My newest Game of Spades fragrance which is inspired by Scent of Peace by Bond. It’s not a 1 for 1 representation but it’s close and smells pretty good. Right if the rip you get a blast of pineapple with bit of bergamot and black currant. The pineapple and bergamot fade away after about 30 mins on my skin and I’m left with the black currant as it mixes in with a base of cedar and Vetiver. Overall a good fragrance with an aesthetically pleasing bottle. Longevity is right around the 8 hour mark for me, excellent projection for the first 4.5. This can be had for less than $70 for a similar DNA to a $200 Bond. I’m a big fan of Game of Spades so I’ll keep buying them.

Obsession for Men OG, new, Clone, vs Alternatives. Obsession OG: The original is quite a masterpiece, and comes from an era where the note structures of fragrances were very, very complicated. If you look up the makeup of 1990’s fragrances in general, they are a conglomeration of dozens of notes. Perfumers crafted and blended to create unique smells that did not replicate experiences you found in the real world. So, for Obsession, this is no different. Detailing notes that dominate is all one can really do, because trying to tease out every note detail is impossible. Having said that, the dominant notes to my nose are the spicy, vanilla, woody, and amber notes. I’m talking cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cedar, sandalwood, amber, and a hint of musk to make it masculine. At first spray, it is strong, and I think the top notes have degraded over time. What I mean is though this is a deeper gourmand fragrance, and I suspect when it was “younger” the citrus notes would have been more prominent. Why I believe that: for the initial twenty minutes, there is an almost unpleasant top note. I think of it like citrus that has dried out and become musty. It’s kind of like potpourri citrus, and kind of like old books. My guess, therefore is that over time the top notes have aged/decayed, leaving the fragrance deeper, richer, and a bit musty. Other than that, this fragrance seems mostly linear, except it ends a little more vanilla with creamy sandalwood at the end. As for projection and longevity. It’s not bad. I’d say 5-8 sprays will project nicely for a work setting, perhaps a few more if you plan to be outside or in a large space. This is definitely a cooler weather fragrance (winter/fall), and even now, it's a bit too much as I try it on an 85-degree day. I get 6 hours easy out of it before it is a skin scent. The more I spray, and on a cooler day, I could stretch it to 8 hours. Bottom line, I love this fragrance. It was what got me into the fragrance journey, and though others can lean in more on isolated notes and projection, this one is a very suitable jack-of-all-trades, being easy to manage for intimate, outdoor, and evening use as you modify the number and placement of sprays. Super versatile and divinely elegant.