Friday morning in NY, heading into a long holiday weekend, and I’m continuing to work my way through the latest batch of Xerjoff samples. Today’s choice is XJ 1861 Renaissance. My first impression is that this one is definitely citrus-forward. For the first hour or so, that bright citrus character is really the main thing I notice. It feels fresh, clean and energizing Now that I’m into the dry down, it has started to soften. The citrus is still there, but it is becoming a little smoother and a bit sweeter. I keep waiting for some of the warmer, woodier character to show itself, but so far I’m not really getting much of that yet. Sometimes what I expect from reading about a fragrance and what actually shows up on my skin are two very different things. Performance so far is right in my sweet spot. It has a strong personal scent bubble, enough projection that I can enjoy it throughout the morning, but it isn’t shouting across the room. So far, Renaissance feels bright, fresh, polished and very easy to wear, however, I tend to like citrus more in the opening and more warm/wood/powdery sweetness throughout the dry down and the long daily wear. I find that prolonged "Big Citrus" can be a bit much. The jury is still out on this one, but it's still very early in the day! But in contrast to the Torino21 I wore yesterday that one just hit me right between the eyes from the second it touched my nose!! We’ll see what it decides to become over the next few hours.

Today I’m continuing my exploration of Xerjoff with Torino21. And right from the start, this one has a very different personality from some of the fragrances I’ve been testing lately. It definitely has presence. The opening feels bright, green and almost electric to me. There is a freshness that wakes me up immediately, but dries down into a nice powder with a touch of woodiness This one wants you to know it is there. 😎. Or I could've just over sprayed I Tiny bit! 😜 I’m getting a really nice scent bubble around me this morning, with enough projection that I don’t have to keep checking whether I can still smell it. It isn’t obnoxious, but it is definitely more of an attention getter. I may or may not have moved a little closer to French Whore Territory today. 😜 But my book keeper is on vacation and no one else will be hones with me! 🙏 And after some recent samples where I was wondering where the fragrance went, I have to admit it is pretty nice to wear something that actually sticks its hand up and says: “Yep. I’m still here.” 😂 So far, this is a very good first impression.