Decanter review: The decants were PERFECTLY packaged. 0 leaking bottles and all labels intact and clear. 10/10 this time!

I already battled Nexa with Aether here, where I explain the profile and differences more in-depth as well.

Wicked sits closer to Aether, but a tiny bit sweeter too.. Not as sweet as Nexa though. Maybe 70% Aether and 30% Nexa. The quality is just in-between as well. The good thing is, the performance is above both (not nuclear though).

Subjective Scent Score: Aether 8.0, Wicked 8.3, Nexa 8.6.

On skin (longevity): Aether and Nexa about 6-7 hours, Wicked 8-9 hours.

Performance above skin: Aether medium first 2 hours, then low-medium scent bubble for another hour. Nexa low-medium first 2 hours, then low scent bubble another hour. Wicked medium-strong 1 hour, then medium scent bubble for 2-3 hours, skin scent at hour 4-5.

Blind buy safety score: All 8.7. Very safe and mass appealing. Fresh apple shampoo won't get many haters.

Unisex Score (0=fem, 5=unisex, 10=Male): Aether and Wicked 6.0. Nexa 5.5.

Versatility Score: 8.0. Summer-Spring-Fall... Every occasion. Very well balanced.

Blend Quality Score: Aether 8.2 (designer quality). Wicked 7.8 (approaching designer quality) Nexa 7.6 (high clone quality). None of them will have a disappointing quality.

Value Score: Wicked 8.5 (was $24 on FragranceNet, now out of stock, and good quality and performance). Nexa 8.0. $25 on Jomashop. Aether 7.5. $35, with great quality, but low performance.

Should cost: Wicked $28-$32. Nexa $22-$25, Aether $25-$30.

Bottle design: Aether 10.0. my favorite bottle design! Nexa 9.3. Also very pretty. Wicked 9.5. All of them have amazing looking bottles.

Atomizer Score: N/A.

Conclusion: Want a fruity sweet twist? (yes, please), get Nexa. Otherwise, I'd choose wicked for performance at $10 less than Aether. The slight quality difference isn't worth the performance and price gap.

And as always, don't trust me, get decants!

Alternative header: I'm pissed off today!

Decanter review: The decants were PERFECTLY packaged. 0 leaking bottles and all labels intact and clear. 10/10 this time!

A review of the other clones vs the OG is here.

I'll make it short, because I was already tired from all the Imagination clones a while ago, and now I'm at the point of being ANGRY. Overanalyzing the difference between the top 4 ones is so stupid, because let's say the OG (and I have a decant of it right here) is a 350 thread count bed sheet, and costs $300. The top 4-10 clones are 310-330 thread count sheets, and cost $25-$40. So do we really need to go crazy and analyze their tiny differences of maybe 20 thread counts??? They all save you $250 or more, and they all (the top 4, plus probably 10 more that I haven't tried) will get you about 90% close to the OG in the air (and 99% to people around you, who have no idea what the OG smells like next to a clone).

If you say otherwise, I'm here offering a $5000 bet. By the way, I'm in Quebec, and here, a personal bet contract is legal, as long as it's based on skill, which some say they possess. The bet is this:

*Everything I'll do in preparation will be recorded, all the way until it reaches your nose, so you'll see nothing shady took place.

1. I will spray a fragrances in a different room (so scents won't mix in the air and distract you), wait 5 minutes for the initial dry-down, come back to the room, and ask you "is that an OG, or a clone?". You will not know which profile it is, or anything else. After all, you claim OGs are "magical" as "no clone gets even close", so prove it!

*You can choose if you want the test done on skin or on strips.

*You'll have no idea how many tests will be clones and how many OGs, I'm allowed to spray only OGs or only clones if I want to. I can also spray the same decant on multiple tests. That's so I could remove the guessing/placebo effect from the experiment. So there might be 1 OG out of 50 tests, or 49 of them, or anything in between.

2. If you guessed correctly even just 75% of the tests, you won. If not, I won. So bring $5K cash with you, I'll have my cash ready on my end when you arrive.

Wait, I digress. What were we talking about? Oh, Fantasme, right. Well, I would place it slightly closer than Kobra, and maybe a little less than Hectic. But for crying out loud, please don't get it if you already have a different clone of Imagination! The differences are SO tiny. Maybe a hint less ginger and citrus. So all in, is it close to the OG? Very much so!

As for performance (which is the most important part when you have 4-20 great clones already for it), I thought it was trash, but turns out I just got desensitized (nose-blind), and my wife said it's stronger than Hectic. Quality is pretty damn nice. Higher than most of them. My wife also liked it slightly better than Hectic. So projecting 2 hours medium projection, then 2 hours medium scent bubble, and skin scent at hour 5.

But again, unless you have a twist, or Aqua Dubai, or Breezy, these miss quite a few notes completely, then whatever you have is accurate enough, and you should stick with that one.

Sorry, I said I'll make it short... I lied. I'm not great at making things short.

And the person running Decantified is such an amazing person... Always adds 1-3 "surprise" decants. But I have to say now, that unless they're substantial enough twists, I'm not going to review another imagination clone. I'm feeling like I'm test driving the same vehicle with just a slightly different tires brand installed every time. It gets boring/annoying very quickly. We need another Imagination clone even less than another Ultra Male clone!

Someone wants to take the bet?

Why? Because if I wait until they don't look good, that means the coils are working harder, which means the coils will have a shorter lifespan. Coils are 10X the price of spark plugs, and that's when I compare them to NGK Ruthenium HX (which are the ones I installed). So I prefer taking care of my coils by swapping them a bit earlier.

Now, after I already installed a camera washer I decided I'll install a kick sensor for the hatch. This way, I'll have two functions not even 2025s have, and one function even the 2026 doesn't have. Because it wasn't made for this vehicle, and I didn't want the old crappy wires one, I did some tests, and modified a different sensor to fit the CX-5. So, if you want one, I'll post links to the one I used in the comments, and save you the testing time (extra 2 hours). Just follow this video, and remember to modify it this way:

His red=my red

His blue=my green

His ground=my ground (black)

His white=my white

Also, remove (cut off the wire at) the end fuses it comes with, as that isn't for a CX-5, and solder inline fuses (will be in the links at the comments) at the end of each wire. I used 5A fuses, as those wires are super thin, so no way they are built for more than 5A.

His green doesn't exist in mine, as my sensor is all-in-one with the control unit, so no need for 2 grounds.

All-in, it took me about 5 hours total. But I took my time, insulated, zip-tied, and shrink wrapped all the soldering, and did a lot of in-between testings before I closed up everything.

Yet another option Mazda could've added for $40, charged the customer $100 more for the vehicle, and everyone would be happy.

Now my wife is happy.

The sensor won't work if the ignition is on, or if the engine is running, or if the key is not near and the car is locked. These stops are for safety.

Difficulty level: if replacing an air filter is a 0/10, and installing a new engine is 9/10, then this is 3/10 at most.

Decanter review: The decants were PERFECTLY packaged. 0 leaking bottles and all labels intact and clear. 10/10 this time!

#9PM NIGHT OUT

Yes! That's a pretty new combo in my journey. People are used to fruity-sweet bombs (which I like)... But this is a fruity aromatic composition. Don't get me wrong, it's still sweet, but the lavender and cardamon here plays just as big of a role as the fruity sweetness. I never smelled dragon fruit, but to me, it smells like a very "watery" mix of red apple and grapes. This is one of the first times that tonka doesn't bother me in a fruity-aromatic fragrance, I usually can only enjoy tonka in winter fragrances. Not here though. Here, it grounds the blend to make it slightly more nutty-earthy, without muddy-ing it. The cognac doesn't go very well here IMO, but it also doesn't ruin it for me, just feels out of place (and I usually love cognac notes). It also carries a slight aquatic note (not in the notes breakdown), or maybe I'm wrong and it's just the watery aspect of the fruitiness that makes it seem like a "neutral aquatic" (not salty, not "eggy", not "seaweed"... Just water). In the opening 30 minutes, it reminds me a whole lot of a mix I made from Hawas Ice and Silver Scent.

As it dries down (30-60 minutes), the fruity notes go to the back, and it starts to develop something like a dry coconut note added to the mix, which I actually enjoy. I'm sure it's not a real coconut note, but that's the texture I smell from it. Like dry sweet coconut shavings. I think the texture comes from the suede, but the sweetness comes from the caramel, and that mix makes me think of sweet dry coconut shavings... I like it!

It's very youthful, energetic, tropical, sweet, aromatic, happy fragrance. Even somewhat unisex. It's like a more youthful-playful-aromatic The Scent Magnetic (Boss), and I like my The Scent Magnetic from Shobi better than this. Probably the first time that I DON'T prefer the youthful-playful spin. They're only about 60% similar on a good day, but they just feel like they're made by the same perfumer. Like if there was a The Scent Magnetic "Youth" flanker.

Subjective Scent Score: 9.1. Into my top 20 it goes.

On skin (longevity): 8-9 hours.

Performance above skin: I think this is what gets influencers confused when they review it, because it starts extremely strong, truly nuclear, but within 20-30 minutes it's already a medium-high projector for 1-2 hours, then turns to a medium scent bubble, and eventually a skin scent at hour 6. Pretty good performance for sure, but not nuclear.

Blind buy safety score: 7.5. You need to enjoy youthful and playful scents.

Unisex Score (0=fem, 5=unisex, 10=Male): 5.5. Almost perfectly unisex, but I think the aromatic part saves it from being a true unisex.

Versatility Score: 7.5. While not for anything remotely formal, the composition itself will work at any season. It opens summery, and go through stages, until it reaches deep fall at the dry-down. Pretty awesome that it does that.

Blend Quality Score: 7.4. Above average clone quality, but I smelled higher quality Afnans.

Value Score: 6.8. Good performance and above average quality, but $45 (Jomashop) is quite an ask for a clone flanker. I have clones with this performance and quality for half the price. It would've gotten even a lower value score if it wasn't an original creation.

Should cost: $32-$35.

Bottle design: 8.0.

Atomizer Score:N/A.

Conclusion: Best 9PM to date! This is the first fragrance that I won't buy even though it broke into my top 20. That's because the direct competitors I'll need to kick out in order make room for it are positioned higher in my collection (mainly The Scent Magnetic), and because Afnan (or discounters) are greedy with it.

#LE FALCON DUBAI

No no no no. This isn't for me at all. Strong rubbery (or leathery)-spicy-aromatic. There is 0 info about it right now anywhere, so bear with me. Feels like either divana, Olibanum, maybe elemi, suede/leather, and black pepper, with lavender. , maybe some very medicinal saffron as well. I know I've smelled this profile before and hated it, but I can't remember what it was or what it had in it.

As it dries down, it's a little less awful and a bit of florals come through, with some vanilla in the base. Still bad though. I'll be disqualifying myself from evaluating the quality of this one, as its DNA is just so out of my scope, that I will be completely subjective, and I like to keep my quality evaluation objective. It's like if someone took Babycat, almost completely removed the vanilla, increased the rubbery/plasticky note and added floral notes.

Oh, I know what it reminds me of (but not 100% identical)... Zimaya Wujood! Oh, what an awful ride these 2 are. So this is probably a Rosendo Mateu #5 clone.

Subjective Scent Score: 2.5.

On skin (longevity): 8 hours.

Performance above skin: Medium-strong for the first 90 minutes, then a medium scent bubble for another 2-3 hours. Skin scent at hour 5 or so.

Blind buy safety score: 4.0. I'm willing to bet my life that only 40% (or less) of the people who will smell it will like it. My wife actually instinctively (not intentionally) pushed my wrist out after she got the slightest whiff of it.

Unisex Score (0=fem, 5=unisex, 10=Male): Can't tell. No gender should wear this.

Versatility Score: 4.0. Winter only, and for a very particular crowd... Maybe an art exhibit.

Blend Quality Score: N/A

Value Score: 4.0. $44 (Jomashop), when Wujood is $20 or so, and performs better than Falcon Dubai.

Should cost: $15-$20.

Bottle design: 8.5. Pretty Cool.

Atomizer Score: N/A

Conclusion: Just get Wujood if you like that profile. I heard Ishq Al Shuyukh Gold is also similar, but can't confirm that.

And as always, don't trust me, get decants!

Decanter review: The decants were PERFECTLY packaged. 0 leaking bottles and all labels intact and clear. 10/10 this time!

With this one, I've tried only the Elixir OG, but about 5 other elixir clones. I'm here to check if the Absolu made the profile better... Let's go!

PROFILES AND DIFFERENCES:

The Elixir is a heavy Tonka+vanilla fragrance, with some lavender and cardamon to balance it. Not as much lavender as you'll get in Le Male Elixir or Ultra Male though. There's also a sprinkle of black pepper and sweetness from the amber. A very warm, cozy, and wintery profile, that is more versatile than your average gourmand or date night scent. It's one of the winter fragrances I like most, and Embratur Elixir and Tag Rosso are the best clones for it that I've tried (full reviews in my profile), and I tried about 5 clones for Victory Elixir.

The Absolu I like significantly less. Unlike the naming suggests, it's actually less deep and rich. It removes the vanilla (but smells like it keeps some of the Tonka

.. Not in the notes breakdown), and adds musk to make it fresher. It's more versatile this way, but less unique, and less "magical". It's also more woody, which I don't see as a bad thing, has more black pepper, which I do see as a bad thing, and adds acidity from pink pepper (not in the notes breakdown), which I'm not a fan of at all (especially for this type of profile). All this test did is to remind me how much I want to wear the Victory Elixir more often. The good thing is, the quality is just as high on both of them. The performance of the Elixir is better though... Which was expected, as it's a richer profile.

Subjective Scent Score: Elixir 9.1. Absolu 7.8.

On skin (longevity): Elixir 10 hours. Absolu 7-8 hours

Performance above skin: Elixir is approaching nuclear (but not nuclear yet). Starts very strong for 1 hour, then a large scent bubble for 2-3 hours, and slowly dies to a skin scent only at hour 7. Absolu starts medium for 1 hour, then a medium scent bubble for 2 hours, getting weaker until it's a skin scent at hour 4-5.

Blind buy safety score: Both 8.5. Nothing challenging. Nothing too feminine or too sharp.

Unisex Score (0=fem, 5=unisex, 10=Male): Elixir 6.0, Absolu 7.0.

Versatility Score: Elixir 6.5. Winter-fall only, and mostly evening, but casual+date+daily will be fine. Absolu 8.0. Winter-fall-spring, and good for any occasion, also daytime.

Blend Quality Score: Both 7.6 (significantly above average clone quality, approaching designer quality).

Value Score (Jomashop): Elixir 8.5. $25 for very good performance and good quality. Absolu 7.0. $30 for barely average performance and good quality.

Should cost: Elixir $30-$35. Absolu $20-$25. So pretty much the opposite of what they charge for them.

Bottle design: Both 8.0.

Atomizer Score:N/A.

Conclusion: I already have a Shobi clone of Victory Elixir. But Embratur Elixir is better, and will replace it as soon as I run out of it. If you wanted a Victory Elixir that is more toned down, less sweet, and more versatile, the Absolu is for you... Not for me though. Embratur Elixir is one of the best Zimayas out there. Zimaya is almost always above the average quality, but rarely performs as well as this.

And as always, don't trust me, get decants!

Here's part 1

Decanter review: The decants were PERFECTLY packaged. 0 leaking bottles and all labels intact and clear. 10/10.

#KHADLAJ SAWAAR VANILLE

Oh, damn... This one doesn't play games. You're IMMEDIATELY hit in the face with a good few metric tons of powdered sugar. After a few minutes, a semi-creamy semi-dry sandalwood joins, and also an extremely heavy dose of vanilla. I remember a post a few days ago looking for a fem confectionary scent... This is it. It's dense and slightly airy at the same time, extremely and unapologetically sweet, and very youthful. A full blown gourmand.

It's not bad performing per se, but one could've expected higher performance for this type of profile. All in, I really like it.

Wife opinion: Loved it, but thought it's too much and a bit too cloying after wearing it for 30 minutes.

Subjective Scent Score (on a women): Me 9.0. Wife 8.0.

On skin (longevity): 8-9 hours.

Performance above skin: Very strong first 30 minutes, then medium scent bubble for 2 hours. 100% skin scent at hour 4-5.

Blind buy safety score: 5.5. You need to like EXTREME sweetness to enjoy this.

Unisex Score (0=fem, 5=unisex, 10=Male): 1.5.

Versatility Score: 3.5. Very playful, and winter only.

Blend Quality Score: 7.6 (noticeably above the average clone quality). Very nice progression on skin, good note separation, and very good blending.

Value Score: 6.5. $44, for good quality and okay performance is a bit too much for a clone.

Should cost: $30-$33.

Bottle design: 8.0.

Atomizer Score:N/A

Conclusion: My wife already has Bujairami Sugar Rush, and we both think it's at least the same quality, with almost twice the performance.

#PARIS CORNER ORAVÉA

Starts with a super sweet fruity blast, but almost immediately (5-10 minutes) turns into a muddled creamy-fruity-musky mess. The quality is abysmal... No note separation, horrible blending... Just trash. This is a profile that could've been beautiful if it was done right, but the dollar store quality ruins is. Even the fun fruity blast at the opening is extremely synthetic. DISQUALIFIED! (So bad it's not even getting ranked). Go get a $2-$4 fragrance from the dollar store, you'll most likely get better quality.

And as always, don't trust me, Get decants!

Decanter review: The decants were PERFECTLY packaged. 0 leaking bottles and all labels intact and clear. 10/10 this time!

I never tried the OG, the profiles for these is not my favorite, but they are my favorite from the Y line. They're nice, but kind of boring. Shower gel aquatics, with some incense and a hint of sage for balance. I can also pick up geranium (not in the breakdown) and a tiny bit ambery sweetness. All have a woody base.

The differences: Pretty substantial differences between the 3. Ripple adds some black pepper (not in the note breakdown), it's more lavender-forward, and has a much higher dosage of incense and sage. Stratos is the most citrus-ginger forward, and Fakhar Platin is EXTREMELY different... Is much sweeter, by adding a really fun guava note, that "youthifies" the profile, and makes it more playful and fruity... And most of you already know that that's what I like best. So again, I like the heavy twist best. But unfortunately, that nice sweet Guava note is only there for 1-1.5 hours, and then it becomes much closer to Stratos, just lower quality.

Quality-wise, Fakhar is at the bottom, with good note separation and progression on skin, but the notes aren't realistic. I really don't mind that though. Ripple is first place in quality, but my least favorite scent. It's the most mature and the most spicy-incensy. French avenue is not very far from ripple, but more balanced.

My wife is really mad at me for Ripple. She hates it, but I had to let her smell it every hour to clock the longevity and projection from various distances. After the test was done, she said "next battle you have for this profile, please don't come near me with what you had on your left wrist (Ripple) again... I just can't stand it, and it makes me sneeze". She also likes Fakhar Platin the best (by a big margin), but mostly the opening.

As for performance. To me, Platin felt the strongest projecting, but that was just because of the synthetic composition of it, and it actually projected the same distance as the others. They were all pretty similar, but Ripple toned down the fastest.

Just a reminder: The subjective scent score is what you should care about the least. All the other info is more important for you to make a decision.

Subjective Scent Score: Platin 8.5 (opening 9.3, dry-down 8.0), Stratos 8.0, Ripple 6.9.

On skin (longevity): Platin 8-9 hours. Stratos 7-8 hours, and Ripple 6-7 hours.

Performance above skin: Platin 7.8. strong projection the first hour, then a large-medium scent bubble for another 2-3 hours. Skin scent at hour 5. Stratos strong one hour, then medium scent bubble for another 2-3 hours, and skin scent at hour 4-5. Ripple is the worst performing one. Medium-strong 1 hour, then medium-low bubble for 2 hours, skin scent at hour 3-4.

Blind buy safety score: Stratos 8.5, because it's the most balanced. Platin and Ripple 7.0, because one is very sweet and synthetic, and the other is mature and unique.

Unisex Score (0=fem, 5=unisex, 10=Male): Platin 6.0, Stratos 7.0. Ripple 7.5.

Versatility Score: They're all versatile for many seasons, but carry different versatility for occasions. Platin 7.0 (most playful). Stratos 8.8. Ripple 8.0.

Blend Quality Score: Ripple 7.8 (approaching designer quality), Stratos 7.3 (slightly above average clone quality), Platin 6.8 (slightly below average clone quality).

Value Score: Stratos 8.8 ($22 on FragranceNet, for above average quality and performance). Platin 8.0 ($24 on FragranceNet, with slightly better performance, but below average quality). Ripple 7.5 ($35 for great quality, but below average performance).

Should cost (considering quality and performance only): Platin $20-$25, Stratos $28-$33, Ripple $25-$30.

Bottle design: Stratos 6.5. Platin 7.5. Ripple 9.3.

Atomizer Score:N/A.

Conclusion: Want a very high quality mature profile and don't mind mid performance? Go with Ripple. Want a more versatile, good quality, and a super deal clone? Get Stratos. Don't mind lower quality, but like a youthful fruity-sweet twist with good performance? Get Platin. I won't get any of them, as I can't think of when I'll wear any one of them over what I already have in my collection. But I'm like this with pretty much any Y or MYSLF Release. If Fakhar kept the guava for the duration, it would be a 100% buy for me.

And as always, don't trust me, Get decants.

I have no idea why Mazda didn't do this stock. I mean, the material cost for this is what, $3?

The kit includes everything you need, which is a hose and a T connector to tap into the rear washer line, a tool to help remove the camera, a modified camera frame, and a tool to aim the nozzle (mine came aimed perfectly, so I didn't need to adjust it).

Difficulty level: Intermediate. Here is the instructional video (annoying that it isn't in English)

https://youtu.be/Jm-GQ9j0L-o

The most frustrating part is using the camera removal tool (that black hook thing. Took me about 20 minutes to try and find the right position to press the left tab to release. You need to get out vertically between 2 "walls" there, and push towards the camera. The right side was easy enough. Another part that was problematic was disconnecting the camera cable from the camera. It required a very concerning amount of force.

But, I'm very happy I did it, because in winter (Canada's snowbelt), by the time I get where I need to park, the camera is so dirty that it's useless. I'll link the product in the comments, just make sure to follow the instructions in the seller's listing and order the correct one. I just contacted him with my VIN.

In my video, I didn't connect the trim there yet... That's why you see the rusty bolt. While I had everything open, I took the chance to rustproof inside the hatch with corrosion-free formula 3000 (but you can use any oil that's safe on wiring and rubber).