Wore my sample of Baccarat Rouge 540 for the second time today because I wanted to make sure my first impression wasn’t a fluke. Going in, I was hoping for something specific. On paper this should have been beautiful with jasmine (Grandiflorum and Egyptian), saffron, a little cedar grounding it out, then that musky base settling into skin. I expected florals up front, spice weaving through, a controlled sweetness, and then a warm, masculine dry down. That’s not what happened on me. What I got almost immediately was the burnt sugar/caramel, very prominent, paired with a mineral, saltiness. And yes… I understand now why some people say “dentist’s office.” There’s a sterile, almost clinical shimmer underneath the sweetness. The florals never really bloomed. If they’re there, they’re buried under the toasted sugar and that mineral cloud. Then the strangest part was that I went nose blind to it fairly quickly. I’d catch faint flashes if I moved, but for the most part it disappeared to my own nose while possibly still projecting, but I received no compliments, nor was I asked if I had just come out of the dentist's office. I understand why it’s polarizing. It’s intense, sort of synthetic, and engineered to radiate. But for me? I was hoping for floral warmth wrapped in spice on soft wood. What I experienced was sweet-mineral abstraction. On my skin, the myth and the reality didn’t quite align.

Hey guys, Joe A. here with another one for ya'! A recent post here in the #Brotherhood got me thinking about what some of the major hurdles are in getting into hobbies, more specifically, this wonderful hobby of fragrances we're all in. Because if we’re being honest… the fragrance hobby is amazing, but it’s not exactly frictionless. If I may be allowed, over the next six days, I'd like to break down six real barriers I see as the hurdles people face when getting into (or staying in) this wide, wide hobby of fragrance collecting. The first barrier most people hit in this hobby isn’t complexity. It’s really about price. Walk into a department store and you’ll see $150 bottles without blinking. Step into niche territory and suddenly you’re staring at numbers that look like a monthly utility bill. For someone fragrance-curious but not yet fragrance-committed, that can feel like a "velvet rope" moment, as if appreciation requires a platinum card. What makes it trickier is perception. Social media and collector culture can unintentionally reinforce the idea that “serious” fragrance equals "expensive" fragrance. But artistry exists at every price tier. Some of the most complimented and wearable scents on earth sit comfortably below that $100 mark. Price is often about branding, distribution and positioning just as much as raw materials, time and talent. I believe the solution isn’t to shame expensive bottles or to glorify cheap ones. It’s education. Decants, splits, discovery sets... these are the bridges! They allow exploration without financial recklessness. The hobby becomes sustainable when curiosity doesn’t require debt. What say you, guys? Have you ever felt priced out of trying something you were genuinely curious about? What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a fragrance and did it live up to the cost? And be honest… are we collecting scent or auditioning for an episode of “Fragrance Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”? Love to hear from ya'! Continue the #Journey