If I Had To Restart My Fragrance Collection I’d Do These 3 Things

So, the last time I counted, I have over 800 bottles of Cologne. That's enough fragrance to last me for over 500 years. Seriously, you can get an average of 1,400 sprays out of a 100ml fragrance. So, with that being said, if I had to start my collection over today, the first rule I would institute, no more 100ml bottles. Now, the reason that 80% of my collection are 100ml bottles is probably for the same reason most people buy bottles of that size. When you look at the cost per ml, all things being equal, a larger bottle is a better deal. In fact, many times the smaller bottles are twice as expensive per ounce as the larger ones. But, here's the deal, 1,400 sprays is going to easily last most guys at least a year. And this assumes that you love the fragrance that you're wearing every day and that you aren't rotating it with any others. Now, the reality is, gents, for most of us that have at least three bottles in our collection, 50ml bottles are going to be more than enough. In fact, I would argue most men should consider starting off with a 1oz 30ml or even a 10ml Because, yeah, those 10ml samples on the surface may seem overpriced, but that amount is more than enough to wear it every single day for a month and to get a real feel of the fragrance whether or not you like it. Because as many of you guys know, fragrances can be a bit complex. Not only do most modern fragrances have notes that release at different times, but there's also the issue of your own skin chemistry and how certain fragrances can smell different on different people. And that's a perfect transition into point number two which is to test, test, test. Seriously, I would have tested more fragrances before I bought any size bottle. Because here's the deal, gents, you can walk into almost any box store that carries fragrances and you can try them for free. Seriously, don't be shy. Those testers are called testers for a reason. When you go into Sephora, Ulta, or your favorite box store, it's perfectly fine to take that tester fragrance and test out the fragrance in the areas you would normally spray, the back of your neck, your chest, maybe a quick spray on each wrist. Because, again, smelling it on paper, you're just smelling the top notes. A lot of quality fragrances won't reveal their middle and base notes until hours later. So, test them, try them. And if you don't have any stores near you, just make sure when you're traveling, stop at the duty-free store and try the fragrances there. That being said, quick public service announcement, don't overspray. You don't want to choke people out on the airplane. Next up, let's talk about non-designer inspiration fragrances. I'm not talking about niche fragrances. No, what I'm talking about are inexpensive fragrances that are inspired by some of the most popular fragrances out there on the market. Because let's face it, most of us see bottles of Creed Aventus going for over $500 and, yeah, we're sticker shocked. I mean, who's got the money to spend on something like that? And if you do, is that a smart choice? Well, here's the deal. As a collector, I went out there with my own money, bought thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars worth of fragrances. And I can tell you as a guy that has played the game, the amount that you spend on a fragrance is not commensurate to the quality of the fragrance. And don't get me wrong, there are some expensive fragrances that are freaking amazing. There's also some expensive fragrances out there that are very underwhelming. On the flip side, I have found that there are a ton of inexpensive fragrances that punch well above their weight and do a great job not only imitating a lot of the said qualities that a higher-end fragrance had, but actually improving on it. And by that, I mean these inspired fragrances often last longer, have more projection, and lean into the notes that people actually like. And with that being said, gents, I want to introduce you to today's sponsor, the Dua brand. Now, gents, I've talked about Dua before. They're an independent house based out of Los Angeles, California. And these guys specialize in handcrafted parfums using natural oils that oftentimes last longer than your favorite fragrances. In fact, the fragrance I'm wearing right now is Herbs & Sea Salt which is very similar to a Joe Malone fragrance that I have refused to buy because its longevity sucks. This one, the longevity is freaking amazing. And to be honest, I can't tell the difference between the original fragrance and this one except for the fact that this one I can smell an hour later. Actually, I can smell this about three hours later, which, yeah, the other one, it just disappears. And, gents, that's why I love the Dua brand. They make their fragrances for the everyday wearer, doesn't want to pay crazy prices, and really just wants to get a fragrance that smells good, is going to have good projection, last long, and get them compliments. And the fragrance I have right here, Casino Royale Nights. I also have the original Casino Royale. And this one is inspired by Baccarat Rouge 540, which is a relatively expensive fragrance. But, this one right here, guys, you can get it for a fraction of the price. And, again, this one's got great longevity, solid projection. And for a guy that's a little bit cautious about trying a fragrance like this, which is unisex, is worn by a lot of women, but a lot of guys love it as well, well, guess what? The risk to trying it with Dua is next to nil. And if you're into gourmands, by the way, check out Puffletuft. I love the name of it. As you can imagine, it was inspired by a fragrance with a similar name, which because of the price of that other fragrance, I probably never would have bought. But, this one right here, I took a chance on and I absolutely my wife loves this one on me. It's sweet, fruity with that bit of lemon and coconut right there at the top, just a really unique and fun fragrance, which may sound like a crazy combination. But, what I like about the Dua brand, they do a good job mixing the fragrances, so it's very smooth, highly recommended. And speaking of highly recommended, Poseidon's Absolute Elixir. So, if you've been looking at the new bottles of Creed, you're like, I've already got the original, why do I need to get the Absolute? Guys, go try this. Not only does it have more projection, does it last longer, it's just a great smelling fragrance. So, you don't have to go out there and get every variation of, yeah, those expensive fragrances that are coming out. I'm also going to recommend Chilling by the Pacific and White Milk. Yes, White Milk. This one, very unique. Actually, it didn't – I got milk from it, but there were so many other cream notes and I just thought it was a great winter, spring, cooler weather fragrance, date fragrance. Guys, get over to the Dua brand, check out all the different options, look at their bestsellers. That is a great place to start. And I love how they combine fragrances. And when you're over on their website, check out one of my favorite sections, their hybrid collection. If you ever wondered what would happen if you mix Acqua Di Gio Elixir with Sauvage Au Fort, well, check out their Acqua Di Sauvage Elixir. Seriously, they take some of the most popular fragrances out there, they mix them together in combinations that are really fun, unique, and are going to get you compliments. The Dua brand just hit their 10-year anniversary and something like that just goes to show how consistent they are at creating quality fragrances that keep people coming back. Use that link in the description to go check out the Dua brand. They've got a sale going on right now. I highly recommend you go check them out if you are building your fragrance collection. Now, the next thing I wouldn't do if I were rebuilding my collection is I wouldn't get fragrances from all the different families. This made sense to me because I'm a collector. I wanted to understand the difference between fresh fragrances like citrus, aquatics, and greens, the different types of woody fragrances, the sweet ones like sandalwood, but straight up the more earthy notes like vetivers and ouds. I also dove into oriental fragrances. These are going to be the spicier, warm, sweet fragrances oftentimes including gourmands. And then, you've got the florals, which can range all over the place from iris, jasmine, to even rose fragrances, which I know a lot of guys aren't into, but still, you know, I wanted to try them out, so I bought these type of fragrances. But, here's the deal. For most guys, you don't need a fragrance from every category. You need fragrances that are going to work with your life that you are going to wear and that you are simply going to be able to use. So, you want fragrances you can wear to work, you can wear at the office, some that aren't overpowering, maybe some that are going to set you apart from the crowd. You want a fragrance that's a no-brainer, something you can wear casually on the weekend or when you don't want to think something that's just going to smell great and get you compliments. For a lot of us, we want to have a date night fragrance, one that makes us feel sexier, more attractive, like a sex panther. 60% of the time, it works every time and made with real panther. But, seriously, gents, buy fragrances that suit your lifestyle. If you are getting dressed up, you're wearing black tie, find fragrances that work for that part of your life that serve you. If you are a much more casual dresser, you're a student, well, simply go for fragrances that aren't going to be overpowering, just make you feel good. If you like fruity fragrances, if you like aquatics, there's nothing wrong with actually getting a few fragrances in that same family and skipping other ones, which, yeah, you just simply don't like the smell of. And right with that, I would only buy fragrances that I truly love. Now, I said don't buy 100ml bottles. But, if you find that you have a fragrance, you buy it at 30ml, 50ml, and you go through it pretty quick because you can see, you know, you look in there and you see you're just going through this thing. That's when it's time to go ahead and maybe buy 100ml because you know you're going to get your money's worth out of it. But, don't be afraid to sell pretty much on one or two fragrances that you absolutely love because you want to wear what makes you feel confident which makes you feel good. Oftentimes, we fall into the hype, maybe we're following a few influencers that are saying and I've made tons of videos about what's new and what's out there. But, I try to, you know, put it out there that you don't have to go out there and buy these fragrances. In fact, the deeper you go into this game, you realize that some of the older fragrances are still some of the best most unique ones on the market. In fact, a lot of those older fragrances not only can you find at a discounted price, but they're very different from a lot of the stuff that's caught in the modern fragrance machine that seems to be just pumping out a lot of similar fragrances that aren't exciting, keep doing the same thing. Yeah, they're crowd pleasers, but sometimes you find something that just works for you. Don't be afraid. If you love this fragrance to wear it with confidence and embrace it and just, yeah, go all the way in. Now, what about blind buying fragrance? So, I would have probably done less of it. Again, as a collector, at least I justified to myself that it made sense to blind buy. I would find influencers or I talk to people that simply know a lot about fragrances and I try to fill holes in my collection. But, for the majority of people out there, you really want to try to get a sample even if it's a small sample. Or, again, if you have an influencer that you like you just love every single recommendation, they are five for five, then I do think, but, again, in general, try to go with the smaller container, 30ml, 50ml. That is going to be more than enough. Yes, it's double the price per ml than 100ml. Still, go for it because you're taking less risk. If you get through that 10ml and you love it, then splurge on that 100ml. Now, this next point is easier to say than it is to do, but I probably would have capped my collection. If it was me personally spending my money, hey, 10 to 15 fragrances, put a cap on the number. So, let's say you wanted to cap it at 5. Okay. That's way too small. Let's say capping it at 10. If you were to go with that number, I think that that's very possible for the average guy to say, if I'm going to go past that, I can't go past that number, so I have to get rid of a fragrance. You go through, you look at usage, you see which one am I not using. Now, you can't always go with that because then you may have like a specialty fragrance that you just love, but you wear it, save it for special occasions. Maybe something has a special meaning to you. But, I do think that, you know, hey, you could sell it, you can give it away. You know, maybe you've got a little brother, you've got a friend that doesn't wear any fragrance saying, hey, man, here you go, try this. And then, you can bring another bottle in to replace it. That pain of having to get rid of the fragrance whether you're selling it or giving it away, I think is going to help keep it at that number. But, yeah, this one is hard to enforce, right? All right, gents. Agree? Disagree? What would you add to this video to make it better? Let me know in the comments below. And, if you enjoyed this video, if you want to keep smelling great, I got more videos for you, boom, right here on fragrance because you guys know I love talking about fragrance. Hopefully, you found this video useful. Let me know in the comments if you did. And, yeah, keep watching, boom, right here.