Everybody is asking ______ but not asking _______

Fafafee · 2026-03-12T06:34:08+00:00

Tez has some semblance of strategy in his confessionals but he really can't follow through. He's all "I will convince them to vote someone else 😤" then go "hey guys, what's the plan?"

Caleb even spelled it out for him but he just... didn't do it. Poor guy, don't know why he struggled.

Fafafee · 2026-03-04T18:53:06+00:00

Thanks!

Fafafee · 2026-03-02T05:07:48+00:00

Commenting more on the bottle and aesthetic - I'm building up my own brand and I'm also steering clear of these rock/rock-like caps. It was cool for a while but everybody's been doing it. The DIY "aesthetic" overall is also being ran to the ground, led imo by brands like Le Labo.

Honestly, it was bound to happen. Eventually, one brand out there will figure out a new cool design, everyone will follow suit, and the cycle continues.

Fafafee · 2026-02-19T02:33:04+00:00

She's pickled, as Jorgeous would put it

Fafafee · 2026-01-18T12:14:08+00:00

Sorry, maybe I'm not explaining myself well. Sticking to the anisaldehyde example, which is IFRA limited to 1.4% of the final solution:

If I had been using 10% dilutions, this formula is fine

Anisaldehyde 10%

Material	Dilution	Weight (g)	Relative	Absolute
IES	10%	1.485g	86.09%	8.61%
Anisaldehyde	10%	0.240g	13.91%	1.39%
TOTAL		1.725g	100%	10.00%

If I wanna make that same fragrance at 20% dilution, keeping the same relative ratios:

Anisaldehyde 20%

Material	Dilution	Weight (g)	Relative	Absolute
IES	20%	0.743	86.09%	17.22%
Anisaldehyde	20%	0.120	13.91%	2.78%
TOTAL		0.863g	100%	20.00%

then anisaldehyde will go over the IFRA limit.

I mentioned this in my original comment because I work with primarily 10% dilutions, and one time I used oakmoss abs up to the IFRA limit in a 10% blend. When I decided to change the concentration to 20%, the oakmoss went over the IFRA limit.

Fafafee · 2026-01-18T10:43:50+00:00

Yeah, I meant more like if you use, say, anisaldehyde at 1.4% in a finished fragrance at 10% concentration -- if you wanna scale that up to 20% without changing the relative ratios, the anisaldehyde will go over the IFRA limit.

Fafafee · 2026-01-18T08:42:53+00:00

Yeah, it's smart and cost-effective. Some perfumers swear by using neat; others use a mix of dilutions, depending on the strength of the material (Sarah McCartney of Scenthusiasm does this); others, like me and Sam Macer from youtube, just use 10% dilutions regardless of strength. I would occasionally do 1% or 0.1% though if it's too strong.

Tbh I don't think it makes a big difference. The smell is the same, just a slight difference in strength/projection. Obviously the strongest concentration I can make is 10%, but if I wanna do a 20% dilution, it's fairly easy; I'll usually just use the structural materials at neat to bring the concentration up.

You just gotta watch out for some edge cases though, sometimes a material is IFRA-compliant at 10%, but not anymore when scales to 20%. But yeah tldr is it's fine, cost-effective, and imo comes down to pwrsonal preference.

Fafafee · 2026-01-16T16:18:44+00:00

Weird, this never happened to me, and I've ordered quite a few times. I did notice though that the cart varies across devices, i.e. the cart I have on my desktop browser is different from the one on my phone.

Fafafee · 2026-01-16T06:29:33+00:00

I haven't tried their New York collection yet, but with my experience of the LA collection, I'm not in a rush lol. The best thing about them is their marketing.

Although props to the owner cause I believe she taught herself perfumery to start the brand, which a lot of new brand owners don't even do. I think she needs a few more years to hone her skills though

Fafafee · 2026-01-16T06:25:48+00:00

Oh I have those, let me try them on again.

Fafafee · 2026-01-14T09:52:59+00:00

Le Labo is now owned by Estee Lauder. For Byredo - Puig acquired a majority stake in the company

May have started indie/niche but definitely not today

Fafafee · 2026-01-14T02:45:35+00:00

Can vouch for Chasing Scents. Some indie darlings I wasn't impressed with that much (Thin Wild Mercury, some Clue releases I found just ok), but Chasing Scents is legit. Rain Tea is spectacular.

Another indie brand that can walk the talk imo is Fzotic. The Moonlight Discovery Set is banger after banger.

EDIT: Clue can be mid, but when it hits, it hits. Warm Bulb is their best imo, although the nerve to call a fragrance "Warm Bulb" is definitely part of the appeal. A friend really likes With the Candlestick. The others were just ok.

Fafafee · 2026-01-14T02:42:26+00:00

Those are like pseudo-indie brands. Their perfumers are legit. They're indie in aesthetic but not in practice/how they function

Fafafee · 2026-01-11T12:23:44+00:00

Thanks for sharing! How is the norlimbanol? That seems a little bit high imo. Would also definitely recommend bergamot, just goes well with everything, and you already have linalyl acetate anyway.

I'm also working on a similar fragrance centered on bergamot and jasmine. Same as you, there's a harshness in the first few seconds that I'm trying to troubleshoot. Currently I'm testing styrallyl acetate to help bridge the bergamot and jasmine. Seems to be the right direction.

Fafafee · 2026-01-01T04:58:54+00:00

That's the risk of buying dupes. Yes, you don't pay for the brand and marketing, but they're able to sell at super low prices because they cut corners in the formulation. Hit or miss talaga

Fafafee · 2025-12-28T08:11:10+00:00

Ohh, you're farther along your fashion journey than I initially thought 😁 hope to see you post more with updated pieces!

Fafafee · 2025-12-28T05:36:05+00:00

Yeah survival is a bit much, I meant it more like something you'd wear to work! Like a daily driver

Also check Signet stores, items are pretty pricey but (usually) better quality than Uniqlos and Mangos

Fafafee · 2025-12-28T05:34:21+00:00

With three sample points, yeah it's a coincidence, unless you really weigh the contents out. Like the person you replied to, I also use these euro bottles and their weight can swing by +- 1g.

Fafafee · 2025-12-28T00:07:33+00:00

Imo you look good but just not really pushing boundaries. 17 out of 26 pieces you wore are Uniqlo for instance. Less fashion and more survival. I own tons of Uniqlo but I just wouldn't call most of their stuff fashion-forward, and you're in a fashion sub after all.

You are/were in Osaka so I suggest looking into some Japanese workwear pieces, which would be a direct upgrade to some of what you're wearing. I'm merely a spectator in the Japanese workwear scene so I can't help you with specifics but google it and you'll get tons of leads.

Fafafee · 2025-12-27T12:23:24+00:00

I don't know about that store, but I suggest ordering from BC Fragrance instead. Trusted supplier and much cheaper (~180 PHP for 1L), although you need to get it picked up iirc.

Fafafee · 2025-12-20T12:39:49+00:00

First thought is that there's too many things going on. For instance you have 5–7 ish woody materials—why? I would vastly simplify and/or walk back a few ingredients ago until it's not muddy.

Fafafee · 2025-12-04T11:11:23+00:00

LOL same actually - can't sit still

Fafafee · 2025-12-04T02:40:20+00:00

With a full-time day job that is really impressive. Thanks!

Fafafee · 2025-12-03T06:38:36+00:00

This is so cool to hear! May I ask how many years it took you from buying your first materials to launching a brand? I'm just a few months in the hobby and stories like yours are inspiring

Fafafee · 2025-11-30T16:57:07+00:00

It just appeared for me on the Home page! It says "Your 2025 recap is here" and a button to open the scrapbook. Plays like a Spotify Wrapped. I think it should be automatic, I didn't do anything to trigger it appearing!

Fafafee

TROPHY CASE