My 200th Article: What I have Learned

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Hello, ladies and gentlemen! I hope everyone is doing fantastic this morning. I am sitting down with my cardamom tea, as per usual. Life is good, despite what is going on in the world.

Today marks my 200th article on this blog. I started blogging in October of 2018, so it's been under 2 years. What an exciting trip it has been. Through trials, temptation, and small victories. This article is about what I have learned, who I have impacted, and how my perspective has changed. I hope you enjoy this one. Let's get into it!


Testimonials 
I wasn't sure where to include these in this article, so I will do them at the start. I asked in a few groups that I am active in how my blog has impacted them. Some of these are paraphrased because they were longer statements. I hope the writers of these things don't mind. Oddly enough, none of them said I caused them to stop reading my blogs, haha.


"I really enjoy your blog because you're very down to earth in how you express yourself" - Leah

I appreciate that, Leah. I always try to seem approachable. I am not in this for fame. I believe in the human side of fragrance collectors and I always try to touch on these things too. There are people behind those eyes that read my articles. They have wants, desires, loves, and dreams. If I can make their life a bit easier, then I have done my job.


"I found your blog because of your post on PTSD and it resonated with me in a way that was extraordinarily powerful. It made me feel less alone while I was dealing with the darkest point of my life. I keep reading because of that post. Never stop writing." - Emily 

This one actually impacted me in a huge way. Once I heard Emily's story, I realized how much impact I actually had. I was just sharing my story and it resonated with so many people. I had so many PMs from that as well. Other reviewers came out and shared their stories. It was glorious. This is why I do this stuff. As I said before, I recognize this isn't a business. There are humans behind those numbers. I care about those humans. That is why I write things like that and touch on stuff that is scary for many reviewers. This isn't just about my reviews, it's about all of us and how we help each other as one big family of weirdos who sniff stuff a bit too much.

"The biggest takeaway I've had is you a precise and to the point writer. You have a goal in mind when you write. I have seen the goodness in the hearts of people who have helped you as well. Truly uplifting" - Carlos

Yes, many people have certainly blessed me. As I have said in many articles, it's not about me. I truly would have run out of stuff to review 6 months in, if it wasn't for this wonderful community. I am truly humbled. It's a team effort and my friends have kept me on the straight and narrow. they have called me out when I went too far, with love instead of judgment. I am forever grateful for the people I have met here and I wouldn't trade this for a mansion in California.

I try to write with a goal in mind. I have a point I want to make in each article. i just brainstorm and start writing. I don't edit too much anymore, so whatever you see here is just my brain rambling on, which can be a good and bad thing sometimes, haha

"As I came to understand it, you would be an unbiased reviewer and host. You come from a different place than people like Jeremy. You are a thinker. I am very sanguine, so we chill and mesh easily. Also, your posts are drama free and I think you mean to keep them that way. I still think you should become a swapper though!" - Robert

Yes, I have been working on taking even less bias out my reviews and reviewing the fragrances for what they are and who they target. That is why I have been separating the note breakdowns from my own opinions recently. I think that enables my readers to see the two sides of the coin.

I try my best to stay drama free, but sometimes my opinions do cause a bit if I say something that many people like is bad. There isn't too much I can do about that though. I am not going to lie in order to make someone feel better about a fragrance. this is a subjective subject and people need to realize that just because I think it's bad doesn't mean others will. I have smelled at least a thousand fragrances. I don't say that as a boast, but rather to allow you to see the angle I am coming from. I have probably smelled something similar that was better to me before.

I don't swap or sell because I take my reputation very seriously. I am afraid that the package might get messed up or that it might not get to where it needs to be and then someone posts about it. If that happens, all of this work I have down for the past 18 months is for nothing. I've worked too hard on this to watch it burn over something so minor. I might consider sending people some stuff pro bono in the future to see if I can do it correctly, but until I get some money that is going to be put on hold.


Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned

I came into this thing being "wet behind the ears". I didn't know much. I just knew how to write. I never would have expected this journey to get me this far. I never expected to have the impact and respect that I do in the fragrance community. I worked at it. I worked hard at it. I have probably put close to 1500 hours into this blog. This is my baby and I am proud of it.

I tried the hype thing early on. I did lots of top 10s and I even did a beast mode fragrance article, which is my second most viewed article of all-time. The views are nice and all, but that is just not me. It felt shallow and empty to me. I prefer individual reviews where I am articulate how a fragrance makes me feel or where it takes me. That is where my passion is. Yeah, they get way less views, but I don't care. That is who I am.

I was offered money to do reviews before. I can proudly say that I have never taken a dime from any company for any reviews. Every company I have worked with has allowed me to be honest. I even said some of the fragrances were bad or not my style and they still worked with me after that.

There seems to be this "tin foil hat" syndrome in the fragrance community that makes people think that everyone who gets a free bottle is a sellout. I have news for you folks, until you have been doing this for a few years, then you don't know anything about how this stuff works behind the scenes. Are some reviewers paid? Maybe. I don't know. I am not them, so I cannot say what they are or aren't doing. I can only speak for myself.

My soul belongs to Jesus Christ. You will never see me sell it for a couple bucks, even though I could use the money since most of you know my situation. It's not worth my morals or being someone I am not. I tried to live a life that wasn't me before, it's just not worth it. No amount of clout or fame is worth losing yourself over. It all catches up with you someday. That is why I prefer being truthful. It's so much easier to remember the truth over a lie.


I was asked a question by Mo in a group and I am going to answer it here. he asked me what the qualifications are and the difference between a reviewer and a YouTuber/blogger who is just a fragrance enthusiast.

Well, I am not sure if there are any qualifications, but having experience certainly helps. I wasn't that experienced when I started and it shows in my earlier articles. I left all of them up so I can remember where I came from and how far I have come.

The difference between a reviewer and a fragrance enthusiast is knowledge, mostly. If you can't tell the difference between jasmine and orange blossom, then you probably need more experience to be a reviewer. There is nothing wrong with being a fragrance enthusiast and talking about it on YouTube. I would go so far as to say that I am only a semi-reviewer myself. I still have so much to learn about notes and compositions.

Another thing is people who are just enthusiasts or influencers don't encourage sampling. Many of them go off of hype or Fragrantica and have very little knowledge about how to identify notes in fragrances. The key difference is "this smells good" versus "this is a well-done fragrance and here's why", if you get what I mean.

There are usually 3 different types of reviewers...Those who do it for fun and as a hobby, those who do it for business, and those who do it for passion. Usually, the ones who do it for business are the most "entertaining" because it helps their numbers for the masses. Actual reviewers don't have flashy content and just focus on the scent. The enthusiasts might do a bit of clickbait, but they don't take it too seriously.

Now, I am not saying any of these three types are bad. I am just explaining that there are usually three styles. It's all up to you to decide which style you enjoy. I think I verge more on the reviewer side in that category. I am not flashy. I just like breaking down fragrances and sharing it with others.

I have learned so much on this journey. My tastes have changed. You know, people always say that as you progress more into your fragrance journey then you start to only love niche stuff. That statement is very untrue for me. As I have grown and advanced, it has only made me appreciate all perfumery as a whole and not limit my choices to one archetype of fragrance. I think when we limit ourselves like that, we are only inhibiting our own happiness and journey. There are amazing fragrances everywhere. Those niche fragrances aren't going to get you any clout. Those designers aren't going to make you look budget-conscious. Those indies aren't going to make you look like a unicorn. Explore more and don't limit yourself. Everything has its place. Being a snob only makes you look simple-minded.

Well, I don't like my articles to run on too long, so I am going to stop here. I want to thank each and every one of you for helping me on this journey and supporting me. The best is yet to come. I still have some exciting things planned for the future that no one knows about...yet.

Remember, a kind word is free. Use them well and use them often. You never know how much you can help someone. Let's work together as a family to make this world a better place for everyone. My inbox is always open if you need someone to listen or just want to chat about fragrances. Feel free to friend request me if you'd like. Have a fantastic day, folks!

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