XJ 1861 Naxos (2015)
by Xerjoff

Beautiful, but since I own and love Pure Havane, I won't be buying this, it would be redundant :)

Besides that, a fantastic fragrance.

Opens with a tonka lemon bergamot mix. The citrus all but disappears after about 45 minutes. It lives a good amount of its life as a tonka honey cashmeran lavendar tobbacco fragrance. I sprayed polo supreme cashmere on a bag a couple weeks ago and got pretty used to picking out cashmeran, so maybe that is why it stood out so predominately to me. It does have tobacco, but it just doesnt read very loud. About in the same strength as the lavendar. But this is a decidedly sweet fragrance, that because it stays a bit drier, smells more expensive that edible. Great performance. Lasted well, above average projection.
Didnt really wow me into even consideration, regardless of price. Smells like good quality. But it didnt really develop after the initial transition away from the citruses. Too sweet and tonka-y for me. Ill say im gonna go thumbs down, with points dropping it from a neutral based on it being so pricey.

Yum. Citrus-lavender opening, very tart lemon-lime combination that quickly settles down into something sweeter and more refined: backdrops of honey, vanilla and cinnamon smooths out the fruity opening. Tobacco, tonka, and the cinnamon in particular darken the scent, creating a good balancing act between the lighter and darker elements of Naxos. Despite references to other fragrances by others, I find this to be unique: how many gourmands that incorporate citrus-powdery-floral elements have you come across?

The sweet is never too overbearing, the dark center is never too heavy. It's an expense to wear this: it doesn't come cheap. It's VERY expensive. However, it is very good though and, if you have the surplus income, I would recommend it for just about any occasion. Projection is average and so is silage: I would have expected a little bit more in both departments for this price. Very unisex as well.

7.5-8/10

Yet another thought-provoking, imaginative EdP sent from Xerjoff's XJ 1861 collection.

Naxos is dedicated to Sicilian culture and sensibilities, which is quite a courageous undertaking by Xerjoff. I know opinions vary with this one; I fall in the "like" category with what can be a somewhat challenging scent (it is meant to say several things in one place).

And I also find some parallels to Thierry Mugler Pure Havane, also a tobacco-y scent.

Fragrance notes for Naxos:
Top - bergamot, lemon, lavender
Heart - cashmeran, honey, jasmine sambac, cinnamon
Base - tobacco, tonka bean, vanilla

Naxos opens with the citrus duo of bergamot and lemon that blends well with lavendern plus lovely jasmine sambac. Sweetness is supplied courtesy the honey, tonka and vanilla; the key element for me is the tobacco, which leans this towards resembling Pure Havane along with the other notes in Naxos.

I already have Pure Havane, so this one would seem like an ultra-expensive duplicate for me. But if you're not concerned about cost and want a scent that 80% similar yet with arguably finer ingredients, this one's for you!

my first review here....

tried the naxos after much praise from mr smelly, i must say that i usually quite like all his reccomendations. but this one sorely disappointed.

sticky sweet, takes gourmand to another level, and almost single dimensional this one.

tonka bean, jaggery/honey, i do get a slight bit of tobacco in the dry down, but beneath the nauseating sweetness, which imo lasts a very long time. tested on my hand and could smell it long after i had washed them with soap.