Reviews of XS pour Homme (1993)
by Paco Rabanne

Great opening but wit ha name like XS you'd expect better longevity. I doused my arm in this stuff and it was gone in an hour. Yes it does smell like Himalaya but more like a powdery version almost more like Minotaure with a metal twinge.

The opening is marvellous!
Almost a masterpiece!
Woody, minty, fresh, manly, this is it!
But a couple of ours later it evolvs to flowers sitting between a barnyard and a toilet.!
PITY!

Boring, typical of th year it was released and not unique at all. The mint is probably what I hate, just like in Baldessarrini, can be cloying and sickly. Many people won't find this so but most won't do cartwheels over it either.

I used to like it, had a miniature, but never bought a full bottle and I honestly cannot believe the universal praise this fragrance gets.

This scent is somewhat archetypical fresh.
Not a fougere like Cacharel Pour Homme or Eau Sauvage.
Not a citrus like Armani Pour un Homme or YSL Live Jazz.
XS smells too undefined, it lacks prominent natural smelling ingredients, it is an odd fresh mixture, but a very common one.

To my nose it does the same thing as cheap supermarket deodorants, it doesn't really smell like an Eau de Toilette, it's just a bit more refined and sophisticated than those cheap deodorants and it obviously lasts longer.
Pretty reminiscent to the strong, bright and sharp scents I smelled in the boys locker room when I was a kid, back in the 80's
None of the kids used designer frags at that time, today it is pretty common for youngsters to use Adidas, Puma, Polo Blue, Diesel or even Allure sport.
We all used Fa, Fresh Up and something similar like Rexona (I can't remember the name).
Very strong, bright and sharp fresheners but you couldn't tell what those deodorants smelled like, only that is was kinda fresh.
XS has that typical kind of fresh and it never settles down into a softer and more textured scent, it stays fresh in a loud and linear way,

Citrus? Not really, it smells kinda sourish and musky, but when you've tried YSL Live Jazz or even better Mugler Cologne you know what true citrus is supposed to smell like.
Mugler Cologne has a true, authentic lemon note, Live Jazz a credible grapefruit note.

Sandalwood and cedarwood?
When the scent is nearly gone, after 5 hours or so, a very subte hint of a woodsy note is noticeab..ehm..conceivable at best, but you have to get past the musk first which isn't that easy.

I am not trying to suggest that I only like fragrances that do smell real and natural, nor am I trying to suggest that I can sense every single ingredient in the ones I like.
But at least they smell like something I know of, something tangible.
DKNY Men for instance smells like Earl Grey tea to me, Mugler Cologne like grass and lemon and even Chrome, the most synthetic fragrance I know, at least smells like something familiar: metal.

XS smells musky and fresh, an undefined and loud fresh, almost at the level of becoming unpleasant.

I thought this one would resemble himalaya.
I was wrong! Those two scents are very different from each other. XS pour homme smells very strong and synthetic to my nose. A very cheap smelling eau de toilette.

Being a loyal user of Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, I figured I'd try something new, and what better brand to go with that the one you trust, right? WRONG! The only thing unique about this one is the bottle.