Kicking the year off with a great start, now before anyone starts shouting. yes rhis is the dreaded 2025 formulation. I checked the batch codes and this was all they had in stock. I had my nose on the edp and this one which was a touch sweeter. I could have gone for the intense, but there was no tester and at these prices I'm not taking risks on something I have. No experience with. So this is another Francis Kurkdjian effort after the eau forte and the limited €15000 Sauvage fiasco's I should have ran away. But it's actually not a bad fragrance to be fair. Ok fans of the original formulation might be pissed, I believe the old one was and Iris/leather base which I would love to try whereas the new 2025 is a warm amber based scent So there is still Iris in the opening, it's strong, powdery and clean, but alas, it fades away rather quickly. There is also an Orange note in there plays a nice support role in the opening and could easily be missed. At the heart, the Amber accord takes over the show and it dominates. This is were the sweetness and warmth come from. This is designed totally with the Amber in control, the base has Coumarin, Patchouli and some Vetiver and a Hay Cut? Which gives an overall earthy/woody foundation to anchor the sweetness of the Amber. I won't even try to make comparisons here. From what I've read this is a totally different fragrance and in all fairness should have been given it's own line name. But the money men rule the roost right. This may be a cash in, but it's a good one imo, I quite like this and it makes me want to explore at least the others, definitely want to try the intense and if I can find an old formulation of this, Iris and leather sound amazing. I've gotten a solid 6 hrs with this, it's consistent for the duration. Projection is good for the first 2hrs, before settling into a moderate, refined scent bubble. Like most of my collection I tend to be drawn towards the Autumn/Winter fragrances and this is no different. I'd say this will appeal to the masses as it's quite versatile and could work just as well in the office as on a date night. If you haven't already tried it, give it a go, just judge it on its own merits and don't make comparisons. This is a Dior Homme in name only. It could have easily been named Pour Homme or Homme Amber?

Here, in no particular order, are my favorite things from the world of perfumes that happened in 2025: 1). Going to Greece and discovering scents from Theodoris Kalotinis. I picked up Pistachio Latte, 1989, and Coffee Addict. Turns out he's from the same town I lived in when I was a kid. 2). Tom Ford Black Orchid Reserve. I have smelled it in the stores and picked up a little sample, and it's my favorite version of the fragrance. I'm just biding my time for it to hit places like Aura and for the price to come down. When it does, it will be coming home with me. 3). Boss Bottled Elixir and Bold Citrus. I picked up both in 2025, and Elixir has become one of my favorite perfumes of all time. Bold Citrus is a phenomenal summer fragrance that's only now starting to get it's due, long after it's been discontinued. 4). Discovering House of Mammoth and trying their sample sets. Everett, in particular, was a favorite - it was designed to honor the life of a young boy who's life ended too soon. The scent centered around orange slices and marshmallows, and was amazing for the summer. 5). Discovering Fine'ry Magical Nomad. It's a $30 clone of Byredo Gypsy Water that you can get at Target. It became my favorite scent of 2025, and is my go to for indoor photo shoots and when hanging out with friends. 6). Realizing that I don't need 10 million perfumes in my collection, but that I genuinely enjoy the process of collecting and hunting new fragrances. I've become a lot more strategic about my purchasing habits, and I feel like I've gotten myself out of the "buy, buy, buy" hype cycle that comes when first getting into perfumery. 7). Working my way through over 100 decants and samples in my collection. My goal was 50, thinking I could get through one a week, and I am closing out the year having used up, traded, sold, or given away 127. 8). Reaching level 4 of the Imaginary Authors loyalty tier. I know it's kind of weird, but I love the house and brand, and the way they treat their long time customers. It's a great program that really keeps me incentivized to buy direct from them, and it comes with a lot of great perks. I was able to pick up some long discontinued scents through the program, and find some new ones that I love.