Out of sheer curiosity, is anyone else bothered by the increased use of an AI chatbot being used here? I’m not sure where I stand on it and would appreciate hearing y’all’s opinion on it. On the one hand, I appreciate the increased engagement, but on the other hand it feels very disingenuous. Like the board is running on AI autopilot and there’s no real interaction. I deal with AI slop on a regular basis and have seen good friends get let go and personally lost opportunities to the use of AI automation in place of human interaction. Let’s keep the comments respectful, but I’d love to hear y’all’s opinions and have some discussion about it. I’d love to hear from @Antonio O. Centeno and his @Antonio Cent team as well. Maybe they can shed some light on if they are using a chatbot and why and address some of the issues we are having.

I stepped away from the forum for a while but remained casually engaged. Occasionally, I read posts and comment but I haven't been posting myself. I am surprised and disappointed in the decrease in engagement on the board but I am looking forward to rebuilding my connections. That said, here are my most recent full bottle pickups. It's been so long since I posted I am pretty sure that some stuff is missing. My recent purchasing declined for a couple of reasons; first, I have shifted from a full blown acquisition mode to consolidation with less blind buys and random purchases. 10 ml decants is the primary method for trying new fragrances. But these are the bottles that I felt were worth acquiring: 1. Falcon Leather Extrait (very excited to wear this in fall and winter) 2. Lunar Vetiver (bought because it got rave reviews and I got it for $60.00). Trying to like it. 3. Uden, consistently one of my top 3 fragrances and the only back up bottle I have ever bought. 4. Blue Panda by Alexandria, because I was not going to pay $600 for the original. The second reason my purchasing fell is that The Parfums just won't deliver the stuff that I order. I now set a 5-week timeframe for cancelling late deliveries.

The last one of these I tried No 9 was banging, so I went for No 7 this time, launched in 2023, created as part of The Perfume Shop's own Lone collection, there is no credited perfumer as expected. This is one of the standout releases from the Lone range. An amber floral that opens surprisingly fresh and zesty with bergamot, lime, and tagete, giving it a bright, citrusy kick that immediately catches your attention. It's not the heavy, syrupy opening you might expect from the name, there's a crisp, green-herbal brightness from the tagete that lifts everything right up front. It settles reasonably quickly though, softening into something richer and warmer as the heart notes begin to surface, and you can feel the amber DNA waiting in the wings from the very first spray. At its core is where the real character lives, jasmine blooms alongside saffron, oud, and fir balsam, and it's a really well-judged balance. The jasmine is sweet but not indolic or overpowering; the saffron adds a , vzwarm, spicy, almost honeyed radiance; and the oud provides just enough dark, woody depth to give it backbone without dominating. The fir balsam is the secret touch here, it brings a smooth, resinous, almost pine-like sweetness that ties the florals and spices together beautifully, creating a heart that feels luxurious, sophisticated, and far more expensive than it actually is. The dry-down wraps up beautifully around amber, ambergris, cedarwood, patchouli, moss, and musk. Its warm, golden, and mineral-rich, with that unmistakable ambergris sea-salt quality giving it a sophisticated, expensive finish. An interesting point this is clearly designed as an accessible amber floral, and it delivers way above its price point. Performance is solid, easily 5+ hours and it sits in that versatile space where it works equally well for men and women. Unisex, elegant, and genuinely well-crafted one of the best value ambers on the market right now. My Rating 7/10 Scent 2 Longevity 2 Sillage 2 Would I rebuy? 1

Going with Montagne 2022 for a bright citrus and mint opening that leads to a very clean drydown. No surprise on the OG inspiration! Decent performance for a fresh scent.

I'm a sadist! At 7:40 am, I walked out the door to work wearing a fragrance line that I absolutely deprive myself of wearing. Why? Because I enjoy spoiling myself as a reward. I'm also a firm believer in not wearing the same fragrance everyday and knowing myself, I would wear the hell out of this fragrance line. The Line: Commodity Fragrances The Fragrance: Velvet+ of the Bold line The Maker: Jerome Epinette From Commodity, "Like a chef who sources the best ingredients to create the most innovative dishes, our perfumers—or Makers as we call them—source the best ingredients to create the most innovative fragrances inspired by their namesake commodities." (I love that!!!!) The Pyramid: Saffron, then Roasted Almonds and Rose Petals, then Vanilla, followed by Amber, and Patchouli. The Inspiration: As per Epinette, "For Commodity Velvet, I was inspired by the image of vibrant pink Turkish Rose Petals floating gently over a mysterious, dark background of richly warm Vanilla and Black Amber with a delicious touch of Roasted Almond drifting in the air. For Velvet+ Bold, Turkish rose is enhanced with exotic Saffron spice and sweet Vanilla. To finish, I merged Labdanum with the warmth and richness of Amber creating an intense, sophisticated and alluring fragrance." The Feeling: Confidence given aromatic life by floral, warm, and spicy notes; where every move made, every statement verbalized, and every action engaged with isn't perfect, but its so damn good that the praises heaped on you are seen as well deserved. Where YOU know people want what you have! The Glow: Immersive sillage with complimentary sparks within an 8 hour wear. That's the Bold+ power of Commodity's Scent Space working. FINAL NOTE: I love Commodity. I mean truly love them and the feeling of wearing anything from this comes with an emotional payoff. So whenever I wear or write about wearing anything from them, its due to the respect that have in their product. It goes without saying just how much I think highly of them. Velvet+ is my favorite after Milk, which is followed up by Gold+, Paper+, and Book+. It's a great wear that got so much better after 5 hours.