Gave Fall of Phaeton a proper wear today, and I wanted to see if this one would change my mind on the house after Triumph of Bacchus. First spray: ~2:27 p.m. Opening: Right from the start, the opening felt very subdued. The citrus notes are there on paper, but there’s no real fresh pop. I get a little bit of cardamom, but the lavender and agarwood show up early and immediately tone everything down. The ginger and bergamot don’t really get a chance to sparkle. ~30 minutes in: At this point, it shifts into a sweet, powdery profile, with the lavender leading. It’s more powdery than citrus-forward. The cardamom adds some warmth and a touch of sweetness, but I’m not getting any funk or animalic edge from the agarwood. In the air it smells fine, and projection is about two feet, but nothing here is jumping out. ~3 hours in: By this stage, it’s settled into what smells like a soft tonka-vanilla sweetness, without much leather presence. I’m not getting the animalic leather or depth I was hoping for. It’s smooth and well blended, but it never hits that “wow” moment for me. Overall: This is the second fragrance from Argos that hasn’t really clicked with me. Between this and Triumph of Bacchus, I’m starting to think this house might just not align with my taste. Nothing is badly done, but it all feels a bit too safe, powdery, and restrained for what I personally look for. Calling this one a pass for me. Curious if others have had better luck with this house, or if Argos just leans a certain way that doesn’t work for everyone.

Second or third full wear today with this gem I grabbed at Ross a couple months ago. I already had the edt and enjoy it during the warm weather finding it extremely similar to Coach Open Road which I also have and enjoy (redundant), but this release is much smoother and less loud. It manages to keep the same dna but with more of a refined and rounded out blend while being mildly darker in a sense. It’s very nice and a touch more elegant if I had to call it anything. Performance is solid with good projection for an easy hour plus sillage. Dried down on skin it lasts another easy 6hrs. It opens citrusy woody and sweet all until this fantastic fig starts rolling around giving it that undeniable distinction. Eventually you’re left with a leathery woody sweet fig allure with that nice subtle saffron kiss 👌🏼. Fantastic fragrance. Have the best day brothers. Smell great out there.