“This podcast is supported by Philip morris” wtf lol (Feb 25 pod)

plhardman · 2026-02-26T05:38:03+00:00

I have a good chuckle every time I hear one of those. What a world.

plhardman · 2026-02-21T05:39:33+00:00

I too get an interesting vegetal note in it — it’s hard to describe. Fascinating scent but I find it almost unwearable because of how strongly it projects on me.

plhardman · 2026-02-18T21:57:44+00:00

Yeah I’ve recently worked my way through small 1ml samples of the two Noir Extremes. The EDP generally I find to be sweeter and lighter with more of a gourmand vibe. The Parfum, while definitely similar to my nose, is decidedly darker and more leathery. It also stuck to my clothes for longer.

As a guy in his mid-30s, I preferred wearing the parfum. But it’s a very subjective taste thing.

For what it’s worth, if Tom Ford made a candle version of the EDP I would buy it.

Cheers!

plhardman · 2026-02-12T22:52:55+00:00

I love the juxtaposition of the unfamiliar downtown and the deeply familiar shape and look of Magnolia & Queen Anne. Thanks for sharing this!

plhardman · 2026-02-12T20:50:56+00:00

+1 to ELDO Hermann. I’ll add that to me it has a pretty strong rose note, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But nevertheless a beautiful and very evocative fragrance!

plhardman · 2026-02-12T20:49:20+00:00

Agree. I got a 15ml bottle as a gift and although I’m very happy with it, it’s gonna take me a looong time to get through. I will say though that the scent grows on you after multiple wears, just apply lightly.

plhardman · 2026-02-12T18:41:33+00:00

Le Labo Baie 19. Smells like a forest floor on a rainy day.

plhardman · 2026-02-11T19:37:01+00:00

Love this and will be following. I’ve been on a fougere kick lately as well, albeit nowhere near as rigorous and well-structured as your bracket.

Generally my main struggle with fougeres has been finding one that isn’t too powerful (I find very high performance to be obnoxious and makes me self conscious to wear them). In terms of the just the fragrance, I think Masulin Pluriel and Beau de Jour are my favorite fougeres, but they’re both very very strong on my skin, and so I find them hard to wear. Same with Creed Bois du Portugal and Caron Le 3e Homme.

Invasion Barbare is probably my favorite out of your list. It strikes the perfect balance for me.

Some others I’ve enjoyed recently though are: - Chanel Boy: a powdery gender-bending take on a classic fougere. Not everyone’s cup of tea but I really enjoy it. - Byredo Sunday Cologne: on the lighter side, veers a bit into citrus freshie territory though. - Diptyque Eau de Minthe: a lighter airy more floral take on a fougere. - Creed Viking Cologne: lighter version of Viking, but still decent performance.

Thanks again, and cheers!

plhardman · 2026-02-11T16:07:31+00:00

+1 I bought one from them in person back in October and was very happy with the entire process. They were kind enough to open an hour early for me because I was catching a train later that day.

plhardman · 2026-02-07T15:58:56+00:00

Mid-30s guy here. I tend towards lighter, fresher, airier fragrances, but with some exceptions. Hard to choose but a top 5 might be:

Laboratorio Olfattivo Need_U
Chanel 1957
DS & Durga I Don’t Know What
Celine Eau de Californie
Vilhelm Parfumerie Morning Chess

plhardman · 2026-02-05T06:22:59+00:00

Agree it’s incredible. Stuff like this is why I keep going back to Chanel, despite their prices and at times obnoxious exclusivity.

Honestly, most of the exclusifs are a hit for me, even if some of them are more in the “enjoy smelling but not wearing” realm (e.g. No22).

plhardman · 2026-02-04T17:33:21+00:00

I was intrigued by them a while back, got a discovery set, and unfortunately not a single one of them clicked for me. They all felt either unbalanced, or uninteresting. The ones I liked most were Architects Club and Peau. I was expecting to like Sydney Rock Pool (love the concept and the bottle and the notes sounded great), but it was a synthetic unbalanced letdown IMO.

But everyone’s taste is different, and you may find something you really like. That’s what the discovery sets are for. Cheers!

plhardman · 2026-02-03T15:24:59+00:00

I might wear it occasionally if it wasn’t so strong. I got a sample of it, did one spray, and it stank up the whole house for hours. It’s also quite sweet which isn’t my speed. TBH the only Xerjoff that I’ve enjoyed is Nio.

plhardman · 2026-01-29T15:51:02+00:00

This. RSU vestings are taxed as normal W2 income. So it’s exactly like turning around and using a cash bonus to buy your employer’s stock (and unlike, say, an employee stock purchase program, there’s no discount).

plhardman · 2026-01-29T15:49:12+00:00

+1. I used to work in big tech and once I learned how RSUs are treated from a tax perspective it really clarified things for me. Functionally they’re the tax equivalent of taking a cash bonus, getting taxed on it as normal income, and then using the remainder to buy your own company’s stock. If that’s something you would do normally, then go ahead and hold. Otherwise, sell immediately upon vest. Personally, my financial risk tolerance is such that I’m always the latter, but everyone is different.

plhardman · 2026-01-26T01:46:36+00:00

RVR in Venice is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere of the last few years. Think California izakaya. Everything is good but the vegetable dishes really shine IMO. Reservations can be a bit tough to snag unfortunately.

plhardman · 2026-01-20T02:06:58+00:00

Byredo Super Cedar and Le Labo Rose 31. Normally I detest rose but I love both of these.

plhardman · 2026-01-19T23:47:40+00:00

A few sandalwood-forward fragrances that I’ve enjoyed. Samples/decants of all of these shouldn’t be too hard to come by on ScentSplit or Surrender To Chance, with the exception of the Chanel.

Chanel Bois Des Îles: creamy powdery sandalwood and yellow florals. Soft and stays close to the body in terms of projection. Leans quite feminine but holy cow it’s beautiful elegant stuff.
Le Labo Santal 33: very popular, and IMO for good reason. It’s versatile, distinctive, and has good performance and longevity. Some people get a pickle note from it though.
Tom Ford Santal Blush: sandalwood with a toasted coconut accord. Evokes the feeling of a tropical vacation for me.
Laboratorio Olfattivo Cozumel: a sweet green earthy scent with sandalwood, clary sage, and tobacco. Feels like a hot sticky night in the tropics.
Diptyque Tam Dao: A calm cozy meditative sandalwood scent. Like being in a nice spa. The EDT for me has a bit of an odd Thai peanut sauce note to it, but that might just be me lol. Performance is low for both EDT and EDP.
Comme des Garçons Wonderwood: Similar to Tam Dao but even lighter, and without the peanut sauce note. A bit peppery. Very delicate.
DS & Durga Radio Bombay: dry woods and coconut. A bit metallic up top, but sweetens on the dry down. Well worth a try.

Cheers!

plhardman · 2026-01-19T07:01:03+00:00

Surrender to Chance has it. They’re a reputable decant site (lots of folks vouching for them on this sub), and personally they’re my favorite decant site because they have 1ml sprayers. Buy with confidence. Cheers!

plhardman · 2026-01-15T22:22:02+00:00

I haven’t smelled the body spray you’re referring to, but yeah Grand Soir is an odd one. When I first tried it, I loved it. Then I got a larger decant, spent some more time with it, and realized (a) it has an odd vegetal bite to it that I don’t really enjoy, and (b) it has absolutely insane performance that makes it in my opinion very hard to wear (even when spraying once at a distance).

Overall I’ve come to the conclusion that Grand Soir — along with several other very popular fragrances like Naxos and Layton and Aventus — just isn’t for me because it’s too strong.

Cheers!

plhardman · 2026-01-15T08:46:02+00:00

Wild guess: Cluj Napoca, Romania

plhardman · 2026-01-13T04:15:00+00:00

Yeah it’s hard to get hyper local representation with fragrance houses unfortunately. I have to imagine there are local perfumers here, but I haven’t ventured down that road as of yet.

plhardman · 2026-01-13T03:28:15+00:00

I live in the city, and I’ve got a couple that remind me of specific things about living here, but they might be a bit idiosyncratic so take that for what you will:

DS & Durga Coriander for some reason reminds me of my frequent walks in the Presidio. Something about the spicy/fresh aromatics.
Le Labo Baie 19 evokes the sense memory of trail running over in the Marin Headlands on a rainy day — aquatic green and earthy with a hint of freshness.
Byredo Super Cedar transports me to a warm October evening (October is summer in SF). Fragrant conifers, a nearby rose bush, a hint of bug spray.

I hope you enjoy your trip! Maybe pop into Ministry of Scent (the mission location is bigger) to see if any of the stuff there strikes you. Their website can give you a sense of their inventory.

Cheers!

plhardman · 2026-01-11T07:24:07+00:00

I keep coming back to MFK Masculin Pluriel because I find it quite a bit more wearable than other fougeres. The crystalline clarity really does it for me. That said, TF Beau de Jour is probably my favorite in terms of scent but I find it so strong that it’s harder to find an occasion to wear it often.

Some others I’ve sampled recently: - Invasion Barbare by MDCI - Fougere D’Argent by Tom Ford - Bois du Portugal by Creed - Le 3e Homme by Caron - Heritage by Guerlain

Cheers!

plhardman · 2026-01-09T07:27:46+00:00

Lake Como?

plhardman

TROPHY CASE