13. Let the weather help choose your fragrance: For me, weather is one of the biggest things I look at before I decide what I’m going to wear. I don’t believe a fragrance has to be locked into one season, but the temperature and conditions can completely change the way that fragrance smells, projects, and performs. In warmer weather, I usually lean toward fragrances that feel lighter, fresher, and easier to wear. Citrus, aquatics, aromatics, green notes, fresh woods, and more transparent compositions tend to work really well because the heat helps push them off the skin. At the same time, heat can make a fragrance much louder, so I’ll usually adjust the number of sprays depending on how strong the fragrance is. When the weather starts cooling down, I can reach for richer fragrances that might feel too heavy in the heat. Woods, amber, incense, leather, tobacco, spices, oud, resins, and sweeter compositions usually have more room to open up when the temperature drops. Spring and fall are when I like to experiment the most because the weather can go either way. Some days are warm, some are cool, and that gives me a chance to wear a wider variety of fragrances without feeling boxed into one style. I also pay attention to the time of day. A fragrance that works perfectly in a cool morning might become much stronger by the afternoon, so sometimes I’ll change what I’m wearing or adjust the number of sprays as the temperature changes. For me, weather isn’t a set of hard rules. It’s just another tool I use to help decide what to wear, how much to spray, and what kind of performance I’m going to get out of the fragrance that day. I have included 2 charts below; the first one is generalized for everyone by four seasons. The Second one is divided into HOT, Shoulder, and Cool. HOT: extended summer weather SHOULDER: transitional spring/fall temperatures COOL: the short cooler season That makes it applicable to places like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Albuquerque, El Paso, and much of southern Texas, while your four-season chart can be the broader nationwide version.

“It’s always good to have another opinion though – they can see things that you’ve missed because you are too close to a particular accord or note.” — Mathieu Nardin Fresh perspective is a competitive advantage. When you have been staring at the same work for too long, invite someone you trust to look at it with clear eyes; the detail you cannot see may be the one that moves everything forward. Enjoy the #Journey. Love to hear from ya’!

A co worker ordered a bottle of Intense Cedrat Boise on a blind buy. He did not like it at all. Too spicy and sharp for his nose. Coincidentally I brought a nearly full bottle of Aoud Lemon Mint for him to sample. He really enjoyed it and we ended up doing a straight swap. I have regular Cedrat Boise and it's one of my most worn in the collection. Aoud Lemon Mint I was okay with but only gave it 2 full wears so not one of my favs.

Good morning everyone. Yesterday I Had to visit my orthopedic surgeon for post op on my knee and when I got into the elevator, the woman next to me-though my back was facing her-said “welcome back, Mr. Asumendi.” I didn’t immediately recognize her but she said”I know it was you because no other man smells as good as you do.” I was wearing MFK Baccarat Rouge 540 but in the several years I’ve been a patient there I’ve worn different fragrances. Started my morning out with a bang followed by a very positive report from the doctor. Happy Hump Day!

The fragrance opens with a beautiful sweet cherry accord, accented by an intriguing touch of saffron that gives the composition an almost leathery character. The contrast works particularly well in the opening—the cherry provides a rich fruity sweetness, while the saffron introduces warmth, texture, and a slightly darker edge. At around 15 minutes, the initial intensity begins to settle considerably. The fragrance remains centered around cherry and soft florals, but I begin to detect a subtle thread of tobacco underneath. Unfortunately, the fragrance is already beginning to sit surprisingly close to my skin at this stage, despite the promising character of the opening. By 30 minutes, the composition continues to transition, with the cherry becoming much less noticeable. What remains is a very soft blend of tobacco and florals, creating a smoother and more subdued scent profile. There is an elegance to the combination, but the fragrance continues to lose presence much faster than I would have expected. At around 60 minutes, the fragrance has become extremely light on my skin. I can still detect a sweet tobacco accord, accompanied by touches of vanilla and subtle earthiness, but everything feels increasingly distant. The scent profile itself remains pleasant, yet it requires considerably more effort to detect. The dry down, unfortunately, is where the performance becomes the defining part of the experience. By approximately the two-hour mark, the fragrance is nearly undetectable on my skin. Faint traces of tobacco and vanilla remain, but they sit exceptionally close and lack the presence suggested by the opening. There is an irony to the name that I find almost fitting—the fragrance eventually becomes less like a fully present tobacco composition and more like the memory of what a tobacco fragrance used to smell like. The opening shows genuine promise, particularly with its combination of cherry, saffron, florals, and tobacco, but the rapid decline in performance prevents the fragrance from delivering on that potential. Performance: This is unquestionably the fragrance's greatest weakness on my skin. I experienced only around 90 minutes of meaningful wear before the composition began fading dramatically. While remnants remained beyond that point, the fragrance became so light that it was difficult to appreciate without deliberately searching for it. My Rating: 5/10