u/f1goldmemberf1

Or what is this super pungent smell that I smell around a lot of girls here (I am in Amsterdam)? It leaves a giant scent trail and I can't figure out which smell it is. But when I smelled Bois Imperial for the first time, it immediately made me think of that scent trail that is so common here.

I know...another Imagination topic. But I just joined the game, and I'm a convert. In no way is this smell 'sexy' or 'masculine', but I love how calm it makes me. It just feels...natural.

That being said, I have only used the 2ML sample that came with the box and the performance has been...underwhelming so far. I'm definitely not the most critical guy when it comes to the performance (duration and sillage) of a scent, but this thing doesn't even outlast my most simple Zara fragrances. It's pretty much gone after an hour with zero sillage from the start.

I'm trying to think what could be the matter here, so I've written down the possibilities:

1. Skin chemistry. Could be a thing. This morning I tried applying after putting moisturizer, no luck. Tomorrow I will try on clothes.

2. Atomizer doesn't spray much. In fact, it actually does put out a decent amount. So I don't think that could be the issue.

3. Batch variation. But the general consensus here on reddit is that there is little difference in batch codes.

4. Going nose blind. I peer tested it with my girlfriend, and she couldn't smell it either (this was 10 minutes after applying).

5. Maturation: given Imagination is highly popular, the new bottles and samples may need time to develop

So now I'm at the dilemma whether to return the bottle, or keep it and hope for the best. Has anybody had the same dilemma? What did you choose? Did performance improve?

By the way: I am NOT looking for clone recommendations.

I just received my sample from Rare Reef, and it has the same 'masculine' / Middle East vibes note I also get from Afnan's SCE. Totally different scents, but that one note I find repulsive is in both fragrances.

It's a note that is super strong and even after washing stays lingering around for hours and hours.

While I don't have the original Pacific Chill, I do have a sample of Jean Lowe Vibe and the note I hate is not in this dupe. Therefore I'm curious: what is this particular note, so that I can avoid it at all cost next time?

I'm building my first orchestral template, but I feel like my current system is not going to be able to handle it.

My current setup is a Mac Studio with M1 Max cpu and 32GB of RAM. All of my sample libraries are currently on a Synology DS 1821+ NAS, connected with a 10Gbit connection. The drives in NAS are Seagate Exos drives. It is configured as SHR with 1 drive failure tolerance.

Before jumping to a new system, I'm curious if any of the following would improve performance:

1. Put the samples on a external SSD like a Samsung T7 (with around 1000MB/s read-write).

2. Put 32GB of RAM in the NAS. Would this even work at all? Would the NAS understand to load the libraries into the RAM of the NAS?

3. Buy something like a OWC Express 1M2 + Samsung 990 Pro 4TB to get higher read/write speeds over TB4 connection on the back of the Mac Studio.

Curious what you guys would opt for in this case!