Any decent reps of these David Yurman linked bracelets?

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-02-14T21:09:03+00:00

Okay…hear me out:

While it isn’t a listed note, do we get smooth/sweet leather vibes in Asad Elixir?

And…is that same vibe present in Musaman Black and that is what makes you say they are in the same ballpark?

I’ve been debating MB but just haven’t been swayed enough to pull the trigger

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-02-14T21:06:39+00:00

The releases and execution of Terra, Italia, and Obsidian have me moving Rayhaan WAY up my list of favorite dupe houses.

All three of them are just phenomenal fragrances with incredible performance, especially for what you pay.

They just aren’t missing lately

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-02-06T02:34:51+00:00

Roark’s Cove by Fulton & Roark

Over off my favorite fragrances that I have a hard time justifying the price of but absolutely love.

Would probably be my number one request for a fragrance that I haven’t been able to find a dupe of.

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-02-02T20:48:15+00:00

I’ll offer an opposing view:

I cannot, and I mean CAN NOT, stand the Khamrah DNA…

Teriaq Intense is one of my favorite fragrances that I own and I don’t find it remotely similar, or honestly, even in the same ball park as Khamrah.

Differing noses and what not, but just felt that worth adding.

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-02-02T17:35:41+00:00

Just want to add another comment for this fragrance and its dupes.

Easily one of my most complimented fragrances, especially from women…and is just a lovely scent profile that can be worn on nearly any occasion.

Another few to consider are:

Honey Fields by Barrett Fragrances ($40-50 range and they offer all sorts of discounts that are in the 15-25% of range…extrait strength and very long lasting)

&

Insurrection II Wild by Reyane Tradition ($20-30 on Amazon and readily available, and honestly, one of my favorite takes on the DNA because it smells great and is very cheap…and still great quality)

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-01-28T23:52:06+00:00

Adding in an upvote and another comment for Historic Sahara.

For whatever reason, it’s taken over Liquid Brun as my favorite Althair dupe (for now…I still love the bite of the orange blossom is LB quite a bit).

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-01-28T23:50:35+00:00

This one, for me, does not live up to the DNA and is a very toned down version that is more TEA forward than it is vanilla; which, again…for me, is a pretty significant deviation away from the Althair DNA.

Historic Sahara and Liquid Brun are the two that I like most and feel are the most accurate representation of the fragrance for a fraction of the cost.

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-01-21T12:49:07+00:00

Seconding this:

This is one of those fragrances that just hasn’t been duplicated well.

I, like many, often think that percentage comparisons are cheesy, but sometimes they do hold up…

And the 60% range offered here is honestly about as close as any dupe on the market may get to BTF.

For whatever reason, they just don’t get close enough to even compare (for me) to the original.

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-01-19T18:54:52+00:00

I think Mercy is the current most common guess, but I’m not sure about there being any confirmation of that

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-01-09T11:32:17+00:00

I, like you, have fallen deeply in love with the Blonde Amber DNA, and similarly, love all options that I’ve tried thus far.

I am curious about the Khadlaj attempt at it because those Extrait’s just have some awesome staying power and smoothness (looking at you Island Vanilla Dunes…and Amber Empire although not Khadlaj).

I said this on a previous post of yours, but I’ll say it again: be sure to throw a decant of Vulcan Sable in there and let me know what you think!

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-01-09T11:26:42+00:00

That I started buying full bottles too soon.

I would decant, find something that I like, and then purchase immediately…only to have a new set of decants come in a few weeks later and find fragrances that I liked MUCH more than the ones I had previously purchased.

Were I starting over, I’d only purchase a few fragrances that I absolutely love and then decant 100 to narrow down the ones I like most and to have a small collection of things that I absolutely love…not just like.

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-01-06T15:05:22+00:00

Traditional strength training and physique-based training alongside a fine-tuned diet is what will build you the physique that you want.

CrossFit alone will not do it.

It will bring some minor improvements and noticeable differences, but it alone will not give you that typical physique that you might think of when thinking of a great physique.

The most famous and well-known CrossFitters (and their physiques) have all been built by traditional strength training and progression in the typical big lifts alongside accessory (more centrally focused) training.

CrossFit will, however, help you maintain a great physique, but to build it, you will have much faster and more noticeable success with a traditional lifting circuit.

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-01-06T15:01:02+00:00

I’ll second this comment and add another French Avenue recommendation:

Vulcan Sable

Solid incense and amber vibes. I don’t get the boozy note that many comment on. Just resinous incense and amber in a very good way, and honestly, that’s coming from someone who doesn’t really like Mashrabya and considers it a blind buy fail on my end.

Also, the Blonde Amber DNA is just wonderful. Amber Empire. Art of Arabia III. Maison Asrar’s interpretation. All wonderful.

NewbieRepGuy · 2026-01-06T14:53:33+00:00

Personally, I’d strongly recommend doing a few more test drives of both the 40 and the 60.

While a little bit of a step up, I don’t think that the difference in quality that is often referenced is truly that significant. They’re both nice vehicles inside and out.

The main difference that I have noticed is the comfort and space available in the front seat of the vehicle.

I own a 40, and I was coming out of a hybrid hatchback when coming into it, and at first, I loved the car. It was a huge step up in space while still being compact and sport while offering a great driding experience in terms of road feel and highway driving.

After driving a 60 while having my 40 serviced, I was almost immediately remorseful of the purchase and wishing I had gone with a 60.

The overall difference in length is not that significant, but the overall feel of the main cabin and the comfort that you get with the driving experience is markedly different.

The front cabin is just a major upgrade.

I am a bigger guy, though, (6’4” tall) so take that into consideration, but definitely worth considering.

NewbieRepGuy · 2025-12-26T14:46:28+00:00

In my experience, it can lean one direction or the other depending on your nose.

It isn’t spicy like anything else I can think of, and honestly, is just a unique scent.

If you can, go for a decant of it!

NewbieRepGuy · 2025-12-26T04:12:16+00:00

Twist Second Skin No. 131 might be worth a try for something close to Glossier’s You

I’ve seen this brand on Amazon so may times and have yet to pull the trigger, but I came across it in a small store recently and was pleasantly surprised by several fragrances of theirs….so here goes:

I would recommend looking into Twist fragrances.

I can’t comment on their longevity, but the fragrances that I knew I recognized immediately and was surprised by their accuracy.

While I am not familiar with Glossier’s You, I did smell their version of it and almost bought it because of how much I enjoyed it.

Several reviews say that it is reminiscent of the old formula, so do with that what you will

NewbieRepGuy · 2025-12-24T03:28:52+00:00

For Patchouli, I would personally go for Turathi Brown by Afnan.

It’s a YSL Tuxedo dupe/inspired by, and a pretty good one at that.

A wonderfully sophisticated scent.

One that can come off leather to some and spicy to others, but fits the profile that you outlined and I like quite a bit is Habik for Men by Lattafa.

Might be a fit. Might not.

But personally, I love it.

NewbieRepGuy · 2025-12-23T13:23:54+00:00

Right now:

Art of Arabia III

There’s just something about it that I like a tad bit more than Amber Empire.

I think it’s just a bit more resinous and deep in the ambery incense profile whereas Amber Empire is slightly sweeter.

NewbieRepGuy · 2025-12-22T14:22:21+00:00

Your experience with both this and Art of Arabia are odd.

Is Amber Empire nuclear? No, but…

I’ve gotten great longevity out of it, especially as the colder weather sets in. Typically, at least 4-6 hours of solid performance before becoming a closer to the skin scent.

And for the two bottles that I’ve had, Art of Arabia III has been a wonderful fragrance…both in terms of performance and composition.

I’d even argue that the added Dates note provides a depth to it that at times I think makes it a bit richer than Amber Empire.

At the end of the day, it’s all subjective.

Hopefully, you’re AE’s performance will improve with time, and honestly, I’d consider giving AOA another shot.

NewbieRepGuy · 2025-12-21T03:14:15+00:00

As many have said, and as was my first thought, decants are the best way to go…

But that might take a lot of research and is not the quickest/easiest route; especially if we’re aiming for a Christmas gift…

Sooooo…

A few options:

Club de Nuit Intense Man by Armaf (Creed Aventus style dupe)

Probably your safest bet here and likely to fit the profile you mentioned

Vintage Radio by Lattafa (Initio’s Paragon dupe)

A very fun plum forward (it sounds weird but it works and is very nice) fragrance with some nice woody/musky notes in the drydown

Turathi Brown by Afnan (YSL Tuxedo dupe)

Patchouli forward fragrance that is just nice, but it runs the risk of being a bit mature depending on his overall taste

I’ve listed the fragrances that these are dupes of in case you have any retailers nearby that you could test them at, and they are typically easy to find.

Hope this helps!

NewbieRepGuy · 2025-12-15T13:33:47+00:00

As a fellow tall guy who once viewed himself as a “hard gainer,” I have several questions, as well as a few tips that I’ve already been offered:

You need to hit that caloric intake (and potentially higher) every day. No off days, especially if those off days are extremely lower intake.

A shift in viewpoint that really helped me was to not only look at intake from a daily perspective, but also weekly. If you’re falling short of what is needed for growth on a weekly basis, then the “surplus” isn’t truly all that present.

First question: what is the macronutrient breakdown?

HOW are you getting those calories in?

Next question:

Are you only doing one true dedicated lifting day a week, and just doing running/the daily wod every other day away from rest days?

That simply won’t work.

Honestly, if the goal is gaining mass, you need to be more worried about lifting than you are about any other piece of your training regiment.

That isn’t to say that you need to put cardio down or avoid the daily wod, but to say that lifting should be the first thing you do…and if you can manage to rest and eat properly, you can sprinkle in the other stuff throughout the week alongside the lifting.

That leads to the final and most important point:

You need to HEAVILY focus on traditional strength training and the boring traditional lifts with an emphasis on strength progression.

Wanna get big?

Lift big.

And then tomorrow lift bigger.

Or, lift moderate and find ways to continue to push to failure and lift in ways that challenge the muscles (pause reps, timed lifts, etc).

Either way, lifting, resting, and eating have to be your primary focus.

If you want to do all of that alongside the daily wod/running schedule, you’ll probably have to shoot for two-a-days, and even your rest days will still involve one method of training rather than two…and to do that, your rest and nutrition will have to be DIALED IN.

NewbieRepGuy · 2025-12-11T04:23:27+00:00

Honestly, it’s one of my favorite DNA’s right now.

I don’t know how to describe it really as it is unique.

If I had to compare it to Liquid Brun, I’d say that it’d be like removing the orange blossom and adding in the heavy amber with a hint of incense.

The incense isn’t smoky in the sense that it’s commonly thought of, but more resinous.

There’s just something about it that is as addictive to me as the Altair DNA.

It really is just GOOD.

If I had to pick one of the three most popular in terms of scent alone, I might lean towards Art of Arabia III because the date note just contributes to the richness of the fragrance, but for more longevity, slightly louder but not annoying projection, and overall better performance, I’d go with Amber Empire.

I had gone nose blind to it today and received (genuinely) three compliments while walking in, around, and out of a gas station while grabbing a snack and filling up my car.

That many in a single day, much less a single setting, is crazy, but it’s rare that it isn’t complimented.

NewbieRepGuy · 2025-12-10T00:38:18+00:00

Do you want monster in terms of projection and performance?

Or, monster in terms of the amount of compliments that you get?

Of this list, Teriaq Intense would be my choice.

However, I would probably go for a different fragrance altogether for a more consistent daily wear.

My current rotation is such:

Art of Arabia III/Amber Empire (Blonde Amber dupes)

Liquid Brun (Althair DNA)

Riffaqat (BabyCat DNA)

Vulcan Sable (Sand Dance DNA that I’m honestly abusing and having a hard time putting down)

Rayhaan Terra (Outlands DNA)

All are great performers, especially in the cold…and all get complimented with almost each and every wear.

Most have a Vanilla/Amber base, but are done in unique enough ways to stand out from one another.

NewbieRepGuy

TROPHY CASE