1981X

Having just tried Naxos and owned 1981x for a while now, I finally feel like I can comment on this fragrance both as a standalone and as an intended "clone". If you want something to replicate Naxos, I'm going to be very honest and say that this isn't it. Naxos has a much more forward tobacco smell, whereas 1981x gives priority to white florals and honey, with tobacco being much more in the background in my opinion. If I really was into Naxos, 1981x wouldn't do it for me. If you want to be synesthetic about it, Naxos is tan brown, whereas 1981x is a syrupy off white. Here's the thing though, I'm not that into Naxos. I much prefer 1981x for every day use. It's incredibly versatile and can honestly be worn year round with no trouble whatsoever. It manages to simultaneously smell clean and sweet; complex while being light enough to be worn in the office. It's an absolutely outstanding dumb reach with potential to be a signature fragrance. Whereas Naxos to me is this slightly spicy, tobacco heavy-hitter that would have to be worn with the appropriate attire. Not office appropriate and IMO not for close encounters - only for big nights out where I'd want to impress. Considering the price, if I want a heavy, tobacco forward scent, I'll just go to Hafez 1984 - which is very rapidly going to the top of my winter list. For the price, 1981x is a no-brainer. It oozes quality and refinement by any standards, but it's, again, not in the same scent category as Naxos. 8.5 or even 9/10 for me!

oh mann, I thought PDM Althair was the best from my collection,, but now we have a new CHAMP This is so well blended. Such a pleasant flowery scent which makes it unisex, I bought it a week ago the 30ml version for 55$ on Amazon , pretty expensive right? NO, its worth every penny! the scent opens up so nice, no any chemical component, first minute you feel some alcohol but subltle after it dries down on skin which takes like 2-3 mins, the magic begins! You want to sniff youself all the time, so does your girlfriend, out of my collection of 15 frags this one hits the best and I went to buy the Apple Crumb (PDM Oujan) which i wanted to buy long time already, if that is as good as this Hany you have our best regards! Lets see if maceration will help it to get more dense, as of now its 90-95 percent close to Naxos, but with its unique twist to floral you can feel no tobacco, honey is present but not much and lavender is week too , which is good instead tonka and lemon and jasmine kick your A$$ in a best way possible.. if you thinking to buy it ! YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT MY FRIEND, go buy it ! and Hany, as you are in California, man please create better and unique bottles the ones with 'wooden plastic caps' and sticker are too generic, people are ready to overpay 10$ for a unique bottle! Updated: Smell completely gone in 3-4 hours, it is extrait de parfum should stay all day but not

Guess what? This is Great stuff! It is seriously artistry (unoriginal artistry but still) and worth buying. Yes, the cost for this clone house is a bit high, but considering the cost of the inspiration this is another exception. I am not going to say it’s perfect, but it is so good on its own that you will receive compliments. The honey is present, and the tobacco is well rounded, not too in your face. I don’t find it similar to Mugler Pure Havane, it does have a tobacco note, but they are not at all that similar. Alexandria makes good stuff, period. I am not a fan of DUA, they are heavily overpriced and while they do carry some solid offerings I find the perfumes to be oily and dense, which I don’t get with Alexandria. I will offer one critic, I have written reviews on their site, and for example 1978 I indicated that it is really not that close to original Polo Green, it’s not, and that review does not exist anymore. I notice most reviews on the site are 5 stars or 4, and all offer very high praise, I think they (actually I know) stack the deck in their own favour. Anyhow, don’t be a hater, this is worth buying. Longevity and projection are excellent. It is possible that batches have variations, but mine is top notch, highly recommend.

This was first frag I owned from the house. I bought it before smelling the OG. I LOVE it, almost time to get a new bottle. I get mostly Honey & Vanilla...and a subtle Tobacco note (which I get with a lot of their frags with a tobacco note - very similar across the board) - not a bad thing... just doesn't really change... it's not up front. It's a good supporter in the background. If you like sweet (not cloying or harshly sweet) but just enough that it can be unisex but not too feminine and as a man you wanna smell sexy for your lady? Look no further. Great late fall/winter fragrance. My wife loves it too... next bottle I buy will be whatever the biggest bottle they sell. Performance/Projection are great too... performs for about 10-12 hours...longer on clothes.. so if you spray your shoulders? - will be on there a good week. This is a great date night winter frag that's sweet but not too sweet. As for those of you comparing this to other fragrances... it's the same ball park as the original... but less Tobacco - more honey/vanilla/cinnamon. I don't think it smells like Pure Havane at all ... I own that fragrance and I've smelled both side by side... just not the same frag (on my skin at least)

12/19/21 UPDATE - So what I said in my original review is still true; however, now have experienced Naxos with a healthy decant...Naxos is certainly better and takes you on more of a journey. Although most are still really good, specifically if the clone house buys the premium fragrance oil from distributors, they can never really replicate the top notes/opening. Fragrance oils bring you to the heart almost immediately. It’s been said before...if you don’t try to compare this to the OG, or you have no experience with the OG, you will really appreciate this for what it is. ORIGINAL REVIEW Unbelievably stunning fragrance! One of the best tobacco DNAs I’ve come across...smooth and sexy! I get sweet honey and tonka/vanilla right off the top. As it dries down, a very beautiful subtle tobacco note blends masterfully well with the previous three. Longevity is 8/9 hours...projection is a bit past arms length for a couple of hours before slowly working its way back in. Could be worn year round, but best fall to spring. Do not pass this one by...get a sample and live with it for a few days. Could easily be a signature scent. Easy recommendation for me.

I didn't find Naxos to smell like Pure Havane, but I understood the many comparisons. There are definitely familiar hints of the Mugler DNA, but 1981X leans more towards Pure Havane to my nose. Naxos opens much brighter and becomes its own entity after application; while 1981X almost immediately focuses on the heart and base notes. I initially loved Naxos, but found that it was reduced to a skin scent within an hour. A curious itch led me to Alexandria's 1981X. I took a chance and ordered a 30ml spray and my only regret was not getting a bigger bottle. Is it wrong that I prefer 1981X to Naxos?? It's everything that I want Naxos to be and offers the lacking projection. Naxos is wonderful and it does in fact last, but intimately close to the skin. Layered, they are the perfect duo but for now I will live with Alexandria's rendition.

This stuff is so good! I basically blind bought a small 30 ml bottle of reading up the reviews and deciding the scent profile was appealing. When it arrived I loved the smell but it seemed like the performance and longevity was weak. However like others have stated, this is one of those perfumes that gets better with time. It would smell better and stronger everyday as the bottle juice matured. It's such a delicious scent, very warm and inviting. I haven't tried Naxos but it's hard to imagine it can smell any better than this. I mostly smell the honey and vanilla, with a subtle hint of tobacco and cinnamon. I think you can wear this all day in the fall and winter, especially in the mornings. Do yourself a favor and spray some on your favorite jacket or sweater and just let it sit there to absorb the scent. Thank me later

I blind received this as a gift after reading reviews on it. At first spray, I was reminded a lot of Pure Havanne. With PH, it was a fragrance that I wanted to love, but there was a cherry Carmex synthetic note hiding in the background of the opening and mid, and was a deal-breaker for me. This feels like someone told Hany to turn PH into a niche fragrance, add some richness and make it feel alive and organic. After a few wearings, the mid notes around an hour and a half have a nice vanilla accord and has some similarities to Tobacco Vanille, enough so that this would be a good replacement for, despite it being sweeter. For a blind gift, this was surpassed my expectations, and already has a run for my top 5. I’m amazed and addicted to this already, and the bottle has yet to even age. Bravo, Hany.

Wow. Phenomenal fragrance. Opens with a blast of vibrant citrus and develops into a delicious honey tobacco as it dries down in the skin. I have not sampled Xerjoff Naxos- but feel I have no need to. This fragrance performs excellently, great projection and longevity. Wore to work and lasted over 8 hours. Could be worn by any age group or gender, however more suited for men, 25+ (although I am 23). By no means is it cloyingly sweet- undoubtedly classy, sweet and seductive with that delicious honey and tobacco. A relatively versatile fragrance too- certainly mass appealing and non offensive. I am very impressed. Blind bought this fragrance and so glad I did! Looking forward to trying their other offerings. Thoroughly recommend this, especially with the price! 9.5/10.

Blind buy and initially had no idea what to expect as I’ve never worn a cologne with these type of notes(homey&tobacco) before. On my first spritz the smell was too strong in the floral department and was concerned I wasted $60. After waiting a few days I went back into it and HOLY. This is without a doubt the best smelling cologne I own. I love smelling it and will just sniff the bottle if I’m not wearing it to have a taste! It definitely seems to amplify in colder weather to me, so definitely a perfect winter fragrance. Though it can be worn by men and women, I think it’s better suited for men. A good office scent and a good date night scent. A definite buy if I you can. Scent-11/10 Sillage-7.5/10 Longevity-8.5/10 I feel it lasts longer on clothes.

A lot of people are saying the opening is “harsh,” but I think of it more as “sharp.” In fact, I love the opening and I wish it smelled like that the whole way through. As with most Alexandria fragrances, you have to let it macerate to get the full experience. I have an old bottle and it smells more well rounded and full compared to the brand new one (I keep a decant in the car and that one smells HEAVENLY because of it being warmed and aerated. This is tied for my favorite scent with Savauge Elixir. I believe you can wear it no matter the occasion because of how beautiful and un-abrasive it is. I will be trying out Naxos soon to see the differences, but I hope I like this better because of the price range

Dirty and sweet. Floral and masculine. Exciting and subtle. This is a fenomenal scent on my skin that radiates a confident masculinity and makes me feel like a million bucks. It starts out with a crisp citrus that fades into a sweet honey dripped jasmine scent. In the dry down it takes on a bit of a dirty vanilla and tobacco note whilst still being floral and sweet. Performance and sillage is good on me and I can catch whiffs of honey, jasmine and tobacco hours after application. So far I've gotten more compliments from this fragrance than any other I've worn. My partner, my friends, even my parents have asked what's that fantastic smell. This is a keeper for me

A higher class Pure Havane is my take on this one. The honeyed tobacco is the obvious star here, but it's done in a more refined way, less bombastic than Mugler. I am not saying it is better, just different. If Pure Havane is a leather jacket, 1981X is lambskin: different coats for different occasions. The opening is a surprisingly strong citrus which soon recedes into that lovely semi-sweet, dry tobacco vanilla accord that remains throughout the lifespan. AF has done a really fine job with this one and I believe anyone who loves a tobacco fragrance would be pleased with the result here. (I haven't smelled Naxos so I am evaluating this one on its own merits)

This scent is just immaculate. One of my more nervous blind buys, because I knew I didn't like tobacco prominent fragrances, yet I still bought this one haha. It's great to say that I genuinely like one. It smells so classy and the main thing I'm smelling is that honey tobacco. It's Unisex but leans male because of that tobacco. With that said, a woman can easily wear this. This is definitely one for the colder months, fall and winter for me. This lasts easily between 10-12 hours and it has a nice scent trail behind it. Like all alexandria fragrances, let this one sit for about a month or two in a cool, dark environment to get the true experience.

My signature tobacco vanilla fragrance. The smell is so unique. I tried it when I went to a festival and got constantly complimented from strangers. If you are looking for a sweet tobacco smell, this is it. It might lean a bit unisex but I think it works better for men. Great autumn and winter fragrance. I think it’s pretty linear too. Doesn’t change much other than it fading to a skin fragrance after a few hours. But overall great performance. I find myself fighting back at not using this all the time cause all I want to do is smell it. I have to show the rest of my collection some love. Alexandria Fragrances is a great house for discovery.

This was gifted to me as well, and I'm happy to say that it performs as well, if not better than Naxos. The dry down is immaculate, and very long lasting. It is versatile in my opinion, but is probably best reserved for the night time, in a fall or winter weather. Initial spray is a sweet honey with a hint of tobacco, but it dries down into a balance of tobacco, vanilla, and honey to me. It is sensual enough to be worn during a date night, but reserved enough for the office, as long as you are light on the trigger. overall a very good fragrance and for the price, it cannot be beaten. I rate it a 8.5/10

Now this scent is very nice indeed and I now know why it's so popular. It smells very sensual and enchanting! It opens up with citrus notes which is quickly followed by a aromatic tobacco that has been slightly honeyed. Soon after a beautiful jasmine and lavender joins the party and this is where the magic happens. The smell is enticing and inviting with everything been light and not too sweet or overwhelming. As time passes vanilla adds some extra sweetness with tonka and cinnamon adding depth to the tobacco. All in all it is very easy to wear and nicely balanced. Love it!

I haven’t smelt Naxos, but after trying this I really want to because 1981X is utterly amazing. I’m a huge fan of tobacco notes in fragrances and this is by far my favourite, with PDM Herod coming second. 1981X oozes opulence and sex appeal. The blending of notes is superbly smooth, and longevity is excellent with good projection. The overall impression is of a very expensive luxurious niche fragrance, yet at a fraction of the cost. I think it’s one of the best from AF. Highly recommended.

I feel with made to order fragrences like these u have to wait a few months after initial spray to review, if this was a review fe 3 months when purchased it would have been the usual doesn't last long smell is quite sharp etc etc, however after 3months I can 100% say this smells like naxos, of course its never going to be the same smoothness as the o.g, but you know what it's cloning, the tobacco is not as prominent in this more so the honey and its a lovely smell, get at 7 hours on this

1981X just does it well! Every time I wear this fragrance it puts a huge smile on my face! I can't be in a bad mood while I'm wearing this AMAZING fragrance. I have confidence and swagger with 4 sprays that last for days! I always get a compliment and I always know I'm the best smelling man in the world with this Juice. The only small nag is that I have to spray quick and leave that area without smelling right away because the initial blast is nose overload, but it's SO GOOD! A+ 10/10