More Than Words Xerjoff 2012

My love story for this fragrance is rather complicated. I loved it at first sniff on a friend, but this is quite unfair because he is one of these people who smell great whatever perfume they chose to wear. I was still a newbie in the fragrance world and this was my first introduction to xerjoff.
I quickly got myself 10 ml and my first wearing of it, I felt that it overpowered me. Maybe not the best fragrance to wear in an office?

But it was glorious in that crisp winter morning. I could smell it all day and before I could dissect the layers of this new perfume, a colleague came into the office and asked who was wearing a strong cologne! Cologne!? Then another colleague from China asked me if I was on medication because it smelled like something medicinal. Needless to say, I never wore MTW to work. It became my evening perfume or my « me time » perfume. I still enjoy it a lot, but I do love it on other people more than I love it on me.

I can smell a little similarity with Armani Rose d’Arabie, with the added sweetness of dried fruits. Obviously, I prefer more than words or I wouldn’t be writing this.

I had both versions of this fragrance before and after the change in bottle shapes and I am afraid I cannot detect the subtle changes of anything I find the new formulation easier to wear. It’s a beautiful take on Oud & Rose and it always be in and out of my collection until I figure it out :)

This fragrance is the one that gives me butterflies in my stomach, like when inlove. The combo between fruits and oud is amazing to my nose. I haven't found someone who didn't like it every time i was wearing it

"It's louder than words
This thing that we do
Louder than words
The way it unfurls
It's louder than words
The sum of our parts
The beat of our hearts
It is louder than words
Louder than words."

Pink Floyd's "Louder Than Words" song describes the feeling flawlessly. I bought a pack of decanters with the scents that intrigued me about this brand, one of which was More Than Words. If you are interested, here you find my "XJ 1861 Naxos | XerJoff". More than a Word is modern and classic poetry whose verses describe universal feelings that colour our lives. It is composed of conflicting feelings, reworked into a blend of emotions that distil vibrant prose of stunning clarity.

The fragrance is spicy, warm, and sweet with complex edges. Right off the bat, I get almost salty ambergris, so forceful, which cannot be valid from the sperm whale. It is chemical, a derivative of ambroxan, for sure. Behind that comes a piercing oud, not too medicinal at all. It feels like oud, but harmless, refined, not skanky, which slightly darkens the salty and flowery tones. The initial blast is not unique to my nose because I already have a similar scent, but I will tell you later.

The heart unveils with a bouquet, mingles with fruit accords, a delicate and sweet rose with a fruity touch. A creamy rose rules the floral tone—the rose is the blossom I get the most in the bouquet of white flowers—while the fruity edge comes from some dried fruit, which could be a blend of raisin plum, apricot, and sour berries. So, when the rose comes into play, it oozes with fruity and smoky nuances added to the gummy cistus flower, which pairs well with the other guys. Besides, I bet there is a faint spicy touch, subdued cinnamon.

The dry-down changes toward something more thick, sweet, and salty. The ambergris takes the stage now and gets prominent, while the oud still lingers in the back. Woody oud and resinous cistus create a dense side dish with a salty amber tinge. The perfume is now a skin scent, and I have a better idea of what it reminds me of; it's Intense Cafe. Take out the coffee note, and you get the same vibe. The two colognes sit in the same ballpark and share many notes in common, mainly rose and oud paired with a dash of amber. Though they are not clones of one another. And the oud-rose couple is not ordinary.

I can wear it as a casual fragrance or formal evening and night events. It is a cologne that fights the cold weather. The fall and winter months are ideal. This is truly one of the most delicate fragrances based on oud it has ever privileged me to wear. It winds like something with well-mixed oud and rose typical of Arab scents but in modern ways.

I base the review on a decant I have owned since January 2022.

-Elysium

After a few bad experiences with Montale and Mancera, I pretty much gave up on the whole rose-oud thing. But every now and then a variation pops up unexpectedly and it keeps picking my interest. Oud Satin Mood Eau de Parfum was an eye-opener for me. I realized that rose-oud can actually be worthwile. So once again, I dip my toes into the oud pool. Xerjoff seemed like a safe bet to start with.

Actually I like the pronounced opening. Contrary to some opinions, I would actually call it fresh and sparkling. At least for a while. The oud note is fairly harmless, I would say. Things get denser as the rose and the woods go more dark-sweet. The mentioning of dried fruits make sense to me. Although I associate dried fruits with prunes and apricots, which can get musty and sweaty. That is not the case here. This is lighter and coated with a little bit of sugar powder. Rose water on the side. Quite enjoyable really. As the scent dries up, things remain comfortably in this oud-rose-fruit state.

The whole scent is a tad sweet sometimes, a bit powdery other times, far from challenging but I think I can work with this. Not quite ready to make a purchase, but so far so good. On to the next!

This is strange scent and it has been that always for me. First I hated it, after that I fell in love with it after that I just couldn't wear it anymore. So here you can read my journey with it.

Part 1:

This is a perfect story from totally dislike to love. This is how I experienced the scent from the first second until I bought FB and can’t get enough from it.

1. Not any good vibes but not tested on skin yet.
2. Testing: somehow addictive and intoxicating, it reminds me of rose and oud plus some fruits. This is a little bit spicy as well. Not sweet (I like sweets as well but this is not). Good quality, not synthetic feelings.
3. I have tested this now for many days on my wrist and I don’t know exactly what I’m thinking of this. I just know that I want to sniff it all the time. This is really intoxicating. It’s blended well because all notes which I can notice are not so outstanding. For example rose and oud is there but not like in Tiziana Terenzi’s Gold Rose Oud (just an example).
4. Ordered because the test vial was finishing and I wanted more. I’m hooked in this! I like because this is different than others. I don’t know other scent which is this kind of interesting blend.

Part 2: After felling in love with it.

Amazing juice, totally unisex, very complex

“Join the Club's philosophy is that ingredients are kept a closely guarded secret, instead inviting the wearer to immerse themselves in the imagined world.” (From Xerjoff’s website)

I have had hate and love -relationship with my all Xerjoff’s perfumes. First I have been relieved that I don’t want some particular scents but after I have given time for those and been testing those during weeks I have felt in love and I don’t see the end. I have sampled A LOT from that house and for me it has been the only perfume house whose perfumes needs weeks from me to realize how much I love those.

This addictive perfume for my nose is blend of rose and oud for sure but there is woody, fruity and other floral notes as well. This definitely is not sweet at all despite of fruity accord. Those are dry fruits rather than juicy ones and the rose is definitely unisex, not at all like rose in the traditional rose scents. This blend is really thick and lasting power is great.

When I sampled this I was thinking “this is definitely not for me” and what happened!

Part 3: I couldn't wear it anymore

The quality of the blend started to bother me. I couldn't smell any more the combination of dried fruits together with a synthetic Oud. I just need to scrub it off, every time. It was cloying to me and somewhat very heavy and headache inducing. The same reaction happened many times and I gave this perfume for my friend.

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

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