So after a day with this one, it smells like someone took the original Sauvage Elixir, very similar to my nose At least, and made it very woodsy, along the same basic idea of Boss Bottled Elixir, but smell s so much better. This is an insanely masculine fragrance with typical beast mode for the Sauvage one up. A solid 8/10 because it does still lean towards the Elixir. Staying power is 9/10, sprayed it at 6:45 in the morning, saw customers and drove home arriving at roughly 6 pm. My wife smelled me as I walked n the door and was amazed, and still on my clothes from yesterday this morning. Full Bottle Worthy yes, BUT I have to say if you already have Elixir, it might be hard to justify getting this for $265 plus. I will add that I tried this at Dillard’s which seems to be getting samples now, goes on sale on the 31st. Mine was made for me, however I have seen people sharing photos of actual samples on Reddit, where the second picture is from.

Gentlemen… I have again encountered a problem. All of the amazing niche fragrances I got to play with and get samples from Nordstrom I was in love. Creed, Parfums de Marly, Tom Ford, Initio, Amouage, Clive Christian, Louis Vuitton, and Xerjoff. I shared all of these tester strips with the Mrs. And guess what? She hated them. Made the stank face and everything. “Why would anyone wear that?!?!” I’m still developing my nose and figuring out what I like and haven’t really found anything yet I don’t like. All of this is still new and very exciting for me. I wear fragerance for me, for me to feel good in, for me to be a new person everyday. But I also want to wear something that impresses her. For lack of a better term I labeled her a “designer groupie”. The only time I have received WOW compliments is Art of Universe, Born in Roma Intense, and Nautica Voyage freaking Sport. FREAKING SPORT!!! I literally had a 500$ fragerance on my skin that made my head spin in a good way and she hated it. I wear Nautica and she wants to give me hugs and kisses. Why can’t I accept this and be comfortable with it? Am I a scent snob? All constructive criticism welcomed. 😬

Match #4 in my 40-fragrance tournament was a contrast in styles. It paired #28 seed Givenchy Gentleman Original against #37 seed Montblanc Explorer Platinum. Givenchy Gentleman Original (1974, 2024 created by Paul Léger) is an old-school classic built around honey, cinnamon, rose, patchouli, leather, oakmoss, and vetiver. It has a mature, confident character that feels timeless rather than dated. Montblanc Explorer Platinum (2023, created by Bruno Jovanovic) takes the Explorer line in a fresher direction with violet leaves, clary sage, and cedarwood. It's clean, modern, and easy to wear, but for me it never quite matches the appeal of the original Explorer. I like both fragrances, but this matchup had a clear winner. The Givenchy has more personality and gives me that classic, mature feeling I really enjoy. Explorer Platinum is pleasant, but I'd reach for the original Explorer every time. Givenchy Gentleman Original advances, while Montblanc Explorer Platinum drops into the loser's bracket.