halfwhiteboy

I first saw this fragrance, together with its sister, Tala , on Instagram. RJ Lopena, the nose behind Whiff Artisanal Fragrances , posted about it. Apparently he also is the creator of these two fragrances for  Natalya Lagdameo , a Filipina jeweler. Before long we found these fragrances at Cura V at the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati, where Lagdameo's jewelries are also sold. I'm loving this store; this was also where I discovered the Eight Wolves brand. I got a 30ml bottle of Absolem EDT . I forgot how much it cost but if my memory serves me right, I think it's under a thousand pesos. There's a 100ml option but with the number of fragrances I have, I could never fully consume that much. I thought 30ml is enough.

(Updated August 28, 2020) Grapefruit Amber EDP by ScentSmith Perfumery. When was the last time you bought a locally produced fragrance here in the Philippines? If ever, the most common culprits would be anything from Bench or Penshoppe and their many sister brands, right? I've had my share, too, of bottles of Celio , L'Amoureux , and the long-defunct Penshoppe EDTs Dusk and Ice . They're all cheap and I enjoyed them. However, I've always pined for an upgrade both in terms of quality and presentation in our local fragrances, for someone who can seriously elevate the state of our local perfume industry. Hayden Kho made an attempt years ago with his own line of fragrances but that endeavor was unfortunately short-lived. But my, was he able to come up with some pretty solid fragrances! To this day I still miss his Amber Woods and Rose Petals EDT .