Good Morning Fragrance Family from chilly, cloudy, slightly gloomy Chicago. Still, we woke up, and that alone is a blessing. Carpe Diem. Seize the day with joy and vigor because someone did not make it to see today. Gratitude changes everything. Today I’m doing something a little different. My scent of the day is a head to head comparison between Parfums de Marly Althaïr and French Avenue Liquid Brun Limited Edition. In the opening, Althaïr is brighter and more refined. You can tell the quality of the ingredients is slightly elevated. It feels smoother and more polished. Liquid Brun, on the other hand, has a slight synthetic edge for about thirty seconds before settling down nicely. Now let me cook for a minute. Where Althaïr is brighter and streamlined, Liquid Brun is deeper, richer, and more mature. The lavender in Liquid Brun adds a subtle floral nuance in the top that gives it more dimension. Althaïr can lean very vanilla forward and sometimes border on cloying in certain spaces. Liquid Brun tones that sweetness down and feels more balanced and versatile. Some may say owning both is redundant, but wearing them together tells a different story. They actually blend beautifully. The brightness and refinement of Althaïr paired with the depth of Liquid Brun creates a well rounded scent bubble. It even pulled a compliment from my wife, and she rarely comments on my fragrances, so that speaks volumes. Performance wise, neither needs heavy spraying. Four to six sprays is more than enough. Anything beyond that is catastrophic. Projection is outstanding on both. Sillage is impressive and noticeable. Longevity is slightly better with Liquid Brun at about 10 to 12 hours on skin and longer on clothes. Althaïr gives me a solid 8 to 9 hours, which is still very respectable. For me, Althaïr leans more daytime. Liquid Brun plays better in the evening. A light spritz of Liquid Brun over the remains of Althaïr is a winning move. Final scores Althaïr 8.25 Liquid Brun 8.75 for its deeper, more mature composition.

Starting my discovery set from Xerjoff today and going with this one as it will be a warm day in Florida. Erba Pura by Xerjoff is an Oriental fragrance for women and men. Erba Pura was launched in 2019. Erba Pura was created by Christian Carbonnel and Laura Santander. Top notes are Sicilian Orange, Calabrian bergamot and Sicilian Lemon; middle note is Fruits; base notes are White Musk, Madagascar Vanilla and Amber.