Pure XS Night by Paco Rabanne

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. 

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.