True. If you don’t love it, you won’t wear it over something else you have that you do love. Find a 12-20 fragrances you love using the 4 seasons as a guide. That’s my advice from a casual collector with about 150 or so fragrances.
If I have made 1 mistake in collecting is that I purchased was too many cheapies. Better to have fewer fragrances that I love, than to have shelves full of average and collecting dust.
Hey Justin, You make a great point. When you get a decent collection you have to move on the like fragrances and keep your loves. I hate wearing fragrances just because I have bought it. Every few months I sell a couple that are gathering dust. I think will I miss them? The answer is if you have something similar you prefer to wear you won’t miss the likes.
We all go through that blind buy stage it’s fun and it’s what makes the hobby so interesting. The farther you decide to go I feel most of us start to research more or try samples. I still love the occasional blind buy I mostly have good success
In my case I also learned of much more reliable and low cost community sources for decants which made sampling much cheaper and easier than the big sample websites. But yes, I started with quite a few blind buys and am lucky I liked all of them, with the worst results being just 1-2 that I just like and don't love.
Thank you for picking up my question!) I’ve stopped blind buying, especially niche. But recently couldn’t resist a good price for the hyped Memo - African Leather. I feel it’s redundant for me as I enjoy Rochas - Moustache and Desir Toxic more for similar occasions. I will be selling my African Leather further. Nishane - Ani was another niche fail. Prior to buying both African Leather and Ani, I sniffed each once. Still didn’t love them when bought. It’s worth testing more than once.
Aside from all that “jazz” written here about this, that, or the other, Justin, it’s your higher level values like 👍 gratitude and truthfulness that’s MUCH more appreciated in your world 🌍. As you can see by your own collection, fragrance while not quite a-dime-a-dozen allows you to bring precious value systems into the world you create. Very well done 👍 and “big-ups” to ya”!
Just got a blind buy that I am still attempting to decide if it was worth the money - Zara Elevated Oud. It smells, not close, not similar, not reminiscent of, but identical to the odor emanating from hands that were freshened with the house brand moist towelette after a 71 minute stint that includes the sample platter featuring ample saucing at a Famous Dave's sometime toward the last minutes of the dinner crowd on a cooler than average late-summer weekend evening.
Bois imperial is a perfect replacement to Lalique Equus. Bois imperial is smooth woods with that timur pepper and basil that just adds enough to the fragrance without overwhelming the nose. Its no ganymede but it excels at its simplicity 2nd soul is good. Classy gentleman that can transcend any era.
Justin, your videos always provide something worthwhile, usually informative/insightful. They are also edited very well. If you don't mind, what video editing app do you use?
These videos were very well needed. That "you thought I said it, I didn't say it" part was freaking hilarious. Tragedy hit my family this past Friday and I've had really no laughter since. That actually got a good chuckle out of me. Salute.
I do really love Illusione, it smells just so classy to me. Wierdly it performs quiete well on me and I do know it is not a strong fragrance. Reminds me a vacation in Croatia. Dry lands, pines, hot salty air, sipping water with lemon. Flanker to this (Bois Nu) to me unfortunately smells like something you use as an air refreshner (it has this sickly thick consistency) or body lotion probably. Need to try Brioni (all of them are great it seems). Thank you for raising awareness to this topic.
I blind bought Zoologist Squid as my first niche perfume. I loved it. I also bought a sample of zoologist Trex, it was a masterpiece but it’s something that I wouldn’t wear when I’m out and about.
Hey Justin you got a new subscriber! I found your channel this morning and I’m enjoying the content!! I appreciate your passion and knowledge of men’s fragrances with a twist of humor! Keep up the excellent work!
I had once tried a sample of the Illusione and it reminded me of the bathroom in a high end beach resort. This is the stuff you spray after you've taken a disrespectful test run of the establishment's plumbing, not as a wearable fragrance.
I blind bought Bois Imperial, didn't impressed at the first sniff, bug it grew on me and I started to like it & wear it more often. Still, lesson learned, never blind buy perfume.
I really like this video! Especially your choices of the fragrances you strongly prefer. Most of them I wouldn’t have thought of, so that’s much appreciated. I love Eclat and Second Soul. Also, I recently acquired Brass & Soul and was pleasantly surprised at how much brighter it is. I knew from your previous videos that you darkened Second Soul up, but knowing about something and experiencing it first hand are quite different things.
Great video Mr.Copeland! I’ve always thought Illusione was kinda …meh😢. I was excited as the notes coupled with the brand’s vibe (understated luxury ) sounded good. I picked it up full price from Nordstrom… disappointed. There is nothing wrong with the fragrance but there is nothing special about it either. Keep this topic up, it’s always interesting to see others views on fragrances.
Justin I totally agree with you about Lalique Equus. I wanted to like it. And although I love Bois Imperial, probably one of my favorite fragrances... When I think about wearing Something similar to Equus I'd wear Bentley For Men Absolute instead. It has a similar vibe to Me but done so much better. Great topic and video Sir
2nd Soul is THE FUGGIN TROOF, y'all. At the very least, please, for the love of god, get your nose on a small decant. It's one of the best frags I've ever tried, and I'm frustrated that so few people are talking about it. Justin's being humble AF, but dammit...shit's good.
This is why I'll drop some cash on samples before buying. All my samples have been bought at Scent Split. I made the mistake of blind buying a few expensive fragrances on the suggestion of a few gorgeous women who do fragrance reviews......and we all know who I'm talking about😁😁😁
Good video. Just blind bought Russian Tea a few weeks ago (yeah, yeah, I know, but it was 50% off and I jumped at it). Really enjoying it, though my wife doesn't appreciate it as much as I do. I get a lot of smoky leather out of it. Also enjoy L'Heure Verte. The absinthe and licorice notes are great.
As someone who is currently on a pause in collecting, I can speak first hand, that this is true… I have a lot of scents that when I smell them, I think they smell awesome… But I don’t ever find myself reaching for them on a daily basis.
'Just because you might like a fragrance doesn't mean you will actually wear it' (JC). I love that. Functionality is what I think of with that quote, it's so important when deciding what to add to the collection. We need a fall/winter list with functionality tied to it...?
My worst failure (not a blind buy) was Tuscan Leather. I live in Houston, super hot and humid, I’ve only wear it three times and those three times I’ve got BAD LOOKS from people. I thought it smelled very masculine and awesome but NO ONE around me likes it. I paid almost $400. I want to get rid of it.
Sadly anything from Afnan Perfumes and Maison Alhambra that Ive bought. I wont deny they are as advertised, they do perform, but I do not enjoy wearing them. If I had to guess it is what they use to create Ambra notes.
"Looking good on paper" is the most dangerous blind buy pitfall. That is how you wind up with Bentley Man Intense. I actually love Equus. I haven't found anything quite like the redwood/cedar/mace combo anywhere else, and that smell genuinely makes me happy. There's probably some $400 niche with it I've never heard of. I don't recommend it to people though. The price is actually going up, the new bottles are terrible, and it's getting watered down. If you get sweat on it, it can actually smell like urine. It's a very 90's designer fragrance and is getting put out to pasture soon. It's a flanker of pour Homme "Lion", which does have a sharp medicinal bitterness like you're describing.
2nd Soul is a true masterpiece. Mine just came in last week but it’s become one of my favorites. 🔥 Pour homme equus is the only fragrance from my blind buys that I have tossed in the 🗑️ personally it smelled like my great grandfathers after shave mixed with old liniment
Interesting that you don’t like the Bottega Veneta. I find it to be probably one of the best office fragrances ever made. It has to meld with my skin chemistry for me to really enjoy it. On paper or fabric it’s just meh
Interesting, I had the opposite experience with Equus and Bois Imperial where I got more barnyard earth woods from the Equus which I like and bought, and a synthetic metallic wood from Bois Imperiale that I couldn't wait to get off my skin. Hence why you need to try on skin before buying.
The Bottega Veneta illusion was a dud for me also. I have the pour homme parfum I enjoy it more but it just sits there maybe I would wear it once a year I have things I just like better. For me I’d replace the illusion with creed original vetiver. Different scent but basically they are situationally the same.
Russian tea! Awesome 👏 my blind buy.. coreterno hardcore (rate that) I bought it for ingredients and it’s so much of ingredients it’s muddled into a smell of fuel ⛽️. Awe man laliq I’m surprised.. that isn’t that bad to me.
The video was excellent however! I would very much like to see you do more of these, Justin! I think of those featured, I most prefer Second Soul... though Gucci PH2 is right there with it--at least until a finally find a suitable replacement for it. Both are in my top few of my collection (of too many). Lalique Equis is a unique scent in my fragrance stable. I enjoy it... but I don't wear it. It smells of a strong, fresh photo-realistic bombing of hay and straw to me. I would suggest that Equis is for but a very few who really enjoy the smell of hay or straw or for whom such evokes positive memories.... such being the case similarly for those fragrances having strong mint or anise notes, at least IMO. Thanks again, Justin. His best, as always, to you and to Grace! 😊♥️🙏
True. If you don’t love it, you won’t wear it over something else you have that you do love.
Find a 12-20 fragrances you love using the 4 seasons as a guide.
That’s my advice from a casual collector with about 150 or so fragrances.
If I have made 1 mistake in collecting is that I purchased was too many cheapies. Better to have fewer fragrances that I love, than to have shelves full of average and collecting dust.
Great video and I enjoyed it and I like Bottega Veneta illusione and I'm going to try the other fragrances and have a blessed day
Hey Justin, You make a great point. When you get a decent collection you have to move on the like fragrances and keep your loves. I hate wearing fragrances just because I have bought it. Every few months I sell a couple that are gathering dust. I think will I miss them? The answer is if you have something similar you prefer to wear you won’t miss the likes.
Maybe you and your boy TLTG should have this conversation. Talk about being on opposite sides of each other. His is blind buy tell I die
We all go through that blind buy stage it’s fun and it’s what makes the hobby so interesting. The farther you decide to go I feel most of us start to research more or try samples. I still love the occasional blind buy I mostly have good success
In my case I also learned of much more reliable and low cost community sources for decants which made sampling much cheaper and easier than the big sample websites.
But yes, I started with quite a few blind buys and am lucky I liked all of them, with the worst results being just 1-2 that I just like and don't love.
Thank you for picking up my question!)
I’ve stopped blind buying, especially niche.
But recently couldn’t resist a good price for the hyped Memo - African Leather.
I feel it’s redundant for me as I enjoy Rochas - Moustache and Desir Toxic more for similar occasions.
I will be selling my African Leather further.
Nishane - Ani was another niche fail.
Prior to buying both African Leather and Ani, I sniffed each once. Still didn’t love them when bought. It’s worth testing more than once.
Great video and concept. I like the way you gave alternatives to the fragrances that didn’t work for you.
Aside from all that “jazz” written here about this, that, or the other, Justin, it’s your higher level values like 👍 gratitude and truthfulness that’s MUCH more appreciated in your world 🌍. As you can see by your own collection, fragrance while not quite a-dime-a-dozen allows you to bring precious value systems into the world you create. Very well done 👍 and “big-ups” to ya”!
Thank you!
Amazing video, and I would love to see more of your blind buy that didn't work for you and alternative. Happy Halloween!
Thank you Liz!
Love the video as always 🙂. When you dropped L'heure Vert, I was all in. I love that stuff! Definitely want to try some of these other ones. 🤌🏼🤌🏼❤️
Thank you!
Just got a blind buy that I am still attempting to decide if it was worth the money - Zara Elevated Oud. It smells, not close, not similar, not reminiscent of, but identical to the odor emanating from hands that were freshened with the house brand moist towelette after a 71 minute stint that includes the sample platter featuring ample saucing at a Famous Dave's sometime toward the last minutes of the dinner crowd on a cooler than average late-summer weekend evening.
Collecting dust is a necessary byproduct of th... Ahh never mind, great video mate, best channel in the community!
Much appreciated!
Bois imperial is a perfect replacement to Lalique Equus. Bois imperial is smooth woods with that timur pepper and basil that just adds enough to the fragrance without overwhelming the nose. Its no ganymede but it excels at its simplicity
2nd soul is good. Classy gentleman that can transcend any era.
Justin, your videos always provide something worthwhile, usually informative/insightful. They are also edited very well.
If you don't mind, what video editing app do you use?
Thank you! Final Cut Pro.
These videos were very well needed. That "you thought I said it, I didn't say it" part was freaking hilarious. Tragedy hit my family this past Friday and I've had really no laughter since. That actually got a good chuckle out of me. Salute.
Sorry to hear that, wishing the best to u and your family. 🙏
@@CK1da TY
Sorry to hear it bro 🙏🏾
I do really love Illusione, it smells just so classy to me. Wierdly it performs quiete well on me and I do know it is not a strong fragrance. Reminds me a vacation in Croatia. Dry lands, pines, hot salty air, sipping water with lemon. Flanker to this (Bois Nu) to me unfortunately smells like something you use as an air refreshner (it has this sickly thick consistency) or body lotion probably. Need to try Brioni (all of them are great it seems). Thank you for raising awareness to this topic.
Great video Justin. Part 2 please.
Your reviews are what’s missing in the fragrance community. No hype, hard truth, and realistic views. Your opinions have yet to let me down Justin
Thank you 🙏🏾
I blind bought Zoologist Squid as my first niche perfume. I loved it. I also bought a sample of zoologist Trex, it was a masterpiece but it’s something that I wouldn’t wear when I’m out and about.
Hey Justin you got a new subscriber! I found your channel this morning and I’m enjoying the content!! I appreciate your passion and knowledge of men’s fragrances with a twist of humor! Keep up the excellent work!
Welcome aboard! Thank you so much!
I had once tried a sample of the Illusione and it reminded me of the bathroom in a high end beach resort. This is the stuff you spray after you've taken a disrespectful test run of the establishment's plumbing, not as a wearable fragrance.
I blind bought Bois Imperial, didn't impressed at the first sniff, bug it grew on me and I started to like it & wear it more often. Still, lesson learned, never blind buy perfume.
bro i love this video 👍👍👍👍👍 keep doing your thing bro
Thanks, will do!
I really like this video! Especially your choices of the fragrances you strongly prefer. Most of them I wouldn’t have thought of, so that’s much appreciated. I love Eclat and Second Soul. Also, I recently acquired Brass & Soul and was pleasantly surprised at how much brighter it is. I knew from your previous videos that you darkened Second Soul up, but knowing about something and experiencing it first hand are quite different things.
Thank you Tom!
Great video Mr.Copeland! I’ve always thought Illusione was kinda …meh😢. I was excited as the notes coupled with the brand’s vibe (understated luxury ) sounded good. I picked it up full price from Nordstrom… disappointed. There is nothing wrong with the fragrance but there is nothing special about it either.
Keep this topic up, it’s always interesting to see others views on fragrances.
Thank you!
Justin I totally agree with you about Lalique Equus. I wanted to like it. And although I love Bois Imperial, probably one of my favorite fragrances... When I think about wearing Something similar to Equus I'd wear Bentley For Men Absolute instead. It has a similar vibe to Me but done so much better. Great topic and video Sir
Thanks for watching! BFMA is good.
2nd Soul is THE FUGGIN TROOF, y'all. At the very least, please, for the love of god, get your nose on a small decant. It's one of the best frags I've ever tried, and I'm frustrated that so few people are talking about it. Justin's being humble AF, but dammit...shit's good.
Always appreciate the love!
This is why I'll drop some cash on samples before buying. All my samples have been bought at Scent Split. I made the mistake of blind buying a few expensive fragrances on the suggestion of a few gorgeous women who do fragrance reviews......and we all know who I'm talking about😁😁😁
Good video. Just blind bought Russian Tea a few weeks ago (yeah, yeah, I know, but it was 50% off and I jumped at it). Really enjoying it, though my wife doesn't appreciate it as much as I do. I get a lot of smoky leather out of it. Also enjoy L'Heure Verte. The absinthe and licorice notes are great.
Great idea and nice selection. Please keep them coming
As someone who is currently on a pause in collecting, I can speak first hand, that this is true… I have a lot of scents that when I smell them, I think they smell awesome… But I don’t ever find myself reaching for them on a daily basis.
'Just because you might like a fragrance doesn't mean you will actually wear it' (JC). I love that. Functionality is what I think of with that quote, it's so important when deciding what to add to the collection. We need a fall/winter list with functionality tied to it...?
I just might do that.
Thank you 🙏🏾
My worst failure (not a blind buy) was Tuscan Leather. I live in Houston, super hot and humid, I’ve only wear it three times and those three times I’ve got BAD LOOKS from people.
I thought it smelled very masculine and awesome but NO ONE around me likes it. I paid almost $400. I want to get rid of it.
Tuscan Leather is awesome, but NOT for the heat!
Sadly anything from Afnan Perfumes and Maison Alhambra that Ive bought. I wont deny they are as advertised, they do perform, but I do not enjoy wearing them.
If I had to guess it is what they use to create Ambra notes.
"Looking good on paper" is the most dangerous blind buy pitfall. That is how you wind up with Bentley Man Intense. I actually love Equus. I haven't found anything quite like the redwood/cedar/mace combo anywhere else, and that smell genuinely makes me happy. There's probably some $400 niche with it I've never heard of. I don't recommend it to people though. The price is actually going up, the new bottles are terrible, and it's getting watered down. If you get sweat on it, it can actually smell like urine. It's a very 90's designer fragrance and is getting put out to pasture soon. It's a flanker of pour Homme "Lion", which does have a sharp medicinal bitterness like you're describing.
2nd Soul is a true masterpiece. Mine just came in last week but it’s become one of my favorites. 🔥
Pour homme equus is the only fragrance from my blind buys that I have tossed in the 🗑️ personally it smelled like my great grandfathers after shave mixed with old liniment
I do appreciate Botega Veneta Pour Homme but it gives me a massive headache when I wear it. 😞 I wanna wear it but it’s not worth it!
I dig this concept!
I actually like hot peppers 😅😅😅😅and I kinda think even if it's very generic,,,I also think it's unique with the azzaro DNA in it
Interesting that you don’t like the Bottega Veneta. I find it to be probably one of the best office fragrances ever made. It has to meld with my skin chemistry for me to really enjoy it. On paper or fabric it’s just meh
I also love Russian Tea - but also Illusione, so this video is a draw for me :)
Interesting, I had the opposite experience with Equus and Bois Imperial where I got more barnyard earth woods from the Equus which I like and bought, and a synthetic metallic wood from Bois Imperiale that I couldn't wait to get off my skin.
Hence why you need to try on skin before buying.
am I imaginging things or have you recommended that illusione on more than one occasion? I never heard you mention the baby wipe association.
You may have missed this video. It’s at 4:10
ua-cam.com/video/Y0Ye8bPytQI/v-deo.htmlsi=eLEb4XHO8BieHnGt
L’heure Verte is AMAZING!!!! And it was a blind buy for me
Hey Justin could you do a review on montale starry nights?
I need to try it. Do you like it?
@@stayfreshproductions no wanted to blind buy but get your review on it first
The Bottega Veneta illusion was a dud for me also. I have the pour homme parfum I enjoy it more but it just sits there maybe I would wear it once a year I have things I just like better. For me I’d replace the illusion with creed original vetiver. Different scent but basically they are situationally the same.
Russian tea! Awesome 👏 my blind buy.. coreterno hardcore (rate that) I bought it for ingredients and it’s so much of ingredients it’s muddled into a smell of fuel ⛽️. Awe man laliq I’m surprised.. that isn’t that bad to me.
I definitely love your reviews especially now with these fragrances influencers hyping everything
Niche and designer versions? I know, I know mm. Been done before... 😅
We’ll see! 😁
Love it..
Amouage Beach Hut Man and Opus XV
Doesn't apply to me 😂
The video was excellent however! I would very much like to see you do more of these, Justin!
I think of those featured, I most prefer Second Soul... though Gucci PH2 is right there with it--at least until a finally find a suitable replacement for it. Both are in my top few of my collection (of too many).
Lalique Equis is a unique scent in my fragrance stable. I enjoy it... but I don't wear it. It smells of a strong, fresh photo-realistic bombing of hay and straw to me.
I would suggest that Equis is for but a very few who really enjoy the smell of hay or straw or for whom such evokes positive memories.... such being the case similarly for those fragrances having strong mint or anise notes, at least IMO.
Thanks again, Justin.
His best, as always, to you and to Grace!
😊♥️🙏
Well, the danger is that you end up being the guy who always gives out 95%-full fragrance bottles as Christmas presents.
I bought equss sprayed it and threw it away
I bought the one with the lions head on it and threw that away too ,it was vile.
“It’s just part of the game bro” 💀💀💀
I think all the niches are not blind buy worthy specially the complex fragrances ❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤️👍😏
🫡
Thank you 🙏🏾