Today’s wear is Vanilla Mudslide from BLNDRGRPHY, a scent I’ve quietly been chasing for months. This is a new fragrance and a new house for me. I originally heard about this through Sebastian Jara on The Perfume Guy YouTube channel. He absolutely raves about it, and when he gets that hyped about something gourmand leaning, I pay attention. This is one of his all-time favorite vanillas. I grabbed a sample months ago and immediately understood the obsession, but every time I went to track down a bottle, it was sold out. Even the resale market was dry. Fast forward to last week when it finally came back in stock and I didn’t hesitate, I pulled the trigger immediately. Sure enough, it sold out again within a couple of hours. Before even getting to the scent, the presentation is phenomenal and really stands out. The fragrance comes in a beautiful, weighty bottle topped with a stone cap that feels substantial in hand. That bottle is then housed inside an actual cocktail shaker, which perfectly matches the theme of the house and the brand. As if that wasn’t enough, the whole setup is placed inside a gorgeous wooden box. It feels like opening a high end bar accessory set rather than just another fragrance. The unboxing alone feels premium and intentional. On skin, this stuff is absolutely intoxicating. Thick, creamy, dessert like without ever tipping into synthetic territory. The vanilla is rich and boozy, the sweetness lush and almost edible. Coffee is listed in the notes, but here I don’t even notice it. If it’s there, it’s blended so smoothly into the background that it never jumps out. This fragrance is meant to imitate the actual Vanilla Mudslide drink and I’m happy to report that they did a fantastic job! Performance? Let me tell you, the sillage on this baby will absolutely turn some heads as you move around. For the first 2–3 hours it sits confidently off the skin, very noticeable but not oppressive. It doesn’t scream, but it carries a strong, rich aura that fills the space around you. In the dry down it becomes beautifully smooth and creamy, hugging the skin and lingering well into the evening. Longevity for me has been a solid 7–9 hours, with a soft, delicious trail that’s still detectable even as it settles into a skin scent.

Managed to get a full wear of Louis Vuitton’s Symphony yesterday. It’s a beautiful citrus fresh scent that lasted a good six hour on my skin and was intriguing throughout. It’s blended extremely well, maintaining its freshness without fading away or mutating as single aspect faded. Its citrus heavy, leaning towards Afternoon Swim, but it’s a little smoother and a great deal more balanced. At £500 a bottle I need a good hard think, and I will hunt down a dupe or two for the itch. Also, the cap is a travesty. It looks like a gentleman has chromed his personal tissue.