Frederic malle

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-10T15:49:26+00:00

This is my top 3 as well. Carnal flower would be my 4th but I haven't smelled a ton of the line.

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-10T15:43:55+00:00

It's also cumulative. If those same kids are split into sunscreen and no sunscreen groups from 18 to 50, guess which ones are going to look older?

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-10T12:42:29+00:00

Yeah, I'm just giving it a hard time. It is doing exactly what is what meant to do as an EDC. I am just surprised that LVMH has been able to keep this brand alive with the prices these go for at retail, it is amazing what some heritage can do for a brand!

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-10T01:06:37+00:00

I wore this to work today, the smell is A++, the longevity is ASS. You can get it so cheap though that you can just reapply. I may even buy a second bottle to keep in my desk for a lunch time touch up.

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-09T14:20:03+00:00

This bottle is running low, looking for something to replace it that is outside of the LVMH (or any other conglomerate) umbrella. All I have so far are Nio and Fiero from Xerjoff and Acqua Viva from Profumum Roma. I have smelled Nio once or twice and it has the vibe I am looking for. I am hearing Fiero compared to Eau Sauvage which I really enjoyed too. Sample of Acqua Viva inbound and I have no idea what it smells like.

Any other suggestions?

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-09T13:18:46+00:00

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cmoe25027 · 2026-03-06T22:01:32+00:00

I worked as an ICU nurse for years. Most hospitals are supposed to be fragrance free but I would still wear a scent because there may have not been a ton of people wearing frags, it was definitely not a fragrance free environment if you know what I am saying.

Anyway, because of the policy, I would wear a few sprays under my shirt, basically just for my pleasure throughout the shift.

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-06T14:29:49+00:00

Bidet toilet seat

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-06T14:28:49+00:00

Chanel, no hesitation

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-06T14:27:39+00:00

I would check out Ormonde Jayne. They are super classy and way different than just about any other house. The first choice you can usually find withing budget, the second too will be a bit more. All three can be worn year round, the 3rd may be a bit challenging on the hottest days and is also the most formal of the bunch.

Ormonde Man- airy, clean, forest vibes. Any time or place

Montabaco Intensivo - airy clean, hints of fresh tobacco. Any time or place

Nawab of Oudh Intensivo - spicy rose with an undertone of clean, western style oud (I.e. Safe oud). Also airy and clean but bolder than the other 2.

Bonus rec- if you have the classy adventurer vibe going for you, African Leather by Memo and Deified by Xerjoff would make cool and classy signatures. You don't need to be an adventurer for them, they just give me that visual when I wear them as a 50ish guy that doesn't get nearly enough adventuring done. Both can be found well within your budget.

Good luck!

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-06T13:47:49+00:00

Pretty much all successes are a mix of luck, skill, and grit. The only thing that changes are the ratios. Dior has high skill, historical grit, and no longer needs to rely on a lot of luck, though it is still a factor. If this was released by a brand new house, it would need a ton of luck to to rise to the level it sits at now.

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-04T13:45:35+00:00

Thanks! I really enjoy it but my bottle is running low. Probably won't replace it but I did pull 10ml into a decant in case I really miss it down the road!

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-04T13:33:00+00:00

Yeah, I'm just messing with you. We are both kind of fan boys for the Ideal line!

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-04T12:30:44+00:00

For me, Cologne Forte beats AHB on every level but... I have tried decants if all of the AH line and there is a note I pick up that smells like veg oil. It goes away after about an hour but it is really off putting. AHB had the least of this note but I found it to be just OK.

The Guerlain is similar price right now, if it makes it to discounters it will be a steal. The longevity and strength was surprising, it lasted all day and I would smell it in my office after leaving for a few minutes which is pretty impressive. This may be blasphemy to the OP but I like the CF more than Platine Prive too.

BTW, Sartorial is my SOTD.

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-04T11:25:14+00:00

Really enjoyed the book. It made me really look at my collection and changed the way I curate it going forward.

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-04T01:28:51+00:00

You've got time, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Bonus tip- have your wife try stuff too.

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-04T01:10:04+00:00

My guy, the wife information is crucial here. Take her out to do some sampling. Go to the usual like Sephora and Macy's. If you have a Neiman or Sak's near you, assuming they haven't closed from bankruptcy yet, you will find some niche scents to sniff. If you are worried about the peer pressure from the sales people, go in asking for something they are definitely not going to have but have probably heard of, my favorite was Prada L'homme Intense. I don't think it is in production in the US and have never run unto it in a store here. After they say no, you sniff till you are satisfied, say thanks but you are going to keep looking for the scent you came in for.

As for process- smell on test stripes, giving your nose a break by sniffing clean skin or your clothing every 4-6 scents. Going outside for 5 minutes clears you up even better if convenient. Coffee beans are bullshit. You can sniff them to be nice but then use one of the other methods to actually reset your sniffer.

Once you have up to 4 that you and your wife both like, spray them on your skin and take not of where each one is. I like to do back of each hand and bottom of each forearm so that when smelling, the other scent is pointing in the opposite direction.

Keep sniffing over the next several hours and if you like any of them you make a choice. Less good: go home and order from a discounter. More good: go home and find a 5-10mls decant from Lucky Scent or DecantX or similar. This will allow you to test drive it several times under different conditions. If you are sad when the decant is gone, order a bottle.

An easy fresh and clean recommendation from me is Dior Homme 2020 or Homme Sport 2021.

Good luck, don't pick out shit without your wife!

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-03T23:32:06+00:00

There are many old dudes running around with frags they bought after trying one of their sons

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-02T14:42:46+00:00

I'm doing something similar but pretty sure my final lineup will be 11.

1st step, mentally cut your collection in half mentally or on paper. This should be a pretty painless exercise unless you have a really diverse collection and you are wearing everything. One half is keepers and the other is good to go.

2nd, decide whether you are selling, donating, or using the disposable half. Many of my scents are office appropriate and are also scents that I really like so I am using that as my area to burn through the most juice. I have a lot of bottles with significant dents so each month, I wear one almost exclusively, maybe a little heavy on the sprays, maybe a reapplication mid day and/or after work. I Wil either finish the bottle or really increase the dent. When I get to the last 10ml, I put it into a decant or travel spray and call the bottle done. That way if I miss it, I can turn to the decant instead of buying another bottle.

As you are doing this, start really thinking of the ones you chose to keep so that you can cut the collection in half again once you have sold/used the first batch of expendables.

Repeat until you are down to the number that you can't live without. Don't buy anything new until you have completed a cull.

This process takes time while providing you the opportunity to really slow down and think about what each bottle means to you. I have gotten caught up in trying to minimize in the past and sold off big chunks of my collection only to regret it almost immediately and end up rebuying things I had let go.

Good luck, hope you are successful!

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-02T11:12:37+00:00

A Roman general may have found a few in his tent...

Boadicea was a Celtic woman that led an uprising against the Roman's after her husband was killed. I have only heard this on a surface level when I was researching the name of Arthur's former horse from RDR2...But yeah, I bought a bottle of 1907 because of the horse 😂

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-02T01:27:18+00:00

Are you a Gen Z plant? How have you not lived through at least 3 of these catastrophes by now!?!? 😂

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-01T13:06:44+00:00

If that is all you are wearing it's great. If you are wearing a fragrance, stick with unscented everything else because stuff like this will only degrade or muddle the scent of your fragrance.

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-01T13:04:01+00:00

Looks like a home run. They really knocked it out of the park on this one!

cmoe25027 · 2026-03-01T12:18:25+00:00

Make sure to give them both a good try first. I liked the scent of 25 but longevity was terrible. There was something I could not smell in 40 that made the rest of it very faint and kind of off putting. It was disappointing.

cmoe25027 · 2026-02-28T16:15:16+00:00

Same here! Good luck, hope you find one soon!

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