OffizNovize

Imagine you meet someone new at work, you've heard a lot about this new colleague beforehand and his reputation precedes him. You get to know the new colleague and it turns out that you absolutely can't smell each other. After the first few contacts, you are completely at a loss and ask yourself - and this is supposed to be the high-flyer everyone is talking about? Not only that, but the things he says come across as downright unappealing. Unfortunately, you have no other choice at work and so you inevitably get to know each other better. After a while, you notice your first sympathies and you both seem to feel the same way. After a while, it becomes a firm tradition that you spend a long lunch break together on Fridays and treat yourselves to something delicious. Before you know it, you're the best man at his wedding.

A similar relationship has developed between the "Tony Iommi Monkey Special | XerJoff" and me. I like unusual fragrances, creative creations that stand out from the crowd. A long shelf life and a perceptible sillage are just as important to me and an argument to make yourself understand why you don't buy fragrances "off the shelf" and sometimes spend a few more dollars.

I was still at the beginning of my new discovery of this great hobby and perhaps you know that at the beginning you tend to order a little too much with the first bottlings. So I ordered 5ml of the Tony Iommi blind and we both started our journey together, which got off to a really bumpy start.

I was expecting passion fruit in the foreground and only very light sparkling notes. The leather discreetly integrated. In reality, however, it was the other way around. It was a Friday and the first time I tested it on my skin, I was completely baffled. My wife said I stank like a snapdragon and I also thought phew, that's pretty strong. The passion fruit was there, but not very clearly perceptible - it was more in the background. I kept smelling it on my wrist. At least it somehow fits in with a Friday evening when I wanted to have a drink anyway. The relatively strong rum note and the exotic passion fruit notes are joined by an intense leather note. The combination of scents is daring, to put it mildly, and a very wild thing.

The bottle was then left unattended for a whole week. When the next Friday came around and I asked myself which fragrance I wanted to wear today, I thought of Tony Iommi again. It couldn't hurt to test it again.

It slowly occurred to me that the fragrance smelled very interesting. I wouldn't want to smell like that, but it is unique and fun to smell. I don't have any other comparable fragrance in my small collection. This tropical blend smells like a vacation in the Caribbean.

The following Friday I reached for Tony Iommi again, it was the first time I wanted to wear it in public as I was invited to a party. I was already expecting a bad response, but nothing came from the people around me. I was reassured.

The next few Fridays were such that I spent the whole day looking forward to the moment when I took it out and sprayed it on, heralding the start of my well-earned weekend.

Last Friday, however, a moment had come that I was dreading. The 5ml are empty. It was just enough for a little TGIF feeling. But something was not as usual - this time there was no joy about the fragrance but a sadness setting in. In the course of the evening, I decided to buy the bottle. I really didn't want to spend any more money but there was no way around it.

I'm currently writing these lines and sincerely hope it arrives by Friday. I'm already looking forward to seeing him again!

Rarely has a fragrance made such a lasting impression on me that I have built up a personal relationship with it that goes beyond just liking it.

This fragrance may not be right for everyone. And not for every day.
But for me it's now: Friday. You. Me. Same place, same time. A well-coordinated team.

So far, this is actually the only fragrance that has changed my mind after my first impression and I am very glad that I was not yet activated for the soak at the time, otherwise I would probably (unfortunately) have sold it on after the first time

Thank you for reading.

For over three decades, I wandered around completely unaware of what wonderful fragrances there are to discover in the world. With "Oud Stars - Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff" my personal journey of exploration into the world of niche fragrances began. I would like to describe my relationship with the fragrance in this review. It is more of a personal review, but it is a fragrance that has done a lot to me and accordingly I would like to dedicate my honest confession to it.

Before I only knew the usual fragrances from Tom Ford or Dior, for example, everything you can find in the local Douglas store and I never really had much interest in perfumes, it was more a means to an end than a serious thought about which fragrance suits you. My own Boss Bottled Tonic and my Acqua di Giò pour Homme Eau de Toilette, which have been with me since my student days, were all I knew how to treat myself to olfactorically. I only used these two fragrances for years and only went to a perfumery voluntarily when my wife wanted to buy a fragrance.

Over the last year, however, I kept coming across offers for the "Oud Stars - Alexandria III | XerJoff" perfume on Mydealz, for example, but I didn't know the manufacturer "XerJoff" and the term "oud" didn't mean anything to me. The first time I bought it, the fact that someone was prepared to pay a three-figure sum for a perfume seemed completely absurd to me. My Hugo Boss costs €50 for 100ml. My wife's Dior costs €100 and I already thought that was expensive for a perfume. So unnecessary. I scrolled on and stopped thinking about it.

The next time I came across such an offer, I thought to myself "ha! You again". This time I googled how to pronounce it. Sördschoff. So that's settled. Who is this Sergio Momo, how did he come up with the idea of charging such prices?

For some reason, however, this fragrance seemed to fascinate me and wouldn't let go. I caught myself thinking that it would be kind of funny to buy the "Oud Stars - Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff". Blind. But I quickly dismissed it again, it seemed too expensive, no, I'd rather not...

Or not after all? It would be a few more months before I finally couldn't resist.

I'm not someone who uses TikTok or Instagram, so I don't know any influencers that I only found out about later on Parfumo. No, I was directly influenced by the source, by XerJoff himself, who kept whispering my name in quiet moments.

I don't know what it was exactly, perhaps the promisingly mysterious-sounding name Alexandria. Egyptian pharaohs and ancient deities appear in my head. Only on high festivals is it taken out and applied in ritual ceremonies after the body has been cleansed and anointed. Perhaps it was also this elegant bottle. It's been smiling at me the whole time, haunting the back of my mind. The bottle looks like it would be used by an alchemist to store some precious magical essence. Tears from a unicorn, collected on a blood moon night. It's interesting how little things like the name of a product or its packaging can influence us. How a thing that can't communicate still manages to speak to me emotionally. So I finally gave in to the completely crazy desire and ordered this fragrance.

It was the beginning of my olfactory journey into the world of expensive fragrances. As I said, I ordered it blind and couldn't even imagine what the fragrance would be like. Rose seemed somehow inappropriate for men, but what the heck, in the worst case scenario my wife would use it, I thought to myself.

When the bottle finally arrived, my wife was just as excited about it, her fascination with Alexandria seemed to have infected her too.

The packaging is at least as luxurious as you would expect for the price. It comes in a brown outer box and looks high quality even at first glance. Inside is an opulent leather box that protects the contents. I greedily open and remove the bottle. I spray the fragrance for the first time in my life.

What followed was indeed love at first sniff

The combination of lavender + cinnamon in the top note is downright addictive. It is exactly this combination that also works so well for me in other fragrances such as "XJ 1861 Naxos | XerJoff". So it is that I have anchored this fragrance DNA deep in my olfactory palate with the purchase of "Oud Stars - Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff". In addition to this combination, a minimal woody note resonates.
From the very beginning, oud can be detected discreetly in the background.

I was particularly surprised by how great rose can smell on a man, which is then given a lot of space in the heart note. The combination of the light oud with rose makes this beautiful fragrance irresistible to me. It gives me confidence when I wear it and actually has a rather masculine effect, contrary to my expectations. I soon received the first comments about my new fragrance, after all, none of me were used to fragrances that went beyond the same shower gel-like scent.

The longevity and sillage are outstanding. I was surprised myself at how long the fragrance lasts, even 8 hours after application it still smells wonderful. Re-spraying is absolutely not necessary here! For me personally, it has set standards and plays an important role in the assessment of a fragrance, because Alexandria does not run in a linear fashion but undergoes a beautiful transformation. This made it tangible for me why this perfume doesn't cost €100 and why it is worth every penny.

It was the most beautiful blind purchase you can imagine and love at first sight. Since that day, I have spent many, many hours on Parfumo, where I registered, and other fragrances have found a place in our home and in my heart.

Perfume is more than just smelling good, it's a way of life, a bit like knowing a secret that most people keep forever.

XerJoff has definitely managed to convert me for good. I hereby make my profession of faith.

I would like to summarize my experience with Resala.

I ordered the fragrance because I already own and love the "Oud Stars - Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff" and I imagined a variation of it from the Arabian house. I was also curious about what Arabian fragrances can do and finally came across Resala via the ticker. After I looked into it, I ordered a sample with a 5ml filling.

The first time I tested it, I only applied it to my wrist. The first thing you notice is a spicy note. The rose can only be guessed at in the top note, but builds up over the course of the fragrance and comes through more strongly at the end than in AlexII, for example

The first impression is also confirmed in the following tests in which I wore the fragrance completely on its own. For the first few minutes, you are literally transported to an oriental bazaar, where every corner smells of different spices. Then the rose embraces you again and rejoices with light oud notes and the emerging chocolate.

In the drydown, the chocolate comes through most clearly, without being too synthetic or intrusive.

The longevity is great. Worn in the evening, you can still smell it in the morning. The sillage is also good - you can smell a delicious fragrance in the air, but behind AlexII for me on both counts.

I don't own the bottle, but the design is unique and a real eye-catcher.

All in all, a sweeter, less complex alternative to "Oud Stars - Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff", in which the rose in particular is given more scope. In both, the oud holds back.

I probably won't buy it, but I can definitely recommend it to anyone who basically likes AlexII and would like to try it a little spicier and with more rose.

In my opinion, "Accento | XerJoff" is a fragrance that is perfect for men and women to share.

At least in our home, it works perfectly. Accento gives you the feeling of freshness, of purity, like walking through a wild meadow on a sunny spring day in April, with the odd plant blooming here and there. It's like going out for the first time in a year without a jacket and feeling the sun on your body. The whole mood is much brighter. That's what it does to me emotionally.

Olfactorily speaking, I find it difficult to smell the individual components of the fragrance pyramid. The individual fragrances are far too combined in a blend. Slightly floral, slightly sweet but always in perfect balance. Pineapple adds a certain fruity component, but does not impose itself in any way. Nevertheless, at no point do I sense a synthetic quality in the fragrance. Another example of a composition from XerJoff that is both exciting and relaxing at the same time. The base note is dominated by subtle floral aromas.

The longevity can be classified as good. It is impressive for a rather light fragrance. Sillage is not so strong but that suits the fragrance wonderfully. If you get closer, you can perceive the projection wonderfully.

For me, the perfect unisex fragrance and also a great companion for the office.

...at least if you read the description in advance and expect aquatic notes and a noticeable honey note even before the first test.

But is that really bad? I say no! I'm not necessarily a big fan of aquatic fragrances - many of them remind me more of a good shower gel than a truly outstanding fragrance.
With some niche fragrances in this area - for example Percival - I find myself wondering whether I can detect a certain high quality, an argument that makes me realize that this is not a department store fragrance a la Hugo Boss but an expensive product. And the answer is no. Smells good, yes. But too arbitrary.

I was initially worried that I would have a similar experience with "Join The Club - 40 Knots | XerJoff".

But my worries turned out to be unfounded. What's more, the fragrance has that special XerJoff sophistication that makes a fragrance one that you always want to have around. This has already happened to me with other Xerjoff products such as "Oud Stars - Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff". And they've done it again here too.

I only perceive aquatic notes in the top notes in the form of a salty note. I had asked myself beforehand - what might salt smell like? Sounds silly at first, but how do you create something like that? I was intrigued by the idea beforehand. And indeed, there is this slightly pungent accent in the nose, which immediately transports you to the seaside and reminds you of a deep breath of fresh sea air. Grandiose.

The heart note slowly adds a sweetish scent. I think OK, the honey is starting to come through. In fact, I could not identify honey as such in the course of the fragrance. Personally, it reminds me more of brown sugar. A beautiful sweetness surrounds and embraces the light aquatics. I keep catching myself greedily sniffing my wrist. The fragrance is simply exciting for me and although it is relatively linear, it is never boring.

But how strong is it?
Compared to an "Oud Stars - Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff" or "XJ 1861 Naxos | XerJoff", the longevity is somewhat lower, but still ok. Here I simply spritz a little more, then it works for me. Projection is there, I have already been asked about it by friends. Sillage is still okay for a fresh fragrance.

The bottle looks beautiful and very classy, typical Xerjoff. The blue underlines the maritime theme and promises adventure in the cool wet.

For me personally, it will be my summer or vacation fragrance of 2024.