Zafeer Oud Vanille

I was buying stuff on FragranceNet and noticed Alexendre J Vanille Oud 8 ml was $10. I threw it in the mix and when I received it, I took one quick whiff and immediately thought it was a generic sweet vanilla and nothing more. The packaging was nice so I thought I’d gift it to someone eventually then tossed it in a drawer. Three months later I’m cleaning out said drawer, saw it, applied 4 good sprays and now I love it. Let me say I am not a vanilla, sweet or gourmand fan. Not in the least. Yet here the coconut, toffee and vanilla smells so incredibly tasty I was won over. The leather and oud are very very soft, and just offer enough presence to cut the sweetness in half. This is a rich, warm cozy scent that will make anyone come closer to get a better whiff. Maybe I was in the mood for something different, maybe because this is unlike anything else I own, or just maybe this is so well made I became a fan. Longevity and projection is very good and I would say this is comfortably unisex. Needless to say, I will get a full bottle when my 8ml is gone, which will be shortly. Don’t get hate for this one at all. Big thumbs up

When I wear this, it exudes an aura of pure beauty. It's an incredibly luxurious fragrance that wraps me in a magical mist of vanilla. I can detect hints of toffee, coconut and oud. A touch of fruity freshness (maybe the ylang-ylang that tricks me) serves to slightly temper the heavier notes. Words fail to capture just how incredibly exquisite this perfume is. Yet, if you bring your nose too close, or directly inhale it from your skin, the scent turns into an oud that is overwhelmingly penetrating. This perfume needs to be experienced! It should be worn and gently inhaled throughout the day. There is pure delight in catching fleeting whiffs of the softest and smoothest vanilla all day long. It has extraordinary lasting power. I have not found the need to reapply throughout the day. On the contrary, my experience is that the fragrance lingers until it is washed off. Utterly sublime!

Got my sample and have worn this twice. I loved it when I applied a smudge to my wrist the first time - I then liberally applied this today. The initial scent was a little overwhelming at first - Very Woodsy and Oud - smothered in Vanilla. I must admit that I questioned my choice as I gasped through the heavy veil that flooded my senses. But after the first ten minutes I was hooked. This settled into a softly spicy, creamy vanilla yumminess that has an alluring sweetness that pulls you in. I want to hug myself and nuzzle my own neck. I'm constantly smelling my wrist as I snuggle down into my office chair in delight. I am definitely purchasing this baby. My one piece of advice would be to go easy on the application. Its pretty strong and I have a feeling if over-sprayed - it can become nauseating - too much of a good thing. A simply complex delight.

Coconut and vanilla opening is strong, then it goes in the spicy-caramel-light wood direction for the second and third acts, but the opening notes are still present. I can't detect the oud, but it might be the thing that prevents Zafeer from becoming too sweet. I have gotten many compliments from both sexes. Zafeer is my go to winter fragrance pick me up. It's easy to wear and even easier to like... or love. I'm on my second bottle - first was bought from Lucky Scent, and the second was purchased for 1/2 off from Fragrencenet. I own three perfumes from Alexandre J. My only criticism is the over-the-top, gratuitous packaging obviously created for another market. The bottle is pretty without the silly gold adornements and the outer packaging should go in the recycling bin and not become more landfill. I hope someday to see these changes.

This fragrance smells like time itself, for me. The notes are exactly as described and they work so beautifully together. When I first smelled the coconut, toffee and leather for some reason I was immediately transported to my childhood and I felt like I was smelling one of the tastiest memory I had - a coconut dessert I had as a child that closely resembled the candy “Bounty”. After being transported to that lovely day, the middle notes opened discretely to make way to the present (I love spicy smells). The vanilla and musk (a very “clean”, classy musk) then took over, lingering on my skin, and embracing me in warmth. The only thing I didn’t absolutely adore about this is that the staying power isn’t that great on my skin (great on clothes though).