The Fragrance Maven

What could be a better addition to a blog than an actual blog  post? Similar pages often give readers a look behind the veil, sharing just the right amount of detail to remind us all that a human heart beats beyond the words on our screens.  This is designed to be short, sweet, and experimental, going over fragrance-related topics as well as diving into my other hobbies a bit. It could become a regular thing if writing it is fun enough. Without further ado, this is what's been going on. Primary Winter Rotation  Valentino Uomo (2014) - Casual wear, office Milk (Expressive) by Commodity - Casual wear, office Soul Cafe by Savoir Faire - Evenings out 24 Gold Oud Edition by Scentstory - Casual wear Versace Pour Homme Oud Noir - Casual and formal wear New Acquisitions Luna Rossa Ocean (Eau de Parfum) by Prada - Gifted Jimmy Choo Man Blue - Gifted Sun Men by Jil Sander - Purchased Amber Pour Homme by Prada - Purchased L'Eau d'issei Pour Homme by Issey Miyake - Purchased Encre No...

Not long ago, I wrote about my relatively large collection and the desire to downsize, and accepting the realities that come with the act of collecting throughout the years. Ironically, my collection has since grown. But what would be a better follow up to that than a post that actually explores my process of thinning out and making room in my collection? There are four fragrances that I intend to part with for reasons ranging from general redundancies to shortcomings in quality. But instead of simply just selling them and moving on, I wanted the opportunity to revisit and archive them in this space, as most of them are special to me in some way or another. Paper (Expressive) by Commodity When I said "most of them are special to me," I wasn't talking about this one. I still don't really know how to feel about the whole "fragrances that smell like nothing" trend. My gut tells me that it's rather pointless, but there are audiences for this kind of thing....

The end of winter draws closer (it is technically already spring even if it does not feel like it). I figured that now would be a good time to discuss one of the more popular winter scents in my online and real-world social circles: By the Fireplace by Maison Margiela. More specifically, I would like to put together a recommendation list for fans of BTF who are looking to expand their horizons or take that "next step" in their fragrance journey. Several fragrance content creators and influencers have done recommendation lists, taking one popular fragrance and listing similar things that people might enjoy. Personally, I am a fan of The Fragrance Apprentice's "If You Like _____, then You Might Like These 5 Fragrances" series on YouTube, so I will be borrowing that format for this discussion. No, I did not and will not ask for permission, please go touch grass. We will be covering five different categories for these recommendations. 1. Clone - A fragrance that is ...

In my very first post not long ago, I expressed a desire to downsize my fragrance collection. My reasoning: “fragcomm” and influencers have a tendency of promoting what I believe to be unhealthy habits in spending and hoarding. The average consumer does not need more than five full bottles of perfume, in my opinion. Yet, there I was with more than 60. There is no need to extensively revisit how my collection got to that point. Impulsivity, disposable income, and persuasive influencers were all factors. Now that I have reduced my collection to 45 bottles, I have reached something of a crossroads in this journey. My goal of 20 bottles is an attempt to strike a balance between how I interpret practicality, and the passion I have for a diverse collection. A rule I had given myself was to remove two in my collection for each new one I would obtain. The problem? Of the 45, all of them I love due to various factors ranging from composition to sentimentality. Some are cheapies, some are expen...

I recently had a birthday, my 30th to be exact. It was properly celebrated between my wife and me, escaping the uncomfortably chilly and wet air of this New Jersey winter and opting for the sunny warmth of the Caribbean. I spent my January birthday swimming with fishes in the ocean, partying, and consuming an absurd amount of food and alcohol with my wife. It was a day I will never forget. As a fragrance enthusiast, I have gotten into the habit of wearing certain scents on special occasions to create and enhance the memories of the day. When my enthusiast journey began upon receipt of a Versace Eros gift set from my wife (then fiancée) during Christmas of 2020, Eros immediately became my go-to special occasion fragrance. After wearing it for my 28th birthday dinner just a couple of weeks after Christmas, it became cemented as the fragrance I would wear for each birthday going forward. Versace Eros (Eau de Toilette), with its incredible balancing act of minty freshness and warm, vanilli...

There is something else I need to be writing, something very important to both my academic and professional career. Yet the many distractions, both large and small, at play with my laughable ability to prioritize and focus have all turned my academic mind into mush. The next best option will be to read more of my research materials, and I will (seriously), but first I will go ahead and waste a bit more of my own time.      I have many hobbies and interests, including films, video games, comic books, TV shows, history, cooking, etc. But my more niche hobby relative to my friends and family is collecting and curating fragrances. Am I going to talk about how this became a  thing  for me? Absolutely not. If these useless write-ups are going to be something I decide to do regularly, then perhaps that is a story that will come about organically. For now, all that needs to be known is that collecting fragrances has been a hobby of mine for couple of years, having falle...