We had one of those days that reminds you why slowing down matters. We started at Cheesecake Factory. Easy, familiar, no rush. The kind of lunch that sets the tone instead of stealing energy. Conversation flowed. Nothing felt scheduled. Just time together. From there we headed to Neiman Marcus. This was the lingering stop. We took our time and smelled fragrances together, actually living with them for a bit instead of rushing paper strips. Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Creed, and Tom Ford all got proper attention. Maison stood out enough to land on my possible-to-buy list. My wife really liked it, which matters more than hype. Creed did not click for either of us. Nothing wrong with it, just not our lane. Tom Ford was interesting, bold in spots, but not the winner that day. Neiman Marcus also delivered on clothing. A Mackage jacket made its case. A Rails shacket followed. Rag and Bone denim did what it always does when the fit is right. Nordstrom was next, and that is where things settled. She picked up a Ralph Lauren jacket and sweater. Clean, classic pieces that feel calm instead of impulsive. The kind of clothes that do not fight the rest of your closet. While we were there, three pairs of jeans somehow came home with me. Rag and Bone and AG. No complaints. All day I wore Dior Fahrenheit. Familiar, warm, confident without trying to be modern. On my wrist was my Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph, quietly keeping pace while the day unfolded. But none of that is really the point. The point was the walking between stores. The laughing. The small check-ins. Making decisions together. Letting the day breathe instead of trying to maximize it. Shopping was the excuse. Scents and clothes were the props. Time with my wife was the real luxury.

Ok so I went a little crazy again getting decants. I’m not even counting the dozen or so I got through decant trades (they don’t count, right?). I had said I wouldn’t blind buy more decants in January because I’ve had such a run of bad luck finding anything I would ever wear, but clearly I have a problem sticking to my resolutions. In fact, looking at the list, I clearly rebelled against my own resolution. For what it’s worth I’ve been doing ok this month finding things I don’t hate, and even found a bunch that are full bottle worthy! Decants / travel sizes on the way: - Valentino Purple Melsncholia - Penhaligon’s Inimitable William - TF Grey Vetiver Parfum - Prada Amber Pour Homme - Chopard Oud Malaki - Tumi Atlas - Acqua di Parma Colonia Futura - Gravitas Pour Homme - Mugler Cologne (Come Together) - Superz Lake Balaton - Bulgari Man in Black Parfum - Amouage Material - Azzaro Forever Wanted Absolu - Coach Black EDP - Creed Oud Zarian - Maison Margiela Never Ending Summer - House of Cosmo Polaris and Lunar Minerale - Hoping to get Legend Noir, Requiem and Boss Bastard at the ATH restock tomorrow - Umm and I got a full size bottle of Curly's Gentleman's Code, coming tomorrow Recent decant purchases: - YSL 6 Place Saint Sulpice: Good god yes, fbw for sure. This is basically a perfect scent for me - warm rich lightly spicy with an ever so light hint of sweetness, a leather I actually enjoy, it just makes me feel warm and happy. The only drawback is it needs some heavy spraying to project, and even then doesn't last more than a few hours on my skin. I'll need to battle this vs. the Calcologne dupe coming soon but I think I need one of them to replace the bottle of Blonde Amber I'm selling (yep - BA isn't for me after all) - D&G Velvet Zafferano: Hellz yeah, fbw. Beautiful and elegant warm amber lightly saffrony spicy, projects softly for a few hours. The only drawback is it's a bit linear to me. I have this or D&G Velvet Incenso in my sights for a bottle - Dior Ambre Nuit Esprit: Oh yeah, fbw. Wonderful rich warm spicy amber. The only drawback is the big red gum cinnamon blast at the open and early mids, not sure I can get past that. - Nikolai New York Intense: This might be full bottle worthy. Sparkly aromatic citrus with some warmth in the mids (backbone of resins, hint of musk, and tonka). Vwet nice, not blowing me away, but is much what I’ve been looking for in a daily driver - Rayhaan Aquatica: This might be fbw. Wow. Very nice lime creamy coconut soap vibes. I'm not usually a fan of coconut but here it isn’t overwhelming, it's like coconut milk not dried coconut or sunscreen coconut. Very nice. Projects for hours. Is this what VIW is like? - Moncler Sunrise: Almost fbw. Very nice blue. First minute has a vegetable smell but it dissipates. Aromatic softly citric, very pleasant, vaguely Blue de Chanel vibes. But like zero projection - 1/2 hr into it and I can’t smell it and neither can my son - Moncler Pour Homme: Almost fbw. Interesting woody aromatic, like a pile of freshly cut pine logs. But like zero projection. Almost worth getting at discounters just for that gimmicky bottle... - Loewe Esencia EDP: Almost fbw. Crisp mossy aromatic dry fougere, very enjoyable -- but it’s too close to Aventus and so is redundant in my collection - Nishane Papilefiko: Almost fbw. Sparkly citrus open but instantly smooth warm aromatic and woody. Kind of like Blazing Mr Sam but without the body odor opening. Slight pencil shavings but that’s not a bad thing. But... it's not blowing me away.