Oud Stars - Zanzibar
Najaf
XerJoff 2012

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7.0 / 10 112 Ratings

A perfume by XerJoff for women and men, released in 2012. The scent is woody-animal. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is still in production.

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Main accords

Woody

Animal

Oriental

Spicy

Resinous

Fragrance Notes

Oud

Cedar

Osmanthus

Sandalwood

Musk

Tobacco

Patchouli

Ratings

Scent

7.0112 Ratings

Longevity

8.8100 Ratings

Sillage

8.1100 Ratings

Bottle

8.9105 Ratings

Value for money

6.323 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 02.03.2024.

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

05/07/2019

10
Bottle 9
Sillage 10
Longevity 9.5
Scent

Hendrikmainz
38 Reviews

Translated Show original

Hendrikmainz

I'm in love! I'm in love!

Well, why just now? I've had it (the scent) for some time, but it was under the radar! But after several dates, I have to say I'm in love!
We have courted for rapprochement..., often others were initially more great, but now you have me, completely!!!
Sometimes it just takes longer. But the Zanzibar lays over me like a coat! Woody? Yes!
Animal? A little for me!
Gourmand? Not really, it is also not stated, but vanilla and tonka bean are very present for me! Everything merges into something very pleasant, a companion who can always be at my side. At first I only wore you in certain situations! Never in "everyday life", that has changed!
You could compare it to someone you get to know, fascinated by the first lesson, but you just don't know if you're compatible. But you grow together!
You're never too loud for me, but you're always there! Durability is top! Sillage is there, but never too loud!
I believe it will be the beginning of a never-ending partnership!
Test and fall in love!;)

09/21/2012

7.5
Bottle 5
Sillage 5
Longevity 9
Scent

Apicius
222 Reviews

Apicius

Very helpful Review 7

A High-Classed Perfume

If it comes to sell new perfumes with oud, every sales clerk is eager to ensure us that this or that contains only the precious oil, and no synthetics! In case of Najaf, I would like to believe it since the typical mustiness we know so well from the releases by Montale and the many others is simply missing. Najaf is a warm woody fragrance, and its outstanding liveliness may very well has its foundation in that magical oil. However – if Najaf would have been given a less Arab sounding name and furthermore released somewhere else, probably nobody would take notice of the oud.

Indeed, Najaf is the most beautiful osmanthus fragrance one can imagine. So far I have always confronted this note with lots of reservation. Strangely enough, osmanthus evokes the illusion of fruity notes: peach and apricot - preserved and potted. In some perfumes – like Frankfurt Kitchen by Social Creatures – the osmanthus imposes a straightaway gourmand character upon the fragrance. Personally, I would not like to smell like preserved fruits.

What a difference to Najaf! Here, hints of peach and apricot are embedded into a creamy, almost buttery environment. This is so attractive that even the slightest whiff will capture anyone's attention! Basically, this concept is not completely unknown to me: I remember Frapin's Passion Boisée where a similarly creamy tangerine note is set up against soft woods. Whereas Frapin's fragrance is already outstandingly beautiful, Xerjoff's Najaf even tops that: its osmanthus note is more opulent and grand than Frapin's tangerine, and especially the woods are by far not as stiff as a wooden plank. It is like they entwine around the osmanthus note. In Najaf the opposing notes seem to be better integrated and are harmoniously interacting with each other. Possibly the oud is responsible for this magic, but without playing a dominant role. Who knows?

Najaf is a bit on the opulent side, but after about 3 hours, the fragrance collapses. Having so much beauty, this can easily be tolerated, especially as the slightest touch of this outstanding note will still guarantee anyone's attention. This great perfume truly has the grandezza of Guerlain's Rose Barbare with which it shares the appeal of peach. Thus, Najaf can especially be recommended to the lovers of that particular Guerlain fragrance.

Presumably, oud plays an important but surely not the leading role in Najaf. Whoever willingly accepts natural oud as one note equal to others cannot be disappointed by Najaf. However, its placement in a so called “Oud Stars” series might arouse different expectations.

12/24/2012

10
Sillage 10
Longevity 2
Scent

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review 5

So this is really oud? Well, then, that's settled!

I'm having a lot of fun exploring random samples of über expensive perfumes knowing full well that I'll never buy them. In some cases, I wouldn't wear them even if someone sent me a bottle as a gift! XerJoff NAJAF fits that description: definitely not for me.

On first spritz (and I could only take two!), I thought immediately of dark leather perfumes such as Serge Lutens CUIR MAURESQUE and Parfums d'Empire AMBRE RUSSE. Oily, thick, dark, totally intense, about as far from a feminine perfume--or any perfume--as I can possibly imagine. More of an experience than a pleasure for me.

Looking now at the notes, I see that I have been mistaking oud for leather. So this is the real thing: oud, claimed to be in so many far more genteel Westernized "oud perfumes" of late. Well, then, it's clear that I prefer the impostors! I really do not find this to be a pleasant wear at all, and I suspect that if I wore it anywhere people would think that I stink, though they might be too polite to say it outloud.

No, thank you very much, all the same. If anyone ever does send me a bottle of this composition, I'll forward it on to Apicius, see below, who finds a great deal to like in this hard hitter!

Next...

09/06/2017

Pietros921
23 Reviews

Pietros921

Najaf and zanzibar are now two different scents

By the notes listed here I think that this MIGHT be the Najaf. So Please parfumo call this najaf and creat a new page for zanzibar which is a completly different scent now.
This one is very very oudy, a dark leathery slightly sweet resinous dirty oud . At the beginning you geet a syrupy osmanthus very very sweet and dense and peachy then the patch comes and the scent starts getting a Pardon Nasomatto vibe. If you hate the chocolate powdery notes of pardon then try this one.

09/17/2023

9
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 8.5
Scent

GratWanderer
12 Reviews

Translated Show original

GratWanderer

Unusual, rich in contrast, exotic

Once again, I have to write a review instead of a statement, decidedly right after I heard the opening. For once, it is very unusual and knows how to inspire with its strength of character, just as I was already impressed by "Oud Stars - Gao | XerJoff". Animalic and yet clean, sweet and almost concentratedly grape-sugary, but also natural-looking, not sticky. Light white to yellow floral storm, but also wild musk and dry, woody oud. For the "civilian" aka non-perfume nerd, sniffing this opening is certainly very tiring, as it is very unfamiliar and quite striking and also projecting.

The transition to the heart doesn't really change all that much; on the contrary, the luminous center from the opening remains fully intact, becomes only slightly weaker and the woody leg notes become a tad more striking, drier and create a more striking contrast. Tobacco is now also discreetly added, but still needs to be sought out briefly to really recognize it.

Only in the 70-90 minute range does more tobacco appear, notes reminiscent of immortelle, subtle hay, the sandalwood becomes quite present, polished, round, warming. The oud remains quite calm, woody, dry, in general the fragrance is not a typical oud fragrance, but an exciting, unusual interpretation of the fragrance substance.

All in all, a very special release that I find quite inspiring. I really like the contrast between the bright floral glow, almost reminiscent of grape sugar, and the dry, woody and later tobacco grassy notes, which is rarely seen in Xerjoff fragrances.