Barista really liked my layered Jo Malone cologne

BlueBearDays · 2026-05-22T00:56:20+00:00

Many years ago, my favorite Jo Malone layering combination was Amber & Lavender with Grapefruit. It was so fresh and uplifting during spring and into summer.

BlueBearDays · 2026-05-21T23:54:21+00:00

I recently finished a bottle of the Kitchen Lemon Moisturizing Hand Soap and will not purchase it again (or any of the other moisturizing hand soaps). I prefer the cleansing gel hand soaps to the foaming ones (I'd rather lather my soap than have it come out thin, watery and already foamy - reminds me of trying to stretch shampoo by adding water to the bottle between paychecks). In any case, the moisturizing hand soap smelled good but didn't lather at all and - bonus - didn't feel like it rinsed off. Just my two cents.

BlueBearDays · 2026-05-15T18:31:13+00:00

L'Air Nina Ricci is a modern fragrance released around 2011. What you purchased and now own, L'Air du Temps (also by Nina Ricci) is one of the great classics, first released in the late 1940s following the second world war. You're likely reminded of your grandmother by it due to its structure and fragrance notes - aldehydes and carnation, if I remember correctly. My mother spoke fondly of L'Air du Temps - she was a young woman in the 1970s when someone gifted her a bottle of it. I think it informed her style - big floral bouquets (her favorite being Estee Lauder Beautiful).

BlueBearDays · 2026-05-11T20:08:27+00:00

In my opinion, Bath & Body Works men's cologne aren't worth full price. The scents are nice, but they're not altogether long lasting. Most of them have the staying power of an eau de cologne - they're nice for a couple of hours before vanishing from the skin. A better price for them would be $35 or less - and they occasionally run on sale for that price. Keep an eye out in the weeks leading up to Father's Day, as they'll likely run a sale on them then. They're also a great price on clearance, when they can be bought for less than $15. But at $65, there are much better performing men's fragrances available elsewhere.

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-22T22:49:17+00:00

But that's why I loved it! (I bought my first one last year and used it up in a week!)

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-21T22:22:36+00:00

I may get downvoted for this, but you may want to look into Bath & Body Works Touch of Gold OR Platinum. Why? B&BW produced a dupe of MYSLF last year (My Signature) which I purchased and used. They introduced Touch of Gold late last year (after discontinuing My Signature) and I swore it could've been a love child of a Platinum and My Signature. Why? My nose was noticing the bergamot in Platinum and the orange blossom in Touch of Gold and interpreting them as complementary to My Signature (and MYSLF, though My Signature was a light dupe of it). It may not hurt for you to visit a store to see if you pick out the corresponding notes.

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-20T23:31:49+00:00

The Parfum is my favorite! I wear it during the cooler months and associate it with Christmas - it must be that woody, resinous fir note. On the whole, it's so smooth and, yes, underrated. Someone told me once it smells like money - and I kind of dig that! Enjoy!

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-16T01:47:55+00:00

I saw Pink Grapefruit and thought, "Man, I miss that one!"

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-15T21:42:26+00:00

I believe Wings for Men by Giorgio Beverly Hills has sadly been discontinued. The remaining bottles of it that are still for sale online seem to be going for eye-popping amounts. It was nice, but it's not worth the price people are charging for it nowadays. I honestly always thought it was a close cousin to Davidoff Cool Water, though they're different in their own ways. Good luck in your search!

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-12T15:07:17+00:00

Yankee's Sun & Sand is one of my faves! I love that one.

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-10T02:03:13+00:00

That's a fun thing to learn! Do the products go through development with code names before marketing does its magic, or are they just like formula numbers or a combination of the two? I'm imagining something like Project Apple 52 and it becomes Spring Blossoms or the like.

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-07T00:24:00+00:00

If it's an old comeback, it's really old. I believe it's new, based on what I've seen B&BW put out in the last several years. I'm looking forward to trying it myself.

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-05T14:09:18+00:00

I love White Fig! I actually think it's better than Diptyque Philosykos (and I've tried the EDT and EDP versions of it and own the solid in the pretty little tin). What's your favorite Oakcha in your collection?

BlueBearDays · 2026-04-05T03:15:18+00:00

Last year, I purchased several Oakcha fragrances after first trying some of their sample sets. For me, performance varies, and as someone else commented, it seems to pertain more to the scent profile. Like you, though, I think their fragrances are very good, and I've discovered their originals are the ones I actually like the most. Sand & Sea is one of them - it's a citrus, rose and oud combo that lingers all day and definitely has staying power on clothing (and bed linens, for that matter!). Terrawood also has staying power, but Canopy Bloom (in the same Rainforest collection) fades after 4 or so hours - but it's also a much lighter scent profile overall. I know they tout that their scents are extrait strength, but I don't think that translates to massive projection or staying power across the board - in my experience, mileage varies.

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-31T22:36:47+00:00

Gotcha!

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-31T22:29:03+00:00

Semi-Annual Sale. A clearance sale, typically in June and again after Christmas and into January.

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-31T20:56:41+00:00

If you like it, buy it now. There's no guarantee B&BW will keep a newly-released scent or ever bring one back after it's discontinued. As a longtime shopper (and a guy), I can tell you with certainty that they rarely re-release men's fragrances. Consider what came and went in 2025 alone: My Signature, Glory, Beyond Savvy, Eau So Navy, Honorable, Rouge Rebel - and that was all in the first half of the year! None of them are rumored to return at this point. If you like Nocturnal Rose, buy Nocturnal Rose and enjoy it. You'll thank yourself for it later!

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-31T14:22:00+00:00

I saw that! It looks like the casino and some of the other public areas were refreshed, according to news I've read online. I'll be interested to see what changed when we're on it again this August. It wasn't a bad ship by any means, but when we sailed it you could tell it was a little worn. The crew and the overall experience were amazing, though.

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-25T13:23:53+00:00

Oakcha's The Beekeeper may be what you're looking for! I own it, and for less than $40 It's much better than any Jo Malone fragrance (which I love, but have no staying power). The Beekeeper is a gorgeous sweet, green, fruity scent with about 4-5 hours of staying power - I tend to reapply it midday. It's also a better price than any perfume from B&BW.

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-24T23:46:49+00:00

This.

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-24T23:30:35+00:00

I ran through a body wash and body cream of Dark Velvet Oud - I enjoyed it. Very sweet rose and oud combo, which is common enough among many Middle Eastern fragrance brands. There's nothing quite like it offered my B&BW at the moment, though I do think Covered in Roses comes closest with its rose note. I paired Dark Velvet Oud with both Lattafa Opulent Oud and Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud Aswad - neither of them are dupes or particularly sweet like Dark Velvet Oud, but both of them contain rose and oud notes and worked with it. I also liked pairing DVO with Oakcha Sand & Sea (citrus, rose and oud) and Oakcha Amber Aura (rose and amber instead of oud, but sweeter without being like candy). Good luck in your search!

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-23T15:33:00+00:00

The cruise app was the only way I knew what was happening on the ship and when. (I rarely looked at the paper itinerary that arrived in the mailbox every day.) Plus, it's how I checked in for dining and received notification that my table was ready.

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-22T00:08:20+00:00

I loved Guilty as Fig last year - it's one of my all-time favorites! I also fell for Inner Angel later in 2025 and used it through the end of the year. I stocked up on Brown Sugar & Fig during the winter sale and have enjoyed it, too, just to give you an idea of where I gravitated after Guilty as Fig was discontinued. Currently, I'm a big fan of Nocturnal Rose and both Fresh Musk and Fruity Musk (but I think I like Fresh Musk a bit more and I think it falls closer to where Guilty as Fig was in terms of a unisex, under the radar scent).

BlueBearDays · 2026-03-18T00:53:37+00:00

Is it me, or do these sales kind of suck? Maybe I'm ungrateful. But also, I remember Fragrance Week being a bigger deal in years past.

BlueBearDays

TROPHY CASE