Well I finally got to meet my fellow Basenoter and “neighbor” Jack (silverbullet) – I live in Clearwater Beach and Jack lives in St. Pete Beach. We decided to meet up at the International Plaza in Tampa for a day of fragrance sniffing and sampling. Our main destination stores were Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Sephora and Dillards. We spent 6 hours sampling and rating ~ 100 fragrances (using the Turin/Sanchez 1-5 star rating system). We also chatted and got to know each other a little better over several Starbucks breaks. 
Here are some highlights from our adventure:
Prada Infusion d’Homme – Neiman Marcus had a tester of Infusion d’Homme (still not on sale yet). I definitely got the blast of Neroli that had been talked about, and then as it dried down more of the Iris note came out. However, the further it dried down it started smelling more and more to me like Prada Amber pour Homme. I need to give this one some more wearings (I did get a sample). But initially both Jack and I give it 4 stars.
Creed Love in Black – Again Neiman Marcus had a tester, although it is not on sale yet. The harsh violet top notes were not very pleasant to me – neither were the Iris middle notes. When it finally got into the drydown, it became a little more tolerable. I will give it another wearing (from a sample), but initially I am not impressed. Both Jack and I give it 2 stars.
Versace pour Homme – This time Nordstrom had a tester, although the fragrance is not on sale yet. It was an OK fragrance, not extremely unique or special - but I do think it is a notch above a lot of the other generic, mainstream releases out there. It’s a nice enough aquatic, with a little extra “oomph” to it. I know some others complained about longevity on this one, but I actually got very good longevity from it. I will wear it again to see if it grows on me. Jack and I both give it 3 stars.
Marc Jacobs Fig Splash and Gardenia Splash – Nordstrom had these for sale. I haven’t been a big fan of the previous Marc Jacobs splashes, other then Ivy. I don’t think I will be changing my mind after sampling these. I like fig based fragrances, but I think the Marc Jacobs splash needs to be more “figgy” – it just seemed very weak. The Gardenia splash was a little better, because I think a stronger gardenia scent would be a little too over-powering. Our rating for Gardenia is 3 stars and for Fig 2 stars.
Canali Black Diamond – Nordstrom had this - I had not seen it there previously. Again, I think this was a nice enough scent but not anything extremely special – although IMO, it is much better then the original Canali for Men. Jack liked this a little more then me and gave it 4 stars. I give it 3 stars.
Bois 1920 – Dillards is now carrying the Bois 1920 line of fragrances, so we sampled all 8 that they had. The stand out one to both of us was the Sandalo e The – Jack gave it 5 stars and I gave it 4 stars. We both did not think much of Sutra Ylang, both of us giving it 2 stars.
Lancome Hypnose Homme Eau Fraiche – I like Hypnose Homme, but did not care for the Eau Fraiche version. It just seems like a watered down version of the original – which I do not see a reason for. I give it 2 stars and Jack gives it 3 stars.
Davidoff Adventure – We both pretty much said “Meh” at the same time. A pretty bland, un-original fragrance. We both give it 1.5 stars.
Some other ratings/reviews for Jack:
Kiton Black – 5 stars – one of Jack’s favorites and on his next to purchase list
Bulgari Aqua Marine – 5 stars – on the to purchase list
Creed Himilaya – 5 stars
Creed Milliseme Imperial – 5 stars
Calvin Klein Euphoria Intense for Men – 4.5 stars
Lancome Hypnose Homme – 4.5 stars
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess – 4 stars – perfect for the Florida beaches
Sisley Eau de Campagne – 4 stars - Fresh!
Aramis Devin – 1 star – Jack thought this was the worst one we sampled
Some other ratings/reviews for Joe:
Creed Angelique Encens – 4 stars – I had not tried this one previously, but I really like it. I got a sample to give it some further wearings.
Hugh Parsons (Blue) – 4 stars – I like it – it’s a fresh scent but with a little more extra to it. Definitely need to try it again.
Ralph Lauren Purple Label – 2 stars - I have tried this several times, and I always think that maybe the next time I try it I will like it. I didn’t.
We even helped sell some product at Sephora. A woman, who for some reason felt compelled to tell us she was a sex education teacher, was not happy with the service she was being provided by the sales staff. So she said to Jack and me “You two guys look knowledgeable. Can you recommend a strong, loud fragrance?” I happened to be standing in front of the Givenchy Amarige so I said “Look no further then this one”. She applied a very liberal dose of it and said “That will do”. She even spritzed on some Fracas on top of it. Maybe she is teaching an abstinence class on "How to apply fragrance to ensure no one will want to have sex with you". 
As you can all imagine, Jack really is the sweet, kind, funny and generous person we all know him to be. We had a great day together, and hopefully will get together again soon for another adventure.
Below is a picture from our adventure. Jack is on the right, Arlene, our favorite Nordstrom's SA, is in the middle, and I am on the left.
Here are some highlights from our adventure:
Prada Infusion d’Homme – Neiman Marcus had a tester of Infusion d’Homme (still not on sale yet). I definitely got the blast of Neroli that had been talked about, and then as it dried down more of the Iris note came out. However, the further it dried down it started smelling more and more to me like Prada Amber pour Homme. I need to give this one some more wearings (I did get a sample). But initially both Jack and I give it 4 stars.
Creed Love in Black – Again Neiman Marcus had a tester, although it is not on sale yet. The harsh violet top notes were not very pleasant to me – neither were the Iris middle notes. When it finally got into the drydown, it became a little more tolerable. I will give it another wearing (from a sample), but initially I am not impressed. Both Jack and I give it 2 stars.
Versace pour Homme – This time Nordstrom had a tester, although the fragrance is not on sale yet. It was an OK fragrance, not extremely unique or special - but I do think it is a notch above a lot of the other generic, mainstream releases out there. It’s a nice enough aquatic, with a little extra “oomph” to it. I know some others complained about longevity on this one, but I actually got very good longevity from it. I will wear it again to see if it grows on me. Jack and I both give it 3 stars.
Marc Jacobs Fig Splash and Gardenia Splash – Nordstrom had these for sale. I haven’t been a big fan of the previous Marc Jacobs splashes, other then Ivy. I don’t think I will be changing my mind after sampling these. I like fig based fragrances, but I think the Marc Jacobs splash needs to be more “figgy” – it just seemed very weak. The Gardenia splash was a little better, because I think a stronger gardenia scent would be a little too over-powering. Our rating for Gardenia is 3 stars and for Fig 2 stars.
Canali Black Diamond – Nordstrom had this - I had not seen it there previously. Again, I think this was a nice enough scent but not anything extremely special – although IMO, it is much better then the original Canali for Men. Jack liked this a little more then me and gave it 4 stars. I give it 3 stars.
Bois 1920 – Dillards is now carrying the Bois 1920 line of fragrances, so we sampled all 8 that they had. The stand out one to both of us was the Sandalo e The – Jack gave it 5 stars and I gave it 4 stars. We both did not think much of Sutra Ylang, both of us giving it 2 stars.
Lancome Hypnose Homme Eau Fraiche – I like Hypnose Homme, but did not care for the Eau Fraiche version. It just seems like a watered down version of the original – which I do not see a reason for. I give it 2 stars and Jack gives it 3 stars.
Davidoff Adventure – We both pretty much said “Meh” at the same time. A pretty bland, un-original fragrance. We both give it 1.5 stars.
Some other ratings/reviews for Jack:
Kiton Black – 5 stars – one of Jack’s favorites and on his next to purchase list
Bulgari Aqua Marine – 5 stars – on the to purchase list
Creed Himilaya – 5 stars
Creed Milliseme Imperial – 5 stars
Calvin Klein Euphoria Intense for Men – 4.5 stars
Lancome Hypnose Homme – 4.5 stars
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess – 4 stars – perfect for the Florida beaches
Sisley Eau de Campagne – 4 stars - Fresh!
Aramis Devin – 1 star – Jack thought this was the worst one we sampled
Some other ratings/reviews for Joe:
Creed Angelique Encens – 4 stars – I had not tried this one previously, but I really like it. I got a sample to give it some further wearings.
Hugh Parsons (Blue) – 4 stars – I like it – it’s a fresh scent but with a little more extra to it. Definitely need to try it again.
Ralph Lauren Purple Label – 2 stars - I have tried this several times, and I always think that maybe the next time I try it I will like it. I didn’t.
We even helped sell some product at Sephora. A woman, who for some reason felt compelled to tell us she was a sex education teacher
, was not happy with the service she was being provided by the sales staff. So she said to Jack and me “You two guys look knowledgeable. Can you recommend a strong, loud fragrance?” I happened to be standing in front of the Givenchy Amarige so I said “Look no further then this one”. She applied a very liberal dose of it and said “That will do”. She even spritzed on some Fracas on top of it. Maybe she is teaching an abstinence class on "How to apply fragrance to ensure no one will want to have sex with you". As you can all imagine, Jack really is the sweet, kind, funny and generous person we all know him to be. We had a great day together, and hopefully will get together again soon for another adventure.
Below is a picture from our adventure. Jack is on the right, Arlene, our favorite Nordstrom's SA, is in the middle, and I am on the left.
Thank goodness for coffee beans.
Those Starbucks breaks must have helped you a lot.
