NiPis98

...I have unleashed a monster. But as Dexter Morgan once said, "a very tidy monster."

The scent is elegant and incredibly soft. The Oud Satin Mood Extrait de Parfum starts with an opulent rose bouquet... truly a rose bomb. You are overwhelmed by the roses / you drown in a sea of roses, accompanied by cinnamon, and as it develops, more and more vanilla comes through.
What I completely miss here is the oud... I can't detect it for the life of me. But I think a soft oud is used here, which gives the fragrance a certain framework.

The topic of longevity and sillage is a special one here... how should I describe it?
In short: This fragrance is the most extreme thing I have ever sprayed. You might as well need a firearms license for this scent :)

I initially underestimated the fragrance.
At first, I tested it at home on a scent strip and was very impressed. Then I casually applied it and went to the office... however, the small office was not really thrilled with the 6 generous sprays of the fragrance :D
After that, I tried 2 sprays... but after 3 hours in a two-person airplane, I felt like I was suffocating from the scent.
Then the fragrance was tested with just one spray... result: The affected and adjacent rooms smell of Satin Mood three days later.

Hmm... is this perhaps just too much? I don't think so.
When dosed moderately and with a bit of lead time, I have only heard positive things about the fragrance. However, too many sprays are dangerous, and freshly sprayed, the scent is truly overwhelming.

All in all, the fragrance is a double-edged sword for me... but I have been able to laugh so much with this scent that I really have a special bond with it :)

40 Knots is the first Xerjoff I bought as a full bottle. To me, it is unjustly underrated.

The scent starts for me just as one would expect from the name.
When I close my eyes, I am standing on the railing of a yacht. The sea air greets me, a slightly salty breeze, fresh and invigorating. I enjoy the fresh wind on my face and let myself be taken on a journey... but what is this? The captain is Winnie the Pooh and he has brought a big pot of honey. The honey now shares the scene with the sea breeze, but somehow I really like it.
I lie down and let these notes accompany me for half an hour... I gently fall asleep.
I suddenly wake up in a church. The sea air is gone, no sweet honey is in sight.
Suddenly, I find myself in fog... I can only smell incense, but where is it coming from? And where have the other notes gone? The incense comes out of nowhere, yet lingers for many hours.

For me, 40 Knots is a special journey. It starts with refreshing notes that truly remind me of a sea breeze. This is accompanied by honey, and then everything disappears and is suddenly replaced by incredibly authentic incense.
This journey is unique to me and only happens on my skin, but I love it.

The longevity is extremely good; Xerjoff fragrances last forever on me. And the bottle, along with the packaging, is simply indescribably beautiful.
For me, the bottle of 40 Knots is among the top 5 most beautiful Xerjoff bottles. And the lovely leather case exudes a touch of exclusivity and luxury :)

I’ll keep it brief like the fragrance.

I really like this scent. For me, "Blu Mediterraneo - Bergamotto di Calabria | Acqua di Parma" smells like Italy in a bottle.

Citrusy, fresh, fruity, and refreshing... yet absolutely natural. One feels the urge to crack open the bottle on a hot day and refresh oneself with the delicious lemonade (please don’t do that :D ).

When I close my eyes, I find myself lying by the water in Italy. It’s afternoon and the sun is shining down with full force. To escape the intense heat, I’ve laid down under a lemon/bergamot tree. Life is beautiful.

Unfortunately, the scene ends very quickly, and the scent is hardly present after 3-4 hours. Really a shame... so what to do?
I’m not really mad at the fragrance. My solution is a small travel spray, with which I can extend the feeling of summer throughout the day.

Will that work in the long run? Well, the search for THE summer scent continues :)

This fragrance is unique; I have never smelled anything like it before.
Is this really not an expensive niche fragrance, and did I just pay around 20€ for it?

Incredible what comes at you. For me, Encre Noir smells like black ink and paper, along with sharpened pencils. Overall, this fragrance carries a certain heaviness and a dark, melancholic mood.

The packaging is very elegant. The black bottle is stylishly and minimally designed, and the wooden cap fits the scene perfectly. The overall picture is cohesive, and at first glance, no one would suspect that it could have a price tag of 200€ from a well-known niche fragrance house. I also find the name itself perfect... it just fits together.

However, what you should not expect from this fragrance are compliments. The scent is extremely subjective and appeals to very few people. Even I have days when it feels really too specific for me.
What you do get is a fragrance that is truly special. Lalique creates a very individual scent with its own character and a really great performance for an EDT. Here you really have an extremely affordable fragrance with high niche quality.

In my opinion, everyone should test this fragrance at least once. This is very important, as it is absolutely not a blind buy... but even if it were, the 20-25€ are still manageable.

Personally, I do not wear this fragrance. I own it as a kind of "art object," and when I spray it at home, I marvel at the craftsmanship of this unique perfume.

For me, Encre Noire Eau de Toilette is definitely one of the best cheapies and is absolutely a recommendation.

Alternatively, the Encre Noire Sport should be tested. This complements the standard with fresh, citrus notes. This pleasantly transforms the entire fragrance, losing the strong dark melancholy and becoming absolutely pleasant and super wearable.

I would say almost everyone knows this scent. It is a true classic, found in every perfumery or drugstore, and for the low price, everyone should have it in their collection.


This is a statement that doesn't really match my perfume taste, yet this scent has something special... something extraordinary.

Personally, I can hardly get excited about about 80-90% of designer fragrances anymore and am mostly on the lookout for niche perfumes, especially enjoying heavy oud bombers, rose scents, or quirky perfume creations in the autumn/winter. And yet, this scent has captivated me. At 24 years old, I somehow feel too young to wear such a fragrance, and still, the purchased 40ml bottle has already suffered quite a bit after half a year, with a good quarter of it gone.

In fact, I only wear Cool Water at home, usually applying it after showering and before going to sleep. The mint and lavender notes combined with the strong ambroxan and neroli just make me feel even "cleaner" and fresher. The scent simply gives me a good feeling, and that's why I love it.

Some may now wonder why I don't wear the scent in public, and I can't really answer that.
I think this scent smells too much like "old man" and seems too boring and monotonous for the outside world, as many people wear it too. But maybe the upcoming summer is the perfect opportunity to let the other fragrances rest for a bit and test this one. Perhaps this "fresh kick" is just what I need in very warm temperatures.

The longevity is definitely good for a fresh scent, and the sillage, especially at the beginning, is quite strong.


(I also tested Cool Water Intense. This adds a sweet coconut note to the scent... I don't really find it bad, but it somewhat ruins the original fragrance and overwhelms everything with synthetic sweetness. However, one should definitely test the flankers.)


For me personally, Cool Water EDT remains the best in the line, a classic and a worthwhile addition to one's collection.

This is my first review, and I hope you enjoyed it :)

Cool Water Eau de Toilette