Black XS by Paco Rabanne

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I recently got another order of fragrances which included the very good, 212 VIP. Also in the box, was a bottle of Black XS by Paco Rabanne for men. I have already reviewed other scents by this brand, 1 Million and Invictus, and so I thought that it was time to tackle Black XS. In this post, I want to present my opinions on how it smells, performs, when it should be worn, and if it i worth a buy or not.

What Does Black XS Smell Like?

Notes include: Kalamanzi, Calabrese lemon, patchouli, praline, cinnamon, black amber

Click here to try: Black Xs By Paco Rabanne For Men, Eau De Toilette Spray, 3.4-Ounce Bottle

black xs paco rabanne review

My Full Review

The opening of Black XS is hardly reminiscent of anything ‘black’ or dark for that matter. I suppose it takes on the name because of the black amber note, which is strange, since it isn’t one of the main noticeable ingredients.

You initially get a pretty pungent blast of lemon. sweetness of praline, and a spicy/leathery sort of aroma from the cinnamon and patchouli.

The cinnamon note actually reminds me of 1 Million. Much like that other Paco Rabanne fragrance, Black XS’s notes take on a different kind of fruity smell than its ingredients would suggest.

In 1 Million, you get the sensation of warm, leathery grape bubblegum. While in Black XS, it smells a lot like a strawberry flavored candy of some sort blended with praline.

When I wore this cologne the other day, I really didn’t like the opening at all. It was too sweet and harsh for my tastes and I felt like I was getting a headache. However, I decided that I’d chalk that up to being really sleep deprived and not feeling good in general.

Today, I consider it to be much more pleasant, though it still doesn’t blow me away with how it starts. In fact, I can detect the separation of the notes much better, and it doesn’t smell like such an intense strawberried mess which bumps it up a few points in my mind.

As it wears on, Black XS does indeed get ‘darker’. It still isn’t a dark scent in my opinion but it definitely isn’t as bright as the opening. It does retain its sweetness and grows into something that is rather warm and more woodsy. I detect more of the cinnamon and patchouli during the dry down period of this fragrance.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Black XS starts out pretty strong, but not nearly anything like 1 Million. It does lose some of its power as time wears on, so don’t expect a beast scent throughout.

That opening is pretty sharp and loud. So, because it stays at that level or a while, it drags up the overall average of Black XS’ sillage. Really, once it’s toned down this one is moderate.

Longevity is pretty good but again not spectacular. I’m getting 6 hours of solid use, so far, and maybe a little longer as a purely skin scent. Update: Yes, 6-7 hour seems to be the norm with this one. Which can be surprising when you’ve experienced that bold start.

Black XS is yet another cold weather scent. I think it could be alright in the spring but definitely not during the heat of summer. It is much more of a youthful type of fragrance, think, early 20s and below. It’s kind of playful and not stuffy and serious like some other scents.

It also strikes me more of a nightlife kind of cologne but it wouldn’t totally be out of place in a casual situation. For the close quarters of an office or something like that, it’s not the best option. It can be too sharp and cloying, which will bother other folks.

Overall Impression of Black XS

Overall, is Black XS worth a buy? Perhaps. This isn’t a fragrance for everyone and I don’t even know if it’ll be one for me (at least on a regular basis). I picked up a bottle on sale for $20, so, I’m not entirely disappointed with it.

It is definitely an interesting scent and is attractive in a lot of ways. You will have to enjoy sweet fragrances, obviously. Plus, lemon and patchouli are ingredients you’ll have to like, otherwise stay away.

Black XS is a very solid fragrance but not anything insanely impressive. It might find a home in your collection but I don’t think it’ll become a signature scent.

Update: I’ve had this cologne for a few years now and the bottle is still almost completely full. I just never could get into wearing it. The lemon, praline, and patchouli combination is just too much for my nose.

Sharp and sweet. I don’t hate it, but it’s not my style. I think Pure XS is a better option, but the performance on that one, isn’t great. The fragrance can be quite acidic to the nose and it’s pretty limited in when I ever wanted to wear it. There was always a better fragrance option.

I Love New York for Him by Bond No. 9

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For my second review in this series of Bond No.9 scents, I will tackle, I Love New York for Him. This is of course, one of the male fragrances from the ‘I Love NY’ line that came out 5-6 years back. As usual, I am going to cover my impressions, how it smells, how it performs, when it could be worn, and whether or not I think that this cologne is worth a buy or not.

What Does I Love New York for Him Smell Like?

Notes include: patchouli, leather, musk, grapefruit, ginger, geranium, lavender, amber, sandalwood

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 I Love New York For Him Eau De Parfum Spray 50ml/1.7oz

My Full Wear Review

The opening of I Love New York for Him, seems to me to be an intense burst of mainly the grapefruit and patchouli notes, with just a hint of musk. Frankly, I don’t find it to be all that enjoyable. It smells quite acidic and concentrated and too overpowering at this stage for my tastes.

It usually settles down within 5-10 minutes, and becomes a much more enjoyable blend of citrus and spice. Though, I really don’t like that initial part. The ginger note comes in, which makes this feel fresher, along with a light juniper berry ingredient.

The thing that I noticed most about this Bond No. 9 fragrance is how much it smells like Just Cavalli Him. They share the ginger and geranium notes and the Cavalli exchanges the grapefruit for bergamot but, man, there is a lot of overlap here.

I Love New York does have better performance and the patchouli/musk combo sets it apart but these two are definitely related in many ways.

The middle part and the dry down gives you periods of lavender and leather, coming through stronger underneath the citrus. The geranium is still present and kind of sits in the middle of the lavender and leather cycling back and forth between second strongest.

The base is pretty much musk, with some sandalwood. Eventually, what I’m left with is: grapefruit, ginger, lavender, patchouli, leather, and musk. The freshness stays but much of the spice and stronger intensity of the leather is gone.

Sillage, Longevity, Versatility 

The projection with this one is rather moderate. Although, I will say I enjoy it more during the dry down stage than in the beginning, it simply isn’t as intense.

I Love New York for Him does have really good longevity and I can detect this cologne all work day. Maybe 9-ish hours, in total. So, it does actually deliver on the performance aspect. Decent sillage paired with the type of longevity that you’d want.

If anything, this cologne is good for casual wear during the warmer months of the year. It is a clean kind of fragrance but I wouldn’t call it sexy in the slightest. But, on these warmer days it does have a pleasant enough aroma to draw me in.

I wouldn’t ever think to wear this scent on a date or out for a night at the bars. I guess it’s more of a casual or perhaps office-type of wear. Rather clean and inoffensive.

Overall Impressions of I Love New York

Overall, is I Love New York for Him worth a buy? I’d say no. It’s not terrible by any means but it’s so generic and simplistic to me. Plus, the price is the usual high end of the spectrum that Bond No. 9 is known for. If you’re going to spend that much, at least get the best colognes of the brand.

The immediate opening isn’t good at all. I do like the citrus, geranium, juniper and ginger laden fragrance that follows. But, with the leather and patchouli, it just doesn’t fully work for me.

Even if you did dig this scent, I’d simply buy Just Cavalli Him for cheap (update: that’s not really an option anymore) and buy some other scents in conjunction with that. Otherwise, I don’t really see a purpose for this cologne.

The performance is good, the smell is decent, but unless you can score a cheap bottle, why? To me, this isn’t among the brand’s best scents and really offers nothing unique. I’ll pass, as I have no real place for it, in my rotation.

Artisan Acqua by John Varvatos

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Having completed a review of Artisan by John Varvatos last month, I thought it would be a good idea to review the sample of Artisan Acqua which I tried out this week. I think that John Varvatos makes some really nice fragrances that are usually masculine and at least somewhat unique from most other popular cologne choices out there.

Does Artisan Acqua, fit the mold of the Varvatos legacy or does it fail to meet expectations? Read on to find out. Note: I am updating this review, some 4 years on, to flesh things out some more about Acqua.

What does Artisan Acqua Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin orange, tangelo, lavender. sage, musk, coriander, and others

Click here to try: John Varvatos Artisan Acqua Cologne For Men 2.5 oz Eau De Toilette Spray

My Full Review

Artisan Acqua is a bit of a different take on the original Artisan fragrance. This one is obviously an aquatic style men’s fragrance, but more of a citric and spicy take on the genre.  My first impressions of Acqua were of how clean and fresh it is and how much it reminds me of an aftershave.

It also invokes ideas of the sea or the summertime, which is probably when it is best suited for use. Even if it doesn’t have any real marine or oceanic notes to its composition, the effect of the tangelo and citrus accord give this a watery/juicy touch.

Acqua opens up with the citrus notes (mandarin and tangelo), along with some clean herbal/floral ingredients. It’s got that aquatic scent for sure, but it also has that underlying aftershave type of cleanly smell.

It’s a bit spicy, with some great smelling earthiness, underneath that traditional summertime citrus juicy top. Mastic and the fir do give this one a resinous quality at times.

After a bit, it settles down into a greener fragrance rather than the aquatic/citrusy blend that was first introduced to my nostrils. Again, Varvatos delivers a fragrance that has the classically masculine quality to it and not to mention how cool the bottle looks.

I actually pick up a lot of sage and lavender, plus some other herbal-like notes, that I cannot really distinguish from one another. The final drydown is a lot less of the citrus juicy/watery and more of that clean woodsy and slightly green aftershave vibe.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

My qualms with this scent, like so many others before it, comes down to its longevity and projection. Artisan Acqua to me rates rather poor to mediocre in this regard. It is a softer type of fragrance and it doesn’t lend itself well to projecting outwards.

Meaning, after a little while someone would need to be extremely close in order to smell it. Not very good sillage, even during the opening act. But, at least that is fairly detectable and this one quickly becomes a skin scent for me.

Out of all the times that I have tried this fragrance, I can simply not get it to perform.

Also, it seems to last about 3-4 hours on my skin and only performs up to par during those first two. This seems to be a common theme with many Varvatos fragrances. Nice smell, meh performance.

Some of the others might get me a few more hours than this. Acqua is particularly egregious with how disappointing the performance is.

It would again, be best worn in the summer months or late springtime. It’s more of a casual sort of wear, than anything formal or built for the nightlife.

As a daily wear, it could have a place also. Assuming that you have better luck with its longevity than I do.

Overall Impressions of Artisan Acqua

Is it a bad smelling cologne? No, I really like its scent. Though, admittedly, it isn’t one which blows me away either. It is enjoyable but it’s weakness doesn’t merit its inclusion as a day to day or even special occasion fragrance for me.

What I do like about it, is that Artisan Acqua, goes in a different direction from the traditional aquatic cologne. It has the juicy citrus opening, but from the start introduces floral notes, spice, and an earthiness.

But, it can be a let down, if you were expecting something oceanic or beachy in its presentation.

The change of pace is great. Again, the performance is what was disappointing for me. If this had more intensity or staying power, it’d probably be a popular warm weather wear.

It’s ultimately more of a woodsy green and herbal blend. That initial tangelo watery aspect fades and it’s just more of an aftershave sort of smell. Nothing crazy groundbreaking, bad performance, but pleasant overall.

Pacific Chill by Louis Vuitton

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Pacific Chill is a new perfume release from Louis Vuitton for 2023. I bought a sample of this scent, as soon as I saw one available, because I really wanted to try it out. I’ve like a lot of the brand’s summertime fragrances and hoped that this one is a hit too. How does it smell? Does Pacific Chill last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Pacific Chill Smell Like?

Notes include: blackcurrant, lemon, orange, ambrette, cedar, coriander, basil, carrot seeds, peppermint

My Full Review

Here’s how Louis Vuitton describes it: Evoking the regenerative vigor of the infinite ocean, Pacific Chill translates the pleasure of the warmth of a new day on the skin. An audacious olfactory creation by Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, this detox-oriented cologne captures nature’s vitality which revives the senses and opens the mind.

Pacific Chill opens up cold, sharp, and very fresh. The citrus notes lead the way, but I get a lot of greener notes involved early on, on my skin. The peppermint, coriander, and basil right away give this fragrance a lot of flavor and makes the opening act quite interesting.

To me, the peppermint is the strongest of the latter three notes and the other two just sort of play background support. That will shift and the basil, will come out more in replacement of that mint note.

Blackcurrant only adds to the sweet-tart kind of vibe that Chill puts out.

After a short while, the mint and blackcurrant notes back off. Pacific chill will be a citrus and basil based fragrance. The orange and citron are distinct on my skin and there is that apricot-like effect coming in, as well. Louis Vuitton doesn’t officially list that as a note, on the page that I saw but something similar is present at least.

Still kind of cool and icy drink vibes. Kind of spicy fresh still, with a greater musk cleanliness than in that initial spray.

Early, this has a refreshing drink feel to it. Later, Pacific Chill is more of a clean shampoo sort of scent. The fruit notes kind of combine into a amalgamated citrus and apricot smell, with the carrot seeds and ambrette giving it a muskiness.

Peppermint and basil are basically non-factors by this point. Fruity clean with a bit of sweetness, but more of a tartness, however.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Pacific Chill opens like an absolute bomb, on my skin. Seriously, this one envelops me in a cloud of iced fragrance for about an hour. Then, it kind of goes into a lighter moderate mode.

It’s certainly got a steep drop off from what it starts off like versus how it finishes, but I was surprised I even got that much of a loud projection. Should give you a nice scent trail.

Even in that lighter state, Chill doesn’t fade away, and carries on. I get about 7.5 hours of wear. With more sprays from a full bottle, I wouldn’t be shocked to hit 9, but 7.5 is about what I expect.

Seasonally, this is spring and summer all the way. Very much a warm weather fragrance, fruity citrus greenery.

Pacific Chill is unisex, but I’d say leans more feminine. Doesn’t entirely stray into the zone, but the fruity shampoo aspects of it certainly push it that way. It also feels a lot more youthful than the other LV summer fragrances. Not a super mature fragrance, kind of like a refined teenager’s perfume.

This one is more for daytime casual wear, anyway. Not going to be something for the nightlife or even formal wear during the summer. So, even if it is somewhat immature, it should be too much of an issue.

Overall Impressions of Pacific Chill

Overall, do I like Pacific Chill? I certainly liked the opening act. When I first sprayed this perfume, it really grabbed my attention. Not that it was a complete love for me, but it was very unique and interesting.

But, even with that being the case. That sharpness can be bothersome at times and not always what I want to smell. Though, the way it comes across as a cold and refreshing drink is really great.

The back half of this fragrance? It’s fine. It has too much of that fruity shampoo aroma for my liking. On the whole, while this is a unisex scent, it does seem to skew towards being something a younger woman would wear.

Personally, I think Vuitton scents like: Afternoon Swim, Cactus Garden, and City of Stars are better overall than Pacific Chill.

For the current $300 price tag, I think it’s too much of a stretch for most people. I don’t think that Pacific Chill is going to be a Louis Vuitton fragrance that is universally beloved. For some folks, sure. I think that it’s worth trying to see if you fall into that camp or not.

That being said, it won’t be a must-have for most people.

The One EDT for Women by Dolce & Gabbana

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For today’s review, we have the eau de toilette version of The One for Women by Dolce & Gabbana. This obviously is a newer take on the EDP release, that has been a popular ladies scent for years now. As usual, I’m going to cover: how it smells, what’s inside, how it performs, when it should be worn, and if it is even worth a purchase.

What does The One EDT for Women Smell Like?

Notes include: lily, vanilla, bergamot, mandarin orange, lychee, peach, ylang ylang, orange blossom, vetiver, and musk

Click here to try: The One EDT for Women

My Full Review

Before we get started into my thoughts on this perfume, let’s see what D&G has to say about it in their description:

The One eau de toilette is an enchanting, sensual, and feminine scent, with a new twist of freshness that magnifies the key note of Madonna lily. Oriental Floral. 

The opening of the EDT version of The One is very sweet with the vanilla note leading the way and smooth floral notes such as the orange blossom and lily. While there are multiple citrus ingredients listed, what I mostly get is peach coming through, and the bergamot/orange is a much weaker aroma.

Though, with orange blossom as well, you do get some bursts of citrus during the wear. To me, that is a good thing, as I really do enjoy the smell of orange blossom.

You do get a lovely top from this fragrance, with some juicy fruit and sweetness, beyond just being another floral scent. Yes, floral notes do take over more as it wears on, but I like the peach and the light citrus touch from the start. Still, all of this is experienced within the embrace of the floral and woodsy notes.

The One EDT is quite a rich and warm perfume. Lily, vanilla, amber, and musk create an enveloping cloud of sweet white florals. Moving forward, I also detect a very lovely ylang-ylang note which adds another dimension to the floral composition.

It becomes quite creamy and a sweet floral during the latter stages. The lily does indeed begin to fully dominate the fragrance, but I still get enough vanilla and amber, for this scent to keep its appeal.

Ultimately, it is a lily, vanilla, and amber scent with a bouquet of floral notes surrounding that trio. Also, a peach note, which still has a good deal of strength during the later periods of its cycle.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this can start out with some pretty heavy sillage, but later on it becomes much more moderate. Now, it can be overdone with too many sprays, but a normal application should have no problems.

That opening strength might last from 30-60 minutes, depending on the day. But, even after that the strength is fine and The One is quite usable.

The longevity is fairly good as well, The One EDT lasted around 7 hours on my skin. Not the best of the best, but good enough for most purposes. It’s actually much better than the men’s EDT version, so, I won’t complain too much.

Seasonally, this Dolce scent feels like it’d be best in cold weather, but fine in anything but the hottest days of the year. Even though this is a fruitier scent, the other notes have enough body and thickness to make it less than ideal for the summer.

It is a versatile fragrance that can be worn everyday at the office, class, but is attractive enough to pull double duty on a date or a night out.

I certainly found it quite pretty and appealing, with a certain amount of sexiness to it. But, it doesn’t stray too far into the seductive nightlife wear. Mostly, just an attractive and versatile scent.

Honestly, it kind of fits for any age range. The sweetness that it does have doesn’t put it into ‘teenager only’ perfume category. Though, they could certainly wear The One as well.

Overall Impressions of The One EDT

Overall, is The One eau de toilette worth a try? I’d say, yes. It is a very attractive scent but it is also a very sweet scent. You’re going to have to enjoy lily, peach, and an enveloping warm sweetness.

Honestly, the perfume can be a bit much at times, but as a white floral fragrance it works well in totality. Still, I think that it is an improvement upon the EDP version, in a lot of ways. I got a good performance from it and it does have quite a lot of beauty within that sweetness.

It’s not an amazing fragrance. The peach and the citrus up top are a highlight for me, even if things can feel crowded at times, with all of the notes jockeying for position.

Again, if peach gets on your nerves, this is probably one to avoid. Otherwise, it is a very nice D&G release, which does almost everything well. It’s been around forever, at this point, and so no new ground is being broken with this one.