My research into finding an easy to wear but relatively different year-rounder led me to try Diptyque Orpheon EDP. I sniffed it off paper at an airport duty-free shop and it seemed very light and pleasant so I picked up a decant. Gave it a test wear yesterday. I’m not gonna lie, this one has me a little perplexed. At the open, I get a burst of clean powdery woodiness and a kind of aromatic effect, I think from the juniper berry (it’s not like the juniper notes I experience in other fragrances, which usually give a kind of sharp zinginess — this one is very soft and round, more savory than zingy). Into the mids that aromatic feeling fades, and there is a hint of jasmine that comes out, but really not much (thank goodness, because I don’t love strong florals in fragrances). The dry down to me is all ambery powdery woods with a hint of sweetness to keep it from being super dry. Honestly, for most of the time I didn’t know what the heck I was smelling - it was just super powdery and just kind of “clean” smelling. I applied four sprays to each arm, and aside from the occasional wisp that would make its way to my nose, I really had to lean in to smell anything. This could be one of those scents that I go nose blind to immediately, maybe it has some kind of molecule effect going on that others can pick up on – I’ll have to test that by wearing it around my gf. But to me, this was a skin scent almost from the start and stayed that way for a good six or seven hours, after which I could barely smell it at all. I might have to do a solo beast mode night and shhhhpray the $hit out of this one to see if I can get a scent bubble that I can detect and enjoy, and see if I can discern any other notes (whatever is in here is very well balanced, I’m sure there’s a lot more than the handful of notes that Fragrantica lists). This is a really weird one to me. It’s certainly pleasant enough, and it’s certainly different from pretty much anything else I have in my collection, but right now I can’t say it’s even up for consideration as full bottle worthy because I can barely smell it.

Below, a list of the fragrances I've worn this past week. Here's some commentary on how I viewed them, Every single one was new to me, save Wave of Freedom (and Falcon Leather, which was technically a wear last week so it's not counted today). Favourite fragrance: Oud Minerale by Tom Ford. I was rounding off my discovery set testing with this and Eau de Soleil Blanc, and was very surprised by how much I enjoyed the green aquatic woodsiness of Oud Minerale. Another few wears to come, but at the moment a bottle is on my shopping horizon. Biggest disappointment: Explorer Platinum by Montblanc. I bought this on impulse on Whatnot from a much-used and reputable bargain designer seller, because the price for 100ml, 2x7.5ml and a shower gel was decent. I'm hoping it grows on me, because my nose at the moment is not too keen on this disappearing sage-forward yawnfest. Biggest surprise: Victory by Sunnamusk. This one has notes to die for (see pic), and I was expecting great things. I got a rather nice Aventus-alike that lingers for a good long time. The lime replaces the expected pineapple, so it's not a clone as such, but there's no denying the inspiration. One for the Creed fans to check out. Highest Hope: Rare Reef by Afnan. Absolutely lovely citrus blast that lasts a decent while in the heat. While I'm not wanting for citrus fresh summer scents, I'll likely nab a bottle of this next time I pass it on a discounter's shelves. All the scents bar Platinum proved decent. Prada L'Homme arrived today (8ml from The Fragrance Shop ScentAddict, their Scentbird-style subscription service), and I'm looking forward to giving it a longer run out in the coming week. First blush was that it was a little powdery for my tastes, but it's early days. What's been you fragrance standout this past week?