This is a woody aromatic with a sharp green-aquatic twist, dropped back in 2021 originally as part of Tom Ford’s fancy Private Blend range before they moved it over to the regular Signature line. No perfumer is officially named, which is typical for these Ford releases, with the exception of Sonia Constant As the name says, it’s meant to capture the vibe of the Côte d’Azur. To capture that French Riviera feeling, like you’re stood on a sun-warmed coast where cypress & oak trees run right down to salt-kissed sea air. It’s nothing like your usual generic freshie; it’s a proper snapshot of a place, for anyone who wants something crisp but with actual depth. First spray hits you with that bright, sun-drenched opening they talk about: zingy lemon and mandarin mixed with soft driftwood, seaweed, and that unmistakable salty kick. There’s a tiny dash of cardamom and celery seed too, which gives it a subtle peppery edge so it never feels boring or too “soapy”. Give it 15 minutes and the heart settles in: crisp cypress and juniper take the lead, backed up by clean lavender and myrtle. There’s just a faint hint of sweetness here to keep it from getting sharp or medicinal. Dries down to rich oak, earthy vetiver and olibanum, plus a whisper of vanilla and soft smoky incense that adds just enough warmth without weighing the whole thing down. Now for the reality, this juice is not cheap, my local Dublin shop retails a 100ml for €181. Its like a designer house with niche pricing. That said I don't think anyone could argue the quality of this house. Their fragrances deliver. I get almost 7 hours on skin, with solid projection for the first 2–3 hours before it settles into a nice close bubble. It’s unisex, made for warmer weather, and works just as well for sunny days as it does mild evenings. It’s not my usual go-to style, but I honestly like this, it’s different, enjoyable, and stands out from every other fresh scent out there. My Rating: 8/10 Scent: 2.5 Longevity: 2.5 Sillage: 2

I know Lattafa is one of the most popular Middle Eastern clone houses, but after owning and wearing a number of their fragrances, I think they are very hit or miss. They have a few good releases, but in my opinion the hype surrounding the brand is far greater than the overall quality. A low price and long longevity do not automatically make a fragrance a great fragrance. One thing I notice with a lot of Lattafa fragrances is the opening. They often come out extremely loud, projecting aggressively with heavy sweetness and synthetic aroma chemicals that immediately grab your attention. Sometimes the opening slightly captures the fragrance they are cloning, but it is usually more about giving you a strong first impression than accurately recreating the quality of the original. As the fragrance moves through the wear, many Lattafa releases begin to fall flat. The heart often lacks depth, smooth transitions, and development. Instead of evolving naturally, they can become linear or simply turn into a weaker version of the opening. Strangely enough, the closing or final drydown can sometimes capture the general scent profile better than the opening. However, this is usually because the fragrance settles into standard base notes that are used in many fragrances, such as vanilla, amber, musk, woods, or sweet resins. A lot of fragrances close in a similar way once the more distinctive opening and heart notes disappear. Lattafa may reach something recognizable in the final hours, but it is normally less refined, less detailed, and rougher than the fragrance it is trying to duplicate. There are also times that it can capture the opening very loud and similar and then pull flat throughout the rest of the wearing. This is something I notice with many Middle Eastern clone houses in general. They often focus on recreating the loud opening or the most recognizable part of a fragrance because that is what sells during the first few sprays, especially on social media. But when you wear them for several hours, they rarely capture the full structure, refinement, or transitions of the original.

So, I had some luck last year with a shower oil, but there was one significant issue - it had a distinct scent of its own. For working from home days, this wasn't a big deal, and I did like the convenience of applying the oil to my body at the end of my shower, letting it sit for a couple of minutes, and then rinsing off the excess. I noticed little difference in my chest, arms, and elbows between this and applying traditional moisturizer after showering. However, because of the scent of the shower oil, I ended up abandoning it after that first supply ran out and going back to the traditional routine. Of course, this also meant that certain parts of my body were getting as much moisturization as they could, since applying lotion is a more tedious process. A few days ago, though, I started a new moisturizing routine... I ordered some organic, fractionated coconut oil off of Amazon to try out as a shower oil. As it turns out, it seems to work just as well as that 'proprietary' shower oil blend - as a full-body moisturizer. However, people weren't kidding about the fragrance benefits. I've noticed a significant improvement in both longevity and projection over the last few days. I'm still, of course, applying an extra layer of face moisturizer to my face as well as body moisturizer with SPF to my head and neck after I shower, but I no longer have to take 15-20 minutes once a week (being generous with how often I actually did it) to apply body moisturizer to my entire body. Instead, I take an extra ≈3 minutes at the end of my shower to apply the fractionated coconut oil and the end result is both improved moisturization for my whole body plus increased fragrance performance. What about you guys? Do you use fractionated coconut oil as a moisturizer, or elsewhere in your fragrance routine?