IdleExpatter

Let's get it out of the way right off the bat: this is my favorite fragrance. Full stop. Out of the mountain of fragrances I've smelled or sampled at this point, Manhattan is the one that feels most like a perfumer...

I think in some ways the best compliment I can give this fragrance is that it's NOT overhyped. And that's really saying something, because if you spend even a few minutes digging in to fragrances online, chances are you'll come across more than...

I never could, and never would, try and limit myself to just one fragrance at this point. I like variety; I like collecting; I like having a broad assortment of fragrances that I enjoy to suit whatever mood I find myself in on any given day. But if I had to - if I was forced...

Based on my tastes, I shouldn't love this fragrance. I shouldn't even LIKE this fragrance. And yet: Tony Iommi Monkey Special is the one fragrance that, if I heard it was going out of production, I'd do whatever I needed to procure enough backup...

If I made a list of my favorite "dumb reach" fragrances, Sedley would be on the podium. Sedley opens with a lively, juicy citrus which comes across very lemony to my nose. There's just a hint of the spearmint at first, which...

I'm pretty new to this hobby. I moved from bath and body products, to candles, to personal fragrances just within the past year. When I decided to dip my...er, nostrils, into this world, I went to my closest department store to try stuff out. For the most...

Ah, Club Black. The supposed bargain-basement wunderkind, praises sung by a thousand influencers. A hidden gem, they say. Actually really very good, they say. Turns out, they weren't wrong. This stuff is terrific. Let's get the bad stuff...

Tam Dao is a triumph of focus, showing what's possible in perfumery when a house lets itself celebrate and elevate a single note (or, well, ok, kinda two notes - more on this below). I spent huge portions of my childhood camping in the pine...

I tend to like smooth, mellow, velvety fresh scents - ones where the sharp, spiky citrus highs get toned down and mellowed out. Isola Blu is NOT that kind of fragrance. As always with Roja fragrances, almost the entirety of the list of 50,000...

Greenley is a goofball. It's a daft golden retriever of a fragrance - cheerful, crowd pleasing, playful, a little clumsy, and completely loveable despite the quirks. The hullabaloo with this one has always been and will always be the green...

Some fragrances are sophisticated journeys through a complex blend of notes and accords that provide a fascinating, changing sensory experience over hours, showing you the endless potential that a talented perfumer can coax out of a bottle. Then...

I confess that I sometimes get a little annoyed by those members of the fragrance hobbyist community who go on and on and on about performance. I don't need every fragrance to last nine days and announce my arrival to everybody...