So I’m back from a trip to the UK and came home with a bunch of goodies I picked up while there. And I had a few more waiting for me in the mail when I got home - Bought a whole bunch of ATH to try out. I figure I’ll be able to tell with just a few sprays if they are for me or not, and if not I’ll just flip them. So far I’m enjoying Guapo and Gin Sling; Odyssey isn’t bad (seems like a take on Tygar) and Icon is pretty good too (kind of a sweet salty citrus woody aromatic) but maybe a bit sweet for my taste. Yet to try are Midnight Fever, Blue Fever, and Noir. - As @Paul Bartnicki knows (and, I suspect, is amused by), I have significant trouble with clary sage and I sold my bottles of ATH Hombre when I first blind bought them because I didn’t like how that note was front and center. However, Penhaligons The Cut has been growing on me, and it also has prominent clary sage, so I wanted to give Hombre another shot - Also picked up the limited release Guerlain L’Homme Ideal Cologne Forte at a steal of a price. I had tried a decant and really liked it. The almond gave me trouble in some of the others from the Ideal line but here it’s light and smooth - I spent time at the Roja and Ormonde Jayne boutiques in London, both had cool and knowledgeable staff who took me through a bunch of their lines. Roja Midsummer Dream and Isola Snow were standouts, and I’ve already got decants of those on the way; I liked Evernia and Kashmir on paper and the manager at the OJ boutique gave me samples to try - Waiting for me at home were bottles of Polo 67 EDP and Superz Unique Blue — both of which I burned through decants of and beat out all the others I battled them against

Hawas Ice by Rasasi is a flanker to the ultra-popular original Hawas, launched in 2023. It’s designed to be a more refined, slightly fruitier, and more "icy" version of the original DNA. ​Fragrance Profile ​Top Notes: Apple, Italian Lemon, Sicilian Bergamot, and Star Anise. ​Middle Notes: Plum, Orange Blossom, and Cardamom. ​Base Notes: Musk, Amber, Driftwood, and Moss. ​Longevity & Performance ​This is widely considered a "beast mode" freshie. ​Longevity: You can easily expect 10–12+ hours on skin, and it will stay on clothes until they are washed. ​Projection/Sillage: It is very loud in the first 2–3 hours. It projects strongly, so you don’t need many sprays to fill a room. ​Occasion ​It is highly versatile but leans toward warm weather. ​Best for: Summer days, gym sessions, outdoor events, and casual hangouts. ​Vibe: Very clean, mass-appealing, and energetic. Because of its strength, it also works well for summer nights and clubbing. ​Is it a Clone? ​This is a common point of debate. ​Technically: It is not a direct 1-to-1 clone of a specific designer fragrance. Instead, it is a flanker of Rasasi's own original Hawas. ​The DNA: The original Hawas was famously inspired by the Invictus (Paco Rabanne) style but with an added aquatic/plum twist. Hawas Ice moves slightly away from that "bubblegum" aquatic feel and adds a cooling, citrusy opening that some compare to a mix between the original Hawas and YSL Y EDP. ​In short, it’s a high-performance, original Middle Eastern twist on the modern "blue" fragrance category rather than a simple clone.