u/errantis_

Writing this now cuz I’m so excited. Usually I try and test more before reviewing. I love this fragrance. Sampled it with a lady I know who sells out of her basement and then I was able to buy online. Finally arrived and I’m wearing it for the first time today. I except this to develop a bit and will retest in a few months when it’s colder.

What does it smell like? To me this smells like a forest of incense and vanilla. Spicy and woody and earthy. I love it. The dry down opens up with some sweet vanilla and it mixes in with the spices. It’s just incredible. The bottle I sampled was much smoother. My bottle right now is incredible sharp and woody in the opening. I expect the vanilla and spices to blend a bit more with time. But the notes are still great fresh out of the bottle.

Performance: again this is right out of the box. I sprayed a couple times this morning at 7 am and it’s now 3 pm and I’ve been enjoying a cozy bubble intoxicating bubble of spiced vanilla for the last couple hours and it’s still going strong. Can’t tell how much projection it’s getting but I’m very pleased with that fresh out of the box.

Best Use Case: this is obviously an evening/cold weather frag. Amazing for date nights, could work as a daily driver during the winter. Probably not good for heat.

Again I’ll probably update in a month or two when it’s had time to sit in my closet and develop. I’m just so pleased with how well it’s doing. I’ve had some Rayhaan products that frankly were underwhelming out of the box and even after I left them to sit were still disappointing. I’m so glad this is doing well because I love the fragrance so much.

So I’ve been learning more about colognes cuz I like smelling nice especially while dancing

Usually fresh clean scents are recommended for warm environments, tropical cruises, hot summer days, or close quarters, like school and work, etc. you just don’t want something overpowering. And dancing can obviously get very hot.

But I kinda feel like for dancing, if you are like going all night and sweating, it’s better to wear anything even if it’s dark and spicy than to smell sweaty lol.

But wanted to know what y’all think? Best to stick to fruity and fresh side of things? Or are dark and spicy okay while dancing?

Do you ever dance with people who wear too much cologne?

I’m a lead so I don’t usually encounter this, but I do know some follows who smell… odd. I’d rather that they smell like any kind of perfume lol. Anyway curious to know what others think

Edit: wow thanks for everyone’s responses. I usually like stronger scents but I really appreciate everyone’s perspectives. I don’t usually go for clean or soapy scents, they just don’t appeal to me. I like more complex spicy, fruity or woody scents that are really loud but considering everyone’s feedback I’ll probably add some more light and fresh stuff to my collection just for dancing.

A friend of mine told me to check out Members restaurant. Just wondering if anyone is familiar with their Wednesday social and what to expect. I dance mostly on2 but I can dance on1. Since this is LA I know it will mostly be on1. I am wondering about the dancers would be like at this social. In my experience socials at restaurants or bars tend to draw more social dancers who have either grown up dancing or learned to dance salsa at dances and don’t necessarily take formal classes. But I’m from the Midwest where salsa isn’t as popular as LA so i don’t know if that trend would hold here.

So I just went to my first Congress. It was so much fun. I can’t wait to go again. There’s just one thing I wish I had realized before hand.

You need dancing sneakers. Yami or Fuego or whatever. Do not try to go the whole Congress in dance shoes.

Maybe this is obvious to everyone else. I have just always been that pretentious guy who always wears actual dancing shoes in class and at socials and whenever I’m dancing. I had fuegos but I didn’t like them after I realized the dance shoes really point my toe and when I was starting I really wanted any advantage that would reinforce the proper technique. So I never really took dancing sneakers seriously and didn’t understand why people used them. This was definitely a humbling experience lol.

In general it is still my preference to use proper dance shoes but I’ve realized why so many teachers I know wear dance sneakers. You just can’t try to go all day every day in dance shoes. You aren’t gonna be able to walk lol. I didn’t bring my fuegos to the Congress and halfway through the first day my feet were killing me. Fortunately Yami was actually there with the vendors so I went and bought a pair. Incredible investment, I wore them pretty much the rest of the weekend, they are super comfortable and I like them more than my fuegos cuz they are wider and fit my foot better.

Anyway. If you are planning your first Congress, just make sure to bring a pair of dance sneakers. You will want them for any event where you are gonna be dancing for a prolonged period especially for multiple days.

I know LA is mostly gonna be on1 but I am going to Hollywood next weekend and I’d like to do some dancing and maybe try a class. I’ll be there July 15th and leave the 18th. Would appreciate any info about good events or classes to check out. I can dance on1 but I like on2 so that’s mostly what I’m looking for. I was gonna try to go to Ontourage but I think their classes are Monday and Tuesday so I will sadly miss them

Looking to take a trip to Dallas in mid late August. I’m wondering what the scene there is like for social dancing. I know there’s some bigger studios there. When do they usually have socials out there? Any places in particular I should try to visit? I dance on1 and on2 but prefer on2.

One that kept coming up in my Google searches was Pura salsa social. I’ve heard Tropik Vybe also has a social, but I don’t know details about that. Appreciate any info you can share.

I’m considering moving to Dallas. The job market is good for my career and the cost of living is better than where I am at currently. I currently live in SLC, in the past have lived mostly in LA, and briefly in some parts of Mexico. I’ve been researching the city to make sure I have an accurate picture of living expenses but I’d like to get some insights from people who live there. What should I know about living in Dallas?

Things I’m curious about are like safety tips, any places to avoid, affordable places to live, and just anything that I can’t find out on the internet. Things that only people who live there would know.

Some things I’ve found just researching online

Rent looks much cheaper than where I am at currently, there’s 800 sqft apartments listing for $800-1000 a month from what I see online.

Auto insurance is apparently about the same for what I pay in SLC.

Gas in Texas is cheap in general.

One of the biggest expenses i don’t currently have is for AC in the summer.

Winters can get severe weather so might need insurance for that.

I can set up my own power and electricity in my Apartment. In Utah, the apartment has a provider so that would be new to me.

Allergy season can be bad (that’s an issue everywhere so not a major difference but I have allergies so relevant to me)

Appreciate any info you can share!