Over the past couple of months, I've been actively taking some advice of several brothers, and taking some time to enjoy the modest collection (12 bottles) I own, and really utilise them. It's been a very useful exercise, and has really helped to clarify my thinking in terms of which of the full bottles I own - I really, truly enjoy, which ones I quite like, but probably would look to move on from - and highlighted certain styles of fragrance I'd really like to explore in more depth - so first of all - thank you for the suggestions and guidance. My follow-up though was to ask you - what is your opinion on an 'ideal' sample size when you look to sample a scent you've never tried, but are intrigued by? Typically, when testing a new scent, I've opted for the 2ml version, (partly taking account of the pricing min/max analysis), however, I am now pondering whether 2ml is really sufficient, as it only affords one to two wears max. Am now thinking that ideally I need more wears to really get under the skin of a scent and fully understand if its worth pulling the trigger? What do you guys think?

Got these four delivered today. I love PDM Greenly but not the price tag. So I was SHOCKED at how close Aether is. Very happy with that in particular. The rest are solid and I already knew I liked Spicebomb.

Back in 1997, a friend of mine was wearing this. I told him he smelled fantastic, he told me what it was, and I went out and bought it that same week. Wore it for years, eventually moved on to other things the way you do, and didn't really think about it again. Then I started seriously looking for a daily driver and went through a lot of options without finding anything that really stuck. At some point it just hit me — I'd already found it thirty years ago. So I went back to it, and honestly I was blown away by how much I still love it. Worth mentioning this is the 2012 reformulation, so it has changed a bit from what I originally bought. But to my nose it still smells almost exactly the same, which is either a credit to whoever handled the reformulation or proof that my memory is worse than I think. Either way I'll take it. It's citrusy, fresh, and mature all at once — floral without being feminine, refined without being stuffy. A balance I personally haven't found matched anywhere else. And the price now compared to similarly well crafted fragrances is almost embarrassing. It's remarkably affordable. Longevity is decent — solid for a daily driver, which is exactly what it's back in rotation as. It's not a special occasion fragrance. It's the one you reach for without thinking about it. Sometimes the best thing you find is something you already had.

This has been on my radar since I got my hands on Art of Arabia 1, which I like a lot. I’ve never smelled blue talisman which is this frags inspo. First impressions are that it’s opening is nice and light and fresh, but not long after I feel like it starts to lean feminine. Is it just me 🤔? This is obviously a warmer weather scent but I figured what the heck. I can’t say yet if it’s bottle worthy and at the same time I’m glad I didn’t buy it blind. Sample first sometimes boys. Enjoy the day frag fam. Smell great.

I am now officially known as the cologne guy in my circles of friends and it's for good reason. The collection has expanded by a lot, too much too fast if I'm honest, and I've run out of space. It's currently sitting at 70 bottles with about 10 more on the way. Not shown are the ones I've retired out of redundancy.