Miami South Beach The Nose Behind 2022

Since I received many PMs after posting the bottle in the Souk asking why I would sell the fragrance again and whether it really is such a "disappointment," I decided to put my thoughts down in a review.

First of all: I think I know what Marc and Herbert mean when they compare it to "XJ 1861 Naxos | XerJoff," but it requires a more trained nose and a bit of creative thinking.

What is similar are by no means the fragrance notes themselves (or only a few obvious ones) - the intended similarity is more about having a room-filling sweetness mixed with tobacco (and rum) vibes, right in your face like with Naxos. You don't notice it as much during regular wear, but rather when you've been in a room for a long time, leave, and then go back in and smell your own sillage.

The fragrance notes in detail are different; overall, I get significantly more animalic notes and more sharpness/edges compared to Naxos. The animalic aspect from the top note dissipates quite quickly, so don't let that intimidate you.

Overall, compared to Naxos, you get a good portion of oud, which I unfortunately do not like (I love the oud in Ombre Nomade or Fleur du Désert) and also other fancy fragrance notes that are supposed to give the scent more edges and facets. In particular, I think I can detect the carrot, and it bothers me brutally in the top note; the combination of coconut and raspberry is also not really my thing.

Longevity and sillage are, as one would expect, absolutely on Naxos level and thus provide a very good price/performance ratio.

As for the rest... I would recommend everyone to sample it first; it is definitely not a blind buy for all Naxos fans (of which I count myself).