Royal Oud grew on me as well. I smelled it on paper and thought it was terrible. I bought a Creed Sampler a few months after and sprayed it on my skin. I fell in love with this sent!!!!!
You hit Oligarch parfum and EDP on the head. I have both and love both. I first bought the EDP and fell in absolute love with it. Thought I would love the parfum and when I found it knew I had to get it. I think I love the EDP more although I wore the parfum yesterday and really enjoyed it.
“Especially if your date leads to a close encounter” Gotta love you for keeping it classy. Been enjoying your new take on fragrances, particularly as an addition to how one should carry themselves FIRST with the added bonus of smelling good and appropriate. Keep killing it 🙏
Overture is clutch! used to hate it and never understood why people liked it. but there was just something that kept making me wanna smell it and after a bit, i started to fall in love with it. it is stunning/intoxicating in the air, more animalistic and smokey on skin and screams BDE
This might be the ultimate top ten (eleven) list. Not necessarily in terms of the scents you picked (which were great nonetheless) but in terms of quality of content and explanation to the newbie. Great video!
Another helpful video, Justin. I'm just now getting to the place in my fragrance journey to give those "This kind of stinks but you'll love it!" recommendations. My Overture Man -esque fragrances are Tom Fords Oud Minerale and Roja's Diaghilev.
Gentle fluidity is excellent and, yes, very versatile, to me a perfect formal work fragrance. Ouverture is a fragrance that you keep thinking about a long time after smelling it, I don’t think it will get you compliments but you will be memorable. This list is very nice thanks!
Amazing and unique content as always! I bought Ganymede a couple weeks ago and it was not what I was expecting. I was thinking it would be more along the lines of Terre De Hermes which is one of my top 5 all time frags and the one who sent me down this rabbit hole of putting my nose on every cologne lol. Anyways the first sniff I was put off to say the least but kept coming back and have been wearing it often and enjoying it quite a lot. Def happy I gave it a second chance. Great list as per usual.
Dude"" same here with my first time trying out Ganymede....I'm a collector have been collecting for yearssss" and I've been buried deep in that Rabbit hole you spoke of actually thought of doing my own RU-vid channel but too busy ..But the Ganymede I didn't think it was as described thought it would be some old but modernized barbershop fougere scent and boy I was WRONG its really nice so much so I'd gotten a backup bottle of it because my son hits my cabinets up often when he visits and tried it and has put a large dent in my bottle so....But your rite about Ganymede...sorry this was so long🙏👍🏻😏
Justin I'm a collector and I watch most of the top reviews on fragrances just because 😏 and I've gota say your taste is very universal i notice how you can go from a super pricey niche to a 20$ bottle of something that smells like it should be higher priced and your discription of them is very informative...
I live these type of videos!! Thanks man! Live to see new fragrances and I also love Dior homme 2020. I don’t have it but I always apply it in the stores haha need a bottle! But kind of a soft scent imo.
I like the way you are giving this journey perspectives. I like the way you are building stories, creating different storylines, bit by bit, like no other reviewer! That's why I always love to be here. Thank you sir. 🙏
Justin please keep going on to have a special content mate! MFK and Creed seem to be interesting to me! It's worth at least trying them with decants! Keep going on mate!
100% agree with the formal and showstopper picks - I would put the exact two you picked for those categories as well. I tried Ganymede and it wasn’t quite for me though, metallic note turned me off.
--- Yesterday i got MFK Gentle Fluidity Silver for my husband (Nordstrom had it on sale). He tried it from asample that I had and we both loved it at first sniff. I lasts all day on him even after seating outdoors for a few hours. Love it!
Chris Collins getting some love! Just blew through their discovery set the last month or so. Very impressive, very consistent. My fav Danse Sauvage, African Roiboos, and Autumn vibes. Wearing Royal Oud now. Killer that grew on me.
I have only Overture from this list but this is a good list. And thanks for not including the eternal Prada Homme or Amber Intense. I just sold my Dior Homme Intense. I realized that I didn't reach for it ever. It's a " perfect " fragrance but it's a jack of all trades and master of none. For the rest, i would suggest Costume National Homme for smart casual, 1740. HDP for sexy dates, B 612 as a beastly fougere that's gonna blow everything around out of the water in intensity, and Cartier Declaration for hanging around the house. Great work
Ganymede makes u feel like the boss and boy its trail is so so intoxicating. People will always ask what u are wearing. My daughter loves it and rocks it too and people ask her what she is wearing. Ganymede also won an award at 2020 Uk Fragrance award. Its smells unlike anything you may have smelt. Its the 50 Shades of Grey, Christian Grey who would b wearing it.
I love how individual and personal fragrances are. I wear Gucci Absolute all the time in cool weather, usually two sprays in the back of the neck and one on each collar bone.. And I swear I never get compliments… except wearing this one!! Great list as usual JC
interesting angle on Ganymede. I get it. It is not cloying at all. A little bit impersonal one might say. But I think there is more ways to describe it. I don't want to turn people off! The most unique-accessible perfume I have smelt. Totally unique but I found it to be a crowd pleaser pretty much.
Again a great video for people looking to try something that's not top 10 bestseller stuff, but also not mega challenging. Also like the categories. Certainly try worthy list, some lovely scents even if they don't perform that well on my skin (looking at you, Frapin and Creed!) Really appreciate these videos to help broaden horizons including the tip of trying a sample first. Even if it smells great on someone else, sample first because skin chemistry can do funny things... But Oligarch as a work frag? It's a good one, but as someone with a full-time office job, that one sounds off to me based on pricing, especially when you call Overture expensive later in the video. Yes, it is a nice fragrance with great smoothness and quality, but a daily work fragrance? Perhaps I'm a bit of a cheapskate, but spending 2-3 times the amount my 100ml Overture bottle cost me to get 50 ml of this? That's a bit much for a work fragrance I think. To me, it's more of a formal special occasion wear. Not a daily work fragrance at that price point. While certainly not 1 to 1 similar, I'd go for something like Beau de Jour, Bracken, Reflection, Royal Oud (if it performs on your skin, for me it's gone halfway through the day) for work. Still a noticable air of quality and easily office safe, but at a friendlier price point. But then again, what do I know? I've purposely worn Overture last time I presented our department plans in a meeting with our local management team and our global CFO. And while not that important in that setting, I did get asked what great fragrance I was wearing afterwards by our local marketing director. I agree that it's not a fragrance for smelling up close and personal, so not a date scent if you plan on snuggling up later, but in the air off my skin it's beautiful and attention grabbing.
Although I have been wearing fragrance most of my life this is my first year of delving into the niche / luxury market. Have many samples I am testing but I have taken the plunge on 3 full bottles so far. Roja parfume cologne Scandal and Enigma and AMouage Beach Hut Man (mabybe Amouage Bracken man is on my list but that one is so strong in cloves I haven't decided yet). All 3 are quite powerful, perhaps polarising but to me all 3 leap out as smelling so good and miles away from the department store stuff (which I was finding pleasant but a little boring). I don't buy fragrance often, i am not a collector, I generally own about 5 to 10 at a time so plenty to rotate, my wife is the same. I think I will enjoy this hobby a lot from now on but I wont be buying lots of big bottles, its just too expensive so I will take my time, buy samples, smell lots and buy the ones that really appeal to me and are special to my nose. I will check out some of these recommendations,,, very interesting hobby, enjoying this journey exploring the weird and wonderful particularly the indies I have recently found. Enjoy everyone,,,
Great Video and list, i totally agree with you on Dior Homme 2020, definately grows on you and i think alot of people will come around to it and enjoy it
Recently bought a 30ml bottle of Triumph of Bacchus - like it a lot, reminds me of Mancera Red Tobacco a bit, which I've sampled but didnt pull trigger, Triumph of Bacchus is just done better. For me this falls into the same category as PDM Carlisle - love it, will def wear it out to dinner, can dress this up imo - at least semi-formal (like a fancy restaurant/steakhouse - it would work for sure)... always hear you raving about it on here so I pulled the trigger. LOVE Royal Oud - great beginners Oud... more of a strong cedar note in it than oud... but still a hint of it... I call it a "clean oud" (kind of an oxymoron lol), very elegant fragrance
I currently have about 20 fragrances in my collection. Most of them are more modern, but for some reason I've really been getting into older fragrances over the past 2 years. My current daily staples are: Aramis, Aramis Devin, Floris no. 89, and Dior Eau Sauvage EDT. I've been searching for a more modern, masculine, fresh, long-lasting scent. If I were to categorize it, I would call it my "African Desert" scent. Currently, Dior Eau Sauvage EDT fills this spot, but I'm looking for a more modern representation that can fit my needs. I just bought a small sample of L'humaniste. I know you said it is not long-lasting, but it sounds intriguing. I'm not against reapplying.
My personal is amouage black iris. All of the women in my life think it's gross, actually want me to scrub it off. I find it intoxicating! Definitely just wear it for me or when I am going out but actively don't give a damn.
Gentle Fluidity silver is good, but to me it smells like a high-quality soap and I don't smell the juniper at all. It reminds me of a slightly older gentleman, around 50-60 years old.
These seem pretty high end for 'beginners.' Royal Oud I have from this list and I wear it because there is nothing like it out there. Smells like a king's palace. You feel a million dollars wearing it. People won't associate it with anyone else for sure and will be asking, themselves 'WHO IS THIS GUY?' It smells so mysterious and regal. I think it's too unconventional to wear with a suit. A nice white linen shirt and you are definitely rocking.
I agree with you on Royal Oud. I didn’t care much about it when I sampled it. but after sometime it started to grow on me, and I’m thinking of getting a full bottle after I finish the decant. I agree that it’s sweet and spicy. I believe it doesn’t actually have Oud. If it does I can’t detect it, I lived most my life in the Middle East so I’m used to the really Oud heavy fragrances. Only thing is I don’t find those many occasions where I can wear it. Sure I can wear it when I like, but I do feel it’s more suitable in more formal occasions.
It is not interesting, I have the opposite opinion about Royal Oud by Creed. Boring, sweet, bland, slightly spicy, flat smell, in my opinion it is an unacceptable smell for me, but each of us is different and everyone has a right to their own weaknesses, right?
@@stayfreshproductions Quite formal, smell what is it in fragrances. I understand that something is a classic, timeless fragrance for someone, but does it really mean good, acceptable to everyone? I am not an expert in perfumery, in the creation of fragrances, I am the most ordinary nose and I know a few fragrances that I consider acceptable. Likewise, I haven't smelled a scent that I couldn't get enough of. Furthermore, I am still looking for at least one fragrance that will be like that. This so-called quite formal fragrance for me is not worth a second try. I have a whole bottle of this fragrance, I go back to it, but I always smell the same. I look at your fascination with fragrances, I taste them too, but my senses do not share your fascinations. Everyone is different, and we have to leave it like that, as the Romans used to say, "Tastes should never be discussed"
Gentle Fluidity Silver, Oligarch, and Ganymede are very special fragrances in my collection. As i mentioned to you before, i picked up Oligarch and Ganymede from seeing them on your channel so much. Gentle Fluidity Silver is a fragrance I discovered on accident. My wife bought me the MFK wardrobe set over a year ago. Mainly, I just wanted it because I wanted to smell BR549 extrait. I was also interested in Amyris Homme, which was also in the set. When I first smelled GF Silver, I was pleasantly surprised by the smell. I didn’t wear it…just sprayed it. Then months later, I actually wore it. That’s when the magic happened for me. I was not expecting it to last as long as it did. Crazy longevity. Great list. Holla.
Nice choices lol I usually dont look to influencers for specific fragrances. My fragrance journey has been mostly by store experience or message boards. If I see a specific niche brand popping up a lot I will try to get some samples. I know which notes I like, so I will research the notes and accords to find the ones I want to test. But damn you gave out mfk silver it's going to get so hyped now. As well as with Royal Oud, that's in my top 5.
MFK silver is my all time favorite with Hacivat, i get amazing performance on that one and use it all year around except winter. I can literally spray one time on my hoodie and it stays on for a week, crazy stuff :)
Could you see overture man and/or triumph of bacchus as a Date night scent? I haven’t smelt either of them and the way you describe sounds like they would work depending on how you present yourself.
Royal Oud is a very nice fragrance from Creed, amazing gotten so many compliments. I live in the Caribbean summer all year round where temperatures gets like 88F. some of the fragrance I've received heavy compliments from was Creed royal Oud and Bvl Wood essence can I get any recommendations on the niche for this type of climate
Great video, Justin! I do like Royal Oud a lot, still working through a decant, but could see myself picking up a bottle in the future. Really interested in trying Triumph of Bacchus based on your recommendation.
@@stayfreshproductions 3 am was my sotd when I was watching that video. It was a blind buy. I took a chance on it because of you and the price! It is nice! Have a great day.
Hey bro Justin, great selection yep . I have amouage overture man great fragrance even though I don’t wear fragrances for compliments that being said I have received so many compliments with amouage overture man and I know it’s not for everyone anyway have a wonderful weekend peace ✌️ 🇬🇧
I owned royal oud for a year now ,it was a gift 🎁 I cant understand why you would like it .It reminds me if going inside a bird house factory ,I picture a long bearded southern man with a flannel shirt on when I smell it .I'm going to see if my nose developed where can appreciate it .I tried to give it to a younger friend thats woodsy type guy it was hard pass .Although it don't stink
Justin , have you had any experience with Amouage FateMan? I have five Amouage fragrances, and purchased samples of all of them except Fate. I blind bought it knowing I might not like it, but couldn’t help myself. If you like the notes of cumin and frankincense then it’s one you may like if you don’t have it. If you do please let me know your thoughts.
Justin, I just received my first Argos bottle. I went with Triumph of Bacchus and a sample of Adonis Awakens. I put two sprays of the Adonis Awakens on my wrist and literally got goosebumps! It’s fantastic! I like Triumph of Bacchus but I thought Adonis Awakens intoxicating. I think Triumph of smell similar to Amouage Boundless. Keep the great reviews coming.
Gonna go out on a limb and say that if you are a beginner and don't want to collect, you should either (1) only look at guilty pleasure fragrances (think: Aventus/Hacivat, Layton, Elysium, Reflection Man etc.) and use one of them as all-year; or (2) have a standard summer/winter line-up without an all-year (think: either Percival/Sedley as summer option - either Herod/Oajan as winter option; Decas/Uden - Naxos/Alexandria II; Wulong Cha/Ambra Calabria - Nefs/Ani etc.) Having summer/winter/all-year is also viable. Thing about beginners is that they'll never buy into the idea of X scent for Y occasion if the set of occasions is into the tens. Liked the picks, albeit I haven't even smelled half of them. Will note a thing about having a collection mainly between niche and indie: you run into the problem where ability to relate to the list isn't that great. I'm not sure how much you are expanding your collection currently, but I think adding more known names could potentially bring more engagement. Personal belief: Beginner videos should be centered around mainstream names - they're more likely to have heard about the brand names, whether it be due to existing name recognition for the brands or the amount of coverage they get from the "cornerstone" fragrance channels (which I'd say is just Demi and Jeremy).
Gonna give a go to a couple of these. Always appreciate your thoughts on frags. Btw, since you're a member of the clef club (lol), I wrote and produced a single entitled In The Middle Of featuring my old friend and writing partner for many years, Giorge Pettus. Unfortunately, he was a victim of the pandemic. It's on all the usual suspects to acquire your music. Check it out if you're so inclined. Again, love the vid.
I Wouldn't say this video is for beginners due to the facts that the fragrances in video are level 2 and 3 not level 1 .ANOTHER EDUCATIONAL VID .STAY SAFE .
Royal Oud is so amazing - true the oud, if in there, is a very, very mild designer-scent sort of oud - no funk at all, more like an airy dry woodiness. But wow, so perfect for dressing up.
Would love to know if you had to buy the roja’s with your own money would you still recommend them to people? Not having a a dig or anything I just know it’s a lot easier when it’s free
I presume you saw Ashton’s video. There are a number of them I would still buy, hands down. Scandal, Oligarch, Danger, Reckless, and Diaghilev. The others that I have are wonderful, but I probably wouldn’t buy them.
If someone wants a better more refined less meatalic and smoother fragrance at the same category - try L'Humaniste EDP by Frapin. To me it is much less metalic better blended smoother and non harsh niche vesrsion of Platinum egoist . Some say L'Humanist is comparable to allure homme adition blanche because the citrus but it is more comparable to Platinum egoiste.
Finally a video without a weird intro with a weirdo playing a weird instrument 🎷 (so funny, I wrote “weird instrument” and apple emoji suggested me a Saxophone) 😂😂😂
The way I read it, it's because of the name "oligarch"...and the association it has with the current war in Eastern Europe. I don't rule out that it will be available again under a new name at Roja soon.
Totally agree being a collector I own over 300+ bottles of some of the best niche and designer scents available and had bought all 3 of what youd mentioned and your rite there like Nothing I own ..and like em all very much Ganymede so much that I'd bought a backup bottle of because since my son discovered it in my cabinets hes mad a couple decants of it and I'm pretty sure hes gona try a blow through it like hed done with my original bottles of Aventus 😏👍🏻sorry this was so long🙏
I appreciate these situation based videos I just got Gentle Fluidity it kept coming up and people asking me if I had it not disappointed at all Dior Homme 2020 I landed on that its just that, a casual day scent and noticed it always pulls compliments Gucci Guilty Absolute... I'm about to spray it on again since I'm staying in tonight, I'm still not with you on this one 🥴
@@stayfreshproductions okay, when I smell it, go to my arm, the medicinal smell hits. When I catch it as I move normally there's a presence that I enjoy. It's like you have to let it be. Not what I would wear watching a movie with my girlfriend but this would work going out for drinks, dressed nicely.
Hate to say this but you could save yourself over 500 bills and buy one bottle that meets all the needs of these fragrances: Calvin Klein Eternity. Honestly it’s like the Swiss Army knife of dumb reaches there’s no event or occasion you cannot wear it to; it’s also alarmingly ‘ok’ and inoffensive . To any beginner I’d say, start with Calvin Klein Eternity and go from there.
@@fess04 it’s vintage and inoffensive yeah it’s basic but all starting points or foundations should be based on simple foundations not over elaborate designs
