brehs lets talk cologne game

[CoCKy GeNiuS]

This is like saying "if I spend $500 for boots, I want everyone to tell me I have nice boots on"

I understand. But it doesn't work that way.

If I pay $500 for boots best believe they have that compliment factor lol

 

[CoCKy GeNiuS]

SOTD-
The crazy thing about it is you have clowns on Youtube fighting for the companies saying shyt like "Just b/c you paid $400-$600 for a fragrance doesn't mean it's supposed to last all day long" GTFOH. Look I'm not asking shyt to last 15-20 hours....nah I'm lying I am for $400, but I'll be damned if I pay that amount of bread and the shyt last barely 3 hours. Clone houses have figured the shyt out and know the formula now.

Exactly. I've heard em use excuses like "offensive" nah I want my shyt booming off of two sprays like they used to 12-15 years ago. It's clearly become a hustle by big fragrance houses to water down and expect you to crawl back after the bottle runs out. Well now we can just cop clones that may not be spot on but they project and perform better.

 

[darealvelle]

This is like saying "if I spend $500 for boots, I want everyone to tell me I have nice boots on"

I understand. But it doesn't work that way.

Yes I agree. Projection is not an indication of a quality composition of a perfume. Also just because a fragrance cost $300+ doesn’t mean it has to be a loud pack.

 

[Remote]

Yes I agree. Projection is not an indication of a quality composition of a perfume. Also just because a fragrance cost $300+ doesn’t mean it has to be a loud pack.

I agree with you, but I understand the other side of it.

The thing is, how many $300 fragrances REALLY perform badly?
I don't know.

People go nose-blind to fragrances after a while and maybe they just THINK it doesn't last.
Other people just have a different experience. I have fragrances that I can smell all day on my skin and for someone else it doesn't work as well.

I would say this:

If I bought a $500 pair of boots, I'd be upset if they only lasted 2 years. So I understand the argument that if you spend $300 for a cologne and you can't smell it after 3 hours, that's kinda bullshyt.

 

[CoCKy GeNiuS]

Yes I agree. Projection is not an indication of a quality composition of a perfume. Also just because a fragrance cost $300+ doesn’t mean it has to be a loud pack.

Breh there is no excuse for anything over $200 to be weak projecting with hardly any scent trail. These weak juices just started circulating over the past 7-10 years. Great fragrances like Green Irish Tweed and the OG JPG Lemale have been purposely weakened. So yea these fragrance houses know exactly what they're doing. But it's backfiring now because of the clone movement.

 

[darealvelle]

Breh there is no excuse for anything over $200 to be weak projecting with hardly any scent trail. These weak juices just started circulating over the past 7-10 years. Great fragrances like Green Irish Tweed and the OG JPG Lemale have been purposely weakened. So yea these fragrance houses know exactly what they're doing. But it's backfiring now because of the clone movement.

I get what your saying, but its subjective. You personally want a fragrance that cost $200 to have a nice smell composition, beast projection and beast longevity. Not all perfumers especially on the niche level are going to create a fragrance that will meet that criteria. Now if your talking about brands just weakening their products over the years and charging more like Tom ford, creed and a designer brands i agree with you.

 

[darealvelle]

I agree with you, but I understand the other side of it.

The thing is, how many $300 fragrances REALLY perform badly?
I don't know.

People go nose-blind to fragrances after a while and maybe they just THINK it doesn't last.
Other people just have a different experience. I have fragrances that I can smell all day on my skin and for someone else it doesn't work as well.

I would say this:

If I bought a $500 pair of boots, I'd be upset if they only lasted 2 years. So I understand the argument that if you spend $300 for a cologne and you can't smell it after 3 hours, that's kinda bullshyt.

Facts.

 

[Remote]

I might have finally found the solution to actually using this decant of Jubilation 25 by Amouage.

And I feel silly even saying it. I might just need to spray this thing like 1, maybe 1.5 times.

I don't think this is considered a strong fragrance but for my nose, this shyt just overwhelms me. I almost threw it out when I bought it like ...2 years ago?

But if I catch it in the air just right...it's kind of enjoyable. Probably won't leave a scent trail for others. But I don't care. If I try to spray this 4 times, I'm gonna choke myself out. That's just me tho.

 

[Bunchy Carter]

If I pay $500 for boots best believe they have that compliment factor lol

Is this you bruh

 

[WIA20XX]

SOTY's?

*checks spreadsheet*

Bought 6 full bottles this year.

• Stronger with You Tobacco
  • This was a day 1 cop. SWY is probably my fave designer line
• Rhum and Tabac (Comptoir Sud Pacifique)
  • The "rhum" in this is just like Pure Havane. This was a blind buy I had this year. One of them breh's shooting videos in his bedroom put me on to this.
• Royal Tobacco
  • Hall of Fame scent for me. 27 degrees outside, will probably rock it after the gym.
• God of Fiery (clone)
  • great smell, no longevity.
  • this was also a blind buy, because the decant costs as much as the clone.
• Herod
  • finished the decant (5mls in 3 years), copped the bottle.
• Man in Black Parfum
  • really good experience with the decant
• Acqua di Gio Profondo Parfum
  • see MIB Parfum

150 decants...

Winners - in chronological order

• Burberry Hero EDP
  • most surprising to me
• Man in Black Essence
  • popped up at Fragrances Line, but it's been discontinued for quite some time
• Empiryan
  • Will have to cop the bottle - because the bottle looks so nice
• Smoky Tobacco
  • A company called "I Hate Perfumes". Water based, not alcohol based.
• La Tacita De Cafe
  • Finally copped, maybe my best coffee scent?
• Ambar Dominicano
  • Surprisingly my favorite in the discovery set.
• Man in Black Parfum
  • liked it enough to get the bottle
• Acqua di Gio Profondo Parfum
  • see Man in Black Parfum
• Poivre 23
  • not surprisingly peppery.
• Spicebomb Dark Leather
  • didn't get a lot of hype, hope to see a cheap bottle someplace
• Black Lacquer
  • most interesting TF I've gotten in a while
• Rain on Oak
  • smells like rain on wood.
• Japanese Whiskey
  • I maybe like this joint more than the few I liked from both of D'Annam's discovery set.

For the most part, no real stinkers this year except for 1, but ones thought I would like a lot more

• Everything I got from Solstice Scents.
• Victorian Tobacco
  • Ash or Redolesscence - trash
• Primo (Guy Fox)
  • Tobacco? Alcohol? SIGN ME UP. Sandalwood? FOH.
• Tobacco Honey (Guerlain)
  • So much honey. It's funny cause the reviews make this sound like a tobacco bomb
• Polo '67
  • Pineapple, it's actually there, and it's not juicy but very synthetic
• Ginger Beer (Jo Malone)
  • Speaking of Jam Down Triggers- I might still get Jamaican Tobacco from Algahbra - but I HATE TUBEROSE (generally)
    • Jamaican Tobacco
• Lvers (Louis Vuitton, directed by Pharell)
  • I don't get Santal 33 directly, but it's the same idea
• Everything from Fulton and Roark
  • This has to have venture capital money behind it.
• Most of D'Annam
  • high hopes for Vietnamese house. Very unisex to feminine with most of the scents. The 30% that lean masculine are okay though

I'm still testing the Pineward samples, but this is what Solstice should have been, imo.

Hypebeasts?

• Grand Master and Checkmate by Mind Games - Fine.
• African Rooibos by Chris Collins - nice
• Vietnamese Coffee - D'annam - it's a good coffee. But it's not really different than all of the other good coffee notes out there
• Tom Ford - Grey Vetiver, Noir Extreme Plus, Vanille Fatale - they're all fine.
• Cherry Punk and Cherry Punk Extrait - when it comes to cherry scents, my fave is prolly TF's Cherry Smoke.
• Oud Maracuja - Oud and Passionfruit? This was popping on TikTok and filtered it's way into YT and Reddit. Meh
• Centaurus - Creed's got a new scent...it's fine
• Perseus - PDM's got a new scent? It's citrus and fine.
• Gentle Fluidity Silver - one of MFK's most popular. I can see why, but the DNA is not for me.

Worst Fragrance of the Year

Tom Ford - Oud Minerale - I was due for at least one truly horrible smell.

Tom - "2 challenging things that don't go together. Let's try that!!"
Underling = "Are you sure boss? Wait, you're not Tom"
Estee Lauder - "Of course not, Tom took his bag full of money and left 3 nanoseconds ago.."

Most Worn this year - I didn't keep a tally on the spreadsheet this year

• Vanilla in Bourbon
• God of Fiery
• Royal Tobacco

How'd y'all do this year?

 

[Remote]

I agree with @WIA20XX on Oud Minerale. I didn't care for it.

I'll fight you on African Rooibos. Not really. But I like that one.

I'm surprised you didn't get Royal Tobacco years ago. I thought that's been out for a while now.

Out of what you have tested, I am interested in Hero EDP. But it sounds like the kind of fragrance that would be a daily wear and I've kinda decided that my daily is *probably* going to be Guerlain L'Homme Ideal once I finish that decant. I'll still get a decant of Hero tho.

I forgot what Herod smells like and I might get another decant. I got decants of Herod and Carlisle at the same time and I still have half the Carlisle so I guess that means I liked Herod a lot more. I just can't remember it at all.

 

[WIA20XX]

I agree with @WIA20XX on Oud Minerale. I didn't care for it.

I'll fight you on African Rooibos. Not really. But I like that one.

I'm surprised you didn't get Royal Tobacco years ago. I thought that's been out for a while now.

I got the decant on year 1, but it had that Amouage price tag. (380)

Opus XIV Royal Tobacco

Opus XIV Royal Tobacco 100ml A new creation emerges from the shadows that binds our senses to its will. Opus XIV - Royal Tobacco – a brand new member of the Library Collection is all about unearthing new discoveries in perfumery. A fragrant travel alon

amouage.com

It finally dropped to 160 and copped it from Jomashop.

 

[Remote]

100 ml.

You're gonna have that bottle 10 years from now

Nothing wrong with that. Just saying.

 

[Sonic Boom of the South]

Ex Vetiver: Juliette Has A Gun

-----------------------------------------------------------------------


* Tested this Friday. This disappears in 10 minutes. Every fragrance I have tested from this house does that.

 

[Sonic Boom of the South]

Akigala Mandarino: New Notes

-----------------------------------------------------------------

* This another odd fragrance I like. I don't smell any of the top or middle notes. This smells like a desiccate pack for clothing and suede. This smells like a brand new GAP store before it ever opened. This kinda strong too. So far this my favorite from this mystery box I got.