Reviews of Black XS (2005)
by Paco Rabanne

Mysterious, dark, romantic, sexy, tart, sweet, spicy!

Ugh, I have a problem. I don't know what possessed me but I bought this blind. Let this be a lesson to EVERYONE READING THIS. DO NOT BLIND BUY!! Praline is nauseating to me. I can smell it in the initial blast along with the fruit salad (which by itself I might like) right up until I go to bed. Maybe I'm allergic to it, I don't know, but it stinks, and I don't like it.

I completely agree with some of the reviewers here who find it sensual, I do too. Apart from the finely blended strawverry notes, I also smell rich green apple notes, lending that little tanginess to the overall package.

Despite liking it immediately I initially had second thoughts about wearing this outside, but one day I finally gave in and wore it to work.. much to my delight.. I received a couple of compliments from a couple of my colleagues, male and female. I like this cologne and it'll continue to be a part of my wardrobe.

Like this frag very much! Simple blend of humble notes that turned out to be a superb frag! It's tartly sweet, seductive and most importantly, long-lasting!

its a lovely perfum.i think it should have been called stardust.

Like a pre-roting fruit salad - bored of it after 1 hour -

On my second bottle now. It's dark, deep, sweet, spicy and has something indescribable. It's really strong when putting it on but settles down nicely.

This will probably be remain one of my regular scents.

Sweet powdery pineapple and strawberry dust.

Has similarities with A men. very sexy and youthful, made by Oliver Cresp no less and notes are fresh lemon notes, Kalamanzi fruit, tagetes, sage, praline, cardamom, cinnamon, Tou balsam, rosewood, black amber, patchouli and ebony.

I was very impressed by Paco Rabanne Pour Home (See my review)......so when I spotted Black XS I decided to give it a try......Well I truly love the smell ;very creamy,a bit limy (opening notes) and rosy in a way thats fairly masculine. The only reason I will not give this perfume a thumbs up is due to its poor longevity; this I found to be Black XS' Achilles heel.... BUT otherwise the fragrance itself is delightful....really sexy and youthful.

Very sweet, EXTREMELY potent at first but once it dies down it smells great. You really have to try it on your skin to get an idea though, because you wont get all the notes on a tester card. Definitely not something you'd wear for your daily in the Australian summer though, its far too sweet and strong for that. Apply it sparingly the first few wears otherwise you will give yourself a headache; if over-applied its quite cloying, so you need to experiment a little to find out what works with your skin. Some days it will last 9 hours on me, some days only 1 or 2.

On my skin, I get a big blast of lemon at first mixed with berries, then once it dries a little, you definately get the praline mixed with berries, and after about 30 mins (I have quite dry & absorbent skin so things settle to their 'base' on me very quickly) I get berries mixed with patchoulli and a very slight 'woodyness.' The main standout is definately the berries, giving the scent its sweetness. Also, the top notes smell ALOT like Light Blue (the female version!) by D & G, so if your significant other likes it get them to consider that for themselves. Once they both settle they are entirely different though

2 thumbs up, just be careful applying it, you don't want to choke your partner!

Starts off in a sweet red-lolly kind of way. Darkens in the dry down and it takes a more masculine character. Reminds me of the original Joop but not as cloying.

PINEAPPLE!!!

Can no one smell it? That was the first thing me and my wife thought. I don't really get the whole strawberries thing.

Its very sweet. Probably too sweet for my tastes but its not offensive and that is a rarity in colognes when they are sweet.

Sweet pineapple.

What is black amber? ... black cardamom? Black XS does present an unusual set of accords. Some say strawberries and I can say “Sort of…” but it is a bit synthetic and combined with a creamy note that makes it more like a desert than a fruit. Not that I’m complaining about the synthetic smell – this version of strawberry is refreshing, fun, sumptuous, and non-cloying. The “strawberry” enters right in the top and is shadowed by slight aromatics that lends a bit of sophistication to the unsophisticated fruit note. This is followed by a movement of a less strawberryish sweetness and a genuine bit of darkness in the middle accord – could it be that that black cardamom is responsible for the blackening of the accord? I am surprised that this scent is turning out to be this good, and am hoping for an equally satisfying drydown. And the drydown delivers: It loses most of the sweetness and becomes and accord that is, while not exactly dark, a bit shadowy. The drydown, with its rosewood, ebony and patchouli, at least gives the impression of a modicum of blackness, and I really appreciate that rather honest reference and adherence to the name. This scent is way too young and sweet for me, but it is an enjoyable, well made, masculine scent for the younger man, and it is much more complex and sophisticated than much of its designer competition.

opens up with Mint, Corainder and bergmot. The middle notes include, Juniper berry and wild flowers, finishing off with sandalwood,musk and cedarwood.

this description i found seems much closer to my nose than what i can read above, i can definetely sense cedar and juniper there. this is why i like this cologne. the great contrast between its sweet notes and its resinous notes.

great one. metrosexual i would say, with the inherent contradictions: strong but still efeminated, sweet but masculine. excesivelly sweet in the bottle or on the teststrip but much more sophisticated when applied on skin - . to read (smell)this one as candy, chewing gum or icecream is like saying umberto eco's novels are detective stories. true in a way, so false in all the others. great caramel/praline touch, like mugler's angel

Sweet without being cloying. Strawberry and rich cream in a non-fem way. I wouldn't wear this to work ,but it's great for going out to strip clubs!

Perfect smell rosey and much masulinesupressive smell it supresses nearly all the fragrances I own like l'eau de issey(well not supresses issey but is equal;easily defeats CKIN2U,jean paul gaultier le male the normal XS)

Very long lasting,maybe everybody not likes this kind of smell but I give it a 10 stars out of 10.


BTW:NEVER SMELL IT OFF THE BOTTLE.So different on skin....

There are a lot of synthetic things going on here. Whether they work for you is going to depend on whether you like (or dislike) that signature (or is that novelty) note, Praline.

I really expected to like this. The reviews are generally very positive and I quite enjoy XS (regular). This is just too fruity, though. It isn't an issue of it being too feminine, it's just not an appealing scent regardless of gender. It reminds me of bubblegum.

This has to be the number one sweet fragrance for men to me. I mean, WOW! I was totally impressed. I have never been a fan of the sweets for men (Pi, Dreamer, Rochas, etc) but recently started diggin them thanks to the plethora of flowery mens frags out there. Black XS is very nice, sweet yet masculine, and nice staying power. It smells like candy yet sophisticated. definately give it a try and definately HIGHLY recoomended.

omg - how can people say this is fruity? I definitely get a rose note, but other than that, it smells exactly like the smell of the fragrance section of the department store...

Generic, bland, over-rated and too popular with 15 year-old Emos...

This fragrance has a hold on me. It is simply one of the most sexually evocative compositions out there. Perhaps influenced by the bottle, I envision the man who wears this to be young, of the SOHO, Village, Manhattan variety... masculine, self assured, handsome, and clothed in jeans, a black tee shirt, with perhaps a black leather wrist band. It is definitely a club or nocturnal activities fragrance, not at all suitable for the office, spring time or summer days. It is rich and velvety and very dense but not syrupy, yes, with a mysterious fruit note in between apple and strawberry, but with SO MUCH MORE that I'd hate for someone to pass it up based on that overly simplified olfactory focal point.

Perhaps what I love so much about XS is that it IS sweet, but no a liquid sweet, but rather a drier, pointed, heated sweet. The woods, the amber, and a cinnamon note I detect, give it richness but at once, a sublte, sensual vivaciousness that spell s.e.x. to me. Perhaps not a must have, but for all eager fragrance lovers, a MUST TRY! 4/5

This one is just perfect! Dunno why but something tells me that there a lot of strawberries in its composition! It's just delicious and sexy!

Yes, it´s true. It smells a bit like D&G light blue femme. Fresh, sweet strawberries...it is masculine in a young way. I have to buy a bottle of this one. It last very good.

Smells like strawberry and cream sweets to me. Very fruity and quite feminine for a supposed masculine scent. I haven't smelt anything quite like this, and although I wouldn't purchase this it is quite pleasant.

Really love this scent... In the same "sweet" family with A*Man, Rochas Man and Pi...

Mmmm!One of my absolute favourites.I like heavy,powerful scents and this is cheeky with it.Lots of strawberry,citrus,cream and rose.On me this one lasted and lasted.Brash but also fairly complex with a nice contrast between the start and the drydown,like a day-glo version of Ungaro III (which I find similar but way more mature and sophisticated).All in all a very sensual experience.Sexy!

Indeed a very peculiar fragrance...! Very hard to say if it is interesting peculiar, or just odd peculiar... In any case, I don't find it as bad as some have put it... Maybe not a first choice, or something that you would buy for full price, but nevertheless a quite bizarre scent for that Halloween party, or just an intellctual experiment trying to follow what good old Paco was thinking when he approved of this blend. Definitely quite mysterious and black in its presence and maybe something for that personality that always wants to go against the stream...?!

Great fruity with an original base, not for everyone.. sweet but with a balance between the lemon and light woods... strong at firt spray but then u have a nice fruity - sensual base like no other...

I smelled this fragance with a friend that originally wanted to buy Polo Black to attract some girl that hes really into. He told the lady in the store that he was looking for something diferent and attractive for women. This lady soon picked up this fragance and showed it to us. To me was totally unpleasant and too sweet for me. Not what i was expecting for a mans fragance. My friend didnt like at all because we both agreed that its smell like some kind of berry thing. For a little bit of more cost, i convinced him to buy Chic if he wants to really surprise somebody. The lady later confessed that she just popped out this horrible fragance because she had to sell a least amount of this thing. Dond Buy IT unless your into very irresistible, A*men and all other fragances that have to do something with chocolate or syrup.

Interesting and very original. I like that unusual, young, fruity, provocative and sensual smell, but on my skin lasts one a half and a hour with zero sillage!!

Very very sweet as well as incissive.. It has notes of chocolate or something like cherry sirup. Once you pour some on your body, you can be floating in this scent for hours.. Undoubtably masculine, invassive and agrassive in terms of feromones. My girlfriend says it "turns her on" so you can be well concerned of what you want.. It reminds me a similar sensation of A·Men (TM). I agree with some opinions saying this is not for the aged man, yes.. maybe is for the boy that seeks a little bit of ego display. All in all I like it, so does my baby! It last for hours and hours, even a day or half and a day without loosing notes.

A very nice scent: sweet, sensual, with a milky praline note. This one is for the man that considers himself sexy, and considers his appearance very important. I prefer Very Irresistible over this, but still it is a great scent, but I won't buy it because a lot of boys now have it in Romania.

It was a strange smell to get used to. I loved the old XS and XS Extreme, so bought this when it came out, but did not like it much at first. Now it is fine, but still a little overpowering and too sweet. It settles nicely and dries to a powdery smell which is not unpleasant at all.

Test this before you buy it though.

DONT...DONT BUY unless you want to smell of strawberries that have been sweetened by immersing them in sugar syrup. its so so sweet makes me squeamish. This is almost edible if you like strawberry jam. This could easily be a replacement for Strawberry jam addicts who could spray this in their mouths. Yucks.

My mother used to make a dessert/salad with Jello gelatin and applesauce; perhaps Paco's mother did, too (don't suppose Jello was that popular in Spain and France). First I smell apple pulp, then the scent of cherry Jello. Later I find buttery vanilla, but nothing very gothic. I'm starting to wonder whether Perfume Worldwide mislabeled my sample which reads "XS Black by Paco Rabanne for Men;" or else my female flesh has rendered some alternate character. I was hoping to reenact Scenteur 7's experience of strawberries and patchouli.

Much more than a goth- a true dandy. If i enjoyed the Mediterranean notes of the original XS, this version adds something more- a leathery chypre finnish mstronger than in the orignal. I doubt if this is aimed at a younger gruop, as it smells fairly outlandish and complicated, somewhat like a Salvador Dali creation, definately not a casual, easy-going scent. It's made for the dandy, the seducer, the big spender, lover of both art and nightlife, of both luxury and mystery.
One minor flaw: the far too powedery and sweet drydown, without it, it'll be close to perfection.

This is another in the edible bery club (City Glamour etc). I do like it though. Where City Glamour has a greater subtlety but no lasting quality (on my skin) this one has a stronger presence and a more defined drydown. Nice stuff but DO try before you buy!

They got the marketing for this scent all wrong. Touting it as a “new fragrance for tough men with a tender heart”, really is like saying tough men wear tutus. Giving the bottle gothic letterings alone will not make the scent any more masculine and besides, no self-respecting Goth would be caught dead (undead as the case may be) with this scent on them. Bulgari Black will still be the frag of choice for Goths. The targeted age group though, is spot on. It targets the 18 to 25-year olds, rather than the usual XS consumer who is aged around 35. I’d prefer to call it “XS Red” or “Red in XS pour homme” in homage to the praline heart note that distinctively resembles cherries to me or strawberries to some others. Either way, the scent evokes the colour red.

The one preoccupation of perfumers is to find that singular new molecule which can be used as the heart note of a scent and drive up its sales to stellar heights. Olivier Cresp’s creation focuses on the “praline” note, no doubt a synthetic new discovery and blends it with a citric topnote of Calabrian lemon, kalamanzi and a basenote that contains his favourite smell, patchouli as well as black amber for a soft balsamic effect on the drydown. It is a masterfully blended scent because the lemon and lime combo adds a sharp sour note to the sweet praline heart that gets depth from rosewood and breath from the patchouli and amber. It is critical for ingredients to add aspects of its note in a complementary fashion to form a unified accord.

Praline on its own would probably smell tart and very synthetic, just like vertiver on its own would be bitter and nearly unwearable as a scent, but we don’t get that sense of “synthetic-ness” because of a perfumer’s mastery over his ingredients. He knows almost instinctively what ingredients would blend well with each other and experiments these blends with the new synthetic molecule to discover the best combinations to put on the couturiers’ table for their selection.

There has been a sort of underground perfumers’ war to outdo each other in trying to create a simple masterpiece that surrounds a synthetic sweet heart note with more natural ingredients. The challenge is to make that sweet heart note wearable and less synthetic. Amber and vanille notes are very popular as basenotes because they contribute to the sense of natural-ness as substances naturally occurring in the wild and powdery notes mute the synthetic buzz of man-made molecules by surrounding it with the natural aspects of talcum powder.

So, Black XS’s praline note is wrapped with Tolu balm to encase it in a smooth creamy texture. Even then, the synthetic nature of the praline manages to scream out a loud siren before it is embalmed, between the top and mid-notes. Yes, it is very hard to hide synthetic-ness because it is usually astringent in quality and the sharp edges just pokes out of the best-made encasements. You know how great the perfumer is by the quality of his “encasements” and Black XS is blended to let just enough of the new molecule jut out, declaring an original creation is born, yet made wearable with more traditional bases.

I disagree that this is a dark and mysterious scent. If it was in a pink bottle with gold frills it would still work. I do like the bottle however, and I see how it all fits together. This is one my favourites - a great addition to my collection. Straight A's for artistic (gothic) impression. It would be out of place on the distinguished older gentleman. Its a young fragrance, but towards the middle and end, it does have complexity. Nice!!

dark, mysterious, all-around gothik smell. definitely for the younger crowd. very difficult to wear. you must be a very strong and masculine person to accompany the slightly feminine scent. do i detect a hint of grapes, maybe red wine? it really turns me on when my lover wears it.

God I love this stuff...To me it smells like strawberries and patchouli. Absolutely nothing like the original, and I have a hard time picking out any of the notes in the composition. True, the lasting power is average, and sillage is minimal. But I don't care, I love it and can't really think of anything else that quite compares!

I bought both the EdT and the Deodorant stick quite recently and I must say that the EdT is really good, but the deodorant stick was not of the same quality.

Not only did the Deodorant stick not have the same or even similar scent as the "actual" EdT but also managed to get me a severe skin rash almost immediately when I put it on. Within minutes of application I washed the Deodorant off but despite that I had the skin rash for a couple of days.

This means:

Thumbs DOWN = Deodorant stick
Thumbs UP = EdT

In summary this must mean that my judgement must be NEUTRAL!

// dennis

I only tried XS Black one time in the perfume store to decide i have to get it.
fresh from the first wave. i will never get bored of it.

Pleasant lasting scent. Not to be be applied strongly though. Fragrance for all seasons, women fall for me!!!!!!!!!!!!

This isnt just the smell of Strawberries, this is the smell of the Strawberry sauce that you dip your Strawberries in. Furthermore, I find this scent to be very masculine too... Amazing!

What a great fragrance. This is something I would never buy for myself, but my girlfriend bought it for me and I wear it all of the time now. I agree witht the other comments that it's a very invigorating scent. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to it, but now it's my favorite. Hell, I've been wearing it all winter (but it doesn't get that cold in SC). I also have to agree with the strawberry comment. I think it smells like a strawberry fruit rollup. Who knew fruit rollup scents were so good.

Well I tell ya...I really really love this scent and I would wear it all year round...can't wait to get the shower gel...when I wear it I get rave comments and reviews....

I don't like this at all. It isn't even slightly masculine, i think and the only thing i recognize are strawberries. Very synthetic strawberries all the way. Not for me

This was a pleasant surprise. I quite like it's combination of green notes (and I am not a fan of green notes by a longshot) and a very light and vague sweetness. A summer fragrance, or for days when you feel like an energizing pick-me-up.

Love this scent! But its basically D&G Light Blue in a different bottle! Same perfumer too. Love it.

I'd never wear it, way too much like strawberry Jolly Ranchers, but it's not anything vile. Just way too sweet for my taste; I'll take the original XS, thank you.

I just cannot get enough of this scent. It's not just the best fragrance I've ever smelt, I honestly think it is the best anything I've ever smelt. It reminds me of candy-floss. It smells nothing like the other XS range (which I was never over keen on). I cannot praise this scent enough.

Black XS is basically a summer fragrance. It's very fruity, with that kind of "fruity sweetness" found in Acqua di Gio. I can smell some mint mixed harmonically. Powerfull and long lasting, has a lot of sillage. I would describe it as a strong casual scent! It's loud and the image that comes to my mind when I'm wearing it, is Carmen Miranda's hat (full of fruits). I think this one will be a huge success with the young crowd.

This is a very pleasant fragrance that strongly reminds me of strawberries. Quite unusual as such in the realm of male fragrances, but certainly worth some attention. It's quite long-lasting and is rather subtle. I would recommend for everyday wear, all year round. The interesting aspect of this scent is that it doesn't seem to change much after application to the skin. The strawberries can always be perceived, even when it's been worn for hours.