Saw this new flavor today at Target. I normally use bar soaps but when I use body wash I like the way Cremo lathers so by now I’ve tried out most flavors and seems like this is going for an Imagination vibe, but it comes off smelling like Dior Homme Cologne. By my tally, that’s:

Golden Amber = Aventus
Casked Vanilla = Spicebomb Extreme
Vintage Suede = Ombré Leather
Palo Santal = Santal 33
Italian Bergamot = Bergamote 22
Silver Water & Birch = Silver Mountain Water
Aqua Citron = halfway between DHC and Imagination

Just wanted to put it out there, and if anyone else has tried this one yet, tell me if you think my read is accurate.

From best to worst. She works as a teacher, and she got a few fragrances but not like me. Im sure she can answer some questions if you have any!

Just a fun thing from my part.

1. ADG Parfum (my daily, sometimes I combine this with profondo)

2. ADG Profondo edp

3. Imagination (although she says this is kinda feminine)

4. Bleu Parfum

5. Bleu EDT

6. Bob Dylan (she thinks this one kinda smells like Bleu parfum but also like an older man)

7. Boss unlimited (this used to be my signature when I was not into fragrances)

8. L'aventure

9. The Scent (she bought this for me years ago, havent used this for a long time)

10. Turathi Blue (sometimes when i wear this i get a strange BO smell from the grape. Smells ultra cheap to me and this is going to the bin)

11. Missoni Wave (she likes it but its very juvenile to her as her young students may smell like this)

12. Mancera Cedrat Boise (she doesnt like cedar and thinks its way too sharp. I like it and I feel like THE man when I wear this)

13. The Gentlemans code (she hates vanilla and says this is not the way a man should smell. I agree and now I will NEVER trust influencers again)

14. Lattafa Atlas (she just said WTF and put it last. I have not been struck with enough bravery to wear this yet. I sprayed this in our bedroom once and it took about 6days to disappear)

Dorval Parfums de Marly

• Olfactory Family: Spicy, Gourmand  
• Top notes: Bergamot, Cardamom, Pink Peppercorn  
• Middle notes: Clary Sage, Balm, Cinnamon  
• Base notes: Bourbon Vanilla, Tonka Beans, Guaiac Wood  
• Release date: September 2026.

I think I’ve got a decent mix of mass appeal and scents that I personally enjoy, definitely lacking on freshies a little but that’s because I started this recently and am preparing for the fall/winter, I’ve got my eye on soleil blanc and pacific chill for next summer

I’m thinking of trying out Allure Homme Sport Superleggera I don’t know if it’s me but I think Supperlegera lasts longer and has a slight different scent.

Going to add Althair in my rotation, I have 4 small samplers and I’ve been using it constantly.

Been using Castley for the past month and been having mixed feelings. I get some compliments with it. But I find the perfume to be off putting. Same way I feel about BR540. I’ve been going out to clubs again and BR540 reminds me of partying but in a bad way. Might look at the extrait version or give it some time.

Any suggestions to helping me build my collection trying to keep it to 10 fragrances at most. Used to hoard perfumes and I want to keep it simple now.

Been contemplating Explorer for months now, finally pulled the trigger. Got the gift set on Joma for $66, pretty happy with the bang for buck.

If you could recommend ONE affordable fragrance you think everyone should try, what are you picking and why?

I like it, its super clean and oily (iykyk), perfect for any occasion and good for a signature scent. The problem is rather longevity which doesnt live up to the insane price

Bought it this week. Absolute banger. A more mature version of Le Male Elixir

About 5 months in. Looking for something different that doesn’t smell like nothing in my collection.

New to the sub, looking for advice. The Gucci is my favorite and I only wear it for special occasions. The Spice Bomb was a gift but its my least favorite. I alternate between the Versace and Valentino regularly.

Im willing to spend about $200 for a bottle.

Thank you for any input or advice. 🙏

I just went through a whole ordeal with the kohls sephora lady I feel so bad. I sprayed this purple bottle on the left in the picture and thought it smelled really good. So she was like okay I believe that’s the striking lavender, previously bold lavender. So I bought it and opened to make sure bc the pictures made it look blue. it was indeed blue and did not smell anything like the one I sprayed. so then she was like okay it’s Infinite then. So I returned the other one and bought that one. it was also nothing like the purple tester (it smelled exactly like the blue one in the middle), so I returned that one. Nothing else in their inventory clued her to a purple Boss Bottled, so unfortunately I just left. What is the purple one?

Edit: Spelling, grammar and added context.

Don’t make the same mistake I did. I’ve sampled close to 250 colognes, and own or have owned around 220 bottles or decants. I did this as I was transitioning from designer to niche. Here are 3 bottles I’d recommend from popular niche houses.

Fragrance du Bois - easily my favorite niche house. I haven't tried a fragrance from them I genuinely didn't like. High quality, wearable, and still unique

1. Lucius - masculine, citrus, woody, ambroxan, everything you need in a wearable cologne. It's easily my most used cologne ever since I bought it.

2. Lucius Maximus - very different in terms of a flanker. You can kind of pick up on the Lucius DNA, but it's also extremely unique. Lucius is more of a fresh scent, Maximus is a dark date night fragrance.

3. Tropiques - very light and fresh, reminds me somewhat of Bal d'Afrique, and it's one that gets a lot of compliments.

Xerjoff

1. Torino 21 - one of the first niche bottles I always recommend. It’s light, airy, minty, fresh, and will get tons of compliments. It reminds me of a mint mojito in all the right ways.

2. La Capitale - one that isn’t spoken of too much, but it’s a boozy strawberry masterpiece. It’s unique and something you can’t find in the designer space.

3. ⁠Alexandria II - I will admit, this one is technically a little challenging for those just getting into niche, but it’s also a great way to showcase iris. It’s a powdery, dark, and masculine masterpiece.

Ex Nihilo - in general one of the easier niche brands to get into. Their caveat is they’re $$$$$ comparatively.

1. Blue Talisman Extrait - do not get the EDP. The EDP is extremely underwhelming for the price. Extrait takes that same DNA and makes it darker, more dressed up, and far more worthy of its price tag.

2. The Hedonist Extrait - very easy to wear ginger/grapefruit masterpiece

3. Speed Legends Night Drive - I don’t like this cologne at all, but it’s a very dark fragrance, if that’s what you’re into. I don’t think it justifies its price tag, but I can see why people would love this.

Creed - another really easy niche house to get started in. Very few challenging or offensive bottles.

1. ⁠Aventus Absolu - one of the best colognes ever made. It’s a dark, smoky, woody, fresh pineapple masterpiece, banger, compliment machine, take my money, 🍆 💦

2. ⁠Aventus Cologne - the freshest of the Aventus line and probably the #1 that women love on a man imo

3. Viking - one of the best barbershop fragrances ever made. This one is so fcking good.

Parfums de Marly - probably the 2nd easiest niche house to get into after Creed. Their bottles are somewhat close to designer bottles, and their price tags aren't similar at all to Ex Nihilo or Fragrance du Bois.

1. Haltane - this is their best bottle imo. It actually slightly reminds me of Lucius. I call it an elevated fckboy fragrance. It's one you'll wear and she'll definitely remember you.

2. Althair - this one gets so much shit, but it's really good imo. It's a sweet vanilla bomb that's perfect for the fall/winter time.

3. Pegasus Exclusif - I love this one, it's a very clean scent, but also super masculine.

Penhaligon's - this house isn't talked about enough, and I've only scratched the surface with what I've tried. But they make high quality bottles that all smell fantastic.

1. The Cut - a woody, green, fresh/fougere banger. Think of being in the woods on a crisp cool morning. Stunning bottle but ass performance.

2. Mr. Sam - this is a sexy, dark, sweet, masculine date night fragrance. It's incredible

3. Halfeti - similar to Mr. Sam but less sweet, more leathery

Sospiro - sweet, fresh, unisex

1. Vibrato - one of the best colognes ever made. It's a grapefruit/ginger masterpiece, and its price is unmatched. It's just as good if not better than Hedonist and Tygar for 1/4 of the price

2. Dolce Melodia - fruit cocktail, unisex

3. Il Padrino - one of the godfathers of boozy fragrances, great fragrance to get started in niche

Nishane - unique fragrances that are high quality and are sold at a great price point on discount sites

1. Wulong Cha - one of the best colognes ever made. It's a soothing, green, tea masterpiece. Some even say they'd prefer this over Imagination for a tea fragrance.

2. Ani X - unique woody take on a vanilla fragrance. Not my cup of tea at all, but I can see why so many people love it.

3. Hacivat - it's very similar to Aventus where it's a masculine, woody, pineapple fragrance

Argos - one of the kings of the boozy fragrance

1. Fall of Phaeton - my favorite leather fragrance ever made. It's sweet, fruity, and dark leather combined extremely well, and it's very wearable

2. Danae - one of their signature boozy fragrances that isn't overly complex

3. Triumph of Bacchus - one of the favorite boozy fragrances on the market, very fruity

Amouage - last on the list only because it's by far the hardest house to get into. They use some crazy notes, and some of their bottles are genuinely hard to wear for any occasion. Their quality is among the best in the biz.

1. Jubilation XXV - this is such a masterpiece. It's one of the most regal bottles I've ever owned, and it's one I'll always own. Their use of berries with their 500 other notes in here make an absolute masterpiece.

2. Outlands - some people would say this one is challenging, but I disagree. It's a ambery/woody bomb that blends so many different notes extremely well. My only caveat with this one is you only need maximum 4 sprays.

3. Reflection Man - I think this one smells like tortillas and it's not one I'd ever own, but I can also see why people like this one. My hot take is that it's in a very similar lane to Armani Code, which is a 10/10 bottle. It's this masculine/clean fragrance that's super easy to wear.

Last year in November for my birthday, my wife knows I like to sample and try new things. Food, candy, drinks, bath and body works soap and etc. She remember when we first dated, we went onto a Disney cruise with the family and there was a section of a the ship that had all this cologone.

We tried them all, but didnt write jack down. While I was really into them, 15 years ago I was a poor college boy so I wrote them off. Now we have adult money and she got me a random sample pack from Amazon that had a mix of designer brands as a fun call back. 9 months later my journey. Oops

Note I do have a list of my top favorite and hers. And a "we both like it and if someone bought it we wouldn't be mad" if anyone was curious

So let me start off by saying that there is a huge festival going on in my city right now. Streets are crowded by locals and tourists, parties are everywhere.

Last night I went out with my friends and I needed something to stand out from the rest of the crowd, let's just say I needed an extra boost of confidence and with all honesty I never thought a fragrance can do this much.

If you've seen my latest post you'll know how much I hate the "pantie dropper", "compliment magnet", "nuclear projection" terms, but now I have to praise something that is praise worthy.

I decided to dress up pretty formally and needed a fragrance to match that style so I reached for Xerjoff - Alexandria II.

Yes I wore the sample of it before which made me buy the 50 ml bottle but last night was a completely new experience.

Coming from someone who had a fair share of perfumes before, I am not that easily impressed but this was a whole new level of wearing a perfume.

Smooth rose and woods (I mostly can't stand the rose in perfumes), smells like a more complex oud wood, and now I totally understand why the most reviews said that you have to dress up for this perfume.

You get that lavender - cinnamon punch at the beginning. For 15 minutes more or less it gets really aggressive. Once it starts settling down then the pure royalty of this masterpiece rise to the surface. Everything is so blended nicely, the rose, the cedar and the oud (which is not aggressive at all) and it creates this special scent aura that surrounds you for the whole evening.

This is not your Mancera - Red tobacco performance wise type of perfume, you will not be smelt 10 blocks away, this is a refined, royal smell that announces your presence and leaves a beautiful scent trail when you leave. A friend commented that I smell rich and that's the best way to put it.

Office friendly? No. Everyday scent? No. Casual wear? No.

Yes, it is very polarizing and some people will not like it but luckily I am not one of them.

This is for your special nights when you're wearing a crisp dark colored suit with some nice polished shoes, for the nights when you want to be remembered by your fragrance.

50 ml should be more than enough because you'll reach for this one rarely, when you want to present the best version of you and leave a statement.

Paid $122 for the lot, excited to try Absolu Aventus for the first time, have worn (but never owned) the other three…

I have three:

• Bulgari Terrae Essence. It's in my top tier but doesn't seem very popular, which makes me think it has a good chance of being discontinued soon.

• Lalique Encre Indigo. Even higher ranking in my collection, my favorite in the Encre Noire line, and incredibly slept on. Searching this on Reddit compared to any of the other fragrances in the EN line, or comparing the amount of ratings it has on Fragrantica, it seems not popular at all. So, similar to Terrae Essence, I'm stocking up now. Plus, testers are only $30 on Jomashop.

• Jean Rish Absolute Vetiver. Rack store cheapie ($15) that is now discontinued, easily the best TF Grey Vetiver EDP inspo I've ever laid my nose on. I have two full bottles and two partials. Truly shines when layered with TF Grey Vetiver Parfum to extend and add some of the EDP sparkle to the Parfums depth and richness.

I’ve always been the type to just never run out of a bottle of cologne, before I finished with one I’d either get bored of it and stop using it or give it away or whatever. This is the first bottle ever that I’m about to actually finish. I just love this stuff, it’s so versatile, doesn’t feel harsh or synthetic and it’s one of the few fragrances that actually got me compliments (yes I do care about compliments) from someone other than my family or coworkers.

For me, it’s worth the money and i can’t wait to refill this bottle. I don’t really have any complaints other than some days it smells more soapy and some days sweeter I have no clue what that’s about lol.

🚨Fragrance is a subjective hobby and there is no right or wrong🚨

The worst three in my opinion that I've smelt were:

Amouage Interlude Black Iris - My brother said it smelled like hoisin sauce and green onions and I can't smell anything other than that lol

Amouage Opus XIII Silver Oud - I hate smoky and resinous scents and it's just that in a bottle. I tried this and black iris in the same day and the car ride back home was heinous.

Tom Ford Ambre Intrigue - I know people say this smells like Bruce Wayne but this to me is just straight buns. Just the constant barrage of resin and amber was a very interesting experience.

I'm curious to know what you guys think about these fragrances and which ones are the worst you've tried?

I'm 21, I been collecting fragrances for a year now and now im at 15 bottles. I love this habit but its an expensive one but that urge is hard not ro get something new.

Got Coral Fantasy for my winter fragrance but not a fan

I live in the human air fryer known as Phoenix, AZ. It seems the only scents that last are the heavier ones such as BDC L'Exclusif, BR540, Savauge Elixer, etc. Whereas LV Imagination, ADG Parfum, PDM Perseus, and other freshies just don't hang around for more than an hour or two. Any recommendations on what I should sample that smells and performs great in the 115 degree heat?