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| Yes, this is just a random pic of myself with shaving cream on. I am strange :P |
Good morning! I hope everyone has been blessed these past few weeks. I am doing quite well, but it's getting pretty toasty down here. It's been in the low 90s(Fahrenheit) here for the past few days. When it gets this hot, I can't even stomach any complex fragrances. Is it almost autumn yet?
I posted a thread a week ago asking people to ask me questions and essentially "interview me". These are some of the questions that were asked. I added a few myself as well. Some of these were asked in private as well, so I will not be crediting anyone who asked any of these. I also compressed some of the questions to more accurately portray what the person wanted to know. I hope you get a general idea about me and what I think about certain things. Not all of the questions are related to fragrances.
Remember, this is only my opinion. It is not the "truth" by any stretch of the word. It's only my reality. Let's get into it!
P.S. I apologize for it not being very orderly. I just answered them as I received them.
Q: What fragrance started you on your fragrance journey?
A: This could be one of two things depending on what you count as starting your journey. The one that I credit with starting me off the most is Lacoste Pour Homme. I bought it in a PX(a military store on base). I later discovered how much more complex it was over my Avon fragrances and the general stuff I grew up with (Tommy for Men, Cool Water, Eternity, Hollister Jake). So, in a certain way, it "unlocked" the potential of fragrances in my brain.
The other one would be Nautica Voyage N-83. I purchased this one shortly after finding Jeremy Fragrance's channel. I meant to get the OG Voyage, but I ended up purchasing the wrong one. This was essentially the start of me beginning to collect fragrances.
Q: What fragrance(s) put you in a nostalgic mood?
A: Stetson has a lot of nostalgia for me because I worked on a farm growing up and the gentleman I worked for wore this. Yes, he was a cowboy. He was a very kind man that passed away a few years back. I keep a bottle around to remind me of him.
Tommy for Men would certainly be one as well. It was probably my most worn in high school. I am glad that it has stayed mostly the same through the years. I have a decant of it, but a full bottle will come at some point.
Hollister Jake as well. When I was in high school in the early 2000s, Hollister was just then getting popular. Every Hollister store smelled like Jake and I thought it was amazing. Honestly, I still do, but that might be because of my scent memory of it. I need to get a bottle of it, even if it changed. If anyone knows where to get an old brown bottle of it, please let me know. I would love to revisit it. I will probably pick up the blue one when it's on sale.
Avon Haiku because my mother wore it when she sold Avon. It has this floral airiness that is peaceful to me. I actually enjoy the scent, but it clearly makes me think of my mother. I haven't smelled it in quite a long time though.
Q: How have your fragrance preferences changed since you started reviewing?
A: They have changed quite a bit. I started out like most reviewers, which cheap and generic stuff. I found a love for fougeres and citrus aromatics along the way. I was absolutely hooked on vetiver after smelling Guerlain vetiver and the rest is kind of history.
I still visit those mass appealing freshies. I enjoy quite a few, even though many people think I only enjoy classics and indie fragrances. If you follow my SOTD posts in my group(link below), then you will see that I wear a wide array of scents. I just love perfumery as a whole. That is not something I could claim when I began.
I would have never dreamed it was this complex, but I put work into it with research and testing everything I could. This helped me be able to identify notes and pick them out. I was used to using my nose to help guide me when I was a chef, so my sense of smell has always been an integral part of my life. I just never knew how important it was until I was reviewing for a few years and came into my own tastes.
I wanted to be so different when I started. I despised things like Bleu de Chanel and Aventus because of hype. I guess part of me likes to go against the grain. When I visited these fragrances more in-depth, I found out that they are actually good and had to do a 180. Aventus still isn't a love, but I see the appeal with it. Bleu de Chanel EDT is an amazing fragrance.
Q: What is the best Scottish gentleman's fragrance?
A: I was asked this one because of my deep Scottish roots, for those who don't know.
This is a very difficult question to answer. I think I will go with Chanel Sycomore. It can be a bit reminiscent of the vast noble forest in Scotland. At least what I imagine them to be. My family was kicked out of Scotland in the Lowland Clearances and no one has been back there since. One day...I hope.
Sycomore is a noble ancient tree among the masses. Given the Scottish history of Druidism, it makes sense with this one. It's gentlemanly and foresty. I think that is the perfect combination for a Scottish gentleman. I will own a bottle one day...
Q: What are the best and worst coffee brands that you have tasted?
A: The worst is clearly Starbucks. They overroast their beans to hide the subpar quality. Coffee should never taste burnt. The gall they have to charge premium prices for it is appalling. Seattle's Best,m which is also owned by Starbucks now, is equally terrible and bitter.
As far as the best ones...For the mainstream brands, it would be Cafe Bustelo and Caribou. Caribou actually has the tasting notes from the earth of where the coffee was grown. These nuances signify a good cup of coffee and that they didn't get the cheapest stuff available. Cafe Bustelo is a classic. One that I have only recently tried. Cuban espresso is quite impressive.
I will leave it at that for now. Many of the artisan brands aren't widely available, so it may not be advantageous to mention them.
Q: If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?
A: Scottish lobster, macaroni and cheese(baked, not boxed), and a loaded baked potato.
I have never had Scottish lobster, but I want to try it. It's just insanely expensive. I do quite enjoy lobster from Maine though.
Q: How would you name a future James Bond movie?
A: The Cost of Freedom. It would be James actually giving Moneypenny a shot. I am not sure about the villian, but maybe it could be one of his ex-lovers trying to stop him from finally being happy.
Q: How would you rank Licorice as a note on a scale of 10?
A: It's not a love for me, but I am coming around to it. I used to hate it. I am much more partial to minty anise. I still don't like it as food.
Q: If they said you could have a million dollars to wear ambroxan every day for life, would you do it?
A: Yes. Ambroxan isn't my favorite note, but I could use that money to catch up on things I have been putting off. I could also help so many other people with it. The outcome is greater than my personal opinion on it.
Q: Where do you buy your Penhaligon's?
A: Various places. I buy them from friends, but they also sell them on discounters like FragranceNet.
Q: What are the best niche brands that you or others don't mention much?
A: Thameen and Diptyque are probably the most criminally underrated brands out right now.
Q: What scents do you like on women?
A: Mon Guerlain, Houbigant Iris des Champs, and Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue Pour Femme.
Mon Guerlain is just so feminine and classy. A masterpiece for women.
Houbigant Iris des Champs is the best iris on the market to me. I wear it myself, but it's even more beautiful on a woman. It's such a clean and classy scent.
Light Blue Pour Femme is just carefree and casual. It's a woman on the beach dressed in white with a tiare flower in her hair and a huge smile. That is attractive.
Q: What notes are good in women's perfume?
A: Iris, tuberose, rose, lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, champaca, musk, vanilla, orange blossom, neroli, any variety of citruses, ylang-ylang, tiare flower, lavender, coconut, freesia, orchid, magnolia, cacao, fig.
There are so many, but I think it's obvious that I love florals on women. It's just my personal taste. Jasmine is incredibly attractive on a woman.
Q: Why do you dislike compliments and performance?
A: I don't dislike either. I just don't like it when it's the only metric used to judge a fragrance.
Everyone has their own reasons for getting into fragrances, but if you are only after those two things, then you can just watch some Jeremy fragrance videos and be done. No offense to Jeremy, but those are the metrics that he uses. Buy 20 fragrances that he suggests and you're good to go.
I just think only wanting compliments makes fragrances into purely a means of attraction and it's vulgar. Yes, fragrances can be sexy and they are marketed as such, but there is still art and an idea behind most of them. There is nothing wrong with attraction. We all want to be attractive, but using it as a means to boost your own ego is unhealthy to me.
It's not like I say I don't appreciate compliments. I do. I just don't think too much about them or care too much. It's nice to get them, but I think that only seeking a linear means in anything that we want to seek only leads to disappointment.
As far as performance goes, I have yet to hear a convincing argument as to why fragrances have to perform. "I like performance" and "I want bang for my buck" doesn't convince me. This doesn't mean that these stances are incorrect. They just don't correlate with me. You are robbing yourself of so many different scent profiles and great fragrances for only wanting strong stuff. There is a time and a place for every fragrance to me. Having only strong fragrances limits my pallette. I don't like feeling restricted. I like being able to have an open mind about things.
Q: What are you favorite notes?
A: At the time of writing they would be vetiver, lime, lavender, mint, and fig.
Q: Why do you think that you are not as popular as other reviewers who have been around as long as you have?
A: Blogging isn't a preferred source of media consumption for many people. Many folks don't like reading anymore and I am okay with that. I don't care about being famous. I only care about helping people find great fragrances that bring them joy as they have to me. I don't run ads or have any sponsors. I make no money from this at all. The only money I had received from this was from donations from readers. That money was always put back into my blog in one way or another to improve it.
I just got a new Canon M50 camera, which can be used for videos. Once I get a few more supplies for it, I might try my hand at it. I am not sure if my passion is in that though, but I am willing to try. If you shoot for the stars and miss by a mile, then you might end up in a desert and have a new place to explore. All I can do is do what I love. WHatever else happens just happens.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I am an American who was born in Hanover, New Hampshire. It's the same place that Dartmouth is. That's an Ivy League school, for those who don't know. It's similar to Harvard, but not as famous. I currently live in South Carolina and I have been here since around 1995.
Q: What advice would you give to new reviewers?
A: Don't do it for money or free bottles. Do it for the love of fragrances.
Don't do it to stir up drama.
Don't think your opinion is the only one.
Don't hype stuff. Remind your viewers that they should sample first and not trust you alone. If their money isn't important to you, then don't review.
Be honest and transparent.
Make your own style and do it the way that you want to. Don't copy someone else.
If you say you will review something for someone, then do it.
Q: Have you ever had someone copy you or steal your work?
A: Yes. I have had pictures and descriptions stolen. I even had someone make a fake profile on FB of my blog. Some of my takes are quite unique, so I know they were mine by the words I used.
I didn't say anything. If someone has to steal your work instead of making their own, then that says a lot about them. I always tell people that I am not scared when the truth comes out about me. I have been honest the whole time. Some others won't have that luxury.
Q: Which reviewers inspired you to start reviewing?
A: Joy Amin and Mr. Smelly 1977. I enjoy their styles and content. I don't always agree, but no one agrees with everything.
Q: What do some reviewers do that annoys you?
A: I will let it be known that I do not hate any reviewer and this is not to bash them. This is only an opinion.
The silly thumbnails bug me sometimes. I think the focal point should be the fragrance and not the reviewer. Sometimes folks look like they are constipated in them as well. It's also annoying that they have text like "Best XX Flanker?"
It also bothers me when they review something that they got the same day or the day before. There is no way you can break down an entire fragrance in that time span. Maybe you can have a slight idea about it, but I don't think it's fair to do that.
There are way too many top 10 lists. It dilutes the pool for reviewers like myself who rarely do them.
How many compliments do you actually get? Every other fragrance is a compliment monster in your videos. You must be quite popular.
I know most of these things are algorithm things and I don't blame them for playing to it. It doesn't make it any less annoying. I still watch many reviewers who do this stuff, but I would be lying if I didn't answer these honestly. I don't lie.
Q: Why do you hate overspraying?
A: I don't. I just don't like people telling me that I have to overspray to get compliments when that is not my experience. I get more compliments on 3-4 sprays. That is not why I wear 3-4 sprays though. I just think that is the magic number.
I just don't like how aggressive some of these guys who overspray are. If you need 20 sprays of a fragrance to enjoy it, then you shouldn't buy it. The fragrance is simply not your style.That is just my two cents.
Q: Why do you think misinformation is so widespread about fragrances?
A: Basically it boils down to inexperience and subjectivity. Many people don't have trained noses to pick up notes because they are not experienced enough to know that their noses can't always smell things. There are also genes that change how we perceive smells, so it's not exactly misinformation. It's a lack of understanding.
Q: What are the top 3 most annoying posts in fragrance groups?
A: The ones that shun retail employees and have the meme "I know more than you". Just because you are a "fraghead" doesn't mean you know more than a fragrance sales associate. Be humble and open to learning things. They are just trying to provide for their families too.
The fabled "I just bought this, what do you think?" posts. You have the fragrance in front of you. Why do you need our opinions? If you bought it because you liked it, then why do we need to affirm that it's good. Rock what you enjoy!
When you post a scent of the day and someone comments "performance sucks!". Okay, that's cool. I didn't ask about that though. Yes, I know posting on the internet opens you up to such things.
I apologize for being a bit brutal here. I didn't ask the question. I am just being honest.
Conclusion
I know this was a bit rawer than my other posts, but I couldn't put out an article that wasn't 100% me. That is just not my style. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to ask me more questions in the comments and I will answer them if they aren't troll ones.
Remember to say something positive to someone today. You never know who you might help. We can't change the world, but we can change someone's world.
Love to all of you and thank you for the support. Keep smelling great and being great.
Want to see what is going on in my group and vote on my upcoming articles? We also discuss fragrances and fragrant topics in a drama-free environment. You won't see any troll Aventus and CDNIM posts in my group! Join my Facebook group!
