Alexandria III Xerjoff 2019

Unisex

This is unique beautiful, soft, woody, powdery oud scent with a hint with rose. This is definitely not a traditional rose oud, this is different and very complex, nice, round and mysterious (which I like always) blend.

In the opening there is soft Palisander Rosewood, Lavender and Cinnamon. Lavender gives a fresh aromatic feeling and I think it’s the note which gives soapy vibe for some people. For me it’s not soapy, it’s just clean. Cinnamon is difficult to separate as a note in any kind of way but it brings warm powdery vibe which I like a lot. Since there is Cedar in the middle notes and Sandalwood in the base notes, this is really woody but in the soft milky (not lactonic) way. And the whole point of this perfume: Oud. There is Laotian Oud and Thailand Oud and the last one with Musk give s*xy and attractive, very slightly animalic vibe to this creation which I adore. Vanilla is impossible to detect as a note but it brings more soft touch to the scent. Beautiful hint of the Rose is lingering in the background and it has to be there, otherwise this wouldn’t be as addictive as it is.

Now the common question: how this differs from "Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff" ?
Since the main accords and notes are almost same it’s easy to think that these two are similar. II was too boring for me and I felt that there is missing something. That was soapy for me and I love soapy scents normally. This is more rosy, somehow more special. I’m so glad that I gave a chance for III but that wasn’t love at the first sight either. I was testing this scent for a couple of weeks and after that I was totally in love. I tried to give many opportunity to II as well - but that wasn’t for me.

But oh, I LOVE this Alexandria III Beautifully blended, totally unisex scent with monstrous performance.

The longevity is eternal and a sillage is huge. This scent is for cool days and evenings, it needs a certain mood, it's not my easy reach.

Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review and it was helpful.

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Xerjoff Alexandria 3.

In the fragrance community Xerjoff is a loved brand by many and all for the right reasons. It's luxurious, extremely high quality and delivers on every release. The line of scents Xerjoff is the "Oud Stars".

Oud of course is one of the highest priced ingredients which you can use in perfumery. It is specifically known for it's use in Oriental scents, which are often very heavy with a massive silage and equally great performance on skin.

The most coveted and well known scent out of the "Oud Stars" is of course the Alexandria 2. Basically everyone who delved a bit into niche perfumery knows this scent by now.

But sometimes i personally like to do things differently than most other people.

On the 28th. of October 2022 I went out to a fragrance store in Downtown Vienna. It was my last day of a 1 week trip i did with a good friend of mine. Of course many shopping malls with high end goods were visited but it all just resulted in window shopping. I wanted to take something home with me to remember the trip.

On the first day I already noticed a really nice but small store in the city center it's called "Le Parfum" and if you are there i can recommend you to check it out. Since it was the end of October that meant winter is coming and i really wanted to something to upgrade my collection with a great winter scent. I heard a lot about Oud till then but never really smelled it before this day.

So after i told the sales person my intentions that i wanted a winter scent with Oud it started. We went through a lot of scents and eventually we reached Xerjoff because i told him i liked the brand. We tested the Alexandria 2 and i really liked it. But i knew there is also Alexandria 3 and I also wanted to test it. I also wanted to try Luxor again but they didn't have it in stock. Which is normal because that scent is a completely different beast but i digress.

I tried Alexandria 3 and this was something it was completly new to me. Alexandria 2 is an Oud scent that everyone can like, but Alexandria 3 had something very special. If you ever heard Oriental Fragrances this the perfect scent to describe it. In the end it beat out the competition and it went home with me.

Packaging: Like all Xerjoffs the Packaging is top notch. But since we went up a few classes also on price it is even better than what you find compared for example the "Vibe" collection. You get a cardboard sleeve over the artificial leather trunk in the the bottle is presented in. It is the same that you find in a lot of other collections form Xerjoff so this gets a 9/10:

Bottle: The bottle design for Alex 3 is absolutely stunning. It looks like it is designed from the 1001 nights stories. The cap feels heavy and sturdy as always and the Atomizer works wonderfully. 10/10

Head Notes: The official headnotes states Lavender, Rosewood and Cinnamon. Personally i get much of the cinnamon but a huge cloud of the Lavender mixed with the Rosewood. This scent is a rose monster and that the key difference between Alex 3 and Alex 2.

Heart Notes: Oud scents are typcially something you buy because of it's heart and its base. That is also true with Alex 3. The heart is what is the biggest difference between the Alexandria. Both have the name note breakdown. We have Bulgarian Rose, Cedarwood and Lily of the Valley. Alex 3 is an even more Oriental version of Alex 2 which shows in the focus on the Rose note.

The Oud and Rose combination is nothing new to the industry but here its the focus. On Alex 2 its more smooth and with a bit more focus on the woody notes. But Alex 3 goes full blast on the Rose which makes you feel like a Sheikh that left his palace in Abu Dhabi.

Base Notes: The Base is full blast Oud. We have Oud from Thailand as well from Laos, the is accompanied by Amber, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Musk. If you buy an Oud Star its guaranteed that you get the real deal of Oud. No artificial stuff here. This makes the Scent Strong and masculine.

If it wouldn't be for the Sandalwood and the Vanilla you would go all out on the fecal Oud but those bring out a nice texture and makes this a pleasant wood base.

For the scent overall i give a 10/10

Wearability and Seasons: An Oud Scent is not something you wanna wear everyday except if you live in the UAE then it's good manners you have. For our more western community this is a Winter, early Spring and autumm scent. Nothing for the summer. For me this is my personal "special occasion" Fragrance. I wear it on fests which are more high end or not that casual. But if you want you can rock it whenever you want. 8/10

Performance and Silage: Like most Oud scents this is a beast in both departments. The Silage is wide with loud projection so you will surly get noticed if you wear this. Don't go to heavy on the trigger tho this stuff is potent. Performance 10-12 hours easy.

Price: Retail is 330 € for 50 ml which is fucking expensive but you get what you pay for. It's still a lot of money so i can only give it a max of 7/10

It's more refined because of the amped up rose here.
Smells so luxurious and even more niche than Alexandria II.
Sexy stuff here!
The Rose is so jammy and sweet here compared to Alexandria II which also makes it less powdery. The lavender combines the phenomenal floral and aromatic feel to it.
It removes the fruity quality from the apple in Alexandria II which makes Alexandria III more unisex than leaning more masculine.
I prefer it to Alexandria II despite being considered as a redundant release but it's really a luxurious experience to have both!
I own 30ml of A2 and 50ml of A3, I will use both for really important occasions like my engagement and wedding parties as they fit those kind of special events which are once in the life time!

Maybe I got misled by the name, but I was expecting some oud. Instead I got a load of floral soap. Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a good floral soap - and this IS a good floral soap - but I can get a divine floral aldehyde blend anywhere for a fraction of the price, so what is the added value here?

Hmm, well, while investigating from up close I start to get some fine nuances. Little bit of spice, some wood, amber maybe. All rather subtle, but their combination adds a certain oriental taste to that floral soap. This oriental twist is something new to me and I like it. It is a slightly different approach to high-end luxury. Comfort levels remain equally high while a smooth transition from soapy to something more woody-ambery takes place.

Overall I am quite pleased with the scent, even though I had something different in mind at first. Its artistic value may be secondary to the whole luxury experience, but I can live with that. However, at the moment I am on the lookout for something more oud-forward, so I am going to continue my search. I am keeping the sample, though. Will wear again.

taking some time and just diving into the various layers of this perfume, lets you witness the "spacious" rooms, in which every single detail of that scent dwells.
the coordination of the opening into the dry down and what stays after hours is like journey in itself.

To me it's an opulent, enough is enough, rose dreamworld scent. if you wear it on your skin, you don't have to talk, Alexandria III says it for you!