u/AbdullahAbuHelmiJr

I've been eyeing out blind buying Amouage Outlands (Crazy, I know). But there are no available decants where I live and I have been told it is not that challenging of a fragrance especially compared to Amouage's other stuff.

So as always, I resort to dupes to get the most slightest hint of what I should expect. I understand the quality is nowhere near what the real thing is, and I understand that it can be misleading to judge the real thing by the dupe, but I trust my nose and I know the quality of Omani Frankincense and I know Terra has been dialed down in the opening .. So what I'm trying to say is that I trust my nose.

First things first, I was surprised by how strikingly similar this thing smells to Boss Bottled Absolu! Especially past the first 5 minutes where the spices are going rabid in the opening, nothing too crazy, though.

Terra smells miles ahead of Lattafa Asad Elixir and has a very addicting airy-ambery dry down. The spices take a way out in the back-backseat and the amber comes out as a base alongside some vanilla, not much of it.

It's very reminiscent of the vibe of Boss Bottled Absolu but with a lot less leather (because maybe there is none? lol). The oud note is very subtle and it's not funky at all. Think of PdM Haltane/Oud For Greatness kind of oud.

Performance is really good for a freshly opened ME bottle. I got around 6 hours of good presence with a very loud first hour. I went immediately half nose blind to it, though, as people were telling me the smell is very powerful while I can barely detect it from a distance.

Smelling it up close and sticking my nose into my hand makes it really seem cumin-y and very spicy.. But it smells a whole lot different in the air, kinda like Nishane Ani in terms of how it's much more pleasant in the air than skin sniffing.

Overall very pleasantly surprised, though I do not know if I will be proceeding with Outlands once this runs out or if I end up selling it.

Trying to have a balanced 20-bottle collection. I'm pretty certain my taste won't change that much a couple of years from now.

Also tried to get into oud.. I just couldn't, sadly. The farthest thing I got was Haltane/Oud For Greatness.

Upcoming additions are:

MFK Grand Soir

Nishane Ani

G&B Ingenious Ginger

And I'll probably get Angels' Share OTR instead of Rare Reef.

Thoughts, critiques and recommendations are welcome!

Trying to have a balanced 20-bottle collection. I'm pretty certain my taste won't change that much a couple of years from now.

Also tried to get into oud.. I just couldn't, sadly. The farthest thing I got was Haltane/Oud For Greatness.

Upcoming additions are:

MFK Grand Soir

Nishane Ani

G&B Ingenious Ginger

And I'll probably get Angels' Share OTR instead of Rare Reef.

Thoughts, critiques and recommendations are welcome!

I got these today for a steal. Was only planning on getting Naxos but the others were too cheap to pass on.

1861 Xerjoff Naxos was about $175

Kirkè was $70 (no box 95ml)

Wūlóng Chá X was $140.

Initial impressions:

Kirkè - It is indeed similar to Erba Pura. But leans a little more fem. Gives me shampoo/conditioner vibes.

Wūlóng Chá X - Honestly blew my socks off. It is such a calming and relaxing scent.

Naxos - Masterpiece.

After a very overpriced release, this did not get the love it deserves.I got this 100ml bottle for around $95 as a tester. I did not have prior full wearings of the other MYSLF flankers, but I smelled them a couple of times and I liked the EDP more as a summer scent. I could not pass on that deal even if I wouldn't enjoy it.

And to my surprise, I really loved it! It's very bright, and I mean VERY bright. Especially in the opening. Loud and spicy from the ginger and bergamot yet airy and strong from the very nuanced orange blossom. Projection is very good. It creates a very airy scent bubble around you and you will be smelled by people wherever you go.

Lasted on my skin for an easy 8 hours, extending past that very frequently. I keep catching whiffs of this the entire wearing which is nice. No nose fatigue here even after spraying directly on the neck/chest.

Easily one of the top 5 in my summer collection.

Does it deserve the $200 retail price? No. It's way too simple and designer-y to ask that price. I would pay $120 max for this.

After a couple of people mentioned the Extrême flanker in my last post I just had to try it for myself.

For around ~$78 for a tester bottle, I couldn't pass the opportunity of trying it and giving it a couple of full wears.

Extrême is the plum, tobacco and leather flanker of the bunch. While Extrême's leather note is supposed to be punchier, it is almost as subtle as the EDP's leather note. The plum, however, is clearly present in the opening and heart of the fragrance.

I do not like boozy fragrances and if plum is done closer to a "ripe" and almost liquor-y way I would not like it. But this is blended so smoothly and beautifully that I actively notice the plum note without it putting me off or coming off as too boozy, rather ever so slightly warm and sophisticated.

The tobacco note was a little disappointing, tbh. I wasn't expecting the heaviest or loudest tobacco note, but it's almost too tame. This is very smooth and well blended to the point where it lacks the tobacco punch I was looking for. Nothing takes away from the beauty, smoothness and the high quality of this fragrance. It's only my expectations that were misplaced.

Compared to the EDP, They open up quite differently. EDP is cherry and almond, bright and very sweet while Extrême opens up a little darker but only just, and a little less sweet (but still very sweet) with an ever so slightly boozy and well blended plum.

The faint tobacco and leather notes start to take over 1 hour into the dry-down while the EDP remains lighter thanks to the still-present cherry and remains slightly airier. You can "feel" the difference in thickness or "weight" of the Extrême, but only just.

Are they similar? Yes, very much so after ~2 hours in.

Is it redundant to own both? depends. Can your nose smell the subtle differences? if yes, I'd encourage having both. But for most people having both is redundant imho.

After a couple of people mentioned the Extrême flanker in my last post I just had to try it for myself.

For around ~$78 for a tester bottle, I couldn't pass the opportunity of trying it and giving it a couple of full wears.

Extrême is the plum, tobacco and leather flanker of the bunch. While Extrême's leather note is supposed to be punchier, it is almost as subtle as the EDP's leather note. The plum, however, is clearly present in the opening and heart of the fragrance.

I do not like boozy fragrances and if plum is done closer to a "ripe" and almost liquor-y way I would not like it. But this is blended so smoothly and beautifully that I actively notice the plum note without it putting me off or coming off as too boozy, rather ever so slightly warm and sophisticated.

The tobacco note was a little disappointing, tbh. I wasn't expecting the heaviest or loudest tobacco note, but it's almost too tame. This is very smooth and well blended to the point where it lacks the tobacco punch I was looking for. Nothing takes away from the beauty, smoothness and the high quality of this fragrance. It's only my expectations that were misplaced.

Compared to the EDP, They open up quite differently. EDP is cherry and almond, bright and very sweet while Extrême opens up a little darker but only just, and a little less sweet (but still very sweet) with an ever so slightly boozy and well blended plum.

The faint tobacco and leather notes start to take over 1 hour into the dry-down while the EDP remains lighter thanks to the still-present cherry and remains slightly airier. You can "feel" the difference in thickness or "weight" of the Extrême, but only just.

Are they similar? Yes, very much so after ~2 hours in.

Is it redundant to own both? depends. Can your nose smell the subtle differences? if yes, I'd encourage having both. But for most people having both is redundant imho.

I got this 100ml bottle for around $78. Sweet and elegant cherry with a high pitch almond with a warm touch of tonka and cheeky vanilla.

I have posted here before that I received a "new" batch of Hersh 2, an LV Imagination clone and that I wanted to test the new white crown batch vs the old gold cap batch. Here's my review after a full day and some of wearings.

The older batch's box has the barcode and QR code on the side, while the new batch's box has them on the back. Also, the 2 in the name "Hersh 2" is shiny and glossy in the new batch's box. Old box only has "EAU DE PARFUM" While the new box has "3.4 FLOZ" and "e100ml" alongside the "EAU DE PARFUM".

So I have received my old batch Hersh 2 with the gold cap and have spent a full day with both of them.

DISCLAIMER: I am extremely anosmic to Ambroxan. I cannot smell it for the life of me. Ambroxan-heavy DNA's like B540/TK NO.10/TK NO.4 are completely undetectable to my nose, so I may actually be anosmic the white crown Hersh 2.

I can confidently say that they are truly different. It feels like the white crown is a lot more airy and soapy and tea-y than the gold cap, at least in the first 30-45 minutes. The gold cap is a LOT more citrussy. and I mean a LOT more. Smelling both on my forearms closely makes them feel like the white crown is a "watered down" version of the old batch. It's worth mentioning though that the white crown has much softer and more soapy/tee-y smell the the gold cap. Which I find a lot closer to imagination. It might be that I am anosmic to Ambroxan which explains me smelling the citrus but nothing more initially from the gold cap. Also, the gold cap is less floral.

The white crown smells to me generally to be lighter on the citrus and more soapy tea clean while the gold cap is a lot heavier on the citrus opening which also lingers for longer.

After 30-45 minutes the gold cap basically turns into what the white crown started with. While the white crown is completely undetectable to my nose.

The atomizer on the white crown bottle is a joy to use. It is fully pressurized, not just mechanically sound to use, but fully pressurized with the finest mist you could spray.

All in all, I'm seriously contemplating keeping both, which is a scenario I genuinely did not have in mind. This could simply be an immature bottle of either of them so I shall let them both mature in my drawer for 2 weeks and revisit this and decide if I want to sell one of them later.

Thinking of Althair or Pegasus next. Will definitely be getting my hands on Naxos and Ani at some point.

What are your thoughts on expensive summer/freshie fragrances? are they worth it? What am I missing?