Cut Through the Cold: Xerjoff Naxos Review

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Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! I hope you all are having a wonderful day today. It's a nice cool day here in South Carolina, so I decided to wear Xerjoff Naxos. I have had this fragrance for a few months, but I am just now getting around to reviewing it. I have probably worn it around 8 times now, so I think I have a good handle on what this fragrance is telling me.

This decant was sent to me for free by Raymond Ford. He also included a sample of AmourOud Santal des Indes, which I will touch on later. Now, Raymond sent this to me for Veteran's Day because I am a veteran, so he didn't do it to get a shoutout, but I am giving him and his wife one anyways. His wife has a Youtube channel called Swift Scents. Raymond makes random appearances on her channel. They also sell decants of many fragrances on https://www.swiftsscents.com/. Be sure to go and check them out and show them some love. Again, thank you, Raymond. I appreciate it.

Okay, let's get down to business and see what my take on Naxos is. Let's get into it!

Since this is a decant, I will not be covering the presentation in this one. The bottle and presentation do look pretty amazing from the pictures though.


Notes

Top 

Lemon, Bergamot, and Lavender

Heart

Jasmine, Honey, Cashmere, and Cinnamon

Base

Tobacco Leaf, Tonka Bean, and Vanilla


The Scent 

Opening

Naxos opens with a blast of dryness and powdery lavender. I was surprised by this with the citrus top notes of bergamot and lemon, but I could only detect a slight bit of sour lemon in the opening.


Dry Down

You get a bit of the honey shortly thereafter. It's not sickly sweet. It's used to soften up this fragrance a bit. The tobacco leaf accord is earthy and a soil vibe with a bit of greenness to it. The tonka is dry and dry and creates a dry tobacco vibe. The vanilla adds a bit of creaminess to the honey. The lavender gives a slightly soapy vibe and gives Naxos a powdery vibe throughout the entire life of this fragrance.

This fragrance is somewhat linear to me, which makes me think that they used mostly aroma chemicals to create this. Which isn't a bad thing. I will touch more on that later.


Performance

Naxos is a very strong performer. I am getting around 10 hours with 4 of those being at least arm's length projection This is not one you can go heavy on the sprays with, for sure. People will smell this before they see you.


When to Wear it

Naxos can be dressed up or down. It's pretty versatile in that regard. You could even use this for a date night fragrance. I think you could wear this with jeans and a flannel or a tuxedo.

I find this composition to be masculine. The dryness it evokes speaks masculine to me. I don't see a woman wearing this, but to each their own.

This is 100% a cold-weather fragrance. The dry spices envision fall very well. The sweetness from the honey can cut through the cold air of winter.


Overall Impression

Naxos is a very elegant fragrance. The way the creamy honey dances with the dry accords of tobacco, tonka, and cinnamon is beautiful. The slight dirtiness from the tobacco leaf gives then a niche edge and makes it more unique than Pure Havane. This is a superior fragrance to the Mugler, by far.

As I said earlier, this fragrance smells like it is composed mostly of aroma chemicals. I do think it could be better with some natural vanilla and lavender to soften it up a bit more. At the price they are asking for this(220 USD), I would expect a few more naturals to be used to round out the composition a bit better. As it stands though, I like Naxos and think it's a solid release. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite fragrances, but it certainly has a place in my collection as a tobacco lover.


Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed my take on Naxos. I am still waiting on my logo to launch my Youtube. I don't have an estimated time when it will be done. The guy doing it is quite busy, so I am not in a rush, even though I am quite excited to launch my channel.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. keep smelling great and doing great! Until next time, be blessed.

My Youtube channel(If you want to get a head start for when I start posting videos)(Hopefully that will be in two weeks or less)

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Want insider news as to what I am working on? What I am testing? Any giveaways I might hold? Want to decide what topics for me to cover on my blog? Then join the Musings of the Fragheads Facebook group here! I also post every article I write in here, so that might be an easier way for you to see every post I do!

Follow me on Instagram

A Fragrance Chat: The FragComm in 2020 and Beyond

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Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! I hope everyone's new year is going well so far. Mine has been quite busy with planning lots of new content for reviewing fragrances and just life in general. I am very excited about this coming year!

Today, this is something of a hodgepodge article. It's about my random thoughts on a few things in the fragrance community and fragrances in general. Some of this stuff will be reiterated from previous articles. Some of it will be new stuff.

Now, these are just my opinions. Everyone has them. We all have a lot of different opinions. I want to be clear here: Just because I don't agree with something that someone is doing, it doesn't indicate that I harbor ill will or hate that person. Heck, I disagree with stuff I do sometimes too and I don't hate myself. These are simply opinions based on my observances over the past year.

Now, I know some of this stuff can be seen as controversial, but it's still my opinion. You have yours and I have mine. That is the marvelous thing about opinions, it means that neither one of us is inherently correct. Keep these things in mind as you read this.

I hope you enjoy this one! Let's get into it!


The Wonderful People of the FragComm

Let's start off with some positivity! The fragrance community has many wonderful people in it. People who are willing to talk about more than just fragrances. People who send strangers free samples and spend cash to do it. People who lift others up when they are down.

I know that sometimes it seems like it's becoming a cesspool of trolling and scamming, but those are minuscule compared to the many great people in it. Just think about it...there are thousands of people in most of the groups(besides my poor little group, lol) and even on the largest threads there are usually only 50 people commenting. That is a very small sample size. If you want to find out how many people read the groups, then host a giveaway. They will come out faster than a cat jumping on a mouse.


Trolling

Okay, these people have been around the internet since it began. They get a rise out of people responding to their ludicrous sentiments. I mean it's 2020 and people are still falling prey to them. I do sometimes myself.

I will never understand why trolling is fun for people, but it's quite immature. It's a new year and it's time to put our big boy pants on and act like well-mannered adults.


An Insulting Scent of the Day

I see this too often. Someone posts Office for Men and someone says, "Why would you purchase that?". I don't know, bro. They probably wanted to. That is why most people purchase stuff, isn't it? I don't go into Best Buy and buy a movie because I had no desire to see it. I wanted to check it out.

If they love a fragrance that you don't, then there is no need to question their tastes. They could be new, or possibly they just like stuff you don't. If they are happy with the product for what they paid, then that is all that matters.


Elitism

I have seen a bit of this recently...Well, by recently, I mean almost every day. Someone calls someone a noob, peasant, or says something along the lines of their nose sucks. I mean, we are all different. having a more refined nose doesn't make you a more valuable human being. Everyone is good at something. Some people are blessed with a better sense of smell and a gift to articulate it. Some aren't.

Just because you spend hundreds(or thousands) of dollars on fragrances doesn't make you superior. In fact, it probably makes you look dumb when you consider how much a lot of those higher-end fragrances are marked up over the cost of production. A lot of you are just paying for a brand name and think it's quality, when they are using mostly aroma chemicals, like with Parfums de Marly.

You talk about all of these naturals ingredients and a refined sense of smell, then you go to McDonald's and eat poor quality food. Having a "refined" sense of smell is arbitrary and lacks any sort of merit outside of reviewing and expressing your hobby. I collect tea and can tell you the difference between Japanese and Chinese Sencha, but I am not going to trash on people who can't. It's just immature and lacks any sort of adult manners and is usually used as a way to compensate for low self-esteem.

That being said, saying you don't like someone's fragrance is okay. If that person gets offended when you say it's not your style, then that is their issue and not yours. If you always think you are right on everything, then you are probably wrong.

The bottom line is: It's time to grow up and stop acting like we are 12-year-olds playing Call of Duty. We can't scream noob at everyone who we think is inferior. No one is inferior. We just have different tastes.


Fairness

Okay, this is one that has been circling around quite a bit in recent days. Part of it is stemming from Aaron Hughes and his releases and doubt behind his knowledge. Personally, Aaron isn't my style. I respect him, but his fragrance style isn't in line with my own. That is okay though, I am sure he's a great perfumer.

Now, the fairness thing comes in when people are advocating for him because of online "bullying" and "death threats". I am not doubting Aaron here, but rather some of the people crying wolf over the fact that his fragrances were trashed before they were even launched. Where were you when Jeremy and Steven were attacked before they released their fragrances? If you spearhead a campaign to defend Aaron and brush the others off your shoulders because you aren't fans of the reviewers who launched them, then why treat Aaron differently.

Unfair is unfair, regardless of who the person is. You can't just say, "that guy has the right to a fair trial and the other doesn't because we don't like him personally". That is not how this stuff works. You have to judge everyone fairly and objectively.

Sure, after Steven and Jeremy released their fragrances you can judge them how you see fit, but only if you smelled them. Don't go off on this tangent about you heard how they smell and dozens of people said this. You are being a sheep and not forming your own opinion. I haven't said anything about Navitus or Office/Date because I haven't smelled them.

Death threats are illegal. However, "bullying" is a funny word. I don't know the whole context of what happened, but you have to have thick skin to be a reviewer. You have to let a lot of that stuff fall like water off a duck's back. If you can't handle critique and ridicule, then you might want to find a different avenue to explore.

The bottom line is: If you judge one person one way and treat another differently, then that is not fair. Take the human aspect out of it and be objective about it.


Compliments

I will be straightforward with you, this compliment culture stuff needs to go away. I have explained ad nauseam why this needs to happen in other articles, so I won't go too in-depth here.

A fragrance won't get you a girlfriend because she likes the way you smell. It can help her attraction if you have other stuff going on too, but it's not a determining factor for any woman I have ever spoken to.

My advice would be to stop worrying about what people think and live life your way. You feel so much freer when you are not bound to people\s opinions of you. It's exhilarating, really. I used to be caught up in that stuff too until I realized the reason women didn't like me was because of my self-esteem. I started slowly loving myself. I accepted my flaws and embraced my strengths and life has been amazing since then. That's not to say there isn't still a struggle sometimes, but my quality of life is much better now.


The One-Night Stand Style

This one sort of goes off the last point. Men, especially reviewers, need to stop buying into this trash. It's disrespectful to women to say that she will want you because of a fragrance. That is why you are seeking fragrances to compensate for your lack of manners towards women. They aren't buying into your junk, so you think fragrances will help. They won't. Learn some manners. That will take you to places you never knew were possible with women.

Reviewers who play into this type of style are not looking out for your best interests. They just want your clicks to get their ad revenue. They don't respect and care about their viewers. This is a business to them.

Let me be clear, I am not talking about most complimented videos. I am talking about videos that degrade women into people who will sleep with you or want you because of a fragrance. The ones that say you can get a girlfriend with a fragrance. They are just lies, folks. I know this will garner me some ill-content from some reviewers(or should I say influencers?), but I don't care. I doubt they even read my blog anyway, lol.


The Fast Pace

One of my pet peeves is when I see a reviewer who just purchased a fragrance review it the same day. I test every fragrance for a minimum of 5 days before I review it. You can't learn about a fragrance and know much about it in less than 12 hours. I am sorry, but that is a first impression and not a review.

I know how difficult it can be to test for that long with so many fragrances. I have 250 or so full bottles(I lost count) and 100 or so samples. I have only reviewed half of those. It's really difficult and I fall behind sometimes, but I still hold myself to a certain standard and to provide a high-quality and in-depth review of a fragrance. I think every reviewer should strive for this.


Wear What you Want

Someone else's fragrance choice doesn't impact your life in any way. It's fine to make a suggestion on not over spraying or a better quality one, but to outright tell someone they cannot wear something is wrong.

If they want to wear a fragrance marketed towards women, let them. You aren't smelling them in their daily life. It's not a crime and people need to stop treating it as such.


A Bright Light

We have many great reviewers in the fragrance community. Ones who stay honest and don't care about the backlash. Some reviewers are new and just learning. Hopefully, some of the things I have said helps. I am not a professional or big-name reviewer, but I am honest about what I think.

My best advice for new reviewers would be to stop caring about likes, comments, and subs. Free yourself from the chains of burden and make content that is up to your standard, then all of that stuff will come along with it. There is nothing worse than having a bunch of viewers there for free stuff or ones that don't want to be there. Focus on the quality of your viewers and not sheer numbers.


The Whole Picture

I know I said a few negative things, but overall the fragrance community is an amazing place full of amazing people and I love being here. Some of my darkest days were uplifted by people in the community. We all love fragrances. Sometimes we get a bit too passionate, myself included. We all make mistakes. It's a wonderful place where we all can share our love of stuff that smells good.

The positives far outweigh the few negative things. However, when you get this many people together, there will always be some contrasting opinion and I am no different.

This is an outlet for me to express myself and I am thankful for the people who support me, even if they don't agree with me.


Conclusion

I hope everyone enjoyed this article. I hope I didn't ruffle too many feathers. Again, I will state that I have no ill-will towards any reviewer or person. I just want us all to be better and more respectful of each other. I know it can be quite difficult and I am guilty of being disrespectful myself. We all need to learn together to make this a better and more inviting place for everyone. If only a few of us make changes, then it will improve the experience for everyone.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday! Until next time, keep smelling amazing and being amazing. Be blessed, everyone.

Also, I am waiting for my logo to be done and a few other things to fall into place. I am aiming for a Youtube launch around the start of February.

My Youtube channel(If you want to get a head start for when I start posting videos)(Hopefully that will be in two weeks or less)

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Want insider news as to what I am working on? What I am testing? Any giveaways I might hold? Want to decide what topics for me to cover on my blog? Then join the Musings of the Fragheads Facebook group here! I also post every article I write in here, so that might be an easier way for you to see every post I do!

Follow me on Instagram

Classy: Cremo Bourbon and Oak Review

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day today, I was going to wait and do this review on Youtube, but I figured I hadn't posted an actual review in a little while on here, so here it is.

Today I have another Cremo fragrance for you, Bourbon and Oak. This is my second review of them, so I hope you enjoy it! I was sent this for free by Cremo, but it doesn't impact my thoughts on them and I do not have any sponsorships from Cremo, nor do I get anything for reviewing this product. Let's get into it!

The presentation is the same as every Cremo, so I will not cover that this time. If you are interested in that, then check out my Blue Cedar and Cypress review.


Notes

Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Whiskey, Vanilla, and Oak.


(This is what I get from it. The official notes only list distiller's spices, whiskey, and oak)


The Scent

Opening

You get a big dose of dry spices right after you spray Bourbon and Oak. A slight nutty nuance from the nutmeg and a subtle warmness from the spice work to start laying the groundwork for the whiskey note. The cardamom then starts to emerge and adds a bit of sweetness, although it is still a bit dry like the other spices.

Dry Down

As the top starts melding into the base and heart notes the vanilla emerges. It's more of a vanilla flavoring smell than an actual creamy or gourmand smell. After this, the whiskey lends its slight sweetness to the composition. The whiskey is not as sweet as most whiskey notes are.

Finally, the most prominent note in this fragrance comes to life, the oak. It's dry, woody, and potent. This gives the fragrance the feeling of an oak barrel that was used to age whiskey in it, not an actual shot of whiskey. The smell is quite pleasant and I enjoy it.


Performance

I get about an hour and a half of projection before it becomes a skin scent. In total, I get around 6 hours from this one. A lot of people on Fragrantica rated it much higher, but that is how body chemistry works sometimes. I am not going to complain about 6 hours though, that is good enough for me.


When to Wear it

This is certainly a cold weather scent. It's spicy and woody with a bit of booze. This is a night out or possibly even a date night scent if you don't enjoy the super sweet gourmands and spicy fragrances that are typically used for dates these days.

You could wear this with a suit or casually, but I wouldn't wear it to work since it does have a noticeable boozy note.

This fragrance is purely masculine to me. The dryness of it doesn't seem like it would work well on a woman, but to each their own, in that regard.


Overall Impression

Cremo has done it again. They made something simple and efficient for the price they are asking. It's quite nice and smells a bit more expensive than its price tag suggests. The oak note is really beautifully done and realistic. For 23 bucks, this is a winner to me. If i was to go out and purchase this I wouldn't think twice about it.


Conclusion

This review was a bit shorter, but I hope you still enjoyed it. My Youtube channel will be launching soon. I am waiting on my logo and some other stuff to fall into place. I hope you enjoy it.

I hope everyone has a great day. Keep smelling great and doing great. Until next time, be blessed.


Buy Bourbon and Oak here (This is not an affiliate link. I get nothing from you buying from or clicking it)

My Youtube channel(If you want to get a head start for when I start posting videos)(Hopefully that will be in two weeks or less)

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Want insider news as to what I am working on? What I am testing? Any giveaways I might hold? Want to decide what topics for me to cover on my blog? Then join the Musings of the Fragheads Facebook group here! I also post every article I write in here, so that might be an easier way for you to see every post I do!

Follow me on Instagram

The Future of Musings of a Fraghead

Thanks, Kenny!

Hey, folks! I hope everyone is having a fantastic evening tonight. It's been somewhat warm here lately, so I am sort of bummed that I am not able to wear some of my cold weather fragrances, but other than that, I am doing fantastic.

On my Facebook group, I have been teasing about some upcoming changes to my blog and plans I have for 2020. I am going to tell you about some of them in this article and explain some things. I hope you all enjoy it! Let's get into it!


My Logo

The header of this article is a new logo made by Kenny Walker, who is the same guy who made my last one. The one featured in this article is not the final product, so it will look slightly different when I officially launch the new logo.

I think this one captures my personality better with a nature aesthetic. The coniferous trees in the forest with a mountain and a waterfall. This logo is based off the video game, Firewatch. I think he did an excellent job with it and captured what I was looking for perfectly. He is seriously a very creative guy.

Here is a link to his Youtube channel. He has been busy recently, so he hasn't had time to upload much, but his reviews are really creative and he bases them all on some sort of theme. He really has a unique personality and it shows. It's a breath of fresh air to see his passion. That passion also shows in the logo he created for me.

A New Platform

So, I have sometimes held the idea that bloggers are underappreciated in the fragrance community. So, it's time to branch out. I will be launching Musings of a Fraghead on Youtube within the next month(possibly in the next two weeks, depending on how quickly I figure out how to work Youtube and the camera).

I was sent a GoPro from a supporter of my blog. This person would like to remain anonymous, but I am extremely grateful to them for this humbling gesture. It's simply amazing how you can make a connection with someone through the fragrance community and how many kind people there are in it. The fragrance community has restored my faith in the fact that there are still good people in this world. This gesture is a testament to that, along with everyone else who has sent me stuff during a time when I was struggling. I am forever grateful to have found this community and I don't take their kindness for granted.

I still plan on blogging as well. My plan, as of right now, is to do 2 blog articles and 2 videos per week. I know a lot of you enjoy my writing and don't like watching videos as much. You folks have gotten me to where I am right now and I refuse to turn my back on you for greener pastures. I will never forget where I came from or the people who helped get me here. I owe all of you everything for your support.

If you would like to go ahead and bookmark my channel or something, then I will drop a link below this section for you. It's not complete and I will be changing the name and such when I get closer to launch and my logo is complete. Somehow I have 18 subs already and I don't even have any content.

You will get the same quality from my Youtube videos as my blog. There will be minimal editing and authentic and honest reviews. Sometimes I am not as good at explaining myself in works, so it might be a bit strange at first until I get comfortable with it, but I believe it will improve with time.

Just like here, you can expect me not to ask for likes, comments, and subs. Everyone knows where those buttons are on Youtube. I am on there to spread my passion for fragrances and give honest reviews. My Youtube channel will be just as agenda-free as this blog is.

My Youtube

FragComm Fridays

My FragComm Fridays series will continue. However, I might see if I can incorporate it into a Skype call or some sort of voice program instead. I might also look into launching a podcast for that purpose alone. I might also do random podcasts and let people call in and ask me questions. This all up in the air right now and I can't assure you that any of these things will happen. I do have some friends that are interested in doing a podcast, so we will see what happens with that.


No More Top 10s and Hype 

As I said before, I am not doing top 10s anymore. No more beast mode lists and such either. You might get a fragrance rotation video or article or two. We will see how that goes.

Yes, my most viewed articles are top 10s or articles about performance. I don't care about views, subs, and things like that. My goal is to create real content. I am not saying top 10s are bad, but I want to be a bit different and just give you my honest opinion on stuff. You still might see lists from me, like my Some Good Fragrances for Winter article, but they won't be listed in any order or anything. They will just be me telling you about some fragrances I like for a particular topic.


Conclusion

I have a few more things planned for 2020, but they are more like dreams and are much more difficult to accomplish compared to the things I mentioned here. No, I am not trying to create my own fragrance, haha. Let's just get that out of the way now.

I am constantly trying to improve myself and push myself forward. With the help of the fragrance community, I have been able to successfully do that. So, I thank you once again, truly. This is a journey we can all take together.

I hope everyone has a great night and you keep smelling great. Be amazing and do amazing. Until next time, be blessed.

I started up a Facebook page for my blog. It would be awesome if you could go give it a like, review, or rating. Feel free to be honest if you think I can improve! Link

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Want insider news as to what I am working on? What I am testing? Any giveaways I might hold? Want to decide what topics for me to cover on my blog? Then join the Musings of the Fragheads Facebook group here! I also post every article I write in here, so that might be an easier way for you to see every post I do!

Follow me on Instagram

Tag Topic: Reviewers Releasing Their Own fragrances

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Hello! I hope everyone is having a great morning. I am sorry that I haven't been around very often. I am working on a new project that I will be announcing soon, so stay tuned for that.

Well, my big mouth got me in trouble. I commented on Cody Mims' video on "Reviewers Releasing Their Own fragrances" that I was glad I wasn't tagged, so he then messaged me on FB and tagged me. I didn't really want to do this because my viewpoint might be taken as controversial to some, but I am going to do it anyway. I am going to be 100% honest about the good and bad here.

Before I start this, I will let you know that I have not tried a fragrance from a reviewer yet. Well, except Kerosene. He doesn't review anymore, so I don't count that. So, most of this will be me looking in from the outside and my opinion on it. If my opinion makes you angry, then maybe you should take a deep breath and realize that this is just scented water. Everyone has an opinion. I won't get angry at you for disagreeing.

I am going to stop yapping now. Let's get into it!


Good or Bad?

The Good

I have two perspectives on this. First off, I think it's a good thing. Reviewers smell hundreds of different fragrances and know exactly what people look for when purchasing a fragrance. So, that sort of expertise is very beneficial.

It also gives people a way to get something out of supporting their favorite reviewers other than Patreon and donations, so it works for both parties there.


The Bad

This is where I am probably going to get a little bit of heat. It can be a very bad thing for several reasons. First off, if that reviewer takes their fame and the trust that people have placed in them and creates something that they know is inferior. So, essentially that would be a cash grab. I totally understand wanting to make some money. This is an expensive hobby. Just don't take advantage of people to do it.

I haven't smelled any of the fragrances, as I stated before, but if any of the reviewers creating their own fragrance have done this, then perhaps it's time to look back at where you came from. Your viewers and subs got you to where you are. All of that ad revenue that allowed you to buy new stuff and the free bottles you got because of your fame is because of them. You don't turn your back on them.

Again, I am not accusing anyone of doing this. I doubt any of the reviewers in question would even read my little blog, but that's okay.

Secondly, your reputation is on the line. All of those years spent making videos and working your tail off could come crashing down. When you decide to release your own juice, if it's not received well by the fragrance community then it could bring about your downfall.

Thirdly, the domino effect. If the current releases that are out or planned from reviewers turn out to be as controversial as the first few...Then you are damaging the reputation of reviewers and their chance to make their own fragrance. It just creates mistrust in reviewers in general and that is not a good thing. There will always be haters though. If a fragrance is generally not liked by anyone, then that could be an issue that causes damage to the fragrance community as a whole.

The Neutral 

I want to say something about the accusations of the fragrances being clones. Just because something is similar does not make it a clone. There are only so many notes you can mix together in the tens of thousands of fragrances on the market. Something is bound to smell like something else unless you use unique notes like gunpowder, mushroom, rubber, and other fantasy type notes. It basically comes down to if you like the smell for the price you paid.


Conclusion

Again, I have not smelled any of these. I am basing my opinion off of generality and not experience. I have nothing against Steven or Jeremy. I don't even really watch many reviewers these days because I don't have much time. I wish them both a ton of success if they are doing things properly. Well, if any of the rumors end up being true, then the old saying goes, "a liar is always found out" rings true. Let nature take its course and things will be revealed eventually.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Be blessed and keep smelling great and being honest. Much love to all of you. Make sure to join my FB group if you are wanting to know about my next announcement, which I should be making next week.

I don't even know who has been tagged, so I am not going to tag anyone else, sorry.

Cody Mims' Video

I started up a Facebook page for my blog. It would be awesome if you could go give it a like, review, or rating. Feel free to be honest if you think I can improve! Link

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Want insider news as to what I am working on? What I am testing? Any giveaways I might hold? Want to decide what topics for me to cover on my blog? Then join the Musings of the Fragheads Facebook group here! I also post every article I write in here, so that might be an easier way for you to see every post I do!

Follow me on Instagram

FragComm Fridays: Matt Hand, The Georgia Gent

Good afternoon! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day. It's been raining for the past 2 days here, almost nonstop. I am not complaining though. The sound of rain relaxes me.

I have another entry into my FragComm Fridays series for you today. This guy is a newer reviewer who has been catching a bit of steam lately. He is none other than Matt Hand, also known as Georgia Gent. Matt is a very nice person and he is growing fast. I am always happy when I see good people prosper. Let's get into it!


The Interview 
1. What is your favorite fragrance? YSL l’homme Ultime 2. How did you get into reviewing and why? It was around the time that I was looking into speech therapy, I was watching reviewers like Jeremy, Big Beard Business, Ross(TLTG), and Mr Cheap Scents. The confidence that they had speaking on camera made me think, maybe if I talk to the camera then I can sit down and talk with ease like that. Fast forward maybe two weeks into me having a channel, before I put my face on youtube, I met (Keith) Mr cheap Scents at TJ Maxx, I was star struck lol. Later on, we got in contact and we made a fragrance trade, I think I traded him 4 or 5 but he gave me 60+ fragrances in that trade. I got home with all of those fragrances and knew what I had I to do. Having reviewing be my creative outlet was and is one of my favorite parts about it all. 3. What is your most wanted fragrance right now? I really want try the new Dior Homme, I know it’s getting some hate because of the lack of iris, but I’m a big fan of fresh fragrances and it’s appealing to me. 4. What is your favorite fragrance brand right now? Fragrance.One Just kidding I gotta say Xerjoff, I only own two of their fragrances but I will 100% be getting more at some point. 5. Who is your favorite perfumer? I’m not very familiar with a ton of them, but Alberto Morillas is great one 6. You seem to prefer designer style fragrances. Why is that? Mass-appealing and cheaper than niche(for the most part). Indie houses are interesting. I’m enjoying watching Scentitar Fragrances and learning about those. 7. What is your favorite note and why? Grapefruit, here in Georgia it gets all kinds of hot and muggy and grapefruit to me is just very refreshing 8. What is your least favorite note and why? Leather, I have yet to try a leather fragrance that is meant for me. 9. How many fragrances do you own? 172 10. If you had to pick 5 fragrances for the rest of your life, what would they be? Nautica Voyage Xerjoff Naxos YSL Ultime ADG Profumo Creed Aventus 11. What is the fragrance that you use the least in your collection? The entire line of Black is Black, I’ve sprayed them all only 2-3 times for an initial impression video. 12. Do you have any future plans for yoru channel that you can tell us about? When I get my new camera, expect more outdoor footage, collaborations with different non-fragrance YouTube channels, and the occasional video to shake up the fragrance community. Conclusion There you have it. A small look into some of Matt's tastes and what he thinks about some stuff. I am surprised he knew exactly how many fragrances he had. I lost count at about 150. Props to him. Remember to go check out his Youtube channel and show him some love. Georgia Gent Youtube I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the day. Remember to be honest and make this world a better place. There are enough hateful people around. Just because you're opinion differs from someone else's doesn't mean they are wrong. Be humble and gracious and show love. Y'all come back now, ya hear? (Sorry, I am feeling goofy today)

My Fragrant Thoughts on 2019

Source: www.pixabay.com

happy New Year! I am thankful to say I have lived through another year. 2019 was a good year for me. I just thought I would put together a compilation of my thoughts from this year, both good and bad, to show you folks how some of my opinions have changed or haven't changed. Some of these statements might be new to my regular readers and others might be things you have read before.

I usually say not to judge me for my opinion, but I am not going to say that anymore. We are all adults. This is just scented water. If you feel the need to demean someone and call them names over an opinion then that is your problem and not mine. Enjoy! Let's get into it!

Any information about companies on here is my own opinion. None of these companies even know they are included in this article until I post it. I get literally nothing from telling you folks about the good and bad things about these companies.


The Good

- 2019 saw a huge boost in the indie market.

With companies like Perfumology, Zoologist, and Jusbox consistently dropping new stuff we have had no shortage of new and unique scents to explore. The indie game seems to be thriving amidst every other designer and niche company. copying the blue trend or making Aventus clones. I am certainly glad to see these companies doing well.

- 2019 saw a major increase in members of the fragrance community.

We have had thousands of people join many different groups. Hundreds of new reviewers have started putting out content. The fragrance community as a whole is growing exponentially. This is certainly a good thing.

- Happyland Studio is my favorite house that was launched in 2019

E.J. Wells consistently makes daring fragrances and masculine fragrances. He's my kind of guy. He loves the dark stuff and leather. I really respect this house and E.J. Cuir Cafe, Homme for the Holidays, Rhyolite, Barbershop, Se7en, and Signature are excellent fragrances. I know some people might think it's just hype because of free bottles, but I truly believe in Happyland. They have been on many of my lists and I still wear one of his fragrances every week in my collection of over 250 fragrances. I trust E.J. to make stuff that appeals to me. There is only one fragrance that is just "okay" to me. The rest of them are cherished fragrances in my collection.

- Fragrenza is a house that everyone needs to check out.

Fragrenza hasn't caught on like Alexandria has, but I think they are the same quality as Alexandria. They have some really unique originals too. Bonta smells like shaving cream. It's not totally unique, but the quality is there and it's a great barbershop fragrance. Ice Musk is just what you think it is, aa cool musky fragrance. Venice Seduction is an original date night fragrance with tobacco and sweetness. Their clones are as good as Alexandria as well and they are launching tons of new fragrances in 2020. Give them a shot.

- Cremo is worth it. 

There have been a lot of contrasting opinions on Cremo. However, I quite enjoy the brand. The quality is there for their pricepoint. They don't tout themselves up as a luxury brand. they offer simple products that work better than the price suggests. They are what they say they are, so there is nothing wrong with that.

- SCENTual Obsessions and Genre Parfums are the most honest clone houses.

Both of these companies are 100% transparent about how they make their products. They have no issue with making a public post about it. Their prices are very fair. The owners are responsive to messages as well.

I am not saying other houses are dishonest, so don't take it as me saying that. I am only saying that SCENTual Obsessions and Genre are more public about how they do things. Everything from shipment updates to a juice not making the cut and them having to push back the launch.

Also, they have some really solid originals. Devin at Genre actually works with perfumers to perfect his originals and he makes them unique. They aren't just blends like some other companies are doing. There is nothing wrong with blends, but if you want something unique, then check out Genre.

SCENTual Obsessions also makes soaps and has beard oils dropping soon. His prices are pretty amazing, so be on the lookout for them

If you haven't tried either of these houses, then it's time to do so. Their honesty alone will take these companies to the top. You can quote me on that one.

- Daniel Gallagher is a fragrant genius

Rose All Dae is a masterpiece, through and through. This is coming from someone who prefers classic and masculine fragrance. Rose All Dae is decidedly unisex, but there is something about it that draws me in. Carpe Cafe is a solid offering. It's like sitting next to a Christmas tree and sipping from vanilla coffee.  I hope Daniel brings this one back. He said he might.

- I had around 32k views last year.

That surpassed my goal of 25k(I think). These are just soft goals I set for myself, but I am not disappointed if I don't meet them. I don't care that much about the views. I haven't made a single penny from doing this for over a year.

Despite not making anything from this, I have had a blast meeting, conversing, and exploring different fragrances this year. As I said before, it's about passion, not money.

- This blog is still agenda-free.

You won't find any affiliate links on my blog. I get no kickback from any of them. They are simply the best place to find the fragrances that I am covering.

I have worked with many companies. None of them have paid me. None of them have coerced me to review their fragrances in a positive light. Every word on this blog is my opinion and the truth in my eyes. Going into 2020, this will not change. I don't care about money. I wish I had more to buy some new fragrances that I want to try and review. Mainly Rogue Perfumery Mousse Illuminee and Dasein Winter Nights, along with some real oud. However, I don't care if I don't get the chance to. I am very blessed to know awesome people who have sent me stuff to review. I am forever thankful to all of you for helping to keep my blog going.

- Creed still wishes they had the history of Guerlain

Whether you believe Creed's historical claims or not is not the point of this topic. The fact that Guerlain has been successful for almost 200 years is a testament to the quality that this house puts out consistently. All I will say on that is that Guerlain, Floris, Penhaligon's, and Acqua di parma have proof that they have been doing this a long time. Their fragrance quality also proves it. Guerlain is the best house in the game to me and no one is going to top it any time soon.

Creed still makes some outstanding fragrances though, so don\t take this as me saying Creed is a bad company overall. It is quite sad when a company like Hollister has a bottle with a metal cap and Creed has plastic, considering the price difference.

- Alkemia is my second favorite company that I discovered this year

They make high-quality perfume oils. They are natural and smell amazing. They also have decent performance and they are very budget-friendly. Ydalir has an actual charred wood accord instead of something mixed with resins to give it that vibe. If you love indie stuff and haven't tried Alkemia, then you are doing yourself a disservice.


The Bad

- Aventus is still as mediocre today as it was it was in 2018.

Now, I don't hate Aventus. I just don't understand the obsessive fanfare over it. A fruity-sweet fragrance with a spicy/smoky dry down. I am not denying its success or the fact that people love it. For me personally, it will never be in my top 10 or even in my top 25. It is relegated to mediocrity after going through several different batches.

- Parfums de Marly is decent at best.

PdM gets a lot of hype from reviewers who get free bottles. The only PdM I would consider purchasing is Carlisle. I will admit that Carlisle is very good. Galloway, Layton, and Herod are okay, but they use too many synthetic accords. The best fragrances have both natural and synthetic accords to create a full-bodied fragrance with depth and nuances that tickle your senses. All of the PdM fragrances I have tried are flat, linear, and just not exciting, outside of Carlisle.

I will say that I have only tried 6 or 7 from them, but that is enough to turn me off of the house. That and the constant hype they get on their release days make me think they pay for good reviews. Maybe they don't. If so, then some reviews might just have bad tastes in my eyes.

- Most complimented videos need to stop

Now, I am not telling anyone how to run their channel. If people want to do that, then that is up to them. I still support reviewers who do them. I support reviewers who enjoy PdM as well. Disliking their taste is different than disliking a person. their fragrant tastes do not dictate who they are as a person.

However, the most complimented videos are getting tiresome. I know why they do them. they get a lot of views from people. It's pretty sad when a most complimented video gets more views than a single review of an unknown fragrance that is simply breathtaking.

If you, the fragrance community, wants this to stop, then you need to start telling people this. I have done a most complimented article before and it was one of my most viewed articles. However, I will not do that anymore. I don't care about my view count or followers. I care about passion.

- Top 10s are also getting old.

I stopped doing top 10s at the end of 2019. I wanted to separate myself from other reviewers in a world of clickbait and fast fashion fragrances. Most of them are fragrances we have seen before or the most hyped PdM of the season. I just don't see anything positive from top 10 lists.

Again, I support reviewers who still do these. I just won't do them anymore myself. I have done any of them in the past. they are still there. I don't delete any of my articles. I prefer to know what I came from and not try to hide anything from my readers.

- People are still telling outrageous compliment stories.

I would be rich if I got a nickel for every time someone did this. I am not saying all of these stories are false. However, there are a few repeat offenders that cook up the most elaborate stories known to man.

I am telling you guys, girls are not going to flock around you like a murder of crows going for a carcass, waiting to get a peck in. It's not realistic. Maybe some guys have that kind of charisma, but I doubt these guys would feel the need to brag about it on Facebook. I get compliments sometimes, but you have never seen me make a post about getting them.

If you feel your self worth is caught up in getting a few likes on Facebook or getting a compliment, then bro, I will pray for you. That is no way to live your life seeking the approval of others. Be your own man and pave your own path. At the end of the day, these stories don't amount to anything, especially if they aren't true.

- Some people still take "panty dropper" serious and think it's a literal word.

No fragrance is going to get you into someone's bed. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You don't need amazing charisma or an amazing smell to attract a woman. Just be a nice and genuine guy. Besides, if you are the type of guy who only wants to get laid, then you need to reevaluate your life and see what your real priorities are. This isn't American Pie. I watched that movie in my teens. It was horrible. Be realistic and find out how to treat women with respect. You can keep telling yourself you will grow up in two years, but I keep telling myself I will grow taller next year. It still hasn't happened. Heck, I might start getting even shorter soon.

- I missed my goal of 100 followers this year.

I was 12 followers away, but that is okay. I have learned to not try to count my success by the numbers of followers I have. I have made plenty of friends and received comments about me helping people find great fragrances. That means I am being successful. People also like how brutally honest I am. I am successful despite my follower and view count.

- Some fragrance groups can't go one day without some edgy guy memeing about CDNIM and Aventus.

I am beating a dead horse here. Just stop it. No one cares anymore. Stop seeking negative attention. That is all.

- Armaf is the worst clone house.

I know, some people love them. Feel free to do so. I strongly dislike them. They are cheap, synthetic, and brash. They lack the refinement of the fragrances they copy. I am not a fan until I smell something from them that will change my mind. Don't tell me CDNIM will. I have smelled it and it's terrible, even in the dry down.

- The blue trend needs to die

Okay, blue fragrances aren't terrible, but it's been done to death at this point. We need something new with less ambroxan in it. Let's start making some more masculine smelling fragrance sin 2020 and pay homage to the classics, but with some modern ingredients. That is my hope for 2020, but I know it won't happen. It never hurts to dream though, right?

- Guerlain Shalimar and Mitsouko smell more masculine than most of today's masculine offerings.

It's sad when a woman's fragrance from the early 1900's that has been reformulated countless times(which is normal for a fragrance of that age) smells more manly than today's offerings. How did a company like Paco Rabanne go from making one of the most masculine fragrances ever to a sweet bubblegum fragrance company for clubbers? I don't know, but I guess money and modernism changes things. A lot of the times it's not a good change in my eyes.



Conclusion

I probably have many more thoughts I could write down, but I will keep this one relatively short. I hope you enjoyed this one. I hope everyone has a safe and blessed 2020.

Remember to smell great, be great, and treat people with kindness.

My goal for 2020 is to be different than other reviewers and be as informative as I can be. Also, to get a new camera so my pictures aren't so blurry lol.

Also, I am debating on doing something outside of this blog to be more interactive with my readers. Stay tuned and we will see if I can work that out.

Shoutouts

Alexandria Fragrances
Mattie Fuller for some decants
Addam Brown for some decants
Genre Parfums
SCENTual Obsession
Daniel San for some decants
Carlos Colom for being a brother like no other
Nathan Geck for some decants
Raymond Ford/SwiftScents for some decants
Cremo
Fragrenza
Happyland Studio
Babylon Fragrances
Cameron Byrd for some DUA decants
Kenny Walker for making my logo
Ryan Richmond
Alkemia
An anonymous friend for some fragrances
Susana for sending me a bunch of fragrances and samples
Sphinx Beard
Mark Mobley and MyFragranceSamples.com

(I think that is everyone, if I missed anyone, then I am truly sorry. My memory isn't what it used to be lol)

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