bestmenscolognes.com

Pure XS Night is the flanker fragrance to the original Pure XS, which I don’t think ever achieved all that much popularity, but was a very nice fragrance. I was interested in trying this one out, since I completely missed Night when it was released back in 2019. I bought a sample of this, as part of a large lot of other men’s colognes. How does Pure XS Night Smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Pure XS Night Smell Like?

Notes include: ginseng, caramel, ginger, cacao, vanilla, cinnamon, myrrh 

My Full Review

Before we get into my review, let’s see how Paco Rabanne describes it: To have it all. In excess. Devastatingly fascinating. Girls fall under his spell. Now’s the time to lighten up, play with fire. Lose control. An untamed Oriental, hot and fresh. Excess in its purest state.

Bam! That ginseng and ginger blend up top really hits hard. It actually reminds me of the ginger ale drink Canada Dry Bold, with that blast of ginger. Along with those two notes, there is also a bit of cinnamon floating around, so expect a warm/spicy opening act.

After 10 minutes of so Pure XS Night will start its turn toward becoming a sweeter cologne. Caramel and vanilla really start to come through, with a bit of raw cacao. I reminded of the caramel note in The Most Wanted, but I think that Azzaro fragrance is better than this.

For a while it will morph from a spicy/sweet blend, into something that is more of a sweet fragrance, as a whole. Freshness sits underneath that sweetness and it has a balsamic finish from the myrrh in the base.

I get mostly caramel and myrrh in the final phase, but the vanilla does blend with its counterpart a lot. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is loud, but not overwhelming. Well, maybe the first few minutes can be a bit much, but once the spice settles Night is a strong fragrance and not monstrous. You definitely gets your money’s worth, though.

The longevity is also very good. Somewhere in the 8-9 hour range, on the skin. Plus, a super long time on fabric, well into the double digit hour range.

The performance is much better than I got with the original Pure XS, which had a great smell, but pretty middling longevity and sillage.

Seasonally, autumn and winter only. This isn’t a warm weather fragrance. Beyond that, you won’t get much use out of this, aside from the nightlife. Maybe on a cold day, you could wear this casually, but it’s not one for business attire.

The sweetness and synthetic kind of vibe, make Pure XS Night one for the younger crowd. Teenagers through twenties should love this stuff. It’s attractive, bold, and a party/night club beast. Not the most versatile cologne, but it has its place.

Overall Impressions of Pure XS Night

Overall, do I like Pure XS Night? I do. As far as deciding between it or the original Pure XS, I think that I still prefer how that one smells versus this newer version. However, this has much better performance and still is very attractive and worthwhile.

The opening ginger, ginseng, and cinnamon is indeed quite bold and may be off-putting for some people, but once it settles; the aroma develops very well.

I like the caramel/vanilla/cacao sweetness and the myrrh is always a nice touch and a bit part of the DNA of Pure XS. The biggest weakness (if you want to call it that), is the rather narrow use case for Night. 

You’re going to have to be in the market for a nightlife fragrance, something along the lines of Ultra Male or 212 VIP. But, within that space this is a cologne that is one to try out. 

Spicebomb Night Vision is one of the latest set of flanker fragrances from Viktor & Rolf for the very popular Spicebomb lineup. I’ve been testing out both of the Night Vision colognes for the past few weeks to see how each performs. What does the EDT smell like? When should it be worn? Is it even worth a try?

What does Spicebomb Night Vision Smell Like?

Notes include:  grapefruit, sage, black spice complex, geranium, roasted almond accord, tonka bean

Click here to try: Spicebomb Night Vision Eau De Toilette Spray By Viktor & Rolf Cologne for Men 1.7 oz

My Full Review

The opening act of Night Vision has been fairly strange in terms of what I pick up from it. Sometimes, it feels much sweeter and closer to the dry down stage of the EDP version. Then, it seems quite fresh and green during other wears.

The opening act is usually highlighted by the grapefruit, sage, geranium, and black spice complex. The spice complex is black pepper and it seems like a bit of chili pepper, as well. Though, sometimes it also smells like there is cumin in here…as I’ve said, it’s weird.

If I happen to get a sweeter opening, it’s usually the tonka bean popping up early to match with the grapefruit note. The sage freshness is always present.

Other reviews that I’ve seen on this scent, don’t seem to pick up as much geranium and sage as I do on my skin. But, that’s a lot of what I’ve come to expect from Night Vision.

The dry down is a tonka bean and roasted almond creaminess, with the aromatic freshness of the aforementioned notes. It’s a bit green and not as cold or woody as the EDP version. Really, this one isn’t too complex.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage with Spicebomb Night Vision is light to moderate. The first hour is pretty decent with how it projects itself. Then, it does go into skin scent mode pretty quickly on my skin and stay there for the rest of the time. Not really great.

The longevity is also lackluster, with this Viktor & Rolf cologne lasting just over 5 hours, in my experience. Maybe, it’s gotten close to six for one wear. The performance is probably the biggest negative for me, with this fragrance…it’s pretty bad for a designer cologne.

When it can be worn, is one of the strengths, however. Seasonally, Night Vision is fine, outside the height of the summer, but could work well in autumn through the springtime.

Spicebomb Night Vision is more of a casual or nightlife wear versus being anything formal. It also skews younger, think 20s through early 30s, and not a teenager’s cologne. The scent itself is pretty mass appealing and should be able to draw some complements. It’s not groundbreaking stuff, but I think plenty of people would enjoy Night Vision.

Overall Impressions of Night Vision EDT

Overall, do I like Night Vision? When I first tried out this Spicebomb scent, it wasn’t that appealing to me. However, it did grow on me somewhat. Even with a bit more appreciation in its favor, Spicebomb Night Vision isn’t all that great.

It smells fine enough and there are periods, that I quite enjoy. As a whole, there’s nothing that really stands out about it. The fragrance’s performance isn’t good, the smells is nice but not super attractive, and it doesn’t supplant any of the other Spicebomb colognes.

For the retail price, I cannot recommend it. If you can find it on sale, then maybe it’s worth a go. Still, I like the Eau de Parfum better. It actually has decent performance and a better aroma, as a whole.

It certainly has some positive aspects to its presentation, but overall this is pretty forgettable. At the price point, you could do better.