pleasant to my nose. Unless it needs time to macerate I'd pass on this one. The seller also sent a free vial of Rayhaan Elixir, a clone of JPG Le Male Elixir. I already have a decant of the original and also a bottle of Hawas Elixir. Compares to the Hawas so I don't really need it but hey, it's free!