THIERRY MUGLER ANGEL LIQUEUR DE PARFUM: Like bobbing for fruitchoulis in a vat of vintage port. Massive, tenacious and perversely yummy in a “Help! My perfume is stalking me!” kind of way. I happily steeped in its sweet, cherry-wood and booze infused fumes all day.
Robin at Now Smell This writes: “It’s recognizably Angel from the outset, but the early stages especially are smoother, less jarring, and I cannot emphasize enough how boozy it is . . . I want to drink it as much as I want to smell it.”
But really, this stuff is huge. Two sprays is more than plenty, and I’m a spray junkie.
***Note: Some kind of clanging siren in my head keeps warning me away from the original Angel, but I do enjoy its gourmand-heavy iterations (my only other encouter with Angel has been Angel Men Pure Coffee, which I guiltily love for its caramel, java and rich chocolately charms). But I do have some vials of Angel and Angel parfum sealed in little plastic baggies and awaiting a brave day . . .
CARTIER LA TREIZIEME HEURE XIII: A hauntingly lovely smoke fragrance that, if you’re a fan of the smoke genre, is pretty near impossible not to like.
Its composition is note perfect (bergamot, vanilla, leather, toasted yerba maté aka “chá mate”, and narcissus absolute), its credentials impeccable (the House of Cartier + perfumer Mathilde Laurent) and its demographic aim (the 25-45 year old luxury consumer) couldn’t be truer.
Denyse at Grain de Musc writes: “Mathilde has pinned her carousel of smoky-burnt notes onto the dazzlingly complex scent of Monique Rémy‘s narcissus absolute. Like coumarin, narcissus absolute presents tobacco-hay facets, along with a ‘horsy’ aroma; but it also gives off an aqueous green smell that gives the smoky Treizième Heure an oddly icy heart.”
My one complaint is that, because it’s positioned as part of an “exclusive” collection (Les Heures de Cartier), it’s more difficult to find and purchase than it really needs to be. Maybe that will change in the near future.
Hey, Chanel changed its mind about limiting access to the Les Exclusifs collection, right?
XERJOFF XJ 17/17 COLLECTION – HOMME: I wanted to enjoy this (if only because the packaging options are bee-you-tee-full!), but for the first half of its evolution it smells so much like Nasomatto Duro (a weird and — IMO — unattractive mix of gasoline and chlorine) that I’m going to have to pass.
The second half of its considerable lifespan (i.e. the stuff lasts all day) is much more pleasant — a luxe patchouli + oiled leather scent — but not so distinctive or wowzy that I’m willing to fork over $800 to $2,200 (U.S.) for the privilege. Duro lovers, however, should take note.
But oh! that bottle: “Each flacon has either been meticulously crafted by hand from a single block of quartz; or has had master Murano glassmakers breathe life into them, straight from the raging kiln. Each hand-numbered edition is presented on a hand-carved ebony base and is embossed with 18kt gold and decorated with rubies.”
One might be forgiven for thinking that what’s inside the bottle really isn’t the point.
XERJOFF SHOOTING STARS COLLECTION – KOBE: A limited edition release from the Xerjoff Shooting Stars Collection (though I have no idea what “limited edition” means in this case, and the Xerjoff website is mum on the point; I have an email in to a company rep asking for clarification, so I’ll update this post when/if I get any answers), Kobe is the Xerjoff entry in the present oud-trend sweepstakes.
At first, I was, like, “Great, what the world needs now is another oud, sweet oud”, but the cynicism was quickly wiped from brow by how good the darn stuff smells. Dry, spicy, a little rosy but not overly floral whatsoever, and there’s a wonderfully polished balsamic layer to the piece that makes it gleam.
The website states that Kobe is a blend of essences including Calabrese bergamot, Florida orange, Italian neroli, Paraguayan petitgrain, rose woods and balsamic resins, with oud as the core element holding it all together. I could swear there’s a mouthwatering vanilla hovering far off in the background, too, but I’m not certain.
I just know that I’ll take more, please!
Longevity is excellent (which is the case with each of the three Xerjoff’s I tested), the oud fades and the vanilla becomes more pronounced as the day wears on, while the bottle is, of course, stunning.
What the world needs now is oud, sweet oud
***UPDATE: I heard back from the Xerjoff people — the Kobe Limited Edition was originally part of a 299 bottle series that sold out (at least on their end — retailers still have bottles for sale), but Kobe has now been added to the permanent Shooting Stars Collection, so it will remain available in the future. He also informed me that, starting in March of this year, the Xerjoff website will open an e-Shop that will ship internationally.
XERJOFF SHOOTING STARS COLLECTION – UDEN: The final Xerjoff for the day, and a respectable piece of ambered woods with a beautifully smooth drydown that feels like walking into a gentleman’s club decorated in a leather, hardwoods and gleaming brass motif . . . in Dubai.
I like it a lot better than 17/17 Homme (though not nearly so much as the Shooting Stars Kobe), but testing the Xerjoff brand is reminding me of Clive Christian — quality materials and expertly blended compositions in small batch productions, but with the main focus on high-end packaging that jacks the prices up to nose-bleed luxury levels.
Neither brand breaks any new ground as far as originality is concerned, but both are excellently positioned within their genres, and both smell (and look) like money. The Xerjoff packaging beats Clive Christian with a stick, however. Seriously. It’s the difference between stiff upper lip British and exotic, opulent Mediterranean.
The saving grace for both Clive Christian and Xerjoff is that the price tags for both brands make it unlikely that you’ll bump into anyone else on your block wearing the same thing (unless, of course, your block is situated along the likes of Central Park West).
***Note 2: This is a prime example of what’s considered
But if you’re not shy about whipping out the credit card and you’re in the market for a quality fragrance, yet have zero inclination in potentially radiating the same olfactory aura as that indie hipster who flipped you off when you double-parked outside the Magnolia Bakery last Sunday, then the Xerjoff collections are certainly worth a look.
The Xerjoff brand can be found at First In Fragrance out of Germany, and they (gladly and happily) ship internationally, which is how I got these samples in the first place.
