Opera Xerjoff

Phew, it's been 3 years since I last added my two cents to a fragrance in a more or less sensible way, and I always thought (and still think) that many people are so much better at what they do here. XY perceives every little nuance of a fragrance and analyzes whether it smells like the sole of Prince Carl Gustaf's shoe or whether the tears of orcas exude exactly these molecules when they swim in the moonlight, blah blah blah ... so I thought I’d just leave it because, to be honest, nothing has blown me away in recent years ... you kind of know everything already or it only differs minimally from what has been there before. On one hand, it's sad; on the other hand, it's great for the wallet, even though you keep convincing yourself that you absolutely need this and that fragrance because the bottle would look wonderful with Grandma's wood paneling or the new packaging from Wiesenhof. You can ALWAYS find reasons if you just look long enough ...

But WHAT does all this have to do with Opera ... actually nothing ... or maybe a little? Well ... I first smelled it, I think, at the end of 2013 / beginning of 2014, and it was love at first sniff ... It actually fits perfectly into my preferred scent profile. It lasts incredibly well, makes everyone’s mucous membranes tingle, and is sweet ... not cheap sweetness like you often find in fragrances, but something very noble ... you walk past people with generic scents and think, "Ha! Take that!!!" ...

However, I quickly realized that it can also make you feel nauseous. The fragrance is loud, very loud, and often TOO loud! I don't know if it's the combination of fruits, vanilla, and patchouli, but when you get into a car after two weeks, you might think ... Ah, you’ve been here before! So it’s not a fragrance if you want to cheat on someone; it’s noticeable, no matter how much effort you put in! Or you could take a joint bath in bleach afterward, that would be one option!

However, I find that the fruity notes, as nicely described here, don’t really belong in the top note, as they are present throughout the entire fragrance development. I can't perceive vetiver, cedar, or musk at any point! In combination with the vanilla, Opera is actually a fragrance, as the name suggests, for a special occasion, a dinner, the opera, and if you want to annoy someone you don’t like, also for a funeral!

Sospiro once again gives the finger to Amouage, Roja, and Co. and is far ahead ... it’s a beautiful and great fragrance that gets a full score from me, BUT at least for me, I see almost no fragrance development ... I don’t know if that can be criticized and if it belongs to high perfumery, but I think it should at least develop a little ... So I smell all day like Basti from Borneo who helps out on a fruit farm ... You can love it, but you don’t have to ... and that brings us to my environment; unfortunately, the majority is not at all taken with the exploded cotton candy, lemonade in the crotch, etc. There were really nice descriptions for Opera, but when a good friend asked about the price and I said it costs 410 euros, her response was that she would be willing to pay me a maximum of 5 talers for it, and even that was meant kindly. I think we can all agree that Sospiro really offers very high-quality and selected niche fragrances, but opinions often differ on the scents, and Opera is just not a likable fellow like Double Vanille, which almost everyone likes ...

So I advise everyone to test this little treasure extensively before buying it; if after a week you still fall in love with the fragrance every day, then you might make it to your golden wedding anniversary, and it’s worth every cent ... if not, you might want to check out Ouverture from the same manufacturer ... the fragrance goes in a similar direction but ultimately develops differently, and price-wise, it’s a different caliber :)

... see you in three years :D