Pikovaya Dama XerJoff 2014

There are fragrances that you can write little about because they are flat - they are linear, they smell uncreative. The opposite is the case with "17/17 - Pikovaya Dama | XerJoff": thanks to the immense depth of this fragrance, I could write a long review. In this review, I will try to limit myself to the essentials. Nevertheless, I will not miss the opportunity to begin with the following image:

The newborn lies in its cradle -
the silk comforter cover.
Warming rays of sunlight fall on the child -
it stretches and stretches.
Like an angel.

This idea fits "17/17 - Pikovaya Dama | XerJoff" like no other perfume. It is finely tuned, appears very delicate and comes across extremely smoothly in every stage it goes through.

Stages - that is probably the best way to divide this fragrance. Here you don't get a typical progression that can be determined by the specified fragrance pyramid, but many, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer fragrance stages to enjoy.

You can sense the incredible depth of this fragrance as soon as you take your first breath after applying it. At first I perceive a gentle incense, but - an important "but" for all incense pessimists - this is neither sacred nor does it take on a penetrating role.

This experience can be generalized for the entire course: None of the perceptible fragrance notes takes an unpleasant or intrusive position at any point. Throughout, "17/17 - Pikovaya Dama | XerJoff" remains elegant and sophisticated.

In the course of the drydown, a herbal refreshment is revealed by the coriander, which gives the fragrance a herbaceous-green side and at the same time is softened by the iris, which reminds me more of iris butter and is therefore not at all reminiscent of soup herbs.

The whole thing is bedded on an initially classic-looking musk-vanilla base - which turns out to be quite an individual elaboration in the long-lasting course of the fragrance: it is usually the case with this prominent base pair that it either tends too much in the sweet direction (too much vanilla) or develops a certain dusty character again due to an overload of cleanliness (too much musk). With "17/17 - Pikovaya Dama | XerJoff", I had a different experience for the first time; although it goes relatively clearly in the direction of cleanliness (more musk than vanilla, although the vanilla is also noticeable and not to be neglected), you are spared a dust overload and enjoy a finish that finally beats the Queen of Spades.

In addition to the previous fragrance description, it would be a shame to ignore the outstanding longevity of this fragrance. As a rule, we find that the pleasure we derive from floral-based fragrances is unfortunately not long-lasting. "17/17 - Pikovaya Dama | XerJoff" shows those who share this experience that things can be different with high-quality ingredients. The sillage, on the other hand, is moderate - not bad at all - but it would also run completely counter to the character of the fragrance if there were an unparalleled steam engine behind it.

The title "understatement fragrance" is certainly one that some people would use at this point. Although I can understand this title, I have to say that I do not share this view; the "17/17 - Pikovaya Dama | XerJoff" is a fragrance that, thanks to its unique character, forms a progression through various stages through finely tuned fragrance notes (which you don't get with any other perfume) that is second to none. An unrivaled pleasure.