XS pour Homme (1993)
by Paco Rabanne

I find this somewhat similar to CK Eternity for men, more so than it is to Himalaya. Its not as sweet as Eternity and has a more earthy feel to it. Very decent scent, but very generic by today's standards. The affordability is a plus and makes a good stand-by fragrance.

XS is average, but thats not all. Maybe I m not correct with this bottler.....Why? Mmmmmmmm, because I see it everywhere, specially in ordinary stores.

The smell is not bad, safe, not agressive.....Recommend it for day wear.

In the same line, I prefer the very traditional Paco Rabanne Pour Homme. Without doubts.

A bargain. If you like Creed's Himalaya, Chanels' Platinum Egoiste, or Abercrombie's FIerce, you'll probably like this. It is essnetially a summation/combination of all 3, Himalaya being the closest. The top notes of Mint, poised citrus, and semi-sharp Juniper berries really add a natural outdoors air to the fresh appeal of this one. It shares some aldehydes with Egoiste and Fierce, which again, make it a very fresh masculine scent. It shares the same light crisp/cool/bracing mineral/fuel smell with Himalaya, and this may be the long-lasting subtle synthetic heart note they both share. XS is less musky and peppery than Himalaya, and obviously has less Ambergris, but the base still has the same smooth appeal. Overall, XS is a fragrance that can compete with much more expensive scents, when it comes to fresh, cool, understated, sober, clean and contemporary appeal.

Purchasing this was a rather uncomfortable experience. I was at the front of quite a queue, and when I asked for XS from the shelf, I half expected it to be given to me in a brown paper bag. I am not normally prone to purchasing fragrances on the cheap side, but I felt it was worth revisiting an old friend. The opening is a big bergamot hello, and I wanted to look in the box for the droopy moustache,medallion and Barry White CD that would so perfectly accompany this big "Ta-da". Thankfully, the middle notes took control of this chaotic opening, and the effect is quite glorious. For me,the sense of Juniper is the key to this fragrance, it has the strength and the character to define this. I have had no hesitation in adding this to my wardrobe.It may be cheap, but it certainly comes with a wonderful personality. Longevity is not great, but I have the After Shave version, so it is bound to be a little on the weak side.

This is a long time favorite. Scent combines perfect notes to give it some mystery without being over powering. A light scent that is actually long lasting is hard to find, but this one has it.

This is one of the nicest fragrances I have ever smelled. I have looked at the bottle hundreds of times and never bother to even try it, how wrong I was.
I like it from begging to end, I can wear it to a formal meeting, to a night out of just for everyday casual use. I never tried Himalaya but if it smells like this or better I will rush and buy a bottle.

I think this fragrance is simple perfect and just made it to my top 5 list.
The first day I wore it I got a couple of compliments.
However I did not like it right away, I liked it after one full week of wearing Opium pour homme Perfume, trying to figuring out what was the big deal about Opium. The big deal was no deal.
I gave up Opium and wore XS and it was like breathing again.
I am giving two big thumbs up to this master piece.