Secret Garden by Mandy Aftel

A few weeks ago, I witnessed a conversation on Twitter discussing the making of mixtapes. They were discussing the ones we made at home ourselves on cassette tapes filled with slow jams. The ones we toiled over for that girl that made us pay attention to the way we smelled, the girl who for some reason took the words right out of our mouth, our first, second, third and fourth crushes. We made them to communicate our feelings in a way we couldn’t at that time. For some reason, Bobby Brown’s, “I Wanna Rock With You” said it so much cooler than I ever could. Besides, making the mixtape was like writing a letter, albeit imperfect with its abrupt endings and sudden beginnings (those pause and record buttons were never as precise as we wanted them to be). In the end, however, she got the point, and if she blushed, you were the man. Continue reading

Who’s Gonna Take The Weight – Top Five Nominees for the 2012 FiFi Indie Award Announced

At the end of this month, another installation of the Elements Showcase will be upon us. As the show continues it expansion, it has partnered with the Fragrance Foundation to present an award to Independent fragrance companies. And on January 30, 2012, the winner of the 2012 Fifi Indie award will be announced and given a check for $10,000. For a small company, that’s a lot of bills paid, ingredients bought, etc. A field of 36 entries has been narrowed to five and it’s an impressive list.  They include:

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In a press release about the annoucement, Cos Poliscastro, Executive Vice President Fine Fragrance at Giviaudan said,

Congratulations to these five finalists who distinguished themselves from among so many worthy entries. ”This is a true achievement and we wish all the “Indie” brands continued success in the future. Indie brands play an important role in our industry by engaging the consumer with their unique stories. Their creativity and innovation inspires the fragrance world and should be recognized and rewarded. Givaudan is proud to sponsor this award as our company is defined by these same attributes. We look forward to the announcement of the winner and to present them with a $10,000 check to encourage them to continue to push the boundaries of olfactive creativity.

Good luck to each of these brands.

Good Read…WSJ’s Spice and Everything Nice

The Wall Street Journal recently published a fragrance story and I wanted to share it here in case you missed it. With the temperature finally dropping in the Northeast, it’s a great time to wear spicier scents. I talked about that in the article I wrote for Complex and it’s good to see it reiterated here.

The story focuses on three notes, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom and features a great selection of scents: Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle, Arunima by Strange Invisible Perfumes, Colonia Assoluta by Acqua di Parma, New York Amber by Bond No. 9, La Fumée by Miller Harris, Nutmeg and Ginger by Jo Malone and Baume du Doge by Eau D’Italie.

Give it a read and sample accordingly.

Good Read…Antenna Magazine Winter Issue

A few months back, the Editor-In-Chief of Antenna magazine contacted me about writing a piece on scent. We talked about this a few years back but the stars finally aligned. Part of that delay was my own. I really like Antenna’s editorial point-of-view and wanted to be sure I was ready with my own. When that email finally made its way into my inbox, I was ready.

To me, scent is a detail more men should pay attention to. We make conscious choices about the clothes we wear, how we style our hair, yet for some, when it comes to scent, we couldn’t be bothered. Well, this piece in Antenna is my attempt to reverse this thinking. I hope you enjoy it and if you do, let them know.

Thanks to Kaity and Sarah for making this dream of mine a reality.

The Five Fragrances of 2011 You Should Remember

Here we are, waiting for 2011 to end and anticipating all that 2012 will bring. As I reflect on what has occurred, I’m reminded of how blessed I am. Another year of good health and family is enough but 2011 also gave me a chance to spread my fragrant wings and for that, I’m grateful. Thank you Complex, Men’s Health and Antenna magazines for allowing me to share my views with your readers. (The Winter issue of Antenna recently came out and will be posted in the coming days.) Continue reading

Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D 1250XCC

As a young man, my father always told me never put a straight razor on my face. He said it would make the hair grow back faster and thicker. Myth or not, I never did put one on my face until my first professional shave at Martial Vivot. It was the closest shave I ever experienced. Continue reading

Travel Essentials

I recently took a trip to the beautiful island of St. Thomas for a conference. In preparing for the journey, I decided I didn’t want to check my luggage and that presented all sorts of challenges. There’s the thoughts of what to wear when complicated temperature difference. And then there’s the cosmetic issue. For some guys, that’s the least of their problems. But when you like to smell good, you appreciate companies that can accommodate the TSA’s travel restrictions. On this particular trip, I took with me Atelier Cologne’s Bois Blonds and Aroma M’s Geisha Green. Both served me well. They have lasting power, and are quite versatile. Continue reading

Wordless Wednesdays

Aventus by Creed


I am a fragrance enthusiast. No biggie, right? Well, that right there often places me in the pot of, “what scent do I wear today.” For those with a signature scent, you wear the same thing everyday. I like variety and sometimes I suffer from indecision. As one of the often used twitter hashtags go, that’s #firstworldproblems. Take for instance, however, Thanksgiving – what do I wear to a family gathering? Do I go modern and rock something I love but is untraditional in my book like Rose 31 by Le Labo or Cereus 11 by Cereus? Or do I keep it traditional with something like Sartorial by Pennhaligon’s or Sandalwood Vert by Fresh? (Sorry, no link. I’m holding onto the few drops I have until they bring it back…if they ever do.) Continue reading

Holiday Details


Well, here we are, another holiday season is upon us. Floors will be swept and mopped with just a tad-bit more care. “Honey can you…” will fill the air. And the laughter of friends and family will remind us all how blessed we are.  Continue reading