Shooting Stars Collection: Esquel Xerjoff for women

Esquel is sold as a feminine fragrance, an unusual modern fougere with a "vintage" aspect. I expected it to be an aromatic lavender, which is not. Doc Elly describe it very well, it`s a men`s shaving-like aroma, or to be very direct, it`s an upscale version of Le Male, with less powdery-musky aspects and a woody warm discreet base that Le Male has. Some Xerjoffs you can almost see the briefing for them, an Esquel is one: "Give us a interpretation of Le Male. Women like it, some wear them, so take of part of the shaving aspect and make it more feminine". And for more feminine, they just put more vanilla and tonka, creating a nutty-vanilla warm base, that blens perfectly with the lavender and the herbs. I think that, in terms of being inspired by Le Male but pushing the limits of the fragrance to outside its aroma, Agonist Liquid Crystal is more successful. And more intense too. And if you buy the refill version at luckyscent, it costs 1/3 of Esquel.

Just to set the record straight, Esquel and the other "Shooting Stars" perfumes were launched within the past year or so, not in 1888. Apparently at some point Xerjoff took over another Italian perfume manufacturer, Casamorati, founded in 1888, and has perpetuated several of their perfumes under the 1888 label.

Esquel starts off sweet and citrusy, with aromatic herbs like lavender or, more precisely, artificially lavender-scented soap or men’s shaving product. Not the most auspicious start. As the scent develops, it takes on a hint of nutmeg and vanilla, and the lavender becomes a little more woody and realistic. After about 2 hours it dries down to a powdery nutmeg vanilla musk scent that is actually quite lovely. The vanilla musk seems to be the stable state because it lasts for the rest of the day. There's plenty of sillage throughout. A good perfume, especially in the later stages, but not worth the price.