All week I've been looking forward to trying out a combo of two great fragrances. Alot of time & research went into this. Eau Sauvage & Terre de Hermes were both on the cards. Well when I got in store, I was told they dont stock Hermes any more. Then out of the blue, she asked was I looking for the new Azzaro? It hasn't officially been released on these shores, so I can't put it on my IG yet, but she hooked me up with a bottle. And I got that Eau Sauvage, a classic barbershop. Now I just need to find some Hermes to complete my plan, stay tuned.

Hey guys, Joe A. here with another one for ya! You ever stop and realize that every generation has its own slang? I'm getting to the point of needing a translator just to keep up! Back in the 90s, somebody might say a fragrance was “fresh,” “smooth,” or “the bomb,” and everybody knew exactly what they meant. By the 2010s, we got “beast mode,” “panty dropper,” “mass appealing,” and “niche quality.” Fast forward to the 2020s and folks are talking about “NPC scents,” “main character energy,” “gas,” “mid,” “cooked,” and “aura.” Same hobby, different dictionary! The funny thing is, fragrance language changes just like regular slang does. In the 90s and early 2000s, most guys were keeping it simple. Then the hobby started growing, YouTube took off, online communities exploded, and now all of a sudden we’re speaking in code. A scent ain’t just “good” anymore. Now it’s “versatile,” “designer done right,” “synthetic but pleasant,” “dark academia in a bottle,” or “straight-up date night demon.” Somewhere along the way, smelling nice turned into a full-on linguistics course!! From a Joe A. point of view, I think this is part of the fun. The slang reflects the era and how people experience the hobby. The 2010s felt like performance, projection, compliment factor, and hype. The 2020s feel a little more vibe-driven. Now people care just as much about aesthetic, mood, identity, and whether a scent fits their “energy.” One decade asked, “How strong is it?” The next asks, “What kind of person does this make me feel like?” Truth be told, both sides got a point... But here’s where it gets real interesting. If you’re newer to the hobby, some of this slang can make fragrances sound way more complicated than they really are. A guy says, “This scent is giving mysterious villain arc with expensive NPC side character vibes,” and now you’re standing there wondering if the bottle smells like vanilla or vetiver. That’s why I always like breaking things back down into common-sense language, ya know, Joe A. style!! Under all the slang, all we’re really trying to say is this: Does it smell good? When would you wear it? Who is it for? And does it make you feel like a million bucks or like you got tricked by the internet again?