Good Monday morning to the Fragrance Family. It’s starting to warm up, even though we’re still sitting in the 20s here in the Chi, and I wouldn’t trade my city for any other despite what the media loves to say. Chicago is home, through and through. In honor of Black Owned Fragrance Week, I’ll be wearing an African American–owned fragrance house every day this week. Today’s scent of the day is Speakeasy by Harlem Perfume Co. This one is spicy, woody, boozy, and aromatic, all rounded out by a sweetness that perfectly fits its name. When I wear it, I’m instantly transported to the Prohibition era, dressed to the nines, stepping into an illicit establishment with liquor flowing, jazz playing, and that thrill of living on the edge for fear of being caught. This fragrance tells a story, and it tells it well. Solid 9.0 in my book. Let’s start the week strong, support Black-owned brands, and as always, smell amazing doing it.

Day One of trying new things - Oud Wood outta the gate. Honestly I am unsure I have the vocabulary to describe anything yet (Still Working my way through the BoS Fragrance Almanac). But first blush, I am getting a spicy deep wood scent that exudes strength and cleanliness. I will report more throughout the day if I notice (big if) changes.

I discovered quite a while ago that the Cartier is a brilliant fragrance to blend. It works well with Aventus, Layton, Interlude, Mancera Red Tobacco, Individuel and SEVERAL others. When I first got it, I found it challenging because it's hyper-sweet from the caramel, tonka and sugar notes. But it has a smoky vibe too and I love my smoke. At this point, I'm perfectly happy just spraying it straight, though I wouldn't recommend that for most. Anyway, tonight I wanted to do a rerun of the Noir Absolu with the Lattafa Dukhan. I tried it several months ago and it was simply wonderful. This combination has a niche-like, exotic vibe, and with smoke, resin, and that Middle Eastern soul that I love. As a pair, the fragrance is quite powerful and IMO easily rivals fragrances that cost several hundred dollars. I layered the Lattafa on top of the Cartier after a couple moments to allow the Cartier to dry down a bit. The opening hits with a spicy-woody scent while the Dukhan rises over it with its incense smoke and warm resin. NO harshness here, in fact it’s smooth and refined. The mid seems to actually warm the skin (perfect for a cool evening), and becomes dense to the point where I'm constantly smelling my wrist! I just love the amber core with smokiness. The finish has that smoke & sexiness (so I hear) to it. The smoke becomes smoother over time while the fragrance is solidly masculine, even given the overall sweetness of the blend. Honestly, this is one of my favorite scents and one of the very few times that I would prefer to blend rather than spray the individual bottles. Each bottle can be had for less than $50, but combined I think the fragrance rivals bottles costing over $200! This is a 9/10 for me.