There’s a point where collecting stops being primarily about fragrance appreciation and becomes completion-driven collecting. It’s the mindset of: “I already have the one I love, but now I need the Intense, Parfum, Elixir, Limited Edition, Night Edition, Summer Edition…” The actual scent can become secondary. The urge to own the complete line becomes the motivation. A few signs of this collector mindset: Completion over preference: “I don’t love it, but I need the set.” Flanker propensity every new release creates an urge to acquire it. Fear of an incomplete line: owning 6/7 somehow feels incomplete. Bottle-family appeal: the visual continuity of a collection becomes part of the attraction. Acquisition becomes the reward: sometimes the excitement of obtaining the bottle exceeds the excitement of wearing it. Redundancy gets rationalized: “They’re different enough” even when the actual wearing experience is very similar. The house becomes the object: you’re no longer collecting fragrances; you’re collecting the brand’s universe. And honestly, this isn’t necessarily bad. It’s just a different type of collector. Someone may buy a flanker because they genuinely enjoy it; another buys it because the OG without the flanker feels incomplete. With a very large collection, that distinction becomes particularly interesting: Are you collecting scents, or are you collecting completeness?

Match #43 in the second-chance bracket features Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum versus the now-discontinued Dunhill Icon—and this one is a fairly easy decision. Bleu de Chanel EDP (2014, created by Jacques Polge) remains one of the most versatile fragrances out there and, for me, one of the most sophisticated takes on the fresh blue fragrance. Grapefruit, ginger, incense, cedar, and sandalwood give it freshness without sacrificing depth. Office, casual, evening, almost any season—it simply works. Dunhill Icon (2015, created by Carlos Benaïm) also starts in fresh territory, with bergamot, neroli, black pepper, and lavender over vetiver and woods. I enjoy the aromatic citrus opening, but there's a slightly synthetic quality to it on my skin that keeps it from competing with the smoothness of the Chanel. No real drama today. Bleu de Chanel is the more polished, balanced, and versatile fragrance, and it advances comfortably. Dunhill Icon is eliminated from the tournament. And Chanel continues to have an impressive run: two fragrances remain in the main bracket, with three more still fighting their way through the second-chance bracket.

Happy Sunday, Brotherhood! Today has been a little bittersweet. After an absolutely fantastic trip to Houston, I came home only to find myself facing a $1,750 repair bill on my truck. Sheesh! Definitely not the welcome-home gift I was looking for. Nevertheless, I arose this morning and went into service to give thanks to my Creator. I was reminded that the rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Challenges are inevitable, but once again, He saw fit to provide me with a way to overcome. For that, I remain grateful. Now, on to today’s fragrance. My scent of the day comes from Amouage—the highly sought-after fragrance originally introduced as Sinbad and now called Elsewhere. I was told it may be another 8–10 months before it receives a wider release, with availability currently limited primarily to Amouage boutiques. When I smelled this in the boutique, I was absolutely astounded. Despite that rather serious price tag, there was simply no way I was leaving without it. Elsewhere is an olfactory dream. This composition has an incredible mystique about it. It is deep, rich, resinous, sweet, earthy, woody and spicy, with the slightest animalic edge weaving its way through the composition. Interestingly, there is no oud listed, yet at times I get a darkness and earthiness that almost gives me the impression of one. And this fragrance evolves. Hour after hour, different facets seem to rise from the composition. Just when I think I have figured it out, something else emerges. That kind of evolution is exactly what I love about perfumery, and Elsewhere delivers it beautifully. Performance certainly does not disappoint either. Projection is roaringly large, and the sillage is phenomenal—this can absolutely become a room-filler if you aren’t careful. Six hours into the wear, the longevity hasn’t fallen off at all, and the fragrance continues to shift and reveal itself on my skin. This is unquestionably going to become one of the jewels of my collection. Normally, I’d wait until the end of the wear before giving a final score, but there’s absolutely no need today.