23
Very helpful Review
Here it is now
I had tested Naxos a long time ago. At that time, I wasn't too convinced; somehow it reminded me of a wealthy grandmother. A nice wealthy grandmother.
But as time goes, opinions change. And so it is now back in my collection. Rightfully? Well, let's say "somewhat".
I really can't understand the hype around Naxos at all. It is touted on social media as the holy grail of fragrances, as a masterpiece, as a spark of the gods, the destroyer of all scents, the number 1. I can't support any of that even remotely.
Naxos is great, yes. I can't argue with that. A solid 7.5/10, simply because it doesn't come off as intrusive or aggressive, yet is still very present and smells wonderful. Naxos is worth the price as long as you can get it for under €200. But that's about it. It wouldn't make it into my top 5 fragrances simply because it doesn't embody anything special overall, even though that's exactly the case in every "perfume influencer" video. And I'm not a nose professional searching for the most alternative scents, desperately wanting to smell like goat gland secretions, used sandals from the Byzantine era, and freeze-dried blue lobster shells. I'm just a guy who likes to smell good himself and also wants to smell good for others, just like most average people. Don't get too caught up in the promises of many well-known people - most very expensive fragrances end up smelling just as boring and cheap as drugstore scents, but many take too much pride in the price and then develop stories that belong in an Aladdin movie.
Therefore, I keep the scent progression simple and understandable, so the average person can grasp it:
Naxos smells intensely of sweet untreated tobacco, tonka, and vanilla at the first spray. That's the basic foundation. Added to that is honey, not overpowering, it just warms the scent in the background. Make yourself a cup of vanilla tea, pour in plenty of honey, and then smell a cigarette in the steam of the tea. Ta-da. The average fragrance wearer shouldn't expect a symphony of scent facets here; there’s no magical play with lavender or bergamot, no fascinating duel of opposites, the top notes are hardly noticeable. Or cashmere. What is cashmere? Cashmere probably plays a role here somewhere, but no one will notice. It's just sweet and woody. It's simply tobacco, tonka, and vanilla, with a bit of honey. Have you ever smelled a honey cigar? It's close, only Naxos isn't quite as deep and musty bitter, but rather a bit more tuned to a fresher style that you can wear longer on your body. And that's it. One shouldn't expect an ultimate scent that makes every other scent look ridiculous, especially since there's no great depth present. The scent doesn't tell a good story like some others, but rather a pleasantly long one.
Yes, it lasts long. I showered Saturday morning, the scent came on, tested it, woke up Sunday morning, and my arm still smelled as if I had freshly applied it about 3 hours ago. And after showering, it still clung to me a bit. Not bad, it smells great! But as long as it lasts, it hardly changes overall. I know some other fragrances that are half as expensive and seem much more multifaceted and interesting. But... it is still great!
And the presentation is great as well - Xerjoff knows how to present fragrances, just like LV (when you order directly from them). Bottle 10/10, sometimes I would like to lick it because it looks like a lollipop. Packaging just the same, absolute 10/10, I would want to be buried in that.
What I won't bury, however, is the Naxos. It can stay. Naxos is a good companion in everyday life, Naxos is like the noodle for the Ludolfs - you can wear it in the evening, you can wear it in the morning, you can wear it in winter, autumn, spring, and sometimes on summer evenings when it's not too warm. Naxos smells pleasant, feels soft on the skin and in the nose, but Naxos is not an alien from another planet. Naxos is simple, pleasant, you like to smell it, it suits both women and men, although it leans a bit more towards men, and is just... good. Nothing special, but good.
Naxos is simple and great, and absolutely not worth the hype. That's my experience.
But as time goes, opinions change. And so it is now back in my collection. Rightfully? Well, let's say "somewhat".
I really can't understand the hype around Naxos at all. It is touted on social media as the holy grail of fragrances, as a masterpiece, as a spark of the gods, the destroyer of all scents, the number 1. I can't support any of that even remotely.
Naxos is great, yes. I can't argue with that. A solid 7.5/10, simply because it doesn't come off as intrusive or aggressive, yet is still very present and smells wonderful. Naxos is worth the price as long as you can get it for under €200. But that's about it. It wouldn't make it into my top 5 fragrances simply because it doesn't embody anything special overall, even though that's exactly the case in every "perfume influencer" video. And I'm not a nose professional searching for the most alternative scents, desperately wanting to smell like goat gland secretions, used sandals from the Byzantine era, and freeze-dried blue lobster shells. I'm just a guy who likes to smell good himself and also wants to smell good for others, just like most average people. Don't get too caught up in the promises of many well-known people - most very expensive fragrances end up smelling just as boring and cheap as drugstore scents, but many take too much pride in the price and then develop stories that belong in an Aladdin movie.
Therefore, I keep the scent progression simple and understandable, so the average person can grasp it:
Naxos smells intensely of sweet untreated tobacco, tonka, and vanilla at the first spray. That's the basic foundation. Added to that is honey, not overpowering, it just warms the scent in the background. Make yourself a cup of vanilla tea, pour in plenty of honey, and then smell a cigarette in the steam of the tea. Ta-da. The average fragrance wearer shouldn't expect a symphony of scent facets here; there’s no magical play with lavender or bergamot, no fascinating duel of opposites, the top notes are hardly noticeable. Or cashmere. What is cashmere? Cashmere probably plays a role here somewhere, but no one will notice. It's just sweet and woody. It's simply tobacco, tonka, and vanilla, with a bit of honey. Have you ever smelled a honey cigar? It's close, only Naxos isn't quite as deep and musty bitter, but rather a bit more tuned to a fresher style that you can wear longer on your body. And that's it. One shouldn't expect an ultimate scent that makes every other scent look ridiculous, especially since there's no great depth present. The scent doesn't tell a good story like some others, but rather a pleasantly long one.
Yes, it lasts long. I showered Saturday morning, the scent came on, tested it, woke up Sunday morning, and my arm still smelled as if I had freshly applied it about 3 hours ago. And after showering, it still clung to me a bit. Not bad, it smells great! But as long as it lasts, it hardly changes overall. I know some other fragrances that are half as expensive and seem much more multifaceted and interesting. But... it is still great!
And the presentation is great as well - Xerjoff knows how to present fragrances, just like LV (when you order directly from them). Bottle 10/10, sometimes I would like to lick it because it looks like a lollipop. Packaging just the same, absolute 10/10, I would want to be buried in that.
What I won't bury, however, is the Naxos. It can stay. Naxos is a good companion in everyday life, Naxos is like the noodle for the Ludolfs - you can wear it in the evening, you can wear it in the morning, you can wear it in winter, autumn, spring, and sometimes on summer evenings when it's not too warm. Naxos smells pleasant, feels soft on the skin and in the nose, but Naxos is not an alien from another planet. Naxos is simple, pleasant, you like to smell it, it suits both women and men, although it leans a bit more towards men, and is just... good. Nothing special, but good.
Naxos is simple and great, and absolutely not worth the hype. That's my experience.
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9 Comments
Very, very well done review.
**Cheers** for that!