XJ XXY Eau de Parfum Xerjoff for women and men

Note: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Peach, Ylang-ylang, Jasmine de Grasse, Orris, Black pepper, Patchouli, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Labdanum, Vanilla beans, Musk.

XXY smells good, sometimes that is enough, sometimes it is not. At these prices, I honestly demand for more than simply a good smelling fragrance. Creativity (not there), uniqueness (not there), amazing drydown (not there. Woody amber anyone?).

The fragrance opens with a nice fruity/citrus combo immediately joined by a consistent dose of iris while jasmine remarks its presence firmly yet gently. So far, so good...Pepper breaks in and together with vetiver and patchouli provides a masculine twist that turns the initial feminine accord into something pleasantly androgynous. A strong deja-vu feeeling starts to materialize in my mind...Don't ask me why but I start to think about Coromandel, about L'Instand De Guerlain Pour Homme and, more in general, I think about Guerlain, Chanel...wait, a chypre without oakmoss, 31 Rue Cambon...Ok, just kidding, XXY shares (almost) nothing with the aforementioned fragrances but, at the same time, it's the classic type of composition that makes you think about something else...it's familiar (as opposed to unique).

After a couple of hours, the party get spoiled by the usual woody amber drydown. Now, my point is this: why we should splurge our money for an (overall) average quality fragrance? In an hypothetical world where fragrances could be compared to music, XXY would be just like an extremely talented musician releasing a new record made only of cover versions of trite songs and charging you for the full retail price.

I came to the conclusion that every country has its own "Creed". In italy we have Xerjoff.

Do yourself a favour, get a vintage Guerlain.

Rating: 6.5/10