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It's my perfect fragrance. It may or may not be yours.
Let's get it out of the way right off the bat: this is my favorite fragrance. Full stop.
Out of the mountain of fragrances I've smelled or sampled at this point, Manhattan is the one that feels most like a perfumer rummaged around in my brain and came out with this scent. To my nose, it's a gorgeously blended tapestry of most of my favorite notes that creates a warm, intoxicating mélange. My brain won't let me have a single signature, but this one would certainly be on the cold-weather shortlist.
Of course, in typical Roja fashion, this fragrance lists about fifty thousand notes, of which I can notably detect maybe five or six. But setting the notes aside, as an EXPERIENCE this sings.
Another reviewer, Tiago, used the word "sparkly" to describe the fragrance, and that's what the opening is to me: a surprisingly light and sparkly pop of citrus and lavender, something just a bit boozy, and a warm, toasty...coconut?! What's that doing in here?? Not the note you'd expect, but wow it works: enveloping the effervescent opening minutes in a lightly sweet, warmly roasted base.
As the opening fades, you sink into a world of warm baking spices, vanilla, sandalwood, and a quite lush tobacco. It's much more graceful than those notes might make you expect, though. I wouldn't call this fragrance LIGHT, but Manhattan has a much airier, loftier presence than something like Tobacco Vanille, which has similar notes but in my experience sits much darker, heavier, and closer to the skin than Manhattan does.
I get excellent longevity and presence from this, but of course your mileage/bottle/batch may vary. I know the Roja bottles are love-em-or-hate-em, but they don't bother me. The only place I can knock real points off here is for price: the value proposition in any Roja is gonna be for you to decide for yourself, but even for the already-inflated world of fragrance costs in general, Roja's prices can make your eyes water.
Out of the mountain of fragrances I've smelled or sampled at this point, Manhattan is the one that feels most like a perfumer rummaged around in my brain and came out with this scent. To my nose, it's a gorgeously blended tapestry of most of my favorite notes that creates a warm, intoxicating mélange. My brain won't let me have a single signature, but this one would certainly be on the cold-weather shortlist.
Of course, in typical Roja fashion, this fragrance lists about fifty thousand notes, of which I can notably detect maybe five or six. But setting the notes aside, as an EXPERIENCE this sings.
Another reviewer, Tiago, used the word "sparkly" to describe the fragrance, and that's what the opening is to me: a surprisingly light and sparkly pop of citrus and lavender, something just a bit boozy, and a warm, toasty...coconut?! What's that doing in here?? Not the note you'd expect, but wow it works: enveloping the effervescent opening minutes in a lightly sweet, warmly roasted base.
As the opening fades, you sink into a world of warm baking spices, vanilla, sandalwood, and a quite lush tobacco. It's much more graceful than those notes might make you expect, though. I wouldn't call this fragrance LIGHT, but Manhattan has a much airier, loftier presence than something like Tobacco Vanille, which has similar notes but in my experience sits much darker, heavier, and closer to the skin than Manhattan does.
I get excellent longevity and presence from this, but of course your mileage/bottle/batch may vary. I know the Roja bottles are love-em-or-hate-em, but they don't bother me. The only place I can knock real points off here is for price: the value proposition in any Roja is gonna be for you to decide for yourself, but even for the already-inflated world of fragrance costs in general, Roja's prices can make your eyes water.
A modern classic
I think in some ways the best compliment I can give this fragrance is that it's NOT overhyped.
And that's really saying something, because if you spend even a few minutes digging in to fragrances online, chances are you'll come across more than one reviewer, influencer, or passionate fan breathlessly singing Naxos' praises.
Naxos is simply sublime. If I had to pick one word to describe the overall effect of this fragrance, it would be "silky". It's smooth: so, so smooth.
The only aspect that bucks this trend is the opening, which is a little playful and sparkly with the citrus and lavender opening. Something about the mix of notes in the opening reads to me as a little bit anise-y: I get a hint of licorice, or basil, which fades within 10 or 15 minutes.
Once that hit of fruit and herbs in the opening starts to bow out, you sink into the heart and soul of Naxos: honey and tobacco. And what a mellifluous soul it is.
Neither note dominates in the blend, although I do think it leans a LITTLE more toward honey than tobacco. This is more like pipe tobacco without any smoke to it - jammy, vanillic, intoxicating.
Naxos is sweet, but not sugary. It's rich, but not cloying. It's deep, but feels somehow quite light. It dances on the edge of powdery without ever tipping too far in that direction.
It is, in a word, gorgeous.
The lightness of Naxos makes it surprisingly versatile. I can't think of a single other "honey and tobacco" fragrance that I would dare suggest wearing in warm weather, but Naxos has enough sparkle and loft that I think it can work (maybe not a boiling hot summer day, but certainly a warm evening).
Longevity, projection, and sillage are unimpeachable: it holds on for hours and projects a perfectly polite and ethereal cloud throughout. The bottle is beautiful and typically Xerjoff: a little over the top but in the best way.
The only knock I can give it is on cost, but honestly, I feel like it earns the price tag.
It's an absolute masterpiece and a cornerstone of my collection.
And that's really saying something, because if you spend even a few minutes digging in to fragrances online, chances are you'll come across more than one reviewer, influencer, or passionate fan breathlessly singing Naxos' praises.
Naxos is simply sublime. If I had to pick one word to describe the overall effect of this fragrance, it would be "silky". It's smooth: so, so smooth.
The only aspect that bucks this trend is the opening, which is a little playful and sparkly with the citrus and lavender opening. Something about the mix of notes in the opening reads to me as a little bit anise-y: I get a hint of licorice, or basil, which fades within 10 or 15 minutes.
Once that hit of fruit and herbs in the opening starts to bow out, you sink into the heart and soul of Naxos: honey and tobacco. And what a mellifluous soul it is.
Neither note dominates in the blend, although I do think it leans a LITTLE more toward honey than tobacco. This is more like pipe tobacco without any smoke to it - jammy, vanillic, intoxicating.
Naxos is sweet, but not sugary. It's rich, but not cloying. It's deep, but feels somehow quite light. It dances on the edge of powdery without ever tipping too far in that direction.
It is, in a word, gorgeous.
The lightness of Naxos makes it surprisingly versatile. I can't think of a single other "honey and tobacco" fragrance that I would dare suggest wearing in warm weather, but Naxos has enough sparkle and loft that I think it can work (maybe not a boiling hot summer day, but certainly a warm evening).
Longevity, projection, and sillage are unimpeachable: it holds on for hours and projects a perfectly polite and ethereal cloud throughout. The bottle is beautiful and typically Xerjoff: a little over the top but in the best way.
The only knock I can give it is on cost, but honestly, I feel like it earns the price tag.
It's an absolute masterpiece and a cornerstone of my collection.
The one
I never could, and never would, try and limit myself to just one fragrance at this point. I like variety; I like collecting; I like having a broad assortment of fragrances that I enjoy to suit whatever mood I find myself in on any given day.
But if I had to - if I was forced to pick The One - it might well be Reflection Man.
This is, in my view, the pinnacle of this style of fragrance, what I call the "luxury laundry" profile. Reflection Man is a lightly sweet, lightly sparkly, lilting combo of florals and spice and wood. Nothing dominates, except maybe the opening hit of pink pepper, which quickly eases into harmony with the rest of the composition.
It's not the notes themselves that I gravitate to here, which could be found in probably hundreds of similar fragrances. It's the smoothness. It's the richness. It's the blending.
Reflection Man is sumptuous, velvety, and classy. There are absolutely no harsh edges here, nothing sibilant or discordant. It's elegant enough for a night out, but approachable enough for the office.
It's just a beautiful, complex, and cohesive masterpiece.
But if I had to - if I was forced to pick The One - it might well be Reflection Man.
This is, in my view, the pinnacle of this style of fragrance, what I call the "luxury laundry" profile. Reflection Man is a lightly sweet, lightly sparkly, lilting combo of florals and spice and wood. Nothing dominates, except maybe the opening hit of pink pepper, which quickly eases into harmony with the rest of the composition.
It's not the notes themselves that I gravitate to here, which could be found in probably hundreds of similar fragrances. It's the smoothness. It's the richness. It's the blending.
Reflection Man is sumptuous, velvety, and classy. There are absolutely no harsh edges here, nothing sibilant or discordant. It's elegant enough for a night out, but approachable enough for the office.
It's just a beautiful, complex, and cohesive masterpiece.
Carnal sin, bottled
Based on my tastes, I shouldn't love this fragrance. I shouldn't even LIKE this fragrance. And yet: Tony Iommi Monkey Special is the one fragrance that, if I heard it was going out of production, I'd do whatever I needed to procure enough backup bottles to last the rest of my natural life.
This is a rich, dark, deep, intoxicating blend that has more "motion" to it than any other fragrance I own. What I mean when I say motion is the way the fragrance develops not just over time, but in a single whiff. I often have a hard time distinguishing the head, heart, and base notes in a fragrance, but not with this one!
On first spray/sniff, you get the booze and the citrus. It has some lift and some brightness to it, and for a second, you think this might be a lighter fragrance. But oh, no. Not at all.
Because next, you start floating through the florals. The passionfruit fades into the softness of geranium, which pulls you right into a velvety rose. I generally cannot stand rose in my fragrances, but in this one, the way it slinks in and wraps itself around you just works for me.
And once it has you in its grip, down it pulls, and you sink into the sumptuous, absolutely stunning base. The caramel in this is absolutely sensational - so buttery and rich without ever going cloying. It's probably my favorite aspect of the whole design. You get an earthy and almost loamy quality from the patchouli, just the faintest hint of some leather, and then the powdery musk lifts you back up and out to start the whole journey over again.
It sounds discordant and weird, and yet somehow it works. It holds together so well as a singular and stunning composition.
In my head, this IS a rock star's fragrance: a whiff of booze and a supermodel's lingering perfume clinging to a leather jacket...and, uh, doused in caramel for some reason. I can't get enough. It bowls me over every single time I wear it.
Longevity is unimpeachable. This is almost certainly the longest-lasting fragrance I own: I've been able to clearly smell it on myself a day and a half after first application, even after showering. Strength and sillage are also tremendous. Spray carefully: this is probably not one you want to fill a room with, and I've never felt the need to go heavier than two sprays with it. And it's a good thing it's so potent, because otherwise the value proposition here would be nonexistent: even with the minimal sprays required, this stuff is NOT cheap.
It is also NOT versatile. This is not office friendly in the slightest, and even though I said it isn't cloying on the whole, it can definitely get that way in warmer weather. But for a date night, or an indulgence in cooler weather, you can't go wrong.
What a masterpiece.
This is a rich, dark, deep, intoxicating blend that has more "motion" to it than any other fragrance I own. What I mean when I say motion is the way the fragrance develops not just over time, but in a single whiff. I often have a hard time distinguishing the head, heart, and base notes in a fragrance, but not with this one!
On first spray/sniff, you get the booze and the citrus. It has some lift and some brightness to it, and for a second, you think this might be a lighter fragrance. But oh, no. Not at all.
Because next, you start floating through the florals. The passionfruit fades into the softness of geranium, which pulls you right into a velvety rose. I generally cannot stand rose in my fragrances, but in this one, the way it slinks in and wraps itself around you just works for me.
And once it has you in its grip, down it pulls, and you sink into the sumptuous, absolutely stunning base. The caramel in this is absolutely sensational - so buttery and rich without ever going cloying. It's probably my favorite aspect of the whole design. You get an earthy and almost loamy quality from the patchouli, just the faintest hint of some leather, and then the powdery musk lifts you back up and out to start the whole journey over again.
It sounds discordant and weird, and yet somehow it works. It holds together so well as a singular and stunning composition.
In my head, this IS a rock star's fragrance: a whiff of booze and a supermodel's lingering perfume clinging to a leather jacket...and, uh, doused in caramel for some reason. I can't get enough. It bowls me over every single time I wear it.
Longevity is unimpeachable. This is almost certainly the longest-lasting fragrance I own: I've been able to clearly smell it on myself a day and a half after first application, even after showering. Strength and sillage are also tremendous. Spray carefully: this is probably not one you want to fill a room with, and I've never felt the need to go heavier than two sprays with it. And it's a good thing it's so potent, because otherwise the value proposition here would be nonexistent: even with the minimal sprays required, this stuff is NOT cheap.
It is also NOT versatile. This is not office friendly in the slightest, and even though I said it isn't cloying on the whole, it can definitely get that way in warmer weather. But for a date night, or an indulgence in cooler weather, you can't go wrong.
What a masterpiece.
1 Comment
One of the best easy-reach freshies
If I made a list of my favorite "dumb reach" fragrances, Sedley would be on the podium.
Sedley opens with a lively, juicy citrus which comes across very lemony to my nose. There's just a hint of the spearmint at first, which sweetens and slightly mellows that sharp citrus high.
After about 15 minutes, it mellows into a sort of soft, slightly generic "fresh" aroma. Maybe it's just my associating Parfums de Marly with apple from so many of their other fragrances, but I pick up a sort of apple-y fruity note in there. But once you hit drydown, any individual notes have pretty much faded into a smooth fresh blend that isn't too far off from a shower gel vibe.
It has what I would consider to be very polite projection and strength: it follows the handshake rule, and you're not gonna fill a room with it. Longevity, on me, is very good for a fresher scent, about 8-ish hours for me.
This is bright, approachable, and friendly. It's a very easy-wearing fragrance: most people will find this at least inoffensive, if not outright pleasant.
Is it another example of PdM creating designer-y fragrances at niche prices? I mean yeah, but the quality is top-notch. The brand is never going to be the best bargain in fragrances, but if you can snag it at a reasonably healthy discount, I have no problem recommending it.
Sedley opens with a lively, juicy citrus which comes across very lemony to my nose. There's just a hint of the spearmint at first, which sweetens and slightly mellows that sharp citrus high.
After about 15 minutes, it mellows into a sort of soft, slightly generic "fresh" aroma. Maybe it's just my associating Parfums de Marly with apple from so many of their other fragrances, but I pick up a sort of apple-y fruity note in there. But once you hit drydown, any individual notes have pretty much faded into a smooth fresh blend that isn't too far off from a shower gel vibe.
It has what I would consider to be very polite projection and strength: it follows the handshake rule, and you're not gonna fill a room with it. Longevity, on me, is very good for a fresher scent, about 8-ish hours for me.
This is bright, approachable, and friendly. It's a very easy-wearing fragrance: most people will find this at least inoffensive, if not outright pleasant.
Is it another example of PdM creating designer-y fragrances at niche prices? I mean yeah, but the quality is top-notch. The brand is never going to be the best bargain in fragrances, but if you can snag it at a reasonably healthy discount, I have no problem recommending it.
