ITX

Since my earliest childhood, Lamborghini has been one of my absolute favorite car brands. When I heard that Xerjoff was releasing a new fragrance collection in collaboration with the Italian car manufacturer, my interest was naturally piqued. I immediately ordered a sample set of the 3 new fragrances.

The first in my detailed test is Perseveranza. The word means "perseverance", and indeed it is somewhat that - just unfortunately not in a positive sense. But let's take it step by step: The opening starts with a piercing citrus note and feels somewhat harsh. Immediately, allspice and ginger shoot into the nose, which, combined with the lemon, almost makes the nasal hairs burn. After a few minutes, the fragrance calms down a bit, and now the spicy and resinous elements come to the forefront. As the scent develops, it remains, at least in my perception, quite linear. While the resinous elements are indeed pleasant, the harsh allspice-ginger top note unfortunately remains constant, overshadowing the otherwise beautiful aspects of the fragrance for me.

The longevity is quite decent, which is certainly also due to the piercing allspice/ginger combo. I could still perceive it on myself after 7 hours, and my colleague two seats away confirmed the still-present sillage.

Conclusion: €410 for a perfume is quite a statement. However, since the collaboration partner is none other than Lamborghini, the price can certainly be justified - provided the fragrance delivers. Unfortunately, Perseveranza does not deliver for me at all. The citrus-green top note clings constantly to the skin and pushes the otherwise beautiful, resinous elements completely into the background. Inevitably, I am reminded of both Torino21 and Pacific Chill - two fundamentally well-made freshies that, however, completely miss their target with me due to an overly dominant, harsh top note. Unfortunately, the Lamborghini branding doesn't help either!

My first impression after testing the spray on my wrist was quite positive, so I decided to test the fragrance thoroughly on my neck and collarbone. 6 sprays? Aaaach, the sample bottle is so tiny anyway, so why not....

AL. TER. SCHWE. DE.

Once applied, I immediately got the full force of the monster sillage of this beast in my nose. This stuff manages to envelop half the city in a cloud of fragrance!

The scent starts with a very intense, sweet-smoky spice note, underpinned by a subtle ginger. As it develops, it increasingly resembles "Tony Iommi Monkey Special | Xerjoff," with the latter leaning more towards the alcoholic-boozy direction while Oud Zarian remains sweeter/"youth-friendly." The drydown is characterized by myrrh and sandalwood. Here, I get subtle church vibes, which bother me less than, for example, with "This Is Him! | Zadig & Voltaire." Interestingly, the much-quoted and titular oud plays a very subordinate, barely recognizable role. I personally appreciate this very much, as I am not an oud fan anyway. However, I am sure that some oud enthusiasts will painfully miss their beloved fragrance note here.

Do I even need to say anything about longevity and sillage? The numbers speak for themselves, and it is really no secret that this fragrance is an absolute beast mode candidate. Not only in terms of scent, but also regarding longevity/sillage, we are operating at Xerjoff level here. At this intensity, I believe that even those who usually tend to overspray should apply a maximum of 2-3 sprays!

Conclusion: Oud Zarian is an interesting, multi-layered, smoky-sweet oriental that has a commanding presence and wants to stand out at all costs. With something this bold, you draw full attention to yourself - whether you want it or not. The similarities to Tony Iommi are present, but I prefer the execution here a bit more. I still won’t buy it - something this heavy and dominant is just not for me!!

Bohemian Lime enchanted me almost 10 months ago and instantly became my signature scent. The combination of fresh citrus and natural woodiness perfectly matched my taste.

However, in recent months, I had to admit that the initial euphoria began to wane slowly but surely. While the fragrance is very refreshing and natural, it still lacks depth and longevity. Eventually, the desire grew within me to look for a scent that has a similar DNA but is structured a bit more complexly and lasts longer. Armed with my imaginary harpoon (= mouse and keyboard), I once again set out on my Pequod (= computer) to search for a new white sperm whale (= perfume).

I didn't have to search long: I stumbled upon Esencia Elixir while creating a Notino Discovery set. A few days later, the set arrived, and I generously sprayed the fragrance on my wrist. This little fragrance immediately captivated me:

An earthy, deep green variation of the well-known Aventus DNA with hints of "Intense Cedrat Boise | Mancera." Spicy, intensely woody, and mossy in the drydown. The entire composition feels cohesive, all the ingredients are very natural and harmonized in such a way that you can smell them individually.

Longevity and sillage ultimately sealed my purchasing decision. The fragrance easily lasts 10 hours with a constant sillage of 1-2 m. This is a real statement for this DNA, but in my opinion, it can be explained by the fact that this fragrance contains a lot of Ambroxan, which is known to enhance a fragrance's performance.

Conclusion: Esencia Elixir was love at first spray. A highly complex, mature interpretation of Aventus at a more than fair price. A longevity monster that never feels intrusive or causes headaches. Thus, Bohemian Lime had to relinquish the signature scepter - Esencia Elixir is clearly the new king!!

After @Chs724 showed me "Magnetiq | French Avenue," I was head over heels in love with this shower gel-deodorant DNA. This cool opening with citrus and lavender, followed by a woody-synthetic drydown, perfectly matches my preferences. Unfortunately, Magnetiq is currently quite hard to find and relatively more expensive than other French Avenues. So it soon became clear to me: The best drugstore alternative, namely "Myslf | Yves Saint Laurent," has to be it!!

Upon spraying, I immediately had that association with Axe Marine in my head: cool, synthetic, somewhat related to "Cool Water (Eau de Toilette) | Davidoff," but somehow of higher quality. The middle part is at least just as exciting, where the citrus steadily diminishes and the woody base increasingly takes over. In the end, a pleasant background noise of Ambroxan, wood, and patchouli lingers in the nose, making the scent absolutely wearable and pleasing for many hours.

I would rate longevity and sillage as good, in the middle range. No beast mode, no room-filling monster sillage, but always present without being intrusive. After just over 7 hours, the scent has nearly completely disappeared.

Conclusion: YSL is probably one of the best offerings in the free market alongside Guerlain when it comes to perfumes. While "Myslf | Yves Saint Laurent" is certainly not revolutionary or niche, this DNA is still wonderful for showing some presence in everyday life without drawing the attention of the entire room. Smelling fresh is better than not smelling at all - my nose recognized that early on. If you're looking for a "Safe Bet" fragrance that you can't go wrong with, you should definitely give "Myslf | Yves Saint Laurent" a chance!

While the market is flooded with Imagination dupes, the selection of decent Météore fragrance twins is rather limited. However, I was recently made aware of Monkoku and their Météore clone thanks to a very kind Parfumo. Since Sky Impact is currently sold out, that Parfumo even took the long trip to my workplace and handed me a small decant of the fragrance after work - many heartfelt thanks once again to you, dear @Chs724!

Essentially, the two fragrances differ in that Météore starts creamier and a bit softer, while Sky Impact is clearly dominated by pepper. As the wear progresses, the two fragrances become nearly identical and are especially hard to distinguish in the drydown.

Longevity and sillage are about the same, although the LV performs slightly better on my skin. Sky Impact projects strongly for the first 2 hours but then noticeably pulls back. In contrast, the original maintains a more or less constant scent trail.

Conclusion: Those who have read my Météore review know that I am a huge fan of this fragrance and have been considering a purchase for a long time. However, as someone who does not have an unlimited budget for perfume, I just haven't wanted to invest the high amount yet. The Sky Impact would of course be a perfect alternative: Nearly identical at a fraction of the price of the LV. Well, if only availability weren't an issue: Currently, Monkoku is unfortunately sold out indefinitely. Whether and when it will return is up in the air. I was all the more grateful to dear @Chs724 for the small decant. Now I know: Sky Impact can definitely hold its own against Météore - if it ever becomes available again!!