“No, each brief takes me on a new journey of exploration. The nature of my work allows this, as we are not driven by commercial success and the accompanying statistics.” — Anastasia Brozler Not every worthwhile project should be judged only by quick numbers. Treat each brief as a fresh expedition, protect the room to discover something original, and let curiosity—not just the scoreboard—guide the work. Enjoy the #Journey. Love to hear from ya’!

The weather finally cooled down enough today that I could justify breaking this one out. I picked up Tabac 28 last week while I was in Chicago, and I’ve been waiting for the right day to give it a proper wear. There is something extra fun about that with Le Labo too. The bottle was compounded in Chicago, dated, and personalized for my wife and me, so it already has a little memory attached to it before I even really know the fragrance. 😎 And this one definitely feels like fall. Warm, woody, smoky, a little sweet, and very comforting. I’m getting that tobacco character right away, but it doesn’t smell like I just walked into a cigar lounge. It feels smoother than that — more like warm tobacco, woods and a little boozy sweetness sitting together in the background. Exactly the kind of thing I’ve been waiting to bring back into the rotation now that the weather is finally cooperating. And as someone who enjoys a good cigar, I’ll admit the name alone probably gave this one a head start. 😂 So far, I’m really enjoying it.

10. Test on skin, but use cotton rounds too: For me, skin is still the best way to really understand a fragrance. A paper tester in a store is fine for getting a quick first impression, especially of the opening, but it doesn’t tell me the whole story. You really need skin to see how the fragrance develops on you, how it projects, and what happens once it gets into the heart and drydown. That said, I also like using unscented hypoallergenic cotton rounds as a secondary testing method. I keep them at home, and they’re easy enough to carry with me when I’m going somewhere to test fragrances. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VSBRRHD?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09542G9ZN/ref=vp_d_pb_cml_lp_B07VSBRRHD_pd?_encoding=UTF8&pf_rd_p=9c76da3e-1986-461f-80fe-90d97a5b2d1f&pf_rd_r=VFRVSXM184KT7GR79F81&pd_rd_wg=xHrmI&pd_rd_i=B09542G9ZN&pd_rd_w=CSpTa&content-id=amzn1.sym.9c76da3e-1986-461f-80fe-90d97a5b2d1f&pd_rd_r=91c00bd7-5e69-4f58-b999-cebba9366fb9&th=1 What I like about cotton rounds is that they hold the fragrance well and give me something I can come back to later. I can spray one, put it aside, and smell it again an hour, three hours, or even several hours later. That gives me a much better idea of how the fragrance changes over time instead of judging everything from the opening. Another thing I do is place the sprayed cotton round in a small plastic food-storage zip bag. That lets me take it home, keep different fragrances separate, and revisit them later when I want to study the drydown or get a sense of how much scent is still hanging around. I wouldn’t treat that as a perfect real-world longevity test, because sealing it in a bag slows normal evaporation, but it’s a great way to preserve the sample and compare how different fragrances evolve over time.

9. Don’t spray too close give the atomizer some distance: One thing people don’t always think about is how far the bottle is from the skin when they spray. I like to hold the bottle roughly 4-6 inches away so the atomizer has a chance to create a proper mist and spread the fragrance over the area instead of soaking one tiny spot. If you spray extremely close, you can end up with a wet, concentrated patch of fragrance on the skin. Backing the bottle away a little gives you a more even application and lets the atomizer do what it was designed to do. Different bottles have different atomizers, so there isn’t one perfect distance for every fragrance. Some put out a fine mist, and others practically fire a hose. I adjust accordingly. For me, the goal is simple: you want the fragrance to land on the skin as a mist, not as a puddle.

8. Carry a small decant This is one of those simple habits that makes much more sense to me than overspraying in the morning and hoping the fragrance lasts all day. If I know I’ll be out for a long time, I’ll carry a small 2-5 ml decant with me. That way I can spray the fragrance normally when I leave the house, see how it performs, and then refresh it later if I actually need to. I especially like doing this with lighter fragrances, citrus-heavy scents, fresh aquatics, or anything I already know starts fading after a few hours. Instead of putting on eight, ten, or twelve sprays up front, I’d rather wear a normal amount and add one or two later. Although I must admit I do a little of both because I am still sort of a projection junkie, I am getting better. It also gives me more control. Sometimes the weather changes; I go from outside into air conditioning, or I end up staying out much longer than I planned. Having a decant with me means I can adjust without having to commit to a huge spray count first thing in the morning. For me, carrying a decant is really about refreshing smarter instead of overspraying earlier. I always buy the glass refillable decant bottles as opposed to pressurized sealed or crimped ones, so the decant bottle can be refilled again with the same juice, and dont forget to label!!! For vacations or business trips, I never travel with full bottles. I’d rather bring decants of what I know I’m going to wear. They take up less space, weigh less, and give me more room in my luggage. And if you know me, I’m probably going to do a little fragrance exploring while I’m there and may come home with a new bottle or two. I like leaving that extra space open just in case I find something worth bringing home. For me, decants make travel easier and leave room for a little fragrance treasure hunting along the way. I have become fond of these refillable Decant bottles, as they are refillable and leak-proof with a cap, and are not too tall for 10 ml. Lately, I just fill these with as much juice as I need so I can have consistency without using too many diffrent sizes lying around. (Tip: Always use the same perfume in the same decant bottle; do not fill with different perfumes). They can be found here on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR91WPRM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1