Pep actually made football less interesting during City reign. ** **

He’s obviously one of the greatest managers ever, but his influence convinced half of Europe that every team needs to play the exact same sterile, possession-heavy, positional football. If it didn’t, City in general, even at their peak, was unbearable to watch. So fcking boring. He also killed flashy winger play.

Give me chaotic counterattacks, actual wingers taking people on, midfielders attempting stupid passes, and managers with completely different philosophies. Football was better when elite teams didn’t all look like variations of the same system.

Liverpool’s Klopp, Enrique’s PSG, Flick’s Bayern and Barcelona, Pep’s Barcelona >>>>

Mostly looking for full pres, high partials are fine, thanks!

I've bought over 200 decants this year, and a lot of folks have sent me messages asking where I get them. Here are all of my preferred sources.

r/fragranceswap (I gatekeep a few of my guys so they don't run out of decants, but send me a message if you want the ones I've bought from the most). I've gotten some higher end samples from them such as Purpose 50, Brompton Immortals Extrait, Tuxedo Extrait, etc. Shipping has always been free because my orders are usually $100 or more, and it ships USPS, which sucks. It can take up to 1 week to get to you, but sometimes it's faster if the seller is closer to you. I usually Venmo these guys and have them ship directly to my house and I've had no issues. They have a flair system so you can see who has sold a lot of stuff.

ScentSplit - I'm not 100% sure if they do this every time but they sent me a 17% off code for every bottle that I sampled. ScentSplit is going to be way more expensive than fragranceswap, but the 17% code is really nice. I bought Lucius, Tropiques, and Space Cake with that code. They also sent me another code for 17% off my next order of decants. These guys have an incredible niche selection which is another reason I like them a lot. It's also nice because I can get everything in 1 order. A lot times on fragranceswap, I have to put in 1-3 orders just to get all of the samples I want at that time.

Local guy near me - also happy to share this guy's business if you send me a message. He has a shop near me and he has over 700 bottles to sample from. I've been getting a ton of my decants directly from him. I got some super high end decants from him including Tonka Sarrapia, Vanille Planifolia, and Herbes Troublantes. He also recommended and gave me samples of The Cut by Penhaligon's, Anelo by Pernoire, and Fall of Phaeton from Argos and I ended up buying full bottles of all 3. Nice guy!

Places that offer samples I've never tried -

ScentPilot - super expensive from what I can see.

DecantX - I've seen a lot of folks post about this website, and I need to put in an order from them to see what they are like. Quick glance at their website, prices look great, better than ScentSplit.

Edit*** I spent some time on DecantX and they have great prices, but nowhere near the selection of fragranceswap or ScentPilot. Also wanted to note that it's impossible to get decants of Chanel or Louis Vuitton outside of fragranceswap or directly from those companies.

Let me know folks, thanks! Please comment before DM

I'm texting my buddy who is a die hard Liverpool fan how happy I am watching Araujo's highlights vs Como. I understand it’s preseason and it’s Como, but he had so many flashes in those 30 minutes that reminded me of the scintillating form he showed under Xavi Hernandez.

The problem with Araujo is that he was billed as a VVD-level CB because, at his best, that’s genuinely how dominant he looked. But he’s really not that level in the sense that he’s not an overall elite CB.

What he is, though, is absolutely PHENOMENAL as a defensive destroyer, both on the ground and in the air. He’s elite in terms of his size, strength, athleticism, and physicality. His problem is that his reading of the game and his ability on the ball just never developed to an elite level. And that’s totally fine, it just lowers his overall ceiling when you’re comparing him to the truly complete CBs. So, it will not surprise me at all if he flourishes next to VVD. VVD will allow him to just do what he does best and that is just physically destroy attackers/opposing offenses as a whole (look at what he did to Vini so many times over the years).

Listen… Araujo gave us some incredible moments and some incredible seasons. He’s one of the most physically dominant players to ever don the Blaugrana. And I don’t look at him the way I look at someone like Ferran, who is moving like prime Messi post World Cup, or Neymar, who just made a dumb decision as a youngster. Araujo genuinely wants to be great, and he wanted to be at Barca.

I just genuinely think, mentally, something broke after Gundogan’s comments three seasons ago. He never seemed to fully recover from that moment, and he hasn’t consistently looked like the same player since.

So here’s to hoping Araujo has a stellar season with Liverpool and finds that form again. I genuinely want to see him succeed.

And here’s to also hoping Liverpool make the move permanent, because as much as I appreciate everything he gave Barca, I just think his time here has come to a close.

1. Fragrance du Bois Lucius - forever grateful I put my nose on this. I instantly bought it the very next day, full bottle. It's a masculine, spicy, fruity work of art. You're going to smell unique but you can also wear this to any occasion and it matches it. You can go to a sophisticated dinner and people will think you smell that way, but you can also daily it and people will just think you smell great. It's a BANGER.

2. YSL Myslf EDP - the goat of versatility

3. Pernoire Anelo - you name it, this fragrance works - gym, club, fancy dinner, office, date night, golf, church, live sports, concerts

4. Chanel Superleggera - it's wild that this is a sport, it comes across as a masculine banger, not a fresh shower gel scent. You can dress this one up or down.

5. Penhaligon's The Cut - if you still haven't sampled this, you're missing out. Fresh, woody, touch of fougere, green - it's like you woke up in the mountains on a crisp cool morning

6. Fragrance du Bois Tropiques - this one and The Cut aren't spoken about enough. This one is a fruity cocktail that smells kind of like cantaloupe but it's not boozy and isn't really sweet, and it's perfection.

7. Louis Vuitton Imagination - say what you want about this one, at the end of the day, it's one of the goats of the freshies, and it's definitely the goat of tea fragrances. You can dress this up as high as an important board meeting all the way down to the gym, flawlessly.

8. Nishane Wulong Cha - 2nd only to Imagination in the tea lane, this one is perfect for any occasion.

9. Parfums de Marly Haltane - the elevated fckboy fragrance as I like to call it, but in the best way possible.

10. Amouage Jubilation XXV - listen...some of you may disagree, but as long as you stick to 3-4 sprays at the absolute most, this one can work anywhere you go.

Honorable Mention: Dior Sauvage Elixir x20 sprays especially on the 🍆

First time posting a WTB so mostly just want to see if this works and if I’m doing it right. My account is finally 3 months old so 🤞 this works.

Thanks

10/10 Absolute Bangers, worth every penny, highly recommend
*indicates bottle is in my collection

1. Pernoire Anelo*
2. Creed Aventus Absolu*
3. Fragrance du Bois Lucius* - the more I smell it, and the more bottles I sample, this bottle continues to rise to the top
4. Guerlain Spirituese Double Vanille - this is the greatest vanilla fragrance ever made, Cuir Beluga is a close 2nd.
5. Amouage Jubilation XXV* - I'm a very vocal Amouage hater (Reflection smells like tortillas, Interlude 53 smells like a stoner bonfire, etc.), but this bottle is absolutely stunning. High quality, 10/10 performance, bottle looks incredible, just a masterpiece
6. Sospiro Vibrato*
7. Louis Vuitton Imagination* - the more colognes I try, the more I'm convinced this bottle lives up to every ounce of hype that it gets
8. Chanel Allure Homme Sport Superleggera*, Eau Extreme
9. Chanel Allure Homme Blanche Edition*
10. BDK Gris Charnel Extrait
11. BDK Oud Paradisio
12. YSL Tuxedo* - the most sophisticated, masculine, and luxurious smell
13. SHL God of Fire*
14. Fragrance du Bois Secret Tryst*
15. YSL Myslf EDP*, Absolu*
16. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille*
17. Nishane Wulong Cha*
18. Killian Angels' Share On The Rocks
19. Amouage Outlands
20. Guerlain Cuir Beluga
21. Ex Nihilo Blue Talisman Extrait
22. Ex Nihilo Brompton Immortals Extrait
23. Dior Homme Cologne*
24. Dior Homme Sport
25. Dolce and Gabbana The One EDP

Underrated/Deserves More Clout

1. Fragrance du Bois Secret Tryst
2. Parfums de Marly Layton Exclusif
3. Argos Fall of Phaeton
4. Argos Danae
5. Tom Ford Soleil Blanc
6. Mind Games French Defense
7. Carolina Herrera CH for Men
8. Stronger With You Absolutely
9. Penhaligon's The Cut
10. Xerjoff Uden
11. Xerjoff La Capitale
12. Fragrance du Bois Milano
13. Sospiro Dolce Melodia

Overrated and/or Overpriced - it's not to say these smell bad, in fact, I might even recommend these to some people. But I just think they're either overrated or overpriced, and in some cases both.

1. Guerlain Vanille Planifolia - it's unreal how overrated this bottle is. Cuir Beluga and SDV are unbelievably better than this bottle
2. Louis Vuitton Symphony - might be the biggest rip off in all of colognes
3. Creed Virgin Island Water
4. Ex Nihilo Blue Talisman EDP
5. Bleu de Chanel EDP
6. Prada Paradigme EDP
7. Dior Sauvage Elixir
8. Ex Nihilo The Hedonist
9. Xerjoff Naxos
10. Penhaligon's Halfeti
11. MFK Grand Soir
12. MFK Baccarat Rouge
13. Nishane Hacivat
14. Amouage Reflection
15. YSL Y EDP
16. Amouage Jubilation 40
17. Louis Vuitton Afternoon Swim, Pacific Chill, City of Stars
18. Memo Paris African Leather
19. Parfums de Marly Seedley, Greenley, Herod
20. Nishane Ani
21. Mind Games Blockade
22. Initio Side Effect

Smells Bad

1. Amouage Dia Man, Search
2. Memo Paris Irish Leather
3. Xerjoff Golden Dallah, Monkey Special, King Louis XV
4. Creed Royal Oud
5. Maison Asrar Vanguard
6. Louis Vuitton Ombre Nomad
7. Tom Ford Ombre Leather

Smells Unique

1. Superz Budapest Space Cake
2. Xerjoff Monkey Special
3. Marc-Antoine Barrois Gannymede

Can someone point me in the right direction for women's perfumers that are absolute bangers? I genuinely don't even know where to start. The only one I know of is Chloe EDP (because a coworker brought it in), Prada Paradoxe EDP (because a coworker brought it in), and Mind Games Queening because I bought a decant of it and thought it smelled super feminine.

Initially, I'm not super interested in unisex fragrances, but if that's the only way to find women's perfumes then I'm open to them.

I'm mostly looking for floral, fruity, and gourmand types of scents.

Edit: I’m very well versed in men’s colognes

Are these the best possession teams of all time? I think most would agree Barcelona 2009-2011 is untouched when it comes to possession, but where does City fall.

Who are you taking in this matchup?

2011 Barcelona

Champions League Final:
Barcelona 3–1 Manchester United

Formation: 4-3-3

GK — Víctor Valdés

RB — Dani Alves
CB — Gerard Piqué
CB — Javier Mascherano
LB — Éric Abidal

CDM — Sergio Busquets
CM — Xavi Hernández
CM — Andrés Iniesta

RW — Pedro Rodríguez
CF — Lionel Messi
LW — David Villa

Manager — Pep Guardiola

2023 Manchester City

Champions League Final:
Manchester City 1–0 Inter Milan

Formation: 3-2-4-1

GK — Ederson

RCB — Manuel Akanji
CB — Rúben Dias
LCB — Nathan Aké

CM — John Stones
CDM — Rodri

RW — Bernardo Silva
CAM — Kevin De Bruyne
CAM — İlkay Gündoğan
LW — Jack Grealish

ST — Erling Haaland

Manager — Pep Guardiola

*2015 Barcelona already smashed 2023 City in the comments

Arguably 2 of the best teams Barcelona and Real Madrid have ever fielded.

2009 Barcelona

Champions League Final
Barcelona 2–0 Manchester United

Formation: 4-3-3

GK — Víctor Valdés

RB — Carles Puyol
CB — Gerard Piqué
CB — Yaya Touré
LB — Sylvinho

CDM — Sergio Busquets
CM — Xavi Hernández
CM — Andrés Iniesta

RW — Lionel Messi
ST — Samuel Eto’o
LW — Thierry Henry

Manager — Pep Guardiola

2017 Real Madrid

Champions League Final:
Real Madrid 4–1 Juventus

Formation: 4-3-1-2

GK — Keylor Navas

RB — Dani Carvajal
CB — Raphaël Varane
CB — Sergio Ramos
LB — Marcelo

CDM — Casemiro
CM — Luka Modrić
CM — Toni Kroos

CAM — Isco

ST — Karim Benzema
ST — Cristiano Ronaldo

Manager — Zinedine Zidane

Nothing like jumping back into the influencer cringe space than listening to Jimmy Rex talk about how wealthy he is, talk about how much of a dating guru he is after a 20 year successful marriage, talk about how many girls he’s slept with, and talk about how attractive women think he is. Truly an incredible thing to listen to.

If there’s any you like, comment who it is, and why you like them. If there’s any you don’t like do the same.

I actually really like Noel. I’m super into fitness so I can relate to him in that sense. I also like that he’s not into freshies so it’s interesting for me to see what he enjoys. Kind of opens my mind to a new world.

View Poll

Arguably two of the greatest club teams of all time and two of the most dominant treble winners ever.

2015 Barcelona had the MSN front three, an elite midfield and the ability to control matches or destroy teams in transition.

2013 Bayern had everything: physicality, pressing, technical quality, speed on the wings and almost no obvious weakness anywhere on the pitch.

Who are you taking?

2015 FC Barcelona

Manager: Luis Enrique

GK — Marc-André ter Stegen
RB — Dani Alves
CB — Gerard Piqué
CB — Javier Mascherano
LB — Jordi Alba

DM — Sergio Busquets
CM — Ivan Rakitić
CM — Andrés Iniesta (C)

RW — Lionel Messi
ST — Luis Suárez
LW — Neymar

UCL Final Result: 3-1 vs Juventus

2013 Bayern Munich

Manager: Jupp Heynckes

GK — Manuel Neuer
RB — Philipp Lahm (C)
CB — Jérôme Boateng
CB — Dante
LB — David Alaba

CM — Bastian Schweinsteiger
CM — Javi Martínez

CAM — Thomas Müller

RW — Arjen Robben
LW — Franck Ribéry
ST — Mario Mandžukić

UCL Final Result: 2-1 vs Dortmund

Arguably 2 of the best club teams of all time.

They had everything: the stars, the tacticians, the goals, the aura, the trophies, everything

Who are you taking?

2011 FC Barcelona

Manager: Pep Guardiola

GK - Víctor Valdés
RB - Dani Alves
CB - Gerard Piqué
CB - Javier Mascherano
LB - Éric Abidal

DM - Sergio Busquets
CM - Xavi Hernández (C)
CM - Andrés Iniesta

RW - Pedro Rodríguez
CF - Lionel Messi
LW - David Villa

2013 Bayern Munich

Manager: Jupp Heynckes

GK - Manuel Neuer
RB - Philipp Lahm (C)
CB - Jérôme Boateng
CB - Dante
LB - David Alaba

CM - Bastian Schweinsteiger
CM - Javi Martínez

CAM - Thomas Müller

RW - Arjen Robben
LW - Franck Ribéry
ST - Mario Mandžukić