Bump the thread (cause this is a nice hobby), and I have a dilemma. You may or may not have seen this before.
In the years that I've taken up enjoying fragrances as a half-serious interest, I've done a lot of reading to "gauge" what's considered as quality stuff and what isn't. That's how I grew as a head-fier almost a decade ago, so in buying colognes I always drew from the seasoned crowd's consensus. Kinda like always going for Ety/shure/UE etc and skipping skullcandy.
However, as much as I appreciate these purchases, I still find myself irrevocably drawn to certain scents that the seasoned perfumista populace don't/won't consider to be very respectable at all. I still enjoy CK be 12 years after my first bottle, and keep wanting to go back. I hate Justin Timberlake with a passion, but I quite like Givenchy Play, I'm in denial over it.
Is that because none of the stuff I've sampled/educated myself with is actually good enough? But that's also because I have no access to most of the "niche" brands. The nearest Le Labo outlet is in Tokyo, a $300 air ticket away, and I really don't have the money to give myself a respectable Malle, Lutens, et al experience (in spite of them finally selling Lutens in town).
Anyway, just ranting... when life sucks, you spray Coty Aspen on it.
